“They are all selfish idiots and wouldn’t even dare think that someone was on the inside fucking it up for all of them. Stupid bitches.” She huffed. “Now all I gotta do is handle Lowe, get him back in my life and then all will be well.”
“So do you think our plan is working on him, too?”
“Yes, I just found a doctor who doesn’t mind getting paid to say that I’m pregnant and who will give me the fertility treatments that I need. I couldn’t reach Lowe Friday or yesterday to tell him the news, but I’ll call him and let him know that I’m pregnant. He won’t doubt that the baby is his.”
“But you cheated on him.”
“Yeah, but he’ll wait until the baby’s born just to see if it’s his. Until then he’ll move me back in. Once I’m there he won’t be able to resist my charms and I can really get pregnant by him. By the time the child is born, my husband will be back in love with me again.”
It was a plan only a bitch would devise. Even I would do some shit like that to make a man stay with me. I had to admire Erin for her determination, but I felt bad for that asshole husband of hers who was obviously too nice to fall for her shit.
I didn’t make a sound as Mackeroy and Erin walked away laughing at their so called “genius” plan.
Going back into the bathroom, I didn’t know how to feel. I was a little happy because now I didn’t have to hurt Mackeroy’s heart. In a way, this made it very simple for me to kick him to the curb because he had been using me all along.
But I knew I had to get out of there, so I found my jacket. When I reached for my bag, I made the mistake of picking it up wrong. The papers inside landed on the bathroom counter, giving me the opportunity to see that I still hadn’t combed my hair yet.
Reaching over to pick up the papers, I happened to look at them in the mirror. I couldn’t believe what I saw.
Sroban…Spelled backwards was Nabors!
Not only did I know who was trying to backstab Earl, I now knew who Theo’s wife was.
Entry Thirty-Seven
Before I left, I was able to sneak into Peter’s office and look through his files to get information on Mackeroy’s company. This was after I downloaded all the information I needed on a flash drive.
When I was out of the office, I broke into a run towards the main street and caught a cab home. If Mackeroy was looking for my car to move, I was not about to let him know I had been anywhere near the office today. Plus, driving while so damn happy that I had Erin by the balls was dangerous to my health.
Once I got home, I allowed myself to think about everything. I also noticed that Mackeroy had called my phone over twenty times since I’d been gone and had left three messages. All of them pleading more and more for me to call him or he would get the police. I didn’t return the calls because I really didn’t want him to know I was home yet.
But I did call Theo. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to know that I knew Erin was his wife and that she was a slut and a deceitful little bitch. When he picked up the phone, I instantly decided not to tell him because of his tone of voice. He sounded so pathetic.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in concern.
“Sheryl, I was just about to call you. I just finished speaking to my lawyer.” Theo paused a moment. “I wanted to let you know that this weekend was fabulous, but…we can’t see each other anymore.”
“Why? Is this about your wife?” I questioned.
“Look, Sheryl, you do mean a lot to me. And everything I said this weekend was the truth, but I decided to stop the divorce decree and stay with her. I can’t see you and her at the same time.” He sounded like a man in true pain.
“She’s lying to you, Theo. Whatever she said, she’s lying to you – I know –”
He cut me off. “Sheryl, I know you want to be with me. Dammit, I want to be with you, but I just can’t.”
“Before you do anything crazy, Theo, why don’t we meet? Please!” I insisted, knowing I’d never convince him over the phone where I’d just sound like a desperate woman who didn’t want to lose her man. I was and I wasn’t going to hide from that truth. But right now, no matter what I said, Theo wouldn’t listen and only think I was lying.
He took a moment before agreeing. “Tomorrow. Where we first met.”
“Thank you,” I said in relief. I was saddened when he hung up the phone after whispering a painful goodnight.
After printing off the information I had, I called Cassandra’s cell phone. I felt real sorry that I hadn’t had time to sit and speak with her about her husband’s cheating, but still wanted her to know what was going on.
A man answered Cassandra’s phone in a standard but irritated greeting.
“Hi, can I speak with Cassandra?” I said, using my business voice. “This is her manager.”
“Oh, so you’re the one who’s got my wife thinking she’s better than everyone else, including her own husband.”
I heard Cassandra in the background demanding that he give her the phone. Maybe I called at a very wrong time, because I could just feel this man’s hatred for me.
“Or,” he said evilly. “Is this the woman who’s got my wife thinking I’m having an affair?”
“Look, sir,” I said firmly. “I just called to speak to Cassandra about some business-”
“You are having an affair!” Cassandra cried, still in the background.
“Cassie, you have lost your mind!” he seethed at her. “What the hell have you done to my wife?”
That question was directed at me. I was lost for words, because I was always trained not to butt in a couple’s argument.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking-” I couldn’t finish that one because Cassandra screamed in frustration, almost blasting my eardrums out.
“How could you not be cheating? Just the other day, you were whispering on the phone to your boy about how you know you’re still in love with her.”
“Her who?” her husband asked.
“Your ex-girlfriend who you see behind my back!” There was so much pain in Cassandra’s voice. It sounded thick and low, but I could hear her loud and clear.
I was becoming angrier and angrier by the second, knowing that this man had hurt a woman who had become a very good friend to me.
Cassandra continued through deep sobs, “Just because you never say her name to me, don’t think I don’t know who you’re talking about.” She burst out crying. “I love you, Ricky, but I’ve known I could never compare to her. I didn’t try though ‘cause I felt you loved me in a different way. But now I know you love her more than me.”
The sorrow in Cassandra’s voice almost ripped me to pieces. He had hurt her feelings and I wanted to kick his ass and his other woman’s ass for making my assistant hurt like this.
“Put her on the phone,” I demanded of her husband.
“No! Because I’m not going to let you convince my wife I don’t love her. I may have had some doubts lately and shit happens between old friends.”
“So you did sleep with her?” I yelled, getting angry at him.
Cassandra had asked the same question simultaneously.
“I only propositioned her, but she refused!” he said in defense.
At the same time, Cassandra and I both said, “You asshole!”
There was a long moment of silence after that.
“Hello?!” I said frantically, thinking the husband had hung up on me. I was so enraged by his betrayal to his wife that I couldn’t see straight.
“Hello?!” I said again. “You better had not hung up on me!”
In the background I could hear Cassandra crying. Then I heard her husband’s voice, which suddenly sounded too familiar as he asked, “Sheryl? Is this you?”
Entry Thirty-Eight
It took a moment, but I cleared my head of the anger I was feeling long enough to recognize that I was speaking to Rick.
Rick!
My best friend from college was married to Cassandra, my new assistant! Damn! I couldn’t belie
ve what a small world it was!
“That’s her?!” Cassandra asked devastated. “Oh my gawd! All this time-”
I heard footsteps rescind.
“Cassie,” Rick cried.
From what I could hear, I knew he was moving around. I was pretty much not in control of this situation at all since all I could do was hold the phone and listen.
“You’re blowing things out of – Cassie! Fuck!”
“What happened?” I demanded to know.
“She just ran out, took the car and left. I have no fucking idea where she’s going.”
“Rick, did you cheat on her?” I asked.
There was a moment’s pause before he pathetically admitted, “Yes. When you refused, I went somewhere else.”
“Why?” I asked in desperation, really wanting to call him a stupid idiot.
He sounded very ashamed. “I don’t know, Sheryl. I’m weak. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not me you need to say sorry to.” I hung up the phone and called Rahem. I didn’t have my car and I needed a ride.
Rahem was happy to pick me up and was there in minutes. I packed up all the information I needed in my brief and told Rahem to take me to my office.
“I’ve missed you,” he admitted as we drove.
I smiled sheepishly. “I’ve been busy.”
“With whom?”
I blushed. “What makes you think that, Rahem?”
“I can see it in your eyes, Sheryl.” He said my name in that funny way that made it sound so nice.
“He’s someone that you don’t know.”
“He’s a lucky man.”
He took my hand and kissed my knuckles.
I had mad respect for Rahem because nothing else needed to be said. I knew I had a friend in him forever.
When he dropped me off, he said he would be in the area for a moment if I needed a ride back home.
I thanked him and went up to my office. Soon as I got to the front doors, I saw Cassandra. She didn’t have a master key, so she just stood there crying sorrowfully.
How had I known she would come here? I figured she would go to the only place she felt good about herself; despite the fact that she now knew I was her boss and also the source of her emotional anguish with her husband.
“Cassandra,” I called, walking up to her.
“Stay the hell away from me,” she snapped.
“I never slept with him,” I told her, ignoring her orders.
“Do you really think I believe you?” she asked incredulously. “All my marriage I heard about how great you were. The perfect girlfriend. Anything and everything a man could ever want in bed. And how he regrets allowing you to leave. Sure he never said these things to me, but I’d hear him speak to friends about you or whispering your name in the night with a need I couldn’t quench.”
I’ve done a lot of shameless things in the name of sex and pleasure, but I knew I had no control over a man’s desire for me over his wife.
“But in all that time, I never slept with him. I wouldn’t sleep with a married man.” Again, not counting Theo since he was almost divorced. Peter was a non-entity by this time since I never actually slept with him.
“Ha!” Cassandra screamed. “You’re a home wrecker! Peter’s wife confided in me. She told me that she knew you and Peter were having an affair. He called out your name when he was having sex with her.”
On my lawd! I couldn’t deny that Peter had been intimate with me, but I had never been intimate with him! Yet I didn’t know how to really explain it other than to be honest.
“Cassandra, I have never and would never have sex with Peter. He was on my shit list and I made him… well, I made him go down on me because I thought it was a way to get back at him. But I think the man actually started to enjoy it.” I huffed in frustration. “I swear to you that I would never do anything with Rick because even though I had never met you, I still had mad respect for you and Rick’s marriage. When Rick propositioned me, I refused him because I knew it was flat out wrong and we weren’t that type of friends anymore.”
Cassandra wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at me hard, as if searching for the truth. Finally she said, “You think I should leave him?”
A feeling of elation swept over me because I knew then that Cassandra believed me. That really meant a lot to me to be her friend. “I can’t decide that matter, but I know Rick still loves you and he’s sorry for any hurt he may have caused you.”
“I don’t know what to do,” she said soberly.
“Think it over before making any rash decisions. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Not about staying,” Cassandra clarified. “I want to stay with him, but I want revenge for what he did.”
Hesitantly, I said, “I could give you a few ideas.”
Cassandra smiled. “I’m listening.”
Using my key, I opened up the door and we headed to my office. Erin and Mackeroy were gone so we had time to ourselves.
Not only did I give Cassandra a few vengeful ideas, but I also told her about the information I had on Erin. And about how Mackeroy had been using me all this time. I even told her about Theo.
“You know she’d love to fire you,” Cassandra said.
“I’d love to see her try,” I shot back determinedly.
“Her husband? Oh wow!” Cassandra looked flabbergasted and also relieved that I wasn’t involved with her husband. “Do you know how she’ll feel once you turn this all into Earl? You’ll have her man and Earl will promote you to her position, so you’ll take her job, too.”
I smiled. “I’d like that. I’d love to see her face as I kick her out of her office.”
Cassandra hacked Lisa’s main address book on the computer and found Earl’s home email and home fax number. We figured out together that Erin probably had someone in Florida working for her who was keeping Earl from information he should have known about. Sending it to his office would most definitely be a way for Erin to find out that we knew about Sroban.
I put my personal cell phone number on the information and wrote for him not to call me at work about the matter.
After that, we locked up and prepared to go home.
Cassandra was in much better spirits. She decided to stay at an uncle’s home to make Rick worry some more and to also formulate her plan for revenge against him.
“I won’t kill him,” she teased before we parted in our separate cars. “Just break him down a notch or two.”
I looked forward to hearing the details later.
Entry Thirty-Nine
When I arrived home, my sister was just pulling up. She looked as if she had been crying, but I really didn’t want to placate her. I had too much on my mind.
But I would let Lauren know the information Lethal Heart had found out just so she’d leave the matter alone. So my mother was hiding a secret. I decided that it really didn’t matter to me anymore because this “secret” had never really affected my life and any earlier decisions I had made.
Still there was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that maybe I was or could have been violated as a child by my father. Yet the only time I really remember being hurt is all the hitting, pinching and pushing Lauren would do to me because she was either mad at me or jealous when Momma or Uncle E would give me more attention than her. These times were aplenty because Lauren always wanted to be the star of everything and everyone.
Another thing that irritated me was the fact that my father had stolen from a lot of people – despite paying them all back – and the fact that my mother had been sitting on a wad of cash for years.
“I figured you’d care,” my sister snapped as soon as I walked up to her. Her face looked fuller, but her pregnancy was yet to show.
“I do care about you, Lauren. You’re my sister. Why wouldn’t I?”
“If you cared, you’d have demanded that Momma give us the money.”
I looked at her as if she had lost her mind, then moved to go into m
y house. She followed.
“Why would I ask Momma for the money?” I asked.
“It rightfully belongs to us! Not her!”
“Says who?”
“Stop acting like Nina is God’s gift to motherhood, Sheryl! She kept us from the knowledge that he was our father and that he left the money to us.”
“That was never said.”
“Of course her greedy ass wouldn’t tell us that. So she could have more of it all to herself.”
I was starting to wonder who the hell the greedy ass really was. “That money was stolen, Lauren. It wasn’t even rightfully anyone’s except the people it was taken from. And I do care very much about you, because I took a lot of time out of my busy day to get the information you wanted. Uncle E is alive, but there is not enough money in the world to find out where he is because he doesn’t want to be found. Momma did help him out, but so what. I don’t care to know why. We all have our secrets. We all have things we are ashamed of, but sometimes we have to let the past stay in the past and live for the future.”
“That is so fucking self-righteous, Sheryl! Are you forgetting the fact that that man could be a child molester? And that Momma’s just letting him get away with it. He molested you. Momma and I know you were because of the bruises on your thighs.”
I started to just blow her off because I really didn’t want to discuss this anymore, but then something made me think over what my sister just said. “How did you know about the bruises on my thighs? Momma never said you knew.”
The room went quiet.
“I j-just assumed you had bruises, too, because I did.”
Now why was my gut tingling like I had to pee real bad? “What does it matter? It’s the past. Let it go.”
“Let it go?” Lauren screamed hysterically. “How can you let it go when he hurt you? Nina is a bitch for letting him get away with hurting you!”
“Who hurt her?” Nina asked.
We had been so consumed with our conversation that neither of us had noticed that we had not shut the door when we entered my house. Which meant neither of us had heard Nina come in the house behind us.
Diary of A. . . Page 17