Don't Even Go There

by Brenda Hampton

  “I am so, so sorry,” he said, bending down to help me pick up the sodas. “Please forgive me.”

  I had already forgiven him, and as sexy as he was, why shouldn’t I have? I already knew who he was, just from seeing the pictures in Claudette’s cubicle. Still, I wanted to be sure. He looked a whole lot better in person, and he kind of reminded me of Pooch Hall from the BET show, The Game.

  “No problem,” I said, batting my eyes with long lashes. “Mistakes happen.”

  He put the last soda on the tray and displayed his pearly whites. “Wherever you’re planning to take those, you can’t open them anytime soon. Can I help you get some more?”

  “If you don’t mind,” I said. “I got them from our break room, and if I don’t get these back to our board meeting soon, I might be in trouble.”

  Korey chuckled and followed me to the break room. I put it on in front of him, making sure my sexy swagger was on point. I even unbuttoned the single button to my jacket so he could get a closer look at my perfect perky breasts, which were squeezed by my silk blouse. When we got to the break room, I opened the refrigerator and he helped me put more sodas on the tray.

  “There you go,” he said, swiping his hands together. “Done deal.”

  The deal was in no way done yet, and I was hooked on his muscles that were bulging from his royal blue T-shirt. His baggy jeans had a sag in the right place and his coal black waves made me seasick. The most addictive thing about him was his smile, and no wonder Claudette couldn’t stop bragging about her fiancé. He was gorgeous and she should have known that she’d have to share a man this darn handsome.

  I held out my hand. “Thanks, uh… What did you say your name was?”

  He shook my hand. “I didn’t, but my name is Korey.”

  “Well, thanks, Korey. You really were a big help.”

  “I was going to help you take those to your destination, if you don’t mind.”

  I blushed and waved him off. “I’ll be okay. Go ahead and thanks again.”

  He shrugged, then put his hands into his pockets. As he walked toward the door, I couldn’t help but undress him with my eyes. There was no way in hell that Claudette knew what to do with a brotha that fine, and he had to be annoyed by that squeaky voice of hers. I couldn’t let him get away from me, and I was willing to accept the rejection—if it came.

  “Say, Korey,” I said, halting his steps. He turned around. “My name is Chase Jenkins. May I ask you for a tiny favor?”

  “Sure,” he replied without hesitation.

  I picked up a napkin and laid it on one of the tables. I removed my pen from my suit jacket and held it out to him.

  “May I have your phone number? I really like what I see and I hope the feeling is mutual.”

  He blushed, and the dimples went into effect. His shyness was too cute, but his hands hadn’t moved from his pockets. “I’m involved with someone who works here. Her name is Claudette. Do you know her?”

  I shrugged. “Somewhat, but not as much as I’d love to get to know you.”

  He hesitated for another second, then removed his hands from his pockets. Yes! I was in business. He was a lefty, and he took the pen and scribbled his phone number on the napkin. I smiled with glee in my eyes. Any man could be persuaded and I was glad to know that Korey was willing to be on my team. He dropped the pen on the table, and winked at me on his way out. Right back at you, honey, as I’d definitely be calling him tonight. You see, Drake was already history, and it stunned me how I could get over such a tragic loss so quickly. Knowing that he wasn’t worth even one tear made it so, so easy to move on. I already had something in the works to look forward to.

  Chapter 2

  For two weeks straight, Korey and I stayed on the phone for hours. That was possible for us to do because he and Claudette hadn’t moved in with each other. Surprisingly, he was a welcoming person to talk to, and had opened up a lot about his relationship with Claudette. According to him, he loved her, but there was something missing. He couldn’t really explain what, other than saying that she was the kind of woman his mother always wanted him to have. He was thirty years old, worked with his father selling cars, and had a college degree from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. He kept inviting me to go on a date with him, but I wanted to take my time with this. I started to feel a bit guilty about talking to Claudette’s man, but I hadn’t expected to indulge myself with the many conversations that we’d had. My intention was to only have sex with him, but I had never been the kind of person to up the goods so soon. There was only one occasion where I had a one-night stand, and the only reason that had happened was because I got blissfully drunk that night. I hadn’t been that way since, and even though I remembered the brotha was packing some thick meat, I couldn’t remember his name or number. So much for that, but I at least had myself an okay time.

  I sat on the bed with the phone pressed up to my ear, holding it with my shoulder. Soft music was playing in the background, and I kept looking at the TV in front of me that showed women from my favorite reality show clowning. The fragrance from a lit vanilla candle stirred around my room that was neat as a pin. Everything from the silk pillows and cream sheets on my queen bed to the soft lavender color on my walls decked it out as if Martha Stewart had come over and done it herself. While carefully polishing my toenails, I talked to Korey over the phone.

  “Why are you playing games with me, Chase? I know you want to see me.”

  “I do, but give me a little more time. I told you I just got out of a bad relationship, and with you and Claudette being engaged, I don’t know if this is the right move for me.” I knew, I was just playing around with him. Us getting together would happen, but it would happen on my time.

  “See, there you go bringing up Claudette again. It is what it is, but if the ring ain’t on my finger yet, I really don’t see what’s the big deal.”

  Ring on his finger or not, the result would be the same. I didn’t say so, but I sure as hell felt it. Before I could respond, I heard hard banging on my door. I pretty much had an idea who it was, as Drake had been trying to get at me for days. He told me he was coming by, and even though I’d gotten my restraining order, he didn’t wish to play by the rules.

  “Korey, let me call you back. Someone is at my door.”

  “Why you got that other brotha coming over there to entertain you? That’s why you’re playing me shady, ain’t it?”

  “No. Now, I gotta go. Later, all right?”

  Korey hung up, with an attitude, too. What nerve? I could tell I would have to be careful how I played my cards with him. The banging continued, and as I got off the bed, the wet polish on my toenails touched my plush tan carpet.

  “Darn it,” I said, looking at the stain on my carpet.

  “Chase!” I heard Drake yell. “I know you’re in there. Open the door!”

  I tightened my silk flowered robe, and waddled to the door with my toes flipped in the air so they wouldn’t touch my carpet. I knew the day would come when I would have to confront Drake, so I guessed that today was my lucky day. I pulled open the door, and stood with no expression on my face. From the look of Drake’s cold, red, and glassy eyes, I could tell he’d been drinking. He was a borderline alcoholic, but I dealt with that issue. The fact that he was handsome as ever and put me in the mindset of Idris Elba, that kept me attached too. Sex between us was spectacular, but a cheating man I would not tolerate.

  Since I’d opened the door, he tore into me. “I hope you have a good explanation for setting my house on fire. There are thousands of dollars of damage, and I expect you to pay me for the damages.”

  “I hope your insurance premiums were paid up, because I’m not giving you one single penny. Besides, I don’t know what you’re talking about, and if you came over here to argue with me, please don’t waste my time. I’ve set you free, so let’s be done with it.”

  Drake bumped my shoulder and swaggered his way inside. He wore a leather coat, blue jeans, and black dress
shoes. His low-cut fade was neatly lined, and his goatee suited his chin well. No, his looks couldn’t be ignored, but seeing him made me think about the woman’s legs thrown over his shoulders.

  “You are lucky that my insurance premiums were paid up, but for the next month or so, my house is not livable. I have to stay with my brother. Do you have any idea how much you’ve inconvenienced me?”

  I wasn’t sure if Drake had a tape recorder, so I wasn’t going to admit to any thing. I closed my door and stood in the living room with him. “I’ll say it again, Drake, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Don’t blame me if you got caught with your pants down, and one of your other women got upset with you. That’s what you get for trying to be a player.”

  Without being offered a seat, he took one on my beige sectional. “I wasn’t trying to be no player. I dated that chick a long time ago, and when she stopped by to see me, one thing led to another. She knew about you and that was the first time, during our relationship, that something like that happened.”

  “Save it for your chickenheads, okay? You got busted, and no matter what you say, I’m never going to take you back. I in no way believe that was the first time something like that happened, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.”

  Drake sat silent for a moment, then stared at me as I continued to stand close by the door. “Okay, Chase, I fucked up. Sorry. We’re not going to let three years go down the drain, just like that, are we?”

  Drake couldn’t be serious, could he? I tried to burn this fool up in his house, didn’t I? Why was he apologizing to me? This had to be a joke. I moved closer to the door and touched the knob. “Maybe when you’re sober, you’ll realize how serious all of this is. Three years, four, or ten, baby, you got busted. What we had is o-v-e-r, and there is nothing left to be said. I’m deeply sorry about your house, but you should have known that there are consequences for men who backslide on their women. When you find out who the woman was who burned your house, let me know. I’d like to send her a thank-you card because she did me a favor.”

  Drake stood and walked up to me by the door. “Quit playing,” he said. “I’ll give you some time to think about all of this, okay? You act like you ain’t have no damn love for me, and it’s not cool that you don’t want to work this shit out. I’ll get at you in a couple of weeks. By then, maybe you’ll have come to your senses.”

  I said not one more word, and opened the door. Drake could see in my eyes that I wasn’t playing with him, and, eventually, he’d have to accept the fact that there would be no reconciliation. He left and I happily slammed the door after him.

  That night, I was asleep in my two-bedroom apartment, dreaming about Drake and another woman. When the telephone rang, I jumped from my sleep and reached over to see who it was. It was Korey calling, and I couldn’t believe that it was almost 2:30 A.M. How dare he call me at this time in the morning? When I didn’t answer, he had the nerve to call right back.

  “Hello,” I snapped.

  “I didn’t mean to call you so late, but I couldn’t sleep. Do you still have company, or did he already leave?”

  Korey was starting to irritate me. Who I had at my place was none of his business. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I whispered. “I haven’t gotten much sleep tonight and I have to get up for work in a few hours.”

  He pushed again. “Are you alone?”

  “No,” I lied. “As a matter of fact, I’m being rude right now. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  I hung up, and it was official. Korey was scratched from my to-do list, simply because he was already becoming a pain in the ass. All we were was phone buddies, and he was trying to keep tabs on me when he already had a woman. That in no way made sense to me.

  I was running late for work, and now I couldn’t find my keys. Why was I running late? Because I couldn’t get back to sleep after Korey’s phone call. I was up thinking about my past relationship with Drake, too, and had started to feel disappointed about the three years I’d wasted with him. What a setback.

  I finally found my keys, and as I left my apartment, I bumped into my neighbor, Lance, who was leaving his apartment too. He seemed to be running late as well, and we met up on the steps.

  “Good morning,” he said, extending his hand for me to go down the steps in front of him. “Ladies first.”

  “Thanks, Lance.” I hurried down the steps in my high heels and thick winter coat. The light snow had been falling for a few hours, and when Lance and I reached our cars, they were covered with snow.

  He looked at his watch. “I guess there’s no need to hurry because I’m already late.”

  “Me too,” I laughed.

  He brushed the snow off his car with a snow scraper and offered to do mine. I had a towel that I’d gotten from my trunk and it really wasn’t doing much. I accepted Lance’s offer and stood shivering as I watched him clean both of our cars. Lance was just an okaylooking brotha. He looked to be in his late thirties, had a shiny bald head, and wore a trimmed mustache. I could never tell if his body was hooked up or not, because his clothes were always too big and, quite frankly, too slouchy. I had seen several different women at his apartment; I guess it really didn’t matter how a man looked, as his collection was always more than one. Besides that, he drove an older model Ford Expedition that needed some work. He was always outside trying to fix it, and had asked me for a jump at least twice. I wasn’t trying to judge; after all, Lance seemed like a really nice person.

  “You’re good to go, Chase,” he said, stepping away from my car. “Be careful on the roads and have a good day.”

  “You too, Lance. Thanks.”

  I got into my clean burgundy car, quickly turning it on so it could heat up. Lance waved again before pulling away. I followed him, making my way to work.

  I was twenty minutes late, and the only person who had made it there before me was my other coworker, Veronica. Her cubicle was behind mine, and instead of peering over it like she always does, she came around it to talk to me. I hung my coat on the coat rack, and her eyes were checking me out.

  “You always look so nice in your suits. How many of them do you have? I swear I’ve never seen you wear the same thing twice.”

  I was a clothes and shoe fanatic, but I knew how to coordinate my outfits to make them look different. The gray pantsuit I wore today was accented with a silk pink blouse and silver and pink accessories. My sleek ponytail was flipped on the ends and my makeup was a work of art. I understood why Veronica seemed jealous.

  “You know how much I love clothes, but you look cute too,” I lied. The flowered skirt was not working for her and she looked like a blooming fat petunia. The hip-length sweater she wore was too tight, and if Veronica would have glanced in the mirror a little longer this morning, she would have seen what I did. Aside from that, she did have a pretty, round face, and her natural hair was full of tight curls.

  “Thanks for the compliment, Chase. I guess we’ll have to wait for Liz to get here. She already called and said she’d be about thirty minutes to an hour late. I got an early start, so traffic wasn’t a problem for me.”

  “Well, it was for me.” I nudged my head toward Claudette’s cubicle. “Did she call in yet?”

  “No, not yet. I’m sure she’ll be showing up soon. She hasn’t missed one day of work.”

  As Veronica spoke, I got a closer look at her. I noticed a small bruise close by her eye, and squinted before questioning her. “What’s that underneath your eye?”

  Instead of saying anything, she walked over to her cubicle and pulled out a compact mirror from her purse. She touched the bruise with her finger, then pulled out a tube of foundation to dab the spot underneath her eye. “Stupid me,” she said. “I bumped into my door yesterday and hit my eye. I didn’t know it had gotten that bad and I tried to cover it up.”

  I knew what Veronica said was a lie, and this wasn’t the first time I’d noticed a bruise on her face. I couldn’t help but confront her about my suspicions.
“Veronica, you don’t have to lie to me, all right? I suspect that your boyfriend has something to do with those bruises that I keep seeing on you. You really need to leave him alone, especially if he’s putting his hands on you. If there is anything that I can do to help, let me know.”

  Veronica’s eyes had already started to water. I reached out to give her a hug, and gave her a Kleenex that was on her desk. She dabbed her eyes. “We get into it all the time over stupid stuff. I try to keep my mouth shut, but he always calling me names and saying things that hurt my feelings. I do fight his butt back, but there’s no doubt that he always gets the best of me.”

  I shook my head with disgust. I had seen and heard about that kind of foolishness too many times. Veronica didn’t even realize how she was keeping herself in a situation that could easily turn tragic. She had a cute little girl, too, and I wondered what she was going through at home. Her situation kind of reminded me of mine when I was little. My parents argued all the time and I would sit in my room, crying my butt off. My hands covered my ears to drown out the noise, but it was never enough. I was so glad when my mother left him, and it led to us having a peaceful home. My mother never brought any charges against him, but later in life she told me she regretted that she hadn’t. She encouraged me never to put up with an abusive, cheating, or lazy man, and her encouragement was enough for me to know when I was in the wrong kind of relationship. I put my thoughts to the back of my head, and got back to my conversation with Veronica.

  “Why don’t you just leave him alone, Veronica? There are other men out there, and plenty of men who won’t put their hands on you.”

  “I know. But we’ve been together for six years and it ain’t all that bad. We have our good times, too, and I know when enough is enough. I’ll be okay.”

  There wasn’t any thing left to be said. I could talk until I was blue in the face, but Veronica had to wake up in her own time. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late for her.