by La Jill Hunt
Chapter 2
Keelan
He couldn’t get the look on Teeka’s face out of his mind when he shut the bathroom door behind him. She was sitting on his bed, not even looking at him. He could tell that she had been biting back her tears, and he fought the urge to go and console her. Things were complicated, and he didn’t want to make them any more so.
She didn’t need to tell him that she loved him. He already knew that. He could tell by the way she let him fuck her however he liked. He could tell by the way she always checked on him mentally, physically, and emotionally. Not only was she his friend, but she was his confident, and he felt like the lowest piece of shit on the earth.
He stood in the bathroom, knowing she was right outside the door dying inside. He stared at himself in the mirror and felt shame. How could he have made her feel that way about herself? Who was he fooling? He loved everything about that woman. From the first day he met her, the confidence she had turned him on in ways unimaginable. She was everything that he wasn’t, and normally that would make them polar opposites, but it actually acted as the glue between them. He’d never laughed so hard in his life than when he was with her. Nor had he ever cum so hard when he had sex with anyone else.
At first it was only about the sex. He was new in town, and he just wanted a body to keep him warm at night. If he had known that he was going to fall in love with her, he would have left her where he found her.
Of course, he’d noticed her size, but that didn’t change how he felt about her. Now, when she brought it up, he used it as his way out. He needed a way out. Things had gotten too deep. That night, for example, he’d gone out of his way to make her a candlelit dinner and made love to her using only the flames as light. Why wouldn’t she tell him she loved him? He had gone out of his way to be romantic, and he didn’t even have to. A piece of him wanted her to say it, but why, if he knew that she couldn’t have him?
He turned on the water to the shower, and not even two minutes later, he heard the front door slam shut.
“Shit,” he cursed himself.
He wished he would have just been honest with Teeka from the beginning. Instead of striking a deal to not catch feelings, he should have just told her why he couldn’t. He should have just told her the truth about himself.
One of the first questions she’d asked him when they first met was if he had a wife, and he said no. That was the truth. He didn’t have a wife . . . yet. He did, however, have a fiancée. Alecia Clout had been his college sweetheart, and the two of them had been together for so long it seemed like marriage was the only step in their relationship to conquer. He loved her, and for the most part, she fit his life perfectly. She was gorgeous, smart, fit, and shared a lot of the same goals and aspirations as him. Right before he left, the two of them had gotten into a big fight because she felt he wasn’t applying himself.
* * *
“What did you go to school to get your master’s degree for, Keelan? To be some white man’s flunky for the rest of your life?” she said when she found out that he was thinking about accepted the job in Chicago. “What about the job offer here? The one my daddy offered you at his firm downtown? You’d be making twice as much as you would in Chicago. Think about our futures for once.”
“I don’t want to live my life chasing money,” he told her. “I want to chase happiness. Yes, I would have a big office overlooking the city, and the money would be great, but the stress of that position would make me hate getting up in the morning every day. We aren’t hurting for money right now. We don’t have any children yet. I just want to enjoy the next few years of my life, because when we get married, it all stops.”
That was the mistake he’d made.
“Oh! So, when we get married you’re not going to enjoy your life anymore? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“No! That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, that’s what you said.”
“Alecia . . .”
“Don’t Alecia me! Especially when you keep doing things to upset me!”
“So, me wanting to be happy upsets you?”
“Yes! I mean no! The way you’re going about it upsets me. Daddy keeps telling me I’m making a mistake marrying you, but I keep telling him how much of a standup man you are.”
“I don’t give a damn what your father thinks about me. And I don’t need you to defend me to him either. I just need you here by my side because I’ve already made up my mind. I’m taking the job in Chicago.”
“And that’s it? No discussion, no nothing. What about me? Did you think about the life I would have to pick up here?”
“You, too, went to school to get your masters, didn’t you?” Keelan asked. “And now you’re comfortable working for your father’s Fortune five hundred company. Well, I don’t want to work for your father, so that’s not an option for me. You act like you couldn’t find work in Chicago.”
“He’s my father, Keelan!”
“And I’m your man. But the next move is yours, because like I said, I’ve already made my decision.”
“Then I guess you’ll be going to Chicago alone.”
* * *
It wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted Alecia to come with him so they could start a new life together, but she was so wrapped around her father’s finger at the time that she hadn’t seen the good in the opportunity at hand. The two never officially broke it off, and neither had cancelled the wedding, but Keelan felt as if they were on a much-needed break. And that’s where Teeka came into the picture.
He had never been the player type, nor did he ever expect himself, of all people, to be in love with two women at once, but here he was. Then, when Alecia told him that she was ready to make the move to Chicago to make it work between them, he knew the right thing to do was to cut things off between him and Teeka. Still, why did he feel so bad about it? He figured either way, Teeka would be hurt, but telling her the truth was just too hard to do.
He stayed in the shower, trying to level his thoughts for almost an hour. When he got out, of course Teeka was gone, but the smell of her sex still lingered in the air. He went to lock the front door and thought about calling to make sure she’d gotten home okay. His plan had been for her to stay the night, but after what he’d said, she probably couldn’t wait to get out of his presence.
He put on a white wife beater and a pair of Ralph Lauren briefs before he fell into his bed. His nose instantly smelled the Carol’s Daughter hair milk that he’d just bought Teeka in his pillowcase. He made a mental note to wash his bedding before Alecia—
Bzzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz!
His phone vibrated violently on the mahogany nightstand next to his bed. He hoped that it was Teeka calling him, but of course it wasn’t. After all, what could she have to say to him?
“Hey, baby,” he answered after checking the caller ID. “I would have thought you’d be ’sleep by now.”
“Hi, lovebug.” Alecia called him the nickname she’d given him in college. Her voice was sweet as honey, and she sounded genuinely happy to talk to him. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m surrounded by all of these boxes, and I just keep thinking about how excited I am to see you, baby. I can’t wait for my life to go back to normal. This house has been so empty without you. Seeing you two times a month just doesn’t suffice.”
“I know, baby. These two weeks are going to fly by.”
In two weeks, Alecia would be moving to Chicago. In one month, the two of them would be married. The reminder made him feel even more like shit because he was truly living a double life. Teeka had thought that the monthly trips to Milwaukee were to see his family. What she didn’t know was that that was only partly true. He and Alecia had been working on mending the broken pieces of their relationship and had decided to go forward with the wedding. For a month, he had been trying to figure out how he would break things off with Teeka, but it had been so hard. Now, he didn’t have a choice.
“So, about that . . .” Alecia’s voice carried on
mischievously, and Keelan raised his eyebrow.
“About what?”
“The two weeks thing. I can’t do it. I decided that I’m coming tomorrow!”
“T–tomorrow, tomorrow? As in the day after today?”
“Well, technically today, since it’s past midnight. I was going to surprise you, but I couldn’t hold in my excitement. Plus, I need you to pick me up from the airport.”
She giggled in Keelan’s ear, but he barely heard it. He was at a loss for words. Tomorrow? He thought he would have two more weeks to prepare. Guess not.
“That sounds good, baby,” he replied quickly so she wouldn’t think anything was wrong. “What about your things, though?”
“Oh, my daddy is going to have it all sent. I’ll bring what I need until then. I can’t wait to see your place and for you to show me where you work.”
“Where I work?”
“Yes! I want to see the company you love so much! ETCO Enterprises has definitely made some waves on the market. I’m so sorry that I didn’t support your business venture, baby, but I promise to do so from here on out.”
“You want to see where I work?” he asked again just to make sure he’d heard her right.
“Yes, silly! I guess I’ll have to wait until Monday, since tomorrow is Saturday, but yes, I want to know all about your Chicago life.”
Damn, he thought.
If Teeka thought he was a dog after that night, she would definitely think he was one after Monday. Oh well, though. She was his past, and she would have to stay there in order for him to have a real future with Alecia, right?
Lying is often done with words, but it can also be done with silence.
Chapter 3
Teeka
“He said what?”
Lynne’s voice was so loud that Teeka had to look around and make sure no one saw her on the phone at her desk. Most of the executives were at a meeting, so her floor was pretty much vacant. Lynne’s outburst was over the top, but she had a reason to respond the way she did. Teeka had finally caught her up on what transpired on Friday, and she didn’t leave out any detail.
“He basically told me that I’m too fat for him to be with,” she confirmed.
“But, bitch, you’ve been the same size since he met you!”
“Exactly, girl. My feelings were so hurt. Still are, to be honest.”
“And you have to work with that greasy motherfucker. You want me to come put some detergent in his tank? He still drives that nice Mercedes, right?”
Teeka found herself smiling. She and Lynne had been best friends since elementary school, and Lynne did not play when it came to her. She definitely had that no-nonsense Chicago attitude, and she was about it. Granted, they were adults now, but Lynne would throw down with anyone for disrespecting her, and Teeka had yet to see her lose a fight. She fought most of Teeka’s battles growing up whenever kids teased her. Honestly, if it weren’t for Lynne, the teasing probably would have never stopped. They were ride or die, and Teeka would go around the world and back for their friendship.
“Yes, he still drives the Mercedes, but no, I don’t want you to put anything in the tank. I am not trying to use my savings to get your ass up out of jail.”
“You’re right, but hey, if you change your mind, the offer is still on the table.”
“I just can’t believe he said that to me. I mean, I know we agreed to not catch feelings, but come on. The man has been basically wining and dining me for seven months, and we’ve just been masking it as friendly outings. Still, what did we expect to come from it?”
“I don’t know. Something isn’t adding up. I think he’s covering up something, girl. What made him say that in the first place?”
“Well, like I said, I finally told him I loved him, and he basically brushed that off.”
“So, he didn’t say that he doesn’t love you?”
“I mean, basically. And then I asked him if the reason why he won’t be with me is because I’m fat.”
“See, that’s the problem.”
“What do you mean, that’s the problem?”
“You gave him an option. Girl, you know these men blame their stupidity on any and everything, and you gave him a scapegoat. Shit, if that’s what you already think the problem is, why not just go with it?”
“So, are you saying that my weight isn’t the problem?” Teeka asked, growing more confused by the second.
“What I’m saying is I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. He doesn’t care about them extra pounds. He probably got a bitch somewhere in the cut.”
“No.” Teeka shook her head, dismissing the possibility. “That’s not possible. I’m literally with him five days a week, and whenever I call him, he answers. Whenever I need him, he’s there.”
“Okay, let’s back up a second. Y’all both agreed to not catch feelings, right?”
“Yes.”
“But everything you’ve told me shows that there are feelings on both sides. I think he’s just scared. You know how men get when they get something real. Their first thought is to run. Most of them say hurtful things to push you away. That way they don’t have to be held accountable for a failed relationship. It’s hard for men to let women be close to them. Just like we are scared to get our hearts broken, they are the same way.”
“Look at you,” Teeka joked, playing with one of her long, natural curls. “Sounding like you know what you’re talking about!”
“I grew up with all boys. I learned a li’l something by being around those idiots all day.” Lynne and Teeka shared a laugh. “But no, seriously, sis, I think you need to put that shit he said to the furthest part of your mind and figure out what the real issue is, because it’s not your weight. Girl, you may not be small, but you got it going on. I would love to have your hips and ass, okay?”
Teeka heard the elevator opening down the hallway, and she knew someone was coming. She didn’t know who it was, but the last thing she wanted was for Mr. O’Brian to see her taking personal calls while still on his clock.
“Girl, somebody is coming,” she said in a hushed tone. “I’m going to call you back on my lunch break. Actually, I’m just going to stop by when I’m off. You’re off at five today, right?”
“Yup. Just stop on by.”
“All right. Love you! Bye.”
Teeka disconnected the call just as she heard heels stabbing the marble floor. She looked up not to see Mr. O’Brian, but a woman so beautiful it was like she’d just stepped off a Vogue cover. She was slender, with a Coke bottle shape and golden brown skin. Her face was beat to the gods, and her hair extensions had pretty curls that bounced when she walked. She wore a red blazer over a white blouse and rocked slightly baggy navy blue trousers. Teeka’s eyes set on the Chanel bag resting on her arm, and she admired it for a second before the woman stopped at the front desk. She gave Teeka the brightest smile that she could with her perfect teeth and raised cheekbones.
“Good afternoon. Oh, my goodness! I love your hair. I wish mine would curl like that,” the woman said to Teeka, who was still stuck wondering who the model in her lobby was.
“T–thank you! I just throw water on it most of the time.” Teeka returned the woman’s smile. She had a familiar accent. “Do you have an appointment for a consultation?”
“No, I don’t actually. I came up here to have lunch with my fiancé. He told me he would be outside at noon, but here we are ten minutes past that. I was just making sure everything was okay.”
“Oh, no worries,” Teeka said, checking a few things on her computer monitors. “The executives are upstairs in a meeting, and sometimes they run a little longer than usual. If you’d like to, you can wait in the lobby. I’m sure they’ll be right out.”
Teeka motioned to the lobby, where a few other clients were waiting. The woman glanced quickly over in the direction that Teeka was pointing before turning her attention back to Teeka’s desk.
“Thank you so much—Teeka? Did I say that right?”
> “Yes, you did.”
“Perfect. I’ll wait for him. Before I do that, is there a little girls’ room that I can use?”
“Yes, right down the hall you came from, but to the right. You can’t miss it.”
“You are a doll. Thank you!”
Teeka smiled to herself when the woman walked away. She wished all women were as pleasant when she first met them. She wondered who the lucky man was. The woman looked like she was rolling in money.
A few minutes later, Teeka heard the chatter of a big group coming from one of the back meeting rooms. She instantly sat up straight and pretended to be doing something. Mr. O’Brian paid her well, more than what a secretary should make, and she didn’t want to seem like she was slacking. He’d been good friends with her father before he died of colon cancer five years ago. His wife and Teeka’s mother were the best of friends as well. When Teeka graduated college and couldn’t find a job in her career field, Steve gave her a job at his company making the same amount she would have if she had gotten a job with her degree. He always said it was the least he could do. The only thing he asked of her was to perform well and call him Mr. O’Brian at work.
“Teeka, you look lovely today. Yellow has always been your color. Hard at work as usual?” His pleasant voice boomed as he approached her desk.
“Yes, of course!” She smiled up into his pale face and winked. “Aren’t I always?”
“Uh-huh.” He chuckled. “Silly, just like that dad of yours. But as long as you get your work done, I don’t care how you do it. Did you tell your mother what Sandy said?”
“Yes, I did,” Teeka said and shook her head. “I don’t see why they make us play messenger when they’re together like four times a week.”
“That has been a mystery to me for years now,” Mr. O’Brian said. “I think they’re both just trying to make sure that the two of us are really at work.”