Full Figured 12

by La Jill Hunt

  Keelan let the words sink in while he logged into his computer. The first thing he opened was his company e-mail to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. His eyes went to the online users, and he saw the green dot by Teeka’s name.

  “She’s here.” He checked his clock and saw that she was early. He wondered if she’d had such a good time on her date last night that it had her at work before her shift started. He shook those thoughts from his mind and looked back to Teeka’s name. The green dot next to her name had gone grey.

  “You gonna say something?”

  “Nah,” Keelan said. “I wouldn’t even know what to say.”

  “I feel it, but I’m about to go to my office and do some work.” Chauncey reached out and slapped hands with Keelan. “Everything will come together the way that it’s supposed to. Don’t stress it.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Keelan replied.

  Chauncey shut the door behind him when he left, and Keelan tried to focus on getting his clients their settlements. Soon enough, his mind was so wrapped in his work that he forgot about the world around him. The next time he looked up, the time read eleven o’clock, and someone was knocking on his door. The morning had flown by, so hopefully that set the tone for the day.

  “Come in,” he said in his smooth, deep voice, without looking up from his computer. “Shut the door behind you.”

  “I–I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Metoy.”

  Her voice froze his fingers above the keyboard.

  “Mr. O’Brian asked me to deliver these papers to you,” she said.

  “You can set them on my desk,” Keelan said and watched Teeka enter his office, closing the door.

  She was wearing a black sweater dress that clung to her body and accented all her curves. The wine-colored, skinny-heel peep-toe booties made her sit up in all of the right places, and the diamond pin in her bun shone in the light. He noticed she even had a little bit of makeup on, and his eyes went to the plum color on her full lips. His erection grew harder the closer she got to him.

  “I think he wants you to look at them before you leave today,” she said, avoiding eye contact.

  “Okay, thank you, Tee—Miss Smith.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Metoy,” she said and finally met his eyes. “Have a good day.”

  But she didn’t leave. She stood there, and they stared at each other. There was nothing to be said, yet so much to say. He wanted to mend the broken piece in her heart, and she wanted him to. That’s why she was still there. They both knew that the best thing to do was let it go, but how? They always say a drug doesn’t become an addiction until you try to stop using it and can’t.

  “How was your date?” Keelan finally asked the one thing that was driving him crazy.

  “It was fine,” she told him. “We went out to dinner, and then he took me home.”

  “Oh, okay,” he said and turned his attention back to his computer. “Thank you for bringing me those papers. Tell Steve I’ll get on them as soon as I can.”

  “You’re welcome.” Teeka turned to leave, and he glanced up in time to see her round ass switching away from him. When she got to the door, she looked over her shoulder. “Why did you ask that?”

  “I can’t ask you how your life is?”

  “You didn’t ask how my life is. You asked how my date went.”

  “And I don’t see how that is a problem.” Keelan made a gesture with his head like he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I just hoped you had a good time, that’s all.”

  “Well, thank you,” she told him and proceeded to leave.

  “Will you see him again?”

  His voice stopped her.

  “I don’t know, maybe. Why?”

  “I just hope that you’re being smart, that’s all. You’re too beautiful and too good to just be sleeping around.”

  “You mean like I was with you? Or was that different?”

  “That was different, and you know it was.”

  “Was it? The last I checked, that was a dead-end situation too. But no worries. I’m not sleeping with anyone else yet. I know that’s what you really want to know.”

  “Okay,” he said as he felt the wave of relief wash over him. He tried not to let it show on his face. “Your business is your business, though, Teeka. If we want this to work, I want things to be normal between us. I don’t want to lose you as my friend.”

  “Normal?” She looked at him like he was stupid before opening the door to his office. “I don’t know what kind of selfish-ass world you’re living in, but I see we have two different definitions of normal. Things will never be the same for me. If you could, please limit the weight of conversation between us. If it isn’t about work, there really isn’t any reason for us to talk, and I need you to respect my wishes. Can you do that?”

  He wanted to tell her no, get up from his desk, shut the door, and bend her over his desk. The scene played vividly in his head. He could hear her whining his name, trying to stay quiet so no other employees would hear them sexing. He could feel her wet love canal wrapped around his dick, making the sound that he loved to hear so much. But what would happen after she left his office? She would be even more broken than she was when she had entered, because nothing about his reality would change. Teeka didn’t deserve that. She deserved a man who could earnestly return her affection.

  “Yeah, you got it, Teeka.”

  “Thank you,” she said and left his office.

  When she was gone, he contemplated seeing if he could switch the floor that his office was on. That would be pointless, though, because Steve would still be his boss, and Teeka was still Steve’s secretary. Crossing paths with her would be unavoidable. He would just have to fake it until finally the feelings he had for her faded. But would they? Something that Chauncey had said played briefly in his mind:

  “A million dollars is a lot of money, but not enough to sell your life for. Are you sure that you want to walk down the aisle knowing that you want somebody else?”

  Was he making a mistake by marrying Alecia? The rest of the work day, he thought seriously about his life and where it was going. He tried to pinpoint the reason that he’d agreed with Alecia on trying to fix their broken relationship. There were a lot of perks to being with her, but when he listed them all mentally, he found that none of those reasons were that he loved her. His selfishness had led him to put himself in a sticky situation.

  Keelan groaned and hit his desk with his fist. It was his lunchtime, but he had no desire to even leave his office. He had a mini fridge in the corner. If he got hungry, he would just grab a salad or something from there.

  Pulling out his phone, he opened Facebook and checked his notifications. There was a pending request from Alecia. When he clicked on it, he saw that she had tagged him in a post, telling their friends and family that the wedding had been pushed back. He didn’t even want to go through the comments on the post, nor did he accept the tag. His fingers navigated him to Teeka’s page, where he was met with an “Add Friend” prompt, letting him know that she had already unfriended him. He sighed and clicked on her profile picture. It was from the summer and she was sitting outside of a restaurant, laughing, while her curls blew around her face. Her smile was so big that her eyes lit up, and Keelan felt a tug at his heart just knowing that he was the one who had taken the photo. He had just told her a stupid joke, and she had cracked up laughing. She looked so good in that moment that he’d pulled out his phone and snapped her picture.

  “What are you doing, man?” he asked himself and clicked out of her profile. “Let her go. You have to let her go.”

  “Let who go?”

  Keelan had been so into his phone that he didn’t even hear his door open. He quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket and stood up to shake Steve’s hand.

  “Oh, nothing, boss. I was just thinking out loud. Did you knock on the door?”

  “Yes, twice. So, whatever ‘nothing’ is, it sure had you zoned out. But no matter. I
just stopped by to see if you had a chance to look at those papers that Teeka dropped off.”

  “Yes, I did.” He shuffled through the mess he’d made on his desk and found the folder that he was looking for. “Everything is in there. I think Mrs. Jacobs will be pleased with the amount awarded to her. The insurance company should be contacting her soon.”

  “Perfect!” Steve said and took the papers. “You know, you’ve been doing a mighty fine job since you started. It’s no secret that the board thinks I’m moving a little too fast making you the vice president of this company, but I know I’m making the right decision.”

  “And I won’t let you down, sir. Once we close on this deal with Edward Clout, I’m sure the board will be more confident in my presence at the table. I know my new position is riding on this deal.”

  “There are a few things riding on the merger with Clout Enterprises.” Steve patted Keelan once on the shoulder. “But not this position.”

  “What? Sir, I thought that the merger was the reason why you offered the job to me.”

  “I can see why you think that.” Steve chuckled. “But no, a little birdie that I would trust with my life told me that you were the best man for the job.”

  “Teeka?”

  “You didn’t hear it from me.” Steve shrugged his shoulders. “That girl is an angel, and if she thinks you’re right for the job, then there is no argument. If you weren’t already taken, I would try to hook the two of you up. Thanks again. Will I see you at the banquet on Friday?”

  “Uh, yeah,” Keelan replied in a stunned state. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

  “Perfect!”

  Steve took his leave, and Keelan stood frozen in place. Teeka was the real reason that he was getting a promotion. Had it been Alecia who had put him in a position to win like that, the entire world would have known. But Teeka hadn’t said a word, because it was a genuine act. She had always told him that she wanted the best for him, but he always thought it was just pillow talk. He knew now that she had been serious.

  Who did he think he was fooling? Letting Alecia move into his condo had been the wrong move, and so was allowing her to believe that there was a future between them. He had been so focused on trying to do the right thing that he didn’t notice that he had spared the wrong person’s feelings.

  * * *

  At the end of his day, Keelan looked at the clock on his desk, and it dawned on him that he hadn’t left his office all day. It was almost six o’clock, and he figured Teeka had probably already left for the night. He took a big breath and grabbed his phone. He typed out a carefully considered message that would both send the world as it was crashing down around him and put it back together at the same time.

  “Fuck it,” he said out loud as he hit the SEND button.

  Learn to walk away from people and situations that threaten your peace of mind, self-respect, values, morals, and self-worth.

  Chapter 11

  Keelan

  After standing in his own way, Keelan finally knew where he needed to be. Sending his text message made it feel as though a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It was a weight that returned, of course, once he got home. He had started to go to a bar, but there was still a situation he had to handle first.

  “So, you think that trying to make things work with me was a mistake? For real, Keelan?” Alecia was on Keelan like white on rice the moment he walked through the door. He didn’t even have time to take off his tie before she was in his face. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a peach T-shirt, and her long hair shook violently around her shoulders. Her face held the expression of a person who was beyond distraught, but she didn’t have a single tear in her eye. Any way that he tried to turn, she hopped in front of him and waved her phone in his face.

  “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

  “What the hell are you saying? You sent me a message, and unless I’m mistaken, it sounds like you’re trying to break things off with me. Indefinitely.”

  “If that’s what you took from it—” Keelan looked around his spacious condo. “I see you haven’t started packing yet.”

  “So, you’re serious? Well, I have a question for you. If that’s how you felt, why didn’t you just say so last night? Why did I wake up with your dick stuffed inside of me?”

  “Last night, I thought that maybe I could do it. That I could be the man for you and that we could live our happily ever after. But today . . . today I gave the situation some real thought. I might be the man for you, but you aren’t the woman for me. You want everyone and everything to adapt to you and your way of living, but you don’t do the same. You’re so . . . controlling, Alecia. The fun has been gone from our relationship for some time. Since you’ve been here, you haven’t wanted to do any of the things I like to do.”

  “Fun?” Alecia scoffed and jerked her head back. “Fun? Is that what this is about? Pardon me if I’m an adult trying to solidify her future. I don’t have time for fun.”

  “And that’s okay, Alecia. I understand that ever since you started working for your father your career has been put on a pedestal. That’s just no life for me.”

  “But I love you, Keelan.” Her voice came out tearfully, even though tears were still not in sight.

  “Do you? Because sometimes it feels as though I’m just an object to you.”

  “Why are you saying these things, Keelan? Is it because you don’t think I will really forgive you for sleeping with that fat girl? Because I’m over that, Keelan. I just want to move forward with you. After the merger and our wedding, we will be set for life. We will be the couple that everyone loves and envies. Baby, please don’t leave me. I moved all the way here for you and told everyone that the wedding was still on. What will they say if we break up?”

  “You know, you have always been so concerned with what others think of you. That might be why you are so controlling. I love you, Alecia, but I’m not in love with you anymore. Marrying you would be the biggest mistake of my life. I’m sorry you moved all the way here to start a new life with me. I should have told you after the first week that this new life is starting to feel a lot like the old one.”

  “This is because of her, isn’t it?” Alecia demanded to know.

  He didn’t have to ask who she was talking about. The old Keelan might have lied just to put a smile on Alecia’s face. Keeping her happy had felt like a job for so long. He understood then that he worked so hard at it because he was frightened of her connections. Now, he didn’t care about any of that, because he had made some pretty valuable connections of his own.

  “Yes,” he told her and looked her square in the eye. “I hurt Teeka with words a few weeks ago. For you. I hurt a woman who would never do a thing to hurt me, because I wanted her to leave me alone. But when you came here, all I think about every moment that I’m with you is how much you aren’t her. I’m done forcing anything between the two of us. This relationship died the moment you told me to come to Chicago alone. So, go, Alecia. Go back to Milwaukee. You deserve someone who will genuinely love you the way that you want to be loved.”

  Alecia looked dumbfounded. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but when she couldn’t find the words to say, she used her hand.

  Slap!

  Her hand stung against the right side of his face. He gave her that one, but when she tried to hit him again, he caught her hand in midair. She fought against his grasp, trying her best to strike him one more time. Finally, she snatched away from him and spat at his feet. She stormed away to the master bedroom, and Keelan heard drawers slamming and the closet door opening and shutting. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of Remy on the rocks while she packed up her things.

  By the time she was finished, he was halfway through his second glass. She had two suitcases and a duffle bag in tow. He stood to help her carry them to the car, but she gave him a look that was so icy, he froze where he stood.

  “I will be sure to let my father know about all of
this. See if the merger happens now,” she said.

  “If your father wants to say no to a great business deal, then screw it. Even a one-million-dollar contract isn’t enough to buy my soul. Now please, leave.” He motioned to the door with his hand.

  Alecia clenched her jaw tightly before leaving and letting the door slam behind her.

  When she was gone, he let out a huge breath. Surprisingly, that went better than he had thought it would. He was sure that he would have some damaged property, but he didn’t. With her gone, there was only one thing on his mind—well, one person, actually.

  Without thinking twice, he grabbed his keys and hopped in his car. He didn’t even remember the commute or how long it took him to get there. The next thing he knew, he was outside of Teeka’s door, trying to get the nerve to knock.

  “‘I’ve been thinking, Teeka. And I dumped Alecia for you.” He practiced out loud, shaking his head and telling himself, “No. That sounds positively awful. Okay, okay. What about this? Teeka, I’ve been a mess without you. I’m sorry for being too much of a coward to choose you in the first place. Yeah, that’s it. Okay. Here goes.”

  Knock! Knock!

  He heard footsteps approaching the door, and he had half a mind to step out of the view of the peephole. When he was certain that she had seen him standing there, he waited for something to happen. Her breathing gave her position away. He pictured her leaned up against the door, biting her bottom lip the way she always did when she was in deep thought. She hadn’t cursed him out yet, so that was a good sign. His heart skipped a beat when the door unlocked and swung open.

  There she was, standing barefoot in a red silk robe tied tightly at the waist. It looked as if she had already turned in for the night. Her hair was styled in two Cherokee braids, and clutched in her fingers was a personal container of Ben & Jerry’s.