Addicted to an Addict

by Honey

  “I will, J. Trust me.”

  Chapter Forty-three

  “How did it go, bruh?”

  “It’s all good.” Josiah stuffed the prescriptions of Xanax and Zoloft Dr. Kabbah had given him into his breast pocket. He had no intention whatsoever to have either filled because he wasn’t going to take them. He didn’t need any “nut pills.” His anxiety attack was a one-time experience, and a speedy divorce from Mink would cure his depression. But he would follow Dr. Kabbah’s advice to contact the psychologist he’d recommended and start individual and family therapy with the girls as soon as possible.

  “So you’re cool?”

  “Yeah, J, I’m cool. I ain’t crazy. I just had an anxiety attack when I found out Mink had left treatment like a thief in the night. I didn’t see it coming. The girls and I were just in Montana with her, and everything was fine. We had a good time as a family. And it seemed like Mink had transformed back to the girl I fell in love with in college. I wonder what happened to make her fall off the wagon again.”

  When they reached the SUV, Jeremiah pressed a button on the key fob to unlock the doors. After two high-pitched chirps, he climbed behind the steering wheel, and Josiah hopped in the passenger seat. Jeremiah started the engine and drove off once they’d secured their seat belts.

  “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but . . . um . . . Why do you think something had to happen to drive Mink back to drugs? She was in rehab. Plus, in the past, things between you two have been ice cream and chocolate cake, but she still slipped back out.”

  “Yeah, I know, but it was different in Montana. We reconnected, J. It felt like old times. I swear I was in heaven.”

  Jeremiah smirked and shook his head. “Good sex doesn’t equal reconciliation. And it damn sure can’t erase trust issues, infidelity, a broken heart, or chronic addiction. Sure, your marriage to Mink can be repaired, but it should start with her full recovery from drugs and alcohol. Then you two will have to spend the next six years in couple’s therapy. And don’t forget about my nieces. At some point, you’ll need to bring them into the mix with family therapy.”

  “I know.”

  “You know? So what are you saying, JoJo?” Jeremiah shot him a sharp side eye. “Are you seriously considering taking that route? Please don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind about cutting Mink off.”

  Josiah remained quiet. The heat from Jeremiah’s gaze was burning a hole through the side of his face, but he ignored him. After his session with Dr. Kabbah, he felt the need to regroup and make a mental adjustment. He still planned to move forward with the divorce, but he didn’t want to move too hastily.

  “JoJo, don’t be stupid, dude!” Jeremiah yelled and hit the steering wheel. “Mink ain’t going to do right no matter how much you help her. She can’t. Your love cannot fix her, bruh. No disrespect intended, but the chick is emotionally challenged on top of her love affair with smack. I knew she was cuckoo the first day I met her. You were too blinded by her phat ass and pretty face to notice back then, but I know you realize she’s crazy as hell today. Get out now before Mink’s bullshit destroys you.”

  “I’m going to, J. As soon as the election is over I’ll file for divorce.”

  At least I think will.

  * * *

  Gypsie was surprised to find Josiah at home when she and the girls arrived. She couldn’t recall the last time he’d been home so early. It wasn’t even five o’clock yet.

  “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Treasure ran into the den and jumped on her father’s lap.

  “Hey, princess. How was school?”

  “I made an A on my spelling test, and I named all the months of the year in front of my whole class.”

  “That’s great. Daddy is so proud of you.” Josiah kissed his baby girl’s cheek.

  “Tell your father your good news, my brightest Gem,” Gypsie coaxed from the entrance of the den.

  “I got an A- on my solar system test. I only missed one question. I forgot how to spell Uranus. But I made an A, 100, on my math test because Miss Gypsie helped me study really, really hard.”

  “Come here, sweetie.” Josiah placed Gem on his lap next to Treasure after she crossed the room.

  The girls giggled when he started tickling them and kissing them alternately on their cheeks.

  “I’ll go and put dinner on the table,” Gypsie announced softly. “I picked up a bucket of crawfish, a carton of fried shrimp, and Cajun potato salad from the Bayou Shack. It’s what the girls asked for. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “It sounds good to me. Do you need any help?”

  “No. I got it. You guys get washed up.”

  Gypsie entered the kitchen and washed her hands. She removed three plates from the cabinet and walked to the center island where she had placed the food when they’d first arrived. As she began to remove the food from its containers and prepare plates, her mind flashed back to the scene in Jeremiah’s office yesterday. The thought of Josiah dying and leaving Gem and Treasure while Mrs. Bishop was missing disturbed Gypsie a great deal. Those poor little girls would be devastated without their father. They loved him endlessly, and so did Gypsie. And for the first time, she had to admit to herself that she wanted him—all of him.

  Of course, she’d never confess her flaming lust for Josiah to a living soul, not even Tianji. But Gypsie was tired of being a Goody Two-shoes, prim, proper, and prudish little girl where he was concerned. To hell with Mink! If she wanted to keep her husband, she needed to reenter rehab so she could get clean and sober and then hurry her ass back to the A and act like a real wife should. If she didn’t, Gypsie couldn’t promise herself that she’d continue to keep the scene PG-13 between her and Josiah. No, she wouldn’t make the first move under any circumstances, but if he ever touched her intimately again, it would go down absolutely, unequivocally, and beyond a shadow of a doubt. For the first time in Gypsie’s life, she would let go and roll with the flow and allow Josiah to make love to her without regrets. She would give herself to him completely, if only for one night.

  “I’m ready.”

  Gypsie trembled when Josiah’s warm breath caressed the back of her neck. And his velvety bass timbre struck a melody so deep within her feminine core that it unlocked the floodgates. He may have been ready for dinner, but Gypsie had a burning desire to become his dessert.

  She turned around from the center island ever so slowly to face Josiah. He was standing much too close for her good sanity. The scent of his cologne and the sight of his toned pecs and abs bulging underneath his form-fitting wife beater nearly caused her to drool. She glanced at the girls who were already seated at the kitchen table. Thank God they were present to serve as a safeguard. Otherwise, Gypsie’s raging hormones and raw sexual need may have kicked her ass and driven her to violate Josiah from his wavy head of hair to the tips of his toes.

  “Have a seat, and I’ll serve you and the girls before I go upstairs to shower.”

  “Aren’t you going to eat with us?”

  I’m not hungry for food. What I want ain’t on the Bayou Shack’s menu. “No. I . . . um . . . I’m still stuffed from a late lunch.”

  Gypsie turned around without another word and finished her task. When she did an about-face with a plate of food in each hand, she smiled at the sight of Josiah and the girls sitting at the table talking and laughing. Mrs. Bishop had no idea how truly blessed she was. God had given her the best husband any woman could ever wish for, and her two daughters were as close to perfection as children could be. If heroin could make a chick skip out on a fine brotha like Josiah and awesome little girls like Gem and Treasure, it had to be a mighty powerful drug.

  * * *

  Josiah growled and stretched his long legs in bed as he flipped through television channels. It was way past midnight, but he wasn’t sleepy. His mind was flooded with all kinds of thoughts about Mink. Where was she? Was she all right? How much lower in her addiction had she sunk?

  Dr. Kabbah had advised Josiah to try to the
best of his ability to avoid those types of thoughts because they would only lead to anxiety and depression. He had forced him to realize he had no control over Mink, her addiction, or her behavior. But although Josiah had accepted that fact, he still wished he could somehow save his wife from her demons so their family could be restored. He loathed the very thought of becoming a single father. And how would his girls deal with the fact that their mommy would never live with them again? He erased those dismal thoughts from his mind and flipped to his favorite premium channel, hoping to catch a good movie.

  “Ah, shit!” Josiah’s eyes bucked, and an instant erection sneaked up on him at first sight.

  He quickly turned to CNN when he saw a gorgeous, curvy woman in her birthday suit straddling a fully-clothed cowboy while he sucked her nipples and groped her ass. A spicy scene like that was the last thing a man in his predicament needed to see late at night while he was alone in bed. Josiah would never get used to sleeping solo after being married for so many years. He would die before he ever admitted it to Jeremiah, but he wasn’t built for the single life. A brotha like him needed a woman in his world. And it had nothing to do with sex, home-cooked meals, or housekeeping. He simply enjoyed being emotionally connected to a gorgeous, intelligent woman. Josiah was a one-woman-commitment kind of guy. But unfortunately, he had committed his life to the wrong woman. Yet, he still loved her.

  He turned off the TV and rolled over onto his stomach. He closed his eyes and envisioned his family in happy times when his world seemed perfect. Without warning, tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He had cried an ocean over the past two and a half years, and he’d be damned if he would shed a tear tonight. Instead of crying, he prayed for Gem and Treasure, his parents, and Jeremiah. He asked God to bless the rest of his family members on his mother’s and father’s sides, as well as his church family and every employee at city hall. The poor, the homeless, and the wrongfully incarcerated made Josiah’s prayer list too. Then he paused with a heavy heart.

  “And, God, wherever Mink is, please watch over her and keep her safe. Amen.”

  Chapter Forty-four

  “Come in!” Norm M. barked.

  The older woman slowly entered his office, seemingly nervous, rubbing her hands together. Norm M. ignored her obvious hesitance because she’d been ordered not to disturb him as he prepared for a meeting in one hour with Meryl Streep, her agent, and Medallion’s East Coast legal team. Contract negotiations were always tricky and cutthroat with award-winning A-list thespians. And Miss Streep was far from the exception. To be frank, she was the extreme.

  “This better be an emergency, Ethel. You know how important my next meeting is.”

  “I know, Mr. Murchison, but this um . . . um . . . situation requires your immediate attention, sir. No one else seemed to be able to handle it.”

  “Well, what the hell is it? Did the stock market crash? Is the country at war? Spit it out already, for Christ’s sake!”

  “You see, there’s a—”

  The office door popped wide open with a loud bang. “Surprise! What’s up, Mr. Norman M.?”

  “Mink, what the hell are you doing here?” He jumped up from his chair and felt dizzy immediately.

  “You told me to call you from time to time, but I thought I’d do you one better.” Mink sashayed toward Norm M. with her arms spread apart wide.

  He stood in place like a statue with his mind spinning all over the place as Mink hugged him. Then she placed a kiss on each of his cheeks. Her next words faded into the background as Norm M. wondered how the hell she had traveled from Montana to New York City—and why. He’d only been in town a little over a week, and his comeback plan was progressing smoothly. A major distraction like Mink could snatch the rug from under his feet, and he didn’t need that, and he sure as hell didn’t want it. Life was too good right now.

  Norm M. had been cocaine and alcohol free since arriving in the city, and it felt damn good. Despite his busy schedule, he had carved out time every evening to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. He’d even asked a young guy with seven years of drug abstinence to be his sponsor. Mink’s untimely and unwanted appearance didn’t fit into his series of positive moves. As a matter of fact, Norm M. was pretty sure her pop-up visit meant trouble for him.

  How the hell had she been released from treatment before she completed the six-month program? And why was she standing in the middle of his office in New York instead of being at home in Atlanta with her husband and little girls? Norm M. smelled a rat, and it stunk to the high heaven. He also smelled cheap liquor on Mink’s breath. It seemed like she’d bathed in it.

  “Ethel, you’re dismissed,” Norman M. spoke in a calm voice. He freed himself from Mink’s arms.

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Murchison.”

  “Close the door and hold all my calls unless it’s Ms. Streep or someone in her camp.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “You shouldn’t be here, Mink,” Norm M. said the minute they were alone. “Your time at Serenity Springs isn’t up yet, so I assume you checked out early.”

  “I did. So what? You, of all people, know how corrupt that place is. The entire staff is shady, especially Greg. He didn’t do one damn thing you told him to do for me. I hate that dirty, low-down motherfucker!”

  “I’m sorry about Greg, Mink. I really am, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

  “I know that. Hell, there was nothing I could do about it either. That’s why I kicked rocks.”

  “I understand why you left the facility, but why did you come to New York?”

  Mink walked over to the love seat on the other side of the room and plopped down. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “Why didn’t you go home?”

  “JoJo don’t want to see me. I wasted all his money on treatment and left early again. He probably filed for divorce as soon as he found out I broke camp. I bet he took out a restraining order against me too, so I can’t go anywhere near my babies.” She started crying.

  Norm M. walked over and rubbed Mink’s shoulder. “Hush now. Don’t cry.”

  “I am such a fuckup! I just can’t get my life together.”

  “Yes, you can. You just need to try, Mink. I mean really try.”

  “I don’t think I can be fixed, Norm M. Maybe I’m one of those people who is irreparably broken. My flaws are just too damn deep and ugly. I feel like I’ve screwed up my life to the point that there ain’t no hope for me. And, oh my God! I’ve caused JoJo and my beautiful babies so much pain. They’ll never forgive me.”

  “They will forgive you eventually, Mink, but you need to give them a reason to. That’s why today you need to concentrate on your addiction. Drugs are no good for you. Go back to treatment because that’s where you should be, my dear. I’ll have Ethel book you a first-class flight back to Montana today.”

  Mink shook her head as tears streamed down her face. “I can’t go back there. Serenity Springs isn’t a good environment for me.”

  “Where would you like to go then?”

  “I was hoping I could hang out with you here in the Big Apple for a minute. That is, until I can figure out my next move.”

  “That’s not a good idea, Mink.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Besides, I’ll only be here for a few more weeks before I return home to LA.”

  Mink jumped up from the love seat smiling as she stood near Norm M. “I only need a few weeks. That’ll give me time to find another treatment facility and check myself in.”

  “Mink, you need to go back to Mon—”

  “By then, JoJo will have cooled off too. Then he’ll pay the deposit for my admission. Yeah, he always pays whatever cash amount is required for my treatment—always. And he’ll hook me up with his insurance too.”

  Norm M. rolled his eyes to the ceiling in annoyance. “Mink—”

  “Please let me stay. I’ll get it right this time, and JoJo and my girls will be so proud of me. And that bastard, Jeremiah, and t
he rest of my haters can kiss my ass. Then I—”

  “Mink!”

  “What?”

  Norm M. couldn’t speak right away because his words had gotten lost somewhere in Mink’s insanity. He was having a hard time grasping her total disconnection from reality. She was beyond delusional. She’d left treatment, wasting her husband’s money once again, and now, she expected him to shell out more cash for her to throw away at another rehab center. The woman was crazy! And she was trying desperately to pull him into her madness. All kinds of warning signs started flashing through his brain.

  “Come on, Norm M.,” Mink purred as she grabbed his crotch and massaged it gently. She seductively smiled as she palmed his penis and stroked the length of it up and down, nice and slow. “I promise to make it worth your while. Every day I’ll work on getting into treatment, and I’ll work on you every damn night.”

  The decision of good sense versus good sex started yanking Norm M. back and forth like a tug-of-war rope. He’d only slept with Mink once, but he would never forget the experience. The woman was an expert under the sheets. A few nights at his Manhattan apartment wouldn’t hurt. And damn it! How could he deny her anything while his dick hardened and throbbed in the palm of her soft hand?

  “One week,” he whispered hoarsely. He held up his index finger for emphasis. “You have one week to find a rehab center, check in, and notify your husband.”

  Mink pressed her pouty lips against Norm M.’s open mouth and continued stroking his stiff dick through his pants. “Thanks, babe.”

  “You’re welcome, but I have a few rules, Mink.”

  “Rules?” She frowned and released his penis from her grasp. “What kind of rules?”

  “No drugs of any kind or alcohol.”

  “Say what?”

  “You heard me. I haven’t had a drink or used coke since I left Serenity Springs. If you’re going to be a guest in my home, I insist that you refrain from all substances as well.”