Free Fridays (10 page)

Bill was gone. It was all on Riley, and he knew that his next move would be that, his alone. It wasn't like Natasha asked to screw him; she just wanted to go somewhere quiet and talk. But the outfit she wore screamed, “Anything goes!”

“I'm sorry Bill didn't tell you what was up. But I hope that doesn't mean you're not happy to see me.”

With each step Riley took down the dark, carpeted hallway, he
knew he was wrong. But it was as if he had lost all sense of right and wrong.

They arrived at a bedroom door and Natasha eased up against it. After she listened for a second, she knocked softly. When no one answered, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

“C'mon.” She beckoned Riley with a single crooked finger. “Sssh. Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. It's our little secret, okay?”

He couldn't not follow her. She had gone through so much to bring him to the party; the least he could do was go and hear her out.

Inside the master bedroom, Riley released a massive sigh of relief when Natasha continued past the custom-made bed, mirrored walls, and stopped at a set of balcony doors. He told himself maybe she really only wanted to talk. After all, it had been years, so it was only right that they needed time to catch up.

They walked out into the starry night, and Riley once again told himself she only wanted to talk. The setting was perfect. The balcony was in a secluded part of the house, so it overlooked bushes and a lake. They were close enough to the action to hear what was going on, and enjoy the music, but not so close that anyone would notice them. It was all good since they were only going to talk; besides, he wore the pants any damn way. There was no reason for him to fear Natasha, Leela, or any other woman; he was the man.

•  •  •

“I told your ass to stay away from him! If you would listen, you would've known he had them illegitimate bastards living up in there with him. I don't care what they do to his old simple behind,” Linda complained.

“But they've got him sleeping on the couch! And you should smell the place. It's awful. It's a mess and I felt so bad for him.”

“I don't know why. Look at what that bastard did to Big Mama. I don't feel the least bit of sympathy for his ass. Let him suffer over there with them.”

Leela suddenly regretted calling her mother. She wondered whether her mother's heart would ever soften when it came to her grandfather.

Usually, Linda had the answer or solution to most problems. She was the family member who never hesitated to act, and her action always garnered results.

Leela listened as her mother went on and on about her grandfather and what a loser he was. By the time Leela pulled up to her subdivision, she was glad she was finally close to home.

“Mama, I need to go,” Leela said.

“Okay. But don't say nothing to Big Mama. I don't want her getting all worked up over this or anything else dealing with him.”

Leela thought she felt bad as she left her grandfather's house, but by the time she'd finally gotten off the phone with her mother, she felt worse.

•  •  •

She called for Riley when she got in, but couldn't find him anywhere. They'd agreed that neither would go out without the other, so she wasn't concerned that he may be out with Bill. Maybe he'd just taken a late run.

Thoughts about her husband's whereabouts made Leela think about Samantha. If she was honest with herself, she missed being with her. It didn't matter who Samantha had become, Leela still enjoyed the time they'd spent together. There was something about Samantha's new-found freedom that left Leela yearning.

It didn't matter that the difference between married Samantha and single Samantha was incredible. Leela knew she could get
used to it. She quickly shook those thoughts from her mind and stripped naked to take a shower.

She figured Riley should be back by the time she was done.

An hour and a half after a hot shower and several glasses of wine later, Leela considered calling area hospitals. She had tried Riley's cell phone several times, but got his voicemail. She contemplated calling the police. What if he had been mugged?

Finally, she went to bed, but at 2:45 a.m. when Leela rolled over and realized the space next to her was crisp and cold, she began to panic.

“Something must be wrong,” she said aloud.

Pulling herself upright, she looked around the room and decided he must be downstairs in his man-room. That had to be it. There was no way Riley would be out so late after they had reached an agreement about what needed to be done to keep their marriage intact.

Drowsily, Leela pulled herself up from the bed and padded down the hall and down the stairs. She passed the front door, and walked down the long hallway that led to the rear and lower part of their house.

From a distance, she could tell her husband wasn't in his man-cave.

Now Leela was pissed for sure. He had to be out with Bill; she felt it. There was nothing she could do at that hour, but she was pissed.

T
wo weeks after Leela was certain Riley had backtracked on his word, she was still a bit salty. But she had held her tongue and fought the urge to complain because she had plans of her own. First, she needed to convince her mother that both Big Mama and Pah-pah needed help. She knew Linda didn't want to help her father, but there was no way they could abandon him; it wouldn't be right.

Normally, she'd discuss her plans with Riley and try to figure out what to do, but lately, she felt like he was slipping once again.

Next, she needed to reach out to her girl and make some plans. It made no sense that she was the only person who honored the rules. Riley had the nerve to come home like nothing had happened. Leela didn't ride him over it, but mentally she told herself, one good turn deserved another. Why should she avoid Samantha if he was still running around with Bill?

“Hey, Babe, I'll be late tonight. Office happy hour or something like that,” Riley said.

His comment broke her train of thought. Leela looked at her husband side-eyed but didn't say a cross word. She knew that was his way of saying he was going out to drink with Bill after work. She liked how his rules were only for her to follow and for him to disregard when the feeling hit him.

“Okay, how late you think you'll be?” she asked.

Riley stopped, but he didn't turn to face her. “I'll call you if it's too late.”

Without another word, he was out the door.

Leela felt so alone. It wasn't just his absence, but lately, she'd felt like he wasn't completely there with her. Something had gotten ahold of her husband, and she didn't know what to do about it.

Her problems were big, but she knew the issue with Pah-pah and Big Mama was even bigger. The biggest issue was the fact that her mother wanted to be oblivious to what her father was going through. It was clear that Linda had chosen Big Mama's side, and while Leela understood, she had to figure out a way to prevent Linda from completely banishing her grandfather.

When the phone rang and it was Samantha, Leela didn't think twice about picking up.

“Hey, you!” she squealed into the phone. Leela was happy to hear from Samantha. Guilt washed over Leela temporarily because she had taken the pact with her husband seriously despite the fact that he hadn't.

“It's about damn time. I don't know who I pissed off,” Samantha began. “But this shit has got to stop. I ain't seen your pretty ass in nearly three months, and it ain't right! It ain't right, I tell you!”

Leela laughed so hard she nearly squirted. She could tell Samantha had been drinking, but she didn't care. Actually, she felt even more slighted. If she had gone to Happy Hour with Samantha, maybe she'd be feeling good too.

“You are truly special,” Leela said into the phone.

“When are we getting together? I'm sick and tired of this dry spell. I know I brought you home drunk the last time, but I've been punished enough! Enough already. Who do I have to blow for a night with my bestie?”

Leela loved Samantha's energy and figured it wouldn't hurt to
spend some time with her girl. Besides, she knew her husband was off somewhere with Bill.

“Maybe we can do Happy Hour this week or something,” Leela said.

“You promise?” Samantha asked.

“Yeah. I've been swamped with Pah-pah and so much. I could use some time for myself,” Leela admitted.

“I'm gonna plan something for us. Nothing too extravagant, but just something for us to relax and relieve some stress. I don't want to piss Riley off again. So you just tell me what day next week is best for you. If you can't do Happy Hour, maybe we can do a spa day or something. Just let me know.”

“Okay. I will,” Leela said. As she was about to hang up, Samantha yelled.

“I'm giving you two days! If I don't hear from you, I'm coming over there and it won't be pretty,” Samantha quipped. “You know Riley don't like me anymore, so don't let it come to that; hear me?”

“I hear you.”

The call cheered her up. But more importantly, it made Leela see that her husband was a hypocrite. There was no telling how long he'd been hanging with Bill despite the fact that they were supposed to stay clear of Bill and Samantha.

Leela knew her husband felt like she should follow his rules because he was the man of the house, but she had news for him. She was getting fed up with his crap. And the last thing any man wanted was a woman who was fed up.

•  •  •

Riley shoved the food into his mouth like he wasn't sure when he'd eat again. His mind was all over the place. When he was at home with Leela, he couldn't stop thinking about Natasha.

That was one of the main reasons he didn't want to be bothered with Natasha again. She made him weak. There was just something about a woman who didn't mind doing anything she thought her man wanted. Back in the day, Natasha would fuck, or suck, on demand, no questions asked. He couldn't think of a time when Leela had been so willing.

He knew his wife was dealing with a lot. He understood that the problem with her grandparents had taken a toll on her, but he had issues of his own.

Weeks had passed since they had shared a kiss or had sex and she seemed to be fine. What was up with that? It was a wife's duty to make sure her man was satisfied at all times, and she knew how strongly he felt about that. Perhaps his wife was getting hers elsewhere, and that meant she no longer cared about him and his sexual needs.

“I take it you like your breakfast,” Leela said.

He had barely looked up from his plate. “Yeah. It's good.” Once he finished eating, he pushed back from the table and looked over at Leela. “That was great, Babe. I'm about to go hop in the shower.”

Lately, their conversations were limited to talks over meals or brief greetings in passing.

Before he walked into the bathroom, he wondered how long he'd survive. He needed to do something because he was desperate. Riley walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He put his favorite playlist on repeat and told himself he knew he needed to do the right thing.

But his mind wouldn't cooperate. The minute the music took ahold of him, his mind went back to Natasha and the party. There they were on the balcony, beneath a blanket of stars with some of the most suggestive reggae songs playing in the background.

When Lady Saw's “Heels On” blared through the air, Natasha was transformed.

When she'd looked at him, her eyes were ablaze with lust.

She sang the lyrics in such a seductive way, Riley felt himself go weak. “Let me fuck you with my heels on,” she sang. “I wanna fuck you like I own ya'.”

Riley had closed his eyes. He'd felt himself slipping and struggled to resist the feeling. But it seemed the more he refused to give in, the stronger Natasha came on.

He could smell the hint of alcohol on her breath when she'd invaded his personal space. Riley had stood transfixed for a few moments as she'd moved in. He didn't try to stop her when she'd grabbed his crotch and stroked him. Natasha always knew how to send his blood boiling, and it seemed time had done nothing to lessen the power she once had over him.

In one swift move, she'd locked eyes with him, unzipped his fly and lowered herself to her knees. Riley had shivered with raw excitement as Natasha took him into her mouth. That was something Leela rarely did.

Riley had staggered back slightly; the space spun, and whirled out of control. With each move, Natasha had clung desperately to him. Riley had grabbed the railing to steady himself; his legs felt like they were made of cloth and he could barely stand.

The sound of Leela walking into the bathroom brought him back from that memory.

It was Leela placing a stack of towels into the armoire. She glanced at him.

“You wanna come in and join me? The water feels great.”

“Some of us have work to do around here,” she chided as she walked out of the bathroom.

Riley was relieved once the door closed. Now if only he could keep his mind focused on his marriage and not his ex, he might have a chance.

L
eela knew for sure her life was falling apart. It all started with the text message she saw on Riley's phone. The message was simple. It said:
next time we need to go all the way!
It had a few hearts and lipstick characters in front of a hashtag that read
no spouse parties rock!

As she waited for Samantha at the Wine Dive in midtown, she kept going over the message and what it could've meant. She had no idea who had sent it because the name attached to it was only two initials.

“You're in such deep thought over here. I waved at you from the door and it was like you looked right through me,” Samantha said as she slid into a chair across from Leela.