Girls from da Hood 11 (25 page)

“It's funny that you said that because my wife is expecting another child. But this ain't about that. It's about me missing you and thinking about us. I miss you, Miah. Really wish I didn't let you go, and that we could have worked on our relationship. At the time, I was trying to do right by the chick who was pregnant with my child. Amber had me in a bind and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't put you before my child, and if I have moved on with the wedding thing, she would have aborted my baby. You never gave me a chance to explain any of this to you, and you were so mad at me that I thought you were going to kill my ass. There is so much more that I want to say, but I'm sure you don't want to hear it. But if you let me take things one day at a time with you, maybe I can somehow figure out a way to turn a wrong into a right.”

Hearing that his wife was pregnant with another child was hurtful. I didn't know whether to believe Maxwell or not. He was so damn good at lying, but he was also very good and getting people to believe him.

“One day at a time” I questioned. “I'm not sure what you mean by that, and it's too late to turn your wrongs into a right.”

“It's never too late, as long as we're still alive. Just give it some thought, and when I call tomorrow, let me know if it'll be okay for me to stop by. If so, hook me up with some of that good lasagna you used to make for me. I miss that shit, ma, and you know I miss that sweetness between yo' legs too. See what you can do about that as well, all right?”

I sat against the car thinking about how fucked up I would be if I ever opened the door for Maxwell again. What if it were me at home, pregnant with our second child? His ass was still up to no good, and if anything, I should've been thankful that the motherfucking wedding was off. Most of the time, there were major consequences from going backward. And fucking around with him again would be one big, huge mistake.

I moved away from my car and stood in front of Maxwell. His persona was so smooth and he knew it. His eyes were trying to lure me in, and so was the mountain sized hump in his sweatpants.

“I'm seeing somebody who I really care about, Maxwell. I'm as faithful to him, as I was to you. While I will always have a soft spot in my heart for you, there will be no traveling backward for me. I wish you and your wife the best. I'm sure she would like for you to give your marriage your all, and the least you can do is figure out a way, happy or not, to put your family first.”

Maxwell ignored everything I said to him. “I don't give a shit about the nigga you're with. I'm stopping by your place tomorrow. The choice is yours, if you decide to open the door or not.”

I walked away from in front of him and opened the door to my car. “You'll be wasting your time, Maxwell. I'm telling you that that door will never open again.”

I sat in the car, but before I closed the door, I heard Maxwell say, “We'll see. We will definitely see about that.”

I guess he thought I was still the weak chick with the broken heart that he had run all over. That was not the case anymore and he should have known better than to think it was that easy to get me back in bed with him.

I drove away, looking in my rearview mirror at Maxwell wink at me. All I could do was pray for strength and hope that I found the courage to stand my ground and slam the door in his face, if he did show up tomorrow.

I was excited about going to work on Monday, but the thought of my conversation with Maxwell also weighed heavily on my mind. He called twice today, but I ignored his phone calls. I was lying across my bed while polishing my fingernails and talking to Juan over the speakerphone.

“I thought you were going to come see me last night. What happened?” he asked.

“By the time I got home, I was kind of tired. Had a lot on my mind and all I wanted to do was relax. I knew that being with you I would get no rest at all.”

“You got that right. None whatsoever. So when you get here this evening, make sure you're well rested and full of energy.”

“Wait a minute. Who says that I'm coming your way tonight? I didn't mention anything about seeing you today.”

“I know, but I was hoping that you would want to see me. I've been kind of lonely over here. You don't want me to keep on being lonely, do you?”

“I guess not. Besides, we still need to have that little conversation about when you move back home, how you can make that little penthouse over there mine.”

“You already know that you're welcome to it anytime.”

“I know that, but I want my name on it, not yours. I want to own it, if you know what I mean.”

Juan got quiet. Of course he knew what I meant. It meant he had to give a little to get a whole lot in return.

“I know what you mean, but, uh, we'll have to talk about that when you get here.”

“Why wait until then when we can talk about it now? Is there a problem with you gifting the penthouse to me?”

Silence again. I had to put Juan on the spot because he was reaping way more of the benefits from this relationship than I was.

“No, it ain't no problem, baby. Like I said, we'll talk about it when you get here. Come around nine o'clock, and like always, the door will be open and I'll be in my favorite spot waiting for you.”

I was so sure that he would be. I told Juan I'd see him later and I finished polishing my nails. Afterward, I watched television for a while and read a book by one of my favorite authors. By that time, it was getting late. I was kind of hungry, and as soon as I got off the couch to go cook something to eat, I heard knocks on my door. My breathing halted, because I suspected it was Maxwell. I tiptoed my way up to the door and looked through the peephole. Sure enough, it was him. He had been to the barber, and his hair was now trimmed. The silk sweat suit he wore looked spectacular on him, but he appeared a little nervous too. His hands were in his pockets and he kept biting down on his bottom lip. I stood by the door, thinking about how I'd waited for this moment to come. It was my moment to get revenge, fuck the shit out of him, and give his wife payback for messing with my man. It was my chance to hear him beg and plead for me to give him another chance and ask for forgiveness over and over again. I had Maxwell right where I wanted him, but what I didn't want to do was open the door. If I did, that would be opening the door to the past.

“Miah, open the door. Baby, I know you're in there. Why haven't you been answering my calls? I told you I was coming today, didn't I?”

I remained silent.

“Come on, Miah. What about us, baby? I want to make love to you and show you how much I've been missing you. All I'm asking for is your forgiveness, and for you to give us another chance. We deserve another chance, ma. We can make this shit happen again, and maybe one day all of this will work out for us. It can't work if you won't at least try.”

I swallowed and shook my head. My heart was too weak, but my mind was much stronger. I stood with my back against the door, closed my eyes, and rubbed across my aching forehead. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

“Are you there, baby? At least tell me if you're there. That way I don't feel like a crazy fool, talking to myself. Your car is on the parking lot, so I assume you're somewhere in there. Are you alone? Just tell me something—anything to give me some hope.”

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth again. Like the first time, nothing came out. I knew that if I started talking, he would somehow or someway convince me to open the door. Silence was key.

“Okay, fine,” Maxwell said, sounding defeated. “If you don't want to talk, I'm leaving. I can't believe that after spending so many years together that you won't even sit down and talk to me. I had some deep shit to say to you, and I do see a path to you becoming my future wife. Just think about that, baby. Think about us finally being together again. After you've given it some thought, call me.”

I couldn't believe that he had the nerve to spill that dumb shit. I mean, how stupid did he think I was? Future wife my ass. That shit was an insult.

He stood for another minute or two, waiting to see if I would make a move. I didn't. I watched him walk away, then I walked over to the window and watched him get into his car. For me, it was good-bye and good riddance. Forever.

* * *

Later that day, I put on a fitted black dress with slits on each side. After leaving Maxwell hanging, I felt pretty damn good. I looked spectacular too, and spent a little extra time, preparing myself to go see Juan. He was the last man standing in my life, but that wouldn't be for long because David Wright would somehow fit in eventually. I was thrilled about going to work on Monday too. I already had an entire week of clothing picked out, and I was eager to find out more details about the man I would soon call boss.

I laughed at the thought, as I drove to Juan's penthouse. The penthouse that after today would be mine. If not, some things with us had to change. I wasn't one to hang on to a man for that long, especially one who wasn't willing to cater to some of my requirements. I didn't think that Juan would let me down.

I entered the penthouse and could hear soft music playing in the background. Juan's scent was all over the place, and it hit me the moment I had opened the door. I knew he was in the bedroom waiting for me, so right at the door, I pulled my fitted dress over my head. Wearing nothing underneath, I sauntered down the narrow pathway, switching my hips from side to side. My high heels made a clacking sound as I stepped on the hardwood floors, and I could already feel the lips of my pussy getting moist. Maybe just a little because I thought about Maxwell saying that he wanted to make love to me, but more so because I was eager for Juan's big dick to relieve me from some of the stress I'd been under. I pushed on the bedroom door, and like always, Juan was underneath the covers waiting for me. His wallet was on the nightstand with several hundred dollar bills busting out of it. His clothes were in a pile on the floor and his leather shoes were kicked in the corner. There were plenty of times when he had fallen asleep, so it didn't surprise me that he was getting it in. Work must have done him in today, but I was happy to be there to give him the relaxation he needed.

The room was dim and a melting candle was flickering on the nightstand. I kicked my heels off and crawled on the bed. The silky covers traced his muscular frame, and as I started to pull the sheet away from his body, that's when I got the shock of my life. A Glock 9 landed in the center of my forehead, and the woman holding it had the meanest mug on her face. Sweat dripped down the side of it, and the icy cold look in her eyes told me I had arrived at the wrong place, wrong time.

“You fucking tramp,” she said through gritted teeth. “I warned you, didn't I? Didn't you know that this goddamn day was coming!”

Knowing that this woman could only be Juan's wife, I started to slowly back away. My heart was beating fast and I could hear it slamming hard against my chest. My eyes were bugged and my whole body was like a frozen icicle. I didn't know if I should run my ass off, or try to talk this bitch out of what she was about to do.

“I know,” she said with a smirk on her face. “You're speechless, right? But what I'm about to do is make an example out of you. Let this be a lesson to all of the side-hoes who believe that fucking with other people's men have no consequences. They do, and I will not tolerate you upping the pussy to my husband any longer.”

The look in Rebecca's eyes let me know right away that there could be no reasoning with her. My instincts told me to duck and run. That's exactly what I did, but as I broke out running, I could hear gunfire ring out in my ears. It was a good thing that Rebecca's aim wasn't worth a damn. Many of the bullets hit the wall and tore into the doorway. One bullet did graze my shoulder, but by the time I reached the door, I didn't have time to address my wound, to pick up my dress or grab my purse. All I could do was pull on the doorknob and bolt to the elevator, hoping and praying that it would quickly open. Unfortunately, it didn't. Rebecca stood in the doorway with the gun aiming in my direction.

“You can run tramp, but you can't hide from a scorned woman. Bye, bitch. May you rot in hell!”

I had nowhere else to run to. Rebecca pulled the trigger, but nothing came out. She pulled it again and again—nothing. I wanted to drop to my knees and thank God that the gun was out of bullets. The elevator opened, and I rushed inside and right into Juan's arms. I didn't even see him, and I was so hysterical that I couldn't even tell him what was going on. He shook me in his arms.

“Why are you out here naked?” he shouted. “What's going on?”

His answer came when his wife charged onto the elevator and started hitting him with the butt of her gun. He tried to back away from her, but she was in a rage.

“Is this the kind of bitch you want?” she yelled. “Tell me now, Juan. Just say it!”

He grabbed her waist and did his best to calm her down. That was so hard to do because with smudges of mascara running down her face and staining it, she looked like a madwoman. While Juan held her tight, she was now unable to move. I was backed into the far corner of the elevator, staring her down as she stared at me. All I could say was this was one big, huge mess!

I was so glad to see another day. The girls in our club couldn't believe what had happened when I told them about it during our meeting. But many others had stories to share about their confrontations with other women too. It surprised us all as to how far some women would go, yet it was also a wake-up call for some of us as well.

For me, I was never in these types of relationships to infuriate the other woman or take her man away. Realistically, I didn't even want him, and more than anything it was about covering up my pain and sex. Surely I had some work to do, and while I continuously pretended that I had it all together, realistically I didn't. I'd like to think that I was making progress.

Today was a new day. I was learning as I moved on. I decided not to see Juan ever again, and we both agreed to go our separate ways. I wasn't sure how things would turn out with him and his wife. Quite frankly, it wasn't none of my business. I knew the kind of man Juan was, so his wife might need to keep that gun handy. From what I figured, she would spend her lifetime shooting at women who her husband fucked with. That was the sad part about it.

On Monday morning, David gave me a tour of the facility and had everything waiting for me in my new cubicle that sat right outside of his office. Being this close to him would be quite interesting and challenging as well. While I wanted to chill out and not get to that dangerous level with him so quickly, it was kind of hard to back off. When I say the man was fine, I really meant he was fine as fuck. I couldn't stop looking into his sexy eyes and his cologne was luring me in rather quickly. I wondered if he knew what I was thinking, and every time he opened his mouth, I had a vision of where I wanted to place it.

“I'm going to leave you here,” he said, standing by my cubicle. “If you need anything, all you have to do is come knock or buzz me by phone. I have some important things to take care of this morning. See if you can transfer all messages to my voice-mail, and I'll do my best to return them later.”

“No problem. But what if your wife calls?”

I looked at his ring finger that still had no ring. I assumed that he removed his ring again, even though he knew damn well he was married.

“If my wife calls, transfer her calls to voice-mail. Thanks for asking, and I'll see you later.”

David walked away and went into his office, closing the door behind him. I got busy on entering data into a spreadsheet, and almost right away, his phone started to ring. As I was told, I transferred every call to his voice-mail. And when his wife called, I chuckled a little as I listened to her prissy, white self over the phone.

“Well, whenever he's done with his meeting, please tell him to call home. It's urgent that I speak to him right away.”

“I will, Mrs. Wright. As soon as he returns, I'll have him call you.”

She didn't bother to thank me. All she did was hang up. I shrugged my shoulders and got back to work.

Around lunch time, I got up from my desk to go tell David I was heading out to get a bite to eat. I knocked on his door then opened it. He was indulged with some papers on his desk, but looked up as I stood in the doorway.

“I just wanted you to know that I'm on my way to lunch. You have about eleven phone messages waiting for you. Also, your wife called, saying it was urgent that you returned her phone call.”

Without responding, he grunted a little. I could tell everything wasn't good at home.

“Thanks, Miah. Enjoy your lunch and don't forget to give me those spreadsheets before you leave.”

“Sure. I almost forgot.”

I returned to my desk to print the spreadsheets. After they printed, I went back into David's office and shut the door behind me. I gave the spreadsheets to him and he looked them over. He then looked me over, as I stood close by him.

“Like I said, I'm on my way to lunch. Would you like for me to bring you anything back or do you need for me to do anything else before I go?”

David answered my question when he stood up next to me. “I do need for you to do something. Only if you're willing to do it.”

The look in his eyes expressed his needs. He didn't have to say no more. “I'm willing and able to do it. As long as you can promise me that you'll make cancelling my lunch plans worth it.”

David opened his drawer and dropped a condom on his desk. I responded by hiking up my skirt and sitting on the edge of his desk, watching carefully as he unzipped his pants and revealed his heavy package. I helped him ease the condom on his mouth-watering dick, and the second it entered me, I threw my arms around his neck and silently confessed to myself that I wasn't always the other woman, but a proud member of The Side-Hoes Club instead. If I continued to carry on like this, there was simply no way to deny my status.