Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (31 page)

“Yeah I knew. I was just hoping that it didn’t have shit to do with Mimi. You need to leave her ass alone. I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me and I know that most of the shit that I’ve gotten from you was because of the work that you did for her but you aren’t her slave. You don’t owe her shit. She used you just like you used her. If anything she’s the one at fault because you were too young to be messing with her anyway. That bitch is a predator and she likes to play with her food before she eats it.”

“I know, you don’t have to tell me that.”

“Apparently I do, because I’m the one that got my ass stomped. She’s screwing with your family. So did Tamika find out about her or something?” Paul asked.

“No, she didn’t find out about Mimi, she just knows that I’m a part of something dangerous.”

“Are you still in deep shit?”

“I don’t know,” Reggie said honestly. “But I’m gonna have to do something.”

“You’re damned right you’re going to have to do something. What if they go after Tamika? Do you still need to give her more money? Is she ever going to be happy with what you give her?”

“I don’t know. I’ll talk to her.”

“You better, so that you can close this chapter of your life.”

#Chapter5

“Damn mom.”

Kalena

Crystal sat at the table in the corner of her office. She loved sitting behind her desk but she rarely got the opportunity.  Meetings took up most of her day and it always felt so stuck up to sit behind a desk when meeting with counterparts, which is why she placed a table near the window instead.

Her view was pleasant and it wasn’t the one that was outside either. A fine specimen was sitting across from her and he was grade A fine. Between talking about their organizations, she kept stealing glances out of the corner of her eye. His massive body was doing something to her insides. He had to work out at least 6 days a week. Muscle men weren’t usually her thing but damn, his body was filling out his suit in all of the right places.

He looked like he was partially black but there was something else there, he was exotic and it turned her on. Couple that with the fact that he was ridiculously intelligent and had a heart for children. Her panties were starting to get moist. He kept licking his lips and showing off his perfectly straight teeth.

“I think that we can be a great resource to one another,” Kai said, “We will have to pick back up next week. I have a meeting in an hour.”

Crystal looked at her watch, “You’re right, the time flew by. I think we came up with more than enough ideas. We have a very similar mission so there is no reason that we wouldn’t be able to get this grant together.”

“Would you mind if both of our grant writers teamed up? I don’t want to overwhelm the one that I just brought on board.”

“I don’t mind at all, I’m sure that Yusef won’t mind. He loves showing other people the ropes.”

“Then they’ll get along just fine.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said as he stood to his feet.

Crystal stood with him and straightened out her clothes, she was conscious of Kai’s eyes all over her body. He was enjoying the view which was surprising to her because extremely fit men tended to like women that were very much the same. Crystal grinned at him when his eyes met hers.

“Having fun?” she asked.

He had the decency to look embarrassed, “I’m sorry, it’s just that you’re a very attractive woman. If I’ve over stepped boundaries, I sincerely apologize and I hope that this won’t affect our business dealings.”

“Don’t worry about it, the attraction is mutual. I’ve been checking you out but I’m a lady so I am more discreet.”

He laughed, “I thought you were taking a few peeks but I wasn’t sure.”

“You caught me?”

“So then would it be too forward to ask if I could take you out?”

“No, it wouldn’t. You have my number; it’s my personal one so feel free to use it.”

“I definitely will. You don’t have the whole three day rule do you? I won’t come off too thirsty if I call you before then?”

“You wait three days to contact me then I’m going to assume that you’re not interested.”

“That would just be a lie.”

“Then I look forward to hearing from you.”

Their eyes locked and a spark of electricity sizzled between them. He stood at least 4 inches taller than her and she was wearing heels. He was the kind of man that a woman just wanted to hug and be held by forever.

“Alright, let me go now before I never get out of here.”

Crystal thought of all of the nasty sexual things that she wanted to do to him and then decided that he was correct. It was probably best if he left her office.

“Okay, I guess that I’ll speak to you later, I’m looking forward to our date and to our upcoming endeavor.”

“As am I,” he said before they shook hands. His hand enveloped hers and he held on for a little bit too long but she didn’t mind. 

Then he was out of the door. She tried to refrain from doing the happy dance. He seemed like a sane and intelligent man. Just for once, she wanted a normal damned date. Maybe he would actually stick around for a bit, they already shared a love for public service. She walked to her desk and sat in her mesh chair.

Her phone rang, it was a number that she didn’t recognize.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Kai. I wanted to make sure that you had my personal number as well.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. Fair and fair. I also wanted to make sure that you knew that I was interested.”

Crystal grinned, “I think I get the message now.”

“Good because I don’t like to send mixed signals. You’re a beautiful and intelligent woman Crystal. If you’re not busy this evening would you mind accompanying me on a phone date?”

“How does 10 o’clock sound?” she said.

“It sounds perfect.”

“Great, I will talk to you later this evening.”

“Don’t be late, I’ll be the guy wearing a silk suit.”

“I hope you’re talking about pajamas,” she laughed.

“You got me.”

“Whew! I was worried. I prayed that you didn’t have any silk suits that you wore outside in your closet.”

“I only wear them out when I’m getting the mail.”

“Just don’t go past the driveway.”

“I wouldn’t dare, besides I would look pretty silly with my Stewie slippers.”

“From The Family Guy?”

“Yeah, don’t hate.”

“Now I have to see those.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I’m trying not to.”

“One minute,” he said.

A few seconds later she got a photo of someone’s feet in huge Stewie slippers.“Is that you?”

“Yes it is.”

“I think I’m a little jealous, those are really cute.”

“What? Stewie isn’t supposed to be cute, he’s supposed to be bad ass.”

“Oh I’m sorry, those are really bad ass,” she said trying to stifle her giggle.

“That’s more like it.”

“Okay, I think that I could laugh at you forever, but I’ve got to get myself together for this next meeting.”

“Same here, I need to get my head in the game. I’ll see you tonight, do you mind if we Facetime?”

“Dammit, I was planning on putting on my exfoliating mask.”

“You can still wear it; I’ll probably think it’s sexy.”

“So you wouldn’t mind me looking like The Incredible Hulk on video?”

“I guess it’s best that I see it sooner than later right? Also, you’ll look beautiful, no matter what.”

“Okay, now you’re just sucking up.”

He laughed, “Is it working?”

“It is. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Have a great meeting.”

Crystal hung up the phone with a massive grin on her face. He seemed perfect. He didn’t take himself too seriously and he knew all of the right things to say. Their phone date would be another step to their real date and then she would see if he was worth keeping around. Something in her gut told her that he was different from the others. It scared her and excited her at the same time. Finally, a man that she could see herself being with for the long term. However, with her luck, something was bound to go wrong. He was probably a polygamist or something. She shook off the thoughts of him and called her assistant into her office; it was time to get back down to business.

***

Exhausted wasn’t even the word to describe how Kalena felt. Her latest contract at the marketing firm was grueling. All of her creative energy was zapped and she just wanted to sit back and relax. She planned on going home but found herself on her mom’s doorstep instead. Her body was on auto-pilot. It was weird to want to see her mom so much.

“I’m beginning to think that you actually like me,” Kalena's mom said as she stepped through the door.

“You know that I love you.”

“That’s not what I said,” she said. “I know you love me, but you haven’t liked me for a long time.”

Kalena shook her head, “Mom, I show up on your doorstep and this is what you want to talk about?”

Her mom put her hands, “Hey, I’m just saying, it’s weird.”

“Do you want me to take my behind home?”

“Girl get in here.”

Kalena stepped over the threshold of her mom’s apartment, “Oh my goodness. Did you hire an interior designer or something? How did you pull this place together so fast?”

“I did hire someone. I was tired of dealing with it. I found a reputable person and he did all of this in two days. It’s wonderful isn’t it?”

“You’re just showing off.”

“That was the plan,” she winked.

The spunk that she used to see in her mom was slowly coming back. It was great to see. For so long her mother kept to the background and let her dad shine. She was finding her voice again and getting back to being the fun person that she was meant to be. She liked this more independent version of her mother.

They walked inside and sat on her new plush couch, Kalena moaned, “Oh my god, this is amazing. It’s so comfy.”

“I know, right. I told him that I wanted cute but comfy and he gave me exactly what I asked for. I’m grateful.”

“So what’s been going on with you? I see that you’ve been busy.”

Her mom smiled, “I found a divorce lawyer. I met with her today and paid her retainer. She’s an absolute beast in the courtroom. I know that I’m going to get everything that I asked for and more.”

“Oh wow, that’s cool.”

“I’m so sorry baby, I didn’t take into consideration that you may not want to hear this. He’s your dad and I need to express more tact.”

Kalena smiled slightly at her mother, “You don’t have to tip toe around my feelings, I’m siding with you on this one. I think that you needed to get away from him. You’ve needed to get away from him for a long time. I hope that by the time you’re done with him he has to sleep in the back of the church.”

Her mom laughed, “Well geesh, that’s just evil. He has a baby on the way, I want him to at least be able to afford a studio.”

“That’s too good even for him,” Kalena said.

“You may have a point.”

“So what do you plan on doing now that you’re stepping down as being a pastor’s wife?”

“I’ve been considering going into event planning. Lord knows I’ve done more that my fair share of it for the church, for other churches, weddings, conferences, and etc. I am meeting up with a woman tomorrow who wants a partner in her business. She’s already raking in the dough but she needs a partner with some capital and some skill. I have both, and I can even bring in a different kind of client. Since I’ve been away from the church, my phone has been blowing up with people still wanting me to plan their events and they’re willing to pay some serious cash.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Look at you, all official and stuff.”

“Well, you know how I do,” her mother laughed, “But seriously, I’m blessed. Not a lot of women could leave their husbands and be in the position that I’m in now. I’m not hurting for money because I had enough sense to put a stash away.”

“How long had you been putting money away?”

“Since you were born,” her mother disclosed.

“Damn, mom.”

“Language.”

Kalena rolled her eyes, “I’m a grown woman, and I think that I can say ‘damn’ now.”

“Yeah you can say it, just not around me.”

#Chapter6

“Why is this all so funny to you? This is my life.”

Tamika

The girls sat in Tamika’s living room after work. It had been a little too long since their last conversation and they were more than overdue for a catch up. The wine was flowing freely and they were all trying to talk as if they weren’t stressed the hell out.  Kalena had just finished telling them about her situation with Tommy. 

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe that man got arrested,” Crystal said, “Tommy is the last man that you would ever expect to see behind bars.”

“Well he was never really behind bars, they just held him,” Kalena said.

“That’s bad enough, I can see why he was pissed off. That shitty Daniel is the one that needed to be locked away.”

“Whatever, Tommy didn’t have any business fighting. He should have did like I asked him to do,” Kalena said.

“And shut the hell up?” Crystal said, “Girl you’re crazy. Tommy is a man, and men have their pride. You should have known that it wasn’t going to end well.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Kalena said.

“Yeah, I bet you don’t,” Crystal said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Kalena asked.

“It means that you need to cut this shit out and give Tommy a real chance. He’s been nothing but good to you and you diss him whenever you get the chance. What are you afraid of?” Crystal asked.

“I’m not afraid of anything; I just have a low tolerance for the craziness. I don’t need a man that’s going to embarrass me in public and cause a scene. That shit is not cute.”

“But you know him better than that; you know that he isn’t the kind of man to act like that regularly.”

“I know him within the realm of a friendship, not a relationship. This is a Tommy that I’ve never seen before.”

Crystal rolled her eyes, “Whatever makes you sleep better at night.”

“Okay, ladies,” Tamika interjected, “Enough about Kalena’s problems. We need to talk about mine.”

“I don’t know if we have enough wine for that,” Crystal laughed.

“We have enough, I just restocked,” Tamika said with a serious expression.

“Well alright then, confess dear sister.”

“I think that Reggie is into some serious shit,” Tamika disclosed.

“The gun didn’t tip you off?” Kalena asked.

Tamika scowled at her, “Of course it did, but after I spoke to him, I know that there is something deeper there. I don’t know if I want to know.”

“Trust me, you want to know,” Crystal insisted.

“I agree,” said Kalena, “You need to find out the truth about everything. This is your life, babe, and you need to know who is in it.”

“Girl, he is bringing guns around you and it’s no telling what else,” Crystal said, “You need to get all in his damned business. He shouldn’t have any privacy when it comes to you. If I was you I would have put a tracker on his car.”

“Now that’s just going too far,” Kalena laughed.

“What? I’m just
saying, she needs to know where he’s going.”

“I’m gonna need to get another bottle of wine,” Tamika sighed.

**

It was the next evening and Tamika sat on her bed watching TV. It was something that she rarely did but she didn’t care anymore. Her bed was comfy and her glass of wine fit perfectly on her night stand next to the bottle. She’d had a long day at work and her bed was the only comfort that she had. She watched Bad Girls Club in an effort to feel better about her own life. The chicks on that show needed some serious therapy. She laughed at the fact that they now had a life coach in the house. A life coach wasn’t going to help those girls, they needed Jesus and Xanax.

Her phone buzzed and she looked over at it, it was Reggie again. She didn’t have to do anything because her app was going to automatically send him to her voice-mail. It was tough to admit, but she checked each and every message that he sent. The blinking light just called to her and she was powerless to stop herself. He always sounded so pathetic, well, when he didn’t sound angry. Sometimes he would leave angry messages, it was out of frustration.

Tamika began to think some more. How could she miss all of the signs when it came to her husband? He stayed out at odd hours, he was distant for a large part of their relationship, and some evenings it was as if he didn’t want to touch her at all. She wasn’t an unattractive woman and she loved to have sex, probably more than the average woman did. However, there were days and sometimes weeks when he wouldn’t even touch her. So much of that time was spent blaming herself, when she should have been focusing on what was going on with him.

Did she know him at all? At first she thought that she knew him better than anyone on the planet but it dawned on her that she always took him at face value. Whenever he gave her an explanation about something, she never questioned it. She was trusting, too trusting. A thinking human being asks questions, they don’t just say ‘yes dear’ all of the time. That was something that her friends tried to warn her about but she wrote them off as jealous and eventually all of them backed off.

If she listened then she wouldn’t have had to deal with him bringing guns into her home. How could he have been so deceitful right under her nose? Why didn’t she suspect anything? Those days were over. Never again would she let another man lie to her and get away with it.

She thought more about what Crystal and Kalena had told her the night before and they were right. She needed to stop keeping her head buried in the sand and find out the truth.

After taking the last gulp from her glass she looked over the contents of the room. So much of his stuff was still all over the house. She grabbed some of his things but for the most part, his things were still all over the place. How could she move on with her life when she was surrounded by their stuff all the damned time? Did she even want to move on? That was a decision that needed to be made soon because men didn’t stick around and grovel forever. Could she truly live without Reggie?

Her curiosity got the best of her and so did the alcohol. She rose from her bed and walked over to his side of the bed. She hadn’t gone through his night stand; she absentmindedly went through his drawer. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for but nothing stood out. Then she came across his old phone. It wasn’t charged, so she went to find an old charger that would fit it. After plugging it into the wall she turned it on. Her hands shook a little as she realized what she was doing. It felt stupid to go through his old phone; there probably wasn’t anything on it. She was out of her mind, this was how she knew that she had too much drink and that she was just being paranoid. Confident and secure women didn’t do those kinds of things. She wanted to be a confident woman, but that wasn’t working out too well at the moment.

His phone turned on and she went straight to his text messages. For the most part nothing stood out to her as unusual until she got to see some messages from someone named Mimi. As she read most of their conversation it was clear that Mimi was a woman and that there was some kind of sexual tension going on between the two of them. Who in the hell was this woman?

Before she could think about it she grabbed her phone and dialed the number. As it rang she began to have second thoughts. She was going to look like a complete idiot calling that random woman in his phone. She was about to hang up but it was too late.

“Hello?”

“Umm hi, is this Mimi?”

“Who is this?” the sultry no nonsense voice said on the other end of the line. It took her aback; she wasn’t expecting the woman to sound so mature and so abrasive.

“I’m sorry, you may not know me at all but I was just calling to see if you could answer a few of my questions.”

“Well ask them before I hang up.”

“I was wondering if you know someone named Reggie, and if you do, how do you know him?”

“Is this Tamika?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Oh, your husband talks about you a lot,” she said in amusement.

“Would you mind telling me how you know my husband?”

“I don’t mind at all,” she said, “But I don't talk my business on the phone. We should do this in person, I’ll tell you everything that you want to know.”

“Umm okay, when do you want to meet?”

“Now is fine.”

“Where do you want to meet?”

“Funny enough, I am actually in your part of Brooklyn as we speak. We can meet outside your place.”

Tamika wasn’t sure if she wanted this mysterious woman coming to her house. That was just too weird.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Girl please, it’s not a big deal. Besides, I already know where you live. I’ll see you in a half hour outside of your place. If you ain't there I won't be waitin' around, ya heard?”

“Okay,” Tamika said automatically. What in the hell was she thinking? She should have told the woman no again, but she didn’t seem like the kind of woman that would be denied.

A half hour later Tamika stood outside of her condo and waited. It was cold outside but it didn’t matter. The woman was on time anyway. She was older than Reggie, there was a clear age difference but she was a certified MILF. She had the kind of looks where age didn’t matter; a man was still going to screw her anyway. Tamika immediately feared the worst, although the worst was still to come.

“I assume that you’re Mimi?” Tamika asked her when she was approached.

“You’re right.”

Tamika let out a loud sigh, “Okay, so how do you know my husband?”

“I’ve been knowing him for just as long as you have,” Mimi said lighting up a cigarette, “I’ve also been screwing him for just as long, probably longer.”

“You can’t be serious. Why?”

A devious smile curled on Mimi’s lips, “I saw something that I liked and I wanted it. I didn’t find out about you until much later. He kept you from me, just like he kept me from you. He used me for whatever I could give him and he gave me himself in return.”

“I don’t understand. So, were you buying him things?” Tamika asked. She felt like she needed to walk, so she did, and Mimi kept up with her pace.

“I was and I have.”

“When did the two of you end?”

“Well we ended when I had to send people to kick his little brother’s ass. He owed me money and I needed to make a statement.”

“That was you who did that?” Tamika’s heart raced. What in the hell did she just invite to her home? She was standing with the enemy and didn’t even know it. Was this woman planning on doing something to her too?

“Why w
ould you do that? Did he stop sleeping with you or something?”

“Girl, I don’t care anything about Reggie’s dick. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really good dick as I’m sure that you well know. What I do care about is my money.”

“Why does he owe you money? Can I pay it?”

Mimi smiled, “At this point it’s the principle and he owes me money because he threw my package away.”

“What package?”

“Wow, you really don’t have a clue about anything do you? He wasn’t just sleeping with me; he was pushing drugs for me. How else did you think that he got that car that he drove in college, those clothes, those shoes, and that big ass rock that’s sitting on your finger? His ass didn’t have a job. Did you ever question anything?”

Tamika shook her head, “I didn’t. I just assumed that everything that he did was legitimate.”

“That’s where you went wrong, all that boy does is lie but he’s a product of his environment. He’s a hood nigga that’s trying to make it in the world. I’m surprised that he picked someone like you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Tamika asked with a little more attitude than she intended.

“It just means that you’re really prissy. I always figured that he would go for someone that was a little rougher around the edges. Kind of like the original Vivian from Fresh Prince.”

“Well nope, he chose me.”

“Lucky you, huh?” Mimi laughed.

“Why is this all so funny to you? This is my life.”

She shrugged, “And this is mine. I learned a long time ago to never put my trust into a man. They all lie and will fuck any warm hole that’s available. I’m sorry to have to break it to you, sweetie but he isn’t the man that you think that he is. If I wanted to I could end his career as he knows it, but I’m not a petty bitch.”

Tamika was having a hard time processing everything that she heard, “So you’re telling me that Reggie has sold drugs?”

“Yes he has, a ton.”

“And you were screwing him the whole time that I was with him?”

“Exactly.”

“You even purchased my wedding ring?”

“Oh now she's getting it,” she laughed sarcastically.

Tamika slipped the ring off of her finger and handed it to her, “Well here, I think this belongs to you.”

Mimi shook her head, “I don’t want it. It’s not my style. You keep it in memory of me, and you’re welcome. I hope that you enjoyed looking at it on your pretty little finger.”