What A Person Wants (3 page)

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetie!”

I released the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. It was just Rhys.

“Hey, Rhys,” I said. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Well, are you okay?” Rhys asked, concern in his voice.

I did my best to hide my disappointment by trying to sound somewhat cheery.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

But Rhys wasn’t buying it. “Izzy, come on. What’s wrong? I can tell in your voice.”

Damn, he knows me well.
I don’t even know why I tried to disguise my tone. I should’ve just lied like I normally do when I’m bothered. It’s easier that way.

“No, I’m good.  I just had a long day at work.” At least that was halfway true. A hectic thirteen-hour shift on your feet would do anybody in.

“Oh, okay.” Rhys said, accepting what I said. “You just sounded kind of down for a minute.”

“I’m fine. Scout’s honor,” I reassured him.

“Well, I just needed to vent. You got a minute to spare?”

“For you? Of course.”

“I’ll be quick then.” Rhys took a second to draw a deep a breath. Good god! What was going on today? Did I have “dump on me” written across my forehead?  I shook my head and braced myself for whatever it was Rhys needed to talk about.

“It’s Tiffany. I’m about to kill her.”

It took a second to digest what he had just told me. I knew he’d been having some problems with his wife lately, but this was the first time that he had actually told me something flat out negative about her. Usually, he talks about her flaws with a Coke and a smile, or at least backs up what he says with a positive comment. But not this time. She must’ve really messed up.

Rhys didn’t wait for me to comment. “I try to be a good husband. I work every day. I take care of the bills. I damn near spoil her, but it seems like nothing I do fazes her. What happened to the sweet woman I married?"

I opted for telling him the truth as I saw it. “Maybe she was never sweet to begin with. You see what you want to see when you’re, um, whipped and in love and whatnot. Let’s call a spade a spade, Rhys. Your nose was wide open for the whole six months y’all dated. It was a pretty sad sight.”

“That’s not true, Izzy. I was
not
whipped. I fell in love with what I
thought
was a good woman.”

If you say so.
I looked out the window at the passing cars and streetlights. A few more stops and I'd be home. “Well, what did she do this time?”

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing! And that’s the problem. Tiffany's wakes up, gets dressed, and leaves the house by seven a.m. every day as usual. I’m thinking she’s been going to work. Then she springs on me today when I got home that she had quit her job two weeks ago because she didn’t like her boss’ attitude. I asked her what that had to do with anything since we had bills to pay and this woman had the audacity to tell me that she didn’t care.”

I opened my mouth to interject, but my heated friend cut me off.  I hadn’t seen nor heard Rhys this upset in a long time.

“And not only to say that she quit her job when we needed the money over some stupid shit, but she didn’t even tell me that she didn’t have a job anymore. That’s not the type of shit you keep from your husband. If things were really bad on her job, she could have told me. We could have decided together that she should quit and I would take on the bills completely until she found something else. I love my wife. I want to support her, but not telling me about this and acting like nothing happened is just messed up.

"And on top of all that, she hasn’t even been taking care of the house. I don’t know what her ass has been doing these last few days while I've been out working, busting my ass trying to take care of the fucking bills and be the great provider and everything. I came home today and the house looked downright sloppy. Dishes in the sink, dirty laundry all over the damn place. I found her ass sitting on the couch asking me what was for dinner. Ain’t that a bitch? I could choke the hell out of her, I’m so pissed.”

I waited a few seconds to make sure he had gotten it all off of his chest. When he didn’t respond, I gave him my two cents.

“Rhys, have you told her what she’s doing right now is bothering you?”

“Hell, yeah, I did!” he answered. “We got into a big fight a little while ago. She told me I wasn’t being a good husband and left to go to a friend’s house. This irritating woman named Chloe. I don’t know. Ever since they’ve been hanging out, Tiffany's attitude has been fucked up. I don’t get it!”

“Is this Chloe person single?”

“I think so.”

“Then I have an idea of what may be happening.”

“Well, then I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me, ‘cause I sure as hell don’t understand.”

“Okay. It is possible that since Chloe is single that she’s feeding Tiffany a bunch of nonsense to throw her off?  A lot of sneaky females do mess like that, especially when they’re jealous of what the other girl has. I’m sorry to say, but Tiffany doesn’t strike me as a strong woman. She’s nice, but does come off as easy prey. I wouldn't be surprised if this Chloe person is in her ear. And another thing. Don’t start thinking that you’re doing something wrong. You’re a good man Rhys, and a damn good husband. She doesn’t understand how lucky she is to have you, but I’m sure things will get better for y’all. Just keep working on it."

“Yeah.”

I told the truth about Rhys Pediway. He
was
a good man and husband. Truth be told, I had always thought I would end up with him. When we first met, I could have sworn I saw those clichéd sparks people always talked about in romantic comedies. But, alas, I must’ve reeked of “friend” material because he started talking to someone else pretty soon after we had gotten comfortable with each other. It was alright, though. We have stayed good friends throughout the years, and I wouldn't trade our friendship for the world. So, I’ve thrown away all of my romantic aspirations. Well, most of them.

I said a few more words of encouragement to my buddy and hung up the phone. By the time the conversation ended, I realized I was the only passenger left on the bus and I had missed my stop. I jumped up, pulled the cord and hurried off the bus. As I walked the three blocks to my apartment, I couldn’t help but think about how safe and warm my bed was. Between the rush of the day, my mother, Rhys, and worrying about Kyle, all I wanted to do was sleep. But having so much on my mind, I knew that a good night’s sleep was just a dream.

RICHIE

I could’ve stayed in bed a lot longer if it weren’t for my phone ringing off the damn hook. I rolled over on to the edge of my king-sized bed and made a blind grab for the phone.  Maybe if I kept my eyes closed, I could go right back to sleep.

“Who the hell is this?” I asked. I lost the fight to keep my eyes closed and looked at the clock. It was four a.m. This had better be damn good.

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you. Can we talk for a minute?”

I was instantly awakened by the small, sultry voice on the other end of the receiver. It was a voice I had grown to love and hate all at the same time. It was Chloe Childs, the woman who had broken my heart.

I sat up in the bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, allowing myself to wake up a little more than my body really wanted to. “What's up? What‘s the matter?”

“Nothing is wrong, Richie. I just couldn’t sleep. I’m missing you so much right now. I just needed to hear your voice for a minute.”

A little warmth seeped into my heart. She wanted to hear my voice? She missed me?  Chloe was never the type to miss anybody. So to hear her say that to me was just like hearing a mother tell her long lost son that she had always loved him.

Still, I fought the urge to tell her that I had missed her, too. Lord knows I wanted her with me something fierce. But I won’t allow myself to be sucked back into her drama again. So, instead of getting sentimental, I got angry.

“Even if you missed me, you still could’ve called me after the sun came up. What are you thinking calling my phone in the middle of the night like we talk all the time? You lost that privilege a year ago!”

“Richie, how many times do I have to apologize for that? I know I fucked up, but I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry! I made my share of mistakes, and believe me, I‘m still paying for them today.”

The heat around my heart intensified, but this time it was from genuine anger. During our three year relationship, I had spent more than enough time hearing her apologies and this was no different. How often had I heard, “I’m sorry, Richie,” before she went right back to the same shit that hurt me in the first place? How many times did I ache for this woman’s touch knowing she was spending time with other men? How many times did I end up feeling like a fuck buddy instead of her fiancé?

Something snapped in me and made me grip the phone tight as I laid her out. I don’t know if it was the constant, “I’m sorry,” that made me go off, or the fact that I had just been dragged out of a heavy sleep after getting off of work only three hours prior.

“You didn’t mean to? You’re sorry? Wait. So, you didn’t mean to have an affair with three other men and then lie about it? You’re sorry for milking me for my money and connections, and basically ruining the relationship that we had built together? You didn’t mean to run to a clinic to abort what could’ve been my child without even having the decency to tell me? That’s bullshit, Chloe, and you know it! I‘m not trying to hear that shit right now.”

“Richie, I am so sorry. I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true! I know I messed up.  What more can I say? I let the best thing that ever happened to me just walk away. Please tell me that I can rectify that. Give me a chance to fix it. Please, Richie. I’m begging!”

Chloe sounded like she was crying. She wasn’t arguing or cursing like a sailor the way she normally did when she was trying to get her way.  I couldn’t help but feel a little bad.  Maybe she
was
hurting from our breakup the same way that I had been. Even though we had been apart for the better part of a year, in my heart, she was still the woman for me.

“You spent so much time treating me like shit, Chloe. I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Tell me that you still love me.”

I sighed. “You know I do.”

“Then come downstairs and open the door. Please. Give me a chance.”

I heard the click in my ear as my ex hung up the phone. I got out of bed and walked hesitantly out of my bedroom. My townhouse was dark except for the small air freshener/ nightlight at the foot of the stairs. I walked down to the front door in nothing but some old sweatpants, my version of pajamas. Looking through the frosted panes in the front door, I could see Chloe standing in front of the door shivering as though she were cold. God, she was gorgeous! Even while standing in the dark looking like a sad puppy on my doorstep. Everything in me said to keep the door closed, but by the time my hand found the doorknob, the battle was already lost. I let her in.

Chloe didn’t say anything. She just came in and stared at me, tears coming down her face.  I had never seen her cry so openly. Not even when I told her the engagement was off. Her usual crass nature prevented her from being vulnerable. It broke my heart seeing her like this.

“What are you doing here, Chloe?” I asked softly. I wanted to grab and hug her, but I held back. I tried to remind myself that this was the woman who did me wrong. It was a hard feat to accomplish since I was still attracted to her. How could I not be? She was everything I had ever wanted in a woman; she was beautiful, independent, sexy and very smart. If only her attitude could match the rest of her attributes…

Chloe bit her bottom lip and looked down at the floor. “Like I just told you, I want to fix this. I’ve missed you. I still love you.”

She moved closer to me as she took her sweater off and dropped it to the floor. She was only wearing a flimsy white camisole and grey short shorts. That top looked good against her caramel skin and her long legs looked even better sticking out from underneath those shorts. I thought back to all those times I had those gorgeous legs wrapped around my waist and I felt a part of me get a little excited. I tried to will myself to calm down. It didn’t work.

Chloe stood right in front of me, her breasts pushed up against my chest, looking right into my eyes. “Tell me I haven’t lost you, baby.”

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that we could go back to the way things were before all the fucked up things that came our way. I wanted to tell her that I’d put a ring on her finger and make her my wife because she is my perfect woman, the Eve to my Adam, the queen to the king that is me. But I couldn’t. Instead, I just stared at her.

She took the hint. She dropped her head and I saw her shoulders heave from the silent sobs coming from her. “Okay,” she said, voice breaking. "Okay. Forget I said anything. I’ll leave."

Chloe Childs stepped back from me and picked up her sweater from the floor. She turned towards the door, but before she could reach it, my hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder. That damned hand!

“Wait,” I whispered as I turned her around to face me. Her tears still fell and I couldn’t help feeling like she was telling the truth. Rhys was wrong. She could grow up and mature.

“Are you serious? Do you really want to work on us again?” I asked as I looked at her smoky gray eyes. She nodded with fervor.

“Yes, Richie! More than anything.”

I kissed her. My god, I've missed this. Her lips felt soft against mine as they gently caressed my mouth. My hands found her light brown hair and got lost in it. I had almost forgotten how good it felt to hold her, my woman.

The kiss quickly deepened. Our tongues teased each other relentlessly and before I knew it, my hands had slipped underneath that small white camisole and found her breasts. They may have been small, but they were delectable. I felt her nipples harden beneath my fingertips as she moaned against the nape of my neck. She took that as her cue to grind her hips against me. I knew for sure I couldn’t hide my excitement this time. Instead, I went for it.

I pushed Chloe back gently towards the wall of my foyer, near the bottom of the stairs, all the while not losing contact with those amazing lips. My tongue explored her mouth. I had never tasted anything so sweet. She was more than happy to let me. I ran my hands down to her ass and grabbed a handful. I felt Chloe’s hands running across my back, over my shoulders and down my chest. Her perfectly manicured hands rested on the top of my sweats just aching to pull them down. But I didn’t give her a chance.

“God, I’ve missed you, baby!” I breathed into her mouth just as I leaned away from bent down and put one perfectly formed breast into my mouth. That tiny white camisole was long gone, tossed somewhere into the adjacent living room.

I felt her heartbeat quicken beneath my hands and mouth. The moans that escaped her mouth turned me on like a light switch. I held back a little bit and looked into those smoky eyes again. Chloe had a pained look on her face like she was hurting for me. I could easily say the same. I wanted her terribly, but since I was never a selfish man; ladies always went first.

I pushed Chloe flat up against the wall and bent down, lowering her shorts all the way.  She wore a white thong underneath. I softly touched between her legs and massaged her clit gently with my thumb. I looked up as she arched her back and called my name with a soft voice. With that, I lowered her flimsy thong and threw them over my shoulders after letting her step out of them. Taking an ass cheek into each hand, I softly licked the front of her. Chloe was moaning a song that I was glad to hear. I dove in, lifting a leg onto my shoulder so I could lick deep inside of her. Judging from the way she was quivering and grinding against my face, I could tell that she was really into it. Hell, I was, too! There’s nothing better than tasting the essence of your woman. It was a taste I missed.

About fifteen minutes later, after she had exploded from my lip service twice, I was ready for her. Without saying a word, I spun her around and entered from behind.

“Hmmm, that's what I've missed,” Chloe whispered as she turned back to glance at me. Her eyes were glassy from the crying and she stared me down with an intensity that just spurred me on. “Gimme."

“Oh, so you’re just gonna start demanding shit now? Alright. Don’t move, baby. I got this.”

“Ooh, Richie!”

I lost control at that point. I smacked her small ass, grabbed her hard by her waist while I continued to pound her, lifting her left leg so I could climb in deeper.

“Damn, you feel so good, girl!”

“It’s all yours. It’s all yours, baby.”

I stayed inside of her for twenty more minutes up against the wall until we both were momentarily spent and damn near blinded by pleasure. Once we regrouped and climbed back up the stairs, we got going again in the shower. We both came a few times that night and by the time the sun was up and shining bright, we were exhausted.

Lying in my disheveled bed, basking in the afterglow of mind blowing orgasms, I heard Chloe whisper.

“This feels so right.”

I moved closer to her and brushed a lock of hair from her face. She placed her hand on my chest and made lazy circle with her fingers.

“I know what you mean,” I responded. I picked up her hand from off of my chest and kissed each fingertip. Chloe smiled. “I didn’t think we would ever get to this place again.”

“Me neither. But I’m glad it did.”

“Likewise, babe.”

“So, now what?” she asked as she cuddled closer to me.

I thought about it. I wanted to be with her more than anything.

“Well,” I began, “you know I still love you. If you’re serious about making this relationship work, we can start off slow. I can learn to forgive you for what you’ve done. We can start fresh.”

Chloe sat up and leaned against me. She was naked and just looking at her perky breasts had my dick twitching again, even though we had been going at it for hours.

“You mean that, Richie? We can start over?”

I couldn’t stop my mouth from forming a grin. “Hell, yeah!”

Chloe smiled from ear to ear and planted a big kiss on my mouth. “I’m so glad to hear that, Richie. I won’t hurt you again. I promise. I’m gonna treat you like the king you are. You’ll never want another woman.”

“That’s just not possible,” I said. “You’re it for me.”

“Good.”  Chloe snuggled up beside me and we fell asleep together. I hadn’t been so comfortable in a long time. I was in dreamland almost immediately.

I woke up a couple of hours later with the high noon sun shining brightly over my face; I saw nothing but red behind my closed eyelids. I turned over to the right side of the bed to spoon with Chloe and only felt my down comforter. Risking opening an eye, I looked around my room and saw it was empty.

“Shit,” I whispered. Climbing out of bed and not even bothering to cover my nakedness, I went downstairs calling out Chloe’s name. The only sound I heard was my hardwood floor creaking beneath my bare feet. She was gone.

I huffed and went back to my bedroom to hunt for my cell phone. It was lying on the floor next to my bed. I couldn’t dial Chloe’s number fast enough.  How could she leave me without saying a word?  Right before we fell asleep, she had agreed to spend the day with me, seeing how it was one of the few days off I was going to have for the next couple of weeks. What happened to that?  I got my building anger under control as I waited for her to answer.

She answered immediately. “Hello?” She sounded cheerful and fully rested.

“Chloe, where are you? Are you alright?” I asked.  I tried to sound unaffected, but it was a lost cause.

“Oh, Richie, you didn’t
really
expect me to stay all day with you?”