Almost Doesn't Count (33 page)

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Authors: Angela Winters

BOOK: Almost Doesn't Count
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She leaned in and kissed his neck again.
“Stop,” he said quietly, even though he made no physical protest.
Her free hand went to his thigh and rubbed it gently as her lips left searing kisses on his neck.
“Sex won't fix this,” he said.
“But it will hold things together while we fix it,” she responded as she bit gently at his ear. “I need you, Justin. You're my husband. I'm your wife. I know you need me.”
She let out a quick gasp as his hand grabbed her wrist. His grip hurt, and when she looked into his eyes, she could see that was what he intended.
He grabbed her by the back of her head, pulling her hair. Her head fell back and Sherise felt her entire body ignite like an inferno. No, she hadn't intended to leave this hotel room empty-handed and she wasn't going to.
 
Erica was cautious as she entered her apartment that evening. She didn't expect to see Terrell there, but she wouldn't have been surprised. It broke her heart to come home to him not being there. She had gotten used to it for the six months they were apart, but even a few days of him being back there had warmed her heart to the idea that they were together again. Now she would have to go back to being heartbroken, to feeling alone.
Passing through the living room, she saw the television was on, but no one was in there. She glanced down the hallway and saw a light coming out from under Nate's door, but decided she needed to get her thoughts together before going to talk to him.
When she opened her bedroom door, she saw a figure sitting on her bed. She gasped in surprise, but couldn't figure out who it was because it was dark. She reached for the light and was at first relieved to find that it wasn't Terrell.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked. “In the dark.”
Nate's head was lowered as he focused on his hands, which were placed in his lap as he sat on the edge of her bed, facing the bathroom.
“I was waiting for you . . . I guess.”
Erica dropped her bag on the bed and walked over to him. She reached down, and with her index finger to his chin, lifted his face up to her. His expression struck her with a force. He was scared to death.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You were right,” he said. “Everything went down, Sis. It was fucked up.”
“What went down?”
“We were just hanging out and the cops just busted in.”
“Did they hurt you?” she asked quickly. “Did anyone touch you?”
“That's just it,” he said with a shrug. “Like they came in and—”
“You were at Reedy's place, weren't you?”
He nodded. “They came in and just jumped on everyone. I was on the sofa and one cop pulled a fucking gun on me.”
Erica was getting angry but didn't show it. “Well you're hanging out with drug dealers, Nate. They get guns pulled on them a lot.”
“Then the dude grabs me and drags me out of the place,” Nate continued. “I was like, ‘Get off me, man, get off me.' Then, he just . . . he let me go.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing at first.” Nate was shaking his head as if he didn't even really believe what he was saying. “So I turned around and another cop came up to me and told me to get the fuck out of there.”
“I hope you listened.”
“Hell yeah, I listened.” He lowered his face into his hands. “That was so fucking scary.”
Erica dropped down on the bed next to him. She placed her hand on his back and rubbed.
“I'm glad you realize how serious this is.”
“I was like, shit, my life is over. You warned me and I didn't believe you.”
“Do you believe me now?” she asked.
He nodded, lifting his head up to look at her. “Are they gonna come for me later?”
“No,” she said. “Not if you do what I say.”
“I'll do fucking anything, Erica.”
“Then,” she said, “it's going to be okay.”
After Nate had gotten up and left, Erica grabbed her phone and called Jonah.
“Did you know he would be there?” she asked.
“I knew he might be there,” he answered.
“They scared the shit out of him.”
“That's a good thing,” Jonah said. “First, he needed to have the shit scared out of him for effect. Second, you don't want the other guys knowing he got off scot-free.”
“I guess you're right,” she said, thinking further of it. She hesitated before asking her next question. “Was that . . . was that raid . . . all that happened?”
“You're asking me if Terrell got in trouble. Erica, I always keep my end of the deals I make. I hope I can trust that you do as well.”
“I intend to,” she said.
“I want you to do better than intend,” he said. “I want you—”
“I'll stay away from him,” she said. “For good.”
There was a short silence before Jonah spoke again. “We should have lunch soon. Would that be okay?”
“I'll think about it,” she answered slowly.
 
Erica stepped out of the cab in front of the restaurant. She saw Sherise and Billie sitting at a table in the outside cafe. They waved to her. She started to walk toward them when she heard a man call her name. She knew that voice as well as she knew her own.
Her heart stung when she saw Terrell rush over to her. He looked a mess in a gray Howard University T-shirt and jeans. It appeared as if he hadn't been sleeping at all. He looked the way she felt every time she thought of him.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked, his eyes pleading. “Please, baby, just for a minute.”
“I'm not your baby,” she said coldly. She wanted to have compassion for him, but all she felt was anger. He ruined their dreams again. “And how did you find me here?”
“Nate told me you were gonna be here.”
She pointed her finger in his face angrily. “You stay the fuck away from him, Terrell. You've already done enough damage. Just stay away from him.”
“I just want to talk to you.” He swallowed, seeming afraid to utter a word in case it would make her run away. “I can't tell you how sorry I am about this.”
“You should just be grateful,” she said.
“For what?”
“Jonah wanted to implicate you in all this,” she said. “You could be behind bars right now if he had his way.”
Terrell shook his head with a knowing smile. “That son of a bitch. He's the most underhanded motherfucker. This is his fault. This is all his fault.”
“How can you say that?” Erica couldn't believe what she was hearing. “You really don't want to take the blame for this, do you?”
“He's the one who broke us up!”
“No, Terrell, you broke us up!” She shook her head, waving her hand. “I won't do this. Just go, and I hope for your next girlfriend's sake you figure out a way to take responsibility for your own actions.”
He blocked her way into the restaurant. “I know I need to get my act together. I know I have a lot of work to do, but I—”
“What the fuck do you want?” Sherise asked as she quickly wedged herself in between the two of them.
“I'm talking to Erica.” Terrell rolled his eyes. “This ain't none of your business.”
“It's her business,” Billie said, joining them. “Erica is our business, and it was clear to us that she was trying to get away from you before you blocked her.”
“Fuck—” Terrell caught himself before he said more.
“Terrell,” Erica said. “Just go.”
“Erica.” He tried looking around Sherise to make eye contact with Erica, but it wasn't working. “Please. I'm begging you. You and I need to talk alone.”
“Here's the thing.” Erica took Sherise by the arm and pushed her aside so she was facing Terrell again.
She looked into his eyes and mustered her strength.
“You can get your act together,” she said. “I believe that you will. But nothing will change the fact that you let me down again. Nothing will change the fact that you let Nate get involved with someone like Reedy, knowing who he was. I will never forgive you for that. Even if you never make the same mistakes again, you've made enough with me to last a lifetime.”
“Baby,” he pleaded.
“Our time is over. It's not coming back. I'm moving on. I've moved on. I wish you luck, but this”—she gestured to the space between the two of them—“this is done.”
She didn't wait for a response before turning and heading into the restaurant with Sherise and Billie right behind her.
 
“Aren't we an impressive group of sisters,” Sherise said as all three women sat down at their table.
Despite tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks, Erica found it in herself to smile.
“We are pitiful, aren't we?” Billie asked. She rubbed Erica's back comfortingly.
“We're single again,” Erica said to Billie and then turned to Sherise. “You're . . . I don't know what you are.”
“I'm married, bitch.” Sherise smiled even though it wasn't entirely funny. “It's a fucking mess, but I'm married.”
“She seduced him a couple of days ago,” Billie said.
“With what?” Erica asked.
“Excuse me?” Sherise asked. “With all this right in front of you. No man can resist.”
“Isn't that the problem?” Erica asked, laughing.
“She used pictures of Cady,” Billie added.
With a smacking sound of her lips, Erica shook her head. “Did it work?”
Sherise shrugged. “It's a step forward. He's not moving back home yet. I don't think he will for a while, but he's still my husband. He knows that.”
“Sex is one thing,” Billie said. “Trust me, it doesn't make a relationship.”
“We aren't gonna be a repeat of you and Porter,” Sherise said. “Besides, he came over this morning to spend some time with Cady.”
“And you let him leave?” Erica asked. “I would have thought you'd lock all the windows and doors.”
“Honestly,” Sherise said, “I even surprised myself with how subtle I was. I gave him all the space he needed. He even kissed me on the cheek before he left.”
“You're really going to give him the time he asked for?” Erica asked in disbelief.
“Are you planning to tell him about Jonah?” Billie asked.
“Fuck that,” Sherise said. “We've had enough honesty for a lifetime.”
Sherise was perfectly fine with where she was. She felt confident she and Justin would work this out. Cady's paternity was no longer a question. Jennifer's face was all over the papers and the Internet, her reputation and political career ruined forever. She had survived a disaster. She wasn't going to compound it with another one. Justin would trade her one affair for his, but two affairs? No, there would be no mention of any other indiscretions.
“That's not right,” Erica said.
Sherise looked her up and down. “We can't always do the right thing. Besides, what does it get you? Look at you.”
“Like I said,” Billie added, “we're all pitiful right now.”
Sherise pointed at Erica. “You just make sure that Jonah stays out of our lives.”
“I can't promise that,” Erica said. “Things are different between us. He's done me a lot of favors.”
“That's what he wants you to think,” Sherise warned. “They are not real favors.”
“We'll see.” Erica shrugged.
“If he's hooking people up for you,” Billie said, “I might need him for a job soon.”
“You're not gonna get fired or disbarred,” Erica said, even though she had no idea what she was talking about. She was just trying to be a supportive friend.
“I can't believe you told them,” Sherise said. “That indiscretion could have gone to jail with Ricky. No one would have believed his good-for-nothing ass.”
“That's not the point,” Billie said even though she had thought of that a million times before deciding to come clean about the situation to her bosses.
She was still waiting to hear what their decision was, and she didn't know if she'd have a job come Monday, but she had searched her soul and knew that she had to tell the truth. She had some integrity left, and getting the rest back started with her telling the truth. She was already feeling better.

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