Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (32 page)

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Tamika said when she slipped the ring back into her pocket, unsure of what to do with it.

“Let’s just end it here. You’ve gotten the answers that you were looking for, now you can’t live in your delusion anymore. I’m sorry that he wasn’t everything that you ever wanted, but most men aren’t.”

“Thanks for answering my questions. Now do I have something to be worried about? Do you plan on coming after me?”

“Bitch please, if I wanted to come after you, you would be dead already.”

“Umm okay, I guess.”

“Bye sweetie, and keep your head up. If any of the people at that lovely office that you work at need product, just give me a call. I could get into a lot of places with a girl of your caliber.”

“No thanks,” Tamika said as she walked away and back towards her condo.

Tamika went back inside, she felt numb, nothing was registering the way that it should have.  Her husband was a stranger, she married a stranger. She walked inside of her unit and stood in the hallway. She wanted to call her friends but none of them would be able to make her feel better.

Then the door flew open behind her, “Oh my god, are you okay?” Reggie asked. “She didn’t hurt you did she?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Tamika asked when she turned around.

“I got a text from someone saying that they were going to pay you a visit. I was worried, baby I think that it’s best if I stay here with you. I’m so sorry to get you caught up in my bullshit.”

“What kind of bullshit?”

“I can’t really explain it right now, it’s some shit from my past. If you give me a chance I’ll tell you everything.”

“You sure it’s not one of these little hoes that you’re out here fucking?”

“What?” Reggie said, “Of course not. You’re the only woman that I want. I wouldn’t do anything to mess up what we have.”

The lies made Tamika feel sick to her stomach. He was standing in their house, looking straight into her eyes, and lying.

She laughed maniacally, “The funny thing is that I almost believe you. If I hadn’t of talked to Mimi, I would have believed you.”

“You spoke to her? You can’t believe anything that comes out of that crazy bitch’s mouth.”

“So, you haven’t been sleeping with her?”

Reggie was stunned, “I can explain.”

“Don’t fucking explain, just answer the question. It’s a yes or no question.”

“But there’s more to it than that.”

“Did she buy my wedding ring?”

Reggie ran a hand down his face as panic raced through his body. How in the hell was he going to fix this?

His silence told her all that she needed to know. She grabbed the ring from her pocket and threw it at him, “You’re such a liar! You’ve been lying throughout the course of our entire relationship. I don’t even know who you are.”

“Baby, you know who I am. I’m your husband.”

Rage boiled inside of Tamika, it was a rage that she’d never felt before. She pulled the lamp out of the wall and threw it at him. He dodged it and it crashed to the floor at his feet. “Don’t throw stuff at me.”

“Or what? You’re going to shoot me?”

“No, that’s just crazy.”

“You want to talk about crazy? How about the fact that you’ve been selling drugs? What in the hell is wrong with you? Were drugs in our home? Did you put my life in jeopardy?”

“No, of course drugs weren’t in our home,” he lied.

“I don’t believe you. I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth anymore. I’m done. You can expect the divorce papers in the mail. Just let me know where to send them to.”

“No,” Reggie said desperately, “You can't end our marriage over this.”

“Oh, trust me, I can. You’re lucky that I don’t call the police and have you arrested. Now get out.”

“Please let’s just talk.”

The sight of him made her physically ill. All of the features that looked appealing to her, now repulsed her. “Leave,” she demanded again.

“I’m not going to leave; we need to talk this out.”

“Fine, then I’ll go.”  Tamika walked down the hall towards the door and past him. He grabbed her in an effort to stop her stride, “Don’t touch me! Don’t you ever fucking touch me again!”

Reggie quickly let her go and watched her grab the keys and exit the condo. There was no coming back from this.

#Chapter7

“Do you have a criminal record, are you a momma’s boy, or do you have a micro penis?”

Crystal

Crystal sat in the small restaurant across from Kai, she’d always wanted to try Battersby, because she’d heard great things but she never got around to going. It was a small and unassuming restaurant in the middle of Brooklyn but the food was divine. Kai was a gentleman for the entire evening, and she couldn’t have asked for a better date. Crystal was wondering when the inevitable twist would happen.

“So what are you, anyway?” Crystal asked.

“What do you mean?” Kai asked.

“I’m sorry to come off rude when I ask that question, it’s just that I’ve been wondering about your ethnicity since I met you. It’s clear that there are a couple of things in there,” she said as she gestured towards his torso.

He laughed, “What do you think?”

“I honestly don’t know and I hate being wrong about stuff, so I need you to just tell me.”

“Aww, you’re no fun.”

“Come on and put me out of my misery.”

“I’m half black and half Samoan,” he said.

“Get the hell out of here, like The Rock?”

He shook his head and grinned, “Yes, like The Rock.”

Crystal wanted to get up and do a dance in the middle of the small restaurant but it would make her look thirsty and insane. He was her dream man; she always wanted a man like him. Well, not always but now she’d met him, she wanted him.

“Whew,” she said while she fanned herself.

“That gets you excited?”

“I would be lying if I said that it didn’t get my engine revved a little. You are one sexy beast and you’ve got the brains to match. Now, I just have to wonder what’s wrong with you. Do you have a criminal record, are you a momma’s boy, or do you have a micro penis?”

He almost spit out his drink from laughing, “A what?”

“A micro penis,” Crystal asked again’ without blinking.

“What in the hell is that? I mean I know it’s a small dick, but damn...micro?”

“It’s an actual medical condition, so I need to know if you suffer from that affliction.”

He shook his head, “I can guarantee you that I don’t suffer from a micro penis, I’m pretty good in that area. I’ve never heard any complaints.”

“That’s probably because they said it behind your back,” Crystal giggled, feeling the effects of her Cosmopolitan.

“You want me to just whip it out right here at the table? I’ll do it.”

“No you won’t!”

“Dare me.”

“I would rather you not go to jail for indecent exposure, think of the children that you work with,” she laughed.

“See you’re scared,” he gave her an award winning grin.

Crystal licked her lips subconsciously, he was absolutely delicious. She liked him a whole lot, he knew how to laugh.

“So are you an only child?” she asked.

“Nope, I have three brothers and a little sister.”

“Nice.”

“What about you?”

“I have an older brother and a much younger sister.”

“Are you close with your brother?” he asked.

Crystal scoffed, “It’s hard to be close to someone that’s in and out of prison so much. No we’re aren’t close.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If you don’t mind me asking, what is he in for?”

“Home theft.”

“Wow.”

“It’s okay, his choices and his consequences. I don’t have the time to worry about it.”

“That’s crazy how that happens. Two people can come from the same parent and be completely different.”

“I am who I am, in spite of my mother. He turned out the way that she raised us.”

“So you mean to tell me that you didn’t grow up as a spoiled princess?”

“Excuse you?” she said, “Far from it. I grew up in the damned hood and I had to work hard for everything that I have. I have the best because I work my ass off for it.”

“Well, then you and I have something else in common. I too grew up poor. Granted my siblings turned out pretty well but that has more to do with our parenting. I’m impressed that you’ve been so successful without the proper guidance.”

“Yeah, that’s why I love working with kids. I want to help provide them with the same support systems that I had. If it weren’t for quality after-school programs and adults that cared, I don’t know where I would be. So it’s important that I provide the best, it can change the trajectory of a child’s life.”

He looked at her and was mesmerized, “Wow, where have you been my whole life?”

“Working,” she grinned.

“Your dedication is second to none and I know that this isn’t a business meeting but I can’t wait to work with you. You’ll give us the kick in the pants that we need.”

“Oh please, you all have it together. Your organization is just younger but you’re on the right track. I can only imagine what the female staff act like when you come around.”

“I ignore them, I don’t sleep with people that I work with,” he said.

“Oh no?”

“Well, I don’t sleep with people that work for me,” he laughed.

“Good, I was worried for a minute. I thought that I was going to have to end this date early.”

“Damn, would you really do that?”

“I mean what’s the point in hanging out if I can’t get any?” she laughed.

He shook his head, “You’re something else.”

“I try. So tell me something else about you.”

“Hmm okay. I grew up in Florida, I love football, and I have 2 wonderful children.”

Crystal’s face took on a frown. He never disclosed that he had children.

“Why the frown? Not a fan of Florida?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that I’m not too keen on dating men with children. I prefer not to have to deal with the baby mama drama.”

“I don’t have baby mama drama. Me and my ex do what we have to do for our kids and that’s about it. It’s understood that we will never be together again.”

His stock had plummeted in Crystal’s mind, she knew that something was wrong with him. “I’m sure that’s indeed the case. However, I just don’t see myself with a man that already has children.”

“You know that I’m 35 years old, right?” he said.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m not old but I lived a life before I met you. It’s a little unrealistic to expect to find a person with no kids at this age. How do you expect to be with someone with ridiculous requirements? You’re a beautiful woman but you need to loosen up if you want to find someone of substance.”

Crystal rolled her eyes, “Are you seriously trying to lecture me? You’re single with two kids and yet you’re lecturing me?”

His eyes widened, “Wow, this has taken an awkward turn.”

She was disappointed about his kids, but she still wanted a piece of him. They didn’t have a long term future but she wanted to see just how well-endowed he was.

“Okay,” she said, “How about we scratch that and get our date back on the right foot.” Crystal ran her foot up his leg beneath the table.

Kai had a disgusted look on his face as he moved his chair away from the table, “What are you doing?”

“I’m just trying to have some fun with you. Didn’t think that you would flip out over it.”

“I’m not flipping out, it just caught me off guard.”

She smiled, “Okay, I was worried. How about we take care of this bill and then get out of here.”

“I’m sorry but I’m going to have to pass.”

“Why?” she asked, feeling offended.

“I don’t have casual sex.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you Christian or something?”

“I have my beliefs. Now can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why would you want to sleep with me if you don’t like me? You obviously lost interest after you found out about my children, why would you continue to pursue me.”

His question caught her off guard, she was rendered speechless. It was a question that she’d never been asked, men didn’t turn her down for sex.

He shook his head again, “Crystal, you’re a wonderful woman, but you have issues.”

His words struck her at her core, how dare he speak to her that way. He had a lot of nerve to and she was tired of his shit. She stood to her feet, grabbed the water from the table and threw it in his face, “Screw you, asshole.”

“Wow, so you’ve just proven my point,” he said as he wiped his face with the linen napkin in his lap.

“Take your point and shove it up your ass,” she said before she stormed out of the restaurant. For a reason unbeknownst to her, she wanted to cry.