To Each Her Own (The Swirl Book 1) (9 page)

He used one hand as he talked, moving it along with his words. “We kissed. We hugged. We watched a movie. And honestly, I’ll tell you, Maya spent the night in my room. I spent the night on this couch. And that Monday at work, she and I barely spoke. Later, she told me she got in trouble for not answering her phone. That was it.”

She worked hard to get it right. “So you two spent the night here, and since then you’ve basically been ignoring each other.”

“No. We say hello and goodbye, maybe some small talk. But that’s it.”

“You’re sure that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

She used her hand as she spoke as well. “But why not more? She’s a beautiful girl.”

“She is. But there was no chemistry. I’m not attracted to her like that. Honestly, she felt like a friend and that’s all. The kiss just happened. I thought about doing more just because, but like I said, I was seeing someone, and so was she.”

She thought about how quickly she slept with him while he was saying that Maya did not. Her high about him downshifted.  She remembered his comment about black women. “I see that you had no problem breaking your white woman rule in this case.”

“It’s not really a rule.”

“Oh, okay. Sure.”

He examined her face, looking as if he was waiting for her to say something else.

She did. “You’re the one who replied, ‘Does a pimp drive an El Dorado’ when I asked if dating white women was a rule.”

He said, “You asked if I preferred it.”

She followed up with, “So aside from all that, I’m just curious. If you weren’t seeing someone, maybe you would’ve brought your lips to her vagina like you did mine?”

“No.” He shook his head back and forth.

She felt wrong for asking, but still did. “If you were seeing me, would you bring a woman over here?”

“No.” He swallowed and then spoke up. “Look, I was wrong by having her over when I was talking to someone. I don’t plan to make that mistake again.”

She took a deep breath, knowing her premature frustration looked crazy to him. She was aware that she looked jealous and foolish, asking things that were none of her business. She asked herself if she would feel this way if it had been a woman other than Maya. Her mind told her no. “Did your girl ever find out?”

“No. And she wasn’t officially my girl, but, I did lie about the reason I didn’t answer her calls.”

“I see.” She frowned at him and then looked away.

“What?” It was as if he wanted his one word to make her turn back to him.

She did. “Ramón, I just don’t want this to get messy. If we work together, for the same company, and you have a history of getting close to women at work, that can put me in a position, and I just can’t have that.”

His voice deepened. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you.”

“You both should’ve told me.”

“Does she know you and I have been going out together?”

“She does.”

He took his phone, and then paused. He asked, “You saw her text, right?”

“Yes.”

He began to read from his phone. “Here’s what her text said.”

She put up her hand. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“She asked about my transfer.”

“Ramón.”

He brought his phone closer to her. “Here. I’ll delete her contact info. How’s that?”

“That’s not necessary. You can keep Maya Papaya. Your friends are none of my business. I really don’t need you to tell me who you see at work.”

His reply was a question. “Do you see anyone at work?”

She picked up her glass of wine. “I’m sorry I asked you. Let’s just keep it outside of Bain Broadcasting.”

“Let’s.” He sounded agreeable but his sigh said he was concerned.

She took a sip and then asked, “You play cards?” She fought to change gears without seeming trifling.

“I do.”

“You have any?”

“I think I’ve got a deck in the kitchen drawer.”

“Uh-huh.” Just as he stood up to get them, she asked, not really wanting to play, “How about you show me your bedroom instead?”

He stopped and turned to her fast. His face owned a smile. “I can. Right this way.”

They had sex in Ramón’s house, in the bed that she knew Maya had been in. Shasta was again pleased physically by Ramón’s skills, and she made that be what mattered. Nothing more. As she hit her third orgasm at three in the morning she said in her head,
All that matters is that this man can screw his ass off!

She left after the sun came up, a bit worried about how well Maya really knew Ramón, but definitely more hormonally bonded than she was when she first came over.

Chapter 10

Johns Creek, GA

Saturday afternoon Shasta sat at home. She had some of Ramón’s shrimp pasta for lunch. He’d called her from his friend’s house, as he helped his friend assemble shelves in his garage.

She decided to take a nap, exhausted from all of the sexual aerobics. She lay across her bed, fighting the urge to make a call. But she lost the battle.

“Hello?”

Right away, just as Maya had done to her, Shasta threw a fast question at her friend.
“
Maya, why didn’t you tell me you dated Ramón?”

“I didn’t.” Maya had a tone to her voice that was the complete opposite as the night before. She was calm and almost smug. “I’m half-asleep. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Fire described Shasta’s voice. “You know what I mean. You went to his house, watched a movie, and who knows what else. But you never told me.”

“If you want to know what the who’s, the what’s, and the where’s are, the haves and have nots, then ask me. But do not come at me like you’re accusing me.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk. Bottom line is; I believe him.”

“Wow. You actually believe a man. That’s a first.”

Shasta sat up and scooted back, pressing her backside into the bed pillows that were propped along the white quilted headboard. “First of all, Maya, stop acting like you know me so well, because it’s obvious you don’t. Neither one of us does. I never would’ve thought you’d let me sit up and tell you I’m seeing someone, and you not tell me you spent time with them.”

“You didn’t say you were seeing him. You said you two were friends. You downplayed it. Oh, excuse me, you played it off is what you did.”

“At least I told you about Ramón. You never even told me one thing about you and Tyson, or you and Ramón.”

Maya now sounded totally awake. “And you never told me about you and Tyson either.”

“If I’d known you were seeing him, I would have.”

Maya was incensed. “If you’d known I was seeing him, you would have? Actually, no, you wouldn’t have. And neither would I have. He’s the head of the company. You found out because you were hiding in that bathroom.”

“I was. And so what. You’re sleeping with a married man who’s your boss.”

“And so are you, Shasta.”

“Maya, I didn’t call you to talk about Tyson, but since we are, how deep are you as far as Tyson, anyway? Are you really into it, like you’re his main side girl or something? Are you seeing him outside of work, too?”

Maya gave aloud breath. “Main side girl? What are you talking about? And anyway, I’m not telling you. We’re both sleeping with the same man and you have the nerve to ask me questions. How deep I might feel isn’t the issue. The problem is that I can’t trust you.”

Shasta moved her mussed hair back from along her forehead. “What do you mean? It’s not like he’s single and I knew you two were together. Then you could say you don’t trust me. I didn’t know.”

Maya got loud. “We both fuck with a married man and we both got caught up. But hey, I know why you did it.”

Shasta asked, just as loud. “Why? And don’t say I did it so I could get ahead, because I’ve got experience, intelligence, and the skills to get ahead. And I do it well. Why did you do it?”

“You saying the word
ahead
, is just what it was about. Somebody was getting head.”

“Somebody was, for sure. But like I asked, why did you do it?”

Maya was quiet.

Shasta was on the verge of asking again, even louder.

Maya’s voice dropped. “I like him.”

“Oh really? And no perks for you?”

“None, Shasta. Not yet. But I know what to do. You can bet on that. There will be some coming my way once I get Tyson alone.”

“So you think the answer is to tell him that you know about him and me?”

“Why not? You and Ramón talked about him and me spending the night together?”

“Not together. Separate. Under the same roof.”

Maya popped her tongue. “Oh my Lord! You people are so gullible.”

Shasta turned her head to the side and waited, then asked. “You people? Did you just say you people?”

“I did. Face it. Black women are more headstrong, and white women are known for going easy on a black man and falling for the okie-doke. They say that’s why sports figures end up with white women, because you tolerate crazy behavior and you’re more easily controlled.”

“Oh my God! Where did you hear that from? Being tolerant and less quick to anger is a personality trait, not a race trait. And as far as me personally, Maya, tolerant and passive me is going to let you get away with that little rude comment. All I care about right now is the truth. Did you sleep with Ramón?”

Maya spoke firmly yet quietly. “I slept with him, but didn’t fuck him. We slept in his bed. If he said he slept on the couch, then that Negro is lying to you already. See, that’s how black men are. It sounds to me like that dick is getting you hooked. Since you were brave enough to go there, you’d better get used to it. He’s shady, just like the rest.”

Shasta moved over and came to a seated position along the side of the bed. “He is not my man, and you cannot possibly be talking about what black men do when Tyson Bain, who is white, is playing both of us. It’s not a color thing, Maya, so stop it. It’s a man thing.”

“It is. Men are a trip. And I’m telling you now; Ramón is not only tripping, he’s lying.”

“If Ramón is lying, I’ll deal with that.”

“
If
he’s lying?”

Shasta asked, giving a roll of her neck, “Maya, do you really like Tyson like that? Like, would you want to be with him if you had the chance?”

All Maya could do was ask, “Do you really like Ramón like that? Like, would you want to be with him? Oh, I guess you do.” She then said, “Wow. And there I was telling you that short men are tall where it counts. I guess you know now.”

Though Maya’s cockiness was obvious, Shasta decided it would be best to sound calm at that moment. “I’m not mad. But obviously you are.”

It worked, because Maya shifted into fifth gear. “I suggest we back off of this friendship thing we’re doing. I cannot afford to lose my job. All four of us are violating a whole bunch of rules; job related, marriage related, friend related, honesty, trust, all that. Actually, I’ll talk to you later.”

Shasta almost whispered, purposely wanting to seem suddenly unaffected. “Fine. You’re the one caught up. Not me.”

“You bitch!”

Shasta looked at the phone, seeing that the call ended. “Oh no she didn’t just call me a bitch.”

Chapter 11

Downtown Atlanta

Two days later while at work, Keisha, Shasta’s assistant, buzzed in on Shasta’s intercom. “I have Ramón on line two.”

“Thanks.” Shasta sighed a bit in her head, saying,
Oh Lord
, and then pressed the line and picked up the phone. “Hello?”

Right away he asked, “Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“Well hello to you, too. I’m working.” She lowered her voice as if she could actually be heard even though her door was closed. “Why are you calling on my office line?”

“You know why. Because you weren’t answering your phone. You didn’t yesterday either. I’ve left messages.”

“I know, dang. So then why don’t you just wait for me to get back to you?”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m at work, at the Alpharetta office.”

She put her elbow along the desk. “Look. All I can say is; I think it’s best that you don’t call me at work. I don’t want you to get in anymore trouble.”

“What am I in trouble for?”

She fought not to say his name. “No matter what you were told, the truth is that you were transferred because we were getting to know each other. You know as well as I do that the company frowns upon that.”

“The company, or Mr. Bain.”

“Same thing.”

“Look, I’m cool with doing what it takes. If being here is where they want me, then fine. But they can’t tell me who to be with when I get off work. I won’t have that.”

She leaned back in her black pantsuit and rubbed the back of her neck. “Look, I really don’t want to talk about this at work.”

“Fine. Then meet me later.”

“I can’t.”

“Okay, then I’ll be over after work with beer and pizza in hand. Just make sure your cable bill is paid because there’s a Serena Williams tennis match that’s replaying from earlier.”

She was firm. “No. I can’t do that. I won’t be home.”

“Okay. So you come by my place when you’re done.”

“Ramón!” She said his name and then toned it down. “Stop. I won’t be coming by your place again. I can’t believe you lied to me, all about when I asked about you and Maya sleeping in the same bed. Bottom line is you should’ve told me about her spending the night at your house.”

“I’m telling you, I did not lie. If she told you that, saying I slept in the bed with her, then she lied.”

“Funny. I guess maybe you didn’t actually sleep together, because knowing Maya, she would’ve told me your head game was tight.”

Ramón was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Why do you sound black right now, using words like
head game
and
tight
?”

Her silence offered no love, but she remembered Maya using that term to describe a man who could go down well.

“Look, I told you everything that happened. And whoever decided to transfer me or however they found out that I see you outside of work, it doesn’t matter. I’m not letting you go that easy.”