Slick (11 page)

“No. My period came down on me and I wanted to come home.”

“Damn, sorry to hear that.”

I didn't respond.

“Sylvia,” Jonathan said again.

“Listen, I'm cramping. Can I call you back?”

“Sure. I'm getting ready to go to Britney's school. I'll talk to you later.”

I hung up, and thinking about the mess I'd gotten myself into, I started to cry. Lewis was going to pay. I wasn't sure when, how, or what I was going to do, but he had to go. And Jonathan, there I was fucking around with my best friend's man like it didn't even matter. Loving him as if he were my own and enjoying every moment that I spent with him.
How did this shit get so deep?
I thought. We were supposed to have sex one time and that was it. I hated that Dana was pregnant, and I was disappointed that Jonathan still loved her so much.

As I lay in bed thinking about how selfish I was, and feeling disappointed in myself for betraying my friend, I dozed off. What seemed like a few hours later, I was awakened by a soft knock at the door. I looked at the clock on my nightstand and it showed 4:14 p.m. Wondering who it was, I put on my robe and headed to the door. It was Jonathan. I rubbed my messy hair back then opened the door.

“Were you sleeping?” he asked, and then walked in.

“Yeah, I was.” I closed the door behind him and went back into my bedroom. He followed, stood in the doorway, and I sat on the bed.

“You didn't sound too good over the phone, so I came by to make sure you were okay.”

“I'm fine,” I said softly. “How did everything go with Britney?”

Jonathan came farther into the room and sat on the bed next to me. “It went okay. She's been skipping school a lot, but she promised the principal and me that she would not do it again. If anything, I think that punk hitting her might have been a wake-up call for her.”

“I hope so.”

Jonathan placed his hand on my thigh and rubbed it. “Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem like yourself.”

“I'm not.” I stared into his eyes. “I hate myself for doing this to Dana, but I can't stop loving you. You don't understand the guilt and shame I—”

Jonathan placed his fingers on my lips, and then kissed me. Never listening to what I had to say, he leaned back then put me on top of him. I straddled his lap and untied my robe. When I slid it off, Jonathan rose up on his elbows, looking at my naked body. Then he rubbed his fingers between my coochie lips.

“I thought you were on your period,” he said, looking at his finger.

I shook my head, and yet again, the clothes were coming off. Jonathan got on top of me and kneeled between my legs. He rubbed his hands up and down my legs, squeezed my hips, and then he placed my legs high on his shoulders. When he inserted himself, I tightly closed my eyes, as the feeling was always so right. He slow stroked me, causing my flow of juices to sound off in the room.

“Wh . . . why did you lie to me about your period, Sylvia? Did you not want to make love to me?”

I slid my legs off his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist. For now, I ignored his question and continued to bring him satisfaction.

For the next hour or so, Jonathan made passionate love to me. I had the pleasure of coming three times, and the last orgasm caused me to let out a loud cry that made him question me.

He rolled over and lay next to me, while holding me in his arms. “Okay, now,” he said. “Tell me what's wrong with you. And don't lie to me, Sylvia, because I can tell by how your body trembled that something isn't right.”

I laid my head on his chest and rubbed it. “Today, I realized how much I love you. When you asked me what I wanted from you, the truth is I want to be with you, Jonathan. I want a man who makes me laugh, who makes me feel secure, who gives me good advice, and who makes good love to me as you do. But no matter what you say, deep down I know that having you is impossible.”

“No, it's not because I've made up my mind.” He sat up and put a pillow behind him. I lifted my head off his chest and looked at him. “I thought about everything, Sylvia, and I'm not going to drive myself crazy thinking about it anymore. Tomorrow, I'm going to file for my divorce and move on with my life. As much as I still love Dana, there's no way for me to forgive her for cheating. I'll never be able to put it behind me, and I don't want you to keep torturing yourself wondering what I'm going to do.”

Relieved, I was so glad to finally hear Jonathan say it was over. I wanted to tell him about Lewis, but I was so thrilled about his news that I didn't want to spoil the mood.

We stayed in bed for a while, and when I teased him about finally sexing me in bed, he insisted he hated beds and loved me all over again throughout my place. The bathtub was our resting place, and when I got out to answer the phone that wouldn't stop ringing, it was Dana. I wasn't going to answer, but since I wanted to make sure she wasn't on her way over, I picked up.

“Sylvia,” she said.

“Yes.”

“What are you doing?”

“I just got out of the shower. Where are you? Can I call you back?”

“I'm on my way over there to see you. I was calling to make sure you were there.”

“I'm here but I'm getting ready to leave.”

“Look, by the time you get dressed, I'll be there. I need your advice about Jonathan so stay put until I get there.” She hung up.

Not knowing how far away she was, I panicked. I ran to the bathroom and told Jonathan that Dana was just moments away. When I suggested he leave, he remained in the tub and had the nerve to ask why.

“What do you mean by why?” I yelled.

“I mean, I'm not going anywhere. If she comes, she just comes.”

“Oh, noooo. This shit ain't going down like this. Jonathan, please get out of the tub and put on your clothes. I do not want to be caught up in the middle like this.”

Jonathan moseyed out of the tub and took his time putting on his clothes. I was so worried about him getting dressed that when Dana rang the doorbell, I was still in my bathrobe. When I opened the door, he sat on the arm of the couch with his back turned while on his cell phone. Dana came in and her eyes widened when she saw him. I closed the door behind her.

“He interrupted my shower and now you. What is it that the two of you want with me?” I tried to play it off, but I wasn't so sure if Dana was buying it.

She looked me up and down, and then looked over at Jonathan, as he talked on the phone. “How long has he been here?” she asked.

“He got here right before I was getting ready to take my shower.”

“When I called, why didn't you tell me he was here?”

“Because you hung up on me, that's why.”

“You still could have told me.” Dana's eyes shifted to Jonathan as he ended his call. “Hi, baby,” she said.

He sucked his teeth and glared at her. “Don't go babying me, Dana. It isn't even like that between us and you know it.”

I took a deep breath, feeling some heavy shit about to go down. “Dana, can I get you something to drink?” I asked.

“No, thank you. However, you can allow my husband and me some time alone—that's if you don't mind.”

“I was on my way out anyway, so take all the time you need.” I headed to my room and Jonathan yelled for me not to go.

“Sylvia, sit down. This is your place and you don't have to go anywhere.” He stood up and removed his car keys from his pocket. “I'll see you at work tomorrow,” he said, looking at me. “And, Dana, that was my partner on the phone. Those papers I want you to sign will be ready tomorrow.”

“But I . . . I thought you were going to think about this,” she said, starting to tear up.

“I did. I thought for as long as I could, and the only solution I can come up with is a divorce.”

Saying nothing else, he walked to the door.

“Noooo.” Dana rushed up behind him. “Not now, baby, please. I need you,” she cried. “Not only that, but we need you. I can't raise this child without you.” Jonathan swung around with a frown on his face and glared at her. “Yes, my dear,” she said as tears streamed down her face. “We're having a child. All this time you've wanted one, and, finally, I'm pregnant.”

Jonathan's eyes shifted to me, then back at Dana. He shook his head. “There's no way it's my child. Don't fucking do this to me, Dana!” he yelled.

“I swear to God it's yours,” she said. “I never had unprotected sex with Lewis, I swear.”

He quickly swung the door open and slammed it behind him. Dana opened it and yelled for him to wait. When he sped off in his car, then she closed the door.

“Sylvia, what am I going to do?” she sobbed, and then walked up to hug me. “He hates me!”

I hesitated to put my arms around her, but I did. “No, he doesn't, Dana. He just needs time. Give him time, okay?”

“But I need him now more than ever.” She backed away from our embrace. “What am I going to do if he divorces me? Girl, tell me, what am I going to do?”

Dana plopped down on the couch, looking a mess. Feeling as if I couldn't give her any advice, I went into the kitchen to get her some water. When I handed it to her, she refused to drink it.

“That's okay. I need to go to the bathroom.”

I moved aside, but as soon as she came out of the bathroom, I saw her stop in front of my bedroom door to look in. Knowing what a mess Jonathan and I had made, I rushed up to her with the water again. There was no doubt that the smell of his cologne escaped from my bedroom.

“Here,” I said. “Drink this. It's cold and it will help to calm you.”

She took the glass of water, but continued to stare into my bedroom. When she walked inside to look around, my heart dropped to my stomach. “A strong drink is the only thing that will calm me, and, no offense, but you really need to clean up this room. Why are your pillows all over the floor?”

“Before Jonathan came, I was doing my sit-ups on the floor. I don't have any floor mats so I use my pillows.”

Dana hesitated, and then took a sip of the water. “Why was he here anyway?” She looked at her watch. “It's kind of late, isn't it?”

“Dana, you know Jonathan is always stopping by here. I left work ill today and he stopped by to check on me.”

“Are you okay?” Finally, she walked out of my room.

“Yeah, I'm fine. This period of mine just drives me crazy. You know how bad my cramps can be.”

“Yeah, I remember. I remember you crying so hard in Mr. Douglas's class in high school and he wouldn't even let you leave.”

We laughed and sat in the living room for the next hour, reminiscing about the good old times we used to have. Before she left, she apologized for being such a snobby-ass friend over the past few years and said being with Lewis made her a different person. I truly missed our wonderful friendship, but I also knew that there was no way in hell we would ever get it back.

After she left, I called Jonathan to speak to him. When he didn't answer his home phone, I called his cell phone and he didn't answer that either. Knowing exactly where he was, I put on my clothes and headed to the office.

 

A baby?
I thought, while sitting in my office with my hands pressed against my forehead.
Why now?
Dana and I had been trying to have a child for years. The doctors said our chances were slim. The big question, of course, was whose baby was she carrying? If anything, I knew there was a fifty-fifty chance that it was mines, but what if it was Lewis's?
Damn,
I thought.
What a fucking mess my wife had gotten us into.

Then again, what if she was lying? She'd been playing the lying game for years so why should I believe her when she said she's pregnant? It probably was a last resort for her, and if she thought that a baby, who I wasn't even sure was mine, was going to stop this divorce from happening, then she was out of her mind. There was no doubt that I had to go through with this divorce. My feelings for Sylvia were getting stronger and a big part of me wanted to continue our relationship. It wasn't that I was in love with her, but I loved so much about her. Most of all, I loved how she'd been able to keep me out of this funk I've been in. It seemed like every time I dropped my head, she was there to pick it up. Anything I needed, she had been in my corner. Yes, I hated she was Dana's best friend, but I couldn't do anything about that. Sylvia's and my friendship had grown into something special. I'd be a fool to let it go for Dana.

I looked at my watch. It was already one o'clock in the morning. Something told me Dana was probably at our house waiting for me, so trying to avoid her, I stayed at the office. Around 1:30 a.m., I went to the gym room to work out. Once I finished, I showered and went into the sauna to relax. As steam filled the room, I laid my naked body back on the bench and covered myself with a towel. I closed my eyes, and, again, I started talking myself into forgiving Dana. I mean, what if the baby was mine and I wasn't a part of his/her life? That would kill me. If anything, I had to know the truth about the baby before I made up my mind about what to do.

Still in deep thought, when the door opened, I turned to see who it was. The room was filled with steam, but I could clearly see that it was Sylvia. She had a white towel wrapped around her and headed my way. I sat up and laid my towel on the bench next to me. She dropped her towel, and then sat sideways on my lap. Knowing what I was going through, she wrapped her arms around my neck and comforted me.

“How much more of this are you going to take?” she whispered. “You're a strong man, Jonathan, and it kills me to see you so torn like this.”

I rubbed the side of my face against her breasts and closed my eyes. “You are my guardian angel, Sylvia. Lord knows I wouldn't know what to do without you. Every time I think it's the end of the world, you always show up.”

“Well, I almost didn't find you. I saw your car in the parking garage and looked all over for you. Noticing the lights on in the gym is what made me come in here.”

“I'm glad that you found me.” I massaged Sylvia's left breast and began to suck it.

“Jonathan, no,” she moaned, and squirmed around on my lap. “We . . . we can't keep doing this.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.” She lifted my head and looked at me. “What about the baby? What if the baby is yours?”

“What if I don't want to talk about it? What if I just want to make love to you right now and not think about anything else?”

Sylvia stood up and reached for her towel. She dragged it on the floor and moved toward the door. I stood up and gazed at her plump ass, and when she turned around, she looked me up and down. She tossed the towel in the air and smiled. “Oh, what the hell? I can't leave you like this.”

“No, you can't.” I walked up to her. We wrapped our arms around each other and I rubbed my nose with hers. I pecked her lips a few times then squeezed her tightly in my arms. “Woman, you feel so good.”

“And so do you.”

We stood for a while holding each other and Sylvia glanced down at our arms. “You know, I didn't think I was that much darker than you.”

“You're not,” I said, laughing. “Actually, I'm darker than you.”

“No, you're not. Look,” she said, putting her arm next to mine.

I looked at our arms. “And I still say I'm darker than you. What difference does it make anyway?”

“Because you know, the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.” Sylvia kneeled down in front of me. She went to work on my goods, and as I tried to keep my balance, she stopped and looked up at me. “Yep, your juice is much more sweeter than mine.”

“Let me be the judge of that.” I helped Sylvia off the floor, spread her legs apart on the bench, and crawled in between them. To me, she was so much sweeter than I was, and over a period of time, we went back and forth debating who had the sweetest juice.

“Okay,” she said, taking deep breaths after her orgasm. “You win; mine is sweeter. Now, would you please cut the foreplay and fuck me like you said you would?”

I remained kneeled in front of Sylvia while she sat on the bench. She wiped the sweat from my forehead, and I wiped it from her face. “I didn't say I wanted to fuck you, Sylvia. I asked if I could make love to you. Don't go putting false words in my mouth. Besides, you were the one who said you couldn't handle my loving on a daily basis.”

“I did, didn't I? But”—she reached for my dick and put it inside of her—“I could never imagine myself being without it. Now, shush and handle your business. I've waited long enough.”

I laughed, leaned in, and let the stroking begin.

We went at it like we were the last two people on earth, and our chocolate bodies dripped with sweat. But when we heard the loud sound of a door closing, it alarmed us. We stopped in action, and not knowing who it was, I quickly slid myself out of Sylvia. We got off the floor, Sylvia covered herself with a towel, and I wrapped mine around my waist. I asked Sylvia to chill, while I left the sauna to see who was there. When I looked around, there was no one in sight. I even went into the workout room and saw no one. Curious, I headed back to the sauna. Sylvia stood by the door and waited for me.

“Who was it?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don't know. I didn't see anyone.”

“But somebody was in here.”

“I know, but don't worry. It could have been anyone.” I lifted Sylvia's wrist to look at her watch. “Sometimes the janitors come in and clean up around this time.”

Sylvia looked at her watch too, and saw that it was ten minutes after four in the morning. “Where did the time go? If you want me to come in for work, you'd better let me get out of here.”

“Yeah, I'd better get out of here too. I have to be in court by nine, Crissy and I are supposed to have a late lunch, and I promised Britney she could stay the week with me. I still haven't had a chance to meet with Lewis yet, but I'm eager to speak to him.”

We put our clothes back on, and after I walked Sylvia to her car, she left. As I strutted toward my car, I noticed a piece of paper underneath the windshield wiper. I grabbed it and got inside of my car. I unfolded the paper, and inside was a note from Lewis. He asked me to meet him at CJ's at seven o'clock this evening, saying that it was imperative that we spoke. Having every intention of meeting him, I balled up the paper and threw it in the trashcan on my way out of the parking garage.

I hurried home to shower, took a quick two-hour nap, and was in court by nine. My court case ran over until almost three o'clock, so I cancelled lunch with Crissy. I then called the office to see if Sylvia would pick up Britney for me and chill at her place until I got finished with my meeting with Lewis.

“Jonathan, just be careful, okay?” she said.

“I will, and tell Britney I'll be home no later than nine.”

“Will do. Are you tired?”

“Very. If I don't do anything else tonight, I'm going to get some rest.”

“I agree. It's been crazy today, but I'm leaving at four o'clock so I can be on time picking up Britney.”

“What's been going on? Anything I should know about?”

“Not really. You have about fifteen messages waiting for you from your clients. Beverly called twice, but I don't want to repeat what she said. Dana called looking for you, and the rest is all office gossip. You don't want to hear about that, do you?”

“No, I don't. And I have a feeling that this office gossip been going on all day long, especially since I'm not there.”

Sylvia laughed. “Now, you know I'm not going to lie to you, but, baby, I haven't done shit all day long. I haven't the strength to pick up a piece of paper, let alone file one. I am drained from what you did to me, and you have no one to blame but yourself.”

“So, you're slacking?”

“Terribly bad.”

“Then go home. You ain't doing me no good by being there.”

“All you had to do was say the word, Boss Man. I'll stop to get Britney and we'll see you later.”

I hung up, and once again, thanked the Lord for Sylvia. Dana had been calling me, so I pulled my car over in front of the courthouse and called her back.

“What is it, Dana?” I asked with an attitude.

“I need some time alone with you. Tonight, I'm coming to the house and you need to prepare yourself to talk to me.”

“I'm busy tonight.”

“Damn it!” she yelled. “Is this attitude of yours because you're seeing someone else?”

“Dana, you need to understand that I'm not on your fucking time! You're not going to snap your fingers and I'm gonna come running. That's just not going to happen.”

“But what about our child?” she cried. “How can you abandon us like this? Fine, I made a mistake, but don't make your child pay for it too. I'm so stressed out that I may lose this baby. You don't want that to happen, do you?”

“You're forgetting the most important thing here. What if it's not my damn child, Dana! What if you are having another man's baby!”

“But it's not. It's one hundred percent yours. I swear!”

“Well, your word isn't worth a damn anymore. You will have to prove to me that the child is mine, and more than anything, I need to know if you're really pregnant. You're so fucking full of games, I don't know what the hell to believe.”

“I wouldn't lie to you about anything like this.”

“Like hell! If you lied to me about being with another man, you'd for damn sure lie to me about a baby, especially since you know how much having a child means to me.”

Dana was silent, and furious once again, I hung up on her. Since I was on a roll, I called Beverly to see what the fuck her beef was about. When she didn't answer, I left a message for her to call me back.

Before meeting with Lewis, I went to Cardwell's and had dinner. Around 6:45 p.m., I headed to CJ's. I looked around for Lewis, but he was nowhere in sight.

Soon after the waiter seated me in a booth, I saw Lewis come through the door. He looked around for me and when he caught my eye, he headed toward me. Trying to figure out Dana's attraction to this cocky, arrogant fool, I checked him out in his baggy blue jeans, black fitted tank shirt, and fake-ass diamond earring in his ear.

He came over to the booth, and held his hand out for me to shake it.

I brushed him off. “Naw, man, none of that. You know more than I do that only friends shake hands.”

“Awww, Mr. T,” he said, sliding into the booth. “I thought you were better than that. I would have never thought you, of all people, would trip off a brotha like me banging your wife.”

I snickered and tried my best not to let him get underneath my skin. “Is that what you're doing? More than anything, I assumed you were using her.”

“That too, but I really did start liking her ass, though. So, when she had the nerve to try to cut this shit short, I couldn't let that happen. And even though I had some backup booty at the hotel, Dana trying to take her lovely self away from me was quite damaging.”

“Shit, I truly understand how you feel. After all, she's a dynamite-ass woman. She cooks, cleans, and will fuck your brains out when she wants to.”

“Yeah, buddy! That pussy be on overtime. But, not like that secretary you got. You know, Sylvia?” He slammed his hand on the table and laughed. “Now, that dark chocolate, ‘smack it up and lay it to the side' sista is bad!”

I held my hands tightly together in front of me. Bringing Sylvia into the mix, he definitely had my attention. “So, what else about Sylvia, Lewis?”

“Nuttin'.” He shook his head. “She's just a bad motherfucker when it comes to sex, that's all I'm saying. When I had the pleasure of poking that pussy on the elevator yesterday, and then again on the stairs, I was a li'l bit disappointed in myself when I found out she ran to give you some pussy later. She was so drenched when I pulled those red panties aside and when—”

My face twisted and displayed a whole lot of anger. I couldn't hold back, so I cut him off. “What in the hell do you want from me? Cut the bullshit, Lewis, because I know you're after something.”

“Come on now, Mr. T. I'm just trying to free you from a life of trifling conniving, and dick hungry–ass women. You didn't expect for me to let you have all of the fun, did you? Share some of the pussy, damn.”

“Fun? Do you think this game you're playing is funny?”

“Hilarious. It's so funny that you're going to help me keep a little chump change in my pockets.”

“So, money is what you're after?”