And I Trusted You (10 page)

“Yeah it does. Stan is a fortunate man. I hope he knows what he has.” Pointed out Richard, rubbing his chest.

“Well, I know one thing. If Stan ever decides that he doesn’t want her, I’m gonna give it a shot. She’s perfect. A banging body, beautiful face, intelligent and she owns a business. Shoot, what more could you ask for? And she must be good to put up with Stan. We all know what a playa he can be.” Commented Arthur rubbing his chin in admiration of the sight.

Before anyone knew what is happening, Arthur walked over to Samantha and struck up a conversation. It was brief and ended in a hug. The rest of the guys watched in amazement as he just walked over and said something and got a nice hug.

Just as Arthur was walking back to the guys, Stan spotted them. He walked over with Alicia. “Hi guys. I want you to meet the lady of my life. This is Alicia. She’s my daughter. Say hello sweetie.” Stan prompted.

Alicia politely walked up to each one and shook their hand. “Nice to meet you.” She said as she walked back and grabbed her father’s hand. Sam walked up a few moments later and began to chitchat with the guys refreshing her memory of them all. They were all in their wedding, but she never developed any kind of relationship with any of them. A few minutes later Alicia interrupted saying she was hungry. Stan decided they would go back to his Aunt’s place to get a bite to eat. He made sure Sam knew he would be getting up with the boys later. Then he would have a chance to stop by, see Liz and explain whom and what had derailed their weekend plans. On the drive back to the house Sam calmly asked Stan if it would be all right if she hung out with a few of her old acquaintances and attended a business meeting. She had made arrangements with his cousin Amber to watch Alicia. Stan was surprised, but didn’t think anything of it. He fully expected her to sit in the hotel room most of the time, only leaving to do a little shopping.

“Sure. Have fun. I’m not sure what time I’ll get back. You know how the fellas can be when we haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure I’ll be going through the same thing with my meeting. But I know Alicia with have a good time at Amber’s. She really wants her to spend the night. You know her daughter is the same age as Alicia and also an only child. It’ll give them a chance to get to know one another, but I haven’t decided if I’m gonna let her stay yet. It will be all right with you won’t it?” She questioned.

“Yeah sure. No problem. She needs friends her age and family could never hurt.” He said as he parked in front of the house.

They all get out and walked into the house. There were only a few people there so they were able to get something to eat quickly and find a place to sit. Stan tried to make small talk and Sam was uninterested. She apologized saying her mind was on her latest project. She was a writer and frequently published in national magazines. Currently she was working on her third novel. Stan never knew the topics or anything about them until they are published.  He asked her once why she didn’t use the computer for more than just typing up her stories. At first she didn’t understand, but once he broke it down to her, she explained that she had an assistant to do her research online. So there was no need for her to bother with it. He felt she was missing out, but at least it provided him with the opportunity to do the things he wanted. She had a state of the art laptop that she took everywhere with her and he used the desktop at home.

Once they spend a couple of hours socializing with the family, they made their excuses and left. Stan hadn’t checked into a hotel, so he had to sneak off and call a hotel to get a room before they arrived. He claimed he needed to go inside to determine if they had fixed a problem he had with the room earlier, or if they had moved him. The desk clerk was intuitive and played along with him. He got the keys and they went on up to the room. Samantha had left Alicia at the house with Amber. She would pick her up later or in the morning depending on how her evening progressed.

It is just going on six o’clock. She opened her suitcase and pulled out a sleek black pantsuit. Stan changed into something more comfortable and told her he was meeting the guys at Richard’s place at 7:30 on his way out the door. Samantha didn’t worry too much about it. She had her own plans for the evening. Seven years together and this must be what the seven year itch was all about. Anyway, two could play that game, but she wasn’t one of those women.

Samantha followed the directions to the restaurant she had been given. When she walked in she was immediately approached by her date. “Whoa! I thought you looked good today. That little red number is sayin’ a taste. You workin’ it Mami.” Arthur said  and pulled the chair out for her to be seated.

“Oh, thank you.” She replied with a chuckle. “I appreciate you inviting me to dinner. I probably would have been sitting in the hotel room watching TV until it began to watch me.”

“Now there is no need for that in a city this big. Trust me, there is plenty to do. I don’t understand why you and Stan aren’t out doing something together, anyway. “

“You know, he works a lot. He spends a great deal of time online working and I have my own business to run. We’re just so busy with things.” Sam replied looking over the menu.

“Sad, so sad. You two should make more time for each other. You need that to keep fire in a marriage. Anyway, that’s not why I asked you to meet me. I have a small advertising firm. Recently we took on several new clients and we are in need of some good writers for copy. I know you used to do that when you and Stan first got married, so I wondered if you would be interested in doing some work for us. That is, if you still do that kind of work? You could make your own schedule and do it from home, if you like.”

“Your firm is here?

“No. I actually live about 45 minutes from you guys. Stan only discovered that last night. You know, we’ve all gotten on with our lives and though I send him sporadic emails, we never discussed where I lived. I relocated there about six months ago. So, the office would not be too far away from you.” He interjected.

“Well, I’ll have to think about it. I do still write copy from time to time, between novels. Give me more of the details, including the salary. You know a sistah gotta have the right kind of funds coming in.” She smiled.

They talked about the business and what would be required of her and how he felt she could contribute to the company. When business was finished and she had accepted his offer for employment, the conversation took a more personal turn. He wanted to know all about her past and how love had been treating her since he had last seen her at the wedding. She gave the details and he listened attentively, all the while asking questions as if he was investigating her. It was similar to the research she did when she wrote a book on a person. She commented on this and he assured her it was just his nature.

The evening came to an end and he offered to take her home. She pointed out she had driven and that she really didn’t feel like going back to the lonely hotel room. “Why don’t we go somewhere for a drink and a little music.” He suggested.

“Oh, that would be really nice. We could celebrate our new business relationship.”

“And I certainly hope the beginning of a wonderful friendship as well” He replied as he grabbed her elbow and escorted her out to her car.

***********

Meanwhile, Stan had gone over to Liz’s place. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room. “Hi baby. I’m glad you’re here. I already cooked dinner ‘cause I kinda planned on us finishing what we started last night.” She smiled seductively as she walked over to kiss him as he closed the door.

“Sit down for a minute, Liz. There has been a change in plans. My wife and daughter were at the funeral today. Sam decided to drive up to help ease Alicia’s fears. I had to go get a hotel room and everything. So, I’m gonna have to cut my weekend short. I’m so sorry. I never ever expected this to happen.” He explained shaking his head and holding her face in his hands.

“Well, we can make the best of the time we have left. I know you’re married and you don’t want to hurt your daughter. But, know this. I’m always here for you. Now, let’s eat so we can get to the really fun stuff.” She threw over her shoulder as she strutted into the kitchen.

They ate a nice dinner of T-bone steaks; baked potatoes, a Caesar salad and a dinner roll. She had his favorite beer and she drank her usual glass of water. When dinner was over, she put the dishes in the dishwasher and they went to the bedroom. She had Stan sit on the bed naked as she danced for him. She could tell Stan liked it because “Stan Jr.’ was pointing straight up.

She finished the tease on his lap and he entered her with a sigh of ecstasy. They rocked back and forth until climax then lay back on the bed to rest for a minute. Shortly after, Stan was ready to go again. This time it was slow and easy. When they had finished he took a shower and explained he would take his things to the hotel. Even though he was sure he didn’t love Samantha anymore, he wasn’t ready to leave her yet for the sake of Alicia. Liz said she understood this and suggested they go out dancing for a little bit. Stan agreed knowing Sam would probably be sitting up in her PJ’s watching TV until she fell asleep.

They got dressed and drove separate cars to a little club on the same side of town. The crowd was pumped and the DJ was spinning some oldies but goodies. They were fortunate to find a table and order drinks. Liz was sitting in the chair dancing when Stan asked, “I guess you wanna dance?”

“Yeap, I sure do. I don’t come to clubs to chair dance. Besides, dancing is how I keep the figure you just enjoyed so much.” She commented as they walked to the floor.

As they danced, she showed her skills. On the appropriate parts, she was grinding and workin’ it. He was glad he had some rhythm and could keep up with her. Then a song she really liked and apparently everyone else too, came on, ‘cause the floor became jam-packed. Everyone was bumping into each other dancing, but it wasn’t a problem. Suddenly, Stan’s face turned red (it is noticeable since he is so high yellow). He got a shocked look on his face and turned away. Liz could not figure out what had changed. She knew she was doing what he liked based on the conversations they had shared over the years.

Samantha waved at him and smiled from a few steps away. “Arthur, do you know that young woman dancing with Stan?”

“Nah, I’ve never seen her before. It’s probably just someone he asked to dance.” He said nonchalantly.

Samantha thought about it and began to look around. “I don’t see any of the other guys here. They must be on the way.”

“Why do you say that? We weren’t getting together tonight, that I know of. Of course, they could have just left a brotha out.” He said feigning hurt.

“True. Anyway, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. I told Stan I would be busy tonight, so I’m not gonna bother him. Unless you want to go over to them.” She suggested.

“Nope. No need for that. Besides, he looks like he’s got a lot on his mind. He’s been like that since I saw him yesterday.”

They continued to dance and Samantha noticed Liz was dancing all up on Stan. She also saw them go back to the same table and they already had drinks waiting for them. Now, being the intelligent woman she liked to think she was, she was not too gullible to see the obvious. Stan and the woman spent time together. She kissed him and he tried to play it off and even gave her a mean look once or twice. Finally, he grabbed her by the arm and they left. Meanwhile, Samantha and Arthur danced a little more and finally left around 2am. She went back to the hotel and found Stan sitting on the sofa in the dark waiting on her. He hadn’t changed his clothes or turned the TV on. He was just sitting there in the dark. He didn’t even say anything. She noticed him once she turned the lamp on the get her things for bed. He scowled at her but didn’t immediately say anything.

As soon as she closed the bathroom door he bellowed, “Where is my daughter?”

“She’s at your cousin Amber’s house. I told you she might spend the night and you said it would be okay. I’ll go by and pick her up on the way out in the morning.” She calmly stated.

“Okay, your turn. Who was the woman you were with?”

“You don’t need to know that. Why where you with Arthur?” He angrily shouted.

“Because we had a business meeting earlier, and when that was done, I didn’t feel like coming back here to sit and watch TV while you were “out with the boys. So, we went for a drink and a little dancing to celebrate our new business arrangement. Why are you so upset? You are the one who has questions to answer. But, you know what, I don’t feel like doing this tonight. I’m tired and I’m going to bed. When you calm down, then maybe we can talk about this rationally.” Samantha replied as she closed the bathroom door.