Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (15 page)

“Get rid of it? You thought about getting rid of my baby? Of our baby?”

“I’ve thought about a lot of things, Reggie! I didn’t know what to do!” The tears she had been straining to hold back overflowed her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

His heart broke for his wife, there he was, acting like an idiot again. “I’m so sorry, Baby. I’m happy that you’re having my child. We’re going to be okay. Of course some adjustments will have to be made but it’s going to be worth it.” He got up from his seat and sat next to her in the booth. One of his hands went to her stomach, and the other hand around her shoulder. He pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. “I’m ready for this new chapter together, I would never leave you. I’m sorry for making you think that I would, I’m not going anywhere.”

It all felt like a dream, she’d wanted to hear those words for a long time and now they were finally gracing her ears. They were okay, and they were going to be happy.

“Do you forgive me?” he asked.

“I forgive you; I just want us to be more open with one another. We’re pretty rocky right now and I know that the stress of having a kid can add to it.”

“I’m not going to add any more stress to our lives. In fact, I have a present for you.” He pulled a ring box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it and it revealed a single band with diamonds surrounding it. It was beautiful.

“This is gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

“I was hoping that you liked it.”

“I love it!”

“I know that usually people wait until their five-year anniversary to add a band to the wedding ring but I wanted to do it now. I’ve put you through so much and I want to rededicate myself to you and this marriage.”

“Aw, Baby,” she said before she leaned in and placed a kiss on his full lips.

It was everything that she ever wanted, and she couldn’t fully enjoy it because she was riddled with guilt. Why did she have to break down and sleep with Jin? Her past indiscretions tainted her moment.

Reggie felt a twinge; he’d gotten the ring out of guilt. If Tamika knew about what just happened between him and Mimi, she would throw the ring in his face. He was going to do better, and he would never jeopardize his relationship with his wife again.

Both Tamika and Reggie sat there enjoying a rare nice moment with each other but at the back of both of their minds was the thought that the truth always comes out eventually.

Epilogue

Being in a relationship with someone and still feeling lonely sucked major ass.

Kalena was tired of the stolen moments that she got from Joseph. He was everything that she wanted…when he was around. She didn’t want to have to spend her nights alone when she had a boyfriend.

She  was sitting on her bed watching him sleep. They’d just made love and he was knocked out. He was waiting at her place when she got off work and he was horny. They screwed as soon as they entered her condo. It was really good sex, but now she felt empty. Joseph had to get up to go to work at 8 and she had nothing to do. Usually she would invite Tommy over but he was upset with her, and she couldn’t invite him over while her man was in the bed sleeping.

What was Joseph’s deal anyway? Why couldn’t she ever go to work with him? She wasn’t one of those clingy women who needed to be next to their man all night. Shit, shouldn’t he have been trying to use her ad and marketing expertise for his business? He never truly shared anything about club promoting with her. They weren’t even friends on Facebook.

Whenever she asked him for his account, he gave the excuse of it just being for work and said that it was pointless for her to find it because it was just ‘filled with club shit.’ She had enough; it was time for her to get some real answers. Sitting back and playing the stupid chick could only last for so long. If nothing else, she just wanted to see how he conducted business.

Kalena got up and headed to her laptop. She did a search for his full name and came up pretty bare. His name was very common and she doubted if he used his government name for his business. Few men used their real name if they were on the party scene. She felt like she was at a complete loss.

Then she saw his pants on the floor. The thought of going through his pockets made her stomach sink. It was official, she was one of ‘those girls.’ She got up from the bed and carefully, making sure not to wake him, and headed over to his pants. She searched the pockets for any kind of clues and she found a small stack of club flyers. Bingo!

She saw the promoting company’s name, she committed it to memory, got her computer from the bed, and sat in the chair. She looked up “JB Entertainment New York” and got a ton of hits. She immediately went to the images but she didn’t see Joseph in any of the pictures. Maybe that wasn’t his company and he was passing out the flyers for a friend. She got irritated as she surfed through the pictures and none of them showed him.

Before she gave up, someone caught her eye. The DJ looked a lot like Joseph, she zoomed in on the photo and she was pretty sure that it was him. She clicked on the photo to get more information and found the DJ’s name. His DJ name was Manic Mike. She searched for the name and her boyfriend’s face popped up everywhere. He never told her that he was a DJ.

Her breathing intensified when she came across his Instagram page, and her heart dropped with what she saw next.

In the photos were pictures of him with Nina looking very happy, and he was calling her his woman.

Her mind raced, her hands shook, and her heart beat out of her chest. She couldn’t stop looking at the photos. They were everywhere. She was a complete idiot. He was Nina’s ‘white boy!’ He was Nina’s boyfriend and she was the secret.

Kalena closed her laptop and stared at the man that was lying in her bed. She didn’t know what she wanted to do. She’d been sleeping with a complete stranger who was sleeping with her friend, was Joseph even his name? She wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t flow, she was in a state of shock.

What was she going to do? 

THE

INDEPENDENT WOMEN

EPISODE 3

Summary

Kalena's head is all over the place and she turns to the one person she knows can comfort her the most. However, this could also mean she will end up doing something she will later regret.

Meanwhile, things go from bad to worse for Reggie. Could his stupidity have put his family in danger?

#Chapter1

“Are you a stupid motherfucker?”

Kalena

Why did men have to be such lying assholes? They let you fall for them, fed you lies, and then broke your heart
.

Kalena sat in the chair and contemplated how she was going to deal with Joseph. He was dating one of her friends, well, one of her
ex
-friends.

He wasn’t a club promoter like he’d told her; he was a DJ. That’s why he never invited her out with him, because his
girlfriend
was hanging out at the club with him most nights. She had fallen for the kind of ridiculous relationship that she made fun of other women over. She’d made excuses for him when he couldn’t spend the night and she forgave him when he was MIA for a couple of days. Since it was a new relationship, tripping over it seemed ridiculous.

Wow, he was Nina’s
boyfriend
.
Kalena remembered the joy on Nina’s face when she’d talked about her mystery “white boy”.
What were the fucking odds?
She wondered if he knew that she and Nina knew one another, and the thought of it just pissed her off further.

There was a myth going around that white boys were more respectful to women than their black counterparts. Black women were always joking around by saying that they were going to get them a white boy. Well, that white boy had done the same thing that every other man did to her, no matter what color they were. She felt like crap, her hands and body wouldn’t stop shaking, the light sound of his snoring made her want to smother him. Joseph didn’t deserve to even
breathe
in her condo, let alone be sleeping.

 Was his name even Joseph?
She’d never seen his ID, and when he paid for dates, he’d never let her see his credit card. She’d assumed that it was because he didn’t want her to see the bill, but now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe she should check his wallet. The chances of him telling her the truth when she woke him up were slim.

The thought of hearing any more of his lies made her sick to her stomach. If there was one thing that she couldn’t stand, it was a liar. Her entire life she’d had a liar and cheater around. She’d seen her dad do enough of it to last a lifetime. Being with someone that displayed the same characteristics was intolerable.

She bit her nails absently while she watched Joseph--or whatever his name was--sleeping peacefully in her bed. Her thoughts drifted to her dad and the first time she remembered seeing him cheat.

She was eight years old and her dad was getting ready to do his pastoral duties. Two days a week he made house calls to see members of the congregation. He prayed for the sick and counseled those who were in need. It was clear to see why everyone loved him so much.

She had an intense admiration for him. He always looked so put together and his words seemed to be inspired by heaven. When he preached, it was as if everyone was under his spell, and his congregation would stay behind for hours just to be able to speak to him.

She always wanted to see what he did when he made a house call. She was a huge daddy’s girl and she finally felt like she was old enough to go with him.

Kalena watched as he stood adjusting his cufflinks in front of the mirror. His deep chocolate-colored skin was freshly shaved, his lining and beard from his fresh haircut was flawless, and he was dressed to the nines. Not a thing was out of place on him. He never wore a suit jacket when he ministered, but he didn’t need one.

She stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched him primp.

“What are you looking at, little girl?” He smiled, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“You,” she said before she stuck her tongue out playfully.

“You’re something else.’

“I get it from you.”

“Believe me, I know.”

“Dad, can I go with you today? Please?”

His brow furrowed, “I don’t know baby girl; it gets pretty boring out there. I’m out doing God’s work, and I can’t afford for you to want to go home.”

“Aw, I really wanna go. It’s boring here with Mom all day and I want ice cream.”

“I’ll get you ice cream when I come back, how about that?”

“I want to go with you now,” she pouted.

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

Kalena crossed her arms and tears streamed down her cheeks. She really wanted to go with her dad, and she knew that he couldn’t resist her tears. He always gave in when she cried, so it wasn’t hard to conjure the tears because her feelings were hurt.

“Okay, okay, go get your coat. Also, you have to promise to keep what happens just between us. People trust us with their secrets and it’s important that we keep them. Do you understand?”

She felt like she was about to go on a top secret mission, “Yes sir!”

“That’s my girl. I’m going to tell your mom that you’re coming with me and then we’re going to get out of here.”

Kalena ran to her room to put on her shoes and grab her coat. Finally, she’d get to hang out with her dad while he was out working. Ten minutes later, she and her father Benjamin were out the door.

“Alright, first we have to stop to see Sister Margaret; she’s in the hospital because she’s been experiencing some chest pains.”

For the next four hours, Kalena and her dad went from place to place. She saw how people’s eyes lit up when her dad entered the room. It made her want to be just like him when she grew up. She wanted to help people too.

When they arrived at a house, her dad looked concerned, but he was trying to hide it. “Kalena, there is something really important that I have to go in here and do. Sister Tamara needs prayer, but it’s about things that are too adult for you. So when we go in here, I’m going to need you to watch TV in the front room while I go in back.”

“I won’t tell Dad, I promise. I’ve been pretty good at keeping secrets so far.”

“Just do as I say, and we can finally go for that ice cream. Remember that whatever happens out here stays between us and God. You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?”

“No. I’ll watch TV; does she have cable?”

He laughed. “I’m sure she does.”

When they reached the door Sister Tamara opened it, but she didn’t look like she was dressed for prayer.
Who wore a robe when people were coming over?
she thought. For some reason she always rubbed Kalena the wrong way. She would go out of her way to be nice to her, but it all seemed really fake, like there was nothing genuine about her. Tamara had the kind of fakeness that only children could see.

“Hey, sweetie!” Tamara said before she gave Kalena a hug. “It’s always nice to see you.”

Kalena stared at her with a blank expression because she couldn’t look at her the way she wanted or she would get in trouble.

“Don’t be rude Lena, say hello,” her dad scolded.

“Hi,” she said as Tamara ushered them into the house. Her face was caked with too much makeup, her hair was perfect, and she was wearing heels. She walked Kalena to the front room and turned on her favorite cartoon.

Kalena’s stomach sank as she saw her dad disappear into the back with the woman that she didn’t like. Something didn’t feel right. After twenty minutes of watching TV, she got bored and her curiosity took over. What kind of secrets did that woman have and why couldn’t she be around to hear the prayer? She got up and quietly went in search of her dad. There were noises coming from the back of the house, and it took her a minute to find out which door it was coming from, but she located it. There were moans; she could hear her dad use the words that he’d told her never to say. Her hand shakily turned the knob and she opened the door.

There her dad was, naked from the waist down, humping Tamara on her bed. Her shocked shriek got their attention.

Kalena was knocked back to reality when Joseph turned over on his side. She held her breath until his light snore took over the room again. The same curiosity that had propelled her to open the door was the same feeling that made her go through his jacket pockets now. It was time for her to see his ID. What was the real name of the man that she’d been screwing?

After locating his wallet, she opened it and saw his ID. The name said “Daniel Michaels.” Anger coursed through her veins, tears stung her eyes, and all of her hurt turned into rage. It was time for “Daniel” to wake the fuck up.

She silently exited her room while trying to decide how she was going to wake him. Hot grits seemed like a great idea, but she didn’t want to get arrested. Her and jail probably wouldn’t get along; she was too pretty. She looked at her pantry and got an idea. She grabbed the bucket, turned on the cold water, and opened her freezer. There was an abundance of ice; she couldn’t get it done fast enough.

Standing over a sleeping man and knowing that you were going to wake him up horribly felt powerful. Daniel was about to take the ice bucket challenge and he didn’t even know it. She quickly lifted the bucket and doused him with ice and water. “Wake the fuck up!” she yelled.

Daniel shrieked and tried to breathe. He quickly hopped out of bed, “What the fuck?”

Kalena threw the bucket at him. “Fuck you!”

“What is your problem?” He looked shocked.

“How can you possibly ask me something like that, 
Daniel
?”

When she called him by his real name, he knew he’d been caught, but he wasn’t going to give in that easily. He wouldn’t say anything until he knew just how much she knew. “Okay, I can explain that. Joseph is my middle name.”

“Why do I only know your middle name? Aren’t we supposed to be together?”

“Of course we’re together, but I didn’t think that it was a big deal. No one calls me Daniel.”

“You’re so full of shit, and I’m sick of it. Just tell me the truth. Are you with someone else?”

“What does that even mean?” he asked, still wiping his head and face from the water that was dripping.

“You don’t understand English now? Are you a stupid motherfucker?”

“I’m with you!”

“Before we even address that lie, let’s get something else out on the table. What do you do for a living?”

“I work with clubs,” he responded.

“Oh…now we’re getting vague,” she scoffed. “What
exactly
do you do at these clubs?”

“I do some promoting and I keep the party going.”

“So you aren’t a DJ?”

His face dropped; that was something that he had to admit to now. “Okay, yes I DJ, but I didn’t want to tell you because you wouldn’t take me seriously. When a woman hears that a man DJs she always assumes that he’s a player.”

“Wouldn’t that be true? Especially considering that you’re my friend’s boyfriend? Aren’t you dating Nina? How could you be so fucking stupid?”

“Y-you’re Nina’s friend?” he stammered.

“We’re not friends
anymore,
but we still hang out with the same people. This whole time you’ve been playing me, why would you do that to me?”

“I’m so sorry,” he said, hanging his head in shame.

Kalena wanted more of a fight from him. She wanted him to continue to deny what he did or try to make excuses. Seeing him hang his head in shame enraged her, because it didn’t mean that he was going to change. Men used that as a form of manipulation: they apologized, they pretended to humble themselves, and they would even shed a few fake tears. At the end of the day, none of the emotionalism meant anything. Her father had taught her that.

“I really hate you for what you’ve done to me,” she admitted.

“You have every right to hate me, but please don’t tell Nina.”

After everything that he had done to
her
, he still only cared about Nina finding out. That was a clear indication of where his heart was. He loved Nina; he didn’t give two shits about her.

“Get out,” were the only words that she could muster.

He quickly gathered his things and left; he was headed to his job, probably to see Nina too. It wasn’t her right, but she was pissed at Nina all over again. Why did she have to fuck everything up? Her thinking wasn’t rational, but she was too hurt to think straight. Maybe she should call Nina to tell her what her boyfriend was up to? Then she could know about the pain that Kalena felt, she would know what it was like to experience true betrayal.

No woman deserved that though, not a woman that was happy and faithful. A small voice told her that it was just Nina’s karma coming back to bite her in the ass, but she knew better. They both were being played by an asshole. Maybe he would treat Nina right from here on, and maybe he wouldn’t, but that wasn’t any of her concern. Nina wasn’t her friend anymore, so she would get whatever she deserved. One thing was for sure, Kalena wasn’t going to be the one sleeping with Daniel anymore.

Kalena lay down and drifted off to the feeling of tears streaming down her face. Once again, she was holding on to another man’s secrets.