You're My Little Secret 2 (18 page)

DOMINIC

I felt like a week was long enough to have kept DJ away from Brooklyn. I really didn’t intend for it to be that long, but I had to get my mind right. I’m a married man, but my heart broke into a million pieces when I saw Kevin coming out of Brooklyn’s bedroom. She was trying to explain, but I never even gave her the chance. I knew that it was unrealistic for me to think that Brooklyn would never be with somebody else, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for her ass. Financially she didn’t have anything to worry about. I made sure all of the bills were paid, and she had money for whatever she wanted or needed. Before I left to go on my honeymoon, I gave her over half of the money that I’d gotten back from Kennedi. The check was for a little over fifty-four thousand dollars, and I deposited thirty thousand into Brooklyn’s account. Brooklyn and I were okay until Kennedi opened her mouth about us having a test done on DJ. After that, she didn’t want anything else to do with me. I still hadn’t confronted Kennedi about that yet, but the time to do so was coming soon. I pulled up to Brooklyn’s apartment and got DJ out of his car seat.

“Mommy,” my baby said when we got on the elevator. I felt like shit when he said that. I was so busy trying to teach Brooklyn a lesson that I never considered how my son was feeling. It never dawned on me that he was missing Brooklyn just as much as she missed him.

“Let’s go see where mommy is,” I told DJ when we walked into the house. I’d already made up my mind that I was done with knocking or ringing the doorbell. I was using my key every time I came over here. Now, I knew why her ass told me to stop using it to begin with. As usual, Brooklyn’s apartment was clean and smelling good. She was a neat freak, so that was no surprise. I carried my baby down the hall and headed straight to her bedroom. I heard the TV, but the room was kind of dark. I opened the door and flipped on the lights. Brooklyn was lying under the covers with the remote control in her hand. She looked like she was bored out of her mind, and that made me feel worse.

“Mommy,” DJ said smiling.

“Hey, my baby,” Brooklyn said excitedly as she jumped up from the bed to grab him. I lost my train of thought when I saw the short jean shorts and tank top that she had on. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but she was still flawless to me. She kissed DJ all over while he laughed and kissed her back. I realized how wrong it was for me to keep him away, and I swore to never do it again. My plan was to drop my baby off and go, but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I kicked my shoes off and climbed in the bed right next to them. After changing the channel on the TV, I got comfortable and watched a basketball game. Brooklyn took DJ’s clothes off and started playing with him. She still hadn’t said anything to me and after a few minutes she picked him up and walked out of the room. I couldn’t blame her for being mad, and I know I had to apologize. I wanted to give her some time to be with DJ, so I got comfortable and drifted off to sleep.

****

I woke up an hour later to the ringing of my phone. When I saw that it was Kennedi, I hit the ignore button and put my phone on silent. She claimed that she was going to try to stop nagging me, but that proved to be a lie. It looked like the minute we said, “I do,” the shit got even worse. I wasn’t with all the arguing so she would see me whenever I got home. I didn’t hear DJ or Brooklyn so I got up to see where they were. I smelled food being cooked, so I headed straight for the kitchen. I licked my lips lustfully as I watched Brooklyn standing at the stove stirring a pot. I should have grabbed my shoes and left, but I just couldn’t do it.

“Where’s DJ?” I asked her.

“He’s sleeping,” she replied dryly.

“What are you cooking?”

“Pasta,” she answered sounding annoyed.

“Damn, why you giving me these short ass answers? You act like I’m getting on your nerves or something.”

“Actually, you are. Thanks for bringing DJ home, but you can leave now,” she spat angrily.

“I’m leaving after I eat. What time will the food be done?”

“It’s done now. I’ll fix you a plate to go,” she offered. I had to keep myself from laughing at how bad she was handling me.

“Nah, I’m eating here,” I said smugly. She fixed a plate of pasta and added a slice of garlic bread to it. I was about to tell her to put some more on the plate until she started eating from it.

“Where’s my food?” I asked.

“Wash your hands and fix it,” she said walking away. She was really in her feelings, but it was cool. I washed my hands and fixed me something to eat. After downing my first plate and fixing myself another, I was nice and full. Brooklyn washed both of our dishes and went back into her bedroom. I went to check on DJ before going to talk to her. She was lying across the bed, so I sat down next to her.

“Look, I know you’re mad and all, but so was I. I’ll admit that I was wrong for keeping DJ away from you, but I wasn’t thinking straight at the time. I don’t want any other man in here around my son,” I said.

“But it’s cool for you to have him around Kennedi though? And don’t say it’s because she’s your wife. He’s been around her long before then.”

“That’s different. I’ve been with Kennedi for a while. I don’t want some random niggas coming around my baby.”

“You are so full of shit Dominic. It’s not your baby that you’re concerned about. You don’t want some random niggas coming around me.”

“I don’t want Kevin’s ass around at all. You shouldn’t either with all the bullshit he’s been getting into,” I yelled.

“If you would have let me explained, things wouldn’t have gone this far in the first place. I don’t mess with Kevin. We’re not even friends anymore. He’s been here before, and that’s how he knows where I live, but you don’t have to worry about him coming, here again. Regardless of how you feel, I’m going to start dating again. I respect my son enough to not bring anyone here around him, but I don’t have to respect you. I’ll get a job and pay my own bills before I let you run my life Dominic. I had enough of that shit with my brothers,” she said going off.

“I’m not trying to run your life Brooklyn. You keep talking about moving on and dating and shit like I’m supposed to be alright with that.”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter. I told you that I’m never going to bring anybody here if that’s what you’re worried about,” she insisted.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. Why do you even feel the need to be with somebody else?” I shouted.

“You must be out of your damn mind. This right here is over,” she said pointing back and forth between us. She tried to get out of the bed, but I pulled her back.

“Yeah, only because you want it to be,” I confessed.

“No, it’s over because you have a wife. Let me go Dominic,” she yelled while standing up again. I grabbed her and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist.

“If I could let you go I would,” was my simple, but honest reply. She was trying her best to pull away from me, but I wasn’t letting that happen.

“Don’t do this okay? I’m trying hard to get over you so don’t try to pull me back in. That’s not fair to me,” Brooklyn cried.

“I know Brook, I tried to let it go, but I can’t.” She was still trying to push me away, but my hold on her was too tight. I tried to do the right thing, but being with her felt so right to me. I really wasn’t happy being married to Kennedi. All Brooklyn had to do is say the word and my marriage would be a distant memory. I was overjoyed when she stopped trying to fight me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Since I had the green light, I wasted no time stripping both of us out of our clothes. I just hoped that DJ stayed sleep long enough for me to enjoy the moment. Brooklyn was already standing so I got down on my knees and wrapped her legs around my neck. When my tongue met with her warm opening, her entire body started to shake. I inhaled that familiar scent and fell in love all over again. Not even married a month, and I was committing adultery already.

****

Two months after Brooklyn and I started back up again, we were at the dealership purchasing her first car. She wanted an Audi Q3, and that’s exactly what she got. I wanted her to get it in black, but she had her heart set on the silver one. It was fully loaded with everything that she would ever need. Brooklyn didn’t really care about all of that. She was just happy to have her own transportation. I had no problem paying the thirty-eight thousand dollar price tag once I saw how happy it made her. Since I was married, I made sure to put everything in her name.

“Thank you baby, I’m so excited,” Brooklyn yelled when the salesman handed her the keys. She jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug and kiss.

“You’re welcome,” I said smiling at her.

“Take DJ with you. I’m going to show Candace and Co-Co my new car,” she said excitedly.

“Come to the office and get him when you finish. I need to catch up on some work.”

“Okay, bye my baby,” she said kissing DJ before she left.

I strapped my son in his car seat and hit the highway. After stopping to get him a happy meal, we pulled up to my office and went inside.

“Hey, my boy,” David said when DJ walked in. He ran over to my brother and sat on his lap.

“What’s up?” I spoke to my brother and Scott, who was seated right next to him.

“I see Brooklyn is riding fly, huh?” David said laughing.

“Damn, how did you know? We just left the dealership not too long ago.”

“Candace sent me a picture with her cheesing hard in the background.”

“What kind of car did you get her?” Scott asked.

“She wanted the Audi Q3. It looks like a girly car to me, so it fits her perfectly,” I replied.

“Damn, she got a top of the line whip,” Scott commented.

“She’s top of the line so what did you expect?” I bragged.

“It’s much better than some baby mama’s get,” he quipped.

“She’s not just a baby mama, but that’s not up for discussion right now,” I said ending the conversation.

“Your wife has been calling here looking for you,” David said with a frown.

“What’s new? Her ass calls everywhere looking for me.”

“You and Kennedi are good though right?” Scott asked me.

“I don’t know what your definition of good is, but I’m straight,” I replied.

“You better be happy you didn’t get her ass pregnant yet. It’s really over for you when she pops out a baby,” David warned.

“I’m good with just my one for now. Watch DJ for me so I can go call her back.” I walked to the back where the break room is located and dialed Kennedi’s number. She started fussing as soon as she answered the phone, never bothering to say hello. I was only three months into my marriage, and I was starting to regret it already. Kennedi didn’t know it, but she was pushing me closer and closer to Brooklyn with every word that she spoke.

KENNEDI

“I feel like I’m going crazy sometimes,” I complained to Tiffany. “All we do is argue and I’m scared that I’m pushing him away.” We were seated outside at Starbucks drinking coffee while I vented to her.

“If that’s how you feel then stop arguing with the man about every little thing Kennedi. You’re beginning to sound just like your mother. Everything is not always going to go your way,” Tiffany replied.

“I know that Tiffany, but it’s not supposed to be like this. I understand what he’s saying about us waiting to buy a house. I’ve even learned to accept his son being over there every day, but something is not right. We’ve only been married for five months, and I hardly ever see him. He’s either working or with his brother. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was cheating on me again,” I ranted.

“That man is not cheating on you. Y’all just need to sit down and have a long talk about how you feel.”

“I’ve tried that, but he always thinks I’m nagging. We’re supposed to be trying to have a baby, but we barely have sex anymore. One or two times a week was alright before, but that’s not going to do it if I want to get pregnant. I damn near have to beg just to get that. I’m telling you that something is not right. Dominic has a high sex drive. If he’s not getting it from me then who is he getting it from?” I wondered aloud.

“It only takes one time for you to get pregnant Kennedi,” Tiffany said laughing.

“This is not funny Tiffany. I don’t know what I’m going to do if Dominic and I don’t get our marriage on the right track.”

“Hey beautiful, how have you been?” Someone said from behind me. I turned around and smiled when I looked into Scott’s handsome face. I’ve never been with a white man, but he could definitely get it. If I wasn’t so committed to Dominic’s ass, he probably would have gotten it already.

“Hey Scott, you remember my cousin Tiffany,” I said introducing them again. They exchanged greetings as we continued to talk.

“I don’t want to intrude. I’m just coming to get me some caffeine,” he told us.

“You’re not intruding. I need to get going anyway. Call me later Kennedi,” Tiffany said standing to her feet.

“Let me grab me some coffee, and I’ll be right back,” Scott told me. I watched him walk away, and a feeling of guilt crept up on me. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I quickly shook it off. I really needed someone to talk to, and Scott has always been a good listener. Tiffany was always taking Dominic’s side, and that pissed me off.

“So how’s married life treating you?” Scott asked while taking a seat.

“I could complain, but I guess I shouldn’t,” I replied.

“That’s good, your husband does enough complaining for the both of you,” Scott chuckled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. I felt my temperature rising, but I tried to remain calm.

“Don’t blow up, I’m just messing with you,” he replied.

“So Dominic has been talking about me at the office, huh?” I inquired.

“No, not really, but I do know that there’s some trouble in paradise.”

“If this is paradise, I would hate to see how it feels in hell.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s really not bad at all. We just need to get on the same page about our marriage. Once that happens we’ll be good,” I said hopefully.

“So how are you handling being a step-mother? I know that has to be hard.”

“It was at first, but I’m adjusting. Financially, DJ is his responsibility, and I get that now. As long as the mother is out of the picture I’m fine.”

“But is she really out of the picture? It seems like she’s benefiting financially too.”

“Obviously, you have something to say so just come out and say it. I don’t have time to try and solve your riddles,” I hissed. I said it a little louder than I needed to, and a few people turned around and looked at me for having the sudden outburst. Scott was cool, but he was pissing me off at the moment.

“Chill out, no need to go all postal on me,” he joked.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but I’m not in the mood to play games. You seem to be saying something without actually saying it. That’s driving me crazy.”

“Did you eat yet?” He asked.

“Don’t try to change the subject, say what you have to say,” I demanded.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but only over lunch.”

“Scott, I’m a married woman. I don’t have any business going to lunch with you.”

“That never stopped you before. Besides, you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”

“Where do you want to go?” I said agreeing to go with him.

“Follow me and I’ll show you.”

I really wanted to decline Scott’s invitation, but curiosity got the best of me. I don’t know what Dominic did to piss him off, but I was benefiting from it.

****

Later that afternoon I was sitting on my sofa drinking a glass of wine. I was so upset that I could hardly think straight. Dominic was supposed to be home over an hour ago, but he had yet to show up. I called his phone twice and each time he said that he was on his way. I picked up the stack of papers that were scattered all over my coffee table and stared at them once again. I was so tired of crying, but I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Just as I wiped my eyes for the hundredth time today, I heard Dominic’s key turning the lock. I wasn’t surprised when he walked in carrying his sleeping son. What struck me as odd was the fact that DJ was already wearing his pajamas. He’s never come to our house like that before. That was the least of my worries, so I let it go for now. I jumped up from the sofa and ran to the front door, looking outside.

“So where is it Dominic?” I asked as I looked around like a crazy woman.

“Where is what Kennedi?” He asked as he laid DJ down on the sofa.

“Where is the vehicle that you spent almost forty thousand dollars on? Apparently, we’ve had it for a few months, but I sure as hell have never seen it,” I yelled. I couldn’t believe my ears when Scott told me that Dominic had purchased Brooklyn a car. He didn’t just purchase her any old used car either he got that bitch an Audi. I had to do a double-take when I pulled up his bank statement and saw the price. I had to go back a few months to get it, but the proof was right there in black and white. When I went back further and dug a little bit deeper, I got a few more surprises. He had purchases from furniture stores and appliance stores that we’ve never even been to totaling thousands of dollars. I knew that he’d gotten Brooklyn an apartment, but I had no idea that he’d furnished it for her as well.

“It’s not ours, so you’re not going to see it,” he replied flippantly.

“So we have to wait a year to buy a house. I can’t even see a doctor about us having a baby, but you can go out and spend almost forty thousand dollars to get that bitch a car! You didn’t even consult with me about it,” I screamed.

“Lower your damn voice before my baby wakes up and yes, I bought Brooklyn a vehicle so that her and my son can get around without waiting for someone else to do it. I don’t have to consult with you to spend my own damn money.”

“Dominic we are married. There is no way in hell that you can take that kind of money out of our account without telling me about it.”

“What do you mean our account? The last time I checked my name was the only one on there. And since you want to check shit out, look for all the charges from Saks and Mac that you put on there,” he yelled.

“Now I see why my name is not on the account. It’s not about me regaining your trust like you said, you just don’t want me to see what you’re doing for Brooklyn.”

“No, it’s about you being money hungry. Everything with you is about a dollar. Whatever I do for Brooklyn is done to benefit DJ.”

“So you had to get her a brand new Audi Dominic? Why couldn’t you get her a nice used Toyota or some shit like that?” I raged.

“So you’re riding around in an eighty thousand dollar car, but you want me to put my son in something used? You got me all the way fucked up,” he said while shaking his head at me in disgust.

“It’s not like he can drive the damn car. As long as that bitch doesn’t have to ride the bus she should be satisfied. And you didn’t buy my car. I already had it when we met,” I yelled.

“Daddy,” DJ said as he woke up crying. Dominic rushed to pick him up and walked upstairs. I followed behind him trying to continue our conversation. He rocked DJ back to sleep and placed him in his playpen. He went into our bedroom and laid down on the bed.

“Are you going to continue to ignore me Dominic?” I asked my husband.

“Either that or I’m getting my son and leaving. You already woke him up with all your screaming and hollering.”

“I’m sorry, but we need to talk about this,” I said in a lower tone.

“There’s nothing to talk about Kennedi. I bought her a car, and that’s the end of the discussion. You always look for shit and get mad when you find it. Come to me if you want to know something. I don’t have anything to hide from you.”

“Obviously you do. I have to hear what’s going on with my husband from other people,” I said.

“What other people are you referring to Kennedi?” He asked.

I had talked all over myself without even realizing it. My heart started beating fast because I couldn’t tell him who I’d been talking too. I would never forgive myself if Scott lost his job because of me.

“Just forget it Dominic. I feel like we’re drifting further and further apart,” I cried. “All we do is argue all the time.”

“That’s all on you. We talked about all of this before we even got married. I told you not to go through with marrying me if you had a problem with anything.”

“I can’t believe you just said that. Not marrying you was never an option,” I said crying harder. After crying my heart out, Dominic finally came over to comfort me. It took him long enough, but I was just happy to be in his arms.

“I don’t want to lose you Dominic. I’ll do whatever I have to do to save our marriage,” I said while looking him in his eyes. He looked away without responding. I tried to kiss him, but he turned his head away from me. That hurt my feelings, but I still wasn’t discouraged. I stood up and started to take off my clothes. When I was done, I started to do the same with Dominic.

“Not tonight Kennedi, I’m not in the mood,” he protested.

“Please Dominic, I really need this right now,” I begged. I laid down on my back and pulled him on top of me. He didn’t look like he wanted to, but he ended up making love to me anyway. In my mind, whatever problems we had were a thing of the past. Right now, I was looking forward to our future together.