“Exes still be fucking each other, so don't stand there like those legs are locked down because we're not married anymore. If you want to keep holding out on me, don't be mad at me for going elsewhere. I'm starting to feel an urge.”
“Have all the urges you want, just don't mosey your tail over to you-know-who's place. She's got enough trouble on her hands, and the last person she needs to drop back in is you.”
“Who are you talking about? Evelyn?”
“Yes. Evelyn.”
Cedric winced and blew me off. “Whatever. Evelyn is old news. Whatever trouble she's found herself in, it doesn't surprise me.”
I couldn't help but to share what had happened between Evelyn, Trina, and Keith. Every chance I got, I wanted to make sure she looked bad through his eyes. I also wanted him to say that he had regrets about their relationship, but thus far, he hadn't said it. He sat in disbelief as I spoke. Couldn't stop shaking his head and cracking up. Then he slapped his leg and rubbed his chin.
“She that gotdamn trifling where she trying to fuck two brothers? They must have some money. Otherwise, I can't see her going out like that.”
“Of course they do, but even if they didn't, she probably would have gone there. Trina is so pissed. We're to the point where we seriously believe Evelyn needs to see a psychiatrist.”
“Yeah, maybe so.”
He didn't seem too interested in talking about Evelyn, so I told Cedric that I was getting ready to go help Jacoby pack up some of his things. He stopped me at the door.
“When the two of you get settled into the apartment, do me a favor and have a long talk with our son. He's been a little off lately, and I'm worried about him. It could be about something with Adrianne, but usually, Jacoby don't let girl problems get to him like that. I think there's something else.”
I started to bite my nails. “So . . . something else like what? What do you think is bothering him?”
“Not sure. He hasn't been right since I was shot. Maybe seeing me like that has done something to him. After you talk to him, I will. Okay?”
“Sure. I'll keep you posted on how the conversation goes. Meanwhile, happy anniversary, and please don't do anything that I wouldn't do.”
Cedric held out his hands. “The sky is the limit. The last time I checked, I'm a free man. Unfortunately, since you're not interested anymore, I may be prompted to take another woman out to dinner and make love to her on our anniversary. Remember, I told you about my urge.”
I threw my hand back at Cedric and left his office. At this point, I guess I didn't care who he spent his time with, as long as it wasn't Evelyn.
Jacoby and I spent the next few hours packing up some of his things. During that time, Cedric said he was going somewhere and left. Jacoby and I discussed, again, how all of this came about and how to move forward. He sat on the bed in his bedroom, shaking his head while I sat next to him.
“I know you want to say something to him, Mama, but you know your husband better than I do. My dad can be a monster when he wants to be, and nobody wants to find out they've been betrayed.”
“I do want to tell him, but more than anything, I want to protect you. I definitely know how Cedric is; I've lived with him for most of my life. More than anything, I'm glad you got all of this off your chest. I can only imagine how keeping this inside has made you feel, but I wish you would have come to me so I could help you get through this.”
“Trust me when I say I wanted to. Adrianne definitely wanted me to, but I didn't know how you would feel about me paying Paula to do something so horrific. At the time, my head wasn't on straight. I was so upset with my dad, and when I tried to reach out to him about how I felt one day, my timing couldn't have been more off. I saw him in a parking garage with Paula, doing some crazy stuff that no married man should be doing.”
I could only imagine what Cedric was doing. The thought made me sick to my stomach. And then for Jacoby to witness it was awful.
“I don't need details, and reaching out to him was all you could do. You were not thinking straight, and I assume you used the money in your savings to pay Paula, didn't you?”
“Every dime of it. When I asked for it back, she laughed at me. I had no idea what kind of woman she really was, until I witnessed that evil look in her eyes. She hated Cedric with a passion. She was obsessed with him, but I can honestly say he created that monster.”
He'd created several other monsters too, but I wasn't trying to go there right now with Evelyn. Jacoby and I finished packing, and a few hours later, we were on our way to our new apartment, ready for a new beginning. His secret was safe with me, and I intended to do whatever I had to do to protect my son.
Chapter 14
Evelyn
My feelings were a little bruised about what had happened, but oh well. You win some and you lose some. Trina had Keith's ol' weak self wrapped around her finger. For him to agree to do something so ridiculous was stupid on his part. I bet he was still thinking about that kiss, though. I tore up those lips. How could he ever forget about the sweet taste of my tongue?
The one thing that I was worried about was Keith telling Bryson about what had happened. For starters, I didn't want him to be so upset about it that I'd lose my job. I kind of liked where I worked, and it did bring in a little money to help me pay some bills. Then, I didn't want Bryson feeling as if I'd betrayed him. He'd been kicking me out every now and then. Not just sexually either. I never had to pay for dinner, never had to pay for drinks, and he even gave me some money to buy a purse that I had to have when browsing the mall with him the other day.
So in a nutshell, losing him would be a setback for me, especially since he was the only person I could really chill with and carry on a decent conversation with. I wasn't ready to go see what was up with Cedric yet, and the more I'd thought about it, I was skeptical about traveling back down memory lane with him. The last conversation we'd had didn't go so well. I left his house that day plotting my next move because he wouldn't allow me to move in with him. He rejected that move, but he left me with a little hope about him taking care of the baby. Now that there was no baby, I wasn't so sure if he'd welcome me back with open arms. He hadn't called to say anything to me, and I wondered if Trina had told Kayla about the abortion, and if she'd told Cedric. I was almost positive that she'd mentioned it to him.
Then again, maybe not because I'd been left out of everything when it came to those two. It was a wrap in regard to my friendship with them. I didn't suspect that we would ever be able to have the bond we all shared, and at this point, all the damage had won the battle. So be it.
I'd been off work for about an hour. Bryson said that he was working late, but he promised to call when he got home. I wasted time by going to the grocery store and then I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few cleaning items. By the time I was done with that, it was almost eight o'clock. I still hadn't heard from Bryson, and to be honest, I was kind of getting a little irritated with him for telling me one thing, yet doing another. Like saying that he would call me. Sometimes, he never did. I wouldn't even stress him about it the next day at work, and he never provided an explanation as to why he hadn't called.
Well tonight, I wasn't having it. I left a message on his voicemail, telling him that if he didn't show up, I was going to stop by his place. I didn't see it as popping up, especially if I told him I was coming through. If anything, I figured that my threat would, at least, encourage him to call. It didn't. By ten o'clock, I still hadn't heard from him. I grabbed my keys off the counter, reached for my jacket, and threw it over my shoulder. Bryson's condo was about forty minutes away from my place. It wasn't long before I parked my car on the parking lot and prepared myself to go to his door. I saw his car, so I assumed he was home. But when I called his cell phone, yet again, he didn't answer.
With my high heels on, I strutted to his door and knocked. No answer. Rang the doorbell; nothing. If he was inside with someone else, the least he could do was come to the door and tell me. For whatever reason, he refused to do that. So, what I did was knock again. I put my ear to the door and heard loud music coming from somewhere. I wasn't sure if the music was coming from inside of his condo, but the music could have been his reason for not answering the door.
All of a sudden, something hit me. When I looked for Keith's key in the drawer, there was another key there as well. I'd taken both keys, and I wondered if that key was the one to unlock Bryson's door. I rummaged through my purse and finally found the key dropped inside of it. I slid the key in the lock, but unfortunately it wouldn't turn. That was when I realized that it was turned the wrong way. I turned it the other way, and yes, I was in business. The key turned and the door popped open. I pushed on it, causing it to squeak. Once I was inside, the music was louder. I also heard grunts, and that was when I figured that, maybe, this was a bad idea.
Still, I tiptoed my way forward. I saw a pair of lace panties in the middle of the floor. A bra was tossed on the couch, her shoes were right near the door, and the closer I got to it, I could hear Bryson's grunts more than I could hear hers. It was so apparent that she was putting it on him. So much so that it sounded like he was crying. He whimpered like a bitch, and the sound of naked, sweaty bodies slapping together got louder and louder. My heels sank in the plush carpet as I reached the door, and when I turned in the doorway, I got a shock that felt like electricity had ripped through me. My legs weakened, my stomach tightened, and I covered my mouth so I wouldn't throw up. My eyes witnessed Bryson bending over the bed with a tranny behind him. The tranny was wearing Bryson out. His grunts were louder than the music in the room. I removed my hand from my mouth, refusing to walk away and hold my peace.
“You nasty, stank-ass motherfucker,” I shouted. “How dare you not call me because of this!”
Both of their heads snapped to the side. The tranny looked like a beautiful black woman with nice breasts and a round, tight ass. Thing was, she/he had a dick. A big one, too, which she eased out of Bryson who had already jumped away from the tranny like she/he was contagious.
“What are you doing here?” he yelled at me.
“No. The question is what in the hell are you doing? I mean, really, Bryson. Is this how you're doing it?”
Embarrassment, as well as shame, covered Bryson's face. He hurried into his sweatpants and ordered the tranny to get on his/her clothes.
“You do not have to tell Miss Thing to leave on my account,” I said. “I'm out of here, sweetheart. My eyes have witnessed enough.”
I got the hell out of there. My body felt grimy as hell. I couldn't help but to think about all of the sex Bryson and I had had, and about all of the things that I allowed him to do to me. I had flashbacks of how he would touch me, and about how he requested that I touch him. He loved to have anal sex, and all of his little nasty ways now made sense. I definitely had no problem with gay or bisexual men, but I damn sure had a problem with the down-low motherfuckers who kept this kind of shit a secret.
I ran to my car and drove like a bat out of hell to get home. When I did, I stripped my clothes off and put the hot water in the shower on blast. I scrubbed my body with a sponge, but that felt like it wasn't working for me. What I needed was a Brillo pad, but unfortunately I didn't have any. I used the last one I had to clean the oven last week. I continued with the sponge and scalding hot water. My skin had turned red and my pussy couldn't get any cleaner. I finally turned off the water, and that was when I heard someone buzzing me from downstairs. I left the bathroom and turned on the monitor. The face that I saw was Bryson's.
“Say,” he said in a whisper. “Why you leave so fast? I thought you wanted to see me.”
“Oh, I saw you, but forget it. We have nothing else to talk about. I assure you that you never have to worry about me again. I will bring your key to the office tomorrow, and if you feel a need to have me fired, please do.”
“I would never do that,” he said, trying to smooth talk his way inside. That may have worked for Cedric, but damn sure not for him. “We don't even have to get down like that, do we? Why don't you buzz me in? I got a feeling that you're upset, and I need to provide you with an explanation about what you saw.”
“Look, I don't need an explanation. Just go home, Bryson, and pretend that none of this ever happened.”
“Can't do that right now. Besides, I don't want you to share what you saw tonight with anyone. If you do, that could swing a lot of heat my way, if you know what I mean.”
All of a sudden, the sound of ca-ching went off in my head. I wanted to know what Bryson would be willing to pay for me to keep his dirty little secret. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be pennies. With that taken into consideration, I buzzed him in. The door was already opened for him to come inside, and when he did, I was sitting on the couch with my robe on. Another Newport was in my hand, and after I flicked ashes in the ashtray, I spoke up before he did.
“I don't want no explanation, I don't want any excuses, nor do I ever want you to touch me again. I am so disappointed in you, Bryson. How could a man as fine and masculine as you are holler louder than a bitch? I guess that's totally irrelevant right now; and the only question I need to be asking you is how much?”
“How much what?” he said with an attitude. He refused to take a seat, probably because his ass was still hurting from being bumped so hard.
I returned the attitude and snapped my head to the side. “How much are you going to pay me to keep my mouth shut?”
Bryson blew me off. He waved his hand and pursed his lips. The real bitch in him was starting to show. “I'm not paying you jack. You are not going to blackmail me, and if you tell anyone about what you saw tonight, they won't believe you. They'll think you're out of your mind, as plenty of people already think that you are. So rethink your plan, baby, or else.”
I had to laugh at this fool. “How you gon' stand your greasy ass in here, trying to call the shots? They may not believe what I say, but they will believe me when I show them pictures that I took with my phone. You didn't see me take them because you were too busy getting got. I'm sure you don't want anyone to see you like that, especially not anyone at work, or your parents, and, uh, damn sure not Keith. He doesn't know about this, does he?”
I seemed to have Bryson's attention, even though I lied about the pictures. I wish I had taken some, but at the time, I was too in shock to even think straight.
Bryson walked slowly over to the couch and sat down. He rubbed his waves then cleared mucus from his throat.
“No,” he said in a calmer tone. “Nobody knows. I've been hiding this for a very long time. I love women, no doubt, but I like men too. It's been that way since I was in high school, but I was afraid to tell my parents. Didn't want to tell my brother because I wasn't sure how he would feel about me. So please don't tell anyone about this. When I'm ready, I will say something. I'm just not ready yet.”
I sat back and crossed my legs. “That was a tear-jerking little story there, Bryson, and I have no problem keeping your secret. But it's going to cost you. You want to know why? Because you shouldn't have never put your dick inside of me, knowing that you also have a thing for men. If anything, you should have come clean about being bisexual and given me a chance to decide if I wanted to fuck with you. This down-low shit is a dangerous game to play. I hope to God that Libby knows what you're up to, and I guess that explains why you refused to settle down and marry her. At least you haven't been stupid enough to go that far.”
“I haven't told her the truth yet, but one day I will. Then maybe she'll figure it out, since I'm refusing to marry her. Either way, I need to know that you're going to keep your mouth shut. I need to know your price, and if I give you any money, Evelyn, I don't want you reneging on me and putting my business out there. You have no idea how damaging something like this could be to me.”
“If the price is right, I won't say a word. That price is a hundred thousand dollars. That's what it will take for me to keep my mouth shut.”
“At that price, I may as well kill you then. I don't have that kind of money.”
“Yes, you do. I saw the bank statements in your files. And if you don't have it, your parents do. Keith definitely has it, and all you have to do is ask him to sell one or two of those exquisite paintings in his studio. That's how you can get it and then some. As for killing me, don't bother. The word about you will still spread, because a good friend of mine already has those photos in her possession. She knows exactly what to do with them, if something happens to me. And we both know that, social media comes in handy when you need to use it to spread the word.”
Bryson knew his hands were tied. He sat there and couldn't say shit. When he did open his mouth, he said exactly what I wanted to hear. I'd have the money by tomorrow. Certainly, that was good enough for me.
The next day, I walked into the office as if last night had never happened. I smiled at Bryson and he smiled back at me. He came over to my desk around noon, telling me that the money had been deposited into my account. I checked, and sure enough, sister girl was out of the negative. I was very happy about that. So happy that I wanted to go holler at an old friend of mine, so we could both celebrate our wealth. Hopefully, Cedric wouldn't refuse to see me.
Having a slew of money in my bank account caused me to pack it up and leave. My first stop was at the bank, where I withdrew several thousands of dollars to catch up on my bills. I prepaid my landlord three month's rent then I headed to the mall to purchase a pair of shoes and a pantsuit that I wanted. After that, I went to find a special gift for a dear friend of mine. Since I was going to stop by, it didn't make sense for me to stop by empty-handed.
I left the mall with several bags in my hands. Tossed them on the back seat, and then I made my way to Cedric's house. Upon arrival, the first thing I did was scope out the place to make sure Kayla's crazy self was nowhere around. I wasn't in the mood for another one of her slaps. My day had been on point, thus far, and I expected for it to get better.