Control Me (16 page)

Authors: Shanora Williams

“Do you still feel that way?” she asked in a whisper.

I nodded my head with shame written all over me.

“Oh, Mya.” Claire stood and grabbed my hand to bring me to the love seat. I sat beside her, placing my head on her shoulder. “You know, I’m kind of glad you and him aren’t taking this any further. You know how I nosey I am so I did a little research on him after he called me and I have to admit I didn’t really like what I came across.”

“What’d you find out?” I asked as I whipped my head up.

“Well I found out he and his family are from Venezuela. I also saw that he was… married?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I found that out in San Francisco.”

“Hmm. And you stuck around?”

“It’s not a real marriage. He says he met her in Venezuela and she agreed to marry him so he could become a citizen here.”

She frowned. “That’s… stupid. And no offense but how the hell is he so successful?”

“I don’t know. He’s really smart and obviously talented in the architecture department. I guess that has a lot to do with it.” I refused to tell Claire about the men that came to Carlos’s house. I was sure they had something to do with his success after they mentioned contracts he had broken. Why else would they be watching him and everyone else surrounding him?

“Anyway,” Claire sighed, interrupting my thoughts, “that text I sent you about not getting to comfy… well that was because of the wife thing. But now that I know he only did it to become a citizen… well, I guess it’s whatever. Still dumb but whatever.” She took a brief pause. “There’s just… something about him, Mya. I don’t know. I saw one woman mentioned as his wife and another as a woman he was dating. Her name was Sophia or something. Did he mention that name to you?”

“Sophia?”
So that was her name
. “No. He didn’t.”

Claire shook her head and stood to her feet. “Mya… do me a favor please?”

I looked up, already knowing what she was about to ask of me. “What?”

“Just… stay away from him. I don’t think you should be involved with a man that’s pretending to be married to one woman and also showing interest in another. Then he’s trying to own and dominate you? No, Mya. Just no. He may be hot, rich, and smart as shit, but you deserve better. If you’re going to obsess, let it be with someone that’ll be just as obsessed with you as you are with him. Just my two cents. Oh yeah, and think about going to see Dr. Grace. Don’t let him stick in your head.”

I nodded, sighing. “I know, Claire. You’re right.”

“I know I am. Now, let’s make some coffee and catch up. You have a lot to tell me, missy!” She grabbed my hands and pulled me up with her, leading the way to the kitchen.

Although I didn’t like much of what Claire knew or what she was saying, she was right. I didn’t need to be involved with Carlos. There were way too many questions surrounding him and not enough answers. If Sophia, as Claire called her, was still around, I did not want to be in competition with her. It was clear he cared about her more than me. It was also clear he had love for her. How could I compete with that?

***

While I filled Claire in on the things Carlos and I did in California it seemed more scratches were appearing on my heart. I shouldn’t have missed him so much but I did.

After a while I got tired of talking about him and my time spent there so I switched the subject to one I knew Claire wouldn’t shut up about: working with Green without me around. “Oh my gosh I hated it!” she shrieked while placing her empty coffee mug down. “I mean, I thought we had it rough with the two of us but I was sooo wrong. He worked me like a slave. I’m so glad you’re back.” I forced a smile and she went on about the things he made her do.

My phone buzzed moments later and I whipped my head towards the sound, hoping that just maybe it was him. I stood from the barstool and rushed for my purse. After fishing through it and yanking it out, my heart pounded in my chest erratically. There was a voicemail from an unknown number. “Shit,” I hissed.

“What?” Claire asked, making her way towards me and peeking over my shoulder. “Who is it?”

“I think it’s him.”

She groaned. “Oh God, Mya! What did I just tell you? You deserve better!”

I turned and looked at her. “I know, I know. But… there’s just some stuff I need to talk to him about. After I talk to him about it I swear I’ll leave him alone.” I stepped past her and dialed my voicemail.

“Oh boy,” Claire sighed, heading back to her stool.

I ignored her and entered my bedroom. It took me a while to press the button for the voicemail. I mean, what if it wasn’t even him? What if it was a telemarketer or something? I didn’t want to be disappointed but I just had to know.

So I pushed the button and pressed the phone to my ear and when his deep, hypnotic voice started, I swear I oozed inside. I felt hot and fuzzy all over again. All the negative things I thought about him disappeared as he spoke carefully. He still cared. Oh, thank the heavens.

“Mya,” he started, “I know I’m the very last person you want to hear from right now, but I feel I need to explain myself. What happened yesterday was not supposed to happen. Trust me, it caught me off guard just as much as it did you. Those men…” he paused. I swallowed thickly, anxiously awaiting the rest. “I had no clue they were watching you. I always figured they were watching my back but not so much as to know my plans with you. So much has registered to me now. There were things I had questions about—things I always wanted to know about them and now I do.” He sighed. “Look, we need to talk. I need to see you again. I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen. Just give me a chance to explain things. I thought I was a free man—I thought I’d be free after doing what they wanted me to do—but it turns out I’m not. Just call me back at this number but make sure you don’t call from your phone. I’m sure if they haven’t started already they’ll be tracing your calls.” He paused again, but afterwards he said, “I’m sorry, Mya. Please consider calling me back. It’s important,” and then he hung up.

I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it, confused. It sounded like he was being sincere, but I had to remember that this was Carlos. He was dangerous. What if those men were listening to every word he was saying? I wanted to talk to him again and I wanted answers, but what if this was a trap? I couldn’t risk it. And what the hell did he mean by he thought he was a free man? What did he do that makes them want to keep him around? Why did they have him on such a tight leash?

My mind was boggled. This was too much.

A knock sounded at my door and I turned quickly, spotting Claire. “Just checking in,” she said. “Did you talk to him?”

I pressed my lips and shrugged. I didn’t want to say what I was about to say, but I had to. I had to say it out loud in order to believe it. It was only right. “I decided to just… let it go. You were right,” I murmured with a sigh. “He’s just not worth it.”