Free Fridays (24 page)

“C'mon, Baby. Don't beat yourself up. You had no way of knowing dude wasn't gonna leave. I believe dude got some sense; he's not about to do anything stupid. Besides, Malone is there; she's good.”

Kent was driving twenty miles over the speed limit, but to Samantha, it still didn't feel fast enough. She picked up the phone and called Leela.

When there was no answer, she picked up Kent's phone and called Malone. When he didn't answer, either, her heart began to race uncontrollably. Samantha wanted them there; she wanted to jump between Riley and Leela and make sure nothing went down.

By the time Kent finally pulled up at her place, she jumped out of the car before he came to a complete stop.

Samantha could hear the loud shouting match as she approached her walkway. Before she made it to the door, Bill's car careened around the corner and screeched to a sudden stop.

“What the hell?!” Samantha screamed at the sight of Bill and a woman as they stormed up the walkway.

The front door was wide open.

The sound of Leela yelling pulled everyone's attention toward the house.

“
T
he jig is up! So I'm the fool is what you're trying to tell me?!” Leela screamed. She couldn't make sense of what had unfolded right before her eyes.

“It wasn't supposed to go down like this. You were supposed to do the right thing. You were supposed to tell him you were married. I didn't think you'd fall for…”

Slap!

Leela couldn't believe she'd swung on her husband until after she'd pulled her arm back and was swinging in the opposite direction.

Slap!

The second and hardest slap of all was reserved for Malone.

“So you were playing me all along?” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Screw you both!”

She slipped on her skirt and was about to storm out until a crowd rushed through the front door. Leela was dumbfounded.

“Bill? And Natasha?”

Leela turned and looked back at Riley. “What the hell is really going on here?”

“You told her, Dawg?” Bill asked.

Riley nodded.

“Man. What's she doing here?” Riley motioned toward Natasha.

“She was with me when you called,” Bill said.

“So you brought her here? What gives, Man? What the hell is
up with the two of you? I don't get it. It's like you're working together or something. When is this shit gonna stop?”

Natasha moved forward. “I'm trying to tell you. We were meant to be together. She's not right for you. Look, all it took was another man saying all the right things, and she tossed your vows to the side like they meant nothing. How much longer are you going to deny what you know is true?”

“Natasha, I've already told you. What we had was in the past,” Riley said.

“But after I did all of this for you, for us? You still don't want to explore the possibilities with me?”

“You did what? What are you talking about?” Riley asked.

Leela was more than a little upset, but instead of going off the way she wanted to, she fell back and watched the scene unfold. She wasn't sure whom she could trust, but it seemed like Natasha was about to answer lots of questions.

Natasha waved her hands about again.

“All of this. I did it all for you. I set Kelly onto Bill, because I could see it in his eyes; his life needed some adventure. Then, did you think Bill came up with Free Fridays by himself?” Natasha chuckled. “He's just a man. You guys don't think like that. It was me. I came up with the plan. I did it all, so that you could see once and for all that it should've been me all along.”

Riley frowned. He looked at Bill, who looked away.

“What's she talking about, Man?”

“I would've…I mean. I thought the idea was cool. She might have come up with it, but I wanted to see what was gonna happen too,” Bill stammered. But suddenly, his head turned as if the words had finally sunk in. “You said Kelly? You know her?”

“Bill. Bill. I have to admit, I had no idea the plan would go the way it did, but the signs were there all along. If your marriage was
stable with her, no woman would've been able to infiltrate it. Kelly and her husband enjoy an open marriage; you and yours, well, that was just collateral damage. No offense.”

Bill stood speechless and dumbfounded.

“So, lemme get this straight,” Leela began. “You”—she pointed a finger at Natasha—“You convinced this one to convince this one to approach me about Free Fridays?”

Natasha laughed.

“Oh, how simple you all are. Darlin', once Bill was single, I told Bill that his life would be far better if his best friend was single, too. Men are just that simple. They yearn for the good ol' days, when they were single and sowing their oats. Like I said, it all started with Kelly, and once she did her part, that was just the beginning. No, this was a well-calculated plan.”

Natasha inched away from Bill. “See, once that was in motion, I had to set it up so that Kent here and Samantha could meet up. Then, of course, his trusty sidekick, Malone, would need a friend too, and once that was in place, bam!” Natasha slapped her palms together.

“I simply helped Bill see how advantageous it would be if we knocked ol' Riley down a notch or two.”

“What's wrong with you?” Leela asked.

Natasha's eyes widened. She pointed at her own chest. “What's wrong with me? Nothing! I'd say my plan was brilliant; I've waited years for this to all come together. I'm patient, and I am determined. I mean, look at where we are now. You're fucking him; he's fucking me; and I think we should just leave things as they are.”

“So, you're fucking her?” Leela turned to Riley and asked.

He shook his head saying no.

“It's okay, Daddy. I've been trying to tell you all along, she's moved on. Emotionally, your marriage is over. By now, Malone probably
has her eating out of his hands. He's a master at seduction. I hand-picked him myself.”

Leela turned to Malone. She had no words.

“Bill, Dawg, how could you do this to me, Man?”

“It's not all she's making it out to be. I'm telling you, Dawg. She tricked me. We talked about it. I had no idea she even knew Kelly. And honestly, I really didn't expect you to agree to that shit in the first place, but when you did, I was like, let's see what happens,” Bill said. “Then when we watched them move around on the GPS tracker, I thought you were into it.”

“A GPS tracker?” Leela repeated. She wanted to gouge Riley's eyes out with her fingernails.

Malone eased next to Leela. He reached for and touched her arm. “I need to explain.”

She jerked beyond his touch and moved away from him. In a crowded room, she had never felt so alone. She didn't know who was telling the truth and chances of her being able to trust anyone seemed to shrink with each word spoken.

“I don't have anything else to say to you.”

“Sweetness. This may have started out wrong, but think about it. Think about what we feel for each other. We don't have to throw it all away. You said yourself, he doesn't respect you; he talks down to you; acts like you're a kid. It's obvious, he's forgotten what he had in you.”

With narrowed eyes, Leela turned to Malone and said, “But you've been playing out some twisted fantasy all along. What was the prize for you? What would've labeled you a winner? When were you gonna be done with me and on to your next assignment?”

“Sweetness, it's not like that. Natasha wasn't up front when she approached us. She made it seem like it was friends hooking up. I swear to you, she never said all of this was because she wanted your husband.”

Malone's voice begged and pleaded.

“Let her have him, Baby. I've got you. I swear, nothing has changed; I've got you.”

“Dude. That's still my wife. I need you to step off,” Riley said as he approached Malone. He turned to his wife.“Leela, get your shit together, and let's bounce. We'll talk about this at home. I'm tired of this mess.”

All eyes fell on Riley.

Leela was stunned that at this very moment, in light of all that had been revealed, he still carried on like he was in control. She didn't move an inch.

For the longest, Samantha and Kent stood back and watched in silence. She turned to him and asked, “So, the only reason you're with me is because you were helping her out?”

“Nah. She did approach us, but she made it seem like we were all going to hook up. All she did was put us in the same place at the same time, like a blind date. I don't know this chick like that,” Kent quickly said. “That night we sent the drinks over, she was there and told us some story about how you two were her friends. She had to leave, but was concerned about you guys having a good time. That was it. She pointed you and Leela out, and Malone and I took it from there. This is no conspiracy. If she did anything more than that, she did that shit all on her own.”

Samantha looked at Bill. “So you sold your friend out for what? Some ass? You're a real piece of work.”

“I didn't sell anybody out for nothing. Natasha has a way of appealing to what people want most. She's right. I wanted my friend to remember the good ol' days. That's all I'm guilty of. I might have helped her a little more than I should have, but don't try to make this out to be nothing more than what it was,” Bill warned.

Samantha was disgusted. She rushed to Leela's side. “What do you want to do? You don't have to go with him if you don't want
to. I can make everyone leave, and we can try to figure this thing out. Just tell me what you want to do.”

Riley stepped up. “What the hell do you mean what does she want to do? Last I checked, I still had papers on her! That's my damn wife. She's gonna do what the hell I tell her to do,” he stated.

Natasha stepped into Riley's personal space. She spoke to him calmly, as if no one else was in the room.

“See, Baby. That's what I'm trying to tell you. This type of woman will never appreciate you. Women no longer want a real man like you. They don't want a man who is going to take control of a situation and tell them what to do. They're too busy trying to compete with men. But me, I'm different. If you were my husband, you would never have to raise your voice. You say it's time to go, and, Baby, I'm going. You're too good of a man to have to repeat yourself the way you do. Don't you get that? Let me treat you like the king you are.” Natasha moved close to Riley.

When he didn't back away, Leela wondered if what she'd heard was correct. There was nothing appealing to her about Riley's demanding ways and condescending tone. The fact that Natasha found it attractive made her feel like the disturbed woman might have had a point.

L
eela struggled to steady her breathing. She was so enraged she felt like she could kill. She motioned for Samantha to come close, and when her friend came, she reached in and whispered, “Make them go, all of them.”

“You got it!”

Samantha walked into the center of the small crowd that had formed in her living room. She clapped her hands a few times to get everyone's attention.

“Okay, listen here, everyone. It's time to go. This entire mess is over. We're tired of it and we need you all to leave.”

Riley frowned and looked at Leela with such disgust and disdain she knew his mind probably raced with the many ways he could kill her. “Leela, c'mon. Let's go!”

Silence fell on the room once again. All eyes focused on Leela, including Riley's.

“Look, I've had enough of this circus. Let's get outta here and go home,” he repeated. “We can straighten this out in private.”

“I'm not going,” Leela said. At first her voice wasn't that loud. The tension in the room was similar to a foggy day with zero visibility.

Riley moved closer. When Leela flinched, Malone quickly jumped between them.

“Man, she says she ain't going,” Malone said. “And I don't think anybody in here is about to let you force her to go.”

“Dude, who the hell do you think you talking to? This is my wife! I don't care what you think you got with her; she belongs to me!” Riley growled.

“Riley, that's where you're wrong. I don't belong to you! At this point, I don't even know that I wanna still be married to you! I'm not leaving and that's that!”

“You're making a huge mistake,” Riley said. His voice was laced with anger.

“I'll take my chances, but I'm staying right here.”

Natasha moved in and gently took Riley by the arm. “You don't have to take this. Let her stay if that's what she wants to do, Daddy. I'll come with you, and you never gotta worry about begging me.”

“Begging?” Riley gawked. “I ain't begging nobody for shit!”

“I know. I know. That's what I'm trying to say. Let's get out of here. Let's leave them all here to figure this out. She wants to stay; let her. You're too much of a man to have to persuade any woman to go with you.”

Natasha turned her head and allowed her eyes to stare at Leela's feet. The frosty, defiant stare slowly rolled up to her head, stopped at her eyes, where they lingered for a second, then plummeted back down, again. “You're too good for her anyway,” Natasha snarled.

Riley stared at his wife too. He didn't say anything, but he was sure she understood, despite his silence.

“Babe.” Natasha stepped up to Riley and moved into his personal space. She rubbed his arm. “You don't need this. I'm embarrassed for you. I don't understand how you're allowing things to go down like this. Baby, let's go!”

Riley's icy glare connected with Natasha's eager eyes. She pleaded with him silently again, then slowly shook her head. Riley gently removed her hand and nodded.