Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (17 page)

He shook the thought from his head because it was stupid. What kind of man steals from his own wife to pay debts? It wasn’t like he didn’t have a law degree. It was time for him to humble himself and find clients or beg his way into another firm. He hadn’t been trying hard enough to get it together, and he wasn’t going to remain another horrible statistic. 

#Chapter3

“If I see something I want, then I’m going to get it,”

Crystal

The following Saturday, Tamika raised her face toward the sun. It felt amazing, even if the brisk breeze was cutting through her trench coat. Her husband had told her to wear a heavier coat, but she loved the way that it fit her body. It was tailored to perfection and the detailing on it was superb.

Everything was perfect, Reggie couldn’t keep his hands off of her and they were already deciding on girl and boy names. He couldn’t stop touching her belly and talking to the baby; it was so damned cute.  He came home right after work every day; they ate dinner together, and spent the evening in each other’s arms.

“Are you listening to a damned thing that I’m saying, or are you going to continue to stare off into space?” Crystal asked Tamika.

Kalena snickered. “Yeah, you are out here looking like a cold ass space cadet. Let’s cross the street because Cole Hann is calling my name. I need some new shoes. I’m in need of some retail therapy…that much is for sure!”

“You don’t need new shoes; you never really give yourself enough time to need new shoes. Why do you need retail therapy, is everything okay with you?” Crystal asked.

“I don’t know if I’m coming or going right about now. I’m going to do my best and remain upbeat on this shopping trip, but I’m not feeling the greatest.”

“Is it about your parents?” Tamika asked.

“Um, Yeah,” Kalena said. It was only a partial truth. She
could
take the time to tell them everything that happened to her with Daniel, but she didn’t want to be scolded. It would only make her feel worse. So instead she was going to fake her positive feelings and enjoy the company of her friends.  “Besides, it doesn’t matter if anything is wrong or not. We have to do whatever the mom-to-be wants. I heard that pregnant ladies are
crazy
.”

They were shopping on Fifth Avenue. It was easily one of their favorite places in New York to shop, next to private shopping events. They all worked very hard for what they had and they enjoyed spending it.

“You two better stop being mean to me, it’s not nice to stress out a pregnant woman,” Tamika pouted and rubbed her belly.

“Wow, so you’re going to milk this for all it’s worth, huh?” Kalena asked.

“You know she is,” Crystal answered. “Remember when she was a bridezilla?”

Tamika gasped. “I was not a bridezilla; I was just very
specific
about what I wanted.”

“Girl, when you snapped on that cake decorator about the shade of the sugar flowers, I knew you were tripping,” Kalena laughed.

“I worried for that poor man’s health, because you were about to tear him a new asshole when you thought that it was a couple of shades off,” Crystal added.

“It wasn’t like that, and the color
was
off, and his ass had the nerve to call
me
crazy. That’s when I lost it. I paid him a ton of money to make my cake, so I fully expected it to be right, and it wasn’t, so he had to fix it.”

Kalena rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever you say. Let’s get in that damned store, because I’m cold.”

The three of them dodged traffic and headed to the store that was calling Kalena’s name. They got top notch service. One of the girls remembered Kalena from the last trip, so she kept following her around and asking her if she needed help. She walked out with two bags and four pairs of shoes and felt like a brand new woman. The only thing that could have made her feel better was if someone would have held her bags for her.

“Ladies, don’t you think that we should hire a bag boy? This carrying our own bags shit just isn’t working for me. I have so many other things that I want to buy. We haven’t been out like this in over two months and I want to do some serious damage!” Kalena said.

“You need to be enrolled in shop-a-holics anonymous,” Crystal suggested.

“Whatever chick, I’m not the only one that needs to be there. You’ll be in there right along with me. Remember when we went into the Louis store and you got damned near five purses
and
a new luggage set?”

“Don’t judge me. I needed those purses and their new collection was on point. I had to buy it then or have to buy it when it went off season, and you know I don’t like being behind the times. If I see something I want, then I’m going to get it,” Crystal insisted.

“That applies to so many parts of your life,” Tamika giggled.

“Oh hush. Where are we going next?”

“I think it’s my turn do some damage in the Louis store,” Tamika replied. “We want a new baby bag.”

“Okay, we’ll let you buy the baby bag, but don’t buy anything else,” Crystal warned. “We are the godmommas and we wanna hook our child up.”

“Yep, and you know how you are, you’ll buy everything. Then the only thing that we will be able to give you is money.”

“Cash is always appreciated. When have you ever seen me turn down some cash?” Tamika joked.

The women headed down to the store and got a few items. For the next couple of hours, they laughed and talked shit. They finally went to what they agreed would be their last store. The agreement was only because they didn’t want to carry more bags.

Tamika and Kalena sat down in the dressing room and waited for Crystal to come from behind her curtain.

“So you’ve been glowing ever since you stepped out of the house. I’m assuming that things are going really good at home?” Kalena asked.

“Girl, they are going so well that I’m still sore from this morning,” Tamika bragged.

“Ew,” Kalena said as she made a fake gagging face. “You two are back to being freaks, huh?”

“I can’t even begin to tell you how great things have been. He’s back to being the man that I met all those years ago. I don’t know what sparked the change, but I really like it. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get my husband back, but he’s back and better than ever.”

“I know you two witches aren’t disclosing close personal business without me?” Crystal said when she pushed back the curtain dramatically. She stood at the door like she was a model for Ebony Fashion Fair. The brilliant blue formal dress hugged her curves. “Okay, I know that I don’t have anywhere to wear this dress yet, but I need it in my life.”

“How much is it?” Kalena asked.

“I don’t know. You know they never put price tags on this shit,” Crystal replied.

“It’s fourteen hundred,” the sales associate said.

All three of them turned, because she seemed to come from nowhere.

“Where did you come from?” Tamika said.

“I’ve been here the entire time. No worries ladies, I’m just here to help. Consider me invisible until you need me,” the pretty blonde replied.

“See, I like her,” Crystal said. “When I take this dress off, please take it to the register for me. I want to check out some more stuff.” 

“That’s not a problem,” she smiled.

Crystal looked at both of her friends and gave a face that signaled she was happy. She got a shopping high whenever she was out, it couldn’t be denied. Whenever she got exceptional customer service, she was more likely to shop ‘til she dropped.”

They all went out to look at more clothes and whenever they found pieces that they liked, Amy the sales associate grabbed them and took them to their individual dressing rooms.

“I sure wish that people would pay attention to me like that,” a random girl said to her friend. She looked pissed off.

The three women heard her, but they ignored her, assuming that they’d caught a random piece of her conversation with someone else.

“Oh my goodness, look at how cute this top is,” Tamika said, holding it up to her body.

“It’s cute, but it is too form-fitting; you won’t be able to get in that shirt soon,” Crystal answered with a laugh.

“I can always wear it
after
I have the baby.”

“You think you’re going to be the same size? If you’re breastfeeding, your titties aren’t going to get in that bad boy,” Crystal said crassly.

“You are such a kill joy; you’re ruining my shopping vibe.” Tamika put the shirt back on the rack and soon her eyes found something else to swoon over. Amy quickly found it in her size and rushed it off to the dressing room.

“She hasn’t asked us if we wanted anything at all!” The loud woman exclaimed once again. “Who in the hell do you have to screw to get some service in here?”

Soon, another attendant rushed over to the angry woman and offered her services, but it was too late, the woman was on a rant. “Don’t try to help me now; you all can keep helping those girls over there. Obviously my money isn’t green enough to be in this place.”

Kalena looked at the woman in confusion.
Why was she so upset if someone offered her help?

“I’m sorry ma’am, but that associate is assigned to that party, but I’ll be more than happy to assist you,” the brunette insisted.

“Oh, so does that mean you’re assigned to me and my friend? When people come through the door, you aren’t going to help them? I didn’t know that it worked like that in this store or any other store,” the woman snapped.

“I understand that you’re upset, but certain clients get specialized treatment. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you’re well taken care of. Can I help you with something in particular?” the brunette responded.

“Ah, so there we have it. Maybe I’m not
urban
enough to get my own associate.”

The three girls snickered. The woman was mad because they were black. It wasn’t their fault if they were young, black, and fabulous. They proceeded to ignore her and returned to their conversation; they’d wasted enough time looking at her throw a hissy fit over nothing.

After an hour and a half, they were all tired and ready to go home.

“Are you okay Kalena?” Crystal asked, “You’ve been a little somber.”

“I’m alright, I’m just tired,” Kalena said. It was the truth mixed with a lie. She wanted to tell her friends about what had happened with Daniel, but it was too embarrassing, and they would have a million questions. Maybe after she sorted through all of it in her head she would share it with them.

They all got into separate cabs and headed home. Crystal couldn’t wait to show off all of her new purchases to the world. She sat amongst her bags and lovingly patted them. Her phone chimed and she looked to see who was calling. It was her old flame Tyrell. She usually ignored his calls because he was an asshole, and he was always trying to rekindle what they’d had. All they did was argue and he couldn’t get enough of the fighting. He was addicted to drama and she could do without it. She’d dated him off and on for years because his sex game was top notch.

She weighed the pros and cons of answering the phone and decided to answer. She was in the mood for some fun. “Hello?”

“Hey, sweet thang.”

Crystal shook her head, “What do you want, loser?”

“Damn it’s like that? You finally answer my call after six months and you already start with the insults?”

She shrugged. “It’s because you’re always starting some shit. You know how things are between the both of us; it can get really ugly really fast.”

“But that’s the beauty of it. We take all of that passion to the bedroom. You can’t tell me that you don’t miss me. Give me another try.”

“I don’t know Tyrell; I’m not really in the mood for your bullshit.”

“I’ve matured.”

“In six months you’ve matured?”

“I have, let me prove it to you. Let me take you out next weekend.”

“How about you meet me for drinks tonight, and then we’ll discuss next weekend.”

“Oh hell yeah,” he said.

“Be warned though, you’re not getting any tonight. I just want to make sure that you’re serious.”

“You’re gonna love me, girl.”

“Yeah okay,” she laughed. “Text me where you want to meet and I’ll see you tonight.”

“Alright, bye sweet thang.”

“Bye sugar,” she grinned. She laughed as she hung up her phone. He was a little crazy, but she always had fun with him. Few people had the ability to piss her off the way that he did, but then he would turn around and make her laugh. She was looking forward to seeing Tyrell again; it had been far too long. 

#Chapter4

“I would do anything for you.”

Tommy

Not even new shoes could make Kalena feel better, and that was saying something. In her opinion, new shoes could fix everything. Her friends were very happy and she didn’t want to bring down the mood of the group, but she was hurting inside. She felt a small twinge of jealousy toward Tamika. Everything seemed to be falling in place for her. Her husband was amazing and she was pregnant. That was the kind of life that she wanted, but the men that she met didn’t seem interested in sharing that life with her.

Why couldn’t she trust anyone? Why did they all have to be grade-A douche bags? The only thing that seemed to be going well in her life was her job. Her family was completely out of whack and so was her love life.

The cab finally arrived at her neighborhood and her stomach dropped. She didn’t want to be home alone. She lived in the beautiful area of Bay Ridge. Living so close to the water had been a huge selling point for her. She didn’t actually get as much time as she liked to enjoy it, but knowing that it was so close was comforting to her.  Her neighborhood was different from other parts of Brooklyn. She liked how suburban it felt and she loved seeing families. It reminded her of what she ultimately wanted. A forty-minute commute to work wasn’t the greatest, but it was worth it. A change of pace from Manhattan five days a week was needed.

The driver pulled up to Kalena’s massive red-bricked building and she sighed. The cab driver didn’t talk to her, but at least he was decent company. She didn’t look at the price that was on the meter; she didn’t want to know. She handed over her credit card and let the man charge it. She got the receipt back and tipped him.

Then came the hard part; she had to get everything out of the car. The Middle Eastern driver saw her predicament and graciously helped her get her bags out and steady herself. Before she could say thank you, he was already getting back into the driver’s seat. She thought that he was helping her to be nice, but apparently he’d just needed her to get out of his car so he could go on another job. She regretted giving him a tip.

On her way to the door, her phone started to buzz; answering it was out of the question. There was no way that she could pull it off without dropping at least two bags. The trek from the sidewalk, into the front door, up the elevator, and to her door was annoying the hell out of her. She finally made it and her phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Whoever was calling her truly wanted her attention.

She opened the door, dropped all of her bags once she got inside, and fished her phone out of her pocket. It was a number that she didn’t recognize, but she answered it anyway. “Hello?”

“Hey, Kalena?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“It’s Natasha.”

Hearing her name made Kalena’s blood boil. Why in the world would that skank call her? This was the woman who’d preyed on her mom’s good graces and slept with her father in
their
house! There were a million thoughts running through her mind. She’d spent quite a bit of time coming up with horrible things to say when she finally got a chance to speak to her, but none of them would come out of her mouth. “What do you want?”

“I know that your mom told you about what’s going on. I just wanted to reach out to you to make sure that there aren’t any hard feelings. I’m so sorry about the way that things are going. Your dad said that he’s been trying to call you, but you aren’t answering.”

“What happens between me and my dad is none of your business. So is this what you called me for?”

Natasha was taken aback by Kalena’s cold demeanor. It wasn’t anything like what she was used to. When she’d met her before, Kalena always seemed nice and warm.

“W-well yeah, I was calling to ask you to speak to your dad, because it would mean a lot to him if you could be close again and get to know your new sibling that’s on the way.”

“That baby is no sibling of mine. You and my dad can feel free to raise your bastard as you wish, but I’m not going to be a part of it. My dad is lying to you; he hasn’t called me. He’s too afraid of what I’m going to say to him, so he had you do his dirty work.”

“It’s not about that; it’s just about all of us becoming a family.”

“Really? I don’t know what kind of polygamist bullshit you two are trying to pull, but it’s not going to work.”

“I get why you’re upset.”

“No, you really don’t. Do you know that my dad is a dog? Did you know that he’s been cheating on my mom since I was born? Hell, it was probably before that! You’re not special, sweetie; you’re just another warm hole for him to fill. Now that you’re having that baby, he’s really going to be done with you. Haven’t you seen the way that men treat their baby mommas? He’s cool with you now, but I guarantee you, before you even hit eight months he’s going to discard you like the trash that you are. You may think that he’s leaving my mom, but he’s not going to do that. He’s an upper middle-class man without a pre-nup. Go ahead and file for child support, because that’s the only thing that you’re going to get.”

“It’s not like that with the two of us,” Natasha said, but her shaky voice betrayed her true feelings. Kalena smiled a sinister grin, because she knew that the seed of doubt that she’d planted was finally starting to take root.

“Aww, poor thing, I know that’s what you think. I’ve seen this play out way too many times. There have been so many other women, but you’re the only one dumb enough to get pregnant so far. It’s going to suck having to see his kid every day when he’s no longer around, but you did this to yourself.  I say it serves you right for what you did to my mother.

“I didn’t plan for this to happen; you can’t help the people that you love. I know in my heart that he’s the man for me. You said it yourself that he hadn’t been faithful to your mom.”

“Don’t even mention my mother, you don’t deserve to. You probably had your eye on my dad before you moved into their house. But that’s okay, because I can assure you that karma is a
bitch
and you’re going to find that out first hand.”

She heard a sob through the phone and then a beep indicating that the phone call had ended. Her breathing was heavy, as if she’d been in a physical fight. Soon her phone rang again; it was her dad. “Hello?”

“Kalena!”

“What?”

“Why do you have Natasha in tears? She can’t even talk about what you said to her.”

“Hello to you too, Dad.”

“Hi, now tell me what’s going on.”

“How about you tell me about what’s going on? First Mom had to call me and then your little slut bucket called me. When were you going to—”

“Watch your mouth, Kalena! Don’t disrespect her or me like that.”

Kalena scoffed. “So you don’t want me to disrespect you or that woman, but you’re perfectly fine with disrespecting my mother, yourselves, the sanctity of marriage, and your congregation?”

Her father fell silent. “Look, I’m sorry that you had to find out the way that you did; I was too ashamed to call you myself. But the child is coming and there is nothing that we can do about it. All I can do is the right thing.”

“You can try to fool everyone else, but you’ll never fool me dad. I truly know you, and I know what you’re capable of. I have better things to do with my time; I will talk to you later.”

“I love you.”

“Bye, Dad.”

Kalena hung up. She felt worse, and incredible sadness washed over her. Her dad had a lot of nerve calling her. She’d been waiting on him to call her, and when he finally did, it was to take up for Natasha. Once again, he’d let her down, and although she thought that she should be accustomed to it,  it never got easier.

She’d always hoped that he would change his ways and be a better person for his family, but he never did. He would go out of his way to be an amazing person for the people that surrounded him, but he didn’t give two shits about his own family. He didn’t care that he kept hurting his wife and daughter. He wanted sex from multiple women and nothing would stop him.

Kalena sat on her couch, her hands still slightly shaking from her conversations, and she thought about her mom. She’d tried to tell her mom about what her dad was doing after that horrible day. They were sitting in the kitchen, but she was so nervous. She’d promised her dad that she wouldn’t tell her mom about what happened. He even got her a new computer for her room, although normally she was only allowed to use the one in the common area. He got her a brand new pair of Jordans too. She’d always wanted a pair, but her dad and mom refused. Even though they had the money, they thought it was ridiculous to spend that much money on a pair of basketball shoes. But her dad got it for her with no questions asked to buy her silence.

She was eating her breakfast before school while her mom was humming and reading the newspaper. She knew that she’d promised her dad to keep her mouth closed, but it felt like a betrayal to her mother. Her mom always said that she could talk to her about anything, so it was time to put that to the test.

“Mom,” Kalena started.

“Yes, baby?”

Kalena looked at her mom and smiled nervously. Her mother was so beautiful; she was about 5’9 with a light complexion, and her slender nose, beautiful grey eyes, and long sandy brown hair made her the envy of many women. She was the kind of woman that men claimed that they would never cheat on if they had the chance to be with.

“I want to tell you something, but you have to promise that you won’t get mad.”

“Uh oh, should I be scared? Did you break something again? Is it your brand new computer?”

“No, I didn’t break anything.”

“Okay then, what is it?”

“When I went out with Dad, he was in bed with that lady from church.”

Her mom’s facial expression changed from shock to anger, and then blank. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then finally her mother said, “I thought that you were supposed to keep everything that happens on your trips with your dad between the two of you.”

“Yeah, but I thought that I should say something.”

“No, what you should have done is kept your word. Now how do you think your dad would feel if he knew that you were out spreading his business? When he’s out working, it’s not for everyone to know what’s going on. I’ll make sure that I talk to him about it.”

Kalena was terribly confused. That wasn’t the reaction that she’d expected from her mother at all. Where were the anger and the outrage? Where were the tears? Instead, she seemed more disappointed with her
daughter
. That was when she learned that she didn’t have anyone to talk to anymore. Her mother wasn’t interested in knowing the truth, and her dad wasn’t as amazing as she’d thought he was. It was the loneliest that she’d ever felt in her entire life, and she never truly recovered.

The same empty feeling that she’d felt in her youth followed her into adulthood. The ache was in her heart as she slumped over onto her couch. There was no way that she could call her friends. Tamika would be spending the evening with her husband and Crystal would have a new flavor for the evening.

Usually she would call Tommy, but he was mad at her. However, he never stayed mad at her for long. She could cuddle with him on his couch and maybe he would make her feel better. He was a great friend, and if she showed up at his place, he wouldn’t turn her away.

Without giving it a second thought, she grabbed her keys and purse and headed out the door. He was only a ten minute walk away, but she didn’t want to wait that long, so she hopped into her car, hoping that parking wouldn’t be a nightmare around his house.

Within a few minutes she arrived at his Brownstone two flat condo. It wasn’t like her to show up to places unannounced, but she wanted to see her friend and she didn’t want to risk him being mean to her over the phone. If he didn’t want to deal with her, then he would have to tell her to her face. However, she did run the risk of him not being at home, and while that would suck, she didn’t lose anything by trying.

She rang his doorbell and shuffled from one foot to the other nervously. Soon he came to the door with a look of surprise on his face.

“Hey, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“I’m okay. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I’m sorry that I came by unannounced. I know that’s rude.”

“No it’s okay; you don’t ever have to apologize for coming by here. You’re always welcome here.”

Kalena smiled slightly, “Good, because I’m not okay. I just talked to Natasha and my dad.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. “I said so many things I can never take it back, and I don’t think that I want to. I just feel like shit.”

“Where is Joseph, shouldn’t he be comforting you?” Tommy said.

The tears began to stream down her face. “I shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry.” She turned around and headed down his stairs.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset you.” He sighed deeply. “Don’t go anywhere, just wait right here, don’t leave.”

Kalena walked back up his stairs and sat down on the stone stairs. Maybe she’d made a mistake coming over to Tommy’s. He was still obviously upset with her, and if she told him what had happened with Joseph, he would just rub it in her face. He probably couldn’t wait to stick her nose in it. She sighed and checked her watch; she’d been waiting for almost five minutes.
What was he doing and why did she have to wait on the porch?