Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (21 page)

#Chapter8

“Are you going to murder me Kalena?”

Nina

Kalena was at home and so many thoughts ran through her head, she had to put aside the guilt about Nina once and for all. Sure, Nina deserved to be double-crossed because she was a no good skank, but Kalena didn’t want to be the one to do it. Sleeping with someone else’s man was never on her list of things to do.

She sat on her couch and stared at her phone. It felt absurd. The quicker she called her, the better. While she stared at her phone, her thoughts drifted to Tommy’s mouth. The things that he could do with his tongue were out of this world, and his dick was enough to make a woman stalk him. He didn’t just give her great sex, he loved her too. The idea of him wanting to sleep with her was fine, but the idea of him loving her was terrifying.

She just needed to be alone for a little while, especially since she was fresh out of a new relationship. He seemed okay with the idea of just being friends with benefits for the time being, and she hoped that he wouldn’t back out on her because sex with him was top notch.

Okay Kalena, you can’t think of him as a sex object, he’s your best friend. He’s your best friend, and he’s more than his dick,
she said to herself.

Things could never be the same between them. What if they didn’t end up together? How could she attend his wedding and smile, knowing what the other woman was getting sexually? That man was what porn stars were made of; she wanted to call and tell the girls so bad, but that was just tacky. He wasn’t some random guy.

Kalena absentmindedly dialed Nina; it was now or never.

“Is someone dead?” Nina asked, picking up the phone quickly.

“No, nobody is dead,” Kalena assured her.

“Whew! I was just checking because I figured that someone had to be dead in order for you to call me.”

Kalena rolled her eyes; she hated how over the top Nina always was. Why couldn’t she just say ‘hello’ like everyone else?

“No, things are fine. I was calling to see if we could set up brunch this Saturday morning.”

“Are you going to murder me Kalena?”

“Girl, would you just cut that shit out?” Kalena said with annoyance.

“Cut what out?”

“Acting like I hate you to the point that I want to kill you.”

“Well, don’t you?”

“That’s a huge exaggeration of my feelings. You and I both know what happened between us. I’m over it, and I need to talk to you about something.”

“Alright, I can do about eleven, are you going to pick the place?”

“Yep, I’ll text it to you later.”

“Then it’s a date!”

“I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Kalena…”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad you called me,” Nina said with vulnerability in her voice.

Guilt washed over Kalena because she’d only invited her out so she could tell her about her dog of a man. She was trying not to feel bad about it, but Nina completely ruined her moment.

“Um, I don’t know what to say to that,” Kalena said honestly.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you that I miss my friend. Your friendship meant a lot to me and I did something idiotic, something that a friend should never do to someone she loves. I’ve apologized before, but I have no problem with doing it again. I’m sorry, completely and truly sorry.”

“Thank you for that,” Kalena said awkwardly. “So I’ll see you on Saturday?”

“I’ll be there.”

Kalena hung up, and the guilt that she’d been trying so hard to get rid of multiplied. Her anxiety was at a brand new level. Nina was trying to be a decent person and she was about to break her heart. Before she could venture too far down the guilt rabbit hole, there was a knock on her door. She wasn’t expecting company, but Tommy had a habit of showing up unannounced. Damn, it would have been great if it were him at the door. Her body was in need of some more sexual healing, and she was finally in the mood to tell him all about what had happened with Joseph.

She skipped to the door and opened it quickly; her jaw dropped to the floor.

“Hey baby.”

“Hi Mom,” Kalena said as her mother pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s so good to see you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m leaving your dad.”

#Chapter9

“I miss you Tamika,”

Jin

Tamika stood in her office, chatting with Jin. Things seemed to go back to as close to normal as they could possibly get.

“You’re a world beater,” Jin said. “You wouldn’t believe some of the clients that have been calling here lately. When I close them, I’ll be passing them on to you.”

“I can’t wait to hear about them. I’m ready for more. You know how I am.”

“Yeah, you’re insatiable,” he grinned.

The sexual undertones of his words weren’t lost on her. She tried her best to forget the night that they had had together. But the memory of him inside of her was imprinted on her brain forever. Some things a woman could never forget, but at least they could pretend to.

Her life with her husband had finally returned to normal and now they were expecting a baby. Life didn’t get much better than that. Sleeping with Jin had been a huge mistake. Falling into the arms of another man even when your husband is being an asshole was completely unacceptable. She didn’t honor her vows, but she was going to make up to her husband for that. It was a secret that she was going to take to her grave.

She cleared her throat. “I’m enthusiastic.” The closed door and blinds in her office had suddenly become apparent. 

“I miss you Tamika,” Jin said honestly.

“What do you mean you miss me? You see me five days a week.”

“You know what I mean; I miss you. I miss hearing you laugh, I miss talking to you about your life, and I miss the way that you used to look at me. Has the sex ruined everything?”

“I don’t know, I miss what we had too, but what I did was wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Why are you apologizing? I’m the one that came to your house, remember? You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I was the initiator and now I’m trying to set things straight.”

“By shutting me out?”

“For now, yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I have to.”

“Do you still want me or something?” he asked.

She shook her head quickly; it wasn’t clear to her why she lied. It was her first instinct, but he called her bluff.

“If you didn’t want me, then why would you have to distance yourself from me?” He took one step closer. “Tell me that you don’t miss me too. I know that you’re married and I know that what we did was wrong, but I don’t regret it. If you were mine, you would never have had to run into the arms of another man. I would treat you how you deserved to be treated all the time.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Are you happy?” he asked. “I mean really happy, because I don’t see how you could be so unhappy at one point and then completely content the next. Are you trying to convince yourself?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He closed the space between them quickly and pressed his lips against hers. She responded to him instantly. She slightly moaned and realized just how much she missed him too. Being with him always felt so comfortable and it wasn’t just about the sex. If she weren’t with Reggie, he would have been her first choice. But she
was
with Reggie.

She pushed him away. “No.”

He reached for her, but she quickly opened her office door and headed for the elevator. He was hot on her heels. She just needed some air, and some time to think. What was happening between them was her fault and she couldn’t take it back. She should have just kept it at flirting; why did she have to take it to the next level? Now she would always know what he felt like.

Right as she got to the elevator the doors were closing and the custodian gave her a shrug that indicated he was sorry. She wasn’t buying it. She turned around and Jin was heading toward her. A sense of panic flooded over her, but she didn’t know why. Instead of waiting for the elevator to return, she took the stairs. It was going to be a long way down, but she could get off at a random floor and then take the elevator down.

Her heels clicked loudly on the steps, and she covered two floors quickly. However, before she could get down another floor she lost her footing and went tumbling down the stairs. Each hard stair was more painful than the one before.

“Tamika!” she heard Jin yell behind her.

Her entire body was racked with pain as she lay sprawled out at the bottom of the thirty-second floor’s staircase. She hurt everywhere and she didn’t dare move; she didn’t even think that she could.

Jin ran down the stairs to catch up with her. “Oh my god! Tamika, are you okay?’

She could only manage to groan. Her entire body was one big ball of pain. Why had she run down the stairs in four inch heels? Her body didn’t work, but her brain worked, and she was scolding herself terribly. The only thing that registered was Jin’s voice. He was on the phone and he was panicked.

Tamika was dazed and could not make out what Jin was saying on the phone, but then it became clear.

“Don’t worry; the ambulance is on its way. Don’t try to move.”

“You’re overreacting,” she managed to say. “Just give me a minute. Tell them I’m okay.”

“It’s too late; they’re already on their way here and I really think that you need to be seen. That was a hard and long fall that you took and I think you hit your head.”

She didn’t have the strength to argue with him. She slowly picked herself up off of the cold floor and he escorted her over to the stairs so that she could have a seat.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked.

“It hurts everywhere, but my tailbone, head, back, arms, and legs are killing me.”

“You just pretty much named everywhere,” he said jokingly.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you.”

Within ten minutes paramedics arrived and they asked her what happened, so she explained to them that she had fallen down the stairs. She was on a stretcher in no time, but this time she left via the elevator.

A blonde paramedic quickly asked, “Were you cut somewhere? Did you have something sharp in your pockets?”

“No why?” Tamika asked.

“Ma’am you’re bleeding.”

Tamika looked over her body and then saw the blood stain on her tan business pants, directly near her center.

“Did you start your cycle?” the woman asked.

“No,” Tamika said, feeling panicked, “I’m pregnant! Oh my god, my baby!”

“Keep calm, we’re going to get you to the hospital as soon we can.”

Tears flowed down Tamika’s face and then she locked eyes with Jin.

“You’re pregnant?” he asked.

“It’s not yours,” she said weakly.

The two paramedics looked at each other in surprise, but then they went back to being professional. People were starting to gather and watch, and she felt embarrassed. The paramedics needed to hurry and get her the hell out of there.

Most importantly, they needed to save her baby.....

To Be Continued In Episode 4...

THE

INDEPENDENT WOMEN

EPISODE 4

A BWWM Interracial Romance Serial By..

LENA SKYE

Summary

Tamika eagerly awaits news in the hospital as she fears her life as she knows it could be turned upside down. But could she be about to get even worse news then she expected?

Meanwhile, Crystal finally meets a kind and successful man that she can see potential in. Only thing is, he wears a wedding ring. However, that might not be the only problem...

#Chapter1

“Baby, what’s going on?”

Reggie

Just when life seems perfect, it can come crashing down on you, like a ton of bricks. We spend long moments of time chasing short moments of utopia; a part of us knows that it’s never going to last long. However, it doesn’t stop us from trying.

Tamika sat in the hospital, afraid. Everyone treated her like a piece of thin ice, as if she was a fragile being that was going to snap at any moment. She knew that she should be freaking out, but everything felt surreal. Was she really in the hospital? Did she really take a tumble down the stairs? Now her baby’s future was at stake and she was helpless to do anything about it.

She would have given anything to have the last hour of her life back. Why couldn’t she just face Jin like an adult instead of running down the stairs like an idiot? What was he thinking when he chased her anyway? When a woman wants some space, give her some space! He was the reason that she was in this mess. Tears streamed down her face as she laid in the emergency room. She wanted to see the doctor, but she was afraid.

Jin wanted to come in the back with her, but she didn’t want to see his face. The look of shock and surprise on his face when he found out that she was pregnant was too much to bear. Tamika hadn’t revealed that she was pregnant to him or her office yet. The baby wasn’t his, it was her husband’s, but she didn’t think that he would believe her. Having a full on conversation with a man that she cheated on her husband with about a baby that wasn’t his, wasn’t high up on her list of things to do. The point was, she and her husband were having a baby and she didn’t intend on making the same mistake twice.

“Alright, Mrs. Dawson. We’re going to take a look and see what we’re working with, here,” the doctor said quickly as he pulled back the curtain.

“What are you going to do?” Tamika asked.

“First I just need to do a simple pelvic exam, and then we’re going to do an ultrasound.”

“Please, just tell me that everything is going to be okay.”

The woman looked at her with compassion and it broke her heart. She didn’t want to be the source of someone’s pity, she wanted everything to be okay.

“I’m going to do the best that I can to ensure that you’re okay,” the woman said.

Tamika stared at the ceiling as the doctor pressed against her pelvis and searched for her baby. No one was saying anything; she looked up at the doctor to see if her face would give it away. The doctor’s face was blank.

“So what do you think? Is my baby okay?” Tamika asked.

“I’m going to need to do an ultrasound to check,” the doctor stated.

 As soon as she said those words, the nurse in the room got busy. She quickly set up the machine and stepped back.

“Okay,” the doctor said, “I’m going to take a look to see exactly what’s going on.”

Tamika turned her head away from the monitor. She couldn’t look at the monitor, what if there wasn’t a baby there? The same baby that had been there moments before? What if it was gone? What if she already lost it?

After a few moments they wiped her stomach clean, everyone was quiet. That’s when she knew.

“My baby is gone, isn’t it?” Tamika whispered.

“I’m so sorry to have to confirm your thoughts,” the doctor said. “We’re going to have to do a D and C this evening.”

“What is that?”

“It stands for dilation and curettage. A doctor will remove the contents of your uterus. It will be done by scraping the uterine wall.”

“Is that necessary?” she asked

“Unfortunately because of how far along you are, I do recommend it.”

“As if I haven’t been through enough today, can I at least wait until my husband gets here?”

“Absolutely,” the doctor the said. “We can also talk about possibly getting you some counseling if needed. This can be a tough time.”

“Did you already know that I lost my baby when I got here?” Tamika asked, completely ignoring the doctor.

“I’m sorry?”

“You heard me, did you already know that my baby was gone? I mean I was bleeding, you had to know. So why put me through all of the bullshit?”

“I understand that you’re upset, but it’s procedure to be sure before we confirm anything.”

“Right,” Tamika spat, “Can you just leave me alone for a while please?”

“Sure,” the doctor said before she and the nurse left the room.

Tears streamed down her face but not in the way that she expected it to. She thought that she would be overtaken by emotion, but she was afraid to feel much of anything. Her baby was gone, and there was nothing that she could do about it. It was the one thing that was holding her marriage together, and now it was gone. Reggie was going to be so hurt when he found out that his child no longer existed.

She lay there, and she knew that she should be calling her husband but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Someone else was going to have to do it for her. It was bad enough that his brother was just hospitalized from being attacked, and now she was in the hospital. The poor man couldn’t catch a break.

“Knock, knock,” she heard someone say. The curtain was blocking her view of the door, but she knew who it was.”

“What do you want?” she asked Jin.

He was taken aback by her rudeness, but he understood considering the circumstances.

“I just came to check on you,” he said.

“I’m fine, you can leave now.”

“I’m sorry but the only way that I’m leaving is if you ask security to escort me out. Why are you pushing me away?” he asked as he took a seat next to her bed.

“Because of you I lost my baby!” she said through clenched teeth.

They sat in silence for a few moments. She knew that it wasn’t his fault, but the need to blame someone was overwhelming. Taking that blame onto herself would have been immobilizing.

“I’m sorry that you lost your child. I had no idea that you were pregnant. Forgive me for asking but was it…”

“No, it wasn’t’ yours. It was Reggie’s and I’m certain of that so don’t even ask. That’s the reason why I didn’t tell you that I was pregnant.”

“I can understand that, but either way, I’m sorry that it happened to you.”

“What would you have done if I was pregnant by you?” Tamika asked.

“The right thing,” he said quickly.

“Would your family have disowned you for having a kid with a married black woman?”

He laughed lightly, “My family has pretty much disowned me anyway. It would have been another nail in my coffin. However, I can assure you that no one would have stopped me from taking care of my child, or you.”

“I don’t need you to take care of me Jin.”

“Believe me I know, you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself. If you don’t mind, I’m just going to sit here with you until your friends or family show up. When are you expecting them?”

“None of them know yet,” she admitted, “I’m too embarrassed and hurt to tell them. I was so excited about this baby and it was going to keep my marriage together. Now I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I thought that everything was falling into place. My marriage was back on track and my career was flourishing, things were perfect.”

“Is that why you distanced yourself from me?”

Tamika nodded, “I don’t know if I apologized before, but I’m really sorry for dragging you into my drama. I should have never come over to your place that day. I was hurt and I didn’t know what I wanted, you didn’t deserve to be used that way.”

Jin shook his head, “Don’t apologize, I enjoyed myself. I’ll admit that I got my hopes up and I wanted there to be something more, but I knew what I was getting into. That’s the risk that a person takes when they get involved with someone that’s married or attached.”

“Ugh, I seem to make a mess everywhere I go.”

“No,” he said quickly as he grabbed her hand, “Stop feeling so guilty over it. I’m a grown man who made my own decision. I’m happy that I had the time with you that I did and I wouldn’t take it back for anything, even if you would. I’m sorry that I kissed you, I just couldn’t help myself.”

“I kissed you back, so it’s hard for me to blame you for that. I’ve sent mixed signals.”

“I know that this may be highly inappropriate for me to ask, but what do you want?”

“I want to make things work with my husband. Things have been incredibly rocky for us lately and we’ve finally gotten back on track. Right now we’re trying to fix the damage that’s been done to our relationship. I took things a step too far and now I’m paying for it. If I wasn’t married, I would most likely be with you, or someone like you. But I am married, and I have to honor my vows.”

He sighed, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear but he respected it. He didn’t see how a woman like Tamika could be so underappreciated by her husband. She was beautiful, intelligent, sweet, and overall a great person. Her drive was downright sexy and he got to see it firsthand every day.

“Just know that no matter what, I’m here for you. I brought you under my wing as my mentee because I believed in you and you prove me right every day. If you feel like you have to pull away from me to protect your marriage, I understand. However, I just want to say that I’ll never cross that line again with you unless it’s something that you absolutely want. We can keep our relationship friendly and professional just as it was before.”

Tamika nodded, “Thanks, I needed to hear that. I have a feeling that I’m going to need as many friends as I can get after today.”

Jin lightly massaged her hand, “I’m so sorry that this is happening to you. You deserve nothing but the best.”

She sighed, “Right now I feel like I’m getting exactly what I deserve.”

“Don’t say that and don’t think that way. Would you like me to call anyone for you?”

“It’s like you read my mind. I know that it may be too much to ask of you, but do you think that you could call my husband for me? I can’t do it.”

He gave a slight smile, “Of course I can do that for you. Where is your phone?”

“It’s in my purse beneath the bed.”

He searched for her purse and he tried to hand it to her.

“It’s in the side pocket, just grab it search for Reggie’s name and call him.”

Jin nodded and did as asked. She watched him as he dialed the number over and over again. He left a message the fourth time he called.

“What would you like me to do?” Jin asked, “He’s not answering his phone.”

“He’s probably still at the office.”

“Do you have his work number in your phone?”

“It’s in there but under a different name in my phone. Search for his first and last name and it should be under that contact. When I got a new phone my numbers didn’t sync correctly. I rarely call him at work so I never merged them.”

“Okay, I’ll try his job. Will they still be open?”

“Yeah, their office doesn’t close until 8. Evil lawyers never sleep,” she said.

He laughed, “Okay, no problem. I’ll give him a call and let him know.”

Tamika never removed her eyes from Jin as he called the office. If things were different, they could have been happy together. However, she made her choice about the man that she wanted to be with pretty early in life. When she first laid eyes on Reggie she knew that he was the man for her. They were young, but she knew.

One night after her college’s cheerleading rehearsals it was decided that it was time for them to meet the team. Tamika was always unimpressed by the men that she cheered for. Although she was the cheerleading captain at her high school, she never dated a football player. Instead, she opted for the captain of the debate team. His name was Arthur and he was a certified nerd and she loved him. However, they both knew the reality of their situation. He was going off to Florida for school and she was heading to New York. Her father and mother taught her early that young relationships didn’t last, and they were right. She and Arthur parted ways as amicably as they could and agreed to check in with each other.

Love wasn’t a feeling that she’d known yet, she hadn’t experienced being head over heels for a boy in her entire life. Sure, there were men that she was interested in, but never to the point of teenage girl insanity. After the practice the girls walked over to the field and he immediately captured her attention. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He was the kind of boy that only existed on TV, and when he saw her looking at him, he flashed her the most amazing smile and waved.

“Ooooh,” all of the girls went as they noticed the two flirting.

“Stop it,” Tamika laughed.

“No you stop it,” Madeline told her, “it’s too early to start flirting with them. Most of them turn out to be dogs, so don’t like them too much.”

Madeline was the captain of the cheerleading team and in her final year of college. Tamika respected her a lot but she hoped that she was wrong about the guy on the field.

“You never know,” Tamika said.

“Go ahead and get your heart broken. They all seem nice until the football season starts, then they just look at us like convenient pussy. Don’t fall into the trap; I’ve seen far too many girls do it. You’re way too smart and talented to get caught up in the bullshit. Focus on cheering and class, and you won’t lose. If you want a boyfriend, grab one from the chess team, not one of them.”