Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (37 page)

#Chapter4

“I have to learn to control myself better.”

Crystal

Crystal sat in her office, and tried to look at everything but the fine specimen that was seated across the table from her. Kai got better looking every time that she saw him. She wished that he didn’t have kids and that he wasn’t such a douchebag. No man called her crazy and got away with it. Well, he didn’t officially call her crazy, he told her that she had issues, but that was close enough.

One thing that she couldn’t deny was his skill and his dedication to the project at hand. Kai handled everything as a consummate professional; there was no indication of any animosity. The last time she saw him, she threw water on him. Most men would have had a major attitude, but his cool demeanor didn’t show that he was bothered in any way. It pissed her off a little, he was unaffected, and it was insulting.

“Alright,” Kai said, “I think that we’ve made great progress on this project. We’ve nailed down most of the major details and I’ve discussed everything with my team. We would be more than happy to continue to move forward with this grant. I’m looking forward to starting the process and to obtaining it. I think that we have this in the bag. I doubt if anyone is going to top us.”

“You sound really excited,” Crystal said, “I assure you that everyone on my team reflects the same amount of enthusiasm. We’re going to have a long-lasting work relationship and do a lot of good within the community. I can’t wait until we can hit the ground running but first we have to get through the red tape first.”

“Between my people and yours, this is going to be a cake walk. Team work makes the dream work.”

“It definitely does,” she said as she looked at her watch, “Thanks for coming by today. I have another appointment in a half hour. I doubt if you and I will have to meet up any time soon again. Our grant writers will be able to take everything from here, so I’ll be in touch. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Wow, that’s very abrupt,” Kai responded.

“What do you mean? Was there something else that needed to be discussed?”

“If you don’t mind I would like to talk to you about the last time that we saw one another.”

Crystal wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to him about their date. It was very clear where each of them stood when it came to each other and if he was expecting an apology from her, then he had another thing coming. She didn’t issue those out easily.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, the last time we spoke on a personal level, things didn’t end very well,” Crystal replied.

“I would like it if you would at least talk to me about it, instead of us acting like it never happened.”

He had a point, she reluctantly agreed, “Okay, so what do you want to talk about?” 

“I just want to personally apologize for upsetting you so much to the point where things had to escalate. It was never my intention to offend you in any kind of way. I’m sorry if you felt disrespected. I can only hope that we can work together without things being awkward between us.”

Crystal waved her hand in a nonchalant manner, “I don’t have a problem with it at all. So you don’t have to worry about it. I accept your apology, so now we can move on.”

He looked surprised, “So you mean to tell me that things weren’t weird here today? You hardly looked at me at all. Your face was buried in the paper work or you were staring at the paint on the wall.”

“Okay, things were a little weird, but you don’t have to worry about it now. You said that you were sorry, I accept your apology, now we can move on with our lives,” she gave him a dismissive tight smile.

Kai picked up on her energy and gathered his things. After exchanging quick goodbyes he headed towards the door. It was at that very moment that Crystal felt like a complete and utter asshole. He’d been nothing but nice to her and she was still busting his balls.

“I’m sorry too,” she said before he could get completely out of the door. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. She continued, “I’m very sorry for throwing water on you. I have to learn to control myself better. Thank you for being a gentleman and handling it with way more grace than I could ever deserve. I’m also sorry for the way that I treated you after I found out that you had children, you didn’t deserve that.”

He gave her a slight smile, “I appreciate the apology as well. I know that had to be incredibly difficult.”

“You have no idea,” she laughed. “Now, I do have something to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

“Can I take you out this weekend?”

“Your treat?”

“Of course, what kind of woman do you think I am?”

“Okay then, you have a date.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“I’m getting picked up too?” he asked.

“Nothing but the best,” she grinned.

“Okay, see you then.”

Crystal smiled to herself as she watched him walk out of the door. She felt really good about her date, and it was more than because of how he looked. This time she wanted to enjoy his company, get to know him, and redeem herself. It was time for her to stop being so stubborn all the time and to give a good man a chance. It was time for her to let go of her past so that she could finally grasp the future. Comparing everyone to a man who was no longer in her life had done nothing but bring her meaningless relationships, sorrows, and problems. This felt like a new chapter, finally.

#Chapter5

“I warned you, and now I’m coming for you.”

Reggie

Reggie sat alone at a bar in the middle of Harlem. The bar had a decent crowd, and it was one of Reggie’s favorites. The drinks were great, the bar food was awesome, and it was dark. He was supposed to be at work but he called in sick. His superior sounded a little concerned because lawyers didn’t usually take days off sick unless it was an all-out emergency but it felt like an emergency to him. His life was falling apart and a man was trying to take his wife. Not only was a man trying to take his wife but it looked like he was succeeding.

A piece of his soul died when he saw Tamika kiss Jin. He couldn’t help but wonder just how long it had been going on? They looked comfortable together, it was clear that they had a good rapport with each other and his wife smiled at him. It was something that he hadn’t seen in a while. Her smile lit up her entire face; he never realized just how much he would miss seeing her smile at him.

No matter how much he begged, pleaded, and promised her that he would change she wouldn’t respond. The only person that he heard from was her damned lawyer. He couldn’t stand that woman, it was clear that Tamika spared no expense with her representation. Brittany Hubbard was a complete beast in divorce proceedings and he was going to get taken to the cleaners. Granted, he didn’t truly have anything, but that did not make any of this much easier. He had a lot of people at his disposal but going through an ugly divorce wasn’t something that he wanted. He didn’t want a divorce at all but if he had to have one, he wasn’t going to drag it out.

“Would you like another?” The bartender asked.

“Yeah,” Reggie murmured.

He could hardly stand to look at the bartender. He was a young man in his mid-twenties. He looked like he had the entire world at his feet. He looked so happy and he wouldn’t stop smiling, it was annoying as hell. Dude was trying to ruin his buzz with all of the smiling customer service. The bartender, whose name was Monty, gave him another Jack on the rocks. No matter how much he drank, he couldn’t find the solace that he was looking for at the bottom of his glass.

Reggie wished that he could have spoken to his dad in times like these. He and his dad had a love and hate relationship. His father went to prison when he was 13 years old and he was still there. Drugs and murder carried a heavy sentence. Reggie would be 50 before he ever saw his father again outside of the prison system. So if his dad ever made it to the age of 68, then they would have had the chance to hug.

His father sent him letters at least once a month but they almost always went unanswered. Dealing with his father stressed him out. Other people may have had it in them to go to jail to see their loved ones but seeing his dad in there like a caged animal only hurt him. Sure, it may have been selfish but they were his feelings and there was nothing that he could do to change them.  He wanted to write his dad back but he never knew what to say. Did he tell him about his life on the outside? Did that depress someone on the inside? He couldn’t imagine wanting to hear about someone else’s joys and problems if he was inside of prison.

He could still remember the day that his dad was locked up. It was without a doubt the worst day of his life. He and his dad were enjoying themselves riding around the neighborhood. The similarities between the two of them were uncanny, people would always call Reggie his dad’s ‘mini-me’.

“Boy, you got a girlfriend yet?” His dad Larry asked when he turned down the radio.

Reggie half blushed, “Not yet.”

“What’s taking you so long, son?” his dad asked playfully.

Reggie shrugged, “I don’t know, I just haven’t been trying, I guess. There are girls that like me but I don’t do anything about it.”

“What’s taking you so long? Are you gay?” his dad asked while stealing a glance at him as he turned the corner.

“Naw, I’m not gay, I just don’t care about any of that stuff.”

“Dude you’re 13, it’s time for you to care about that stuff,” his dad laughed.

Reggie heard his dad but he wasn’t truly listening. Girls seemed like more trouble than they were worth. He knew that he was supposed to be all over them, but all he wanted to do was play football. It was one of the few things that he enjoyed and they all wanted to cut into his playing time. When he wasn’t playing football on the field or in the park he was playing his video games. His friends were spending a lot of time worrying about girls but it just wasn’t his thing.

“I know, dad,” he murmured.

“Give one of those girls a chance, trust me. Once you start dating you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”

He already knew what his dad was talking about but he wasn’t about to ask him to go into detail. There were plenty of days that he heard his father and his friends talking. They spoke around him as if he were one of the adults. It was clear that women were only good for sex. Reggie swore to himself that he was never going to be like that. When he finally got a girlfriend he was going to treat her good, and she was never going to have to struggle the same way that his mom did.

“Damn, I forgot. I have to make a stop real quick,” his dad said as he made a U-turn. “I’m not going to be long; I just have to pick up some products.”

The products that he was referring to was drugs.  Reggie’s stomach sank. He hated going with his dad to pick up drugs. His father treated him like he didn’t know what was going on. Any kid with half a brain knew what was happening. He was just happy that his brother Paul wasn’t with them. There were plenty of times when he heard his mom and dad arguing over his dad’s profession.

Five minutes later they pulled up to an apartment building. There were at least five shady looking men standing in the front. He recognized a couple of them; they were friends of his dad.

“Alright dude, I’ll be right back, stay here.”

“Okay,” Reggie replied. Where else was he going to go? He damned sure wasn’t going to get out of the car.

Reggie sat in the car for 15 minutes before his dad returned. It felt more like an hour but he was just being dramatic.

“You ready to go?” his dad asked.

“Yep.”

His dad placed the brown paper bag beneath his seat and pulled off. Five minutes later there were sirens behind them. Reggie’s stomach dropped, he looked over at his dad, it was one of the few times he ever saw fear on his father’s face.

Watching his dad get handcuffed was a horrible feeling. Getting taken to the police station and having to wait for his mom to pick him up was even worse. Not knowing what was going to happen to his father killed a piece of him on the inside.

Reggie adjusted his weight on the bar stool and drained his glass as he tried to shake off the memories. He was lonely, and the only thing he wanted to do was forget for a little while. He pulled out his phone and dialed Janet’s number. She should have been out of the office by then, it was past seven o’clock. Janet was the co-worker that had a thing for him or so Reggie assumed. If his wife could kiss her boss, then he could have drinks with a co-worker.

“Hello?”

“Hey Janet, how are you?”

“I’m doing okay,” she said with a smile in her voice, “How are you feeling? I heard that you weren’t feeling well.”

“It’s been one of those days. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to take you up on your offer for drinks the other day, I want to make it up to you if you don’t mind.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“How about you meet me at the Harlem Public?”

“When?”

“Now,” he said.

“Hmm, I planned on getting some work done but I can go for a drink, it’s been a long day. I’ll be there in about twenty five minutes.”

“Cool, I’ll see you soon.”

“Another?” the bartender asked.

“Keep them coming,” Reggie replied.

Almost 30 minutes later Janet arrived and she took the empty seat next to him.

“Heeeey, Janet,” Reggie slurred.

“It looks like you got started without me,” Janet said in disappointment. She liked him but she wasn’t a fan of men being sloppy drunk and it was clear that he was intoxicated.

“Yeah, I had to start the party early, I hope you don’t mind.”

“I guess not. You didn’t drive here though, right?”

“No, I took a cab,” Reggie said. He stared at her, she was prettier than he remembered and her body was smoking hot. He wondered why he didn’t give her more of a chance before. She was smart, young, beautiful, and she liked him. She met him at a bar when his wife wouldn’t even answer one of his damned phone calls.

“Good, now I can relax.”

“Let me buy you a drink,” Reggie said as he motioned for the bartender to come over.

After she ordered a drink she said, “We missed you today, I’m glad to see that you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I’m good. I just needed a personal day, I hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head, “We all have those days. I probably need to take one every now and then. God knows I need it. The firm is keeping us plenty busy.”

“It sure is,” Reggie replied with disinterest in his voice. The last thing he wanted to talk about was work. He called off because he didn’t want to go to work, so talking about it was low on his list of things that he wanted to do.

“Oh my goodness, you have to let me tell you all about what Simon did today…”

He stared at her blankly as she went on and on about her day at the office. The only thing that Reggie could focus on was her lips. She had great lips, they were the perfect shape. His dick twitched when he thought about them being wrapped around him. He was willing to put money on her being an outstanding head doctor.

“Reggie, are you listening to anything that I said?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” he lied.

“What did I say?”

“You were talking about work, I’m listening to you.”

“Sure you were,” she laughed, “Since you don’t want to talk about work, how about we talk about something that you’re interested in. What’s on your mind? Where was your head as I babbling on?”

“I was thinking about your lips being wrapped around my dick,” Reggie said plainly.

It was as if the music stopped. “Excuse me?” she asked.

“I was thinking about those pretty little lips being wrapped around my big dick,” Reggie said as he leaned into her, his breath hot against her ear.

“You’re a disgusting asshole!” Janet said as she rose to her feet.

“Sorry, I was just being honest sweetie,” he said. What the hell was her problem?

“You should have kept those thoughts to yourself. I’m getting the hell out of here. Never speak to me again. I don’t know what kind of person you think that I am, but I don’t tolerate that kind of disrespect.”

Reggie shrugged as he took another gulp of his drink, “Whatever, there are a lot more of you out of the factory that you came from.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You have that whole ‘Becky’ vibe going on.”

“Screw you!” she said before she headed towards the door.

As he watched her leave, it dawned on him that he probably didn’t make the best decision to invite her to meet him at the bar.  Speaking to her the way that he did was going to make things extremely awkward at work, but he would have to cross that bridge later. He decided that it was going to be his last drink of the evening. Mimi’s words to him replayed in his head as he closed out his tab. He truly was going to destroy himself.

As he thought some more, he couldn’t get her words out of his head. That bitch was really starting to get to him.

After paying for the drinks a short while later he was in a cab and he was seething. The Jack Daniels and his misery weren’t mixing very well. He pulled out his phone and texted, “I warned you, and now I’m coming for you.” He stared at it for a little while longer and the Jack Daniels told him to push send, so he did. Mimi probably wouldn’t be too scared about his threat, but he didn’t care. People didn’t have to be scared in order for horrible things to happen to them.