Secret Indiscretions (10 page)

“Dr. Owens, it's time for you to take the stage now.”

Samuel nodded, then smiled at Geneva. “Please excuse me, I have to make my speech now.” He cleared his throat. “I hope we get a chance to speak again before you leave.”

Geneva smiled. “I'll make sure of it.”

Later that night as Samuel lay in his king size bed all alone, he replayed the evening's events in his head. He'd been on a natural high after the success of the open house. Even though he didn't get a chance to speak to Geneva at length as he'd wanted to because of the rush of parents, volunteers, and teachers who took up his time after his speech, he was glad that she'd waved good-bye to him through the crowd before she left the building.

Geneva's beautiful smile had him floating on a cloud until he walked through his front door, but he became pissed as soon as he saw Vivana. She was sitting in the family room, tapping away on her laptop, sipping on a glass of wine.

“We have a serious problem,” he said.

“And what's that?” She never bothered to look up from her screen.

He walked up to her and closed the top of her computer.

“What the hell are you doing?”

He could see that he'd startled her. Normally he'd let her go about her business of whatever she was doing, but he'd had enough. “I'm trying to talk to you, so I need your attention,” he said with a hard edge in his voice. “We don't have a marriage anymore. We don't communicate, and I feel like what we had is gone. We're broken, Vivana.”

Vivana rolled her eyes. “If this is about me not going to the open house . . .”

Samuel cut her off. “It's about everything. It's about how we've grown apart. It's about how we don't even speak a word to each other for days, and then when we do, it turns into an argument.”

“Like now,” she said sarcastically.

Samuel shook his head. “I'm not arguing with you, I'm trying to have a conversation, Vivana.” He looked into her eyes the way he'd peered into Geneva's tonight, but as he focused in on his wife, what he saw reflected back at him was emptiness. He knew he was wasting his energy and his time trying to find or build anything, a love that wasn't there.

“What?” Vivana said with irritation. “Are you gonna just stand there and stare at me, or are you gonna talk?”

Samuel knew when to cut his losses, so he told Vivana good night and went upstairs to salvage what was left of the great evening he'd been having up until he'd come home. Once he was out of her presence, he was able to refocus his mind, and take pleasure in knowing that tonight's event had been the most highly attended, well organized open house he'd experienced since coming to Sandhill. Not only did everyone have a good time, the energy and spirit of the school was showcased in a clip on the late night news, which was set to rebroadcast tomorrow. But above all the accomplishments of the evening, the one thing that stood out to Samuel was the woman he'd met: Geneva Mayfield.

Geneva had captured his interest and managed to hold it, even during his presentation to the open house attendees. He'd found himself glancing in her direction and each time he did, her kind smile and nods of approval made him feel like he'd just been handed a winning lottery ticket. After he left the stage, she'd found him and let him know that his speech had inspired her. He wanted to tell her that she was equally inspiring, but he couldn't find the words.

Samuel reached over to his nightstand and cut off his light. He didn't mind that Vivana hadn't asked him how the open house went when he came home, and it didn't bother him that she was asleep on the couch downstairs, at this very moment, where she'd be spending the rest of the night. He wasn't concerned, because Geneva had taken his mind off his troubles and had replaced them with possibilities. He smiled at the thought.

Geneva was like a breath of fresh air, and he couldn't wait to see her when she came to volunteer at Sandhill this Monday.

“T
hank God it's Monday!” Geneva said with a smile.

Unlike most people who dreaded Mondays, it was Geneva's favorite day of the week. Monday was the universal day off in the salon world, and it was the one day she didn't have to worry about demanding clients, overbookings, shop gossip, or standing all day until her feet and legs hurt. Monday was her day to relax and do absolutely nothing if she so chose. But because Geneva was active and liked to keep herself busy, the one simple luxury she allowed herself was to sleep in until nine o'clock. Once she rose from bed, she split her time between cleaning up around the house, washing clothes, cooking and sampling new recipes, and running errands. After her many tasks were complete, she'd round out her day by getting lost in a good book until she fell asleep.

Reading had been her passion since she was a little girl, and today she was going to merge her love of books with her love of children by volunteering at Sandhill Elementary School.

She'd been floating on a cloud since the open house event last week, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this happy. She was energized with the kind of inspiration and purpose that made her feel as if all the worries and problems she'd been going through over the last few months were behind her. Not only was volunteering at the school going to help the children, it was going to fuel her spirit.

“What dress should I wear?” she said to herself as she stood in front of her neatly organized closet. She looked to her right and her eyes landed on a brightly colored sundress draped on a black velvet hanger. “Canary yellow,” she said with a smile as she ran her hand across the dress's soft fabric. The color matched her lively mood and the material had just enough stretch to give the garment a wow factor.

Geneva pulled the delicate sundress from the hanger, reached for a pair of sandals from her shoe rack, and then combed her eyes through her hanging jewelry organizer to select the perfect earrings and bracelet that would complete her outfit. As she admired her ensemble, she felt a small glint of guilt, knowing that the reason she wanted to look extra special today was because of another man. She'd been thinking about Samuel Owens since their intense conversation last week. They'd made a definite connection, and she hoped she would see him this morning when she read to the first-graders on their first day of school.

She walked back out to the bedroom and paused for a moment when she saw that the bed was empty. The sound of water running in the master bathroom, music blasting on the radio, and Johnny's voice accompanying the beat in perfect harmony, made her roll her eyes. It was a small miracle that he was home at all. Most of the time he'd rise early and be out of the house before Geneva opened her eyes, relegating their time spent together to the few moments she'd see him before she drifted off to sleep after he came in late at night or the wee hours of the morning.

Johnny had apparently awoken while she was standing in her closet, and hadn't even bothered to say good morning or let her know that he was up. He'd just rolled out of bed and gone straight to the shower, no doubt to wash off the scent of whatever he'd gotten into last night when he came dragging into the house shortly after midnight.

Normally, Geneva would have been upset and hurt by her husband's inconsiderate, low-down behavior, which had been going on for months. But ever since last week her attitude had changed, and surprisingly, she was beginning to care less and less about his misdeeds or on whose pillow he laid his head.

Last week when he'd stayed out all night, she'd been so furious the next morning that she couldn't speak to him. But later that evening, after she'd come home from Sandhill's open house, her entire outlook on things had changed. Samuel Owens had spoken with her in a way that made her feel valued. He'd looked into her eyes when they talked, and she felt a comfort and attraction that gave her goose bumps. The fact that she'd flirted with him had surprised her, but then again, he'd flirted with her, too, and it felt so natural that she welcomed it. When he'd stood in front of the auditorium full of people to deliver his speech, he'd glanced at her every so often, making her feel as though she was the only person in the room. She was mesmerized as he talked about setting goals, pursuing dreams, helping others, and being a good steward of the community. She'd been so beaten down by Johnny's disrespect and neglect over the years that she'd forgotten what it was like to feel empowered, stimulated, and encouraged by a man.

“What's that smile for?” Johnny said, startling Geneva from her thoughts.

He was standing in the bathroom doorway wearing a mischievous smile that accompanied a rock-hard erection. Droplets of water still clung to his sculpted, naked body as he walked toward her. “I know how I can make that smile even wider,” he said, planting himself in front of her.

There was a time, only several days ago, in fact, that Johnny's words and actions would have made Geneva tingle with excitement. But looking at her handsome husband, standing before her in all his rugged, naturally sexy, tantalizing glory, she didn't feel anything at all, not even a tiny spark. The only urge that rose inside her at the moment was the overwhelming need for him to move out of her way so she could go to the bathroom, take a shower, and get dressed so she could leave for Sandhill.

“Can you move, please,” Geneva said, looking past her husband, focusing her eyes on the bathroom door.

Johnny smiled and tried to sidle next to her. “What's wrong, baby? Don't you want none'a this?”

She wanted to say no, but instead she decided to be diplomatic. “I have to take a shower and get dressed.”

“What I have in mind doesn't require showering, and you definitely won't need any clothes,” he said in his deep voice that sounded as though he was still singing. “Come on.” He tugged at her nightgown. “You know you want this.”

“Stop playing around, Johnny. I have things to do.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “What could be more important than making love to me?”

“Believe it or not, my world revolves around more than just you.”

Johnny stepped back. “This is the kind of bullshit you do that drives me crazy. First you complain about me not coming home at a certain hour that you think I should, and then you nag and whine that I don't show you any attention. But when I'm here, looking into your eyes, ready to be with you and telling you that I want you, you don't want to be with me.”

Geneva couldn't believe his nerve and enormous ego. “You didn't say you wanted to be with me, you said, ‘Don't you want none'a this.'”

“It's the same damn thing, Geneva.”

If she weren't so irritated, his self-indulged attitude would have been funny. But she was more than irritated, she was pissed. He'd changed her mood from sunny to overcast in a matter of minutes. She was none too pleased, and she was ready to let him have it. She looked at him with steely eyes as she delivered her words. “You have some nerve acting like you're a dutiful husband whose nagging wife won't cut him a break. I complain about you never being at home and not showing me any attention because that's our reality. You stay out in the streets seven days a week, and now because you decided to come home, and late, I might add, I'm supposed to be impressed? Sorry, but I'm no longer operating on your time.”

“I've been making an effort lately, but you don't give me credit.”

“Ha! Who do you think you're fooling? You drug in here and slipped under the covers last night a few minutes shy of midnight after being out with Lord only knows who. Then you hurried out of bed this morning and took a shower so you could wash off whoever you were with. And now you expect me to be grateful that you want to screw me after the fact? Please! If there's anything I need to do, it's change these sheets,” Geneva said as she glanced at the bed.

“I don't have to listen to this bullshit,” Johnny boldly said. He walked over to his chest of drawers and removed a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt. He pulled them on as he spoke. “I might as well get dressed and get out of here, too.”

Geneva was glad that he'd moved out of her way. She knew he was expecting her to apologize and beg for his understanding, but that wasn't going to happen today.

She walked past him without saying another word and headed straight to the bathroom. She looked at the wet towel that Johnny had left on the floor. “Typical.” She rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth at the sight. Normally, she would have picked up behind him and put his things in the hamper, but instead she simply kicked his towel to the side and turned on the hot water.

Geneva stood under the large shower head and took deep breaths to calm herself as the water cascaded down her body, loosening her tense muscles, making her feel more relaxed.
I can't and I won't let him ruin my day,
she repeated to herself. By the time she toweled off, she felt brand new again. She looked at herself in the wide mirror above the vanity and smiled. “I'm going to make this a great day, no matter what,” she said with confidence.

She walked back into the bedroom and was startled to see that Johnny was still seated on the edge of the bed, clad only in his t-shirt and boxers. Although he didn't say a word, the look on his face let her know exactly what was on his mind. His eyes and the tilt of his head expressed a mixture of anger and confusion. Her dismissal of him was a foreign situation, and Geneva knew that if it was slightly surprising to her, it had to be downright unbelievable to him.

“Geneva, I don't know what's gotten into you,” Johnny said with frustration, “but we need to talk.”

She wanted to tell him that she'd been begging him to talk to her for months, and she wanted to scream in his face and let him know that she was fed up with his treatment and lack of respect for her and their marriage. But doing those things would put her back in the place she'd been before she stepped into the shower and cleaned away her worries, and right now she had no intention of revisiting those feelings. She looked at Johnny and shook her head. “I don't feel like talking to you right now.” She walked over to her dresser, pulled out her underclothes, and proceeded to get dressed.

“Hold up. How you gonna just tell me that you don't want to talk. I'm your husband.”

“I didn't say that I didn't want to talk. I said I didn't want to talk to you. There's a difference.”

Johnny stood up and gave her a hard look. “Why you trippin', Geneva?”

She didn't say a word. She knew he was stunned, but she also knew that he was purposely trying to get under her skin. She decided to do what he'd done to her so many times she couldn't count. She ignored him. She walked over to her side of the bed and slipped her beautiful yellow dress over her head. She walked over to the full-length mirror that sat in the corner and admired how the material of her dress graced her soft curves as though she'd been born in it.

Geneva could see that Johnny was watching her closely, and the more he stared her up and down, the more perplexed he became. But she could honestly say that she couldn't care less. She pushed her gold hoop earrings into her lobes, slid her gold bangle bracelet over her wrist, and slipped her strappy sandals on her feet. She didn't even look behind her or tell Johnny goodbye when she walked out of the room and headed out the front door.

Geneva smiled to herself as she steered her car into the Grove Park shopping center to get a mint–chocolate chip Frappuccino from Starbucks before heading to Sandhill. She felt nervous, excited, and a little apprehensive all at once. Here she was, a married woman, rushing out of her house, dressed to impress another man.

“I should be ashamed of myself,” she whispered as she pulled up to the drive-through window at Starbucks. She couldn't believe how she was acting, and she imagined this was the kind of feeling Johnny had when he left the house to meet up with whomever he was seeing on the side. But she knew there were a few differences between her behavior and that of her husband. She felt a little guilty, and he, no doubt, didn't. And unlike him, she had no plans to act out the fantasies she'd conjured in her mind.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the call coming in through her car's Bluetooth system. She smiled when she saw it was Donetta. “Hey, girl, what're you up to this morning?” she asked.

“Chillin' on my sofa, enjoying a cup of English breakfast tea with my blueberry scone.”

Geneva shook her head and laughed. For Donetta to be as loud, unruly, and often brazen as she was, she believed in refined luxury and made sure she bathed herself in that lifestyle. Most of her paycheck was spent on decorating her beautiful home and pampering herself with luxuries.

“It's a thousand degrees outside and you're drinking hot tea?” Geneva teased.

“Honey, it's never too hot to drink tea, and this shit right here, it's the bomb.”

“I'm sure it is.”

“And what're you up to, sounding all giddy?”

“I just got my Frappuccino and I'm headed to Sandhill to read to the kids. This is my first volunteer day. I'm so excited.”

“
Uhhhh-huhhhh.
I bet you are.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“You know why.”

Geneva knew exactly what her friend was talking about, but she wasn't going to say a word.

“I don't know what's got you more excited, the children or that principal.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“You stop it. You know I'm right. You had a twinkle in your eye when you talked about that man last week. Go 'head and admit that you're interested in him.”