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“Yeah. That’s the shit I’m talking about,” Brian cheered. “Let’s get this shit on and poppin’.”

The thrill was gone, died down with the end of my climax. I was solemn. There was no life left in me and a dark cloud occupied the room. There was no reason to move or reply to either of them. I was high beyond my wildest dreams, never believing that I could feel this way. I was ashamed of what I was doing, of what I had done. But, he was in control and I wasn’t. If I wanted to live, I had to do what he said. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t. Not only was I petrified I was stupid in love. He was supposed to love me back though.

It was too late for my lost soul. I was knee deep in this shit now; there was no turning back. Brian mounted me, spreading my legs apart forcefully, sliding his dick in even rougher. He finger fucked her on the side while she continued to suck on my tits. I was so numb from the high that I did not even feel either one of them anymore. My body lay there motionless and quiet, allowing them to do whatever they needed to in order to get off. My eyes focused in on the ceiling blankly waiting for it all to be over already. I was tense, and then I exhaled and slowly closed my eyes.

Chino

My feet could have paced an oval hole in the floor. It was one o’clock in the fucking morning and the woman I called my wife was still not home yet. What the hell was she doing that she could not answer her phone, let alone bring her ass home? That was a stupid question. She was obviously cheating on me, that much was certain. But, it took this night to prove to me that the shit was real.

I was so drunk in denial about the shit, hoping she would come around and stop doing it. Enough, at least, so that we could work this whole thing out. But, it became more and more prevalent to me that she was not about to let that happen. Worry set in. It was hard to breathe through the despair, choking my heart. It was true…she didn't love me. Not anymore.

My cell had not rung or motioned a notification in hours. It was an ice cube, still and cold. This was it. Starla had fucked me over for the last time and I was not about to stand for the shit any longer. She can rub her pussy against the filth of the street for all I cared. I was done. She could pack her shit and get the hell out, since she had a better place to stay than here where she belonged. Starla was not coming home and even if she did she was no longer welcomed. My impulse grabbed my cell pushing buttons wildly almost dialing the wrong person.

“Aye man. My bad for earlier. Thanks for looking out on Ashley’s number. I think I will call her tomorrow,” I said.

“Bro, no need to apologize to me. We're friends and that’s what friends do. We’ve got our ups and downs but at the end of the day you’re still my bro.” Mario paused. “So you wanna go to the gym tomorrow and see if you can catch her there?”

“You know what? I think I do. I think I will go with you tomorrow and check her out.”

“That a boy! Alright dude. Meet me at my house at around 7am, I’m not coming to your house with your crazy deranged wife lurking about.”

"Mario you're driving home from the club right now. How the hell are you going to get up and go to the damn gym that early in the morning?"

"Dude, I do it all the time. I never miss the gym. Always gotta get my cardio in bro."

"You are unbelievable." I shook my head.

"No, your wife is unbelievable dude and I'm proud of you for getting your ass out of that damn house. So meet me at the fucking gym and don't be late, otherwise all the good machines will be gone. And, don't bitch out on me cause of her either."

I sighed heavily into the phone, a sigh of anger. “I don’t think you have to worry about that much longer bro. I’m calling it quits finally with her.”

“What??? Are you serious? I’m shocked as hell to hear this shit when no less than a few hours ago it seemed like you were ready to end your life for her,” Mario bellowed.

“Yeah, I know. But, I’ll be damned if I go through this shit for someone who’s obviously not thinking about my feelings or me. She’s inconsiderate and disrespectful so why should I respect her?”

“Damn bro. What happened and don’t tell me nothing like you always do. Talk.”

“She’s not here bro. She usually comes in no later than 8pm, but she’s not here at all and you see what time it is. I can’t deal man. I won’t. I deserve better.” My veins were pumping a mile a minute.

“Right. I told you to leave that chick alone. Maybe now you’ll get your shit and get gone.”

“The fuck? I’m not going anywhere. She was a simple broad with an even simpler job, a job that I gave her. So she will not only be broke and homeless when I kick her ass out, she’ll be jobless too.”

“Yeah but you’re married bro. You know she’s gonna be entitled to half of everything you own.”

“Mario, I’m one of the top litigators at my firm. I didn’t get there by making stupid moves and decisions. I’ve got a pre-nup dude. I thought you knew me better than that.” I paused smiling to myself.

“Word? Good job my man.”

“Yeah, and since she cheated first per the stipulations of the agreement she is entitled to nothing. Not one single penny.”

Money was never a factor in my marriage to me. I was always willing to be the breadwinner in my household and whatever I had, she had with no question. But, I refused to be a fool for anyone. I watched my dad be a fool for my mom for years. She slept with every young, hot, dick-swinging lame that was willing to give an old wrinkly housewife; a great lay for the right price. I have always said that would never be me. The love I had for Starla knew no bounds. Nevertheless, I would not be with someone who refused to go all in with me, regardless of whatever hard times we experienced.

“Well it looks like you’ve got it all worked out, Chino. I’m here if you need me, dude.”

“I’ll talk to you bright and early in the morning, bro and hey man…thanks.”

“Always, Chino. Always.”

The phone hung up and I dropped it back on the bed waiting to see if it would ring back with Starla's call. I was obsessed with receiving her call. My adrenaline had risen to the tenth power almost sending my anger into overdrive, before my mind stopped to think. What if something actually happened to her? What if she was stranded on the side of the road in a horrible wreck in need of help, but was unable to call for it? What if a random pervert abducted her and had her tied up in a garage or something?

My mind drifted to a million and one scenarios that could have happened to her. I shook my head, trying to shake those thoughts away from me. I couldn't bare the thought of her being mutilated somewhere, left for dead. That only, immediately shifted my mind to a more somber tone.

My body lost the muscle to keep up a hard exterior any longer. I broke down picking up the phone once again, dialing her number. The ringing seemed to match the beating of my pulse, while I waited for her to pick up. I needed to gain any sign that she was okay. When the ringing ended, her voicemail picked up as I shut my eyes listening to the sweet sound of her delicate recording. I called again but this time it went straight to the voicemail, as if she cut the phone off. Or, was trying to call me back and my call intercepted hers. I waited about ten minutes to call once more. I needed to see if the phone would ring back, in case she was trying to call, but it never did.

Starla was going through unimaginable mental pain. Anyone on the outside looking in would say that she was just one evil bitch but in truth, she really wasn't all that bad. She just needed more guidance. She could be rather naive sometimes, probably because she was so much younger than the men she had dealt with. We got married when she was really young but still she was all woman. Her only faults were that she was so easily influenced and stubborn to her core. Otherwise, she never let anyone see her sweat and she was a hard post to pop.

It took more than some miniscule trial to keep her from conquering world. But emotionally, she still had some more growing and evolving to do in order to become the woman she was destined to be. It made me begin to wonder if she should get the benefit of the doubt for all of her actions rather than my daunting anger. After the death of our daughter, I could understand her not being able to deal with her feelings and losing herself, losing who she was inside. But the question was how long was I going to allow her to play the out of control grieving victim before I gave up on her?

Kenya was our first child. She was the brightest, bubbliest, bundle of joy I had ever feasted eyes on. Her spirit was so alive and whimsical. Simply being near her made my life complete. Anyone would lose his or her mind after something so traumatic. After sitting in darkness for another hour thinking long and hard, I came to the conclusion that Starla did not deserve for me to just throw her away. Not simply because she made a few mistakes. Everybody deals with grief differently. But, once she brought her ass in here, I was definitely going to put my foot down. She had to know that if she did not change her ways and try to work on this marriage, I would file for divorce.

My eyes shifted out the window, allowing the moonlight to dance across my face. I felt good about my decisions. It felt like I was doing the right thing. Marriage was not something that one should give up on easily. I was never one to back away from a fight or a challenge. She was definitely challenging my faith and my sanity, along with my truth to this marriage. But, we were hurting inside and had no real time or help to heal.

We just went off the deep end and started going our separate ways without even speaking or getting our problems off of our chest. In turn, it meant we never even tried to work it out or get to the root of the issue. Essentially, we just gave up. One of us had to be the adult of the situation, to come together and see if we have what it takes to resolve this. It seemed like I was fighting my feelings on should I stay or go. But I just couldn’t see myself giving up without proving to myself that I gave it one hundred percent of what I had.

An old school pager beep bellowed from my phone indicating a new text had arrived. I almost didn’t want to look at it fearing it was Starla cussing me out to leave her alone. It probably stated that she would be home when she came home and not to hound her about it. I had the right mind to cuss her back out, but in order to catch flies it was best to use honey and not vinegar. I snatched up the phone in disgust, trying to channel all of my frustration into another direction. Although, when I stared at the number, my eyebrows curled over in confusion. I did not recognize it but the message was very enticing.

Hey You.
That was all it read.

My eyes widened as I replied back, cringing already knowing the answer to my question.
Who is this?

Your friend texted me your number a few minutes ago. I hope that’s cool. It’s Ashley Baker. He said he told you he bumped into me.

Yes, he did. Thanks for hitting me. How are you?

Fine. You?

Good. Long time no see.

You're telling me. I'm surprised you're still awake, Chino.

I could say the same about you lady.

I never sleep more than five hours anyway. Hard to sleep without a sexy man next to me. LoL

I hear you’re doing big things jobwise. How’s that going for you lady?

I love it! I can’t wait to build a law firm of my own. Ultimate dream. Heard you’re coming to the gym. I can’t wait to see you. Married? Kids?

That question had me on the fence like hell. My forehead was riddled with sweat bullets. I did not want to kick off our reunion with ugly lies. However, not knowing if I was actually going to be starting divorce proceedings, I didn’t want to throw any other possibilities at happiness in the trash. It was not like I was going to go sleep with her and forget about the love I had for my wife. I was lonesome and it felt great to have the littlest bit of attention again. As long as I kept that attention to a minimum, not allowing it to go any further than harmless, it would be fine. I knew where to draw the line. Still, my eyes enlarged in anticipation of the conversation. The only reason why anybody would text or call someone in the wee hours of the morning, was for something unrelated to catching up on old times.

No. You?
The lie poured through my text.

No kids. Never married. Waiting for the right guy. Running into all these duds. Wanna go for drinks after the gym?

Drinks after a workout? Man, you are a lawyer.

LOL. I truly can’t wait to see you. I missed you. You know you were my best friend in college right, Chino?

There it was. She had placed me in the friend zone all of those years ago and I was still stuck there. It seemed that I couldn’t get out of it even after years of being absent. Ashley had a way of getting underneath the skin, crawling around until she found a good place to lay her eggs. So this time, it was cool since that was all she should really be to me right now anyway. Still, I couldn’t help but smile to myself, reminiscing on thoughts of her. Our late night study sessions and drunken frat party rendezvous’ were awesome but strictly platonic. I tried to kiss her once, but she claimed not to remember that. I guess it was never really truly meant to be.

I missed you too. Drinks would be fine. I’m buying though. No lady's buying my poison.

Daddy still working you too hard? He was always a pusher. No, it’s good. I’m buying this time, sugar. Owe you from all those pizza, coffee, and burger runs from college.

You owe me nothing Beauty, we’re squared.

Oh, I forgot you used to call me that back then. Beauty. I haven’t heard that in ages. I loved that. I really did.

Sorry force of habit when I speak to you.

No, its okay. I still love it.

LOL, oh ok Ash.

Sheesh, I could talk to you for hours on end. I can’t wait to hear your voice, see your face. I didn’t call
’
cause I know it’s late.

Calling would’ve been perfect lady. Nothing wrong with that.

Yeah, but its too late now. I want to leave the sexy sound of your voice to my imagination. I’d better let you go so you don’t be late in the morning.