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  “I’m out,” he said, glaring at me as I stood in front of him. He buttoned his suit jacket and backed away from me when I lifted my arms to place them on his shoulders.

  “Evelyn, we’re done for the night. Sex was good, but if you learn to keep your mouth shut you can always make it better.”

  He turned to walk away, but I followed him. “Forgive me,” I said, knowing that he would. “I let the thoughts of Kayla get to me sometimes. I guess I shouldn’t do that.”

  Cedric removed his keys from the living-room table then turned to face me. “I said it once and I’ll say it again. Kayla is my concern, not yours.”

  “You’re so right. From here on you will not hear me speak her name around you again. On another note, were you able—”

  “Yes. The deposit is there. Check your account to be sure. If the money hasn’t been deposited, let me know.”

  Cedric walked around me, making his way to the door. Knowing that the money was mostly likely in my account, the least I could do was send him off with a good-bye kiss. I hurried past him, just so he could get once last glimpse of my naked ass and come back for more. I reached for the doorknob to unlock the door, but Cedric stopped me when he inched close to me, pressing his body against my backside. He moved my hair away from my neck and planted a trail of soft kisses on it.

  “I guess I’m forgiven,” I said with a smile.

  “Always,” he whispered in my ear. “Especially since I can’t resist that cute little dimple you have on your left ass cheek. Every time I see it, I just want to bow down and kiss it.”

  I wasn’t sure if the dimple thingy was a compliment or not, but when Cedric squatted to kiss my ass I laughed. He laughed too then told me he needed to get going before he changed his mind about leaving.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He kissed my cheek and reached for the doorknob. I moved out of the way to let him exit.

  “Tell Kayla I said hello.”

  Cedric glared at me then walked out. I watched as he smooth-walked his way to the elevator. Before it closed, I waved and he gave me a nod by tossing his head back.

  Needing a shower, I closed the door and went into my bedroom. I turned my backside to the huge floor mirror that sat against my wall to check out the dimple on my ass. My ass and thighs were cellulite free, but Cedric was right. There was a dimple on my left cheek, and at thirty-six I didn’t appreciate it. I frowned as I made my way to the bathroom to take a shower, but when I got out and checked my bank account, the money Cedric had deposited was there. That left a smile on my face. I wanted to call and thank him again, but instead I called Kayla.

  “I’m in the middle of something,” she whispered into the phone. “Can I call you back?”

  I hoped that she wasn’t in the middle of having sex. Just for the hell of it, I had to be sure. “You and Cedric are too horny for me. Why would you answer the phone during sex?”

  “Uh, no. I’m at Jacoby’s band concert. Don’t you hear all the music in the background?”

  “Oh, I do. Tell him that I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I’ll make it next time. From what I can hear, though, the band sounds good. Is Cedric there too?”

  “No. He hasn’t made it yet. I’m not sure if he’s coming. I don’t care, either, but let me call you back, okay?”

  “Sure. Sorry for interrupting. Don’t forget to tell Jacoby what I said.”

  Kayla said she would and ended the call. I sat on the bed, thinking that if she didn’t hold Cedric accountable for not being there for her and Jacoby, why should I care about all that was transpiring behind closed doors? As far as I knew, nobody suspected that anything was going on between Cedric and me. If he wasn’t going to tell, neither would I. I was getting what I wanted; that was all that mattered. I swiped my hands together after I clicked the send button on my laptop to make my rental payment on time.

  Chapter Two

  Kayla

  The school’s auditorium was filled with plenty of parents, as well as grandparents and siblings, there to show support for the high school students in the jazz band. Jacoby had learned to play the saxophone years ago. His solo performance brought tears to my eyes. I sat proudly and my heart was filled with joy. There was a little disappointment too, as the chair next to me remained empty. Cedric said he would do his best to come, but I guess he couldn’t pull himself away from his office chair that he was forever glued to. Either that or he could have been out somewhere wining and dining one of his tricks. I had a gut feeling that Cedric had been stepping out on our marriage, but after so many years together, some things weren’t worth bringing to the kitchen table anymore. We had been there, done that before.

  My main gripe was the relationship Cedric had with his son. Needless to say, I was disappointed. There was a time when the two of them were very close, but as Jacoby got older he started pulling away from Cedric. Jacoby barely wanted anything to do with him anymore, and they often walked around the house like two people who didn’t know each other. I expressed my concerns to Cedric, but he blamed it on Jacoby’s age. He said that as a growing teenager, Jacoby didn’t want to be bothered and the two of us needed to back off and let him grow up. I agreed with that too, but there was much more to it that Cedric wasn’t seeing. I figured it was up to Jacoby to tell him what was really going on with his attitude. I’d be lying if I said the way things were turning out didn’t hurt.

  The band instructor announced the last song of the night. That was when I looked up and saw Cedric walking down the stairs and making his way up to me. I wasn’t sure if Jacoby saw him or not, but to be honest I was rather embarrassed by his late appearance. I crossed my legs, causing the slit in my ruffled yellow dress to slide over and show my cinnamon-brown skin. My metallic, pointed-toe heels matched my accessories, and my long, thin braids that flowed midway down my back were pulled away from my round face. My makeup was on like a work of art. The rich, plum lipstick I wore made me resemble Lauryn Hill, which was a plus because she was one of my favorite artists.

  Cedric noticed me from all the brightness I added to the room. He displayed a forced smile before sitting next to me.

  “You’re late,” I said with a little snap in my voice.

  “Thanks for the announcement, but at least I’m here.”

  “Then maybe the standing ovation at the end of the concert should be for you. And by the way”—I turned my head toward him—“you should have showered before you came. The smell of sex can be calmed with hot water, you know.”

  Cedric held a smirk on his face and straightened his suit jacket. “And a loud mouth can always be silenced with a fist. Wrong place, wrong time, Kay. Silence yourself to prevent the embarrassment.”

  “You’ve already done that, and I welcome the idea of you putting your hands on me. You remember what happened last time you tried that mess. If I can recall, you lost a whole lot of sleep that night. Save your threats for that slimy hooker who didn’t encourage you to wash up before you left her.”

  “Woman, would you shut up!”

  The tone of Cedric’s loud voice caused several people in front of us to turn around. It was a good thing that the band was louder than his voice, but I’d had enough. I got up from the seat I was in and went to sit in another one. I hated to carry on like this, but being around Cedric made me this way. There was a time when I loved him to death. I dropped out of college when I got pregnant with Jacoby. Shortly thereafter, Cedric and I got married. He finished college and jumped right into business with two other guys he’d met while in school. They all had computer science degrees that helped them create a profitable software development company that made them millionaires in less than five years.

  Moneywise, we didn’t have much to complain about, but everything else in our lives was a mess. The more money Cedric made, the more controlling, arrogant, and disrespectful he’d gotten. There were plenty of times that I wanted to leave him, but at this point I didn’t have much to fall back on. I didn’t want to start over and giving up all t
hat I had didn’t seem like the sensible thing to do. Then there was Jacoby. He was accustomed to the way we lived, even though he didn’t always seem happy. He hated to hear Cedric and me arguing. I knew that the way we carried on was tearing him apart. That was why I did my best to hold my piece around him. The only time I confronted Cedric about my concerns was when Jacoby wasn’t around. He still knew things weren’t the best between his father and me, and the constant frowns on my face made my unhappiness quite clear.

  The band was given a standing ovation after the concert was over. Cedric and I waited in the crowded hallway for Jacoby to put his instrument away and join us. Moments later he did. We both congratulated him on a job well done, and when he inquired about a critique of his solo performance, I quickly spoke up so Cedric didn’t have to.

  “It was awesome. Practice pays off and you are getting better by the day,” I said.

  Jacoby gave me a hug then he waited for a reply from Cedric. There was no doubt that he wanted his father’s approval. For whatever reason, it meant more to Jacoby than my approval did. Cedric did what he knew best and lied.

  “Yeah, that was the best I ever heard you play. Keep up the good work, son, I’m proud of you.”

  Cedric patted his back, but I suspected that Jacoby knew his father had only been there for ten minutes. Either way, we left the school together as a family. Jacoby and Cedric rode together in his Mercedes. I pulled off the parking lot in my black Jaguar. It was almost nine o’clock, but I figured Evelyn was still awake so I returned her call from earlier.

  “Hello,” she answered in a soft tone.

  “Are you in bed already?”

  “Yes, I am. I’ve been working a lot of overtime and I’m tired.”

  “I can understand that, but you’ve been sleeping a lot lately. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

  “Hell no, I’m not. I haven’t had sex in almost a year. Besides that, you know I’ve had difficulties with getting pregnant.”

  “Well, you really need to take care of that D-thing because no woman your age should be without sex. I thought you were thinking about calling Marc again. He was real nice, Evelyn, and I don’t think you gave him a fair chance.”

  “I did, but he failed the test. Nice, but broke. I’m already broke. The last thing I need is a broke man in my life.”

  “A rich man ain’t all that, either, but you didn’t hear that tad bit of information from me.”

  “Yes I did, and you, my sista, have no room to complain. Cedric is a for-real provider, and from what you say, he’s pretty darn good in the bedroom too.”

  “That’s fine and dandy, but his sexual capabilities don’t matter right now. Do you know that he was late for Jacoby’s concert tonight? And when he did get here, coochie was on his breath. Right after he sat next to me I could smell sex on him. Then again, maybe I’m saying these things because I’m upset about his tardiness. I don’t know if he’s been seeing other women or not, but it’s hard for me to believe that he works late all the time.”

  Like always, Evelyn defended him. “Yeah, you need to stop exaggerating, Kayla. Cedric wouldn’t dare come near you like that, and if he does have a little something on the side, so what. Any man who holds it down like he does should be allowed to do whatever he wishes. Instead of griping all the time, you need to be grateful that you’re not in my situation—alone and broke. Let me know if you would like to trade places. I’m ready whenever you are.”

  “I’m not going to entertain your ridiculous comment about him being allowed to do whatever he wishes. The only reason I wouldn’t trade places with you is because of my son. So, since we’re on very different levels pertaining to this situation, I’m going to change the subject. Have you heard from Trina lately?”

  “I spoke to her about two days ago. She just got back from an art show in New York. I’m surprised you haven’t spoken to her.”

  “I’ve been busy. I’ll call her tomorrow. Maybe we can meet for dinner, after church on Sunday.”

  “Who’s cooking? You, me, Trina or Red Lobster?”

  “The lobster sounds good, but I may be able to whip up something for us. I’ll call to confirm before Sunday.”

  “Sounds good. Enjoy your evening and tell Cedric I said hello. Jacoby too.”

  “Will do. See you soon, Evelyn.”

  We ended our call, which left me in thought about my twenty-three-year friendship with Evelyn and Trina. Lord knows we all have had our ups and downs, but we remained very close. Sometimes, I questioned why because we didn’t seem to have much in common. We didn’t seem to understand each other at times. As we’d gotten older, the for-real support was lacking in every way possible. All we ever did was compete against each other, but when Cedric started bringing the money in, my whole life changed. I was able to afford the things that they couldn’t. Where I lived—the Mansions at Williamson’s Estates—couldn’t even compare to the apartments they lived in. The cars I drove were very expensive, and while they shopped at the cheaper department stores, most of my clothes came from Saks or Neiman Marcus. I never thought that I was better than either of them, and even though I wasn’t as happy as I should have been, I still viewed my life as a blessing. The plus side to our friendships was when I needed to vent, they were both there to listen. When my parents were killed in a car accident, I’ll never forget how they stood by me. They were there when I had Jacoby, and since I had no siblings, it was good to have friends who I considered my sisters. Surely, things could be a little better between us, but maybe I was settling for so much BS because I feared having no one to turn to.

  Minutes later, I entered the house and could hear Cedric and Jacoby arguing. I wasn’t sure what it was about, until I walked into the kitchen and saw them standing face-to-face. Cedric had a smirk on his face, but Jacoby’s forehead was lined with thick wrinkles. I had never seen him look so angry, so I rushed in between them to try and calm the situation.

  “What is going on in here?” I asked with a twisted face.

  “What’s going on is your rotten-ass son wants to be the man of the house. He thinks he can speak to me any way he wishes and I’m not having that shit.”

  Jacoby fired back. “No, what’s really going on is your husband is full of shit! I may as well be the man of the house, because in no way is he representing one.”

  “One more word, Jacoby, and I swear I’m going to knock you on your ass. No matter how you feel about me, I’m your father and you will respect me!”

  “As your son, you need to respect me too. And if you feel a need to get some shit off your chest and knock me on my ass then do it!”

  Cedric squeezed his fist, but I placed my hand against his chest. “Stop this,” I shouted then looked at Jacoby. “Go to your room and cool out. I’ll be in there to talk to you in a minute.”

  “Yeah, you better get him the fuck away from me,” Cedric said. “Listen to your mother, son, she’s a very wise woman.”

  Jacoby shook his head and walked away. “If she was wise, she would leave your sorry ass and find a better man. Unfortunately, Pop, you ain’t him.”

  Cedric rushed around me and ran up to Jacoby. My heart dropped to my stomach when he tightened his fist and punched Jacoby in his face. Several inches taller than Cedric, Jacoby staggered backward, almost falling. When Cedric punched him in his stomach, that was when Jacoby doubled over and dropped to his knees. Cedric stood over him, pointing his finger near Jacoby’s face.

  “Talk like that will get you killed up in here. Consider this a warning.”

  Anger crept across my face as I saw Jacoby in pain. I rushed up and pushed Cedric away from him. “You didn’t have to put your hands on him!” I shouted. “Can’t you deal with your son without invoking violence?”

  “No, I can’t and if you put your hands on me again, wife or no wife, you’re going to see more violence.”

  Like always, I had to remain the sensible one here, so I ignored Cedric. He stormed away, mumbling underneath his breath. I helped J
acoby off the floor, but he snatched away from me. He held his stomach and limped up the half-circle staircase to his bedroom. I hated to see my family go out like this, and I was anxious to find out what had happened between them in the car. With questions heavy on my mind, I made my way up the steps, but held on to the rail because I felt dizzy. Jacoby’s room was next to the bonus room that was used for entertainment. His door was closed, so I knocked.

  “Not right now, Mother,” he said. “I’m not in the mood to talk.”

  “Get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed your concert. Keep up the good work, okay?”

  There was no response, so I moved away from his door with much sadness in my eyes. As I walked through the double doors to our master suite, I could hear water from the shower running. Cedric’s clothes were in a pile on the floor, right next to our California king bed that was accessorized with mahogany and gold silk sheets. With throw pillows on top and with four thick columns surrounding the bed, it looked made for a king and queen. In front of the bed was a fireplace with a TV mounted above it. A small sitting room was to the left, and our humongous walk-in closets were to the right. There was a time when I truly enjoyed being in this room with Cedric. Now, I hated it. I hated being in bed with him, wondering who he had been sharing another bed with. Our backs always faced each other’s, and the last time we’d had sex was at least two, maybe three months ago. I could tell that things were getting worse by the day. After what had happened today, I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take.

  By the time Cedric came out of the bathroom, I was already in bed with my nightgown on. My braids were tied down with a scarf. I had the remote control in my hand, flipping through the channels.