Chapter Eighteen
Days turned into weeks, and soon two months had passed. Noel still hadn’t shown her ugly face on my doorstep, and I was thankful. I heard through the grapevine that she’d hitchhiked her way home and was seething mad at me, but as long as she kept her distance, we were good. Dominic was none the wiser, and my affair with Cash was better than ever. With awesome sex sessions and numerous shopping sprees, a girl would be a fool not to enjoy every minute of such risqué behavior.
Honestly, I’d even become more pleasant to Dom on the strength of what Cash was breaking me off with during our time together. I also hadn’t asked him about hustling or finding a job lately. Every day I left him on the couch playing Xbox, and that was exactly where I found him when I got home. Dom was so caught up in his new, carefree world that he barely noticed that my feelings toward him were changing, or so I thought.
“Chanel, let me talk to you about something,” he called from the bedroom one day.
I was in the bathroom shaving my pubic hair for an upcoming rendezvous with Cash, so I peeped my head out the door into the hallway. “What’s up?” I was nonchalant.
“I don’t like this thing going on between us.” He looked at me with worry lines on his forehead.
“Dom, what are you talking about?” Walking back over to the sink, I dipped the razor into the hot, soapy water.
“Something isn’t right with me and you, and I don’t like it.”
“What do you think isn’t right?” I sighed. When he didn’t respond, I smacked my lips and continued. “I’m not a mind reader, so you need to be clear.” This nigga was holding me up. Cash was meeting me in forty minutes with a surprise that he’d been promising me all week, and Dom was making me late.
“Are you fucking with another man?” This time he walked up to the bathroom door, and it startled me.
“Huh?” was all I could say, completely caught off guard.
“You hardly look at me the way you used to. You got new shit in the closet, a new pep in your step, and your pussy don’t feel the same.” He rubbed a hand down his face. I could tell he was stressed.
“Dominic, stop being foolish.” I tried to dismiss him, but it only provoked him.
“No, I’m serious. Ever since you came home with that Benz, you’ve been different. You used to constantly call me with wedding plans all day, every day, and now you barely wear your ring.” Now Dom was pacing back and forth.
“Why talk about a wedding that’s not happening anytime soon?” I snapped, my tone matching his. “Why wear a ring that don’t mean shit!” Oh, yeah, I was tripping with that one, but your girl was feeling herself.
“Are you saying the ring I bought you don’t mean shit?” He turned to face me with anger apparent on his face.
I didn’t care that I’d hurt his feelings. Hell, he wants to talk, so let’s talk. “Don’t mean shit! As in never going to happen as long as you sit your lazy ass on the couch and do nothing.” Sliding into a denim one-shoulder halter dress, I stood my ground. Things were moving so fast with Cash, I’d be kicking Dom to the curb soon anyway. I was only keeping him around out of pity until he got on his feet. Now, though, he was cramping my style.
“Wow!” was all he could say. “I don’t know who you think I am, but ‘lazy’ isn’t a word that would ever be used to describe me. I’ve applied for jobs daily, but either they don’t call me back, I am overqualified, or they decide to go a different route. You know, the ‘white route.’” He made air quotes with his fingers.
“Boo fucking hoo.” I pretended to wipe my eyes. “Spare me the sob story.”
“What happened to sticking by my side, Chanel? Are you really ready to bail at the first sign of trouble?”
“Look, I have somewhere to be. We’ll finish this later.” I stepped into my Polo boat shoes, grabbed my purse, and headed for the door. Dominic aggressively grabbed my arm and swung me around. “Get your goddamn hands off me!”
“I’m sorry. My bad.” He raised his hands in the air, signaling his surrender. “Please don’t walk out that door, Chanel,” he begged, and I kind of felt sorry for his pathetic ass, but the money was calling.
“Don’t wait up!” With that, I walked out the door and got into the G-ride, as I called it.
After bending a few corners and putting that interaction with Dom behind me, I pulled into the parking lot of a small grocery store and waited for my boo. Just as I received a text message letting me know Cash was about to pull up, there was a tap at my door.
“What’s up, girl?” Tone said, and my stomach sank.
“What up, Tone. What are you doing here?” I asked nervously. He was obviously still on duty. The uniform and squad car were dead giveaways.
“My shift is almost over. I figured I’d grab some groceries while wasting their gas, you feel me?” He tried to dap my fists, but the money green Range Rover pulling up nearby had my attention.
“Shouldn’t you be out protecting and serving on company time, Officer?” I said with my eyes still focused on Cash. I didn’t have much of a relationship with the Lord, but I was praying Cash waited for Tone to pull off before approaching me.
“I’m protecting this grocery store right now and serving my hunger pains.” He laughed again but I didn’t. My cell phone began to ring. I didn’t have to look at it to know who was calling.
“Ay, my man, what business you got over here?” Cash stormed up to us like he was the police officer.
“Say what?” Tone turned around like a trained vet with his hand on his pistol.
“Are you good, Chanel?” Cash placed his hand beneath his shirt to show he was packing too, completely unbothered by what Tone was saying.
“Yes, I’m good. This is my neighbor.” I cringed because Tone was sure to tell Dom about this run-in.
“Now that my identity has been validated, who the fuck is you?” Tone squared up although Cash was much bigger, taller, and more intimidating than he.
“I’m that nigga, boy! Now are you ready to go, Chanel?” Cash blew him off like a breeze. I was trapped and didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. Turning off my engine, I grabbed my purse and stepped from my vehicle.
“Chanel, where are you going?” Tone’s mouth dropped. I was sure his head was spinning as he tried to figure out what was happening.
“She doesn’t need to explain nothing to you, fam.” Cash escorted me to his SUV.
“You do know she got a man, right?” Tone hollered, but at this point I was already clicking my seat belt.
Cash rolled down the window on his side. “Well, tell her man I’m boyfriend number two.”