Chapter 14

Evelyn

My feelings were a little bruised about what had happened, but oh well. You win some and you lose some. Trina had Keith’s ol’ weak self wrapped around her finger. For him to agree to do something so ridiculous was stupid on his part. I bet he was still thinking about that kiss, though. I tore up those lips. How could he ever forget about the sweet taste of my tongue?

The one thing that I was worried about was Keith telling Bryson about what had happened. For starters, I didn’t want him to be so upset about it that I’d lose my job. I kind of liked where I worked, and it did bring in a little money to help me pay some bills. Then, I didn’t want Bryson feeling as if I’d betrayed him. He’d been kicking me out every now and then. Not just sexually either. I never had to pay for dinner, never had to pay for drinks, and he even gave me some money to buy a purse that I had to have when browsing the mall with him the other day.

So in a nutshell, losing him would be a setback for me, especially since he was the only person I could really chill with and carry on a decent conversation with. I wasn’t ready to go see what was up with Cedric yet, and the more I’d thought about it, I was skeptical about traveling back down memory lane with him. The last conversation we’d had didn’t go so well and I wasn’t so sure if he’d welcome me back with open arms. He hadn’t called to say anything to me, and I wondered if Trina had told Kayla about the abortion, and if she’d told Cedric. I was almost positive that she’d mentioned it to him.

Then again, maybe not because I’d been left out of everything when it came to those two. It was a wrap in regard to my friendship with them. I didn’t suspect that we would ever be able to have the bond we all shared, and at this point, all the damage had won the battle. So be it.

I’d been off work for about an hour. Bryson said that he was working late, but he promised to call when he got home. I wasted time by going to the grocery store and then I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few cleaning items. By the time I was done with that, it was almost eight o’clock. I still hadn’t heard from Bryson, and to be honest, I was kind of getting a little irritated with him for telling me one thing, yet doing another. Like saying that he would call me. Sometimes, he never did. I wouldn’t even stress him about it the next day at work, and he never provided an explanation as to why he hadn’t called.

Well tonight, I wasn’t having it. I left a message on his voice mail, telling him that if he didn’t show up, I was going to stop by his place. I didn’t see it as popping up, especially if I told him I was coming through. If anything, I figured that my threat would, at least, encourage him to call. It didn’t. By ten o’clock, I still hadn’t heard from him. I grabbed my keys off the counter, reached for my jacket, and threw it over my shoulder. Bryson’s condo was about forty minutes away from my place. It wasn’t long before I parked my car on the parking lot and prepared myself to go to his door. I saw his car, so I assumed he was home. But when I called his cell phone, yet again, he didn’t answer.

With my high heels on, I strutted to his door and knocked. No answer. Rang the doorbell; nothing. If he was inside with someone else, the least he could do was come to the door and tell me. For whatever reason, he refused to do that. So, what I did was knock again. I put my ear to the door and heard loud music coming from somewhere. I wasn’t sure if the music was coming from inside of his condo, but the music could have been his reason for not answering the door.

All of a sudden, something hit me. When I looked for Keith’s key in the drawer, there was another key there as well. I’d taken both keys, and I wondered if that key was the one to unlock Bryson’s door. I rummaged through my purse and finally found the key dropped inside of it. I slid the key in the lock, but unfortunately it wouldn’t turn. That was when I realized that it was turned the wrong way. I turned it the other way, and yes, I was in business. The key turned and the door popped open. I pushed on it, causing it to squeak. Once I was inside, the music was louder. I also heard grunts, and that was when I figured that, maybe, this was a bad idea.

Still, I tiptoed my way forward. I saw a pair of lace panties in the middle of the floor. A bra was tossed on the couch, her shoes were right near the door, and the closer I got to it, I could hear Bryson’s grunts more than I could hear hers. It was so apparent that she was putting it on him. So much so that it sounded like he was crying. He whimpered like a bitch, and the sound of naked, sweaty bodies slapping together got louder and louder. My heels sank in the plush carpet as I reached the door, and when I turned in the doorway, I got a shock that felt like electricity had ripped through me. My legs weakened, my stomach tightened, and I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t throw up. My eyes witnessed Bryson bending over the bed with a tranny behind him. The tranny was wearing Bryson out. His grunts were louder than the music in the room. I removed my hand from my mouth, refusing to walk away and hold my peace.

“You nasty, stank-ass motherfucker,” I shouted. “How dare you not call me because of this!”

Both of their heads snapped to the side. The tranny looked like a beautiful black woman with nice breasts and a round, tight ass. Thing was, she/he had a dick. A big one, too, which she eased out of Bryson who had already jumped away from the tranny like she/he was contagious.

“What are you doing here?” he yelled at me.

“No. The question is what in the hell are you doing? I mean, really, Bryson. Is this how you’re doing it?”

Embarrassment, as well as shame, covered Bryson’s face. He hurried into his sweatpants and ordered the tranny to get on his/her clothes.

“You do not have to tell Miss Thing to leave on my account,” I said. “I’m out of here, sweetheart. My eyes have witnessed enough.”

I got the hell out of there. My body felt grimy as hell. I couldn’t help but to think about all of the sex Bryson and I had had, and about all of the things that I allowed him to do to me. I had flashbacks of how he would touch me, and about how he requested that I touch him. He loved to have anal sex, and all of his little nasty ways now made sense. I definitely had no problem with gay or bisexual men, but I damn sure had a problem with the down-low motherfuckers who kept this kind of shit a secret.

I ran to my car and drove like a bat out of hell to get home. When I did, I stripped my clothes off and put the hot water in the shower on blast. I scrubbed my body with a sponge, but that felt like it wasn’t working for me. What I needed was a Brillo pad, but unfortunately I didn’t have any. I used the last one I had to clean the oven last week. I continued with the sponge and scalding hot water. My skin had turned red and my pussy couldn’t get any cleaner. I finally turned off the water, and that was when I heard someone buzzing me from downstairs. I left the bathroom and turned on the monitor. The face that I saw was Bryson’s.

“Say,” he said in a whisper. “Why you leave so fast? I thought you wanted to see me.”

“Oh, I saw you, but forget it. We have nothing else to talk about. I assure you that you never have to worry about me again. I will bring your key to the office tomorrow, and if you feel a need to have me fired, please do.”

“I would never do that,” he said, trying to smooth talk his way inside. That may have worked for Cedric, but damn sure not for him. “We don’t even have to get down like that, do we? Why don’t you buzz me in? I got a feeling that you’re upset, and I need to provide you with an explanation about what you saw.”

“Look, I don’t need an explanation. Just go home, Bryson, and pretend that none of this ever happened.”

“Can’t do that right now. Besides, I don’t want you to share what you saw tonight with anyone. If you do, that could swing a lot of heat my way, if you know what I mean.”

All of a sudden, the sound of ca-ching went off in my head. I wanted to know what Bryson would be willing to pay for me to keep his dirty little secret. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be pennies. With that taken into consideration, I buzzed him in. The door was already opened for him to come inside, and when he did, I was sitting on the couch with my robe on. Another Newport was in my hand, and after I flicked ashes in the ashtray, I spoke up before he did.

“I don’t want no explanation, I don’t want any excuses, nor do I ever want you to touch me again. I am so disappointed in you, Bryson. How could a man as fine and masculine as you are holler louder than a bitch? I guess that’s totally irrelevant right now; and the only question I need to be asking you is how much?”

“How much what?” he said with an attitude. He refused to take a seat, probably because his ass was still hurting from being bumped so hard.

I returned the attitude and snapped my head to the side. “How much are you going to pay me to keep my mouth shut?”

Bryson blew me off. He waved his hand and pursed his lips. The real bitch in him was starting to show. “I’m not paying you jack. You are not going to blackmail me, and if you tell anyone about what you saw tonight, they won’t believe you. They’ll think you’re out of your mind, as plenty of people already think that you are. So rethink your plan, baby, or else.”

I had to laugh at this fool. “How you gon’ stand your greasy ass in here, trying to call the shots? They may not believe what I say, but they will believe me when I show them pictures that I took with my phone. You didn’t see me take them because you were too busy getting got. I’m sure you don’t want anyone to see you like that, especially not anyone at work, or your parents, and, uh, damn sure not Keith. He doesn’t know about this, does he?”

I seemed to have Bryson’s attention, even though I lied about the pictures. I wish I had taken some, but at the time, I was too in shock to even think straight.

Bryson walked slowly over to the couch and sat down. He rubbed his waves then cleared mucus from his throat.

“No,” he said in a calmer tone. “Nobody knows. I’ve been hiding this for a very long time. I love women, no doubt, but I like men too. It’s been that way since I was in high school, but I was afraid to tell my parents. Didn’t want to tell my brother because I wasn’t sure how he would feel about me. So please don’t tell anyone about this. When I’m ready, I will say something. I’m just not ready yet.”

I sat back and crossed my legs. “That was a tear-jerking little story there, Bryson, and I have no problem keeping your secret. But it’s going to cost you. You want to know why? Because you shouldn’t have never put your dick inside of me, knowing that you also have a thing for men. If anything, you should have come clean about being bisexual and given me a chance to decide if I wanted to fuck with you. This down-low shit is a dangerous game to play. I hope to God that Libby knows what you’re up to, and I guess that explains why you refused to settle down and marry her. At least you haven’t been stupid enough to go that far.”

“I haven’t told her the truth yet, but one day I will. Then maybe she’ll figure it out, since I’m refusing to marry her. Either way, I need to know that you’re going to keep your mouth shut. I need to know your price, and if I give you any money, Evelyn, I don’t want you reneging on me and putting my business out there. You have no idea how damaging something like this could be to me.”

“If the price is right, I won’t say a word. That price is a hundred thousand dollars. That’s what it will take for me to keep my mouth shut.”

“At that price, I may as well kill you then. I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Yes, you do. I saw the bank statements in your files. And if you don’t have it, your parents do. Keith definitely has it, and all you have to do is ask him to sell one or two of those exquisite paintings in his studio. That’s how you can get it and then some. As for killing me, don’t bother. The word about you will still spread, because a good friend of mine already has those photos in her possession. She knows exactly what to do with them, if something happens to me. And we both know that, social media comes in handy when you need to use it to spread the word.”

Bryson knew his hands were tied. He sat there and couldn’t say shit. When he did open his mouth, he said exactly what I wanted to hear. I’d have the money by tomorrow. Certainly, that was good enough for me.

The next day, I walked into the office as if last night had never happened. I smiled at Bryson and he smiled back at me. He came over to my desk around noon, telling me that the money had been deposited into my account. I checked, and sure enough, sister girl was out of the negative. I was very happy about that. So happy that I wanted to go holler at an old friend of mine, so we could both celebrate our wealth. Hopefully, Cedric wouldn’t refuse to see me.

Having a slew of money in my bank account caused me to pack it up and leave. My first stop was at the bank, where I withdrew several thousands of dollars to catch up on my bills. I prepaid my landlord three month’s rent then I headed to the mall to purchase a pair of shoes and a pantsuit that I wanted. After that, I went to find a special gift for a dear friend of mine. Since I was going to stop by, it didn’t make sense for me to stop by empty-handed.

I left the mall with several bags in my hands. Tossed them on the back seat, and then I made my way to Cedric’s house. Upon arrival, the first thing I did was scope out the place to make sure Kayla’s crazy self was nowhere around. I wasn’t in the mood for another one of her slaps. My day had been on point, thus far, and I expected for it to get better.

Kayla’s car was nowhere in sight and neither was Jacoby’s. Cedric’s BMW was parked in the driveway, and I was surprised to see a HOUSE FOR SALE sign in the yard. I figured that after the divorce was finalized, neither Cedric or Kayla would want to live in that house, especially since Cedric had almost been murdered in it. Something about that seemed creepy.

I was kind of excited about seeing Cedric, so I reached for his gift on the back seat and strutted to the front door. I rang the doorbell, and a few minutes later, Cedric opened the door. He looked fabulous and very clean cut in his business attire. I could always smell the dollars blowing in the air. His face, though, was without a smile. He looked me up and down, and hadn’t invited me in yet.

The gift was behind my back, so I brought it forth to give it to him.

“Hello, handsome,” I said. “I was at the mall today and I thought about you. I’ve been meaning to stop by and check on you, but time got away from me. Then I heard through the grapevine that you were putting your house up for sale. I’m very interested in purchasing it, but first, I kind of need for you to show me around. May I come in?”

Cedric stood for a moment, staring at me as if I had shit on my face. He then opened the door wider to let me inside. I tried to give him the gift again, but he wouldn’t take it.

“Aww, Cedric, don’t be so mean to me,” I teased. “At least look at it. We both have good taste and creative minds. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

I forced the package his way again. This time, he snatched it from my hand and tore the shiny wrapping paper away from the box. When he opened it, inside was a protection kit that included Mace, a small pocket knife, and handcuffs.

I smiled at him and explained my nice gesture. “I thought those items may come in handy the next time any woman tries to come in your house and kill you. If you had those items in your possession, you could have sprayed that whore with Mace, stabbed her, and then handcuffed her until the police got here.”

Cedric wet his lips with his tongue. He narrowed his eyes to look at the items then nodded. The next thing I knew, he reached out for my hair and pulled it tight. He then used his foot to trip me. I hit the marble floor in the foyer so hard that my ass hurt.

“Damn!” I shouted. “What in the hell did I say that was so wrong?”

Cedric flipped me on my stomach and pressed his knee into my back, damn near cracking it. He pulled my arms behind me and locked the cuffs on my wrists. I struggled to stop him, but to no avail. The cuffs were locked so tight that it felt as if they were cutting my wrists. While I was face down, he pulled my hair back to lift my head. He put the knife close to my neck and spoke through gritted teeth.

“Thanks for the bullshit gift. I’m glad that I could put it to good use. Let this be a warning to you that I’m not some motherfucking toy you can play with. I’m a changed man, and I promise you that I am nothing like I was before. You don’t want to fuck with me, and to be clear, I don’t have time for bitches like you. You couldn’t afford to live here, so take yo’ ass back to that rattrap you live in. I never want to see your face again. Got it?”

Well damn. Since when did I manage to get on his bad side? I didn’t respond quick enough to his “got it” question, so he dropped the knife and slammed my head on the marble foyer, face first. I heard my teeth crack and my lip felt numb. I also tasted blood stirring in my mouth, and I could feel it dripping down my chin. This was a clear sign that his ass wasn’t playing with me. I nodded to answer his question, but that wasn’t good enough for him.

“Speak up, tramp! I can’t hear you. You’re not allowed to come here, call me, nothing . . . ever again! Do you understand?”

The loudness of his voice caused my ears to ring. I quickly answered before he slammed my face again.

“Yes,” I cried out with tears rolling down my face. “I do understand.”

“Good!”

Cedric lifted me off the floor and escorted me over to the front door. He opened it, and used the key to remove the cuffs. As I massaged my wrists, he shoved me outside. I fell on the porch, scraping my knees. While rubbing them, he threw the wrapping paper, box, and contents at me. I ducked to avoid the flying can of Mace. After that, he slammed the door and locked it.

Shit was getting a little rough for me. My good day had turned bad. And when I got in the car to look at my mouth in the rearview mirror, it wasn’t a pretty sight. My mouth was bloody and my front tooth dangled. It hurt, too, so instead of going back to the mall to shop, I made my way to the dentist and thought about ways to make Cedric pay for this. He was out of control. He didn’t appear to be the man that he was before. Something about him was different. Maybe, just maybe, it was in my best interest to leave his ass alone. Or, at least, until he shook off some of that madness.