Chapter 33
“Mmm, Michael.”
The moaning sounds instantly transported Michael back in time. As he dipped in and out of her succulence, his mind drifted to Karli. A sly smile spread across his face as old memories invaded his mind. Her softness, the touch of her fingertips gripping his back. Her scent. Her gushy buttercream center. Her moans.
“Michael!” The moans grew deeper.
Gripping her mounds, Michael skillfully arched and dipped in and out of the sweet honey pot. Long stroking with his massive member, he felt his muscles begin to tense up and saw that his veins showed as she slicked him with her wetness.
“Fuck! It feels good,” Michael moaned, with his eyes closed. Karli’s old words danced in his mind. Ooh, Michael. Baby, I love you, he thought.
Gripping her waist, he pulled her toward him, and he thrust harder and deeper inside her center. Her moans were so low and sexy that they kicked him into overdrive, forcing her to take all he had to give.
“Shit! I’m cumming!” she moaned loudly. “Ahh! Oh God! Yes! Yes!” she let out as her body went limp and shook ferociously.
Michael continued pumping inside her as sweat beaded his back. His relentlessness made her yelp in satisfaction, and the tingling sensation forced her to beg for mercy.
“Please stop. I can’t . . . I can’t take . . . ,” she panted as her body tingled and twitched.
“Who’s pussy is this?” Michael roared. Yours, Daddy, he thought.
“Yours! Oh shit! Yours, Michael!” she screamed as another orgasmic wave hit her, causing him to come to a climax.
After pulling out, Michael ripped off the condom, gripped his member in his hand, and guided himself inside her mouth.
His head fell back as her warm mouth pulled another climax out of him. “Shit! Suck that shit. Oh yeah,” he moaned when his thick syrup exploded in her mouth as he slowly slid in and out.
Ooh, Michael. You like that, baby? he thought.
“This dick is so tasty.”
The voice violently shook him out of his reverie. It was not something that Karli would’ve said, and it instantly brought him to his reality. Moving to the side and falling back on the bed, Michael kept his eyes closed tightly and exhaled, trying to bring back the memory of Karli.
“Are you all right?” she asked, rubbing her hand across his chest.
Michael blew out a breath, slightly irritated. The moment was gone, and the voice speaking to him was not Karli’s. He swallowed back the hurt and anger he was experiencing. Hurt, because it’d been two years since Karli left, and anger, because the only time he could still feel her presence was when he was dick deep inside some pussy, and now this voice was reminding him that she wasn’t Karli.
Finally, he opened his eyes and looked over and smiled. The sweetest set of brown eyes stared back at him. He slid his fingers down the side of her face as she brushed her sweat-drenched bangs behind her ear.
“Yes, Catrina, I’m fine.”
She bit her lip. “Are you sure?”
He swallowed hard. “Yes, I’m sure. Why?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes, you have this far-off look in your eyes. Like you’re here but not here.”
Smiling demurely, Michael traced her lips with his thumb. “Don’t worry. I’m here.”
She lay back. “How long are we going to keep this up?”
“What do you mean? We’re good.”
“We’re meeting in these hotels because I can’t come to your house and you’re not comfortable in mine. We haven’t told our parents, and I still haven’t told Karli . . .”
Instantly, Michael sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hand down his face. “Here you go—”
Cutting him off, Catrina huffed, “Yes, here I go again!” She sat up and pressed her back against the headboard. “Michael, we’ve been together for a little over a year, and I feel horrible lying to my best friend about the fact that I’m in a relationship and sleeping with her ex-husband!”
“Did she ask you if we were together?”
“No, but—”
“Then, you’re not lying to her. You just haven’t told her. There’s a difference.”
Catrina slid her hand through her hair. It was messed up. She already knew it. She and Michael had got together by happenstance. She had been comforting him throughout his depression, caused by his failed marriage to her best friend. One day, one thing had led to another and they’d christened his desk in his office.
“Hey, you,” Catrina greeted after walking into Michael’s office with a brown paper bag in her hand.
Michael stood gazing out his office window. He looked dapper on the outside, but he’d learned to put on a façade over the past year. His Ralph Lauren button-down caressed his muscles perfectly, and the gold Cartier wristwatch and the Cartier gold-encrusted, diamond cuff links shone brightly against his cinnamon-colored skin. His Ralph Lauren dress slacks hung nicely, showing off his masculine thighs and tight derriere.
Though he stood there, looking like the Adonis that he was, on the inside he was troubled. He was a broken man. He lived every day by going through the motions. He’d resigned from his position as deacon at church, and now he rarely even showed up. He had even begun drinking on a regular basis and cursing again. The only thing he managed to do right was lawyering. He poured himself into his work. If nothing else, this divorce had made him dive so hard into his work that the firm had moved from a spot in the top twenty to a spot in the top three in the ranking of sports entertainment law firms across the country. Yet, it was moments like this that reminded him that no matter how powerful a man he’d become, there was always one person who could break him like he was nothing. Her name was Karli.
“What are you doing here?” he asked blandly.
Ignoring his dry greeting, Catrina sat the bag down on his desk and leaned against it. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat to swallow her hurt feelings. “Well, that is a way to greet a person. I stopped by only to bring you something to eat. I’m sure you haven’t eaten, and I thought maybe you could also use some company.”
“I’d rather be alone, if you don’t mind,” he scoffed, never breaking his gaze out the window.
Confused, Catrina stood up straight. “Michael, why are you treating me this way? Did I do something to you?”
Putting his head down, he let out a deep breath. “It’s not you. It’s just you were with her this weekend . . . celebrating . . . and I don’t need any reminders of her or what happened this weekend.”
The realization hit Catrina like a ton of bricks. She’d been Karli’s maid of honor for her nuptials to Hudson this past Saturday. Michael knew about the wedding, and her presence now was reminding him of the fact that Karli had married another man. She hadn’t told him, but every paper and style magazine in New York had followed the story of one of New York’s most eligible bachelors tying the knot, so it was not as if he could avoid it. Michael was crazy to think that Catrina wouldn’t be a part of it. She was Karli’s best friend, after all. The ironic part was that she’d come by his office because she had figured he’d be a little down about his ex-wife’s new marriage and she’d wanted to ease his burden, not add to it. She had been feeling horrible and wanted to assure him that he still had people who cared about him. He still had people who were in his corner.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. I only wanted to cheer you up and take your mind off it. I figured it would be on your mind.”
Finally, Michael turned to face her. “I’m sorry, Catrina.” He walked over to the desk. “I didn’t mean to treat you badly. I’m just in a bad-ass mood.” He let out a harsh chuckle. “You’d think after all this time I would be over it. It’s just hard, you know?” He swiped his hand down his face.
“No apologies necessary.” She grabbed his hands. “I understand it’s difficult. No one expects you to ‘just get over it’ because it’s been a year. You’ve spent years loving Karli. It’s going to take time, and anybody who honestly cares about you knows that.”
A slight smile graced Michael’s face, and he leaned in and hugged Catrina tightly. “Thank you. You’ve always been there for me, despite the fact that you’re her best friend. I can’t thank you enough for bearing with me. You have kept me sane, when I know I would’ve lost it. I don’t tell you enough, but I swear on life, I’m indebted to you.”
Pulling back and still gripping his arms, Catrina whispered, “Friends don’t hold debts, nor do they count favors. You owe me nothing.”
As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Michael slowly licked his thick lips. That single motion made Catrina squirm, as if electricity had bolted through her. The look in Michael’s eyes turned from hurt to something that Catrina couldn’t decipher.
“Catrina,” he breathed.
“Um . . . I guess you’re wondering what I brought you to eat,” she said hurriedly, breaking their gaze and easing out of his arms. After turning her back to him, she opened the brown bag. “I have your favorites, turkey and ham club sandwiches, and I got those cupcakes she used to buy for you from Brooklyn Cupcake. Oh, and Voss water.”
“How did you know these are my favorites?” he asked, staring at her, as he devoured one of the chocolate cheesecake cupcakes.
She shrugged nervously. “Good memory, I guess. Karli always talked about the things you like, so I guess it stuck.”
“It stuck, huh?” He licked the remaining icing off his thumb.
“Yeah, uh-huh.” She handed him a napkin, and when he reached for it, he grabbed her hand and brought her close to him. Their breathing was erratic. “What . . . what are we doing, Michael?”
“What do you want to do?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they dove into a deep and sensual kiss that damn near made Catrina delirious. Michael unzipped her skirt and dropped it like a pro as Catrina brought her shaky hands up to unbutton his shirt. Once his shirt was off, Michael pressed a button to make sure his blinds were all closed and to automatically lock the door. He lifted Catrina’s blouse above her head and let it fall to the floor. Roughly, he spun her around and lifted her onto his desk, then removed his tank. After reaching for his suit jacket, which lay on the chair behind them, he retrieved a condom and unbuckled his pants. Once they dropped to the floor, he gripped Catrina’s lace thong and slid it down over her petite ass to her ankles.
Biting her lip, Catrina gazed sexily back at Michael. She instantly lusted for this fine specimen of a man. Every muscle was tight and cut, and the meat hanging between his legs made her mouth water.
Michael’s eyes twinkled when he noticed Catrina lusting over him. The boy still had the power to make the ladies swoon. He winked at her as the Magnum snapped into place. “See something you like?”
When Catrina nodded, he smacked her ass and rubbed her cheeks, then tested the water by nudging his thumb inside. She was slick and wet, ready for him. After sliding himself inside her wetness, he thrust hard and deep.
“I said, See something you like?”
She moaned and her head fell forward as she bit out, “Yes. God, yes.”
Michael grinned devilishly as he had his way with Catrina. He pounded her from the back, lifted her up, and pounded her from the front, and ended up with her sitting in his lap backward. After a thirty-minute round, they were both spent, and Catrina stood and leaned her naked body against the desk, facing him, as he sat in his plush office chair.
“Oh my God, Michael. What have we done?”
“Had sex . . . good sex.” He winked at her.
“But Karli—”
“Is divorced and remarried to Hudson,” he spewed as he stood up. “Don’t bring her up.”
Catrina shrugged. “Okay. But what about me? She’s my best friend.”
“And Hudson was my friend, so?”
Her brow furrowed. “So did you just use me for a revenge fuck? Is that all this was to you?” she asked angrily.
Michael laughed. “Actually, that would’ve been a great idea if I was still married to your cheating best friend.”
Catrina huffed and turned around to dress. Michael walked over to her and pulled her close.
“It wasn’t, Catrina. I’m sorry.” When she side eyed him, he said, “I’m serious. Look, it was a moment between you and me. No one else has to know about this. And for a moment, my mind was off . . . her.”
He and Catrina shared a quiet laugh.
“So, do you want to come to my restroom and clean up, then help me do a little office cleanup before my employees and my cleaning staff have a field day at our expense?” he asked her.
Catrina nodded.
Michael turned and headed in the direction of the restroom.
“Michael,” she called softly, and he turned to face her. She walked up to him. “Was it only just a moment?”
A contemplative expression crossed his face as he eased Catrina into her arms. “Well, Ms. Catrina, to be honest, that ball is in your court. No pressure. You have to deal with her. I don’t. Still, she’s my ex, and as much as I hate it, I have this fucked-up need to protect her feelings. But if you want to know if I’m okay with this . . . Nothing about any of this is okay, but what’s done has already been done, by all three of us. So it is what it is.” Winking at her, he said, “And something tells me you feel the same way.” With that, he grabbed her hand and took her to the restroom, where they had another quick round of sex before cleaning up themselves and the office.
Ever since then, they had been dating and hiding it from everyone. Their families had suffered a great hurt from the end of Michael and Karli’s marriage, so they didn’t want to add to it by telling everyone about their relationship. But after a year something had to give.
She got up and walked around to the other side of the bed and sat beside him, then pulled his hand into hers. “You don’t have to spare her feelings, Michael. She damn sure didn’t spare yours.”
Snatching his hand away, he seethed, “Again, you don’t have to throw Hudson up in my face, as if I don’t know what she did to me.”
Sucking her teeth, she scoffed, “As if Hudson is the only thing she did to you.”
“And the birth control thing. You don’t have to destroy your friend over shit I know to put yourself on a pedestal.”
Jumping up, she snapped, “So I guess you knew about Tya too!”
“Tya? Who the hell is Tya?”
Hitting her forehead, Catrina wished she could suck the words back in, but she’d put it out into the atmosphere. She couldn’t take it back. “Listen—”
“No! Who the fuck is Tya, and what does she have to do with Karli and me?” Michael said angrily, cutting her off.
Catrina shook her head before crossing her arms. “Tya . . . she . . . um . . . well . . . she’s Hudson’s ex, and Karli had a threesome with her and Hudson.”
Michael stood up, completely flabbergasted. “That’s not true. Karli would never. I know her. She would never.”
“She would never with you, but with Hudson, she did.”
Bile settled in Michael’s throat, and he had to swallow fast to keep from blowing chunks. He couldn’t believe the amount of treachery that Karli had committed, with the urging of Hudson. Sleeping with Hudson was one thing, but having a lesbian experience with some random chick she didn’t know was downright disrespectful and hurtful. Despite himself, tears of hurt and anger welled in his eyes, and he hurriedly wiped them to keep them from falling.
Catrina felt horrible for revealing that part of the story to Michael, but he needed to know. If he understood the lengths Karli had gone to, to be free of her marriage, perhaps he could learn to let go. “See? You don’t owe Karli a thing.”
He looked at her sideways. “But you do. My failed marriage wasn’t permission for us to get together. I know Karli did her thing first, and regardless of whatever else she has done, we both have long since moved on. Still, that part, that’s our shit to worry about. That had absolutely nothing to do with your relationship with Karli, and while the opportunity is there, I don’t want to destroy your friendship with her, either.”
He had told a half-truth. Surely, things wouldn’t be the same if Karli found out about Catrina and him, but the real reason he didn’t want Karli to know was that he held out hope that one day that damn Hudson would screw up and Karli would come back to him. He would be lying if he said that this latest information that Catrina had spilled, to try to throw him for a loop, didn’t give him a better understanding of Karli’s deception. Yet, that didn’t matter, as cheating was nothing but cheating. Besides, Karli didn’t leave him for Tya. She left him for Hudson.
Despite all of that, he’d welcome Karli back with open arms, and this time, he’d do whatever she needed and wanted in order for him to keep her. She could work wherever, she would not have to worry about kids, and they could have sex in front of freeway traffic to satisfy her sexual desires if that was what she wanted. Anything to make her Karli Sanders again. But that day would never come if she ever found out that he was sleeping with her best friend.
Catrina shook her head, half ashamed. She didn’t want to hurt Karli, but she did want her shot at something real with Michael. She’d never been the settling-down type, but being with Michael had opened her up to a world she’d never considered. She understood on every possible level why Karli had married Michael. She just couldn’t fathom why she had let him go. Hudson was a good guy and all, but Michael was the best. At least in her eyes he was, and since her best friend didn’t want him, she did. Was that so wrong?
Catrina turned to face him. “I’d be willing to give up my friendship with her, if it came down to it, for you. I want us to have something real.” She palmed his face. “You deserve something real.”
It hurt him deeply to hear the lengths that Catrina would go just to be with him, because deep down, he knew it could never work. Even if he wanted it to. He cared for Catrina . . . loved her even, but not the way that she wanted. She was looking for him to be the man that he was to Karli, and honestly, those feelings and actions were reserved only for Karli. He couldn’t see himself giving in to anyone else like that. Not even Catrina. The problem was Catrina assumed he wanted something real with another woman. Not so. He had had the real deal, and the only woman he ever wanted that type of relationship with was Karli. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that. It would surely devastate her.
He kissed the inside of her palm. “Thank you for thinking of me, Catrina, but you don’t want to give up on your friendship with Karli. Trust me. In the end, you’ll regret it. I refuse to be the cause of that.” He began making his way to the bathroom.
“Is it really because of our friendship, or is it because you hope that you’ll one day be back with her?” Catrina sneered, causing him to stop in his tracks.
“Say what?” Michael asked, turning slowly to face her.
“Admit it, Michael. You refuse to move on because you haven’t moved on!” Catrina said angrily. “Every time I talk about moving forward and telling Karli about us, you have a different damn excuse! Just admit it! You’re hung up on your ex-wife, while she’s wifed up to your ex-friend!”
Michael glared at her, instantly becoming enraged. The words she had spoken cut deep. “Again, I’m fully aware of what my ex-wife did, and I don’t need you to tell me what happened! I was there! I lived it! But damn! Excuse me for having a shred of fucking human goddamned decency!” he shouted, shaking his head. “Fucking unbelievable!”
Filled with emotion, Catrina ran over to him, turned him around to face her, and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Michael. I am. I shouldn’t have said that. I was wrong. You’ve worked so hard to get over what happened. You’re a good person, and I guess I just . . . I need that in my life.”
Compassion took over Michael, and he hugged her back. At the end of the day, he was wrong too. She was dead on point with her assessment, and ultimately, he was stringing her along because she was familiar. She was the last remnant of Karli that he could hold on to, and she had the added perk of having good punanny.
“It’s okay.” He lifted her face to look into her eyes. “I apologize. I shouldn’t use that language and tone with you. You’re the best thing in my life right now.”
Smiling, she blushed. “I am?”
“Of course you are.” He hugged her again and then looked back down at her. “You’ve been there for me during a time when I didn’t think I would make it. I will always love and appreciate you for that. We’ve been friends forever, and now we have more. I don’t want to lose that. Can’t we just have what we have?”
Catrina’s heart sang as she nodded her head. “Sure. You know you have me wrapped around your finger.” She giggled, then kissed his lips. “Whenever the time comes, I know you’ll reveal it, but until then, yes, we can have what we have, because, baby, what we have is so good.”
They shared a laugh as they both went into the bathroom together. Michael took a leak and flushed his condom just as Catrina stepped in the shower.
“Care to join?” she asked seductively.
Michael smiled devilishly. “You have an early morning meeting, and I have a midday flight. Jumping in that shower will make us both late in the morning.”
She laughed. “True. I’ll be out in a minute.”
He walked out of the bathroom and sat on the bed. Just as he did, his cell phone rang. He looked at it and rolled his eyes before answering. “What’s up?”
“Hey, you. Is it cool to come over?”
Michael sucked his teeth. “Let me take a rain check on that.”
The lady on the other end huffed. “You’re loss,” she said, pouting.
“If you think you’re a loss for me, then you’re sorely mistaken,” he scoffed and then press the END button on his phone.
He’d planned to meet up with this little hot chick he’d met named Angelica, but Catrina had a way of thwarting his plans. Even if she left his hotel room in time, she’d severely killed his vibe. Though he missed Karli, he still had needs.
And he would exchange vows with only one person, and she was now married to another man and was apparently giving it to women. He shook his head at the foolishness Hudson had his wife, his ex-wife, involved in, and it infuriated him. How could she have let him pawn her body and her morals off like that? That was no way to treat his Karli. Hudson didn’t deserve her, because he didn’t know her value. Karli needed only to be reminded that she was worthy, and Michael was the only one who could do that. Then and there, he made the decision that he was going to get his wife back by any means necessary. From now on, that would be his focus.