“No, you tripped!” I spat as I slammed the door and immediately locked it behind him. I then moved over to the window and watched out the corner of the blinds as he loaded the backseat of his orange Mitsubishi Eclipse. Bitch-ass car. I’d been teasing him since day one that he drove a gay-ass ride. I even refused to be caught dead riding in the passenger side, which meant most dates we rolled in my Benz.
I kept watching as he climbed behind the wheel. There was no way I was taking my eye off him. I had learned long ago to never turn your back on a brotha after you kicked him to the curb. I made that mistake once and had sugar put in my tank.
I waited until Cory had reached the corner, then sighed with relief as I made my way up to my bedroom. Once there I collapsed on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if my husband and his money would ever be enough. So far, the answer was no.
Damn! I really wanted that bracelet.
3
Nikki
“I can’t believe he acted like that!” I screamed after my best friend brought me up to speed on her relationship with Cory. I was falling out my chair while Trinette didn’t look the least bit amused. Well, too bad. How the hell did she expect me to react? I can’t believe she really thought she was going to con Mr. Lottery out of his money. Seems to me, he might have already heard about her reputation.
Trinette rolled her eyes. “It’s not funny. That nut made me think.”
“Think about what? That you should stop bringing fools home? Damn, Netta, I told you before, don’t shit where you sleep. One of these days your actions are gonna catch up with you.” I shook my head and started laughing again. What the hell was she thinking bringing a man to her house? Hello! Did she forget she was married? Okay, maybe Leon doesn’t live with her, but not only does he pay the bills, the man also has a key.
She gave me a dismissive wave. “It’s not funny.”
I pointed an accusing finger at her. “You’re right. It’s not funny. You had no business bringing that bum to your home.”
Trinette frowned. “Hell, I didn’t have a choice. Cory lives at home with his mother.”
“Oh, my God! That’s even worse. Why in the world would you be interested in someone who doesn’t have his own place?”
“Girl, what can I say? He had just won a hundred grand, and I wanted some of it.”
“What else is new? You thought he was your lottery ticket.” If she didn’t have a degree I would have sworn her ass was slow. The way she uses men sometimes is downright sickening. “The warning signs were already there. If it had been me, the first thing I would have questioned was, if Cory had all that money why didn’t he get his own place?”
She rolled her eyes. “Cory told me his mom lived with him because her health wasn’t the best.”
“And you believed him? I bet her name pops up on the caller ID.” I gave Trinette a long look. She just stared at me, neither confirming nor denying my statement until she could no longer hold a straight face and started laughing. “Goofy ass! You can be so gullible sometimes.”
When she finally stopped laughing, she said, “Yeah, I know. I wasn’t thinking straight with that one. How’d you know the phone was in his mama’s name?”
I shifted my eyes and glared at her. “Why you think? Because that’s his mama’s house, not his.”
Trinette gave me a long, hard look. She hates when she’s wrong and I’m right. “All I know is, he better not even try to call me. I can’t believe his ass is already broke. That fool can’t afford to pay for me to get my nails done. You know I don’t have time for a brotha if he can’t provide me the lifestyle I’m accustomed to.”
“Accustomed to? Trinette, you forget, you grew up in the projects just like me.”
She cringed at the reminder, then had the nerve to look embarrassed as she glanced over at the table beside us to make sure the couple hadn’t overheard. “That was a long time ago,” she whispered. “Now quit talking so loud!”
Our waitress arrived, and while Trinette placed our order, all I could do was stare at my friend and think how stupid she can be at times. She’d been married to Leon Montgomery, a CFO for one of the largest financial institutions in America, for almost eight years. Now, he isn’t all that to look at. Leon’s got a serious receding hairline and is too skinny for my taste, but he has all the personality in the world to make up for it. I love him like a brother. Have for years. The only problem I have with Leon is that for the last two years, he has allowed Trinette to do whatever the hell she wants, and as a result she has absolutely no respect for him as a man.
“And bring us some more salsa and chips,” Trinette tossed over her shoulder as our waitress departed with our orders. She straightened the cowl-neck of her black knit dress. As always, everything was accessorized all the way down to the diamond bracelet dangling from her wrist. I love her style. One thing about Trinette, she may be a size 16, but the chick can dress her ass off. She has the smallest waist and big perky breasts, and she makes sure everything she wears emphasizes both. I’ve envied her assets for years.
“When’s Leon getting home?”
Trinette pursed her magenta-painted lips in a thin line at the mention of her husband. “He’ll be here Friday. I guess I better change my sheets,” she added, then had the nerve to cackle. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help but to laugh along with her and shake my head. My girl was seriously living on the edge. Because he worked in Richmond, Trinette saw Leon one weekend a month, which allowed her ass twenty-eight days a month to pretend she was single.
I gave her a warning look. “You think that shit is funny, but as I’ve said to you many times before, one of these days he’s gonna sneak up on your ass.”
She tossed a heavily jeweled hand my way. Unfortunately, the one ring missing from her finger was a wedding band. Trinette swears up and down that yellow gold breaks her finger out. Yet it’s funny how that sucker is back on her finger like clockwork the second Leon’s plane lands at the Lambert–St. Louis International Airport. “Leon would never come unannounced, because he doesn’t like surprises.” She gave me a look of satisfaction just as her eyes traveled over toward the entrance. I followed the direction of her gaze and spotted a tall man in a gray suit who had just strolled into the restaurant…alone. I’ll admit he was gorgeous and just the way Trinette liked them. Leon was due home and she needed to be trying to save some coochie for him, which meant keeping her attention on our side of the room. I swung the toe of my stiletto boot at her shin.
“Ouch!” She shot an accusing glare across the table at me.
“Stay focused! After Cory, a man should be the last thing on your mind.”
Trinette tossed me an incredulous look. “That will never happen.”
“Well, it should…at least for the rest of the week. You know Leon’s home this weekend and he’ll wanna talk about you moving to Richmond in June like you promised.”
“I’ll just give him some extra loving and he’ll forget all about me joining him.” She wagged her brow suggestively.
I took a long, deep breath, shifting my body in the chair before speaking. “Trinette, Leon’s been living without you for two years. One of these days he’s gonna decide enough is enough and find another woman.”
She raised a finger to chastise me, then looked like she had second thoughts before she finally spoke. “And when he does, I guess it will be time for us to finally go our separate ways, but I don’t see that ever happening. Leon loves me. We’re already talking about going to Hawaii for Christmas this year.”
Sometimes her overconfidence was enough to make me sick. I love my girl, really I do, but she can be so self-centered at times. Two years ago, Leon accepted one helluva promotion that sent him to