Monique’s walk took about forty-five minutes as she strolled along the boardwalk, then doubled back in the sand. Though it was only nine-thirty in the morning, there were lots of people around, mostly surfers and permanent residents enjoying the beach before the tourists descended. The coastal weather in late October was fairly cool, but that did not stop natives and visitors from enjoying the endless sunshine.
Once back home, Monique quickly jumped into the shower. She then pulled on track pants and an oversized T-shirt, old and worn, appropriate for a day of messy painting. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled into a casual ponytail. She was all set to leave her bedroom but then stopped to look at herself in the large dressing mirror on the wall.
The image reflected there was of an athletic woman, slightly taller than average, with a slender frame now hidden behind baggy sweats. It was a picture that Monique used to be comfortable with, maybe even one she sometimes hid behind. But now, she just looked sloppy and unkempt, like a girl who was afraid to show her beauty and femininity.
She let out a deep sigh. Her relationship with Donald had helped her see that.
They had met at work about four years ago, at least six months before they had started seeing each other. Monique had been very new at Sector Asset and it was her second job after her MBA. She was working in the sales department as an analyst, and Donald Sanderson was one of their new clients.
That summer, they spent quite a bit of time together but mostly in the work environment. There were a couple of group dinners where they had the opportunity to talk on a more personal level, but that was all. At the time, Monique found him interesting and attractive, but he was older and married, so she had not thought about it beyond that. Now, looking back with more experienced eyes, she could see that Donald had been flirting with her and checking out her interest in him from the beginning.
He had taken another job sometime in the fall, but they met again at a party in January of the following year. Monique and a few of her work colleagues were out celebrating a big win at a bar near the office. She had not noticed Donald among the Friday evening crowd, but he made a point of approaching her as she got ready to leave the bar. They chatted only for a few minutes, but long enough for him to confirm that she was still with Sector Asset. On Monday morning, there was an e-mail from him suggesting they get together for drinks.
Monique often wondered what it was about Donald that caused her to respond to his advances. Flattery? Curiosity? He had been thirty-nine years old at the time, fairly average-looking but very polished and well-dressed. He was also fourteen years older than Monique and refreshingly mature and sophisticated.
Of course, there was his charm and persuasiveness, then his incredible ability to lie and manipulate so convincingly. Those were the qualities that got her to stay in a destructive relationship with a married man long after the explanations about a separation and impending divorce could be still be believable.
Monique sighed deeply again while still inspecting her reflection. There was no viable alternative for her hair other than the practical ponytail, but she changed out of the dingy sweats into figure-hugging jeans and a pretty white cotton shirt with short, capped sleeves and tailored pleats over the stomach. She then threw the large T-shirt and track pants into a duffle bag along with a few toiletry items, and headed out the door.
Gary lived about fifteen minutes away in a low, ranch-style house on a quiet cul-de-sac. Monique pulled into the empty driveway and paused for a few seconds before shutting off her car. It was several minutes after eleven o’clock, but there was no sign of Gary or his dark blue Lincoln. She pulled out her cell phone to check for any missed calls, but there weren’t any. Where could he be?
Monique was about to dial his cell phone number when a sharp knock on her car window caused her to jump. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she looked up to find Tao Samuels bent low looking back at her. His face was flushed and his skin was damp with sweat. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was trying to talk to her, and she finally lowered the driver-side window.
“Have you been waiting long?” asked Tao.
“No, I just got here,” Monique explained. “Where’s Gary?”
“At the hardware store, I think. But he should be back soon,” he explained as he stepped back and opened her door. “He needed new brushes and a few other things.”
Monique grabbed her duffle bag, then stepped out of the car. Tao was already walking up the driveway, so she followed him. As she approached his back, she could see that his black nylon shirt was dripping with sweat and sticking to his back. It was obvious that he had been out running.
She followed him into the house and closed the door behind her. Standing in the entranceway, she continued to watch Tao’s back as he walked down the hall leading to the bedrooms, casually pulling off his wet top along the way. His broad shoulders tapered down to narrow hips and hard, square glutes that were barely concealed beneath the low waistband of his loose shorts.
“There’s some fresh coffee in the kitchen,”
Tao had turned suddenly to make the statement, catching Monique by surprise while her eyes were still fastened on the lower half of his body. He disappeared into the bathroom before she could respond, or even close her mouth. She heard him turn on the shower a few seconds later.
Monique took advantage of his offer and poured herself a cup of coffee. She should not have been surprised to find Tao there. Gary had mentioned a few weeks ago that the renovations on Tao’s new condo were delayed. The lease on his rental expired, so he needed to crash at Gary’s for about a month in between.
Gary finally arrived about fifteen minutes later and two of their other friends, Jason and Isaac, arrived soon after. The five of them quickly got to work painting the living room, kitchen, and main hallway of Gary’s cozy 1950s house. Monique was given the task of taping off the trim while the men covered and moved the furniture, then patched and sanded holes in the wall.
Once they got into a rhythm, the conversation among the guys become pretty lively. Jason started telling the others about the get-together he and Isaac had gone to the night before. As usual, Monique listened to their antics quietly, always surprised at how much grown men gossiped. From what she could decipher, it had been a party for a girl they all knew named Josephine.
“Gary, man, you should have been there,” Jason admonished. “Her roommate, Leanne, kept asking for you all night!”
Gary just shrugged.
“Ah, forget it, Jason,” Isaac threw in with a devilish grin. “You know Leanne is not his type.”
“Yeah, that right. She has a job and real breasts!” replied Jason.
They all laughed except for Gary who just rolled his eyes. Monique had to chuckle too because Jason’s observation was pretty close to the truth. For whatever reason, Gary seemed to always find the most simple, fake women out there. And no matter how hard his friends tried to make him see the disastrous pattern, he just ignored them.
“She’s just not my type, that’s all,” Gary finally replied.
“We know your type,” added Tao in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Seriously, though, Gary,” Isaac said. “I don’t understand the way you think. Leanne is smart, stable, and pretty cute. You keep talking about finding that special woman to settle down and have kids with, but then you make a beeline for the first broke, hoodrat you see. I’m not saying don’t hit it where you can get it, but you can’t turn a booty call into a wife, if you know what I’m saying.”
“You guys don’t know what you’re talking about. I know that Noreen was a mistake, but…” stated Gary, trying hard not to sound defensive.
“Mistake? Brother, she had two kids ten months apart for two brothers! I mean, biological brothers! Is that even physically possible? Come on