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He rides a bike to work every day. He doesn’t live very far from the shop and it’s done wonders for his muscles and overall tone and conditioning.
“Don’t run down any pedestrians,” Zoey says deadpan and turns to leave.
Right after that, Lethal says, “Gotta go, sugarplum. Sorry I can’t stay and commiserate with you over your boring fiancée.”
“Be careful on the sidewalks. Wouldn’t want to see you on the news hitting any pedestrians,” I shout after his retreating form.
He chuckles and closes the door firmly behind him.
I swivel my body around on the couch until my feet are resting on the end of the sofa and my head is at the other end. Closing my eyes, I think about the funk that I’m in.
I’d been excited about our engagement until last weekend. The adrenaline rush I was on hit a wall, and I tanked and crashed when I ran into Marco at his club. The guilt of what I allowed him to do and what I did to him slams me against the wall whenever I think about it. And when I recall how I felt being with Marco again, the shame and disappointment impale me hard against a wall of lies.
I’ve never told Kenneth about Marco. During the short two years that Marco and I were together, Kenneth had moved to North Carolina for a stint and then returned home after he attempted to open his own law firm and failed.
Marco was a dark spot in my life that can either lift me or crush me when I revisit that time in my life for too long. My memories of him are powerful, beautiful, and haunting all at once. I loved that man with all my soul, and I know I’ll never love another man like that.
He took my body to heights I’d never experienced; easily able to suck the breath out of me with just one kiss and set my body on fire with a brush of his fingertips. He could have me climaxing and calling his name in one moment and then have me cursing him out the next.
I firmly believe that Marco is my soulmate. Unfortunately, I can’t have him, and we don’t always get what we want so I decided to move on and forget about him.
Only that was a lie that I decided to tell myself. That lie ended when I saw him and felt his lips against mine and his fingers inside me. The part that seared me was taking him into my mouth. I’ve never done that to another man, not even Kenneth. Not that he wants me to.
Only Marco. Always Marco. He could get me to try anything.
Our sex life is okay; nothing to call up your best friend and chat about. But when I compare it with Marco, it’s like I’m a nun.
My phone buzzes, and I glance at it. A moan escapes my lips when I realize that, like an annoying fly interrupting a nice summer evening, it’s Kenneth interrupting my daydreams about Marco.
The annoyance that instantly rises in me at the sight of his name during my musings is quickly followed by shame. This has become a recurring theme in my life over the last few days.
Once again, I can’t forget Marco no matter how hard I try. Once again, my body yearns for him, and I want to push Kenneth away.
I grunt, pushing the answer icon on my phone.
“Yes?”
“Hey, we have a photoshoot scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.”
“For what?” I ask through clenched teeth.
“Atlanta Spotlight Magazinewants to feature us in next month’s issue. It’s all about the city's up-and-coming black wealth and power. I was hoping that we could announce our engagement by then in a more public venue,” he says.
“Kenneth,” I say in a warning tone.
“Baby, I told you that things would start moving fast. You have to be ready to move when I say move,” he answers.
“Look, I have a business to run. I can’t just drop what I’m doing to come running when you shout. Besides, I’m all booked for tomorrow,” I explain in a wary tone.
“You’ll need to reschedule. You have four other people working for you.”
“Of those four, only two are tattoo artists and they have their own clients. Besides, my clients are very particular about my ink.”
“We’ll talk tonight. You’ll have to make some hard calls regarding your business, Piper. What we’re building is more important.”
“Than my business?” I ask with a hitch in my tone.
He’s ruining my goddamn high!
