“You do realize that you’ve ruined my parents’ marriage!” Patrick yelled the second that I came through the door.
I glared at him. “Oh, please! Your mother’s not going anywhere, and neither is your father.”
“You don’t know that. Mother’s very upset. She’s threatening to sue him for divorce.”
“Your mother’s flapping her gums. She’s not going to seek a damn divorce.” I laughed as I kicked off my shoes near the door. “She’d be too ashamed. She puts on more pretenses than anybody on the planet, and she’s not about to be known as a chick who couldn’t keep her man satisfied.”
Patrick folded his arms like a kid about to throw a tantrum. “You don’t know her like I do.”
“Thank goodness I don’t, but I know enough. She’d probably let Roberta Andrews move in their place before she’d let your father leave.”
Patrick followed me into the living room, where I plopped down on the sofa. I was dying to get the food smell off me, but he would have followed me into the bathroom, ranting and raving the entire time I was trying to bathe.
“I don’t even think she was that surprised when I told her,” I added. “Her gut has been telling her something was up all along; I could tell. She didn’t know who the other woman was, or how long it had been going on, but she knew he was cheating.”
Patrick sat beside me. “She didn’t have a clue.”
“Whatever, Patrick.” I threw my legs over his. Normally, he would have rubbed them, but not that night. He seemed like he wanted to push them off his lap, but he didn’t. “I’m not sure if she was more stunned that it finally came out, or that you knew about it and told me.” I grabbed a toss pillow, placed it behind my head, and closed my eyes. “Either way, she’ll be mad for a hot minute and then she’ll be right back at her plastic surgeon getting her next Botox injection.”
“Why would you do something like that, Brooke? How could you?”
I laughed and kept my eyes closed, adjusting the pillow to get more comfortable.
“What’s so amusing?”
“You are, Patrick.” I popped one eye open and squinted at him. “It’s amazing how I always end up being the bad person in any given situation involving your parents.”
“That’s not true!”
“It is very true.” I closed my eye again and sighed. “Your father used to take you to visit his mistress as a child, and I’m at fault? If he hadn’t done it in the first place, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“My father was just being a man!”
I sat up and took my legs off his lap. I stared at him. “Oh, so now it comes out!”
Patrick realized the error of his ways and shrugged innocently. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, don’t backpedal now, Patrick.” I sat up even straighter. “Like you said, he was just being a man. That’s what a real man does, right? He maintains more than one woman and gets his dick wet day and night. He has women across the country—if he can afford it, across the globe—and can lay his head where he pleases, when he pleases.”
“You’re being ridiculous and reading too much into what I said.”
“No, I’m not. Not at all.” I stood up and looked down at him on the sofa. “So if it’s not Mandy, Mandawhore, then who is it?”
“I’m not cheating on you, Brooke.” Patrick stood up so he could look down at me, trying to get the clear advantage. “I learned my lesson. When you were in that accident, I could’ve lost you forever. No amount of sex is worth giving you up.”
“You know, your parents actually did us a big favor.” I found myself smirking, even though not a damn thing was funny about our conversation. “Ironically, that little scene they pulled at the diner has awakened me.”
“What are you talking about?”
I took a step back and glared at him. To think I’d almost settled for a lifetime of misery and heartache. “I’d almost convinced myself that it was okay to turn the other cheek. That eventually you’d come to your senses and be faithful.”
Patrick tried to take me into his arms, but I wouldn’t allow it. “I am faithful, baby.”
“Bullshit, Patrick!” I turned from him and started toward the master bedroom. “You’re more careful now. You’ve stepped up your game. You may not be jiggling the keys to another woman’s home these days, but you’re fucking around on me. You can’t help yourself.”
Patrick was right on my heels as I entered the bedroom and walked into my closet. “What happened with Mandy was a mistake. A weak moment. It’ll never happen again.”
“I believe you, about Mandy. I don’t think you’d be that stupid. She’s too risky and too attached. She might show up here one day, or at my job, and burst your bubble.” I hesitated as I changed into some jeans and a sweater and took a good, long look at him. “But you’re fucking someone. Some socialite who thinks her pussy is collecting dividends as long as she’s fucking you.”
I pulled down a duffel bag and started shoving my limited belongings into it.
“What are you doing?” Patrick asked as he grabbed for the bag.
“What’s it look like I’m doing?” I yanked the handle away from him and kept on throwing items into it. “Thank goodness I never moved all of my shit back in here.”
Realization dawned on him. “You can’t leave me.”
“Watch me!” I yelled as I pushed past him and threw the bag on the bed.
“You have no proof that I’m fooling around, Brooke,” Patrick said as he followed me into the master bathroom.
“Is that what it comes down to? Proof?” I started throwing my toiletry items into another bag that I’d brought with me from the closet. “I don’t need proof for something that I know within my heart.”
I paused and stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as I retrieved my toothbrush, mouthwash, and favorite dental floss. I had a fleeting thought about not having to worry about rinsing his nasty-ass cum out of my mouth anymore.
“The funny thing is that I’m not even mad at you. You’re only doing what comes naturally and I shouldn’t take it personally.”
“Take what personally?” He caressed my shoulders and leaned down to kiss me on the neck. For a second I was weak. “I love you, Brooke.”
I snapped back to my senses and moved away from him, heading back into the bedroom. “Your inability to keep your dick in your pants has nothing to do with me. I may not be willing to do a bunch of perverted shit when it comes to sex, but, dammit, I do enough.”
“Is that why you think I’m cheating? Because I ask you to do some things that make you feel uncomfortable?”
“I think you’re cheating because you can’t help yourself.” I zipped up the duffel bag and flung it over my shoulder. “All that shit you ask me to do; I finally get it. It’s not about making you feel good. It’s about making you feel powerful.”
“Now you’re really trippin’.”
I left the bedroom, with both bags, and headed down the hallway toward the front of the penthouse. “If you can convince a chick to let you fuck her in the ass, cum in her mouth, kiss you with her own cum in your mouth, then that makes you the man.”
Patrick grabbed my elbow and swung me around. I could see the pain in his eyes. “Please tell me how we went from having a discussion about my parents to talking about us.”
I ran my fingertips over his cheek. I was going to miss him … a lot. “Don’t you see that we’re one and the same? If we don’t end this now, we’ll end up exactly like your parents.” I’d never felt more saddened in my entire life. I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t stay a moment longer. “We’ll get married, bring some innocent kids into the world, and then ruin their lives.”
“We’re both loving people, Brooke. We could never ruin the lives of our children.” Patrick got down on one knee and grabbed my free hand. “Marry me! Tonight! We can go to Atlantic City and find a quaint little chapel and leave out of there as husband and wife.”
&nbs
p; I pulled my hand away and traced the outline of his features with my index finger. Damn, he was a beautiful man. Why couldn’t he just be faithful?
“There isn’t going to be a marriage, Patrick. Not today, not ever.”
I continued on toward the front door. Patrick got up and yelled behind me, “You’ll be back, Brooke. I know you’ll be back. You have no place else to go.”
I refused to turn around. It might have caused me to lose my senses and run into his arms. I had the door open and was about to step out into the hallway when Patrick ran down the hall like a linebacker and slammed the door, pressing my stomach up against it.
“Hold up. This isn’t about that bastard, is it?” he whispered into my ear.
“Bastard?” I asked, my lips nearly touching the cherrywood.
“Don’t play dumb with me! You know who the fuck I’m talking about! Are you leaving me for him?” Patrick continued to whisper, his voice full of anger.
I managed to get enough room between us to turn around and look up at him.
“If you are referring to Damon, who is ten times far removed from being a bastard, no, this is not about him. Damon is happily married, and unlike you, he would never cheat on her.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I know.” I moved around Patrick and faced the door. He was now standing against it like he was going to force me to stay with him. “Would you kindly move out of my way? I’d hate to have to call the police.”
Mentioning the police made him move. Patrick didn’t want, or need, that kind of drama in his line of work.
“I do love you, Brooke. We can make this work,” he said as I opened the door.
“I love you, too, Patrick, but this can never work.” I was staring at the elevator but I could feel his breath on my neck. “It’s time for us to both realize that.”
He waited there in the doorway while I pressed the button for the elevator. It ascended from the lobby, and I got on board. As the doors closed, I saw the hurt and anguish in his eyes. I imagined that mine looked similar.
“It had to end,” I said to myself as I pressed the button for the garage level. “It had to end.”
By the time I’d placed my bags in the trunk of my Corolla, I could no longer hold back my tears. I did really love Patrick, but he could never change, and we both recognized that. The level of deception that it had taken for him to mess around on me first with Mandy, and then with whoever else had followed her, was a clear indication that he was capable of separating love and dirty deeds. Destiny had almost convinced me that dealing with his lies, as long as he came home to me after he fucked other women, was “normal.” Well, what is satisfactory for a lot of women simply didn’t sit well with me.
I was scared; afraid that I might end up alone for the rest of my life, even though I was not even thirty yet. What if the next man was worse than Patrick? Gave me a disease? Tried to beat my ass? Notice that I said tried, because that was some shit that I wouldn’t stand for. He might make an attempt, but I would never lie down and take a beating—not for all of the dick on the Eastern Shore.
I climbed into the driver’s seat and swiped at my tears with the back of my hand. Part of me expected Patrick to come running off the elevator, to make one last attempt at getting me to stay. But he didn’t.
“What have you done, Brooke?” I asked myself. “Now what are you going to do?”
My cell phone started blaring. I still had that damn MC Hammer song on it. It startled me and I almost jumped out of my seat. I grabbed for it in my purse, assuming it was Patrick, and flipped it open without glancing at the caller ID.
“Patrick, it’s over. Please just leave me alone.”
After a moment of silence on the other end, I heard Damon speak. “Brooke, are you okay?”
I tried to mask that I was sobbing and sat up straighter. I turned the engine on and revved it while I tried to get myself together.
“Brooke, you there?”
“I’m here. Sorry about that, Damon. I was just getting into my car and assumed you were someone else.”
“Did Patrick do something to you? What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine.” I sighed, then took a deep breath. “I’m good. It’s all good.”
“Brooke, I can tell you’re crying. Where are you? I can come and meet you.”
A smile suddenly spread across my face. Damon was such a good man. “I’m on my way to Destiny’s, but I’m fine.”
“You keep saying that, but I don’t believe you.” Damon sucked in air on the other end of the line. “I can be there in a half hour.”
“Damon, there’s really no reason for you to come over there.” I tried to sound convincing. “Okay, I’ll admit that Patrick and I had a little run-in, but it’s not your issue. Just stay there with Carleigh and have a romantic evening or something.”
“I can’t have a romantic evening by myself. Carleigh’s out with her friends … again.”
Carleigh’s a damn fool! “I’m sure she’ll be back soon. She’ll expect you to be there, waiting for her.”
“Humph! I seriously doubt all of that.”
I sensed something in his voice—anguish. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
I laughed.
“What’s so funny, Brooke?”
“How we’re both fine and neither one of us is being truthful.”
Damon laughed then. “Good point.” He paused. “Listen, I could really use someone to talk to tonight. How about you?”
I hesitated before answering, “Sure, but Destiny’s home tonight, and she’s the nosiest woman walking. Can we meet someplace else?”
“Name the place and I’ll be there.”
I thought about it for a few seconds. “How far do you feel like driving?”
“To see you? To the ends of the earth.”
I blushed, even though he couldn’t see me. “How about to Annapolis?”
“That’s a little bit closer than the ends of the earth, but sure.”
I giggled. “Meet me at Mike’s. You know where it is?”
“I know it well.”
I glanced at the clock on my dashboard. “See you in about an hour?”
“One hour. See you then.”
We hung up without saying good-bye. I glanced at the elevator one last time, but no Patrick. I wondered if he was upstairs crying or dialing up some other woman for a booty call.
Damon
May 5, 2008
BROOKE was visibly upset as she walked into the bar at Mikeb’s, a seafood-and-crab house overlooking the water. As she approached me with her head down and her arms crossed over her chest, I couldn’t help but take in her beauty. Some of the people had stared at me when I entered. I was still getting used to people dealing with my prosthetic arm. I wore long sleeves most of the time, but it was still noticeable because I was not yet accustomed to carrying it naturally. It was still awkward for me, but I was getting the swing of it, no pun intended.
“Sorry that I’m a few minutes late,” Brooke said as she sat down on the stool next to me.
I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “No problem.” I handed her a menu. “They had an hour wait for a table, so I hope the bar is okay.”
“This is fine. I’m not really all that hungry.”
“You need to eat something. Just order something light.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Brooke smiled at me, and it lit up the dark room. “What do you recommend?”
“How about some clams or oysters?”
“Raw?” I nodded. “I don’t do raw, even seafood,” Brooke said. “Some kind of flame has to hit my food first.”
I chuckled. “You’d better not ever have to survive in the wilderness. You’d be shit out of luck, unless you know how to rub two stones together and light some twigs.”
“I don’t ever plan to be in that kind of position.” She reached out and pushed my arm, the fake one, then pulled back. “I’m sorry. Did that hurt?”
&
nbsp; “No, it’s not real. Remember?”
“I know that, but I mean, did I put any pressure on the other part of your arm when I—”
“Brooke, relax.” I reached over with my left arm and touched her face. Her skin was so soft as she looked at me with her big, doe eyes. “I’m a big boy.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t.” She glanced at the menu. “I think that I’ll take some shrimp cocktail.” I chuckled and shook my head. “What?”
“You just said that you don’t eat raw food, but now you want to order shrimp cocktail?”
She laughed. “The shrimp is not raw. It’s not fried, or broiled, but they do boil it. You don’t know the difference between raw and boiled shrimp?”
“Damn, you’re right. Sometimes I can’t seem to think clearly when I’m around you.”
Brooke seemed uneasy with my statement, but she blushed anyway.
After the bartender took our orders, I made small talk, trying to take her mind off of what had happened with Patrick. “How’s school going?”
“It’s going … slowly. It’s going to take me a while to finish, doing it part-time and working full-time.”
“You can do it. I have faith in you.”
“Too bad Patrick doesn’t.”
So much for keeping her mind off Patrick.
“What did he do to you?”
Brooke shrugged. “Patrick and I have a way of doing things to each other, but this time, things can’t be fixed.”
“How many times have you said that?”
“I mean it this time. Things have gone too far.”
“Did he cheat on you again?” I asked.
I was prepared to rip his fuckin’ throat out! “Yes, or no. I think so, but I don’t have any facts. I know it in my gut though. Patrick is what he is and that will never change.”
“But you went back to him after he cheated on you before.”
“I didn’t technically go back to him.” She paused and took a sip of her rum and Coke. “Who am I bullshitting? I did take him back. Not officially moving back in doesn’t mean a thing. I was with him, totally committed, and it got me absolutely nothing but heartache.”