directly into Victor’s eyes without batting an eyelash. “I’m not the one keeping secrets. It’s very apparent that you’re distracted and something has your mind on lock down. Yesterday, I wore a sculptured short dress that grabbed my hips and breasts the way you like it, but you failed to notice.”
“I noticed,” Victor said snidely.
“See, that’s what I mean. Flippant. Downright flippant you’ve been. It’s none of my business anyway what’s going on in your life…as long as you don’t forget who’s been giving you all the good loving you’ve been blessed to receive the past six months.”
“And you’ve been paid well.”
“I’m not your whore, Victor. I’m sure your wife doesn’t know that you’ve dipped into this honey pot and promised me that you’d leave her one day.” Sheila smirked, pleased that she seemed to have the upper hand and glad to know that Victor hadn’t heard all of her conversation with Phyllis.
Victor fidgeted in his seat and took a good look at Sheila. “I’m not sure whether that was a threat or not, but I’m not worried about you. Newsflash. You’ll never be the woman my wife is, Sheila. In fact, you couldn’t touch her with the tip of your finger. She could run a hundred circles around you before you blinked once. And, for your information…please hear me well, I’ll never leave Brenda.”
Sheila jumped from her seat and threw her arm across the large desk and pointed at Victor. But before her tongue was able to catch up with her anger, he caught her by her wrist and squeezed tight.
“You’ll do what I tell you to do. And, you’re not even that good of a secretary. If you hadn’t been able to satisfy me like you do, and you do that well, I’ll admit, your ass would’ve been in the unemployment line a long time ago.”
In vain, Sheila tried to pull free of Victor’s grasp. “I’m not through,” Victor said. “I have an assignment that I want you to complete. If you do it well, there will be a reward.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You don’t want to suffer the consequence of saying no to me.”
Victor pushed Sheila back and released her arm. She rubbed her wrist and stood, watching Victor with a scowl on her face.
“What’s the assignment?”
22
Six o’clock on the dot. Victor touched the remote and watched as the garage door climbed to the ceiling, giving him access to the garage. His mood was sour—unhappy because of the unwelcomed visitor who had the audacity to step to him and hand him some crazy ultimatum.
Victor sauntered into the house, loosened his tie, took off his jacket and neatly hung it on the coat rack that sat off to one side of the foyer. Without making any noise, he moved easily from room to room until he found Brenda in the family room watching television, perched on the end of the white leather couch with Beyonce curled up beside her.
The atmosphere was cool when Brenda turned around and made eye contact with Victor. Even Beyonce sensed tension in the air and plopped up from her resting place, leapt to the floor, and sauntered off out of sight.
“What’s for dinner?” Victor asked, a slight chill in his voice.
“It’s a free for all tonight,” Brenda said, turning back to watch World News.
“Ummph,” Victor grumbled. “I noticed that a rental car is in the garage. At least you could have run out and got something to eat if you didn’t want to cook. It appears you’ve healed from your injuries.”
Brenda swiveled around in her seat so that she faced Victor. “You could’ve easily brought something home. You walk in here without so much as a how are you feeling, Brenda…is there anything I can do for you, Brenda…and you expect me to be at your beck and call. It would’ve been nice if during the ten hours you were away from home today that you would’ve thought to make at least one phone call to show you care about my well-being.”
“I do care, Brenda. Today was an exhausting day. I…I had to tackle one problem after another.”
“Ten minutes was all I needed from you. You give your concubines more than that.”
“Please don’t start tonight, Brenda. You’re the only one I love and I’ll always be here for you and the kids.”
“You have a funny way of showing it. But I know you, Victor. Something has got you preoccupied. And I don’t understand your obsession with me not seeing Mimi.”