her. “I do not share my woman.”
“I’m not your woman. I’m just your current booty call.”
He recoiled. “I never treated you like any damned booty call, Sharde!”
“Oh, I don’t know, Jefferson. I’m willing to bet you never pulled either Linda or Vanessa into a shower of a shelter and took them on the toilet. I’m certain you never told either one of them their asses would look good red and branded with your palm prints.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “This is not about either of them.”
“Of course it is. They hurt you and everyone else has to pay the price for their infidelity.”
He leveled a finger at her. “You don’t have to pay the price for anything, Sharde. But hell will freeze over before I allow another woman to manipulate me!”
“Then where does this leave us?”
“I’ll tell you where it leaves us! You know those two choices you mentioned? I’ll take plan A... no sex.”
Her heart felt as if it was being ripped into little pieces. But she was determined not to reveal how much his words hurt. “Fine. I can live without having sex with you.”
“You fickle little... bitch! Not two hours past you were insisting I do you without a cond–”
“Do me?!”
“Yes, Sharde, do you! I did you... without a condom, at your insistence, and now you think I’m going to allow you to jerk me around? Hell, no! You want to play damned games? You go fuck whoever the hell you like and see if I care!”
She swallowed hard to dislodge a lump of misery threatening to choke her. “Jeff –”
“Fuck off, Sharde!”
He turned and stormed out of the kitchen. When he left, he slammed her apartment door so violently she jumped. The tears stinging her eyes fell unchecked down her cheeks.
Determined not to spend a sleepless crying in her pillow for him, she finished half the bottle of wine. Feeling groggy and miserable, she put her plate and Jefferson’s in the refrigerator and stumbled down the hall to her bedroom.
She undressed and fell face down across the bed. She hugged the pillow close, closed her eyes, whispered Jefferson’s name, and fell asleep.
* * * * *
Jefferson sat in his SUV outside of Sharde’s building, taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to calm the emotions raging in him. What was wrong with him that he kept attracting the wrong type of woman?
He looked up at the building. Sharde was the last woman he’d expected to take fidelity so lightly. How could she be so uninhibited... hell... wanton with him and then casually expect him to share her with another man?
It was unreasonable of her to expect him to be ready for anything serious so soon after Vanessa’s infidelity. Did she think he had no feelings? There was still an ache inside him left by the two women he had unwisely given possession of his heart. Why couldn’t she understand that it would take time before he felt ready to trust his heart to another woman? Didn’t she know that when he was ready, she’d be that woman?
Just because he wasn’t ready or able to entrust his heart to her immediately didn’t mean he would have been anything but faithful to her. He clenched his fists around the steering wheel, bile rising in his gut as he thought of Sharde sleeping with another man. He had thought of little except her since their weekend at the cabin. How could something that meant so much to him mean so little to her?
He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel. He was hurt and furious that she could so easily choose to abandon the physical relationship that he ached for with her.
He sat up, casting a final look up at her building. What would she say if he went back and accepted her offer? He gave an angry shake of his head. He was not going back. Damn if he’d allow another damned faithless woman to jerk his chain. She wanted other men. She could damn well have as many of them as she could handle, but he would not be one of them. And two could play her damn game.
He had
“I’m not your woman. I’m just your current booty call.”
He recoiled. “I never treated you like any damned booty call, Sharde!”
“Oh, I don’t know, Jefferson. I’m willing to bet you never pulled either Linda or Vanessa into a shower of a shelter and took them on the toilet. I’m certain you never told either one of them their asses would look good red and branded with your palm prints.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “This is not about either of them.”
“Of course it is. They hurt you and everyone else has to pay the price for their infidelity.”
He leveled a finger at her. “You don’t have to pay the price for anything, Sharde. But hell will freeze over before I allow another woman to manipulate me!”
“Then where does this leave us?”
“I’ll tell you where it leaves us! You know those two choices you mentioned? I’ll take plan A... no sex.”
Her heart felt as if it was being ripped into little pieces. But she was determined not to reveal how much his words hurt. “Fine. I can live without having sex with you.”
“You fickle little... bitch! Not two hours past you were insisting I do you without a cond–”
“Do me?!”
“Yes, Sharde, do you! I did you... without a condom, at your insistence, and now you think I’m going to allow you to jerk me around? Hell, no! You want to play damned games? You go fuck whoever the hell you like and see if I care!”
She swallowed hard to dislodge a lump of misery threatening to choke her. “Jeff –”
“Fuck off, Sharde!”
He turned and stormed out of the kitchen. When he left, he slammed her apartment door so violently she jumped. The tears stinging her eyes fell unchecked down her cheeks.
Determined not to spend a sleepless crying in her pillow for him, she finished half the bottle of wine. Feeling groggy and miserable, she put her plate and Jefferson’s in the refrigerator and stumbled down the hall to her bedroom.
She undressed and fell face down across the bed. She hugged the pillow close, closed her eyes, whispered Jefferson’s name, and fell asleep.
* * * * *
Jefferson sat in his SUV outside of Sharde’s building, taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to calm the emotions raging in him. What was wrong with him that he kept attracting the wrong type of woman?
He looked up at the building. Sharde was the last woman he’d expected to take fidelity so lightly. How could she be so uninhibited... hell... wanton with him and then casually expect him to share her with another man?
It was unreasonable of her to expect him to be ready for anything serious so soon after Vanessa’s infidelity. Did she think he had no feelings? There was still an ache inside him left by the two women he had unwisely given possession of his heart. Why couldn’t she understand that it would take time before he felt ready to trust his heart to another woman? Didn’t she know that when he was ready, she’d be that woman?
Just because he wasn’t ready or able to entrust his heart to her immediately didn’t mean he would have been anything but faithful to her. He clenched his fists around the steering wheel, bile rising in his gut as he thought of Sharde sleeping with another man. He had thought of little except her since their weekend at the cabin. How could something that meant so much to him mean so little to her?
He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel. He was hurt and furious that she could so easily choose to abandon the physical relationship that he ached for with her.
He sat up, casting a final look up at her building. What would she say if he went back and accepted her offer? He gave an angry shake of his head. He was not going back. Damn if he’d allow another damned faithless woman to jerk his chain. She wanted other men. She could damn well have as many of them as she could handle, but he would not be one of them. And two could play her damn game.
He had
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