Page 69 of Heartless

I know that Sharla went on that trip to Vegas with him. I called the office this week to ask for her under the guise of wanting to discuss the mural, but I was told that she was out of town on an exploratory trip and wouldn’t be back until the end of the week.

I asked if she could be reached by cellphone, and I was told that she could. Then I asked a simple question, “She’s currently three hours ahead of us in Vegas, correct?” and I was assured that I was correct.

My heart dropped, and in the days following, every horrible thought raced through my mind, especially whenever I couldn’treach Onyx in the evenings. He called me every night to check on me, but our conversations were brief and stilted.

I walk into the bathroom where he’s already stepped into the shower. Removing my clothes, I step inside the shower with him, and he stares down at me in confusion. A frown mars his face, and I wait for him to pull me to him and hold me close like he once did whenever I would join him in the shower.

He simply sighs and says, “I’m tired, MJ.”

“I thought that I might wash your back for you, O.”

He nods and doesn’t say anything else. He allows me to wash his body, but I feel him erecting barriers of steel that are more impenetrable than those that I’ve already erected.

When I touch his dick, it doesn’t even grow hard. It remains flaccid in my hand, and I bite my lip to keep the tears at bay.

I finish washing him before I step out of the shower and change into my nightgown. I glance at his phone lying on the nightstand. I walk around to his side of the bed and slowly drag my fingers across the screen.

It flickers to life, and I see a text from his sister, Danica. Unable to stop myself, I unlock his phone and go to his messages.

There’s one name in his phone that’s unfamiliar, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who it’s from—Sharla.

I hold my breath and listen for him in the bathroom. He’s still showering. My finger clicks the message, and I hold my breath.

SW:I want to thank you for dealing with our past so we can both be truly free for our future.

ME:Not necessary.

SW:What we shared the other night meant a lot to me. I don’t think that our friendship has to end, though. You’ve made the lines pretty clear.

ME:I can’t afford to go there, Shar.

SW:Not saying that we have to go there, but let’s talk about it.

ME:Why?

SW:Too much history to ignore & pretend we can work together comfortably without acknowledging that VERY BIG BLACK ELEPHANT present in the room when I enter. Our friendship doesn’t have to end just because of what we did.

ME:We both know that it does. The temptation is too great, and it will always be that way.

SW:Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t. Don’t want shit to get awkward.

ME:Neither do I.

SW:Then let’s just move the way we did before Vegas.

ME:It’s hard to keep my hands off you.

SW:Then don’t.

ME:Don’t you tempt me.

SW:??

ME:I love my wife. I’ll never leave her, Shar. I just pray that she can forgive me for my indiscretion.

SW:You plan to tell her?

ME:I have to. I’ve never lied or kept a secret from her before. I’m not about to start now.

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