Page 14 of Night and Day
“Watch your damn mouth talking to her,” Anton said, moving closer to Tamika.
Having him back her up, in the face of Calvin protecting Melissa, bolstered Tamika’s confidence.
Tilting up her chin, she said, “Because you’re sloppy, Calvin. I saw the texts the two of you exchanged, and I have screen shots in case you want to deny that you were sending dirty texts to each other.”
Melissa lowered her gaze to the black tile.
Calvin’s arm dropped from her shoulders again, and his eyebrows snapped low over his eyes. “You went through my phone?”
“Yes!”
“You had no right to invade my privacy.”
“And you had no right to steal from me!” Tamika yelled, her voice quivering.
Melissa lifted her gaze and shot Calvin a questioning glance. “What is she talking about?”
“All the money for your little move came from me. He emptied my bank account.”
“Is that true?” Melissa asked, aghast.
“No, that’s not true,” Calvin replied, keeping his eyes on Tamika. “That wasourbank account.Ourmoney.”
“Mymoney,” Tamika insisted, tapping her chest with her thumb. “Your name was on the account, but every dollar in there belonged tome. You stole almost ten thousand dollars from me, that you know I needed for my business. I want every dime of it back.”
“Well you’re not getting it back. I usedourmoney to start a new life.”
“He didn’t pay the last two months’ rent, either, by the way,” Tamika said to Melissa. “I gave him my half, but he obviously pocketed it. So guess who got an eviction notice today? Me! Now I have nowhere to go.” Tears of anger and frustration filled her eyes, but she blinked them back.
I will not cry in front of him. I will not cry in front of him.
The doorman walked up. “Excuse me, I’m going to need you to keep your voices down or take this conversation elsewhere,” he said in a hushed voice.
Calvin glared at her in disgust. “You see, Tamika, this is why I had to leave, because you’re too damn loud. Too annoying. You make me—”
Anton snatched Calvin by the collar and yanked him up on his toes so their faces were only inches apart. Melissa gasped, eyes widening, and Tamika took a surprised step back.
“Hey!” the doorman said, raising a hand to calm the tension, but he wasn’t foolish enough to step between them. He looked around nervously for help.
Anton spoke softly to Calvin, but his voice was filled with menace. “Shut the fuck up.”
7
Anton didn’t know what came over him. All he knew was that Tamika didn’t deserve to be talked to in that way, and he couldn’t stand idly by and allow it.
One minute he was listening to Calvin rant, the next he had fisted Calvin’s jacket lapels in his hands and was itching for a fight. He wasn’t a violent person, and the last time he remembered throwing fists was in high school. In fact, his calm and cool was considered one of his positive traits, and at the firm they called him the Silent Dragon. He didn’t huff and puff like some of the other attorneys, but he got the job done, saving the fire-breathing for only when absolutely necessary.
Two seconds ago had been absolutely necessary. He could no longer stand there while that piece of shit Calvin tried to embarrass Tamika when he was in the wrong.
Anton’s eyes bored into Calvin’s to make sure the other man understood that he meant business when he spoke. “When you open your mouth again, watch your tone. You’re not going to talk to Tamika like that anymore. You’re going to treat her with the respect she deserves because you’re the one in the wrong, you’re the one that had no business stealing from her, and you’re the one who had no right to stop paying the rent when she was giving you her half. You’re a piece of shit. You’re a cheat and a thief. Now, we’re going to continue this conversation, and you’re going to check your tone and your attitude with her moving forward. We clear?”
Calvin’s jaw firmed. “Yeah, we’re clear,” he muttered.
Anton released him and both men stepped back slowly from each other. Anton sensed Tamika’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look at her immediately. He kept his eyes on Calvin, who was making a big show of straightening his wrinkled jacket.
“I’ve never seen you behave like that,” Melissa remarked, her voice filled with wonder.
Sickened by her lies, Anton held back a sneer. She was looking at him as if he were a stranger, but if anyone was a stranger, she was. She’d done him a favor by leaving, actually, because he’d intended to end their relationship, though not in such a spectacular way. The only reason he was here was because of Tamika, and the sooner he and Melissa cut ties, the better.
