Respect Me, Part 1 by Nia Arthurs
Jerrison
If Doc hasthe magic formula to fix my life, he definitely didn’t share that with me during our meeting yesterday.
Our ‘session’ revolved around me handing him tools and standing in the suffocating heat and stench of car oil. After I left, my world was still crap.
In fact, I wake up to a new day of totally unchanged circumstances.
My wife still hates me.
My star athlete wants to leave my company.
And Ashley’s still upset I called her ‘Harriet’ in bed the other night.
It doesn’t help that Zedina keeps threatening to expose my relationship with Ashley. There’s not much I can do about Harriet, Fuentes, or Ashley, but I sure as hell won’t let Zedina add to the ninety-nine issues I’m battling.
When he calls me later that night, I’m ready for him.
“You finally picked up,” Zedina says, his voice heavy and his words slightly curling into the next.
He’s drunk.
“And you’re making poor life choices.”
His cackle sounds like a creaky door. “Who are you to judge me?”
“Anyone can look at you and see where you’re headed, Zedina. Calling me every hour of every day, leveling threats, drinking yourself to nothing at night.”
“You’re the reason I’m like this, Bradley.” His voice rattles through the phone. “This is your fault.”
“It’s your own fault, Zedina. You think life is kind to everyone?” I picture the chaos that my world has been in ever since he started flaunting around those pictures. My fingers tighten on the phone. “Everyone gets dealt their own hand and sure, maybe you got a bad one. But rather than find a new passion after we let you go, you’re wasting away into a washed-up has-been with no ambition. That’s not on me, Zedina. That’s on you.”
He curses. “I don’t need a lecture, Bradley. Just give me my money.”
“And if I do, will you never call again?”
“I’m not going to make any promises.” His voice is oily. The kind of oily that can never be scrubbed off the skin. “Pictures live forever these days. I could always come back when I need some more.”
“You’d never stop blackmailing me. Is that what you’re saying?”
“It’s not like you have a choice, Bradley,” he taunts, “unless you want news of your affair to hit every sports magazine in the world.”
“I’m glad you said that, Zedina.” I click a button on my phone and send the recording straight to the cloud.
He coughs. “What do you mean you’re glad?”
“I’ve been recording you ever since that first call. I have evidence of every threatening voicemail you left and I also have your confession that you have been and intend on blackmailing me into the future.”
He gasps. “You’re lying. You’re… there’s no way.”
I grab my laptop, hold the phone to it and press the recording that just got sent to the cloud. Zedina’s voice rings loud and clear in my living room.
He sputters and curses a storm.
I raise my chin. “Now that we’ve both cleared up any misunderstandings and you’re sure that I’m not bluffing, let’s talk about what happens now.”
“That means nothing.” Zedina’s voice trembles and he sounds far less confident than when he started. “I could still ruin your life with those pictures.”
“And I could ruin yours by suing you for blackmailing me. That’s a criminal offense, you know.”
He swallows loudly. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would, Zedina. I’m done playing with kid gloves. We can dance whenever you’re ready.”
His side of the line goes quiet.
In the background, I hear the faint sound of country music. Some poor soul is crooning about losing his wife and his pick-up truck.
It’s sad that a part of me can relate.
“Delete those recordings. I’ll delete the pictures.”
“You expect me to believe you?” I laugh. “You lost all good faith when you threatened me. Just stay out of my sight, Zedina. I don’t want this to get ugly. For old time’s sake.” Certain that my message has gotten through, I hang up on him.
It’s over.
At least one raging fire has been outed.
Zedina knows better than to mess with me. I’m certain he’ll delete the pictures or, at the very least, bury them where no one can find them. I’ve drained all the bullets out of his gun. He has no weapon to point in my direction.
Exhausted, I fall into the sofa and squeeze my eyes shut.
If only the rest of my problems could be resolved that neatly.
A chirp from my phone grabs my attention.
It’s Ashley.
I sit up straight. Clear my throat. Answer the call with a smooth, “Are you still angry?”
“Yes.” Her voice is sharp. Then it cools. “But I miss you.”
I smile into the dark living room. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you to come over with wine or ice cream. That’s the only apology I’ll accept.”
I chuckle. “Sounds lovely.”
“It sounds like you’re not coming over.” The impatience creeps into her tone. “Don’t tell me you’ve got better things to do than be with me.”
“I want to be with you. Trust me.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Her voice isn’t quite a shrill, but it’s getting there.
I wince. “Ash, I’m working on a… project.”
“What kind of project would keep you from seeing me?” She scoffs. “Jerrison, don’t tell me you’re getting back with your wife.”
“Baby, I’m trying to save my company. That’s all it is.”
She huffs, disbelief clear in the stark silence that falls on the line.
“She’s got me seeing this guy named Doc.”
“Doc?” Ashley sounds curious.
“He’s a mechanic, if you can believe that. I bet he knows nothing about repairing marriages. I’d be surprised if he even went to any kind of school.”
She huffs. “I don’t care if he can actually fix your marriage or not. You’re choosing her over me.”
“That’s not what I’m doing at all.” I run a hand over my face. “Look, Ash. It’s complicated.”
“Then un-complicate it, Jerrison,” she demands.
Annoyance zips through me at that bossy tone. I didn’t put up with it when Harriet got on my case and I’m not in the mood to entertain her now. “Give me two months.”
“Two months? Are you kidding me? Just tell me you’re going back to your wife and let’s end this.”
“I have no intentions of giving you up,” I growl.
She goes quiet. I can picture her dark brown eyes pinching and her lips curling to the side the way she does when she’s upset.
“The weeks will fly by. I promise you. Just give me some time and we can be together.”
“What if that Doc-guy is really good? What if he convinces you to fix your marriage and you fall in love with your wife?”
I smirk cockily at the ceiling. “Trust me. There’s no way that’s going to happen.”
* * *
Book 2:Harriet and Jerrison return in Respect Me: Part II. The battle between the reluctant husband and the wily mechanic will change the course of this broken marriage.
Respect Me Part IIis available for pre-order on Amazon here.
