3. Breeze
Breeze
“ K nock, knock,” I said as I tapped my husband’s door lightly and then pushed it open. He was sitting at his desk, surrounded by papers, highlighters, and stacks of folders that looked like they hadn’t been filed in weeks but were all from the last two days.
“What’s up, ma?” He asked as he glanced up quickly.
“Nothing, I’m just checking to see if you need anything before I call it a day,” I said as I leaned over his desk and waited for him to respond.
“Yeah, I do actually. On your way out, tell Natalie that she needs to update the website. We have twenty new imports here, but they aren’t listed.” He went from page to page of one stack, scribbling the same signature on each document.
“Gotcha, boss. I’ll see you later,” I teased as I leaned forward and kissed him. Then grabbed the things that I had sat in the chair and started to leave.
“Ma…” He stopped me just as I turned.
“Hmm?” I waited for him to assign another task to me.
“It’s been six days since we left therapy. What are we doing? We need to schedule another session?” He set the pen down, looking at me intently.
I put my things back in the seat and took the empty one next to them.
Tim and I hadn’t talked much, if at all, about what we had discussed in our last therapy session.
I think the topic still feels a little uncomfortable for both of us.
After all, one encounter doesn’t omit the fact that this is still very new territory for us.
“If you think we need another session, then we can schedule one. But I think that we should be able to communicate without someone prompting us.”
“Okay, what changed? You went from saying no to agreeing. What’s up with that?” He asked, concerned.
“It wasn’t until he put into perspective that we may be curious about certain things that we might not ever get to experience based on the other’s comfort level.
I just feel like if we don’t have an issue with the other exploring, then why hold back?
I’m still dead set on not doing it often, though. That’s not changing.”
He nodded deep in thought.
“Aight, I’m with it.” He shrugged, making me laugh.
I unlocked my phone and looked at the calendar. Last year, we agreed that, going forward, we would take a vacation every quarter. Next month marked the end of the quarter, so we could schedule our encounters then.
“What do you think about scheduling them for next month. During our week vacation?”
“So, we spend the week together and have Friday-Sunday apart?” He asked for clarity.
“Or until the next Monday. I’m thinking we should do a destination. Like an actual vacation. That’ll also alleviate some of the pressure of being seen or running into each other,” I added.
“Are you going with the same person?” He asked. The question caught me a little off guard. But I had just preached about having tough conversations without a mediator. Reluctantly, I nodded.
“You?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I didn’t expect the little pinch in my chest. I guess I was playing it safe by staying with Quentin. But “safe” doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Honestly, I hoped Tim would live it up and not get stuck with someone. I tucked the feeling away as quickly as it came.
“Alright, we’re exchanging information, though, Breeze.
If you’re leaving the state or country, I need to know where you are, which hotel you’ll be at, and your flight details.
I know our terms, I don’t have to know who you’re with, but I need to know how to get to you if I need to,” He stated, leaving no room for me to disagree. I understood his reasoning perfectly.
“You’re right, baby. We can discuss the specifics once I finalize them; I’m going to call it a night.” I stood, grabbing my bag.
I kissed him again before I left.
I took the elevator to the building's main floor and, when it opened, I saw Natalie talking with a salesman. It was late, but there were still two customers in the building.
“Excuse me… Nat, can you update the website? Tim says the newest imports haven’t been added. Can you also send out the monthly newsletter?” I interrupted them. Normally, I would have waited, but it had been a long day.
“Shit, I forgot. I’m sorry, Mrs. T I’ll get on it now.” She apologized, rubbing her temples. I waved her off, “Girl, do it tomorrow. It’s late,” I said, easing her worry and smiling at them before I exited the building.
Behind the wheel of my car, I started the engine but did not move. I just sat there and thought about what we had just discussed. The second encounter has just been greenlighted, and I felt uneasy about it. Not uneasy about the encounter itself, but uneasy about why I anticipated it.
I didn’t move out of the parking spot. I opened my phone and typed a message.
Me: Hey, are you busy next month from the 15th to the 18th? Tim and I have decided to go ahead with the encounters. I’m thinking we can go out of the country. I don’t have the specifics, but the date is set in stone.
I pressed send to none other than Quentin Long.
Quentin: Nah, I’m not busy, B. Just let me know what you want to do so I can pay for it.
Me: Sure.
Quentin: I’ll make sure I leave respect in the States, baby.
I laughed loudly as I put the car in reverse and left the parking lot. He’s such a cocky asshole.
As soon as I connected my phone to the Apple CarPlay, the music started playing lowly from the speakers. I chuckled at the irony of the song. It was like the universe was taunting me by playing Xscape’s ‘My Little Secret’ at a time like this. But I sang along anyway.
I took a deep breath, and I watched the lines of the road, lost in my thoughts. I had just solidified that in a month’s time, I would be in the arms of Q. And this time for an entire weekend.
I groaned and clenched my thighs in anticipation as scenes from a year ago replayed in my head on loop. My body must have been operating on pure muscle memory because I didn’t even notice I had pulled up to my home.
Silencing the engine and cutting off the lights, I stepped out of the car.
I was going to count down the days until I was on an island on my knees or bent over on the beach with one leg on a chair and getting my butt eaten while sipping an ice-cold margarita.
When I was with Quentin, I was B, the woman with no inhibitions.
But right now, I was Breeze, the innocent wife and entrepreneur.
***
“Good morning, Mrs. Thompson. There’s a visitor for you in the lobby,” Natalie said over the intercom. I frowned. I wasn’t expecting anyone. There was nothing on the calendar for noon.
“I don’t do walk-ins, Nat. Who is it?” I questioned.
“Shareese Williams, she said that she wanted to see you specifically,” She responded.I cleared my throat and then adjusted myself in the chair. I could only hope that her popping up at my job was business, not personal.
“Uh, sure. Can you walk her up, please?” I asked before we disconnected the call, straightened the papers on my desk, and started putting them in their respective folders while I waited.
It didn’t take long for Natalie to enter with Shareese on her heels. Her smile told me she came for pleasantries, so I returned it.
“Thank you, Natalie. Good morning, Shareese. What brings you by?” I questioned as I nodded toward my receptionist, who turned to walk away.
“I was referred by my son’s aunt. When I googled your dealership and saw you and your husband on the website, I figured I’d come to the source, if that’s okay,” she said politely.
“Of course,” I motioned for her to have a seat.
“Tell me what you’re looking for,” I asked and waited for her to answer.
She came up with a mile-long list of specifics.
Inside, I laughed because she was just like me; none of them had anything to do with the quality of the car itself.
There were just random things she would like, like a third row, heated seats, no sunroof, etc.
I took notes as she continued to ramble through her list of must-haves, then scanned the online vehicle catalog for matches and gave her five options.
Eventually, she picked one of the most expensive models of the Cadillac Escalade.
I wasn’t in the business of watching how anyone spent their money, so once she assured me that was what she wanted, we started the customization process.
She was throwing in all the bells and whistles without a care in the world.
Every time I asked about another feature, she said, “What do you think?” It was the worst thing to trust someone at the dealership with, but I didn’t oversell her anything and actually gave her an amazing deal that saved her almost ten thousand dollars.
She was personable, even more so outside of the office.
Subconsciously, I wondered why she and Q broke up.
They both seemed nice, but I knew that even if you knew a person, you didn’t know them when they were in a relationship.
So just as quickly as I had the thought, I pushed it to the back of my mind.
“I just need your signature on a couple of papers, and your telephone number again,” I said as I waited for her to sign the documents that I had printed.
She leaned forward toward the desk, lips pursed in mock seriousness as she scanned the pages that I had printed.
The perfume that greeted me once she walked in now invaded me again.
It was something light, powdery, and smelled very feminine.
Her eyes skimmed each line with precision, reading everything that I had entered.
“You’re thorough, I like that,” She complimented before she flipped the paper to the next page.
“Thank you, I try.”
“Hmmm,” she said, nodding. “I think it’s your personality. Anyway, I’m glad I asked to see you. I feel like I’m in good hands. It makes the experience more personal.” Her eyes met mine. Something in her tone made me tense.