Chapter 3
Xylina
“Okay, spill. What the hell was up with you and Aaliyah the other night?” This was the first time Savannah and I had gotten together since the night at the club a few days ago.
Currently I was at her house. We were laid by her pool with drinks in hand.
Even though it was late March, the weather felt like summertime and the sun beamed brightly overhead.
“What do you mean? You know how she is.” I downplayed the situation, not wanting to go there.
After what Aaliyah proclaimed, I did some research and what I found made my stomach twist into a bunch of knots.
When I typed my dad’s name in, there were a few articles about him being in some legal trouble, but the details weren’t clear.
I still haven’t gotten a hold of him, and when I questioned his assistant, he brushed me off.
“I don’t know, babe, it seemed like something more. Then right before you left, things got intense.”
After leaving the club, I ignored everyone.
Outside of posting on my social media, I stayed locked in my room with Princess.
The constant panic and uneasiness were starting to take a toll on me.
I needed to gain control and clarity on everything and getting on Yosiah’s good side was a start.
We’d never combined our bank accounts, so he wasn’t aware of the issues I was currently facing.
The problem was, he never wanted to hear anything that had to do with my dad, so buttering him up was my only solution.
“She was just being Aaliyah, that’s all. I was drunk and having a good time and she was killing my buzz. Nothing more than that.” I flicked my wrist. As much as I loved and trusted Savannah, this wasn’t something I could ever admit to her.
Even if I was sure it was an error that would be fixed soon, I refused to speak on it.
“Forget that, I need your help with something.” She twisted her neck in my direction, giving me her full attention. I quickly told her about last night and Yosiah brushing me off.
“Can you believe him?” I finished my rant then took a long drink of the mixed drink in my hand. “I got waxed, my hair done, bought new lingerie, ordered food. It was going to be the perfect night and he ruined it by ignoring me all day and then coming home late.”
“I don’t get why you haven’t just moved on. I mean, you’re a bad bitch, Xylina, yet you’ve been waiting around for this guy, begging for attention and—”
Snatching the oversized sunglasses off my face, I leaned up slightly in the outdoor recliner and frowned at my friend.
“I don’t beg for anything. I just don’t take well to being ignored.
We could be the next Jay and Bey, Michelle and Obama, hell, Jrue and Xiomara, but he wants to keep this upset act going.
He needs to get over it and get with the program.
” Rolling my eyes, I leaned back in my chair again and turned my eyes to the clear water in the pool. It was still and oddly calmed me.
“Okay yeah, I get all that, but still I don’t understand what’s so special about him.
There’s been plenty of times we’ve been out and guys that look just as good as Yosiah have hit on you.
I know for a fact your DMs stay being blown up too.
Why not just give into one of them? It’s not like Yosiah will care anyway. ”
My hand tightly clenched the glass cup in my hand.
Even if her words were true, I didn’t want to hear them.
We’d had this argument before and it always ended with Savannah telling me to move on.
She was the only person close to me that knew the real reasoning behind my marriage, outside of my parents and there were times I needed to vent.
“Simple, if I just let things play out how they are now, these last five years of my life were a waste of time. I refuse to accept that. These are my golden years, you know. So even though I can have any other guy I want, it’s the principle. I’m not the girl to just ignore.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Princess reposition herself in her doggy bed. She loved soaking up the sun just as much as I did.
Savannah snickered and reached for her glass on the small round table between us.
“I guess I get it. But I mean… C’mon Lina, you’ve damn near become a nun since you’ve been married. Do you two even have sex?” I glanced over at her. She had her nose bunched up while sipping on her straw.
My stomach twisted as I forced out a laugh. “Of course we have sex, Savannah! What kind of married couple doesn’t.”
It was a slight lie, but that was something I couldn’t bring myself to admit.
I could count on one hand how many times Yosiah had touched me over these five years.
I wasn’t a nympho or anything, but I did have needs and enjoyed sex.
Savannah knew this. It would be too embarrassing to tell her the truth.
She cocked her head to the side and peered at me over the top of her sunglasses. “Then maybe he thinks you’re not good in bed.” She shrugged, facing forward.
“Excuse me?” My voice heightened and I sat up straight, giving her my full attention. “Sex with me is amazing. Ask anyone I’ve been with!”
Again she shrugged. “I’m not trying to offend you, babe, but I mean, let’s be real. Men aren’t that hard to tame. Sex is and has been one of the best ways to get them to comply and cave to a woman. If he enjoyed himself and being with you, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
My mouth turned upside down, my brows bunched to the middle, and my nostrils flared.
“There’s nothing wrong with me! I am not the problem!
Besides, Yosiah acts like sex doesn’t faze him, but he’s a man.
I know that’s not true. He’s always so stoic with me, but I can guarantee my pussy is not the reason.
” I smacked my lips. “You know I came over here for advice but you’re not helping.
At this rate I’m going to be divorced before the year is out. ”
Yeah we’d only had sex a limited number of times, but Yosiah never looked turned off by me. Physically I knew he was attracted to me. He always got hard so I knew that wasn’t the issue. No, my husband was just too stubborn for his own good.
“I mean your only other option is to trap him with a baby.” She laughed, but I didn’t.
“What?”
Her shoulders lifted. “My mom did it with her last husband. Do you think she actually wanted a twelve- and fifteen-year age gap between her kids? He married her and they’re still together.”
Her words made a light go off inside me. Suddenly my skin tickled and my mouth shifted into a grin.
Again she laughed. “Wait, that shit sounds crazy. Can you imagine being someone’s mom?”
“But that’s it! That’s what I need to do.”
“Xylina!” she exclaimed in disbelief, twisting her neck so she was facing me.
“No, listen.” I snatched my glasses off my face so she could see how serious I was. “Yosiah has expressed on more than one occasion how he wants kids and a family of his own. If I got pregnant, there’s no way he would leave me and he wouldn’t be able to ignore me.”
“Lina, babe, you can’t be serious. I mean pregnancy makes you fat, you get stretch marks, and then you’ll have to push out a kid. Not to mention, babies cry too much, and there’s the changing diapers, and what about your boobs! They’ll be ruined.”
I glanced down. I had on a tube top and the top on my cleavage was on full display. It was true I’d spent a good amount of money to get them to look as great as they did, but money wasn’t an issue, I could just go back and get them redone.
“I’ll get them redone. And they have those mommy makeover things too. If having a baby messes up my body, then I’ll just do that.”
Savannah removed her glasses this time. “Why not just get a surrogate? You don’t even like kids, do you? I guess you could always hire a nanny.”
First setting my glass on the table, I waved her off. “No, that won’t work. If I want all of Yosiah’s attention, then I gotta be the one to carry the kid.”
Excitement filled me as I thought about sharing a child with Yosiah. He was close with his parents and never hid the fact that he was family oriented. In interviews he’d been asked if kids were in our future and he always said when the time was right. Whether he knew it or not, the time was now.
Not only had Yosiah built his company from the ground up and made millions over the years, but he was well respected and connected due to all the work his company had accumulated throughout those years.
He was a catch that any woman would happily snatch up once he became available.
That thought alone caused bile to rise in my throat.
There was no way I could let someone like that slip through my fingers.
Savannah didn’t reply right away. She tapped her long nails against the arm of the chair and stared at me with curiosity written all over her face.
“What about his family? If they refuse to be around you, do you think a baby will change that?”
I rolled my eyes. “If I have their son’s baby, they’ll have no choice. It’s been five years, if they’re still upset over everything, that’s their problem. As long as I have Yosiah, how they feel is irrelevant to me.”
It was true, neither Yosiah’s mom nor dad cared for me. I had only been around both a few times and neither attempted to get to know me. His mother was kind of intimidating. She always had this icy look in her eyes when she looked at me. Still, I didn’t scare easily.
“Okay.” She clapped and grinned. “If you’re serious, then I’m on board. How do you plan to make it happen?”
I didn’t have a direct reply, but now that the idea was in my head, I planned on carrying it out soon.
I knew when Yosiah got heavily intoxicated, which wasn’t often, he grew extra horny.
I just had to figure out how to make that happen without it looking too suspicious and allow our bodies to do the rest.
“I’ll figure that out later,” I assured her.