Ch.1: Cheater

Yennifer

“I had a really wonderful time tonight, thank you,” I told Ron, my boyfriend, when he parked his Mercedes in front of my little house. We had been dating for almost a year now and I always felt like a princess when I was with him. He hailed from a long line of lawyers and came from old money. I never understood what he saw in me, all I knew was that he loved me. He knew how to treat me right and I was so lucky to be with him.

Ron’s charming smile hit me from the other side of the car, making my heart skip. His short, dark brown hair was styled back away from his face. His chocolate brown eyes twinkling back at me. “I had a great time too, baby. Come. I’ll walk you to your door.”

“Do you want to come in?” I offered, feeling a little frisky. Grabbing my purse, I exited the vehicle.

Ron left his vehicle running when he exited, which indicated he wasn’t planning on staying. I pouted when he met me on the sidewalk. “I’m going to have to take a rain check tonight, beautiful.” He pulled me in for a hug and lingering kiss that made my knees weak. I took full advantage of this moment, trying to change his mind. Before it got too steamy, his phone rang, ruining the moment. “It’s work. Sorry,” he mouthed an apology, after looking to see who it was. “Rickey! Hey man, what’s up?” As he stepped further away to speak privately with Rickey, I rolled my eyes tuning him out. Work seemed to be getting in the way more recently and I was feeling like the third wheel.

Reaching for my phone, that should have been tucked away in my purse, I realized it had fallen out.

Opening the car door to look for it, I happened to glance up at the car screen on the dash. Since the car was on, his car was connected via Bluetooth to his phone. I could see who he was talking to displayed on the screen. While it did say Rickey, the picture associated with the name didn’t fit. It was of a gorgeous, brunette woman.

It felt like a bucket of ice water was being poured over me as I came to the realization Ron was cheating on me.

May be cheating, my mind reasoned. Maybe there was a good explanation for this? Maybe he accidentally put that woman’s face with Rickey’s number instead of with the actual client that matched?

It was a probable explanation, but not plausible. Ron was very meticulous. Little mistakes such as those bothered him the most and he would have noticed and changed it right away.

So, was it really a mistake?

“Yes, I can meet you at the office tonight,” Ron’s voice grew closer.

A myriad of feelings washed over me. Hurt, anger, pain, confusion… Panicking, because I didn’t want him to realize I had caught on to his game, I located my phone sticking out from under the seat. Grabbing it, I stood quickly and shut the door a little too hard, forcing the tears to stay at bay.

Ron looked quizzically at me as he wrapped up his call. Turning to me, he said, “Look, I’m sorry Yen. Work calls.”

“At this hour?” I snapped, praying this wasn’t true.

“You know the clients I work with don’t have a time limit when they need my legal advice.” When he leaned in to kiss me, I dodged it. “Don’t be this way,” he chastised.

I really wanted to snap back and demand answers, but knew he could easily lie and explain away what I had seen. He was really good at that. “Just go,” I told him coldly, turning away as I walked up to my front door. I wanted him to leave so I could get in my vehicle, follow him and catch him in the act. To prove one way or another if my presumptions were right.

I prayed they weren’t.

“Whatever,” he huffed. “You’re being over-dramatic over nothing.”

“We will see about that,” I whispered under my breath, rage starting to boil in my chest.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I’ll see you later,” I dismissed over my shoulder.

“Yeah. Sure.” He grumbled, slamming his car door shut. Revving the engine, he took off like a bat out of hell.

Quickly, I grabbed my keys and hopped into my little beater car and took chase. I knew where he worked, but I wasn’t entirely sure that was where he was going. I didn’t want to lose him just in case he went somewhere else.

Surprisingly, he did go to his work.

I watched from the parking lot across the street while he pulled up next to a pretty, pristine white car. Moments later, the same gorgeous brunette woman I'd seen in the picture, sidled up next to him as they made their way into his law firm. It felt like a knife was pummeled into my heart when I saw him take her hand and drag her inside, both all seductive smiles and goo-goo eyes.

Without thinking, I raced over there, parked behind their vehicles, and barged right on into the law firm. I stomped my way to his office, wondering how he couldn’t have heard me. That was, until I heard the alluring music drifting down the hallway.

Rage and pain tore through my chest as I approached the open door. I could hear their moans and soft words. It hurt knowing Ron could do this to me.

Silently, I stood in the doorway and watched as the man I thought I would marry bend this woman over his desk—her skirts pushed up around her hips, as she worked to get his belt undone. Their hands and mouths all over each other.

“Did you like the pictures I sent earlier?” the woman asked between kisses.

Ron growled his appreciation. “You made me so damn hard, Ash. But you have to stop sending them to me when I’m with her.”

“You took that fat cunt out to dinner again?” Her words stung deeply, knowing she was talking about me.

Huffing, Ron replied. “Yeah.” His acknowledgement cut me to the quick. He hadn’t come to my defense, which told me that’s how he saw me too.

“I don’t understand why you stay with that pity fu—

Both of their moans collided as he rammed into her, cutting her off. “Stop talking about her,” he commanded.

Tears clogged my eyes. Agony tearing through my heart as I realized he never truly loved me. Because how could someone who loved you betray you in such a way? How could they do this, and speak about you in such horrid ways?

As I continued to stand there, witness to his cruel infidelity, the pain was replaced by unbridled rage. I must have made some kind of noise, because Ron whipped around and saw me standing there, in my glorious outrage.

“Yen!? What are you doing here?” He demanded taken by complete surprise, ripping the other woman’s dress down and whipping around to face me, one hand covering his dick. As if he could somehow hide what he was doing. “Look. I know it looks bad, but I can explain.” His words tumbled out quickly, his gaze filled with panic.

Something snapped inside me and I could feel the unhinged fury consuming me.

Spinning on my heel, I stomped my way back towards the parking lot. I popped open my trunk, pulled out the crowbar, and turned towards his car. It was one of his most prized possessions.

“Yen, stop!” Ron ordered, right as I swung and shattered his driver’s window.

The all-consuming rage didn’t dissipate. Especially when the side piece skidded out the door, paused, took in the scene as I continued smashing his car to bits, and decided to hightail it out of there before I could turn my rage on her.

Ron yanked the crowbar from my grasp and threw it into the landscaping a few parking spots over. I was breathing hard, the adrenaline surging through me as I glared at him. Hot tears staining my cheeks.

“Yen, baby,” he whispered, trying to take my hand. I ripped it from his grasp. He fell to his knees as the severity of this hit him like a freight train. “I’m so sorry baby. I know I have a problem. It’s all the stress I’ve been under recently and I’m just not myself. Please, understand, I love you. She doesn’t mean anything.”

When nothing was working, he started crying. He said some other things, but at that point, I tuned him out. I was disassociating. My heartache crushing my chest by his betrayal.

All the fight left me.

Numbly, I got back in my car, ignoring Ron and his pleas, and drove home.

***

“What an ass,” Lucinda exclaimed, finishing off her margarita as I finished telling my posse what transpired the night before, and why I was a hot mess today. While I hadn't initially wanted to go out on the town with my friends tonight, I'd resolved to go. If I stayed home, it felt like defeat. Like Ron had won some kind of game. He always hated it when I joined my girls for our date night of drinking, dancing, and having innocent fun. Going out tonight, enjoying myself, especially after what transpired the night before, was like giving him the big middle finger.

We were at our favorite watering hole on Bourbon Street, munching on some snacks and unabashedly drinking. This was our normal monthly, girl’s get together.

The others in our group murmured their agreement.

“He seemed so genuine and nice,” groused Jean, a dirty blond by choice with hazel eyes.

“What a shame,” sighed Molly, her pixie cut dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes filled with compassion.

Charlotte, my BFF, was unusually quiet. Peering down into her cup. Usually, she was the loudest one with the most to say. Her long black hair was pulled into a severe bun, her blue eyes glazed over, lost in thought.

“Well Yen, here’s to being single, seeing double and hopefully, sleeping triple!” Lucinda winked at me from across the table as we all raised our glasses.

“Cheers!”

As the night wore on, our talk got more animated the more we drank. I wasn’t usually one to drink myself under the table, but tonight was one of those nights I wanted to drink my sorrows away.

A little over halfway through the night, when all the ladies had had too much to drink and we were being absolutely too loud and obnoxious out on the dance floor, I ran headlong into a solid body.

Yelping, I startled. The stranger gripped my arms to steady me as I swayed precariously, his chest pressing firmly into my back. The immediate contact had an intense, electrifying sensation skyrocketing through me, awakening feelings and desires I had never felt before, while sending butterflies curling through my stomach.

It was a strange feeling. One I had never felt before, especially without seeing the person who elicited such strong cravings of passion.

I spun around, my gaze snapping up to his, an apology on my lips. It died an instant death the moment my eyes met a very familiar, stormy-blue gaze. Goosebumps rushed over my skin as my mind fought to stay in the present and not dive into my harrowing past. A past where those same, stormy-blue eyes had haunted my nightmares.

My mind went blank as I stared dumb founded up at him, unable not to make the correlations between him and the child I distinctly remembered playing with when I was younger. He had the same light blond-silvery hair. Those haunting eyes. The shape of his face, while no longer sporting that childish look, was still recognizable. Especially the characteristic Russian features he had. He was very handsome, tall and broad. He made me, a plus-sized woman, feel small, which was no easy feat.

Could this just be some mad coincidence?

A wolfish grin--that did strange things to my heart--slowly crossed his face as he looked down at me. "Well, hello there lapochka," he greeted in a deep baritone with a slight Russian accent, and I about melted. "I didn't mean to run into you."

"I-I... It's okay." I stammered, my hands curling into fists, clutching his shirt. I don't know what it was about him, but everything in my body and soul was screaming for this man. While I wanted to blame the alcohol, I knew this attraction was primal. As crazy as it sounded.

It was like love at first sight.

And by the intense, adoring, heated look in his gaze, he felt the same way.

I wasn’t normally spontaneous. I blamed the alcohol and the circumstances that led me here for what happened next. All reservations went screaming out the window as this stranger’s sexy as hell smile and intoxicating masculine scent washed over me. He smelled so damn good. I closed my eyes, leaned in unabashedly pressing my face into the crook of his neck, and inhaled him deep into my lungs. He smelled earthy with hints of coffee, bourbon, and sin. "You smell delicious," I blurted, unable to filter myself.

His deep chuckle reverberated through me, awakening desires I never knew I had, and sent an ache straight to the apex of my thighs. I was so hot and bothered by this stranger, it was unfair. I couldn't quite understand why I was so affected by him. All I wanted to do was find a dark corner and just make out with him, all the while grinding up against him like some horny schoolgirl. I didn't understand why he was having such an impact on my senses. Normally, I wasn't like this.

I blamed the alcohol.

I wasn't sure what he was doing to me, what spell he was casting over me to lose my senses like this as we started to sway in time to the music. His hands caressed down my back before resting at my waist. His hands were large. They made me feel small and feminine. I wondered how they would feel against my bare skin...

“Dance with me?” he whispered against my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

I was in no position to resist temptation. "I thought we already were."