“He fucked her…tonight.” Thoughts crept into Terri’s mind while watching Teresa slowly remove her dainty feet from her neon colored Nike gym shoes. She was eclectic, cute, and interesting and Terri knew Richard had found something more in depth within her than the walls he was exploring after hours. Her eyes moved over to her husbands who stood beside the tub looking and pleading without words for her to end the madness, a madness that had gone on well beyond the confines of his neatly controlled and systematic secret life. He stretched his arms out in front of him, an unconscious gesture to an unspoken question. Terri understood fully. He wanted to know why. Why had she gone through all of this to prove a point? His wife rolled her eyes and began pacing, gun in hand, then suddenly, the silence was broken.
“In life, there are consequences. We make decisions, some for the good, some for the bad…What type of decision do you think you two have made and what do you think the proper consequences should be?” Terri stops in front of Richard, places the gun under his chin and runs it down his neck into the opening of his English Laundry dress shirt. She looks him over, admiring his taste in fine linen as she runs her fingertips over the fabric feeling the carefully embroidered stitching. She felt empowered if only for a moment. As she looked into his eyes and senses his fear, she stretches her tongue to his chocolate skin exposing his upper chest, twirling her tongue slightly before removing her soft lips with a gentle kiss. He’s not afraid of her, he’s afraid of what she will do to herself. He’s afraid she’s reached the end of a tight rope she’s been walking in those black stiletto pumps. She feels her husband’s tension slowly beginning to retreat which also caused her to become more relaxed.
“Please!” Teresa’s voice travels from across the room. “I’m willing to do whatever you want if you just…don’t hurt us, please.”
“I’m amazed by how much you are willing to help. I think you’ve already helped enough, don’t you?” Terri removes her jacket fully revealing her lingerie and places it on the chair beside her. She walks over to the tub and extends her hand into the water feeling for warmth. She nods at her husband who is now removing his pants. “Get in.”
Richard’s body is firm, strong, and black. He steps into the water with ease. Terri looks at Teresa who is now standing before her undressing wondering if he kisses her skin the way he once did hers, if his touch has the same effect as it once did for her. They sit in the bath tub both naked hoping that after whatever roller coaster ride Terri put them on, this game would end and all of them would walk away safe.
Terri watched Teresa sink slowly into the tub, she wanted to be her, be the one he desired. Richard and Teresa sat facing each other in the water, exchanging looks but speaking no words. Terri, feeling their discomfort, walks over to turn on the stereo and tunes in to 102.5 FM for the Quiet Storm. As Jill Scott woos, the lyrics to My Love bounce off of the walls.
“Terri, what are we doing here? I mean, this is really…” Richard feels a hand moving down his chest and down his abdomen. Terri is kissing the back of his neck as Teresa looks on. He wants to give in, feel himself get lifted away into the security he hasn’t felt in a long time…that his wife still desires him. But all of this is strange. It’s foreign to him. She kisses his face and slowly reaches below to massaging him gently. He closes his eyes responding to her gentle touch and sweet kisses.
Teresa notices Terri is still holding the gun in her other hand. She shifts slightly at the sight of Richard being embraced by his wife and the satisfaction it brought him. Terri looks Teresa in the eye.
“Kiss her.” Terri makes her demands while Richard remains paralyzed with his eyes closed and head tilted back into Terri’s chest.
His wife hasn’t touched him like this in months. Her delicate hands remind him of memories he thought he’d long forgotten. Her hands make a trail up his abdomen and back to his rock hard chest. She tastes his earlobe kissing him along his temple.
He opens his eyes. Teresa’s feet are straddling his waist. He extends his hands and grabs her limbs placing her foot on his chest. She looks into his eyes and imagines his wife seeing the passion they share realizing this is her opportunity to show her how he makes love to her is more than physical but deeper. Teresa tunes out his wife’s presence, and slowly moves her toes towards Richard’s mouth. He obliges. His wet lips maneuver kisses on her toes and Teresa’s body becomes warmer. The sound of her moaning turns him on. He licks her lavender colored toes gently. Terri slowly sits down on the floor quietly watching her husband becoming one with another woman. His hands move up Teresa’s thighs and he quickly leans in grabbing her breasts with both hands kissing and sucking, he becomes emerged in the moment, loosing himself in her soft comforting skin. Teresa and her husband’s mistress lock eyes and Teresa is filled with emotions she hadn’t recognized in years. She senses the passion burning within this other woman. She watches her husband’s hands disappear below the watery bubbles and Terri arches her back and begins moving back and forth. One leg is now on his shoulder and he is licking her calve while she rides his fingers. She holds onto the porcelain tub and he grabs her and pulls her close into a tight embrace. Bodies wet, breathing heavy, their lips touch into a kiss so strong and deep it makes Terri stand to her feet.
Richard looks over at his wife, Teresa now sitting in his lap naked, breast covered in suds, kisses and hands; has locks covering her face. Terri can sense she is feeling awkward now about looking into her eyes. He reaches over and rubs his wife’s inner thigh and she begins to undress placing the gun down on a nearby night stand.
Breathing love and light and
Life
...leaving me gasping for air
When the next vessel appeared…
…in need of respiration…
She wanted him. The scent of frankincense is sweet and strong. Richard massaged his thick, curly mane and scalp every morning with essential oils. Sweat was covering his forehead. His low, neatly maintained fro complimented him well. Terri stood by him, running her fingers through his hair, he slowly turned into her, his tongue tracing long lines along her inner thigh. She imagined them as words…
Love…
Life…
And then…
God…
He found himself intoxicated with each sip. She held his head tight wanted him to drown, placing a foot onto the edge of the tub. She could feel herself releasing with each sensation but refused to climax. Her love came rushing like the tides of emotions she held within her for so long, hidden, or even held captive by the circumstances that had been beyond her control. For once in a long time, she could actually feel. Her limbs began to weaken as she held on to Richard’s shoulder. Fingers enter inside of her and her legs begin to wobble. She finds peace, opening her eyes she realizes Teresa’s hands were doing the comforting and lips were the last to remain. She’s coming and going all at once. Richard sits up on the edge of the tub, picking up Terri’s quivering body into his lap. His arm is held tight around her waist pulling her into him so close almost suffocating her in a lovers embrace. The nape of her neck is long and slender. He places his other hand around her neck and begins to squeeze slightly. He then stretches her legs open with his knees. Her legs dangle as he slides himself into her. She faces Teresa who is kneeling before her. Richard’s breath is heavy in her ear.
“Tell me you love me.” With each stroke she feels herself clenching onto him, pulling him deeper into her center. She needs to know that the love they have is strong enough to endure the blows and the deception.
Teresa runs her wet hands along Terri’s long legs and waits to hear Richard’s answer. Her golden locks flow down her body like electrical currents extending from the sky decorating her naked flesh.
“I love you, there is no greater love than my own.” Richard’s voice vibrates through Terri’s ears like bass; her heart begins to pound inside of her chest as if his words were the sticks to her drum. Richard slowly slides down into the tub with Terri’s limp body in his lap. They moan in unison forgetting Teresa’s presence, their bodies make tidal waves splashing water onto the floor.
The sound was as loud as thunder. Terri jolted, leaning forward screaming hysterically. Blood stained the white porcelain tub. She was afraid to check her own body for wounds and placed her face in her hands with hopes to disappear into the darkness. The smell of gunpowder filled her nostrils.
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Teresa’s voice sounded different. The soft spoken woman stood over Teresa shaking. “Shhhhhh, shhhh, you have to be quiet Terri. Be quiet. You said it yourself. In life there are consequences. I was trying to give him a chance…to right his wrongs. He wouldn’t take heed to the signs. He wouldn’t listen. He only loved himself. Do you really think he loved you?”
Terri turns around slowly to see what her heart already tells her is true. Her eyes begin to swell as she notices Richard’s body lying still with a gunshot wound to the head. She quickly moves into a fetal position on the opposite end of the tub. The sound of her screaming is muffled by Teresa’s small hand. Teresa pulls her out of the water by her hair; Terri stumbling almost slips on the water on the heated marble floor. Terri reluctantly is dragged into another room coughing and gagging, she calls out for her husband who can no longer hear the sound of her voice.
“Do you want to see how much he loved you Terri?” Teresa grabs her tote bag off of the bed dumping it onto the floor. Papers and tubes of lip gloss scatter along with pens and a large manila envelope. She reaches for the envelope and Terri tries to run for the door.
“If you move I will send you to the afterlife with him.” The barrel of the .9mm is pointing at the back of Terri’s head. The tears fall like rain as Terri contemplates the possibility of leaving life with such a tragic end.
“Why Teresa? Why are you doing this? You did this to yourself! He was my husband! Mine!” Rage fills Terri’s heart and she is overwhelmed with anger. “Now neither of us has him. Was this worth it?”
Teresa throws the envelope towards Terri and it lands at her feet. Her eyes are red, throat is sore from crying and screaming, so she stares at it confused.
“Pick it up and open it!” Teresa’s voice is cracking. The sounds of sirens fill the air. "It wasn't supposed to get this far. I just wanted to...I just wanted to teach him a lesson about taking what wasn't his..."
Terri slowly grabs the envelope trying to figure her way out of the madness. Hoping that by the time she is down opening it and looking at its contents the Police will come rushing in. She opens the package and notices there are pictures enclosed. She can make out one person, but not the other.
“What is this Teresa? What is this?” Terri’s forehead wrinkling into a frown, her mouth suddenly falls open on one of the photographs.
“It’s your husband making love to the only man I ever loved in my life, my ex husband.”
Terri flips through the photographs, each picture racier than the last.
“What? This is bullshit! This isn’t my husb--”
She begins to take a step and feels herself collapse onto the floor. The room is spinning. The light begins to darken. The sound of banging is faint and in the distance. There is fire in her chest. Each breath becomes harder to grasp. She closes her eyes and see’s her husband’s face and walks into the fading light.
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