PullMyHair Page 3

  Their harsh breathing was the only sound in the large, bright kitchen for long moments. He felt at a total loss. It felt as though something precious was slipping from his grasp.

  He kissed the back of her head once again. “I’ll be home soon, baby,” he said and left her standing in the kitchen, head low, body turned away from him.

  He loved her so much. But there wasn’t anything he could do about their situation right now.

  His heart ached to see her even the smallest bit sad. He’d make it up to her as soon as he could. Greg glanced down at his watch and hurried to the garage. He opened the door of his SUV and climbed inside before reversing out the circular driveway.

  His thoughts turned to the case and the shitload of work he needed to complete in order to get back home to take care of his wife.

  Chapter Three

  Liza felt the slight kiss to the back of her head and had wanted to turn around and straight smack his face.

  How the hell did he do that? Act sweet and loving, sexy as hell and then leave her as though everything was cool? Like he hadn’t just caught her completing his job and obviously didn’t feel the least bit of guilt about it! And the heated words they’d exchanged…

  Liza slammed the door to the refrigerator with her hip after grabbing a small container of light yogurt from the shelf. She picked up a spoon from the silver drawer, pulled back the silver aluminum foil cover and sunk the spoon in the middle of the yogurt.

  There was nothing like a Yoplait peach blend smoothie to calm the savage beast. As she slowly licked the spoon she thought over what she could possibly do to get her husband to act the way he used to.

  Back when she came first in his life.

  This morning’s fiasco starkly highlighted just how bad things were. There was a time when all she had to do was shake her ass a little, and horny dog that he was, he’d drop whatever he was working on and come panting and sniffing behind her, follow wherever she led.

  Most times she barely was able to keep him calm enough to make it to the bedroom. She gave him a look and that was all it took.

  Just one damn look.

  She’d run from him to give it just that much more of a thrill.

  The thrill of the chase always did it for the both of them. She’d race away only to get caught within a few yards of her start point. He allowed her that much.

  He’d then flip her around and the look in his eyes had given her pause and she swore at the time her heart skipped a beat.

  He looked so big and overwhelming as he towered over her. He’d tell her to drop down on all fours and with her heart beating loudly in her chest she’d do exactly what he demanded.

  Dropped to the damn floor.

  What happened after was her first journey into playing the subservient role with Greg. Letting him tell her what to do and when to do it with their sex play.

  Shit.

  It had been so long since she’d played the game that she felt like howling. This morning she’d had it all planned out, knew just what to do to get him ready, prepare him for what she wanted him to do to her.

  She sighed.

  No use in crying over what happened. Or better still, what didn’t happen.

  She licked the spoon after polishing off the last of her yogurt before she tapped the lever on the small chrome trashcan and one-hand dunked the empty container.

  She shoots, she scores… she needs a damn life.

  Liza turned on the small Bose radio that was mounted under one of the cabinets, determined to dance off the blues.

  Music always did that for her.

  No matter how sad, angry, disappointed or whatever she felt, she could always turn to music to force her out of her dour mood. She quickly found the station she needed.

  That was the other thing she required.

  She needed just the right music depending on the situation. This situation required hard beating rock or rap. And she found what she needed when one of her favorite female artist’s hard pounding lyrics came belting out of the small powerful speakers.

  Bet it tastes like candy…melts in my mouth just like…chocolate candy…

  She danced around the kitchen, folding dishtowels, thinking how much she missed how good Greg tasted in her mouth. His cock was absolutely perfect. Long and thick, and perfectly curved.

  I love the way you work that magic stick baby…working it and working it and working it.

  Just thinking of the way he worked her pussy with his magic stick made her grow wet and wanting.

  …The more I fall in love with you, the more I get scared…the way you work your magic stick baby, the more it gets scary…don’t stop, please just keep on working it…just keep working me…

  Liza dropped the dishcloth and sat down heavily in the chair, all temporary joy leaving her as she sat gloomily staring at her ceiling.

  With its beautiful customized tile.

  That symbolized everything she thought she wanted. Wealth, success…and no more damn welfare.

  She sighed and picked up the phone to call her friend, Karina.

  * * * * *

  “Give me a break Liza, you’re my best friend. That’s what friends are for,” Karina told her after taking a sip of her herbal tea.

  Liza had called her friend and with hesitancy asked if she’d mind having lunch with her at her favorite café. Her treat.

  “You just said the two magic words, girlfriend. The Trio café and your treat. Honey, I’ll meet you there in twenty…” her friend’s voice trailed off and the phone was muffled. Liza heard Karina’s crazy giggling in the background, along with her new husband Cooper’s deep voice. A minute later she came back on the phone. “…um how ‘bout I meet you there say around noon?”

  Liza laughed and agreed and now they sat in the lively café waiting for their salads to arrive. Liza felt bad about pulling Karina away from her husband on a Sunday, but she was desperate.

  “Thanks for having lunch with meKari, I love you for spending a little time with me. At least you care.”

  “What in the world? That’s a given Liza! What’s wrong? Trouble with Greg?” Karina guessed and sat back as the waiter placed their salads in front of them.

  Liza caught the way Karina glanced over the man’s shapely rear end in tight black traditional waiter wear. “Married for less than a month and already have a case of the wandering eye?” She raised an eyebrow at her friend and stifled her smile.

  “What? No way, girl! But umm…he does have a nice butt you have to admit, Li!” Both women laughed.

  Liza loved the way marriage and happiness had helped blossom Karina into a more confident woman. She was definitely more comfortable with the sensual aspect of her nature since she’d met and married her husband, Cooper.

  Good sex and happiness did that for a woman.

  And judging by the cloud of sexual satisfaction that clung to Karina like a cheap suit, she was one happy chick.

  Liza refused to feel jealousy for Karina. Karina deserved to be happy.

  Even though she herself was miserable as hell.

  She sighed. “I don’t really know what’s happening between me and Greg. I’m not sure where to start,” she admitted as she squeezed lemon on her leafy salad greens.

  “Start at the beginning. You always tell me to think about it before acting. Of course, had I listened to that bit of advice a few months ago…” Karina’s voice trailed off and she laughed.

  “Okay, so I was wrong one time. But I’m glad I was. You and Cooper deserve each other. He’s a good guy. And that man loves you to death, girl.” Liza gave her friend a half smile in response.

  Karina had met her Cooper and they’d had a true whirlwind courtship. Liza had blasted her friend when she’d called her on a Sunday morning to talk, only to find out that Karina had met a man at her temporary job in Macy’s gift wrapping department the day before and after knowing him for less than a day, she’d taken the man in the employees lounge and allowed him to sex the hell out of her.


  And if that wasn’t enough, Karina had then taken him home where they’d engaged in marathon sex like something straight out of a porn movie!

  Liza had been utterly amazed. Karina was so shy around men and for her to sleep with a total stranger was unreal to Liza. For a while she thought someone else had taken over her friend’s body akin to a body snatchers movie.

  Liza had been afraid for her friend and had cautioned her…well she’d actually cussed her out…about sleeping with a stranger. It was too irresponsible, she’d told her. She’d get hurt. He probably didn’t have the same intention that Karina had. It was only a one-night stand. Don’t expect too much. Don’t get caught up.

  Well…not only had Karina gotten “caught up”, she was caught, spun around and loved every minute of it.

  Cooper had fallen in love with Karina just as her friend had with him. Within a few short weeks of dating he’d asked her to marry him and they were married a month later.

  “So what’s going on, Li?” Karina brought her attention back to the problem at hand. If she didn’t watch herself, she’d be just like Karina, daydreaming about everything but the situation at hand.

  “Greg and I don’t click anymore,” she said with a sigh as she stirred the sweetener in her ice tea.

  “What do you mean you don’t click? In what way? Sexually?” Karina asked and took a healthy drink of her already sweetened tea.

  “Sexually, mentally, pretty much all the—’llys,’ Liza admitted on a sigh.

  “Have you spoken to him about it? What does he think?”

  “I tried doing that. Girl, it was awful.” Liza felt the threat of tears and tried her best to keep them at bay, but was suddenly overwhelmed. She picked up her napkin from her lap and quickly dabbed at her eyes.

  Karina hated when Liza did that. Start to open up and then, ashamed…turn away. After over twenty years of friendship, it should be obvious to her that Karina loved her! Karina thought she was supposed to be the reserved one out of the pair.

  But actually, Liza was the one with the bend toward being reserved.

  It was high time Liza started to understand that she needed to open up, and not just with her, but with her husband also.

  “Liza, what happened? Girl, it’s me. If you can’t tell your best friend about it, who the heck can you tell?” she asked and reached across the table to take her friend’s hand in hers. “Seriously. You should know this.”

  Liza took a deep breath and tightened her fingers in her hand. “I know, Kari. It’s not that I don’t want to share. I’m just not sure how to.”

  “Greg’s too busy at work to give up the goodies?” Karina asked straight-faced and Liza choked on her tea.

  “Why would you say that?” she asked as she wiped the tea dribble from her chin.

  It was actually kind of funny to Karina to see her perfectly coiffed, manicured friend spit ice chunks and tea. But she knew better than to laugh. Laughing was a surefire way to garner a cuss out from her friend.

  Liza played the role of sophisticated socialite to a T. But they’d grown up in the same neighborhood. Karina knew the real deal.

  They’d met in kindergarten and had attended the same Catholic School, Mary Magdalene.

  Karina had been raised by her mother as well as her grandmother. Her grandmother had wanted to send her only grandchild to a school outside their local district because she wanted the best for her. At the time, the neighborhood school had left a lot to be desired and her grandmother had been determined to send her somewhere where she’d receive a good education. She’d worked a second job in order to pay for the tuition for the private school.

  Liza had also attended Mary Magdalene, but had been given a grant to attend the private school as a part of an education pilot program that selected a handful of inner city children and paid for them to attend private school.

  No one but Karina had known that Liza had attended the school on grant.

  She and Liza had bonded as only two children could who shared a common heritage and were in an environment where they were the minority. The bond was strengthened when Liza would spend the nights with Kari and her small extended family of grandmother and mother. She and Liza had grown up treating one another more like sisters than friends.

  Back in those days, although Liza studied hard and did well in school, she was a little rough around the edges. She had a mouth like a sailor and was quick to cuss out anybody who messed with her.

  Didn’t matter if it was a teacher, a nun, priest or principal. Liza didn’t care. She let them all know how she felt!

  It had taken years of self-discipline for Liza to emerge as the woman she was today. She once told Karina that she didn’t want to be like her mother. She didn’t want to have a child out of wedlock and she refused to go on public assistance.

  Ever.

  As soon as she and Liza graduated from high school, Liza’s mom had skipped out of town, letting her fend for herself in college. But had she stayed, Liza still would have had to fend for herself. As it was, her mother would occasionally call Liza and ask for money. Liza had let that slip once.

  She’d worked hard in school to pay for college and had eventually met her husband Greg and had married him her last year in graduate school.

  Karina was proud of her friend and knew how rough life had been for her before she and Greg married.

  Liza was also drop-dead gorgeous. Karina used to feel serious pangs of envy with Liza’s tall, slender shape and beautiful face. She always ate the right foods, never ate junk, worked out regularly and looked awesome. Karina had neither the inclination nor motivation to do all of that work to stay in shape. Watching Liza do it, tired her out enough.

  Besides that, she had finally decided she could live with her addiction to Little Debbie oatmeal creme cakes. Cooper didn’t mind the extra cushion at all.

  Liza was darker than she…her skin color reminded Karina of coffee with just a touch of cream. Smooth and creamy. Her eyes were dark and set deep and had just a slight tilt in the corners.

  Kind of like one of the Whos from Whoville.

  Karina would have died to have Liza’s high cheekbones and angular face. No sharp edges, just perfectly shaped features.

  Unlike Karina, Liza was always together. Hair just right, nails manicured.

  She kept her personal opinions to herself; that she thought Liza had shut off a part of herself when she left the old neighborhood. That she was in such denial about who she was and needed to come to terms with the fact that her life in poverty was nothing to be ashamed of.

  It didn’t define who she was as a person.

  “Well?” she demanded, not allowing Liza to hide. Her friend took a deep breath and started to speak.

  “I think he might be having an affair with his assistant, but I’m not sure…” she started and the fork of pasta that was on the way to making its way to Karina’s mouth halted mid-way.

  “What? Why would you think that?”

  “Have you seen her? She’s gorgeous and he drops everything the minute she calls,” Liza answered, glumly.

  “There are a lot of gorgeous women in the world Liza! You’re gorgeous! Girl, that doesn’t make any darn sense!”

  “He sure does leap whenever she calls. What other reason would a man turn down sex? And not just any old sex. I’m talking ‘smack me up, tie me down, lick me all over ‘til I scream for friggin’ mercy’ sex!!”

  “Greg turned down sex with you? No way!”

  “Yeah, he did,” she said gloomily and proceeded to tell her what happened earlier in the day.

  “If he’s not cheating then what in the world is going on and how do I try and fix this mess?” Liza ended her story and looked Karina straight in the eye and asked her the question, point blank.

  The time for shame and her continual need for self-preservation were long past. She wanted answers. And she knew Kari loved her and would tell it to her straight. She waited as Karina pushed her wire-framed glasses further up her
nose, pooched out her mouth and made a small sucking sound with her teeth.

  Whenever Karina did that, she was in deep thought. Liza suppressed a smile despite the frustration and uncertainty she felt. Karina always made her smile.

  “Welll…” she began, stretching the word out as far it could possibly go, “I don’t think Greg is cheating on you. I really don’t. But can I be honest here without you getting upset?” she asked and Liza saw a quick flash of something cross Karina’s face that she didn’t like.

  “Go on, what is it?” Liza put her hands in her lap and clenched the linen napkin so tightly she wouldn’t doubt if the white painted tips of her French manicure were permanently etched in her palms.

  “You know I love you girl, right?”

  “Karina…” she warned.

  “Okay, okay!” she held up a consoling hand. “Gotta establish the love first! Sorry,” she said and continued, “Liza, it’s your own darn fault.” After she lowered that boom she ducked her head as though Liza would throw something at her.

  As if.

  “Karina Elizabeth Woodson…Karina Elizabeth Tolson,” she corrected at Karina’s raised brow.

  “Get it right!” Karina laughed before turning serious. “Greg is only doing what he thinks you want.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

  “He knows you better than anyone. Anyone next to me that is. And probably better than I do,” she started and at Liza’s nod continued. “Well don’t you think he knows how badly you hated the thought of ever being poor? Of revisiting that life? I mean you said it often enough.”

  “So that ‘s why he won’t make love to me anymore?”

  “Don’t make it worse than it is. You said it wasn’t as frequent and as…um…freaky as it used to be,” she reminded her.

  “I guess. Go on,” Liza took a thoughtful bite of her salad.

  “Just seems to me that in his desire to please you and make sure you’re taken care of, that maybe you both have lost sight of what’s really important.”

  “And that is?”