Loving Montie (Breathless 4)

The next morning, I was still lit about finding out Tracye was a fake name that Justine had given me to get close to me. The past few days had been an emotional rollercoaster at best, tragic at worst. Justine, the woman that tried taking Destiny away from me, away from my children, had the last laugh. The last thing I wanted to do was have sex with that evil bitch. Rearrange her face maybe, but not betray Destiny, no matter how our relationship had turned out.

“Mr. Brown, you have a call on line two,” Shalonda buzzed into my office. Thankful for the interruption from my thoughts, I answered immediately.

“Montie Brown speaking.”

“Montie! I’m glad you answered,” Justine’s voice sang out.

“Make this the last time that you call me.”

“Oh, so now you want to act like we didn’t share something beautiful this weekend?”

“Justine, why are you calling my place of business? I didn’t share anything beautiful with you. I had a roll in the sack with a woman who called herself Tracye,” I snapped out in a loud grate.

“I want to talk to you.”

“We did all the talking we’re going to do when I was in Miami. I’m done with you, so don’t call me anymore and you had better not do anything to hurt Destiny.” I felt the need to tell her that hurting Destiny was off limits. “If you think you’ve ever felt wrath, times that by ten and imagine it happening to you repeatedly, if anything happens to the mother of my children,” I warned with the unmitigated truth.

“Temper, temper.” She laughed as if I’d told a hilarious joke. “I wish I was nearby. Angry sex is to die for.”

“You can think I’m joking, but you haven’t seen anything, Justine. Try me.”

“Everyone thinks Destiny is worth protecting, as if she is so precious. What about me? What about you and Jacob having me in your beds and taking all you wanted from me? I bet you didn’t tell your precious Destiny that Jacob slept with me in their new house. Hell, I bet you didn’t even tell her about us.”

“That’s no one’s business but the people involved. Besides, who’s to say you’re not just lying about Jacob?”

“I don’t tell lies.”

“Well, who is Tracye?” I pulled the phone away from my ear, about to hang up on this mockery of a conversation.

“That part was a lie,” she admitted. “I couldn’t very well walk up to you and introduce myself as the woman who everyone thinks is the spawn of the devil, could I? You never would have given me a chance if you knew I was the same woman that…” she paused and I finished her thought.

“Put my ex-wife in the hospital? You’re damn right, I wouldn’t have. A chance to do what exactly, ruin us even more? No, thank you,” I argued.

“Montie, I’m sorry.”

“Save your apology for someone who wants it. It’s not like you wanted me; you just wanted to get close to Jacob and to humiliate Destiny.”

“So maybe I did,” she said, her voice growing sinister. “Who do you think you’re kidding? I saw the way you looked at her at the rehearsal. You want her back. You want her so bad your soul is tortured by it. I’ve given you all the ammo you need to get what your heart desires. If she finds out that I slept with Jacob, she will come running back to your open arms. My plan will work.”

“If you want your secret out, tell her yourself, Justine. Leave me out of it!”

“She won’t not believe me.”

“Not my problem.”

“But she’ll listen to you, Montie.”

“Again, not my problem. Now, if you would be so kind as to forget you met me, I would appreciate it,” I said through clenched teeth. I could hear her pleading for me not to hang up on her as my phone dropped back down onto the receiver.

The drama had me reeling. I only had solace behind my desk buried in paperwork and working hard to tone out the noise of my personal life. Justine’s call threatened to break into that little bit of peace before I remembered the power of hanging up.

I vowed from that moment forward to put space between anything stressing me out, starting with Justine and me. Separating from Destiny would be more challenging, but I would take Mario's advice and stay out of it. It would be hard considering my children bind me to her. I would have to look in her face knowing everything she was building was on a lie.

The tiny, adorable faces of Montie Jr. and Montana assailed my mind. I let out a loud sigh as separation anxiety rushed all over me. Everything other than the love I had for my children was wrong, just wrong. The only two loves of my life were miles away being fathered by a cheater.

My phone rang again, pulling me out of my morbid thoughts.

“Montie, Holistic Medical is on your second line. It’s the CEO,” Shalonda’s voice rang out over the intercom.