Miss perfect always acting like she has always made the best decisions. Bye Felicia. Please, don’t come for me until you have all your shit in order. Oh I guess now because you got your little shop open, you can start looking your nose down at ME!’ I really wanted to slap the piss out of her. As I drive home, walk into my house and start to run myself some bath water, I replay in my mind her statement ‘It’s not dating if one of the parties is married.’
I lean my head back on the edge of the tub ‘Who am I kidding? I am not mad at Brazille. She’s right.’
I don’t know what I was thinking getting involved with Joaquin. I close my eyes and let the day we first met begin to play in my mind. It was a Friday and I had just gotten the contract back via fax confirming that I was the new publicist for one of the hottest models out, Iyauna. I had called her to let her know that I had gotten the contract and to set up our first meeting.
We decided to meet at her favorite restaurant, Five and Ten. I always make it a practice to arrive for a meeting early so I can control where we sit, speak with the waiter and start building that rapport, peruse the menu so that I can just ramble off my meal in front of the client and that day was no different. It makes it look like I’m there all the time with other clients. Somehow this makes me feel like I have the upper hand and I am in control of the atmosphere by doing these simple little things.
Since I got there about an hour early, I had been seated and relaxed and had just decided on the local vegetable plate with a glass of water when I saw Iyauna approaching with some light skinned mouthwatering gentlemen. As the two came close I noticed that he had green eyes that I certainly got lost looking into, a well-trimmed beard and mustache that connected and he had a low hair cut with what seemed like hundreds of perfect waves. I damn near got sea-sick. My heartbeat was hammering in my chest while Maxwell sang Fortunate in the back of my mind and I said a silent prayer to whomever might be listening for him to be her brother, cousin, or photographer. I would accept any relationship as long as he was not her man.
I remember standing up to greet them “ Hello Iyauna, it’s great to see you. You look amazing!” And she did. She was wearing a dress so beautiful that even the knockoffs had to be expensive. Add to that the fact that she was tall and slim and all model-looking…. I almost wanted to push her on the ground and feed her chicken nuggets.
“ Hello, Chyna,” she replied smiling and looking for all the world like she was on her own private catwalk. “This is my husband Joaquin. ”
I could barely get my words together as my heart feels like it dropped to my feet. I manage a weak “Hello” and a quick hand shake as I think to myself ‘I want him, Lord. I asked You for him to be anyone but her man so you make him her husband? See, this is why I don’t go to church.’ As I finish my private conversation with the Lord, I invited them to take their seats.
I spent the rest of the evening trying to forget that Joaquin was there. I hated when he spoke because then I would have to look into his green eyes, watch his sexy lips. Surprisingly, I managed to make it through the meeting without making a complete fool of myself and losing a client by straddling her husband in a public place. I was the very definition of self-control.
I come out of my thoughts as my body begins to feel how cold the bath water has become. I think to myself, ‘If this water was any colder, it would be almost as uncomfortable as my relationship with Joaquin has become.’ I stand up let the bath water out and turn the shower water on warm. I am shivering and wanted to warm up. I begin to let the warm water relax my muscles and my mind and I float back to that first night.
I left the meeting feeling good and trying my hardest to forget Joaquin. But as soon as I pulled up in my drive way,