Infidelity by Pat Tucker Read Free Book Online Page A

you're not hungry. Baby, I'm so wiped out. If you let me take a nap now, when I get up, I'll fix you the best meal you've had in years. I'm talking fried catfish, cornbread, dirty rice and-"
    Clarke eased his finger up to her lips, cutting her off. A smooth smile crawled across his face. He could hardly believe his good fortune.
    "Will that meal include something ice cold?" he asked.
    She frowned. "What?"
    "A cold brew, a beer."
    "Whatever you want, baby, whatever you want. Just let me sleep for a few hours. I'm beat."
    He smiled and eased back on to the bed. She could sleep till the cows came home for all he cared.
     
    ~ Persha

    Persha looked around the bustling restaurant. Amid the chaos, she struggled to remain patient. She'd been kept waiting for 15 minutes already and she wasn't happy.
    She thought about waiting for him before being seated, but as tired as she was, she had looked forward to getting a table and relaxing with an ice cold drink of water.
    "Ma'am, would you still like something from the bar while you wait on your guest?" the waiter asked.
    Persha put the glass down and shook her head. "Nothing from the bar, but I’ll take an Iced-tea while I wait. Thank you," Persha said.
    Persha watched as the waiter walked away. From her seat, she watched the front door and finally spotted Clarke. He was talking with one of the hostesses. The young woman pointed to the rear of the restaurant and Persha smiled when she saw Clarke looking in her direction.
    "Finally!" she mumbled under her breath. It didn’t take long for her anger and anxiety to begin fading. A sense of relief and sheer lust started settling in. But before Clarke could make it to her table, a well-dressed man stopped him.
    Persha couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Clarke's body language told her it wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have. He motioned toward her table and watched as Clarke and the man looked and smiled in her direction. Clarke motioned towards the table once again. This time, the man gave Clarke a piece of paper and let him go.
    "What was that all about?" Persha asked as soon as Clarke made it to the table. He pulled his chair out and sat down. She noticed he hadn't offered a kiss, but she was too tired to fuss.
    "Oh, I was supposed to get Dude’s nephew an internship. I haven’t done it yet, so he just asked me about the details," Clarke answered.
    Persha looked at the stranger again, then back at Clarke when a lovely young woman sat at the man's table.
    "Well, why don't you get on top of that? You don't need people attacking you in public places," she joked.
    "Yeah, I know you're right, but I've been swamped lately. I'll get around to it though."
    He picked up his menu and sighed. "It's been a rough day." Clarke looked at Persha. "Hey whassup? You don't look too hot," he said.
    She couldn't believe he had finally noticed. Lately he seemed preoccupied when they were together. She had called this lunch meeting to talk about a bad habit he had suddenly developed. The last few dates they'd made, he called and cancelled at the very last minute. Sometimes it happened after she’d already been waiting.
    Persha knew she had to proceed carefully with Clarke, after all, he was married. By sleeping with him, she realized she was opening herself up for heartache.
    But she understood that he was going to have a little talk with his wife about a separation. Lately, he hadn't been saying too much about that either.
    "You order yet?" Clarke asked.
    "No, I wanted to wait for you." She struggled to sit up straight. There was simply no explanation for her recent failing health. She had a doctor's appointment for later that afternoon. She hoped she’d walk out of the doctor's office with a pill to make her better, instantly if she could help it.
    "Is it still cool for me to stop by tonight?" Clarke placed the menu down for a moment.
    "Yeah, that's cool. But are you going to come or are you just going to cancel on me again?"
    Persha told