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Gabby entered the basement carrying a tray of sandwiches. Jon had remodeled the dingy basement into a man cave equipped with the bells and whistles required to carry the status. She looked at both men. “How are you feeling, Nick? Are you experiencing any shortness of breath, any headaches? I’m concerned since you blacked out. You could’ve hit your head when you fell.”

  Nick rubbed his chest. It was sore and his jaw was swollen, but he would recover. His pride took the brunt of the damage. He didn’t take pleasure in Anthony’s cowardly ambush. “Nah, I’m doing okay, Gabby.”

  “I never thought Anthony was the violent type. He is such a sweetheart,” she said putting the tray of food on the table and handing him a fresh bag of ice for his face.

  “After I drill him a new asshole, he’ll just be sweet,” Nick fussed. “I can’t believe this shit. I would never, ever, cross the line. Ant knows me better than that.”

  Gabrielle rubbed his arms comforting him. “Nick, this is about a woman. He still cares about Lincoln.”

  The anger in Nick’s eyes caused his dark pupils to resemble hot burning coals. “Then why is he treating her like a piece of shit? Ant can’t have it both ways. He can’t have Melanie and keep Lincoln on the side in case they split again. Lincoln is damn attractive. Another man will grab her attention.”

  Jon sat forward in the chair. “Nick, be totally honest with me. Are you attracted to her?”

  He wanted to lie and say no, but he was attracted to her physically but not romantically. “No, I’m not,” he lied. “I was just with Linda last weekend.”

  “And that means what?” Jon questioned. “You date a lot of women. Maybe Ant doesn’t want Lincoln to end up as a notch on your bedpost.”

  He shot Jon a revolting look. “Seriously, Jon—that hurt my feelings. Orlando is one my best friends. Lincoln is about to be family to him. Do you think I would treat her like a common street whore?”

  Gabby shook her head at her husband. “Jon, I’m appalled you’d think that about Nick. He has grown a lot as a person and a man. You owe him an apology.”

  Jon ignored his wife’s comment and continued on with Nick. “I want to know where you stand with her, Nick. The firehouse is our home when we’re away from home. If this strife between you and Ant spirals out of control, it will bring the morale of the firehouse down.”

  “You won’t have to worry about that happening. I’m gonna transfer out of Station 30. I’ll talk to Murad and see what he can do. I hear Station 39 is looking for men to replace two retirees.”

  “Is that what you want, Nick? You thought you wanted to go to Station 26 a few years ago.”

  “That was a different situation.” His cell phone began to ring. He sucked in a painful breath wondering if he should answer it or let it go to voicemail.

  Jon leaned over and looked at the screen. “You might as well answer it. She should hear your side of the story.”

  Nick rubbed his chest again. “Do you think she knows what happened? I doubt Anthony said anything to her.”

  “Answer it and find out. We’ll give you some privacy to talk.” Jon escorted his wife upstairs and closed the door behind him.

  Nick swiped the phone to answer it. “Hey, Lincoln; what’s up?” The pressure of the phone pressed against his face made the pain in his jaw worsen.

  “Guess what I have?”

  Her voice sounded normal and apparently she didn’t know about the fight. But his voice was dull since he was not in the best of moods. He tried not to let that reflect in the phone call. “You want me to guess? This could take forever so to shorten time, why don’t you tell me.”

  “All right, since you want to take the fun out of it. I have two tickets for the Stallone movie tonight. I immediately thought about you.”

  He sucked in his bottom lip. “Wow, that’s great, Lincoln. Is the show only for tonight or can we go any night this week?”

  “My boss gave me his tickets for tonight since he couldn’t go. I would like to treat you to dinner and movie if you’re free.”

  Nick touched the swelling on his jaw. It was noticeable and definitely would not go down in a few hours. “How can I refuse you? What time should I pick you up?”

  “How about 6:30? The move starts at 7:15 tonight. We can have dinner afterwards.”

  “I’ll be there,” he said clicking off the phone.

  He went upstairs in search of Jon and Gabby. They were in the living room. “Hey guys, I may have just dug my own grave.”

  Jon exhaled a breath. “What did you do?”

  “Lincoln asked me out tonight and I accepted.”

  “Dammit, Nick! What did we just talk about?”

  Gabrielle spoke up. “Honey, wait. If Nick wants to go out with Lincoln as a friend, he has a right to do that. That silly code you all have is ridiculous anyhow. Lincoln and Anthony aren’t married or dating anymore.”

  “Gabby, it’s not that simple.”

  Gabby stood her ground. “Yes, it is. Nick didn’t call her. Lincoln made the date, therefore, nullifying the rules. The code really only applies to firefighters not to civilians.”

  Jon questioned Nick. “Are you sure you want to go there or, is this a matter of restoring your pride?”

  “I’m holding up my end of a promise. If Ant can’t deal with that, then he can take it up with Orlando when he’s back in town.”

  “This is bullshit,” Jon vented. “You and Anthony are battling out your egos. No one is thinking about Lincoln and what this might do to her.”

  Gabby said, “Honey, I agree that Lincoln is in the middle. However, is it fair that Anthony can have that much control over her? No, it’s not. I love Anthony and I love Nick and hate this is going on, but fair is fair.”

  Nick jammed his hands in the pocket of his jeans. “I’m gonna cut out. I want to get cleaned up before I pick up Lincoln.” The look on Jon’s face showed he didn’t approve but couldn’t stop him. This was between him and Anthony and if he wanted to butt heads with him, then he was all for it.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lincoln decided to make a quick trip to the mall. She had her eye on a pair of jeans at Macy’s that would be perfect for tonight. Once she purchased the jeans, she felt a new pair of shoes would go great with them. She picked up a pair of 3-inch platform stilettos from the display table. At 5’8”, she was naturally tall but she loved heels and wore them no matter how much taller they made her. And it didn’t matter tonight since Nick was tall. He was taller than Anthony, who stood 6’2” so Nick had to be 6’3” or 6’4.” Either way, he would be taller than her in the heels.

  She handed the shoe to the salesperson and told him the size shoe she wore. She took a seat and waited for him to return.

  The open space of the shoe store allowed her to see directly into the mall from where she sat. The mall was crowded with shoppers gearing up for the summer season. Time was flying and in less than a month, the wedding would be happening. She made a mental note to call Regan and reinstate herself as maid of honor since she was no longer mad at her sister and the woman finally returned her call concerning the venue.

  The bachelorette party would be in two weeks and on schedule. Her sister Carter and her mother would arrive next weekend and stay in town until the wedding. Lincoln sucked air in her lungs. She had to find a way to deal with Anthony being in the wedding party. Thank goodness, Orlando’s brothers were serving as his best men. That saved her the agony of walking down the aisle with Anthony or sharing a dance with him. The torture would from smiling for pictures with his cheating ass.

  The salesperson returned with the shoes and she tried them on to make sure they fit. She hated making returns. Loving the way they looked on her feet, she paid for the shoes and hurried through the mall. She had an hour to get home and dressed before Nick arrived.

  Digging in her purse for the car keys, she failed to pay attention where she was walking and bumped into the hard chest of a man. “I’m so sorry…” she looked up and into the eyes of Anthony. “Out of
all the people to run into,” she snarled.

  “You should slow down and watch where you’re going,” he said holding onto her shoulders to steady her.

  She shook free of his grip. “Whatever.”

  “Lincoln, we shouldn’t be at odds like this. C’mon, can’t we be cordial when we see each other.”

  Lincoln folded her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down softly. “No. I’m not ready to be cordial with you. Plus you keep doing stuff to make me angrier with you.”

  “If you’re talking about Nick—hell yeah I hit his ass!”

  Her eyes bulged. “You did what!”

  “I warned him to stay away from you and he didn’t listen to me. I had to teach him a lesson.”

  She seethed as her blood pressure rose. “Who do you think you are? You don’t have the right to order anyone to stay away from me. Anthony, this has gone far enough. I’m not your woman anymore and what I do and who I do it with, is none of your business.”

  “No, you’re not my woman anymore. But that doesn’t change how I feel about Nick. He is to stay away from you! I don’t want him anywhere near you. Do you understand that?”

  She did a 360-degree turn. “My father has been gone since I was a kid. So take your orders and go to hell. Your concern is Melanie and not me.” She walked around him and stopped. Turning around, she went back to face him. “Oh, congratulations on you two living together; I guess you can’t deny you’re sleeping with her now.”

  His brows narrowed as he asked without hesitation. “Are you sleeping with Nick?”

  She hitched her chin and looked him in the eye. Those eyes that she once loved to get lost in. “Man, it is killing you that you don’t know if he has seen me naked or if his big hands has roamed over my breasts or if he has put his fingers in my…?”

  Anthony raised his voice. “You’re fooling yourself, Lincoln! Nick is the biggest bigot around. He has people fooled. The only thing he wants from you is the sex. You are the first Black woman he’s ever nailed. Do you like knowing you were his first experience with an African-American woman?”

  She blinked her eyes amazed and disgusted by Anthony’s behavior. “Nick was once your friend and you’re degrading him because he is showing me some compassion?”

  “We have never been friends. He is going to hurt you and when he does, don’t come running to me.”

  “Like that would happen. But while we’re on the subject, you promised never to hurt me, but you did. Having Nick around has helped me get over you. I never thought would be this easy.” Out the corner of her eye, she saw a woman walking in their direction. Something told her the woman was Melanie. The hairs on her arms stood up. She was finally going to face the woman that ruined her dreams of marriage with Anthony.

  What would she say to her? Should she make a scene at the mall and possibly get arrested by mall cops? She was a government employee and couldn’t afford that type of publicity. Not to mention what the backlash could do to Regan’s career once the connection between them was made. The consequences of her actions ran rapidly through her mind as the woman’s steps quickened.

  Lincoln didn’t take her eyes off her. The pictures clarified she was indeed Melanie. She knew she would be beautiful. Anthony had an eye for pretty women. It wasn’t a shock to her that she was White—she already knew that. The only surprise was the little kid that held her hand. The boy couldn’t have been more than four and his sandy-colored straight hair, and fair skin suggested he was bi-racial.

  She dared the tears to drop from her eyes as Melanie stood next to Anthony. She refused to give her that power. If that was his child, it was a clear explanation of why he dumped her. She could not compete with a woman who’d given him a child.

  The child pulled at Anthony’s jacket aching for his attention. “Is he your son?” Lincoln asked swallowing every ounce of her pride. “Please don’t lie about something that important.”

  “Anthony, who is this,” Melanie asked with a gentle but kind voice.

  In a stern voice, Lincoln stared him down. “Tell her who I am, Anthony.”

  He held the boy snuggly against his hip. “Melanie, this is Lincoln. I told you about her.”

  Melanie took the boy’s hand. “Oh, I see. We’ll wait for you inside. Don’t be long, baby.”

  Lincoln saw a flash of hurt blink in Anthony’s eyes, but it couldn’t compare to what she was feeling. “Lincoln, I’m sorry for everything. Had I known Melanie was pregnant when we broke up I would have done something then. I never meant to hurt you. But I have to be with my son. He needs his father.”

  Her chin quivered. “I can’t talk to you anymore.” She ran the rest of the way to her car. Seated inside, she had to calm down before driving. Knowing that Anthony had fathered a child with Melanie sent a jolting pain to her guts. It was something she never felt before.

  *****

  Nick checked his watch. He was a few minutes early but he wasn’t worried. He knew she would be ready. Lincoln ran like a well-oiled machine, when she set a time to do something and she was ready when he arrived. He knocked on the front door. Her faint call for him to come in was almost inaudible. He opened the door and stepped inside the apartment. “Lincoln? It’s me Nick.”

  “I’ll be out in a second,” she shouted from the bedroom.

  “Take your time.” He sat on the sofa and picked up the magazine lying on the coffee table.

  “I don’t mean to keep you waiting.”

  He tossed the magazine on the table and looked up at the sound of her voice. His mouth dropped open at the same time his penis hardened. Lincoln stood in front of him wearing a sexy lace black teddy, stilettos, and a smile. “Um,” he swallowed. “You don’t plan on wearing that to the movie theater, do you?”

  She sashayed over to him. “We’re not going to see the movie. I figured we’d stay here and make our own movie.” She ran her finger along the bruise on his face. “I can’t believe he marred your beautiful face.”

  Nick sat back on the sofa confused. “Lincoln, what are you doing? Did I misunderstand about tonight?”

  “No, I did invite you to a movie.”

  “Then what are you doing?” He tried to get off the sofa but she was standing too close to him.

  She pouted her heavily painted burgundy lips. “I know Anthony did this to you.”

  Nick was in awe and stumped. Lincoln was very different tonight. Her demeanor, the heavy makeup she wore and the vibe he got off her was not right. And she couldn’t carry on this way because Anthony hit him, it had to be something else. “How did you find out? Did he call you?”

  “Come on, Nick, does it matter how I know? Look at me. I’m dressed liked this and you want to talk about Anthony? Don’t pretend this isn’t what you really want.” She sat on the sofa and kissed his face. The peppered kisses feathered over the bruise inching closer until her mouth covered his.

  As she became more aggressive, his head went woozy. Her teeth scraped his bottom lip as her mouth grinded into his. To throw him further into a tizzy, she straddled his lap. Keeping the crushing kiss intact until her tongue pressed for and gained entry inside his mouth.

  He found strength in his arms to push her lightly on the sofa and jump up. “What the hell is going on with you, Lincoln?” he asked rubbing his mouth.

  “You don’t want me, Nick?”

  “Again what the hell are you talking about?” His voice boomed off the walls of the small living room. “I came to take you to a movie, I don’t know what this shit is about?”

  “I’m more fun than a movie, Nick. Besides, I heard you’re dying to make love to a Black woman. I would complete your fantasy or am I not dark enough to classify as a Black woman?”

  She sauntered over to him and untucked his shirt from his jeans. Her hands roamed under his shirt to caress his chest. He jerked when her fingers pinched his nipples. “Okay, okay, I don’t know what’s going on but I’m leaving. I’m not up for a rape charge.”

  “You’re not forcing
me to do anything; I’m offering myself to you. It will be my payback that you don’t have to mention to Orlando.”

  “Payback for what? Stop, Lincoln! Stop now.” He snatched her hands from under his shirt. She sat on the sofa burying her head in the crook of her arm. The corner of Nick’s eyes crinkled as he tilted his head and reached out, his fingers brushed over Lincoln’s soft hair. He cleared his throat. “Lincoln, please talk to me. I don’t know what you owe me or why you’re acting this way.”

  She didn’t lift her head when she spoke. “Just go away, Nick.”

  “I’m not leaving you this way. You were happy earlier. What the hell did Ant say to you?”

  He felt a catch in his throat when her watery eyes locked with his. “Do you want the short version or the full version?”

  “Gimme the whole story.” He pulled a chair up close to the sofa. He didn’t dare sit next to her. He feared if she jumped on him again he might not be able to keep his restraint.

  She reached for the tissue box on the table. “I ran into my ex and his little family at the mall. He took pleasure in letting me know he hit you and he will do it again if you don’t stay away from me.”

  “He’s an idiot and he better be glad he caught me off guard or he would be nursing an ass-whopping from hell. Anyhow, who was Anthony with besides Melanie? Was Gwen with them?”

  She wiped her nose. “He was with HER and their son!”

  Nick’s brows went up. “They have a kid together? Damn—I didn’t know that.”

  “He had a lot more to say that I found amazing. Nick, can I ask you something?”

  “Ask me anything you want?”

  “Why do you hate Black people?”

  He reeled from another breathtaking blow. Although not a physical hit to his system, the impact was the same. The muscles in his face hardened and when she tried to catch his eye, he averted her. “I don’t hate Black people. Is that what Ant said? Tell me, Lincoln. He fed you that bullshit about me!”

  She broke eye contact, a faraway look settled on her face. “He called you a bigot and said sex is all you want from me.”

  His jaw clenched causing a searing pain to up to his temples. He couldn’t bring himself to believe this was coming from her or she would even think this way about him. “Do you believe him?” She dropped her head staring at her hands folded in her lap. “Look at me, Lincoln,” he shouted.