Malia&Khari II

Eighteen.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Lifting the bottle of Hennessy to his lips, Khari took a big gulp, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat. It had to be his third bottle, he wasn't sure. Somehow, he had found himself in a strip club surrounded by beautiful women. They all offered him private lap dances, sensing a chance to make big money, but he wasn't up for it. He bobbed his head, in a drunken state, to the music and watch some of the performances on stage.

He couldn't shake the look he had received from Malia once he told her that he had cheated. The mixture of disappointment, anger, & pain had broken him. He did sleep Karmen after he had made things official with Malia. The guilt had ate at him for years, and it made it worse that Karmen ended up getting pregnant. To keep Malia from knowing, he made Karmen to get an abortion. He also knew that Karmen still resented him for it.

Khari knew he didn't love Karmen, but he felt like he owed her something. Maybe it's because of the abortion. He felt obligated to make her feel good. He did have a soft spot for her. However, losing Malia would kill him. She had been the only woman he had been able to give his mind, body, and soul to. She broke a wall. He never believed that he'd be married with two kids, ever.

It was moments like this where he questioned whether he was like his father, in some way. The more he attempted to run from it, the more the characteristics showed. Running a hand down his face, he sighed and thought about what his mother would say to him. Probably nothing angelic, but he needed to hear her voice. He took another swig of the bottle then bit down on his teeth.

"Khari? In a strip club?" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. His turned into the direction beside him, meeting her eyes. However, his eyes didn't stay long on hers for they lingered on her body. He hadn't even noticed that she had came and sat beside him. When did she get here, he thought. Why was she here? She was sipping on her glass, her red lips lingered it. He follow the movement of her hand as she slid it down her slender neck. She sat with her legs crossed, very lady like, however it offered him a view of the thickness of her thighs underneath her dark, navy blue pencil skirt. He did, however, envy that shirt she wore with the modest neckline whose only function was to cover a curvy and delicious form.

She reached over, lifting his chin up so their eyes could meet again. He was taken by surprise to see her smirking. "Up, up. I'm surprised you're in a setting like this. You're not the club type." She said, placing her hand back into her lap.

"Karmen.." He said, closing his eyes and shaking his head a little. He thought that he had been dreaming, but when he reopened them, she was still right there, beside him. "What are you doing here? How did you even find me?"

Karmen frowned a little. "You don't remember?"

Furrowing his eyebrows together, he shifted on the couch and looked at her. "Remember what?"

"Ok, too many drinks I see." She removed the bottle from his grip and placed it on the table. "You called me yesterday, drunk. You asked me to come here. I wasn't at first because I thought I didn't care. But, I became legitimately concerned."

"Oh." He mumbled.

"Mhm." She hummed. "Plus, I'm on a business trip as well." She flipped her hair to the side, and looked briefly at him. "I'm glad you called me. I've really missed you." Sighing, Khari leaned over and ran his hands through his head. "You know it's about to be that time, and I really just need you, to at least hold me. Sleep is hard to come by these days."

"I can't do that."

Karmen picked up her glass off of the table, finishing the rest of her drink. She looked over at him, seeing his exhaustion all over. She got up, and fixed her skirt before patting his shoulder. "Come on, you need rest."

Not protesting, he got up and she grabbed a hold of his hand. No one paid attention to them as they slipped through the back, and walked to her car. A man got out of the driver's seat, and went around the vehicle to open the door. Khari didn't say anything as he got in the car behind her. Once the door was closed, it only took him a few minutes to get back into the driver's seat and pull off.

"Back to your condo, Miss?" He asked.

Karmen looked at Khari has he drifted to sleep, with his head resting on the window. "Yes, please."

He only nodded, and followed her orders. As they made their way to her apartment complex, Khari's phone began vibrating in his pocket. Khari didn't move so she didn't care to worry about it. After about a ten minute drive, they appeared at the hotel and Karmen shook him awake. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times before sitting his head up.

As they got out of the car, she led him to the elevator that waited for them in the parking lot. Once they were in, she pressed her floor button. "When you get place hea?" He said in a deep, husky tone.

She looked over at him. "I told you. I'm on business. I'm just renting for a couple of days."

He only nodded as the elevator dinged. It opened, and he followed her out. The short walk was silent, but Khari could barely stand on his own two feet. They appeared at her door, and she stuck the key into the knob, pushing the door open. As they walked in, Khari went straight for the couch and crashed. Karmen shook her head, and closed the door. She threw her keys onto the coffee table, going into the kitchen. She opened the medicine cabinet, taking a bottle of aspirin then removed two pills from the bottle.

She moved towards the frig, opened it, and grabbed a bottled water before going back over to him. Again, he fell asleep, but she shook him awake. He looked at her, seeing that she was holding two pills. "Take these aspirin so your head won't hurt." Khari took the pills and washed them down with the water. Before she could move, Khari pulled her to him by her hand. She sighed, looking into his eyes. "Yes?"

"Sleep with me."

Trying to get out his hold proved to be a challenge, he was too strong. "Khari, I'm not sleeping on no couch."

There was silence on his end, but he pulled her closer. "You know I'm sorry, right? For everything."

Karmen pulled away a little to look at him. She knew he was hurting just as much as she was. However, she had longed forgiven him. Granted, that was a side of Khari she never wanted to see again, and she believed she wouldn't. "I know." She said just barely above a whisper. The feeling she had fought was there, and never left. She loved this man. She loved this married man. She hated herself for doing so. It was why she always came back.

Karmen could feel his kisses as they trailed on her neck down her chest. There was no fight this time. She allowed him to do so. He ripped open her blouse, exposing her breasts and gave them both special attention. She let out an unexpected moan as she ran her hands through his curls. She felt him getting up, with her still in his arms. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him as he led her to the bedroom. In her mind, she knew this was wrong.

It was then she had made the sinful decision. At this point, she didn't mind being the other woman. Just as long as she was the only one other than Malia. She would always come first, she knew that. And second to her, she would be. When he wasn't with Malia, Karmen wanted him there with her. She would be his part time love. That's just far that she would go. Loving a married man, now, she didn't really didn't mind. But, a married Casanova, was a little out of her line.