Tasha hadn’t really had much of an appetite but she still needed her morning coffee.
She got up out of the bed and went into the kitchen to make a cup. Just as she was about to set the coffee maker, the doorbell rang. Tasha scrunched up her eyebrows and checked her watch. Who in world would be at her door this early?
She prayed it wasn’t him. Had he called her job and found out she’d called in sick?
At first she thought about not answering it. The doorbell rang again and then twice more. The feeling of dread crept over her because whoever it was at the door seemed to be determined. Tasha made her way to the door, “Okay…okay…I’m coming.”
Tasha said a prayer before she opened the door, “Dear god please I can’t handle anything else today.”
She opened the door only to be surprised with who was standing on the other side.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were out of town.”
Sabrina stood there with what initially appeared to be a blank look on her face until Tasha looked into her eyes. They were burning with rage.
A chill went down her spine and it had nothing to do with the temperature in her apartment. “What’s wrong?”
“I took a red-eye to get here from New York and I’m missing a very important meeting. You know how I hate that. But, I needed to know what I would see when I looked into your eyes. Would I see the innocent girl who knows all of my secrets, the woman who is like a sister to me, or the bitch whose been sleeping with my husband?”
Chapter 2
Four years earlier
Tasha had been unpacking her suitcases while admiring the beauty of the ocean view in their luxurious suite. “I love this view Sabrina. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than when the sun kisses the water.”
It was nice that each of them had their own bedroom which was connected by a small living space, just in case they felt like being naughty. Tasha laughed at herself knowing that would never happen…at least not for her.
She’d decided to come on this business trip with Sabrina at the last minute hoping to relax. How could she pass up a three night four day all expenses paid trip to Palo Alto, California?
For once, Tasha was going to put her pride to the side. So what Sabrina was paying for it? She planned to have a good time anyway. This was probably going to be the closest thing to a real vacation that she’d get in a while.
Tasha yelled from her room, “Let’s hurry and put our things away so we can hit the beach.” She was downright giddy with excitement. “The water is so blue. I can’t wait to put on my swimsuit and get into the ocean. As much as I love Chicago, there is nothing like being on an ocean front beach.”
“I know right? However, before we can hit the beach, don’t forget that luncheon I told you about. We’ve got to do that first.”
Sabrina’s company was having their annual Sales Marketing meeting. She’d asked Tasha to come on this trip because she would help her stay focused and hopefully help her get that promotion she was up for.
That Executive Director Position should be hers based on merit alone. However, it wasn’t. She was in a race with a male co-worker who didn’t even produce half of her output.
Anyway, to ensure her chances of getting that promotion were better than 50%, Sabrina was going to take advantage of any edge she thought she had; unknowingly, Tasha was her ace in the hole.
Her boss, LaWanda Mackie had met Tasha at their offices on a couple of occasions and had expressed an interest in her; a romantic interest. Sabrina didn’t care that Tasha only dated men. She just wanted her to spend a little time with LaWanda and to treat her really nice.
Sabrina was counting on the fact that Tasha could sometimes be a little slow to figure things out. And, by the time she did, LaWanda would have already awarded her the promotion.
It was better to tread lightly during the luncheon because if Tasha knew the real reason she’d been asked to come on this trip, she wouldn’t have come.
Tasha’s laughter brought Sabrina out of her thoughts just in time to hear what she’d said, “Oh yeah. That’s right. Well, as soon as the luncheon is over, I plan to hit the beach.”
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It wasn’t too humid or hot. The weather was absolutely perfect. “Sabrina, this resort is unbelievably gorgeous. I don’t know how you plan on getting any work done.”
Sabrina put away the last of the outfits she’d brought along in her closet and put her toiletries in the bathroom. “It’s going to be hard but you know I’m going to squeeze in some fun time for me. I’m good at multi-tasking. As a matter of fact, I met this guy while we were checking in this morning.”
Tasha was just about done unpacking. “Where was I?”
“You were in the bathroom. Anyway, he invited me out for drinks tonight. As hot as he was there was no way I was turning down that invite.”
Tasha scrunched up her nose, “How do you do it? I mean we haven’t been here for three hours yet and you’ve already met someone.”
Sabrina came into Tasha’s room and plopped down on her bed. “Well, maybe if you’d put on a little makeup, take your hair out of that tired ponytail, and wear something that didn’t scream
