The Night Before Thirty by Tajuana Butler

Author:Tajuana Butler
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780307538925
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2003-11-11T22:00:00+00:00

LECIA WALKED OUT of the front entrance of her high-rise building. It was four-thirty in the morning. The doorman followed behind her with her luggage. Parked out front was William's Town Car. Even though they hadn't verbally communicated since the incident in San Diego, Alecia still continued to take full advantage of the amenities that came with being his mistress, including the weekly maid service, laundry, and dry cleaning, and the use of the company car.

Tony, the driver, hopped out of the car when he saw her approaching.

“Good morning, Miss Parker,” he said.

“Good morning, Tony.” She figured that he was aware of the circumstances surrounding her and William, and felt a bit awkward.

He opened her door and she got in. Inside, on the seat, was a bouquet of roses and an envelope.

“Mr. Masterson asked me to make sure you received that,” Tony said as he pulled out and headed toward the airport.

Alecia turned her head away from the flowers and looked out the window. Early-morning rides to the airport were the only time L.A. seemed asleep, the only time that traffic was nonexistent, the only time she ever got a chance to notice the unique beauty of the city. What stood out to her most that day were the mountains surrounding her, majestically standing in the far distance.

“Miss Parker, there is a note attached to the flowers.”

“Thank you, Tony.” She had already seen the note, she just wasn't sure if she wanted to read it.

“You have a six a.m. flight, correct?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Sit back and relax. We have plenty of time and no traffic to fight to get there.”

She sat staring out awhile longer, until her curiosity got the best of her. Reluctantly, she picked up the note and swiped it open. It was brief and straight to the point. It read: I'm ready to talk. I hope you're ready to listen. Let's have dinner when you return.—William

Alecia held the note in her hand. A part of her wanted to cancel her trip. She wanted to know what William was thinking; the note gave her no indication. Alecia wasn't getting any younger, and knowing how William wanted to proceed with their relationship would free her, allow her to move out of limbo. She knew that he'd either be telling her he was leaving his wife and she'd fall into a state of bliss, or he'd say he wasn't leaving his wife and they'd need to go their separate ways. Then she'd be miserable. Either way, at least she would be able to move on.

Then, she thought, It's a good thing that I'm going on this trip. It shows William that I can go on with my life without him, forcing him to make a decision. He'll choose me. He'd better choose me.

As they pulled up to departures, Alecia found herself feeling excited about the weekend for the first time. She looked forward to hanging out with Louisa. She wasn't exactly thrilled about having to be around four other women, because

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