Society Wives Read online

  Society Wives

  By Renee Daniel Flagler

  Houston, Texas * Washington, D.C.

  Society Wives © 2014 by Renee Daniel Flagler

  Brown Girls Publishing, LLC

  www.browngirlspublishing.com

  ISBN: 9781625175052 (Digital)

  9781625175069 (Print)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical or photocopying or stored in a retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

  First Brown Girls Publishing LLC trade printing

  Manufactured and Printed in the United States of America

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It is reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped” book.

  Contents

  Chapter 1 The Days

  Chapter 2 The Lees

  Chapter 3 The Howards

  Chapter 4 The Madisons

  Chapter 5 Pearson

  Chapter 6 Nadalia

  Chapter 7 Ryan

  Chapter 8 Vonnie

  Chapter 9 Nadalia

  Chapter 10 Nadalia

  Chapter 11 Vonnie

  Chapter 12 Pearson

  Chapter 13 Nadalia

  Chapter 14 Ryan

  Chapter 15 Vonnie

  Chapter 16 Pearson

  Chapter 17 Nadalia

  Chapter 18 Ryan

  Chapter 19 Vonnie

  Chapter 20 Pearson

  Chapter 21 Nadalia

  Chapter 22 Pearson

  Chapter 23 Pearson

  Chapter 24 Ryan

  Chapter 25 Vonnie

  Chapter 26 Nadalia

  Chapter 27 Pearson

  Chapter 28 Ryan

  Chapter 29 Vonnie

  Chapter 30 Vonnie

  Chapter 31 Nadalia

  Chapter 32 Pearson

  Chapter 33 Ryan

  Chapter 34 Nadalia

  Chapter 35 Nadalia

  Chapter 36 Ryan

  Chapter 37 Vonnie

  Chapter 38 Pearson

  Chapter 39 Pearson

  Chapter 40 Nadalia

  Chapter 41 Vonnie

  Chapter 42 Ryan

  Chapter 43 Pearson

  Chapter 44 Nadalia

  Chapter 45 Vonnie

  Chapter 46 Pearson

  Chapter 47 Ryan

  Chapter 48 Nadalia

  Chapter 49 Vonnie

  Chapter 50 Nadalia

  Chapter 51 Pearson

  Chapter 52 Three months later…

  Chapter 1

  The Days

  I don’t even like those women that much, Pearson Day thought, taking another gulp of Merlot. Wincing, she put her wine glass down on the dressing table with a little too much force. The dark red liquid swirled over the top. While checking the bottom of the glass to make sure it didn’t break, Pearson caught the smirk on her husband Niles’ face through the reflection in the mirror. She snarled back. He shook his head and walked out of the bedroom.

  She picked up her compact and dabbed concealer under her eyes. “You should be happy I’m still going tonight,” she yelled after him.

  “That’s not the problem,” Niles yelled back from the master bath.

  “That’s not the problem,” Pearson scrunched her face and mocked.

  “I heard that!”

  Pearson snickered. The wine she’d been drinking while preparing for the evening started to warm her on the inside. She was finally feeling good—almost good enough to be bothered with ‘the ladies’ for the next few hours. Vonita wasn’t so bad. In fact, she was quite grounded. Pearson liked her most. Ryan seemed to be in need of a nice, strong spine, but it was Nadalia’s mouth and attitude that raked Pearson’s nerves. Those women were a cast of characters and Niles wanted her to befriend them, ordering her to ‘be nice’ around them just because they were attached to his friends.

  If it hadn’t happened in all these years, why would it happen now?

  Pearson had no problem with the guys and waved her thoughts of the women away. Truthfully, she knew she wasn’t the easiest to get along with because she never had many friends. These women were the closest things to friends she’d had in a long time.

  “Babe, you need to hurry up and get dressed. We’re going to be late.”

  Pearson looked up at Niles’ frustrated expression. He stared back at her through the mirror, pleading with his eyes.

  He had been ready to go for a while––all decked out in a peach shirt, a brown velour sports jacket, and matching brown shoes. His naturally wavy crop was cut close to his head and a freshly-trimmed goatee framed his perfect lips. She was still sporting a brown lace bra and matching panties as she sat at her vanity applying make-up.

  Pearson looked into his hazel eyes that matched his amber complexion and licked her lips. In response to her seductive gesture, Niles cast his eyes toward the ceiling and waved her off.

  “Come on, woman. We have to go.” He chuckled. “You’re going to mess around and cause us to miss the whole evening with smiles like that.”

  Niles walked up behind her, connecting with Pearson’s eyes in the vanity mirror. For a moment, he held her gaze and watched her pink lips. Pearson admired what she saw as her gaze swept over him from head to...waist.

  “You’re wearing jeans?” She raised her brow.

  “It’s casual night at the Beck even though a sports jacket is still required.”

  Pearson looked him up and down one last time, winked, and picked up her wine glass. Before she could get it to her lips, Niles pried it from her hand. A little spilled into her lap. She cut her eyes at him and Niles challenged her with his own look of defiance.

  “You’ve had enough and we haven’t even left the house. Can you please finish getting dressed?”

  Pearson rolled her eyes, but she wasn’t really upset. They had their issues, but after ten years of marriage, she was still giddy over him at times. He was the only human being for whom she’d curtail her razor-sharp tongue.

  Pearson applied one last coat of gloss and lifted herself from the chair, holding onto the sides. “Oops!” she said and snickered at the fact that she nearly lost her footing. When she was steady, she turned to Niles. “I’m only doing this for you. I would never choose these women as friends.”

  “Just—”

  Pearson put her hands up, stopping him mid-sentence. “And don’t tell me to be nice.”

  She slipped on her strapless maxi dress with the airy layers of soft flowing chiffon, took one last look in the mirror, grabbed her evening purse, and headed downstairs.

  Niles jogged down the steps and through the house at a brisk pace. Stopping at the front door, he turned to watch Pearson trailing behind. She could see the question he was itching to ask behind his eyes.

  Pearson cast her eyes upward and sucked her teeth. “What?”

  Niles took a deep breath. “Can you please take it easy tonight?” he asked, referring to her drinking.

  “Sure, Niles,” Pearson replied and waved him off once again.

  Pearson reached for the doorknob and heard him sigh behind her. She knew he was annoyed and hoped he’d get over it during the ride.

  Chapter 2

  The Lees

  Fully dressed and ready to go, Ryan Lee paced the length of her spacious foyer while waiting for her husband Anderson to come home. She hoped she had successfully applied enough make-up to hide the evidence that she had been crying. The heartbreak she felt the night before had numbed. The more she became familiar with these emotions,
the less time she spent wallowing in them. When she woke, she’d been done with the crying. However, the underlying rage never left; it only revealed itself passively.

  Anderson left the previous afternoon with nothing more than a simple, “I’ll be right back. I need to run by Niles’ house real quick.” Ryan hadn’t seen him since. All of her calls and texts went unanswered.

  She knew he would return home soon because they had a dinner party to attend. It was Sage’s birthday, and Anderson wouldn’t miss dinner with the foursome at their favorite place. Ryan often felt like Sage, Niles, and Mike were more of a priority to Anderson than she was.

  When she heard the tires of Anderson’s Jaguar crackle against the gravel, moths took flight in her stomach. A fresh wave of anger enveloped her. She stopped pacing, stood rigidly still, and tried to tame her breathing.

  As she continued rubbing her clammy palms together, Ryan flinched at the sound of the car door slamming. She envisioned each footstep, wondering what she would face when he walked through the door. She jumped again when she heard his keys in the lock. Shaking her hands, she tried to keep her trembling from making its way through her entire body. Her heart pounded as the locks tumbled, clicked and the doorknob turned. She convinced herself that she deserved an explanation and promised herself that she would stand her ground all the way through this time, no matter what he said.

  Anderson pushed the door open and stepped in. They were face-to-face, Ryan’s chest heaving. Anderson’s expression showed no guilt. Ryan swallowed hard. So many words crowded her brain, pushing themselves to the tip of her tongue only to be held there. She didn’t know what to say first.

  “What’s up, babe? You dressed already?” Anderson placed his hand on the small of her back and pecked her on the cheek.

  Ryan’s breathing increased. How dare you walk up in here as if nothing happened? Where have you been since yesterday afternoon? Nothing is open all night but hotels, bars, and legs. So whose legs were you between? “What happened to you?” she asked through tight teeth.

  “I had some business to take care of,” Anderson responded indifferently, then walked to the kitchen at the back of the house. He grabbed an apple off the table and walked back into the foyer, crunching obnoxiously. “What time is it? I don’t want to be late.”

  Ryan stood straight, taller even, holding her breath for a moment. “Anderson!”

  He turned and looked at her in a way that questioned what was wrong.

  “Where. Were. You?”

  “I told you I had to go by Niles,” he said as if her question was ridiculous.

  “You weren’t there all night, Anderson. Who were you with?”

  “Let’s not do this now. I need to take a shower and get dressed so we can get to Sage’s birthday dinner, remember?”

  “No!”

  Niles stopped chewing and held his apple in midair. He looked at Ryan as if she were crazy, then took slow steps in her direction. Ryan stepped back as he approached.

  “No? Ryan…”

  “You won’t do this to me again. I’m your wife!” Her body defied her desire to stand firm and she trembled as she spoke. She felt her pale skin burn red hot. “You left here more than twenty-four hours ago. I called you...texted you. I deserve an explanation.”

  Anderson took another bite of his apple. Ryan imagined him choking on it. He stood silent, gnawing as if that apple was the best thing he’d ever tasted. As if Ryan wasn’t standing in front of him. She felt like she would explode into a million pieces and wished she could do just that so the heat of her rage would set him on fire.

  “Ryan…” He paused to take another bite. Juice from the apple shot from the sides of his mouth. He wiped it with the back of his hand. “We can talk about it after dinner. I don’t feel like talking about this right now.”

  “Well, I do!”

  Anderson narrowed his eyes.

  She wanted to smack him, kick him, something.

  “Ryan, I had things to take care of.”

  “All night?” She folded her arms, but looked away. “I won’t put up with this much longer.”

  Anderson cocked his head to the side. “And just what are you going to do? Leave?”

  He walked toward her, closing the space between them as he awaited her answer. Ryan said nothing.

  “Where are you going? Back home to your alcoholic mother?” Ryan stared at him, eyes blinking, chest heaving, fighting back nasty words that were sure to bring on a full-fledged war she wasn’t equipped to fight.

  Anderson touched her arm gently. She jerked away, fire still shooting from her eyes. The things she really wanted to say taunted her lips. Things that if she were stronger, she’d say.

  “Ryan,” he called softly. “Can we deal with this later, please? I want to be able to enjoy my buddy’s birthday dinner.” Gently swiping away a wisp of her straight blonde hair from her forehead, Anderson kissed her cheek. “Now let’s go upstairs and get dressed.”

  She watched Anderson turn around and take the stairs two at a time. Once he was out of sight, she let the tears fall and the trembling racked her body. She hated the fact that he was right. She had no place to go. She had nothing without him. She was lucky to have a man like him in the first place—a wealthy, well-known actor who was admired, desired, and gorgeous—on the outside. Someone who had given and shown her so much and had taken her far away from her more than modest beginnings.

  Ryan vowed that one day she would have the courage to stand up to him. Until that time, she would stay until she got what she needed out of their union. How could she ever go back to having nothing when she’d become so used to having it all—almost?

  Like he said, she went upstairs, but she didn’t change her clothes. After all the effort she had put forth, it annoyed her that he hadn’t even realized she was already dressed. Ryan went to her bedroom mirror and checked her make-up. She’d already done the best she could to mask the evidence of her discontentment. The only thing she added before leaving was her game face. She stood looking at her reflection in the hall mirror. How did we get this way?

  Chapter 3

  The Howards

  Vonita and her husband, Mike Howard, waved at her sister, Nadine, as she drove off with their daughter, Noelle. Noelle was off to hang out with her auntie and cousins in Queens for the weekend. The moment the car disappeared from their view, Mike snatched Vonita, slammed the door shut, and pressed his body against hers, pinning her back to the wall.

  “Mike! You had better stop. We’re going to be late,” she told him, giggling. Vonnie didn’t offer any real resistance to his barrage of kisses.

  “We’ve got a little bit of time,” Mike said and raised his brows rapidly before licking his lips.

  “Oh my goodness!” She laughed. “We don’t have time.” Vonnie tried not to melt under his influence.

  “You hate being the first to arrive anyway. We can be fashionably late––and happy!”

  Mike snuggled his face between her breasts. Vonnie threw her head back and laughed.

  “Mike!” she crooned. “We have to go.”

  Mike pulled her top up to her neck and unsnapped her bra with a quick flick of his fingers. Vonnie didn’t realize it until her ample breasts fell free.

  “Yes!” Mike said with hunger in his eyes as he toyed with her breasts––shaking, squeezing, and then burying his face between them. “I love these girls.”

  As he took one of her pert nipples between his lips, desire overruled Vonnie’s sense of control. Her hands roamed his chest and back as heat rose in her belly. They were definitely going to be late.

  Vonnie’s breath rushed through her nose and she licked her lips at the delicious way Mike made her feel. Releasing one nipple with a pop, he swooped down on the other. He looked up at her. They exchanged knowing seductive grins. Vonnie’s smile soon faded when she groaned as Mike parted her legs and rubbed her warm center through her slacks. The friction made the temperature rise in the room.

  “I don�
��t hear you saying stop,” Mike said breathlessly.

  “Shut up!”

  Mike laughed and lowered himself, unbuttoned her pants, slid them down her legs along with her lace panties, and thrust his lips between her core. Vonnie gushed and almost faltered, as her knees grew weak. She shoved her pelvis forward, giving him more access. Her head fell back against the wall. The slight pain dulled in comparison to the joy she experienced.

  Mike pushed her pants down the rest of the way and helped her balance as she stepped out of them. Then he stood to shed his pants, as well, before lifting her up and sliding his erection inside. Vonnie winced at the sweet pain. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he took her right there at the door until both of them had gleaned all they could stand.

  Mike held Vonnie as she carefully unlocked her legs from around him. Once she was on her feet, he held on to her until she was able to stand steady. He smiled, proud of what he’d just accomplished.

  “You’re such a bad boy,” she said, pulling her shirt down and leaning over to pick up her pants and underwear.

  “Are you complaining?”

  “Not at all! I hate goodie-two-shoes!”

  Mike took her hand and led the way up the stairs to their master bedroom. He set his iPad to his R&B playlist, lip-synced the words to a song into the tube of toothpaste, and took her for a quick twirl as if they were on a ballroom floor.

  After entering the shower together, they washed each other’s bodies, taking special care in intricate places. Kissing under the spray of water caused desire to thump in Vonnie’s core. As badly as she wanted to entangle herself with his body for a second round, she resisted in the interest of time.

  Mike got out of the shower first. By the time Vonnie finished oiling her body, he was dressed in a perfectly-tailored black suit. She quickened her pace and slipped a royal blue, single-sleeved dress over her thick curvy frame. Unlike many women, she had no qualms about her body and never desired to be slim by society’s definition. She enjoyed her curves and there was no doubt that Mike did, too. He often made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.