Chapter 8- Real Man

Dominique was taken aback by the statement, seemingly it was not a good idea to come back here and even though Yanique had the qualifications for the job as his office manager as well as the looks her tongue had confirmed that nothing good would have arisen if he continued to associate with her. However, curiosity was still gnawing him and he needed to talk to her in private.

"Yanique can I have a word in private,” he asked.

She nodded her head and beckoned to her assistant Yasmin to take over.

"Let’s go in the back,” she said as she took his hand and led him to her quarters. As he walked, he noticed that the one bed room flat had nice paintings hung on the wall with mahogany furniture and smelt fresh, timber skirting’s matching the mahogany furniture lined the base of the ceramic tiled floor.

"Hey how come I did not notice the decor earlier?” Dominique asked.

“Oh you were not in position to notice anything. Do you like it? I did a course in interior decorating and decided that no matter where I live it must feel like home and be my little ranch. Since Mr B has allowed me to live here with the baby, I don’t think I have to worry about security of tenure.”

"Who is Mr B? Is he the owner of this bar and the father of your child Yanique, is it the same Mr B that owns the travel agency in new Kingston and the hardware’s in May Pen and Down Town Kingston?”

“Yes Dominique, he is the same person, how do you think I found out about you? Mr B talks about you all the time, but I don’t want to talk about Mr B right now. Dominique I want more of what I had earlier and I know that is why you came back.”

"No, that is not why I came back, but since you raised the issue, is that photograph you sent me real? Did you put something in that bottle of water?"

"What are you asking Dominique Martin? If I drugged you and raped you? Shit, hell no, I must admit that you begged me and I gave in after several negative responses, but after cleaning you up I just could not resist the temptation and I gave in. So I will say it was consensual."

“I can’t remember anything about asking or begging, so what do you want or what does this mean Yanique?”

Even though he was asking the question he was silently hoping that her answer would be nothing. But somehow, deep down in the pit of his stomach he knew he would not be getting off so easy.

“What if Mr B finds out? Oh shit, Marsha! I think she cloned my phone.”

Cold sweat began to wash over him and he felt sick in his stomach.

“If I got the picture it meant that she would also get it on her phone. Oh God what have you gotten me into Yanique?”

His heart began to race and his head felt light. He felt the full force of Yanique’s palm across his cheek as she shouted

“Shut up and be a man and deal with it all men cheat so what makes you so special Dominique Martin.You are mine now and so what if that bitch throws you out, you can always start over with me; I’ve seen the black card in your wallet. Even if she doesn’t I am willing to share, she is no fool she won’t throw everything away over one night of indiscretion.”

His face still stung and it was the first time a woman aside from his mother had ever struck him and it felt strange, but what she had said had made some sense, but she did not know Marsha Dean Martin, he could lose his family and his house everything he had struggled to build and to start over with an educated, ambitious barmaid.

“Yanique, I am sorry but I need to sort out all of this nonsense and Ican’t stay here with you or be involved or become entangled with your baby father who is a Don and rules the underworld in Kingston.”

"Dominique! I love you," she said and tears flowed down her cheek.

“You must be crazy.”

He stormed out of her quarters, as he walked away he heard the sobbing getting louder and louder, and he was hoping that he was the only one to hear the wailing over the din of the bar with the chatting and the music. Even if he had to walk all the way home, he needed the time to think, but first he needed to get another sim card for his phone, but at this time of the night where could he get a sim card or even a phone.

Ahh! there was a store at that shopping plaza on Waterloo Avenue and he started to run, and as he ran towards the gate and looked down Swallowfield avenue which was poorly lit street. He thought about how he would be able to pay for the sim or the phone or the fact that he had not paid the waiting taxi man what he had owed him. Dominique Martin's world was crashing around him. Why had God suddenly forsaken him and allowed so much misfortune to befall him in one day? It all semed to begin because he could he could not keep his tongue still, and now he was entangled with the side chick of a ruthless Don. If Marsha had already seen the picture, he would be as good as dead.

“What the hell was I thinking to run all the way home, my lungs feel as if they are on fire and myheart is exploding. God where are you when I need you the most?”

The blaring horn and the expletives from the cabbie broke his chain of thought

"Sorry boss but I have your money and need to go to Havendale on the double, I can give it to you now and the rest when I reach home,” he pleaded with the driver.

"You look sick boss man as if you need to go to the hospital," the driver said.

"Well if I am not home in 10 minutes it may as well be the hospital and not on the ward but the morgue. What a day I’ve had and maybe the worse is yet to happen.”

“Get in the car boss, these parts of town are not nice, and a man like you would make an easy target for the shottas in this neighbourhood. My price gone up though, it is going to cost you another thousand dollars to get you home."

“No problem.”

He opened the door and sat down in the from seat of the car and the familiar smell of sardines assaulted his nose, but that was the least of his problems he need to get home and delete the picture from Marsha's phone and he prayed that she was still upset because of his remarks earlier that the phone would not have been a priority to her.

"Drive driver, drive, and don't stop for anything."

He peered through the dirty windshield with eagerness to see the gates of home or hell.