Commitment Issues| Chapter Two

In New York City, John stood on the balcony of his Manhattan Penthouse apartment on a breezy summer night smoking a cigarette. Mona hated that he smoked cigarettes, and he usually didn't smoke while she was home. But since she was out of town, John had to do something to ease his mind from the stress of missing her. Looking out into the night sky, he had Pandora blaring Musiq Soul Child, Half-crazy, in the background. Just what he needed to hear as he went into the apartment to pour himself another shot of Paul Masson.

Thoughts of Mona came back into John's mind. As he listened to the lyrics, he started to wonder what Mona was doing. Since he cheated on her, she had forgiven him, but she hasn't been the same. Now, this trip to Denver has him on edge because he knows karma is a bitch, and it would be just what he deserves after all he put her through.

John stood five foot ten inches with a smooth butter pecan complexion. He is a mix of Black and Dominican with a rock hard muscular body and a low-cut caesar with deep waves and lovely green eyes that sometimes turn grey. John was a professional boxer, and the ladies loved him, which was his weakness at one point. But since he met Mona seven years ago, he has been looking forward to settling down. John realized he messed up recently in Las Vegas after a fight. He completed a groupie and cheated on Mona and has been paying for the mistake ever since. Mona has been less interested and distant since the cheating happened, but he has been trying to prove to her day in and day out that he will never make the same mistake twice.

John decided to write her a text message and let her know how much he missed her. He knew she would call in the morning, but the thought of her out there in Denver without him had his mind racing, and it was only ten o'clock at night her time. John knew she wasn't asleep because she was a late-night person. As he went to pick up his phone to text Mona, it rang.

The caller id on his iPhone read Mona Calling. He smiled and picked up the phone.

"Hey, baby. I was just about to text you," he said with excitement. He didn't get a response but could hear mumbling. His guess was that Mona's phone accidentally dialed him from inside her purse. He could listen to Mona's voice and another voice but couldn't really make out the words of what the conversation they were having was. As he heard for a little longer, his heart dropped. He couldn't bear to think Mona was out in Denver with another man. He hung up the phone with anger. He wasn't optimistic about what he heard. Still, the liquor in his system built up the rage inside of him to want to buy a ticket and head to Denver to see what his woman was doing. He ran inside to his Mac desktop to look at purchasing a ticket to Denver.

Round-Trip Ticket from JFK Airport to DIA leaving August 10th at 8:00AM.

As he was about to book the ticket, the better part of him started to kick in and think. "I shouldn't just pop up on her. She needed her space; this is why she left in the first place," he thought out. The liquor had him hyped up, and maybe for no reason, she could have been talking to the waiter at dinner, or perhaps she was talking to the front desk. John wasn't clear what he heard, and he didn't want to make things worse for himself by just showing up in Denver. He decided to get in the shower and wash away his gloomy thoughts. Just before getting into the shower, he turned up the music as The Weekends, Wicked Games, played on Pandora. He hopped into the shower singing the song. "Perfect timing," he said to himself.

As John got out of the shower, he couldn't help but text Mona before going to bed. His mind wouldn't stop thinking about the other voice he heard.

I miss you, and I'm thinking about you. I hope you have sweet dreams. Goodnight!

As he went to turn off the music, Frank Ocean's Thinking About You started to play. He decided to take another shot and smoke another cigarette before going to bed. Stepping out onto the patio overlooking the Manhattan skyline, he took a deep breath of the New York City air. He thought to himself, "I have it all, but why do I feel like I have nothing!" He took another pull of the Newport 100 before heading inside to get into his California King bed alone.

John couldn't bring himself to go to sleep for some reason. He just kept thinking about that other voice on the phone. He knew he didn't want to fly out there; it would amount to nothing, but his own insecurities has his mind racing for the wrong reason. He decided to get up and get dressed. It's only two in the morning. His favorite spot was still open, and he could go smoke some hookah and clear his mind. He threw on a fresh new white T-shirt, his true religion jeans, and the original Yankee fitted with his iced-out platinum chain. He looked in the mirror one last time before calling downstairs to have his Bentley coupe pulled up to the front.

As John was riding down I-95 heading towards the Henry Hudson Parkway, turning up his speakers. Blasting Kanye West, Heartless, talk to him to clear his mind from Mona's earlier incident.

He could see the Jersey skyline reflect off the Hudson River as he made his way into the Bronx. It was a smooth ride because it was two in the morning and no traffic; the city was asleep. He finally made it to the strip club, Sin City, and it was packed as usual. John knew that with the club being filled, he could blend into the crowd, and the music will drown his thoughts.

Walking into the club, he was surrounded by beautiful women and loud music. He walked into VIP and ordered his drink and some hookah as he called over a gorgeous stripper to the table to give him a lap dance. Something told him he shouldn't be here tonight because he knows how he gets with too much liquor and his feelings. As the woman's body bounced on top of him, the flashing lights bounced her silhouette off the walls in the VIP section. When Beyonce's Dance For You came on, her body started to get more sensual to the beat turning on the already drunk John. The liquor had already messed up his better judgment. So John finally decided to talk to the beautiful woman who danced so seductively in front of him, making his manhood grow larger.

"So what is your name, beauty?" he asked, barely sober.

"Jewelz," she responded with a smirk.

"Well, Jewelz, what's a beautiful individual like yourself doing in a place like this?" he asked, slurring his words.

"You look familiar," she said, changing the subject.

Jewelz knew he was a famous boxer, but she didn't want to seem like a groupie, so she played it cool. She knew she was going to take him home with her tonight, drunk or not. She saw this as her opportunity.

"Yeah. I have been around here and there, ya know," John responded.

"Mhmm, so are you single?" she ignored his answer.

"No, I have a girl," he smirked.

"Really! Would she be okay with you being here with me," she responded while grabbing his necking and pushing her half-naked body against him.

"I don't think she needs to know that I am even here," he responded with a grin.

The alcohol had taken effect now. As John started touching Jewelz's body more. His phone vibrated in his pocket. As Jewelz rocked on him, he reached into his pocket to see who could be hitting him up at a time like this.

Hey, I just got your message. I miss you too. I will call in the morning! Goodnight.

Mona finally responded to him two hours later, but at that point, John was so tipsy and focused on Jewelz. He didn't even care how he was feeling about that mystery voice he heard.

"Jewelz, do you have any plans tonight?" John asked, with seduction in his voice.

"No, why? Are you looking to get out of here?" she asked, but she knew the answer to this question.

"Yeah. How about you get ya things and meet me in the parking lot?" he said, slurring his words.

"Alright. See you in ten minutes." She grabbed her things and headed to the backroom to change.

As Jewelz went to the back, she bumped into her girl, Misty, who gave her a look of curiosity because she knew Jewelz is up to no good.

"I saw you dancing with that fine boxer, John. That is his name, right?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, that's him. I'm about to leave with him now," Jewelz responded.

"Oh, really? So you're just gonna make moves like that and not invite a bitch?" Misty said with attitude.

"Well, I ain't know if he wants that kind of party, but I am down for you to come if you want. This nigga is pretty wasted anyways," Jewelz said with confidence so she could put her girl on.

"Well…. Shit, let's go get this money," Misty said as she hopped up, grabbing her bag.

As they headed outside, they saw John blasting Kendrick Lamar Poetic Justice in his Bentley Coupe. Perfect song for what was about to happen in his sheets tonight. Jewelz and Misty walk up to the car...

"This is my girl, Misty. Do you mind if she joins us?" Jewelz asked John, bending down before hopping in the car.

"Yeah. If she's down, she can ride too," John responded with a sly grin on his face.

As they hopped into the car and rode down I-95, all that they could think of was what was going to take place. John had other things in his mind, as well. He wasn't going to take these broads back to his house, so he took them to the W in Manhattan for the night. He knew he should be careful because he doesn't want this to get back to Mona. But at this very moment, he wasn't thinking about Mona because he knew she wasn't thinking about him. She's in Denver doing her thing, so why not do his. He knew the liquor had a big reason why he was in the mood he was in. He turned and looked at Jewelz, and she was sexy as hell as the street lights hit her.

She stood 5'6" and looked like she weighed no more than 145, but it was in all the right places. Thick thighs, fat ass, long hair, smooth brown complexion just like he liked them. Her girl, Misty, wasn't bad to look at either. She stood 5'4" and weighed about 125. She was a little slim thing, but she had a body on her. She was Dominican, and even though Spanish women wasn't his thing, he knew she was a freak, and that's all he was looking for tonight.

They approached the W, and John was such a regular there. He already had a suite ready for them to go up to. As they entered the elevator, Misty and Jewelz both took turns getting John's manhood up and going for the show they had prepared to put on for him. When the elevator stopped on the penthouse floor, the trio got out. While heading to the room with nothing but sex on their minds. As they entered their private penthouse suite, the girls looked around, noticing everything from the clean, fresh linen to the little chocolate candies on the bed.

"Ladies, make yourself at home," John said as his words slurred from all the alcohol he had consumed. As he sat on the chair, he watched as the ladies kissed all over each other. Moving the show to the shower, John joined them. John watched as they washed one another so sensually. He decided to join in, kissing Jewelz and Misty in a three-way kiss while Misty and Jewelz played with each other. After the foreplay in the shower, they decided to move to the bed, taking turns pleasing each other to climax throughout the night.

Waking up the next morning, John had a major hangover and could not remember where he was for a second. "What the hell! How did I end up in a hotel?" he thought. As he looked around, he saw a naked Jewelz and her friend Misty. Slapping himself on the head, he thought, "Damn, I fucked up." He knew that if anyone saw him leaving that hotel, it would get back to Mona. He headed to the bathroom to think of a plan to get out of this hotel without being spotted, but it would be a challenge. Pacing back and forth, John decided to take a quick shower to wash last night's escapades off his body. While in the rain, he thought to himself, "What am I going to tell Mona. She will leave me if she hears the word of another infidelity," he told himself.

As he got out of the shower, he opened the door, peeking to see if the girls were still sleeping. He really didn't want them to be awakened. Having to leave with him would be an even bigger problem getting out of this hotel without being spotted. Luckily for him, they were still sleeping, and the noise from the shower didn't make them move an inch. John grabbed his belongings after getting dressed, attempting to sneak out of the room. After putting on his blacked out RayBan sunglasses, John took the stairs because he felt he would be spotted on the elevator. He exited the back having his car pulled around back; he got out of there without being spotted. "Thank God I got out of here before the papz showed up," he said while entering the car.

Traffic caught John right before he could get on the I-95. Making the decision to check his phone for any messages hoping Mona didn't call or text, leaving John with a lot of worry about her activities last night. I mean, his insecurities did go through the roof, given his events that took place last night. John knew he messed up. If Mona found out about his mistake, it would be over for good this time.

As he pulled into the parking garage of his penthouse apartment, he felt his phone vibrate. When he pulled out his phone, it was a text from his manager, Dion.

Check the blogs.

John's heart started to beat so fast he was sure it could be heard echoing in the parking garage. As he scrolled down the KeshaJ blog, he saw a big booty vixen dancing in front of him as he smoked hookah. John's heart dropped as he read the article. Mona's face flashed through his mind. "I screwed up," John mumbled to himself.

John knew there was no way out of this one this time around. "When Mona reads this, she's going to flip out," he thought. John decided to call Mona and tell her what happened. As he scrolled through his phone to find Mona's name, his phone vibrated again with a text message that flashed across the screen.

I had fun last night. We should do it again sometime soon.-Misty

John dropped the phone in shock. "How did she get my number? I didn't give it to her," he thought. John knew he would never give out his number given his status. He didn't have time to think about Misty. He knew if he wasn't the one to tell Mona about last night, he could kiss his relationship goodbye. He was worried regardless, but it better came from him than the internet. He found Mona's name on his iPhone. "Well, goes nothing," he said to himself as the phone rang in anticipation for Mona to answer.

Finally, Mona answered. "Why are you calling so early; it's 7:45am, John," she said, annoyed.

"Mona, I am sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, but I just have something to tell you," he said nervously.

"John, what else is new? You're always doing some shit. What happened now?" she snapped. Mona prepared to hear the worst from John. After years of being together, and with John's ups and downs, you figured she should have left him a long time ago. Mona loves John, and he was just as successful and ambitious as her, so she couldn't complain. Mona knew what John was about but was hoping he would change and realize the women he had was all he needed. Mona expected the worst.

John's heart was racing so fast, so he just came out and said, "I was in the strip club last night, and it's going to be on the blogs. I was drunk and upset because I called you around 9:30pm to hear your voice, and your phone must have answered itself because I heard voices. I don't know if you were alone or having dinner with someone, but I needed to clear my head," he pleaded.

"So you went to the strip club?" Mona snapped back.

"Mona, you left me here for no reason at all. You just said, 'I am going to Denver for a month.' I was confused," he told her.

"Really? John, there are other places. You could have stayed home; that's an option. You know how you get when you are in that kind of environment," she scolded.

"I know, Mona. I know," John said sincerely.

"John, I have been gone for 24 hours, and you are already doing dumb shit. How do you expect me to trust you for a whole 29 days while I am 1900 miles away?" Mona yelled.

Mona was tired of getting these calls from John. How much could she take? How long will she continue to hear John's bullshit excuses of why he can't keep his dick in his pants? she thought to herself.

"John, it's too early to go through this with you. We will talk about this later." She hung the phone up in his face.

John was shocked. Mona has never hung up in his face before. He knew he has officially pushed Mona to her limits. John decided to go upstairs and relax before heading back out for a photoshoot for one of his endorsement deals with Nike.

As John got upstairs, he immediately started to undress last night's evidence clothes while connecting his iPod to his beats pill. As he clicked on Pandora and chose Jagged Edge for his listening station, he walked into the bathroom to turn on the shower. As the water started to run, he heard Jagged Edge, Let's Get Married, blasting through the speakers.

The song made John think that maybe it's time to marry Mona. John has been with Mona for years, and she has been nothing but good to him, dealing with all his bullshit and forgiving him time and time again. It also helped that she is smart, ambitious, and has her own money.

Asking Mona to marry him right now, he knows, wouldn't be a good move. Mona would turn his ass down in a minute. John knew he has to change his ways before he loses the only woman he loves.

John got out of the shower and thought about his next problem before thinking of a plan to ask Mona to be his wife. Misty….How did she get my number? If the blogs find out about my night with Misty and Jewelz, there would be no Mona. Misty is a stripper, and John knew she was just looking for a payday.

John looked around for his phone to text Misty back. He knew the only way he could keep her quiet was to pay her. After finding the iPhone 6 plus on the marble countertop table, he scrolled to Misty's text message. He typed:

Hey, Misty. Can you meet me?

John started to write the text and then stopped, thinking that if she screenshot this, it would be proof, so he instead decided to call.

"Hey, Love," Misty answered seductively.

"Hey, do you want to meet up so we can talk?" John asks nervously.

"Yeah, baby. What do you wanna talk about? You can meet me at the club tonight," she said with her tone more curious.

"Yeah. I will meet you at the club, but just come out to my car. I will call you when I get outside," John said sternly.

"Okay, baby. See you tonight," she said with a nervous smile.

"Yeah," John hung up, annoyed by all the baby talk.

John was paranoid at this point. How could she have gotten my number? What else could she have done? Could she have recorded that night to sell to the tabloids? Who knows what this girl is capable of. John knew he fucked up and had to fix it quickly before Mona got any more details other than he was at a strip club.

After hanging up the phone with Misty, with a towel still wrapped around his waist, it was time to get dressed and head out to this photoshoot. John ran to his walk-in closet; he had everything, from True Religion jeans to Tom Ford tailored suits.

Today, he felt like a boss, so he grabbed a nice classic fit high-collar stand barrel cuff button-up and black slacks. John didn't want to flash too much, so he decided to put on his rose gold Rolex and keep it simple.

As John arrived at the photo shoot, he received a text message from Mona as he was getting ready for his surprise.

Hey. Dinner was great last night! Hope we can do it again soon!

John's heart dropped. He knew this message wasn't meant for him. The bigger question was who was it meant for? John then right remembered last night. He thought he heard someone else's voice when Mona's phone accidentally dialed him at dinner. John's questions grew into infuriation as John thought about how Mona left him in New York to go to Denver to play him. John had no time to think of his next move because he had to step in front of the camera. He decided to put that aside for now and focus on his photo shoot, but one thing he knew for sure was that he was leaving for Denver.

"Perfect. Now turn to the other side, John, and loosen up. You look tense," the photographer said.

John's mind was everywhere else but the photoshoot. John started thinking about Misty and how she got his number, and if the love of his life was playing him for a fool.

"That's it! That's the money shot! Now, if only if I could get you to focus, John; we are almost done," the photography said as he pointed to John to face her.

John was relieved the photoshoot was over. He went back to the dressing room to change and head out. He needed to pack because he was born to Denver in the morning, but first, John knew he had to stop and handle this issue with Misty.