Nichelle looked at Seth while he was getting dressed. She was still naked on the bed. She felt dirty and ashamed. She was his dirty, little secret. He was getting dressed to go back to Becky who was waiting in their hotel room. Becky thought he was out with his friends. She had no clue that he had been having an affair with Nichelle for months.
"She hasn't caught on yet?" She asked.
He sighed and looked at her. She could see it in his eyes. Another lie was incoming. There was a time where she swallowed all his lies without questioning them. He was gonna leave Becky for her. He just needed time to do it right. He had every excuse ready. There were in a storyline together. She wasn't feeling well. Problems in her family. Excuses and lies that kept piling up. She was starting to understand that he was never gonna leave Becky for her but she kept hoping.
"Easy, babe, you know I love you. It's gonna be you and me soon. I just need a little more time," he said.
"How long?" She asked.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "A little more time. Soon. I promise."
He pulled her up from the bed and ran his fingers through her tousled, dirty blonde hair. He smirked proudly at his mess. She looked spent and used. He loved seeing her like that. He never left her unsatisfied in bed.
"I love your eyes," he said. "They remind me of the ocean. Beautiful. Just like the rest of you."
"Don't sweet talk your way out of this," she said.
"Why not?" He grinned. "It usually works. You like hearing how attractive I find you."
He reached around her and grabbed her ass in a tight grip. He leaned down and sank his teeth into her neck.
"Your ass belongs to me. Mmm, I feel you shivering already. Your body wants more of me. You can't fight your desire. You got it bad for me," he said.
She hated that she responded this easy to him. She would have walked away a long time ago if she had the strength. Seeing him everyday on the road without being with him would be too hard.
"I gotta go," he said.
He let go of her and stepped backwards. Just like that, he left her feeling cold and wanting more. She grabbed her nightgown and put it on before he could walk out of the room. She followed him to the door and watched him leave as many times before. Murphy opened the door to his room at the same time. Seth wasn't even embarrassed that his friend knew. He winked at Murphy and continued towards the elevator. Nichelle and Murphy stood there in silence until Seth was gone.
"You know he's never gonna leave her, right?" Murphy asked.
"I know," Nichelle sighed.
"Why do you keep letting him use you like that?" He asked.
"I wish I had an answer for that," she answered. "I honestly don't know."
"I was on my way downstairs for a night drink since I can't sleep. If you wanna talk about it, I'd be more than happy to," he said.
She watched him for a few seconds. She knew he was being honest. She held out her hand and opened the door to her room further. He walked over and entered her room. She closed the door and looked at him. She needed to talk to someone about this and it might as well be him. He already knew about the affair so it wasn't like she was betraying Seth's trust.
"Talk to me," he said softly. "Are you okay?"
"Not really," she said. "It's just hard, Murphy. It's so fucking hard. I want out and I don't know how. He keeps sucking me in. He holds this weird power over me and I can't break the spell. I just fucking can't."