Crazily Married (Sequel to Crazily Sane)Bwwm Romance

Chapter 12-Logan

I sit at the table across from Elliott and Dani.
I hadn't said anything since Dani came from upstairs, after I asked her to "Please put some pants and a bra on,"since then, all three of us have been sitting at the table in silence.

"Look, Logan-" Dani starts, but I raise my hand to stop her. She falls silent again.

"How did this happen?" I ask.

Elliott turns to Danielle and shrugs. "Well, we got to know each other pretty well during the time we were helping with the wedding. Then, Dani started to attend the night classes I teach at the University, and we kind of just moved on from there."

"How do you guys move from the classroom, to the bedroom?" I ask, incredulously.

"The same way you and Genesis moved from her being your assistant to her being your wife," Elliott shoots back.

I nod. "I see your point." I look at the two of them. "How long have this been going on?" Dani turns to Elliott, before looking at me.

"Two months," She says.

"Two months?!" I damn near shout. How were they able to keep it a secret for two months? Then I start remembering little things that seemed harmless at the time, but made perfect sense now: Elliott always offering to take her home, Dani and Elliott arriving late together at functions, the inside jokes they seemed to have. Then I remember something else, something important.

"Wait a minute," I turn to Dani. "Aren't you married?"

Dani sighs. "Things haven't been great with Keith for awhile. We're always arguing, when we aren't arguing, we're not speaking to each other, he moved out about four months ago. He only comes by to pick up the girls." She looks at her hands. "He sent me the divorce papers in the mail last week."

Another cloud of silence descended on the table. I clear my throat."Dani, I'm so sorry. I really am, but there are things that you guys need to think about."

Dani nods along with Elliott. "Yes, I know-"

"Number one, Skai and Hazel. How is this affecting them? I mean have they seen you and Elliott together, do you think they would be ready to see you and Elliott together if/when you decide to divorce Keith?"

Dani opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off, raising my hand to stop her. "Let me finish, please." I turn to Elliott. "And what about you?"

Elliott makes a face. "What about me?"

"You saw what I went through with their mother" --I point at Dani for emphasis-"If you think Ebony didnt like having one white man in the family that is sleeping with her daughter, imagine how she is going to react when she finds out that both of her daughters are being defiled by white men."
Elliott rolls his eyes. "Logan, look--"
I raise my hand again, stopping him. "Still not finished." Elliott glares at me but he falls silent. "The last thing that you two have to think about is..me."
"You?" They both ask in unison.
"Yes, me." I run my hand through my hair. "Imagine the stress I'm going to have to go through, figuring out how to  tell Genesis about this."
"You can't tell Genesis." Dani says, immediately.
"See, that's where you're wrong." I say. "I can...and I will."
"Cmon Logan don't be an ass." Elliott says, rolling his eyes.
"Ok, answer me this question and I'll think  about not telling Genesis or anyone else in the family."
Dani nods and looks at Elliott, who sighs and looks at me. "What's the question?"
"Are you guys serious, like could this possibly bloom into something, or are you two just having fun?"
Dani look at Elliott, and smile. Elliott grins back. He shrugs without taking his eyes off of Dani's.
"I think we may get pretty serious, Logan."
And he was right; I could see it. Hell, I could see it when he came downstairs before I even knew Dani was the reason.
"Fine. For now, you're secret is safe with me." I point to both of them. "But I am going to fuck with both of you about this. Like a lot." I get up from the table.
"Welp. It was nice seeing both of you." I turn to Dani. "Dani,"-turning to Elliott-"Ell. Thank you for the sandwich."
Elliott nods. "Anytime, bro."
I wave goodbye again and start to walk out the door, before I stop and turn around. "And guys, I'm really happy for you two."
Dani smile. "Thanks, Logan."
I smile back, and wave at both of them before letting myself out.
Once outside, I feel like a ton of bricks had been thrown at my stomach.
Christ..What the hell just happened?
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I sit at the table with the rest of the business CEOs during our annual luncheon. We were all finished eating, but George (another CEO) was ordering drinks for everyone at the table. I was only on my second scotch because I was trying to pace myself for what was coming next: the check.
We often took turns paying for these meals when it came to these luncheons. This was Genesis first time sitting with this many superior CEOs and I knew that she was going to try to make a good impression and pay for the meal. I knew she would because if I was in her position, I would do the same thing. But I couldn't let her do that; knowing her situation and all of her financial issues, I knew that I was going to take that check.
And I knew that there was going to be hell to pay for it when I did.
The waiter brings the check out and thankfully sits it in front of me. Just as I reach in my pocket, Genesis voice carries across the table.
"Don't worry about that Mr. Bennett, I got it."
I look at her. I try to signal with my eyes for her to be quiet, to let this one slide, to curse me out behind doors. But Genesis was in the midst of signaling me with her eyes for me to back down, so she didn't catch mine.
"That's alright, Ms. Willis," I say, the good nature in my voice betraying my inner panic.
"Alright Logan," George claps me good naturedly on the back. "I appreciate you picking this one up."
"Anything for you George," I say playfully, and the table laughs.
"He isn't picking it up," Genesis pipes up. "I am. Pass me the check please."
"Ms. Willis, please, let the men handle this ok, sweetheart?" Phillip Hillman says as he sips his drink.
"Excuse me?" Genesis cocks an eyebrow in Phil's direction. Her voice comes out cordial but I knew that she was real close to losing her cool.
I've seen that look before.
"I'm just saying, let us handle the meal." Phillip says again. "And you just worry about how good you look in your dress." He tops off his drink.
"Who the hell-"
"Alright Phil, that's enough," I say cutting off Genesis's rant and shooting Phil a dirty look. Because if anyone was going to talk about how good my wife looked in a dress, it was going to me.
"Let's all just calm down." I look at Genesis whose lips were pulled so tightly together it looked like she was literally biting her tongue to keep from saying what she wanted to say. "I'm paying for the dinner." I take out my card and give it to the worried waiter at the table.
"Please, make it quick."
He nods then haul ass away from the table.
I finish off my drink, jaws clenched, shoulders tense. Genesis excuses herself from the table, and after a quick pep talk to myself, I follow her.
When I get to the lobby, I can see Genesis out the window, already speed walking to her car. I run out and hurry to catch up with her.
"Gen!" I call her but she keeps walking.
"Genesis cmon talk to me."
She stops, and turns and glare into my eyes. "Fine, lets talk." She throws her hair angrily over her shoulders.
"Let's talk about how hard it is being the only female CEO in a male dominated industry. And how hard it is for the men to see you as a business partner, and not just a possible lay."
"Gen, please-"
She raises her hand to stop me, and continue. "Let's talk about how I'm already new to this running a business thing, how all of you already know much more than me, how everyone already thinks that I am easy to step over and dominate. So when I can do little things like make a presentation, start a fundraiser, or let's say pay for a simple meal, to be able to be seen as an equal, then I don't mind doing that."
I stop. I never thought about what paying for those dinners actually meant to Genesis.
"Gen, I'm sorry-"
"He called me sweetheart." She glares into my eyes, and the hurt behind the anger almost makes my heart crack in two. "Because he sees me as a stereotypical woman and not a business partner." She straightens her shoulders and looked at me, "and it's clear that you see me the same way."
She gets in her car.
"Gen, cmon you know that's not true, Gen." I try to stop her but she already has her seatbelt buckled, and is pulling out of her space before I can get another word in, I watch as she speeds away.
Shit.