Diluted Desire Read Online Free

on the way home and picked up something to eat.
    Summer reached to open her cupboard then froze; in the front of her cherry wood cabinet was a three-inch scratch.  “What the hell?  Again!” Last month he had broken the door off the bathroom vanity.  She opened the cupboard, pulled out a glass then angrily slammed it shut.
    She had gotten the condo at a steal.  The previous owner had gotten a new job out of town and didn’t want to rent it.  Her timing was perfect, if the condo had gone on sale five years ago and if the seller hadn’t been desperate, it would have cost her over a quarter of a million dollars.  But because everything lined up perfectly, she had gotten it for half that price. 
    Within a month of purchasing it, Trey asked if he could stay for a couple of months until he got his money right.  It’s been almost two years and his money was still bad.  Six months ago everything changed when she realized that she no longer loved him.  After paying his cell phone, car and Macy’s bills she realized that she was taking care of him, and no woman should take care of a healthy, employable twenty-five-year-old man.  Her respect for him had dwindled considerably.
    Exhausted she trudged toward her bedroom, but she had to go through the living room to get there.  Even though the condo was sparse on furniture, the pieces that were there was quality.  Whenever she found time she scoured estate and garage sales for unique items that reflected her personality.  Her favorite piece was her extra-long sofa that sat six; she had found it at an estate sale.  After having it steam cleaned, she had it reupholstered with a cheetah print, and it was the main attraction in the living room.  And Trey and Fresh Man had their lazy asses plopped on it.
    “Hey,” she mumbled as she walked by, wanting to get to her room as quickly as possible.
    Trey barely lifted his gaze from the TV to acknowledge her.  Fresh Man didn’t say a word, but paused his playing long enough to take a long pull from his beer bottle.  It wasn’t his first one either; she noticed several empty beer bottles on the tables and floor, along with the smell of weed.  She shook her head, continued to her bedroom and slammed the door shut.
    “His ass is leaving,” she fumed.  “He’s smoking that shit in my house and he doesn’t have a job.  It’s time for him to go.”  Normally she would mediate on big decisions, she never made snap decisions, she liked to put thought into what she was doing, and the practice had served her well.  Her heart thudded at the thought, then a cord of relief ribboned through her, and her heart slowly eased to a normal pace.  She realized she had been wanting him to leave for a while.
    She debated whether to call her best friend, Yvette, with her new revelation, but her stomach growled and eating became a priority.  Summer pulled off her clothes and threw them in her hamper, leaving her wearing only a wife beater and a thong.  She flicked on the TV, found an old episode of
The Jeffersons
, and pulled out her dinner, jumbo hot wings, French fries with a side of fried rice.  Although she liked to eat vegetarian meals she wasn’t practicing that lifestyle, she tried to limit her meat intake to once a day. 
    After adjusting the pillows, she sat back and sighed.  Other than lunch with Clint this was the first time all day she had the chance to put her feet up.  “This feels so good,” she muttered, and paused a moment to savor it.  She blessed it before she started eating. 
    She was just beginning to feel like herself when Trey burst through the door.  “I knew I smelled some hot wings.”  He reached down for one and Summer slapped his hand away.
    “Nu uh, you are not getting any of my food.”
    “Stop playing girl.” Trey laughed, then reached again and Summer whacked him a second time. 
    “I’m not joking Trey, you’re not getting any of my food.”
    “What?  Why not?”
    She glared at him