Free The Man Who Sold Mars by K. Anderson Yancy Page A

he stood wrapped between her legs.
    Outside the door, tearing, I closed it in
silence and with a hopeless sadness walked away.  Why doesn’t he want me? .
. . Even just once?
     

16. Madonna — Whore
     
     
    I couldn’t sleep at all that night.  No
matter what I did thoughts and visions of Stephen and Tatyana “together” were
everywhere.  To make it worse, I knew that when I came in the following
morning, I’d have to see them.  I had scheduled several meetings that day with
both of them together and separate.  Not able to sleep, I gave up and came into
work early.  Sitting at my desk in my penthouse office, lit by the morning sun,
I read a report and brushed away silent tears as I’d done nonstop since I saw
them.  Knowing’s one thing, but . . .”
    At my door I heard a knock and in
response wiped away more tears and put on my corporate face.
    “Come in.”
    Eternally cheerful, Tot entered.  “Good
morning.”
    I made no attempt to hide my
displeasure.  “It was.”
    Tatyana still chipper ignored the
comment.  “Do you have time to work on—“
    “No.”
    # # #
    It was time Selena and I had a “discussion”
and so with warmth and compassion I said, “Selena, I am not your enemy.”
    “This is not personal—“
    # # #
    Sad Tatyana acquiesced.  “It is.  The man
you love has sex with me.  And, the man I love loves you.”
    I sat in silence and shock from her
heartfelt revelation and shared pain and I softened.
    Wiping away a tear, she added.  “And if I
can’t have both.  I would rather have it the other way.”
    Hopelessly sad she said, “Which would you
rather be the Madonna or the Whore?”
    In the silence, we shared more pain.
    Breaking the silence, I answered.  “Madonna
or Whore?  It depends on the day of the week.”
    We laughed.
    Tot grinned broad, “I like Sundays
better.”
    “Me too.”
    “Right after church.”
    I laughed again.  “Absolved of all sins.”
    “Time to restock.
    Together we laughed for a while.
    # # #
    Selena slunk into a sad silence that I
mirrored.  Deep in thought she said.  “I don’t know what to do.”
    “I don’t either.”
    # # #
    Tot became even more sullen, “You should
see how he watches you when you’re not noticing.  You are a goddess to him.”
    “No.”
    “Yes.”
    For a long moment, we sat in silence.
    Tot broke it.  “It’s funny.”
    “What?”
    “Stephen’s a man bound for the stars and
he never looks at them.  It’s like he owns them.  But he watches and worships
you from afar like you’re one.  It’s as if for him, Mars is more attainable
than you are.  Selena, we don’t have a competition.  You know that.  If I
disappeared, someone else would take my place.”
    “Someone elsessssssssss.”
    We laughed as we shared another truth,
truths.
    “Selena, that’s our relationship.  He
sees other people.  So do I.  I’m not going to stop being me.  I don’t expect
you to stop being you.  Stephen’s pursuing his dream.  I’m pursuing mine.  You
should pursue yours.”
    # # #
    Selena really didn’t know how to take all
this and stood wondering.
    I reaffirmed my words and gave Selena a
friendly push.  “OK.”
    She smiled.  “OK.”
    # # #
    “Now Selena, we need to work on making
sure all this works so that we can fight over him when he returns.  OK?”
    I grinned broader, “OK.”

17. Eminent Domain
     
     
    # # #
    While Tot and I made our peace, George, Kevin,
Hemmingson, Gardner and Stephen sitting with the gravity of angry men mourning
the murder of a dear close friend and plotting the murder of his assassin, met
with Joshua Hempstead.
    # # #
    There was a problem with my company and I
spoke to our group about it.  “We all have been hearing some very disturbing,
credible rumors for a very long time.”
    My friends all acknowledged my words in
the affirmative through silent body language.
    I acquainted them with Joshua, “Joshua is
a very good friend going all the way back to my days at