The Assassin's Weakness

Chapter 5

Paityn's POV:

It's been a few months since my run-in with that man with all of the tattoos and piercings. At first, I kept looking around all over because I felt like he would just show up out of nowhere but I never saw him. Never got the feeling of his presence either. I had actually missed seeing him even if I only ever saw him that one day. Of course, I would yell at myself multiple times for letting him creep up into my mind and I would end up at the church confessing my sins of unfaithful thoughts but after a month I was finally able to stop thinking about him like that.

Our encounter really was just what it was, an encounter. There wasn't anything there between us and there never should be for several reasons. I'm married, which is the most important reason. I'm trying to be a good citizen and work for what I have and he looks to be someone who gets into trouble with the law, often. I don't want to get involved with a man like that even if we were just friends. I don't want to fall into that type of lifestyle. It doesn't mean I didn't replay that kiss in my head over and over again. It's something I won't ever forget and boy was he a good kisser! Maybe it's because of that lip ring or the fact that his lip on that side is a little misshapen so the kiss feels differently. Either way, it was amazing!

I just shook my head, trying to remove those sinful thoughts and put on my boots, coat, gloves, hat, and scarf. I grabbed my handbag to put my heels in to change into at work and then grabbed my purse. Winter has really set in now. It's a week before Christmas and the snow has been falling heavily for the past week. It's too cold at the moment to run so I usually just run on my treadmill in the apartment. Unfortunately, I woke up late this morning and didn't have the time to do my morning run.

I grabbed my purse and threw it over my shoulder, made sure my phone was in it, and headed to work. I stepped out in the cold and shivered momentarily and then walked out and called a cab. It didn't take long before we started to slow down in traffic till it had practically stopped.

"Seriously!" I said and the cab driver looked at me through the window.

"I'm already late as it is!" I said and looked down at my watch and saw that it was ten till eight.

There is no way I'm going to get to work on time now. I probably wasn't going to get to work on time before this, now I'm really going to be late! Catherine is going to have fun with me today. I thought and rolled my eyes at the thought of the stupid s**t she will probably have me do, just for fun and punishment for being late.

A day I really don't want to discuss with Isaiah afterward. He will just bring up the topic again about me quitting and staying home. We haven't gotten in a fight like that since that day but that doesn't mean everything has been going just peachy. We were talking one night about what part of town we wanted to move to that would be nicer than where we are now and the topic of children came up again. So the conversation started off good but didn't end so good. I swear, everything we can argue about always seems to come up. Work, kids, what I went to college for that I am wasting which just leads back to me quitting my job, where we live or want to live. Anymore if we aren't arguing, we aren't talking at all.

Now one of the problems is the fact that he is hardly home at all anymore. Just last month he went on two business trips that lasted three days each. It's causing me to think something is going on with him so I've had a talk with Father at the church so we could pray for Isaiah because I'm starting to feel that he is falling off the path. I don't want to think that he is being unfaithful, I don't feel he is to that point yet but I think he's on his way and it worries me. He hasn't gone to church with me now for over a month. Before it was just every so often but when we first got married, he went every Sunday.

"Have we not moved at all?" I asked the driver when I looked down and saw that it was now eight in the morning and I was officially late.

"Doesn't look like it." He responded.

"Can you see what happened?" I asked as I tried to look in front of us to see what the hold-up was.

"It looks like maybe a fender bender." He said unsure.

I reached in my purse and pulled out a twenty and handed it to him.

"Keep the change," I told him and slid out of the car and onto the street.

At this rate, I might as well just take the subway. I prefer not to take them because I'm not really a fan of being in such small quarters with so many people. Depending on where you are headed and what time of day or night, those trains can be packed.

I weaved between the cars, holding my bags close to my body so no bike rider could ride past and take them off of my shoulder. It's common for riders to ride past you, either crossing like I am now or on the sidewalk, and just take your bags. With them on a bike, motor or not, you are less likely to get your bags back.

I picked up speed and headed down the steps to the subway station and bought my coin and put it in the slot to get through the gate. I got to the station just in time to see the train pulling out. I had just missed the eight o'clock train and will have to now wait for the next one.

"Great! Just great!" I mumbled in anger at myself for waking up late.

I leaned up against one of the posts and just crossed my arms over my chest and waited a few minutes for the next train to appear. Catherine is really going to have my head this time. Today they have to be in court three times and I was put in charge of scanning everything in so they had access to them on their laptops. I was given this task a week ago and well, I procrastinated and now I'm really paying for it. Catherine actually gave me a real task and I blew it. It doesn't help any that I have already been late one other time last week.

That's the day I was getting around for work and thought I would sip on some hot chocolate before I headed out when Isaiah came out with a suitcase. He never said anything about having to go away so I was taken by surprise when I saw him walk out with it. We ended up getting into an argument over the fact that he never said anything to me about it. He claims that I knew that this could happen and that I should just expect to see him suddenly pack for a trip, that because of that, he doesn't need to tell me.

He walked out of the apartment without saying anything to me and the thoughts of him meeting another woman entered my mind and I broke down and cried. After I was done crying I had to touch up my makeup and get to work. Needless to say, I was about twenty minutes late that day. Less than what I am going to be today, that's for sure since it's already a quarter after and I have to get to the other side of Manhattan.

The train pulled up to the station and I walked with the rest of the people to wait for our turn to get on. There aren't quite as many people as there would be during the half-hour before eight but that's because everyone who was getting to work on time had already gotten on the earlier trains.

Once the crowd exited the train we all were pretty much pushing our way onto the train. I went towards the end of the car and held on to the bar above my head. I pulled out my new phone, which I got after that person stepped on my last one, and opened up one of the social media sites that I like to go on, and started to scroll through the posts.

I felt the train start to move but I was more engrossed in reading the article that was posted to pay much attention to anything. That is, until a figure stepped in front of me, and their shadow was cast over my phone. I was just going to ignore them, figuring they were just trying to find a place to stand as well, until a familiar tattooed hand reached over and grabbed my phone out from my hands.

"Hey!" I shouted and looked up and locked eyes with that man I've been trying to forget about.

"You know these are going to give you brain cancer." He smirks and I just glare at him.

"How?" I asked and snatched it back and shoved it in my purse.

"I have no idea." He said and that just irritated me more.

I just rolled my eyes and turned away from him and looked out the windows of the train instead even though all they showed was the inside of the tunnel. He took a step to the side and was in front of me again.

"What is it you want?" I asked him sharply and just like that he had me pushed up against the wall of the car, knocking the air out of my lungs.

I was suddenly scared and realized I should have kept my big mouth shut. I looked around at the few passengers that were on the train and everyone was on their phones and not a single one looked in my direction to make sure I was okay. I looked back up at him and his eyes were staring right back at mine.

"Your brown eyes are beautiful." He said and raised his hand and slowly ran his fingers over my cheek.

"Please don't," I whispered and looked away from him.

"I know you want me, I can see it in the way you look at me." He said and my eyes snapped back in his direction and anger flashed over my face.

I grabbed his hand that was still touching me before it made it to my neck and pushed it away.

"No, I do not! I'm happily married and even if I wasn't, you aren't my type." I said glaring back up at him.

"Not your type? What is your type? Let me guess, you want some pretty boy who wears sweaters and vests and a tie without a single imperfection on his skin. No tattoos, no piercings, no scars, and his hair is cut cleanly and not shaved. You want a p***y of a man who walks like he has a rod stuck up his ass." He said and before I could say anything, he continued.

"Or," He started and raised one finger in the air as if he had just thought of the answer all by himself.

"Is it because I'm white and you're African American?" He said, implying that I was racist and I gritted my teeth in anger.

I was so angry at his remark that I slapped him hard in the face. He didn't budge, nor did his facial expression change. It was as if I didn't smack him at all!

"You're an ass. That's why." I said and pushed my way past him and walked down towards the doors.

I knew my destination was coming up soon and I wanted to get off the train as fast as I could and away from him.

"And what are you? Queen b***h?" He hollered back at me and this caught the attention of all the passengers on the train.

Sure now, they look to see what is going on and not before when he practically pushed me up against the wall. Just then, when I was about ready to blow my top in anger, the train came to a stop and the doors opened. I was quick on my toes and was the first one out of the train. I practically ran up the stairs to the sidewalk and into the bitter cold.

I looked behind me and didn't see him in the crowd of people that were leaving the station. I quickly walked the block to my office building and headed in. I looked behind myself again just to make sure I wasn't being followed. When I saw that no one was there I ran to the elevators and quickly pushed the button to go up;

The moment the doors opened I was in and pushing the button for the doors to close. I didn't finally sigh a sigh of relief that he wasn't there until the doors were fully closed this time and I started my ascend up. I finally looked at my watch again and saw that it was almost 45 past eight. I guess 45 minutes late isn't too bad. It could have been worse.

I quickly walked through the room full of cubicles and over to my desk. I peaked into Catherine's office and she wasn't in there. In fact, it didn't look like she was here at all. I sat down at my desk almost too fast, that I about missed the chair, and pulled my boots off to put my heels on. I pulled my hat, scarf, and gloves off and shoved them in the bag that I brought, and then took my jacket off to hang it on the hook beside me.

My desk is almost a cubicle but not quite as enclosed as everyone else. Mine is open in front and on the side that Catherine's office is located. I just have this one wall on my left. That's where a few short filing cabinets are at and a hook for my coat.

I quickly started to work as if I had already been there for a half-hour.

"Good morning, ma'am," I said about ten minutes later when Catherine finally showed up and walked into her office.

As usual, she just nodded and walked in. I went back to my work and hoped that the rest of the day went by smoothly.

---

The day went by quickly and Catherine was busy on the phones most of the day so she didn't really bother me with useless tasks like she normally would do. I was actually able to get all the documentation scanned into the system and sent to the lawyers before their court time. I decided to leave on time for once at five and changed my shoes and put everything on that I would need for the weather.

I listened to make sure she was still on the phone so she wouldn't stop me from leaving and she was. She was angered about something, almost sounded like she was talking to her husband. It made me glad to hear that I wasn't the only one having problems with my husband. My husband that may or may not be home when I get home tonight.

My way home was peaceful. No accidents on the road so the drive in the taxi went smoothly. I never saw that man the rest of the day and I was looking to make sure he didn't sneak up on me again but he was never there. A part of me was disappointed that I didn't get to see him again but I had to shrug those thoughts out of my mind. I really need to stop thinking about him.

It didn't help any that when I got home, Isaiah wasn't there and it just saddened me that he was still at work. First day back since his week away and he's working late. That is if that is even where he was. I know I shouldn't be thinking he is having an affair but I'm really starting to feel like he is. He's hiding something even if it isn't another woman on the side. Something I probably don't want to know about.