She Used to Be a Good Girl

By Shavekia Layfield

Most women dream of getting married and starting a family. For Tina Mitchell, that is far from the case. Her main priority is getting money. She is a hard working entrepreneur that puts her work over everything including her husband and kids. Her husband, Erick, is more of a thorn in her side than the man that she once loved and married. His lack of drive and ability to get out the house and work causes her to lose interest in him.

Tina is called for jury duty and that case changed her life forever. From the first day, she falls head over heels in lust for the defendant, Darien Boogie Fletcher. He is a big time drug dealer accused of murder. His lifestyle excites Tina and takes her out of her slump.

Tina embarks on a teenage love affair type of romance with Boogie. She is all in, but finds that just like her; Boogie is all about his money. He is married to the streets and rarely has time for her. Tina is stuck in a rut now that she has traded her life with her family for a man who loves his life in the streets. Lonely and bored Tina’s curiosity gets the best of her and she takes her first hit of cocaine that Boogie left behind in her house.

That one hit takes her on a disastrous rollercoaster ride. Her once good girl image is quickly tarnished and overshadowed by her new life in the streets. Will Tina be able to find her way back home to her husband and children? Or will her new love for the coco leave her lifeless in the streets?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royalty Publishing House
• Release date: Jun 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781648406461

Book preview

Prologue

February 14, 2003…

By the power vested in me, by the State of Georgia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.

Erick was standing on the tip of his toes, waiting for those final words to remove the veil that was covering Tina’s face and take hold of her lips. On the given cue from the pastor, Erick leaned in and took a mouth full of Tina’s lips, nearly taking off all of her lipstick. I love you, Mrs. Mitchell.

I love you too, Mr. Mitchell, she smiled. She was so happy that she had married her high school sweetheart. All of their family and friends were there to witness and celebrate the joyous occasion. I am so happy right now. I am going to love you forever.

I will love you more. Erick smiled and kissed his new bride. The rest of the night, they partied and danced the night away. Their life ahead seemed so perfectly clear. They were both majoring in Business at Clark Atlanta and both of them were at the top of their class. Even though they were two years apart, they were right on track to start their new life together.

They were both determined to be great and nothing was going to stop them. They had one more big announcement for their family. Once everyone gathered around, Erick took Tina by the hand. Well, since we are married now, I guess we can spill the beans. Tina swallowed the watermelon seeds and we are expecting our first piece of fruit for our fruit cup. Everyone cheered, congratulated, and hugged them. Erick didn’t think anything could come between him and his wife. They were the perfect couple. Then life happened and changed the Mitchell’s lives forever.

1

Tina

Present Day…

O h damn. Cyn’Tina Mitchell was finally going through her mail from over the last week.

What, baby? her husband Erick asked while he sat on the couch playing Madden 2K16 on the PS4 game system.

Tina rolled her eyes. If you aren’t going to work the least you could do is check the mail daily. I have fucking jury duty and didn’t even know about it. Not to mention this is the start of tax season. Tina was at her wit’s end with Erick. She was so sick and tired of her husband. Ever since he lost his job, she saw him as a pig in a blanket. It wasn’t just the fact that he had lost his job that got to Tina, but it was his lack of desire to get another one to provide for the family that upset her. From the day she was born, her father was a hard worker. She didn’t understand a man that didn’t want to work.

I do check the mailbox. I put your mail on the table for you to get. If you spent as much time here as you do in the office, maybe you would see your mail. Hell, see your kids and husband too, for that matter, Erick barked.

Why would I want to see a grown man play video games all day?

Erick pressed the pause button on the game and looked directly at Tina. I wouldn’t play games all day if I had a job or was sexing my wife. Seeing that I am not working nor getting any sex, I play video games until it’s time to get the kids from school. Then I cook dinner, help them with their homework, and see to them getting their baths and to bed on time. Somehow manage to leave you dinner and lunch for the next day. I do everything you should be doing, Erick snapped, and then turned back to the game and pressed play.

You are just a regular old Mr. Mom, huh? You are doing what you should be doing. I work and you chose to stay at home. Why should I take care of the house if you are here all day? And why should I gap my legs open for a man that is not even paying my bills? she snapped.

You are so self-centered.

And you are a lazy piece of shit. Tina had had enough of this argument. She took the rest of her mail and put it her briefcase, and walked out the house. She had to figure out a way to get out of jury duty. Tina was a well-known stock consultant and a personal accountant in Atlanta. She also owned her own tax preparation company and this was the dead start of tax season. This was her busiest time of the year. She didn’t have time for her family as it was. Therefore, she wouldn’t have time to be sitting on duty listening to someone’s sob story about a crime that they were probably guilty of.

She made her money several different ways to make up for the lack of money that her husband brought in. He was not always a bum. Just like Tina, he graduated with a Master’s Degree in business and once prepared taxes, too. He even owned his own company, but he went belly up when he was found guilty of fraudulently filing taxes. Tina paid out several millions of dollars to clear her husband’s name and to keep him from having to serve any jail time. After that, he found work at a few manufacturing plants, but the money was nowhere near as good as what he had before. But it was a check every week.

Erick was unexpectedly laid off from the plant about two years ago, and he hadn’t worked a day since. Tina couldn’t lie; he was a damn good father and at one time, a good husband. His pride wouldn’t let him work for Tina or even let her help him start his own new business, so he decided to stay home with the kids.

Together, Tina and Erick had three children. They had one son and two daughters, twelve-year-old Erick Jr, ten-year-old Erin, and six-year-old Paisley. The children were the couple’s pride and joy. The couple had been through hell and high water together, but now they were just going through the motions. The once happy and beautiful couple was at odds with each other. They each wanted peace but neither one was willing to give in and give the other what they wanted.

Since Erick refused to work, Tina was left picking up the pieces to make sure the kids were able to continue the lifestyle that they had become so accustomed to. Tina was also used to being in a certain tax bracket and she wasn’t going to let her husband stop her grind. The house, the cars, and frequent shopping sprees were all Tina’s gifts to the family. It was her way of saying I love you. Erick, on the other hand, was the disciplinarian, tutor, cook, and the one to drive the kids around to their many extracurricular activities that were also funded by Tina.

Tina went back to her office. Her office had become her place of peace since her and her husband had started fighting all the time. Hey boss, I thought you were taking an early day today? her assistant, Kimberly Sumter, asked.

I was. I went home and got into another argument with Erick and decided to come back. I am so sick of him. He really bothers my life.

Kim had become accustomed to Tina’s daily rants about her husband. She just listened and let Tina vent. When Tina was done, Kim spoke. Why do you put yourself through this day after day? Why not leave him? Kim was always quick to offer up advice to leave a man, especially to Tina. Kim had set her eyes on Erick a long time ago. Back in high school, she had tried her best to get with Erick, but back then and still the same today, he only had eyes for Tina.

Kim tuned Tina out while she entertained her own internal thoughts. I am the woman that Erick needs and if he would have chosen me, neither of you would be having this problem. And if Tina wants to leave him, I would have no problem with digging my nails into his back every night. Kim smiled at that thought. She tuned back in to listen to Tina continue her rant.

And go where? I am sure that he would follow me. I can’t put him out; his name is on the deed. If I move out, then I will be paying two mortgages, because I am not going to let the house go on my credit. In my case, it’s cheaper to keep him.

Kim laughed. I guess if you say so. But I just finished my last client for the day, so I’m out.

Tina waved her goodbye and went into her office. She sat behind her desk and began to think about how her life had changed over the years. She and Erick were young lovers. They had been together for close to twenty years and married for thirteen. They had been through everything together from abortions and miscarriages to financial hardships and court dates.

They always were able to make it through. But this time was different. Tina felt like the sparks were no longer there and she just was no longer in love with Erick. He was still attractive. Chocolate traveled his whole body. Tattoos covered his muscular frame. In his spare time, he still tried to keep his body right. At first glance, he would appear to be a thug, but once he opened his mouth, you would know that he was far from a thug. He was very smart and that was why Tina didn’t understand why he was throwing his life away by sitting on the couch all day playing video games. The Erick she knew wouldn’t be playing video games, he would be creating them.

The more she thought about it she knew that a divorce wouldn’t benefit her at all. They had been married so long and since she was the breadwinner, she knew that he would get half because there was not a prenuptial agreement in place. He probably would get custody of the kids because he was the one home with them the most. Then she would be stuck paying child support and alimony. On top of that, she didn’t want to put their kids through a messy divorce. She reflected back on when she was a kid and her mother and father had divorced.

Joseph McCray, my father was a hardworking man. However, he played even harder. He slept around many times on my mother, Elise. Everything was all good until my mom started sleeping around on him. Daddy couldn’t take it and he demanded that she stop, but my mom had fallen in love with her new man. My dad had an outright fit, but my mom didn’t care. She found someone that loved and treated her better than my dad did. Their divorce was long and nasty. My siblings and I were torn between who to stay with. Since I was a lot like my father I decided to live with him. He is the one who taught me to hustle for myself and never to depend on a man. That was my mother’s mistake.

That is why the thought of giving a man her money for nothing made her stomach turn. If he would only get a job, Tina thought everything would go back to the way it was, or at least close to it. Tina hated the direction that her life had turned. She needed some pizzazz and excitement in her life. She needed a man to match her drive to make money. During the rest of her time at the office, she embedded herself into her work to keep her mind off her home life. She needed to make some major changes in her life, but didn’t know where to start.

2

Erick

Erick hated the tension between him and his wife. He knew he could do better, but the truth was he didn’t want to settle for a job making chump change when he was used to making close to millions. His name was tarnished and he really didn’t see the need for him to have to work when Tina was clearly the breadwinner. He had ideas and when she would leave the house, he would work on his plans. He didn’t want her knocking down his dreams, so he kept them to himself.

She made him feel emasculated in every way possible, but he still loved her. Erick found joy in being able to spend time with his kids. His mother and father both died from a car accident when he was eleven-years-old, leaving him to be raised by his older sister. His sister, Kasey, was ten years his senior. Kasey was young and wanted to live her life.