by La Jill Hunt
Asha nodded as if she knew what he was talking about. “Yes.”
Her watch vibrated and lit up at the same time. Asha quickly turned her wrist over to read her caller ID. Seeing that it was Chastity and not Devyn, she hit ignore. She’s probably checking to see if I heard from Dev. Asha settled back in her seat and tried to focus. A few minutes later, Chase called again, and once more, Asha ignored the call. She sent a quick text through her watch, pretending not to see the annoyed look on Sully’s face in the darkness. Then she snuggled next to him for the remainder of the film.
“That was a damn good movie,” Sully said as they walked toward the car.
“It really was,” Asha agreed, hoping if she did, it would limit any detailed discussion. Sully opened the door, she got in, and immediately took out her phone. There was still no call from Devyn, but in addition to the two missed calls, Chase sent a text asking Asha to call her back as soon as possible. She was about to dial her number when Sully got into the car.
“No phones,” he commented. “Devyn is a grown woman. You don’t have to check on her.”
“I wasn’t checking on Devyn. I was actually returning Chase’s calls,” Asha replied.
“And she was probably calling because she was checking on Devyn, right?” Sully glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
“Maybe.” Asha shrugged, hating the fact that he was probably right.
“I think the two of you need to give her some space. She’ll fill you in on the details when she gets home. You can wait until then. Now, where would you like to eat dinner?” Sully reached over and held her hand.
“It doesn’t matter.” Asha put her phone back in her purse.
“Outback, it is,” Sully said.
Later, as they sat across from each other in the restaurant sharing a Bloomin’ Onion, Asha took the opportunity to ask about Ingrid and her ex finally. As much as she disliked discussing his daughter, if she were going to find out what happened, she would have to ask because he hadn’t brought it up at all. And she still owed Devyn the details.
“So, has Ingrid heard anything else about Bear?” Asha made sure to sound as innocent as possible.
“No, thank God. Rumor is he came into some money, and that’s why he’s back,” Sully said. “Ingrid hasn’t had any contact with him, though. He’s had enough sense to stay away from her.”
“That’s good. I wouldn’t want him to hurt her again like he did before.” Asha looked over at him.
“That’s an understatement. My baby was messed up for a long time behind him,” Sully told her. “She was so scared, she dropped out of school and couldn’t work for months. She’s still not right.”
“How long ago was this?”
“About three years. Bear started out being a nice guy. Everybody loved him. He played semipro ball after college, then moved back home and started working a decent job. He treated Ingrid real good at first. Then he started getting high, missing work,” Sully explained.
“Is that when he became abusive?” Asha frowned.
“I guess. All I know is Ingrid called me. He was screaming in the background, saying he was gonna kill her and make her pay. By the time I got to her house, he was gone. Her house was torn up. Looked like a tornado ripped through there. She was curled up in the corner, crying and terrified. That bastard’s hand marks were still around her neck.” Sully’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to call the police, but she wouldn’t let me at first. He skipped town before I could find his ass. She moved back home the next day and stayed until I helped her get a new place. I made sure she had a gun and could protect herself. She healed physically, but emotionally and mentally was another story.”
“Wow,” Asha exhaled and held his hand tighter. Hearing what Ingrid had gone through with her ex almost made her feel a little sorry for her. Ingrid was manipulative, spoiled, and vexatious, but that didn’t mean she deserved to be assaulted. Now that she learned about Bear, and what he did, Asha was even more perturbed that she’d been in the same room with an abusive, unemployed, dope fiend.
* * *
By the time they finished dinner and were back at Sully’s, Asha still hadn’t heard anything from Devyn, but Chase called again. This time, she answered. Luckily, Sully was in the shower.
“No, I haven’t heard anything from Dev. Have you?” She asked without saying hello, making sure to talk low.
“Nope, I haven’t either. Which means she must be having a decent time.” Chase said. “I have a question.”
“What is it and talk fast,” Asha told her.
“Oh God, are you sneaking on the phone? Shouldn’t your senior citizen be in bed asleep by now?” Chase moaned.
“Chastity, what do you want?” Asha sighed.
“Did you promote the webpage for Pivot?”
“No, why?”
“It’s getting mad hits. Something weird is going on,” Chase said.
“There’s just a landing page. Other than you and me, no one else knows about it. How could it be getting traffic?” Asha frowned.
“Asha, this thing has gotten 3,000 hits tonight. Somebody knows something. You think Devyn maybe has something to do with it?”
“Chase, we can’t even get Dev to get business cards.”
“True. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a glitch. That’s so strange, though,” Chase murmured.
“You think it’s been hacked?”
“No, it hasn’t been hacked.”
Asha heard the bathroom door opening. “I don’t have my laptop with me. Call me in the morning, and we can look at it together.”
“Okay, will do. Go watch the eleven o’clock news with your boo while I go get ready to hit the club,” Chase laughed. “Love you, Ash.”
“Love you too, heffa,” Asha responded.
“Couldn’t resist, huh?” Sully entered the bedroom and asked. “Had to check in with her.”
“I wasn’t checking in on anyone, Calvin Sullivan. Stop that.” Asha shook her head.
Sully got into bed beside her. “So, you didn’t just say love you too? I know it was Devyn. Or is there someone else I need to be worried about you saying those words to?”
“Good night, Sully.” Asha adjusted her pillow and snuggled under the covers. Arguing was the last thing she felt like doing. She wanted to go to sleep, and that’s what she did. A few hours later, she rolled over and opened her eyes. She thought she was dreaming when she saw Sully sitting up in bed, his phone in one hand, while the other was fumbling under the blanket in his lap. I gotta be tripping. What the hell? Asha blinked a few times to confirm he was doing just what she thought. Is this nigga watching porn and doing himself while I’m in bed with him?
“Sully, what the hell? Are you beating—?”
Asha’s shriek startled him, and he fumbled his phone, dropping it in his lap.
“Asha, what’s wrong with you?” he growled.
“Me? You’re the one having a personal porn viewing party while I’m lying right here beside you.” Asha sat up.
“Calm down, Asha. You got the nerve to be talking when you’re constantly on your phone: in bed, in the car, and in the movies. Now, since I’m on mine, it’s a problem?”
“Uh, I’m not on my phone watching porn, Sully. I’m either working, checking emails, or checking my social media occasionally. That’s way different,” Asha replied. “And we both know Facebook and Pornhub are two very different sites.”
“Whatever, Asha.” He got out of bed and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
Asha jumped up, tossed on her clothes, grabbed her purse, and left. Sully masturbating next to her in bed was terrible, but him having the audacity to deflect and turn it on her was even worse. Had she stayed another moment longer, there was no telling what she would’ve said to him. It was best that she left. Her mouth could be vicious. Although they’d dated for a while, Sully hadn’t felt the wrath of one of her ebonic-filled tirades that undoubtedly would’ve shocked him. She neede
d to put some space between them.
As soon as she got home, Asha’s initial thought was to call Devyn, who she still hadn’t heard from, and tell her what happened. The drive had helped her calm down a bit. The more she thought about it, the more she began to wonder if she’d overreacted. After all, it was just porn. “Isn’t that what men do?” But still, it didn’t sit right with her for some reason. Why did Sully have to watch it when she was right there next to him? She’d never denied him sex. And it was more of a surprise when they didn’t have sex than when they did. So, why did he feel the need to pleasure himself and not me? Am I tripping? And where the hell is Devyn? I need to talk.
It was almost two in the morning. She expected her friend would’ve at least sent a text, but she hadn’t. Asha quickly pulled up her contact information in her phone and confirmed that at least Devyn had made it home. Wait, maybe Ben is there with her. Perhaps that’s why she hasn’t called yet. I can’t even say I’d blame her for that. The man is fine as hell. Deciding that no news was good news, Asha decided just to wait it out.
Even in the comfort of her own bed, Asha still couldn’t sleep. She pulled out her laptop and pulled up the Pivot website to see what Chase was talking about. Sure enough, the traffic to the site was close to 4,000. Why anyone would be visiting it, she didn’t know. Something was driving people to the site. She pulled up the only other place website listed, the Pivot Instagram page she’d created.
“Oh shit.” Asha’s mouth dropped when she saw the video that was tagged to Pivot’s page. Her heart began racing as she watched Devyn walk across the library meeting room. And it wasn’t just any walk. D’Morgan had reemerged right before her eyes. She was pure perfection, and so was the video, which had been edited with music and graphics. There was even a slow-motion effect as Devyn turned and posed. Had they needed a promotional video, it would’ve been ideal. Despite Devyn being a little more comfortable with Pivot’s creation, she wasn’t ready to be at the forefront. But there she was, front and center, looking fabulous as always.
“It’s the walk for me. Our Coach Miss Devyn slays each step. #pivot #pivotpageantcoaching #runwaygoals” the caption read. When she saw the post, which had thousands of likes and comments, was posted by @ Journi2Success, Asha shook her head. This was not good. She slowly breathed as she zoomed in on the number of views, which was over 50,000. To make matters worse, she saw that the video had been shared by thousands of accounts, including those with little blue checks indicating that the owners had been verified.
“Honey, I don’t know about Miss Dev or pageant coaching, but I know that walk anywhere. That obviously is the one and only D’Morgan, one of the best. Glad to see she’s still got it.”
Scorpio, of all people, had made the comment. Had anyone else received that large of a compliment from one of the world’s most famous supermodels, they would’ve been ecstatic. However, Asha knew that Devyn wouldn’t see it that way. Scorpio was the last person Devyn would have ever wanted to say anything. The knockdown, drag-out at the wedding was one thing, but Scorpio’s appearance later in Tremell’s video was the ultimate betrayal. The hurt that Devyn felt from Scorpio’s actions was even more profound than Tremell’s. She wanted nothing to do with either one of them. And now, not only had her friend been outed, in a sense, but she’d also gone viral. The spotlight that she’d escaped from was headed back in her direction. Asha had to do something fast, but she was going to need backup.
Chapter 13
Devyn
The first thing Devyn noticed when she woke up on Sunday morning was that her face was hurting. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed and smiled so long. Couples cooking class at Culture Culinary Lab had been a fun-filled experience and one that she would never forget, thanks to Chef Nigel Brewer, who went above and beyond to keep his pupils entertained, especially Devyn.
“All right, let’s get started. Tonight’s theme is Southern Charm. We will be preparing Shrimp and Parmesan Grits, Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bites, and for our veggies, we’re gonna make an Arugula Salad with homemade dressing. Dessert will be Chocolate Pecan Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream. It’s about to get hot in here, like some of you beautiful ladies.” Nigel smiled and looked directly at Devyn, then added, “Right, fellas?”
The men clapped, including Ben, who didn’t seem to notice Nigel’s brief stare at her before he began giving instructions. He was the main chef, but Nadia and another guy walked around to make the cooking experience easy and enjoyable. Everyone worked in four teams, with each person given a different task, but nothing too overwhelming, or so they thought. Soon, the aroma of sizzling bacon, garlic, and onion filled the room.
Devyn tried to focus on the step-by-step directions, but between Nigel’s comedic delivery making her laugh, and the fact that every time she looked up, he happened to be looking at her, it was nearly impossible. Before she knew it, the shrimp that she was in charge of sautéing while Ben made the grits were burning.
“Oh, Lawd.” Nigel teased when he saw her fanning the burnt pan in front of her. He quickly came over and helped. “I would just like to let everyone know that we do offer remedial classes here at Culture Culinary Lab for those of you who may need it.”
“Are you referring to me?” Devyn smirked.
“Not at all, Miss . . .” Nigel moved a little closer to read her name tag. “Devyn.”
“Our shrimp is just a little well done, Nigel. That’s all.” Ben made a feeble attempt to defend her honor.
“No, it’s way more than well done.” Nigel shook his head. “Maybe if you would’ve worn your glasses, you could see that.”
“It’s Cajun shrimp.” Devyn shrugged. “And I don’t even wear glasses.”
“Are you sure about that?” Nigel asked.
Devyn frowned, then thought about the fashion frames she had on the first time they’d seen each other. She was shocked that he remembered them. “Those weren’t even prescription.”
“I tell you what, how about you come with me so you can see better and get a closer look at what we’re doing,” Nigel suggested with a grin, then turned to Ben. “You don’t mind if I borrow her, do you, Ben? Nadia is supposed to be assisting me, but I don’t know where she is.”
“Not at all, man. Have at it,” Ben laughed.
“All right, class, give it up for my new assistant, Miss Devyn.” Nigel escorted her to the front of the room while everyone applauded. They laughed and joked with one another as she stumbled along beside him while he guided them with the remainder of the recipes. It was such a fun-filled environment, so much so that she forgot all about the cameras. It took about another hour for them to finish the menu. Then everyone ventured back into the lobby area for more wine and socializing for about fifteen minutes while the food was plated and the dishes cleaned up. When they returned to their stations, the music was playing again, and everything was set up for them to dine and enjoy the meal they’d created.
“This is scrumptious,” Devyn said as she tasted her food.
“You are right about that. It’s incredible.” Ben nodded between bites.
“Everything good over here?” Nigel walked over and asked.
“Everything is amazing,” Ben told him. “Man, I gotta tell you, this class is lit. I know I teased you about it when you first told me the idea. But, yo, you’re on to something, Nigel.”
“He’s right, this class is everything,” Devyn said. “I can’t believe you made fun of him. I would think Chef Nigel is the one with the jokes.”
“Ben always clowning. But I ain’t say nothing when you told us you wanted to be a bus driver. Now, look at you . . . got a choice of buses you can drive, son,” Nigel teased. “Party bus, charter bus, Sunday school bus.”
Devyn, Ben, and the other couple at the station cracked up.
“Whatever, Nigel. I’m going to get more wine.” Ben picked up his empty glass, then turned to Devyn. “You want a refill?”
“No, but some water would be great,” she t
old him.
Nigel sat in Ben’s empty seat. “Thanks for being a good sport and assisting. I appreciate it.”
“It was fun. I had a great time,” Devyn smiled. There was something about him that made her feel warm inside. He had good energy, and she was drawn to him.
“I’m glad to hear that. As a matter of fact, here, take this.” He reached in his pocket and handed her a business card. “Your next class is on me. Just notate the code in the special request section when you register.”
Devyn took the card and looked at it. Seeing him again was something she wanted, and for a second, she considered flirting. You can’t do that. You’re on a date with someone else. That’s disrespectful as hell, Devyn. But she had to do something. So, before she thought about it too long and lost her nerve, she asked him, “Is this for another couple’s class or a one-on-one?”
Nigel’s entire face lit up. “How about you call me later tonight, and we discuss it?”
“I don’t have your number,” she told him.
“Yeah, you do. It’s the discount code on the back of the card.” He winked and stood up. Devyn turned the card over and saw the random numbers written on the back.
After they finished their meal, Devyn was so full that she had her dessert packed up to take home. Nigel thanked everybody for coming and asked that they spread the word. Then it was time for everyone to leave.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Ben asked as they arrived at her house.
“I had a ball. It was so much fun, ” Devyn told him.
“I had a great time too. Maybe we can do it again sometime. We didn’t get the chance to talk tonight. I’m glad you had fun, though,” he told her.
“I did. Thank you for inviting me.” Devyn felt a twinge of guilt for not being as attentive to her date as she probably should have been. He was a nice guy, but she wasn’t interested in him. She didn’t get a vibe that made her want to go out with him again. At least, not right now.
He opened her car door, and she gave him a brief hug, then went inside. She put her dessert into the fridge and went to her room. Without even undressing, she flopped back on the bed, grinning from ear to ear. She’d had a great night and was glad that she’d gone out. Kudos to Asha for making it happen. Asha. I gotta call her.