by La Jill Hunt
Before she could finish her sentence, the sounds of Sean Paul and Beyoncé’s “Baby Boy” streamed throughout the salon.
Yaya looked from Monya, to Jarrod, and finally to Fitz, who was looking amused.
She took a deep breath and walked to the middle of the floor. Closing her eyes, she began moving her hips to the beat of the music. Soon she was gyrating and caught up in the groove. She could feel Fitzgerald’s eyes on her as she swayed before him, performing the exact moves as the dancers in the video. She could feel the muscles in her calves as she stepped in the black three-inch heels she had on her feet, wishing she had on a skirt so he could see them, rather than the form-fitting slacks she wore. She strutted and stood in front of him and did the same move the young girl did the night before. Only, when she lifted her leg and placed it on his shoulder, she sexily slid down to the floor in a full split.
Fitzgerald’s eyes widened; she could see the hunger in his eyes.
She swung around and gracefully stood up, blowing kisses to Monya and Jarrod.
“Whoo hoo!”
“Bravo! Encore!”
She gave Fitz a simple smile. “See, I wasn’t intimidated by them. I didn’t want to show them up. Thanks again for my box.” She lifted the box up and headed back to her office, almost bumping into Celeste.
“I didn’t know what was going on out here,” she said. “I didn’t know you could dance like that.”
“I forgot you were back here,” Yaya told her. “Take this box to my desk for me. Let me run and get my phone.”
“Wow!” Fitz said, when she walked back in. He was still standing in the same spot.
“Don’t you have some packages to deliver?” she asked him.
“I told you, ‘The girl is bad’—Can you imagine what she’s like in bed?” Jarrod nudged Fitz in the arm.
“Get out, Jarrod!” Monya yelled.
Yaya read the first text message she had received which was from Taryn saying she would be late this morning and would call later. The second one, from Celeste, sent the previous night, had two attachments. Yaya clicked on it to read them. Her eyes widened as her phone screen held a picture. It wasn’t the best quality, but there was no doubt that there in front of her was Paige being kissed by a man who was not Quincy.
“I told you she was no good,” Celeste said, a look of satisfaction on her face.
Chapter 18
“Okay, let me tell you about your friend,” Nina said as she got into the car. Her car was giving her problems and Paige had agreed to give her a ride to work. “Who?”
“Mr. Titus,” Nina replied.
“What did he do? Did he say what was wrong with your car?”
“Check this out. He calls around seven last night and tells me he’s about to come over so he can look at it. I say, ‘Cool.’ He says he’s gotta go home, take a shower and get cleaned up first, and then he’ll be right there. My first thought was why was he getting cleaned up since he’s coming to look at my car and will probably get dirty all over again, but I don’t say anything. Let’s not mention the fact that he knows I have triple A, and I can just have it towed.”
“Did he come?”
“Why did he show up at my door, clean as a whistle? I’m talking clean, Paige. He is dressed in all white, from the baseball cap on his head to the Nike’s on his feet, and he’s smelling wonderful. I’m talking Joop! cologne. You know I know Joop! when I smell it.”
Paige laughed. “Not decked out in all white with the Joop!, Nina.”
“Girl, yes. I open the door, and I’m like, ‘Where the hell are you going?’ It’s too early for DJ Terror’s Fourth of July party, which by the way, I’m going to this year, whether you go with me or not.”
“You’re rambling,” Paige said, “get to the point.”
“So he comes inside, comments on my place, asks about Jade. I mean, Paige, he sits on the sofa like he’s over there because I invited him.”
“You did invite him.”
“You know what I mean—like he came over to chill with me. I’m thinking, whatever it is you’re thinking, little man, it’s not going to work. By now, I’m telling him about the car and how crazy it’s been acting. Then he asks me if I wanna go get something to eat.”
“That was nice of him.” Paige giggled. “He asked you out.”
“He’s asked me out before, and the answer is always still the same—no!”
“Nina, you should be ashamed of yourself. Here is a nice guy who is really into you. He is a successful businessman, and he’s attractive.”
“And all of that is true, but he’s also all of five-foot, three. I’m not gonna go out with him. He needs to face it.”
“So what did he finally say about your car?”
“After about an hour of making small talk, he asks to go to the restroom. I let him. He comes out and says that it’s too dark for him to check it out and he’ll send a tow truck to get it this afternoon. I swear, he is crazy.” Nina shook her head.
“No, he’s determined. I have to admire that about him.”
Paige’s cell began ringing. She saw it was Quincy. “Hey, baby. Good morning.”
“Good morning. Are you at work yet?”
“No, I’m still on the way. You know I had to pick up Nina this morning.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” he said. “Listen, I’m about to send you a text message.”
“Is it sexual?” She glanced over at Nina.
“No, it’s not. But don’t make any lunch plans because we need to talk, okay?”
“Not a problem. I’ll see you then. I love you,” she said.
He hung up without responding.
A few seconds later, her phone alerted her that she had a message. She opened it and nearly swerved off the road when she saw the picture of her and Marlon a few days ago at the restaurant. Although she knew that it was the simple gesture of his kissing her on the forehead, it still seemed to be an intimate moment between them. There was a second photo also of them in the parking lot—this time he was kissing her on her chin.
“Oh God!” She pulled into the nearest parking lot.
“What’s wrong?” Nina asked.
Paige passed her the phone, showing the latter of the two pictures.
“Oh, damn. When was this?”
“The other day, when we got the checks.” Paige shook her head in disbelief.
“Who the hell took this? Who knew you all were going?” Nina asked the exact questions Paige was thinking. “Who sent these to you?”
“Quincy.”
“Damn! Did you at least tell him you were meeting Marlon for lunch?”
“No, I didn’t. I swear, Nina, it’s not how it looks.”
“I know that. Everyone who knows you and Marlon knows that this is how he’s always kissed you. On your forehead when he says hello, and on your chin when it’s good-bye.”
“Quincy ain’t trying to hear that, Nina.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. Just that we need to talk, that’s all.” Paige wanted to throw up. “He’s probably thinking a hell of a lot that he’s not saying, believe that.”
“I’m sorry, Paige. He has to know that it’s not what it looks like. Things are good between you two, and you would never do anything to jeopardize that. He knows that.” Nina tried to comfort her.
Her words did nothing to stop the tears that were now falling from Paige’s eyes. “I love him, Nina. Whenever the subject of Marlon comes up, we never seem to see eye-to-eye, so I didn’t even mention it to him. That’s why I didn’t even tell him about the house. He’s been telling me to just let Marlon have the house. Now, this . . .” Paige sniffed. She looked at the clock. “We better hurry before both of us are late.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll work out,” Nina said when they pulled up to her office building.
“Thanks, Nina. I’ll be here at five-thirty to get you.”
Sitting in the parking lot of the library where she worked, Paige t
ook out her cell phone and looked at the pictures again. She still could not believe someone could take them and then send them to Quincy. She scrolled up and down, trying to see if she could locate where they originated. Her stomach churned as she thought about what Quincy had to be thinking. She wanted to call him, but decided to wait until they met for lunch.
There was no way she could work this morning. She called in and let them know she was taking a personal day. Paige needed to clear her head before she met with Quincy.
It was almost noon when he finally called her. “You ready?”
“Yes. Where do you wanna meet at?” she asked nervously.
“You want me to pick you up?”
“I’m not at work.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at home. Quincy—”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said and hung the phone up.
It was sooner than that when she heard the doorbell ring. She walked over and opened the door.
He stood in the doorway, not saying anything, confusion mixed with anger in his face. He walked behind her, and they stood in the living room.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on?”
“There’s nothing going on, Q, I swear.”
“That’s not what it’s looking like, Paige. I just told you a few days ago that if there’s something you need to tell me, go ahead. You know you never have a reason to lie to me.” Quincy stared at her.
“I know that, Quincy, and I’ve never lied to you about anything. I will admit that I didn’t volunteer any information, but I never lied.”
“So because you didn’t tell me you were still seeing Marlon, that justifies it?”
“I’m not seeing Marlon.”
“Now I’m beginning to wonder if there was some truth to what Kasey was saying.” He glared at her.
Paige’s nervousness now changed into rage. She could not believe that he even said that.“Oh, so now I’m a liar, and Kasey is the honest one?—Is that what you’re saying?”
“I can see where she could think that you and Marlon were messing around with each other. You always say how you can’t stand him and how he disgusts you, but you still chitchat and laugh on the phone in the middle of the night. And from the looks on the pictures, you don’t look like the archenemies that you claim to be. I don’t know what to believe. You say one thing and then act another way.” Quincy folded his arms.
“So you don’t trust me?”
“Have you given me a reason to trust you?”
“I haven’t given you a reason not to trust me, Quincy. You’re not even giving me a chance to explain what was going on in the pictures.”
“It’s clear what’s going on. He’s kissing you, you’re smiling—no explanation needed.”
Paige tried to fight back the tears, but they fell from her eyes. “If you already think that, then why did you come over here to talk then? You already think I’m in the wrong. You think that I’m cheating with Marlon, right? Your mind is already set on knowing that I’m going behind your back and getting with him. What did you want to discuss? You already have all the answers, Q. Let you tell it, you don’t even have to ask if I’m fucking Marlon, because you already know. So what’s the big discussion supposed to be about?”
“You’re right, there’s no need for further discussion. I’m outta here.” He turned and slammed the door behind him.
Good riddance, she thought. I don’t need a man that has no confidence in me anyway. He didn’t even give me the chance to explain what happened. I’m better off this way. She walked over and sat on the sofa, hugging one of the throw pillows to her. As she cried, she realized that it was the one that Quincy would use to put his head on when he was watching television. The faint scent of him made her cry harder as she realized that the best thing that had ever happened to her had just walked out the door.
“Paige, is everything all right?” Camille walked into Paige’s bedroom.
Paige sat up and looked at her. She was such a pretty girl, looking just like her brother. “Well, Cam, things are a little rough for me right now.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Camille sat on the side of the bed.
“You can go and pick Myla and Jade up for me.” Paige sighed.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. Take them and hang out for a while until I get myself together. Go to the movies, maybe Chuck E. Cheese. What time is it?”
“Four o’clock. Tell me what’s wrong—I can see you’ve been crying.”
“Well, Quincy and I broke up,” Paige told her.
“Why?” Camille looked shocked. “I like Quincy!”
“Because someone sent him a picture of me and Marlon at lunch the other day.” Paige sighed and showed her the picture. “Now he thinks that I’ve been cheating on him.”
“But this is how Marlon kissed me,” Camille said. “He kissed me on the forehead when he says hello. When he says good-bye, he kissed my chin.”
“I know that, but Quincy doesn’t. And it doesn’t matter, because he doesn’t trust me. It’s okay. I’ll be fine,” Paige told her. “Can you just get the girls and hang out with them?”
“Sure. That’s no problem. Look, Paige, let me talk to Quincy. I can tell him—”
“No, you don’t need to talk to him,” Paige said.
“But, maybe if he understood, then you all can stay together. You love each other.”
“It takes more than love, Camille. It also takes trust and belief in the person you’re with. Without trust, no relationship can last.”
“I understand. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I think I found a job too.”
“Really? Where?”
“I’ll let you know once I find out if it’s gonna work out,” Camille told her. “I’ll get the girls, Paige.” Camille stood up and started out the door. “And, trust me, you and Quincy will work out.
Chapter 19
“I hired a personal assistant,” Taryn announced. The salon was closed and the girls were having their monthly staff meeting.
“‘A personal assistant’? What for?” Yaya asked.
“Because I realize that I need one. With everything going on here at the salon and my freelance work, it makes sense to me. Also, my personal assistant will also be responsible for scheduling my appointments for my regular clients, so that pathetic excuse for a receptionist you hired won’t have to be bothered.”
“Wow! Maybe I need to hire a personal assistant.” Monya laughed.
Unamused by their comments, Yaya stared at both of them. After the discovery that Celeste had made for her, Yaya felt obligated to keep her on staff. She had decided instead of firing the girl, to help transform her. After all, she was an image consultant.
“Celeste is going to improve; I’m personally gonna work with her and see to it,” Yaya told them.
“You must have plenty of time on your hands,” Taryn responded.
“Anyway, where did you find this personal assistant?” Yaya asked.
“At the catalog shoot the other day. She happened to be there watching, and next thing you know, she was right there helping. She’s the bomb. We even talked about me training her for artistry.” Taryn shrugged.
“Wow! That’s good,” Monya said. “When does she start?”
“Well, I was just waiting to tell you both about her. Unlike someone, I like to discuss things before making a decision. So, do either of you have a problem with me having a personal assistant?” Taryn looked from one to the other.
“Nope.” Monya nodded. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“I don’t care,” Yaya told her. “As long as you pay her and not the salon. We only have salary for one receptionist, and now that we’re hiring a new nail tech, the budget is going to be tighter.”
“I don’t have a problem paying her. Just know that she’s working for me and not After Effex. I’ll let her know she can start next week.”
“Whatever.” Yaya looked at her watch. “Well, I g
otta go. I have a date with Jason tomorrow night, and I’ve got to get ready. T, can you fill my lashes in?”
“Yaya, why did you wait until the last minute? You know Lincoln is picking me up in a few minutes. Come on.”
Yaya sat in Taryn’s chair and closed her eyes, preparing herself to enjoy the pampering. Taryn had always had a gentle touch, and Yaya loved it.
“Can you do my brows too?”
“Yaya, I’m not gonna be here with you all night. Hold your head back. So . . . what’s the deal with you and Jason now?”
“I gave him his space, and now he misses me, I guess,” Yaya told her.
“So you all are officially back together?”
“T, we were never really broken up; we were just on a break.”
“You said the break was over, when we opened the salon,” Monya said.
“It was. I mean, we hooked up that night, and we still talk—”
“How many times have you ‘hooked up’ during the break?” Taryn interrupted.
Yaya opened her eyes.
Taryn quickly yelled, “Close ’em!”
“I mean, you know we hook up every so often.”
“Yaya, you’ve been sleeping with him this entire time?” Taryn tugged at Yaya’s lashes.
“A sister has needs; besides, it’s not like he’s not my boyfriend, come on.”
“He’s not—not if you’re on a break; you’re still screwing him without a commitment. You’re asking to get hurt,” Monya told her.
“Okay, hello, this is Jason—the man I’m going to marry.” Yaya could not believe her girlfriends were saying this to her. They were acting as if she was out sleeping with some stranger she met at the club. “It’s not like we do it all the time anyway.”
“Only when he calls and wants to come through, huh?” Taryn asked.
“I didn’t say that.” Yaya didn’t want to admit that she was right.
“You’re giving him all the power, Yaya,” Monya told her. “You’re letting him control the direction of the relationship. You’d better start telling him no. He has it easy right now. He can go out and do what he wants and still come hit it when he wants to.”
“That’s not true. He’s not going out and doing anything.”