by Pace, Pepper
Vanessa heard her grandmother’s chair scrape the floor as the woman rose. When she looked up her grandmother was holding an envelope in her hands. She handed it to Vanessa who accepted it in surprise. She had expected an argument.
Vanessa opened the envelope and saw hundred dollar bills. More money than she’d ever been around in her entire life.
“Grandma, thank you.”
“You’re going to use that money to bail out that man, aren’t you?”
“That man is my fiancée. And he didn’t do anything wrong. He saved me. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
Her grandmother’s expression softened. “Vanessa, baby. Open your eyes. That man is going to drag you down into the gutter with him.”
Oh my God. Her grandmother had just quoted a scene from the movie Sparkle, her favorite movie. Had grandma watched it? She didn’t think so. But why would her grandmother use almost the exact quote?
In the movie Sister had been dating a drug dealer and her mother had come in and seen that he’d been hitting her and feeding her coke. Her mother had said to sister exactly what grandma was now saying to her. And in Sister’s case, her man had done exactly that—dragged her down into the gutter.
Vanessa shoved the money into her purse along with her sunglasses and she came to her feet.
“Grandma, I am sorry for how things turned out. But my future is not here, living with you. I’m sorry.”
She hurried out of the house.
“Vanessa,”
She paused at the door but didn’t turn around.
“I love you,” grandma said. “I’m sorry, too. A woman has to live the life that she sees for herself. Right or wrong.”
Vanessa didn’t know what to say so she said nothing and left.
As soon as she got back to the apartment Vanessa paged Phonso. He called her back in less than a minute.
“Phonso, I need to talk to you. Can you come over?”
“Yeah. You okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s good.” She’d sent Beady home and the apartment felt too quiet, but hopefully that wouldn’t last much longer.
“I’m on my way.”
When he arrived he looked tired. Neither had slept since the arrest and the strain was evident in them both.
“Phonso did you and G’s place get busted?”
He gave her a surprised look.
“Did it?” she insisted.
“Yeah. When the ambulance came to get that fool his pockets were filled with crack cocaine. The cops came back but we’d already gotten rid of all the stuff. But they all know G, they know our crew and now with all this, we’re being watched.” Phonso made air quotes when he said the word ‘watched’.
Vanessa digested the information. “Scotty said that we’d have to come up with ten grand and that it would hurt you guys to do that. Is it true?”
“We can get the money,” was Phonso’s response.
“I have five grand.” Vanessa stated with eyes lit up like Christmas lights.
“Where did you get five grand?” Phonso’s voice sounded suspicious.
“From my grandmother. It’s my birthday money.”
“You have a fine grandmother.” He said with a grin. “Come on little sister. I’m going to show you how to post bail.”
Vanessa didn’t bother to correct that she was older. She was just happy to follow him.
To Vanessa, jail looked like the waiting room of some government office, maybe the BMV.
Security doors opened into an expansive space filled with cheap plastic seats and anxious people waiting to pick up their loved ones. The focal point was a reception desk manned by two bored uniform women. Faded colored stripes on the floor led to different metal doors that looked mysterious.
When Scotty stepped out from behind one of those doors holding a bag containing his shorts and wearing grey slacks that were too large, Vanessa thought he was the best sight in the world. She ran to him and hugged him. He smelled terrible and she didn’t care. His stubble scratched her cheek and she didn’t notice, only that his strong arms held her close with his blond hair falling in wisps along her neck.
He pulled back and looked at her, a soft smile on his haggard face.
“You don’t do a thing I tell you, do you?”
She laughed and brushed away happy tears.
He slapped hands with his brother and they hugged briefly.
“Lets get out of here.” Scotty said.
Back home, Scotty would do nothing before he went into the bathroom and spent a long time getting clean.
It was almost midnight but Vanessa asked him what he wanted to eat and he said anything. So now she was making them fried bologna sandwiches. When he stepped out of the bathroom dressed in athletic shorts and nothing else Vanessa flung herself into his arms and held him, loving the safety of being with him, loving him with so much force that she didn’t know if her body was capable of holding all the love she felt for him.
The tension flowed from Scotty at the feel of Vanessa in his arms. He held her tightly against him and then kissed the top of her head, which smelled faintly of sweat and flowers. He closed his eyes and relished the feel and the smell of her.
“Are you mad at me?” He heard her whisper.
He looked down and tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him.
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“For not doing what you asked.”
He shook his head. “Vanessa, you are unpredictable. Sometimes I don’t know how to deal with it. But it doesn’t make me mad.”
“I want you Scotty,” she said seriously. “I want you as much as we can be with each other.“ She didn’t need to speak their unspoken fear. Vanessa refused to entertain any thoughts that Scotty could be taken from her permanently. She pressed herself against him, holding him as if he was a lifeline.
Scotty began to swell with need. It had been days since he’d loved his woman. But circumstances were not going to keep that from happening now. He held her in place and then rubbed his erection against her until she parted her legs making contact with her hot core easily accessible.
Vanessa slid her hands between them until they were in his shorts and one hand clutched his cock while the other cupped his balls.
Scotty sucked in a sharp breath of pleasure. Damn she could be good but she knew how to also be bad. He waited to see what she would do next.
She kissed his chest and her tongue found his nipple and flicked it several times until it formed a hard bead. She sucked it and stroked him while Scotty moaned in pleasure.
His hand moved up to cup her breast and he gently stroked her nipple through the fabric of her bra until he could feel it thickening at his touch.
Enough of this, he thought.
He dipped and lifted her quickly. Smoothly she released his cock and balls and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. Her lips slipped from his nipple and skirted across his neck and up to his lips where they shared a deep kiss.
Scotty walked them to the bedroom, their lips and tongues in constant contact. Vanessa’s body squirmed in desire and Scotty felt hot and cold with need for her.
He easily lowered them onto the messy bed. It hadn’t been touched since the police had pulled them from their slumber the night before.
He took time to kiss and show love to Vanessa’s mouth and lips before his kisses trailed down over her collarbone.
Gracefully she removed her tank top and he took a moment to appreciate her pretty lacy bra. She arched enough for him to reach beneath her to unlatch it and together they removed it.
Vanessa watched him with full trust. Any shyness that she’d previously had was long gone and she liked seeing his appreciation of her body. He had done a lot to convince her that she was perfect—at least for him.
Scotty lightly kissed each brown peak of Vanessa’s breast. If he saw any bruising from her attack he didn’t acknowledge it for that day was for now a distant memory.
V
anessa’s eyes closed and her hands fell to Scotty’s head where she stroked his hair. She groaned and her body rocked against his long length in need. Scotty’s kisses moved to her belly. He lathed her belly button until her tummy quivered. Another low groan rushed from her lips. His long strands of hair tickled her and she rolled her hips to urge him downward.
Scotty hooked his thumbs into her shorts and dragged them down without undoing the button. He tossed them on the floor without removing his eyes from her mound.
He kissed her slit and felt a trace of her honey on his lips, which he licked, savoring the taste of her arousal. Suddenly her legs spread wantonly, exposing her swollen slick folds and he glanced up and saw the serious expression on his woman’s face.
She knew what she wanted.
Wasting not another moment Scotty’s lips parted and he lapped at her tender flesh eliciting a high groan from Vanessa whose legs began to shiver as she fought to keep them spread. Scotty gently pushed her legs up so that he could feast on her opening. He slipped his tongue inside, releasing a stream of her essence, which he collected and savored. He burrowed his tongue deeper into her depths until his face was plastered against her wet pussy.
Vanessa clutched Scotty’s head and held him in place as her pelvis rolled against his mouth and tongue. Swiftly her core began to quake into a million mini explosions before the biggest one caused her hips to arch from the bed while her thighs locked Scotty in place. She screamed his name as her body erupted in a volley of seizures.
Scotty ignored the lock that Vanessa had on him. He felt her inner walls tensing and pulsating, feeding him more of her nectar and he licked and sucked and lapped until he felt her body calm.
He looked up at her and she was smiling tiredly with one hand resting on her belly and the other listlessly clutching the bed sheets.
Scotty crawled up the bed over Vanessa’s body. He hadn’t drank every bit of her juices. He’d left enough so that he could push his thick length into her quickly and fully.
Which is what he did to her over and over again until the break of dawn.
Chapter Ten
“Talk to me. Tell me everything I need to know.” Vanessa said the next day while Scotty ate the old fried bologna sandwiches. She’d begged him not to because she could re-make them but he just raised his brow and told her that it tasted better than jail food and he continued to eat.
He was looking at the morning paper and reading a small article about himself and Donald.
He wasn’t happy, the vibe of the story speculated that they’d had a drug connection and Vanessa’s assault was only mentioned briefly.
“I don’t want to be stupid about this,” Vanessa continued to speak. “I need to know what to expect.”
Scotty folded the paper and pushed it to the side. He gave Vanessa a grim look. “Best case scenario, I get a quick trial date. The judge sees that I was acting in your defense and I’m released.”
“And worse case?” She gave him a steady look.
“That I’m sentenced for murder. If that happens … then I could be in there for life—though that’s doubtful. But that is worse case.”
She sat back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. “Damn Scotty …”
“I know honey. I’m sorry.”
She met his eyes. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one that …”
He leaned forward and took her hand. “Because I should have known better. I should have kept my temper.”
She shook her head. She should have listened to him. She should have stayed home.
“I have to call my lawyer later today and I’ll have a better idea.” Scotty just had a public defender. He fully expected the man to be inept but he only needed him for the purpose of filing the paper work. In the end he planned to make sure the facts were known, even if he had to spoon feed them to the P.D.
Vanessa got up and went to Scotty. He rose and captured her in his arms. She closed her eyes and just let him hold her.
“Babe,” she whispered with her eyes closed.
“Hmm?” His arms were locked around her while her face rested against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
“Can we get married now? Like at that Justice of the Peace?”
Scotty hesitated. “No. Not until this is over.”
She looked up. “Why?”
Because if I go to jail Vanessa, I will not have you tied to a murderer. If things don’t turn out the way I want them to, then you will lead the life that you were meant to lead—the life I want you to lead.
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Vanessa … if I’m convicted you’re not going to waste your life on me the way my Mother wasted her life on my Dad. There’s no benefit being tied to a convicted murderer-“
“Stop it!” She brushed his hands from her shoulders and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You’re not going to tell me how and who to love. I’ll make that decision. As far as wasting my life, regardless of what happens to you I’ll never do that. I’m not my mother and I’m not yours and you’re not Juan Carlos.
“I’ll always be your support Scotty. You are everything to me Scotty. You are my past and my present and damnit you are my future! I’ll always be there Scotty whether you marry me or not. I’ll always be yours!” Angry, hurt tears stung her eyes.
He pulled her back into his arms and nodded his head. “I’m sorry Vanessa. I’m sorry. Let’s,” he fought for the right words. “Let’s just wait until we can do it right. When we can start our lives together the right way.”
She didn’t reply.
He was afraid. He loved this woman and knew that there was something better for her. If he couldn’t give it to her then he would release her so that she could find it on her own. He had no doubt that she would—as long as he wasn’t selfish and held her locked in place the way Juan Carlos had done to them all—including Vanessa.
Scotty and Vanessa moved from Scotty’s small apartment to Miss Gloria’s house. Although she didn’t complain, Vanessa was unhappy with the change. Miss Gloria was the woman of her own house and expected things a certain way. At times she felt as if she would have been better off living with her grandmother. The two women weren’t much different.
She liked Miss Gloria well enough. But if she didn’t eat all the vegetables on her plate Miss Gloria would chastise her as if she was two. Scotty found it cute and would hide a smirk when Miss Gloria told her that she needed to fatten up, or the worse; ‘No wonder you’re so skinny! Eat those vegetables, chile!’
Vanessa dared not to comply with the woman, even when the meal contained stewed tomatoes, which had to be God’s most dreaded creation. Miss Gloria didn’t like the way she folded towels and would tell her to fold them in thirds even though her grandmother had taught her to fold them into fourths.
When Vanessa cooked a meal than Miss Gloria sometimes said that she couldn’t eat it because it was too greasy or salty. She treated Vanessa like one of her kids encouraging her to find a career instead of trying to sing and act.
On this Scotty corrected Miss Gloria and told her that Vanessa was a superstar—only she hadn’t been discovered yet. He asked Vanessa to sing Miss Gloria a song and when Vanessa began to sing As by Stevie Wonder, Miss Gloria stopped her and said that she didn’t listen to anything but gospel.
Scotty rolled his eyes from behind Miss Gloria’s back but he indulged the old woman and in his eyes she could do no wrong. Vanessa ignored them and shrugged refusing to sing any of the gospel songs that she knew.
That night in their rickety bed that had once belonged to EJ, Scotty chuckled and stated that Miss Gloria was just putting her through her paces.
“Is she being mean to you?” He asked.
Vanessa shook her head. She couldn’t say that. The woman was polite and accommodating. But she didn’t think that she was welcomed even though Scotty had the red carpet treatment from her.
“No. But I don’t think she wants me here.”
“Maybe she’s old fashioned,
” Scotty said. “She’s not having sex. Maybe she doesn’t like the idea of anyone else having it.”
Vanessa’s face twisted in displeasure at the idea of Miss Gloria wondering about their sex life. Also, they could be married but she wouldn’t bring that up again. Once you ask a man to marry you and he turns you down you don’t bring it up again … not if you’re smart.
His body was draped over hers in the spoon position. Although it was the middle of the night, they were fully dressed, Scotty in his normal athletic shorts and now also a shirt and she wore a bra, t-shirt and sleep shorts because Miss Gloria was prone to knocking on their door early morning and neither wanted to scramble around for clothes while she waited impatiently outside their closed door.
“Well she will have to get used to it because this is the only reasonable answer.” He sighed. “I’ll talk to her.”
She looked up quickly. “No. Don’t. I don’t want her to think I’m a complainer. It’s just a feeling I get. I guess having our own place for such a short time and then moving here was kind of a let down.”
“I’m sorry Vanessa. Lets just take it day by day.”
She nodded and felt bad for even letting him know about her concerns. She would ‘man-up’.
Scotty got his trial date. December eleven. That was two months away. To Vanessa, in some ways that date seemed too long but also too short. The public defender was as inept as Scotty had known he would be. He would get Scotty’s case confused with others and think that he’d told Scotty something when he hadn’t.
There wasn’t money enough to pay for an attorney. Phonso had taken a hit when the police began watching the crew. He had barely enough cash to support his living expenses and to keep up with the payments on Ginger’s school.
He and Phonso would have to have a tough discussion about allowing their sister to go back to public school. The kids there bullied her because she learned differently and was quiet and gentle and wouldn’t think to fight when pushed.
At the age of thirteen, Ginger acted half that, and she probably always would.