by Tiece
Felisha stood up from the table. “I’m about to go,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“What is wrong with you?” Olivia asked.
“Nothing that I can’t handle,” Felisha responded. “Are you still going to be able to take lil Romeo to the dentist tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ll be by to get him in the morning. Are you going to be alright?” Olivia asked out of concern. “I worry about you, sometimes.”
“That’s good to know,” Felisha said with a slight smile. “We’ll catch up later.” She said, giving Olivia a slight hug, and with that, she left.
****
Later that night, Olivia and Mark lay in bed having pillow talk. It was a part of her that wanted to work on her marriage. The only problem was shaking Zay. As she lay there having this sweet conversation with her husband, her thoughts were still on another man. She quickly tried to talk about something different to clear her mind of Zay.
“I met with Felisha today,” she said.
“How’d that go?” Mark asked, already hearing about their earlier fallout.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She is acting all strange and shit.”
“What do you mean?” Mark asked with a slight frown on his face.
“She’s acting jealous or something. She even brought up that time when that dude she was screwing around with was supposed to meet with us.”
“Huh,” Mark said like he unaware of what time she was talking about.
“Remember when I first introduced you to Felisha?”
Mark nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember that, but her man didn’t show up.”
“Right,” Olivia said. “He didn’t even have the courtesy to show up, but she telling me that he wanted to marry her.”
“Well, what happened? Why didn’t they get married?”
Olivia shook her head. “Baby, that’s the same thing I was thinking, but she claimed that after he didn’t show up, he came back to her house wanting to be with her. I guess that’s when he said that he’d marry her.”
“What stopped it then?”
“She said that she didn’t take him back for her own personal reasons.”
Mark sat silent for a moment. “That sounds crazy.”
“It does,” Olivia agreed. “Maybe you should talk to her for me. She might feel more comfortable talking to you now since she and I have this elephant in the room anytime we’re around each other.”
“Yeah, I understand. I don’t mind talking to her to see if she’ll open up. I don’t need her going off the deep end. We’ve made a good investment with her.” He joked, but was very serious.
Olivia grinned. “You’re right about that.” They laughed, and then talked a little more before dozing off to sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, Olivia and Zoe sat in the massage chairs, getting a pedicure as Mrs. Jackson sat on the other end of the nail salon getting a fresh polish with French tips. Olivia looked over at Zoe and smiled. She was happy that her kid sister was home.
“So, what’s up with you?” Olivia asked with a big smile on her face. “I’ve missed you kid.”
Zoe laughed. She loved her sister and even though she was only two years younger, Olivia would call her kid from time to time.
“I’ve missed you, too.” Zoe responded, smiling back just as big. “You know mom wasn’t going to let me stay away another month longer, anyway. She would’ve either put out an APB out on me or she would’ve just showed up on my doorstep one day and ain’t nobody got time for that.”
Olivia laughed. “You got that right.” She said, looking down at her controlling, obsessive mother and smiled with a shake of the head. “That’s mom.”
“Yep, that’s her and I don’t need her snooping around at my crib trying to regulate. I’m single and I live like a single woman. My place is colorful, with modern décor. I even have naked people hanging on the wall.”
Olivia laughed. “You have what now?”
“Yes, you heard right. I live freely now and it feels good.” She glanced down on the other end of the nail salon to make sure that Mrs. Jackson wasn’t finished yet then she kept talking. “It’s crazy when I think back at how we lived. Don’t get me wrong, because we had the best of everything, but we lived like lil rich slaves.”
Olivia wanted to laugh, but she held it in. “I guess I can agree to that.”
“You know you can.” Zoe cut in. “We grew up with white carpet that stayed white. You better not walk your ass in there with shoes on. They better come off at the door and your feet or socks better be clean.”
Olivia nodded with a smile, because she knew that her sister wasn’t lying as she continued.
“Mom doesn’t have a bright anything in that house. It’s either beige or a dull gray or something. Walking in that house every day almost felt like I was checking myself in an upscale psyche ward.”
Olivia chuckled.
“We had a big five bedroom house with four full baths and every inch of that house was immaculate.”
Olivia nodded her head, quickly agreeing with her sister. “You are absolutely right. You could eat your food off of the floor in that house.” Zoe laughed at her comment. “No, but you’re right. Mom was no joke and the sad part is that she’s still the same mom and the house is just as spotless as it was thirteen years ago when I lived there.”
“Sure is,” Zoe responded. “Mom won’t change a thing, but I’m going to get her to change the color in the kitchen eventually. She has gotta start somewhere. I’m working on her.”
“If anybody can do it you can,” Olivia said, feeling that she and their dad were always the closest, but Zoe had a special bond with their mom. It may not have looked like it, but they did.
Zoe was the very smart and sassy one. She looked exactly like their mom with the smooth, chestnut colored skin and long hair half way down their backs. Zoe had the Asian looking, dreamy eyes too, which were the only thing that Olivia got from their mom, because everything else resembled their dad. Olivia’s big white smile and high cheek bones with the perfect pouty lips were a spitting image of Mr. Jackson, as well as, the smooth, chocolate glow of her skin tone.
Zoe was resentful for a lot of things that Mrs. Jackson made them do. She hated taking summer courses when they’d already passed their grades. She hated ten o’clock curfews still at the age of eighteen. She hated the boring, but very expensive décor in the home. But, most importantly, she hated the promise of not being able to lose her virginity until she’d gotten married. She could’ve gone against the grain and slept with a guy, but she didn’t. However, she did marry this curly head, hottie name Chico during her sophomore year in college just because she was ready to fuck. Nothing heated their mom more.
“So, does it feel good to be single again?” Olivia asked, wiggling her toes in the warm water.
“Sure does,” Zoe answered. “I just wished I would’ve waited before I jumped right into another relationship after Chico and I separated. I was married by the age of twenty-one and split up by the age of twenty-eight. Then my crazy ass goes against mom’s wishes and shacks with another man for another two years; only for that shit to crumble, too. What the hell was I thinking?”
“That’s just how it is sometimes.” Olivia said.
“No, but we both know that mom is crazy, but she ironically has decent logics,” Zoe admitted. “She did stay on our asses in hopes of us attending college first while only looking to the men who didn’t pressure us of wanting nothing more than a friendship, and then she was sure that things would grow and take form from there.”
“Build on your foundation is what she’d say,” Olivia cut in. “I think we both made the same mistake with our first loves. I mean, Sylvester swept me off of my feet in high school. He was the sexiest nigga I’d ever laid eyes on. He was very popular and the most skilled quarterback on the football team in high school and college.”
Zoe nodded then chimed in. “And you were the pretty girl, the homecoming queen and the he
ad cheerleader that all the boys wanted. You and Sly were destined to be together back then. He did love you. I always felt like he was infatuated with not only your looks, but your morals. That’s why he stayed so long. He wanted to be the first one to get what all the guys couldn’t and he was in the perfect position to be able to get it.”
“Yeah, and it did me no good to try to give it to him, either. I struggled with that night, but because we were getting married in two days, I was like what the hell. It seemed the closer we got to our wedding the more he’d be in my ear about just wanting to feel my insides and see what it’d be like before the wedding and I gave in like a dummy.”
“Almost gave in, because technically he didn’t pop that cherry.” Zoe teased, but was very serious.
“If he wasn’t so big, it would’ve worked.” Olivia said kind of feeling embarrassed at the moment that she couldn’t satisfy the one man that she wanted more than anything in the world back then. I probably would’ve been married to him right now still.”
“That’s not necessarily true now, because I did wait with Chico and we’re not together now. The truth with that though, is that we married too young. Neither one of us was ready for that. Hell, if you ask me, we both just wanted to fuck. He still, hands down, has the best dick I’ve ever had.”
“You’ve only had five.” Olivia joked.
Zoe popped her lips and playfully rolled her eyes. “And you’re the one to talk with only two under your belt.”
“Almost three,” Olivia quickly corrected.
“Yeah almost,” Zoe said with a chuckle. “But seriously, I was the cause of me and Chico going our separate ways. I’d become mom,” she admitted. “I became this neat freak, making my husband come out his shoes when he’d walk in the door. It makes me cringe when I think back at how controlling I’d become.” She said with a disappointing shake of the head as she continued.
“It was like I’d become jealous of his career and shit. I mean, the man is a producer. He makes really good money, working with different artists.”
“A lot of them being women, too,” Olivia added. “Yep, and I had a problem with that. My husband looks good and women these days are thirstier than nigga’s if you ask me.”
“True,” Olivia said.
“I started hounding him. Showing up to his place of business and shit like I was crazy,” Zoe said. “I was doing the most and all he was doing was providing us with a secure, stable living. I’d hear people say that he wouldn’t cheat on me, because I was so pretty and smart, but let’s just keep it real. I don’t care how pretty and fine you are, if your nigga wanna layup with another bitch then trust and believe that he will.”
“You ain’t never lied.” Olivia chimed in with a light chuckle. “We shouldn’t have been so hot in the ass. That would’ve saved us from the earlier heartbreaks.”
Zoe shook her head. “I think we both went against the grain back then when we should’ve just taken Dr. Jackson’s advice.”
“Yeah, because she begged us both to wait and love would find us.”
“She kills me with the philosopher shit, though.” Zoe cut in then looked at the Chinese lady doing her toe nails. “Aye, take it easy on that toe. You just nicked me.”
The Chinese lady quickly apologized. “I’m sorry,” she said.
She looked back over at her sister, shaking her head like she wanted to slap the Chinese lady. “Anyway, I think that if mom had let us make our own decisions and not pressure us into so many things then we would be fine. I gotta admit it though. Good sex stretched both of my relationships or it they would’ve been over.”
Olivia laughed. “I think I know exactly how you feel on that one. Good sex will not only lengthen a bad relationship, but it can also hook your ass into believing it’s something good when it’s not,” she said, now thinking about Zay’s good dick ass. “If only I was getting good dick at home. I would be fine.”
“Is things still dull on the home front?” Zoe asked.
“Girl, I thought Mark was about to give it to me yesterday morning, but it turned right on back into the same old, tired thang. I can hardly deal with that anymore. The thrill has been long gone. I love him, but I’m not in love with him and quite frankly I don’t know if I still wanna be there.”
“Damn, and Mark is one of the good ones.”
“Well, technically he’s not that good,” Olivia joked as they laughed. “Now Zay on the other hand, is off the chain with it. However, he no longer wants to be with me either, because of Mark. Ain’t that something how the man I’m drunk in love with is throwing me an ultimatum, but there’s nothing I can do about it at the moment.”
Zoe disappointedly shook her head. “Damn,” she whispered. “That shit is crazy. Well, look… We are not about to get sidetracked. Tomorrow is my birthday and I just want to spend it with my sister and enjoy the night. Is Felisha gonna make it? I got her covered if she wants to go.”
“Nah, I asked her this morning when I took lil Romeo to the dentist for her.”
“Oh, she doesn’t want to party? She never misses out on a good party.”
“Well, she’s missing out on this one. She’s going through some things right now. I don’t know what the hell it could be. Maybe she’s feeling some type of way about not being settled down by now.”
“What happened to the baby daddy?” Zoe curiously asked.
“He still never comes around. It pisses me off, because he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on. That lil boy is so smart and cute. I guess I take that a lil personal, because I’m his God mom and or auntie as he calls me, but I take on the role as his father. Hell, me and Mark are always babysitting or looking out for her when it comes to him.”
“I know.” Zoe said, thinking that Olivia had been there since day one when lil Romeo was born. “He’s just the cutest thing. I feel like his auntie too, because that’s how much you had him as a baby and even now.”
“I know and Felisha knows that I love her. Mark talked me into investing some of our money in her nail salon to help her get established so she could take care of her son without a man. I was glad he had that talk with me, because she ain’t about to get no man, no time soon.” She bluntly stated. “I just don’t see it.”
“But, she wants a man.” Zoe cut in.
“And I can believe it. I feel that has been definitely bothering her, lately. Unlike us, she has a kid and by a man that obviously wants no dealings with her or her son. That’s gotta be tough. Plus, I’m married, an independent business woman, with no kids. Maybe, she’s starting to feel a little jealous.”
“You know, we women tend to be some very emotional beings and it can take us a long time to get over a man that we were once in love with. Heartache is one of the worse feelings in the world. It doesn’t just digest right away. The only way we can sometimes get past that is if someone else comes along and eases that pain. Otherwise, it stays with us. Anyways,” she said, having to clear her thoughts off of Chico, the only man she’d ever loved. “Tonight we’re gonna enjoy my birthday barbeque since Mom already knows that we won’t be making it back by Sunday after partying all night on Saturday.”
“I can’t wait. I think I need this, too. More than you know. Maybe it’ll clear up some of these crazy thoughts I’m having about ending my marriage.”
“Well, we don’t wanna think about that right now.” She said then changed the subject to something more interesting. “I already bought you something to wear to the party.”
“What you mean, bought me something?” Olivia asked with a frown. “Is there a dress code or something?”
“Yep, it sure is and I have the perfect thing for you to wear. Just trust me on this, you’re gonna love it.” Olivia shook her head, because no telling what Zoe had on the agenda for her.
“What kind of party is this we’re going to?” she curiously asked.
“Not telling until you get there. You think you’re thinking about Zay now. Wait until after this party. No telling w
hat or who you’ll be thinking about then. And, you could be right. It might just clear some things up for you concerning your marriage.”
Can’t say if that will be good or bad, but hell… You never know. Zoe quickly thought then continued.
“I think it’s time we both let out hair down. This party is only for the grown and sexy and I do believe that we’re grown and sexy.” She smiled, causing Olivia to smile back. “And it’s only for the elite. I bet nobody there will have a bank account that’s under two-hundred thousand.”
“You will,” Olivia teased with a light chuckle.
“Technically, just short of it. But, as long as our wealthy parents are on top then so am I.” “I know that’s right. Now, pleeeeeaaaase tell me more about this party.” She begged with a playful pout.
“No ma’am. You shall see in due time.” Zoe said with a devious smile on her face.
Chapter Fifteen
Zay and Dillon stood in the elevator, waiting for it to hit the first floor. Both were very anxious and excited about going to this elite masquerade party.
“Man, you got some condoms?” Dillon quickly asked with a cheesy smile on his face.
“I didn’t bring any, because I’m not sure if I’m fucking. I might stick my finger in a woman’s pussy if she let me, but I don’t know about my dick. I’m just going to see what these party’s are all about. Every man should attend one of these at least once in their lifetime.”
“Well, I can agree,” Dillon said. “But, you know me, Bro. I’m going to fuck something.” He said looking up at the floor display and seeing the elevator drop down from 9…8…7… “I’m sticking my finger in some pussy and some ass. My tongue is going in some lucky woman’s mouth and my dick is gettn’ sucked and fucked tonight. I’ve already popped an ecstasy pill and all, Bro. I’m telling you, I am about that life.”
“I see,” Zay said with a light chuckle, thinking that he was always the promiscuous one that loved fucking woman, but Dillon might’ve had him beat. 3…2…1… The elevator eased to a complete stop as the doors opened.