All That and a Bag of Chips

by Darrien Lee

  As they rejoined the others, he said, “Ladies, have a nice afternoon!”

  He put his arms around Venice’s waist as they headed toward the parking lot. As they walked, some girls passed them and said, “Hey, Craig!!”

  “Hello, ladies!”

  Venice said, “It seems you’re a wanted man.”

  He grinned. “Just being friendly. Baby, you have nothing to worry about.”

  When they reached his truck, she saw that he had his luggage inside. “Let me give you a ride back to the dorm.” She didn’t respond. “Venice, is everything okay?”

  “Couldn’t be better, except for the fact that I’m not going to see you for a few days.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  As he drove across campus, he rubbed her thigh. “I should kidnap you and take you with me.”

  “Believe me, it wouldn’t be against my will. Maybe one week I can go with you.”

  His dark brown eyes penetrated hers. “That would be real nice.” Once they reached her dorm, he walked her to the room. Venice put her arm around his neck and gave him a slow, passionate kiss. The heat rose in her body. “I’m really going to miss your luscious lips.”

  “I’m going to miss more than that from you, baby.”

  He ran his thumb along her bottom lip, gazing into her saddened eyes.

  “Well, let me get out of here. The sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll get back to you.”

  As he got up, Venice stood in front of him, resting her head against his chest. He ran his hand up and down her back to soothe her. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  Venice hugged him tightly and solemnly said, “Call me when you get in.”

  Craig pulled her closer to his broad chest, pressing her firmly against him. “You bet. I’ll call you the moment I get to my room.”

  He stared at her for a moment, then lowered his mouth onto her quivering lips. That was when the tears began to run down her soft cheeks. He finally raised his lips from hers and wiped her tears away with his hand. Venice opened the door for him and watched him walk down the hall to the elevator. She closed the door and thought what a long week it was going to be. She hoped hanging out with Chanelle and Monique would help pass the time.

  Twenty-Seven

  Tuesday, Craig finally got the call he’d been waiting on. He was in his office when the secretary told him that he had a call from Bryan Taylor. He closed the office door and picked up the phone. “Hello, Bryan. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. What’s up? Is Venice okay?”

  “She’s fine. Chanelle thought I should talk to you regarding a dream Venice had one night last week.”

  Bryan was instantly concerned. “What happened?”

  Craig explained that he wasn’t sure if it was a dream or if something had really happened to Venice. He told Bryan that Venice cried out hysterically in her sleep.

  “Bryan, she was saying don’t hurt me. Let me go. The rest was mumbling. When I woke her up, she was crying and she didn’t know why. When I asked her about it, she said she couldn’t remember the dream. I know you and Venice are very close. That’s when I asked Chanelle. I didn’t want to worry Galen. Chanelle said I had better talk to you about.”

  Bryan took a deep breath. “I knew this would eventually come up, but I didn’t expect to have to deal with this so soon. What I’m about to tell you is something Venice wouldn’t want her friends to know. Anyway, a couple of years ago, there was this guy at her school she was friends with. They did a lot of studying together. He’d come over to her house and she’d been to his house also. Well, one day, she went over to his house and the guy snapped or something and pulled a knife on her with the intention of raping her. It just so happened, Jarvis stopped by to talk to her since he knew she was over at his house studying. When Jarvis got there, he heard Venice begging and crying. He kicked the door in and beat the guy up pretty bad, putting him in the hospital. The police came and arrested the guy.

  Afterwards, several other girls came forward and said the guy had actually raped them. The police arrested him on about three counts of rape and assault. Venice was a little traumatized from the incident for a while. We believe she sometimes has flashbacks when she’s under stress. Now you understand why we’re extra protective of her and why Jarvis is so close to her. Venice was bonded to Jarvis. That incident sealed it even more. I was out of town when it happened and I felt so helpless. When I came home, Gator and Tate were talking about having the guy taken out. It was a bad situation for all of us. Let me know if it happens again. She may need to speak to her counselors again. I appreciate you looking out for her and getting in touch with me.”

  Craig said, “Thanks for filling me in. Hopefully, it was just a bad night. Thanks for calling me back.”

  “Anytime. Let me give you my pager and home numbers.”

  They exchanged numbers and ended their conversation. Craig felt relieved since he knew what probably caused the dream. He’d have take special precautions with Venice’s feelings.

  It was “hump day” and Thanksgiving was approaching. Venice hadn’t asked Craig if he’d made a decision about Thanksgiving. Monique was going home but Chanelle couldn’t because she was still pledging a sorority. They kept the girls pretty much isolated from the rest of the college population during pledging. When Venice did see her, all she could do was make eye contact. But, one night, Chanelle snuck out of the dorm by lying down in the back seat of Venice’s car so she could meet with Spoonie. It was a daring move, but a necessary one. She’d been on line for four weeks and her patience was growing thin. The caper went off without a hitch.

  Venice decided to skip her classes on Friday and drive up to surprise Craig at his job on Thursday afternoon. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too busy to spend the evening with her. It would also afford her the opportunity to see where he was co-oping. Venice couldn’t wait for classes to come to an end. Galen called her and he got another cussing from his sister for running his mouth to their mother. Galen apologized and told Venice that he thought she’d already mentioned Craig to their mother. Venice told Galen her plans for surprising Craig.

  She asked him, “Do you think you can keep that bit of info to yourself?”

  “Forget you! Call me when you get there and you better not start skipping classes for a booty call.”

  “Goodbye, Galen!”

  Venice slammed the receiver down.

  Venice told Monique where she was going and to let Chanelle know also.

  “Monique, page me if you need me. I’m going to have my cell phone while I’m driving and I’ll call you when I get there. If my mom calls, take a message, then page me so I can return the call. The same goes for Jarvis.”

  As Monique stood in the door of their room to see her off, a dorm mate came running by, telling them that a girl on the floor above them was having a baby in her room. Monique looked at Venice in shock. They heard sirens, which must’ve been the paramedics arriving. You could sense panic and fear in the air. Venice felt sick to her stomach at that very moment. She said a silent prayer hoping student and baby were okay.

  Monique said, “I’ll get the details and page you later. Have fun!”

  “Thanks.”

  Venice knew she had a two and a half hour drive ahead of her. She put in her favorite CD and, for some reason, she couldn’t get the news of the baby out of her head. Venice felt sad for the girl and her parents, but mostly for the innocent little baby. Venice knew she had to shake this vibe that had consumed her. She took the CD out as she drove down the interstate and popped in some gospel music. Venice had a pleasant voice and sang along with the CD. It wasn’t long after that she began to feel better. Venice looked at her watch and before she realized it, she had already been driving an hour. She was little a hungry, so she opened a pack of peanut butter crackers and guzzled down a coke that she’d packed for the road. Her cell phone rang and she answered, “Hello?”

  “How are you, Niecy?”

  “Not good.” />
  “What have you been up to, baby?”

  “Trying to reach you.”

  “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

  Venice said, “Okay.”

  “I love you, girl. That’s why I freaked out about you. I don’t want another man to know just how special you are.”

  “I’m glad you called. I missed talking to you.”

  “Niecy, I’m trying to handle this thing you’ve got going the best I can, but it’s hard. So you might have to listen to me blow off steam some time.”

  Venice asked, “Do you love me?”

  “What do you mean? Hell yeah! You know that!”

  “Then that’s all I need to know. Because, you know I love you, no matter what.”

  He paused for a moment and said, “I still don’t like it that he’s putting his damn hands on you.”

  “Jarvis!”

  He laughed, then seriously said, “I mean that shit! I’ll holler at you later, Niecy. I love you. Peace out!”

  “Goodbye, J. I love you, too.”

  She hung up and felt guilt in the pit of her stomach.

  Venice finally made it to the city where Craig was employed. She knew the name and address of the company, but no idea how to get there. She pulled into a service station and asked the attendant for directions. She got lost for about fifteen minutes, but finally found her way back on track.

  The building where he worked was eight stories high and looked like a glass cube. Venice pulled into the parking lot about dusk. She took a deep breath, got out, and walked inside the lobby. She went to the ladies room to make sure she was still looking fresh and cute in her long green straight skirt with a slit up the back. Her ivory silk blouse was low-cut and showed off the voluptuous assets men adored.

  Venice made sure her makeup was flawless by freshening her lipstick and combing her hair. Craig’s company was on the fourth floor and when she entered the elevator, several people followed.

  One gentleman stood behind her and whispered, “You sure are wearing that skirt.”

  Venice ignored this comment and was elated when the elevator doors opened. When she walked into the reception area, a young man told her that Craig’s office was the third door on the left. The excitement was mounting when she reached his door and opened it. Once she did, Craig was leaning against his desk and a tall, leggy female was wiping his necktie with a paper towel.

  They were both laughing and she seemed to be standing a little too close for Venice.

  Craig spotted Venice and jumped up. “Hey, Venice! What are you doing here?”

  The woman leered at Venice with a smirk on her face and tossed the paper towel in the trash. The skirt of her Donna Karan suit was just as short as the jacket. She was attractive, a little too attractive to be working so closely with Craig.

  Venice stated sarcastically, “I’m sorry to barge in. Did I interrupt something?”

  “No, baby! Come on in. Valerie, this is my girlfriend Venice.”

  The woman came over and extended her hand to greet Venice. “Nice to meet you, Venice. Let me get out of your way so you two can talk. I’ll have those specs for you tomorrow, Craig.”

  “Thanks, Valerie. Have a good evening.”

  After she closed his door, Venice said, “Nice woman. What does she do around here?”

  “She’s my boss.”

  “Some boss. She looked like she was standing between your legs to me.”

  Craig saw where the conversation was headed and said, “Don’t go there, Venice. What brings you all this way?”

  Venice was still shaken up from witnessing Craig’s boss being so chummy. “I missed you and wanted to surprise you.”

  Craig took her by the hands and they sat down on a sofa in his office. “This is a nice surprise. I’m glad to see you.”

  He gave her a kiss and Venice pulled away. “Nice office for a cooping student. What other kind of perks is your boss giving you?”

  Craig stood up and said, “Okay, Venice. I’m not screwing my boss. She’s fine for her age, but I don’t do stuff like that. Why are you acting like this?”

  Venice walked over to look out his window. “Because!”

  Craig put his hands up in surrender. “Look, it’s late. I’m tired and hungry and my girl’s in town. Please don’t pick a fight with me. I’m too tired. Let’s get out of here and grab something to eat. Is that cool?”

  Venice agreed and they left Craig’s office.

  Venice trailed him to his hotel four blocks away. Craig let her walk ahead of him into the hotel so he could admire the view from behind. Luckily, they were in the elevator alone as they headed to Craig’s room on the sixth floor.

  Craig said, “Deja vu! This situation seems familiar. You look beautiful, baby.”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the curve of her neck. Craig opened the door to his room and put her bag near the closet. She kicked off her shoes and asked to use the phone to call Monique and Galen to let them know she’d arrived safely. Craig motioned to the phone as he removed his shirt and tie. He had decided to grab a quick shower.

  Venice asked, “Are we going out to eat or ordering in?”

  “Whatever you want to do. Check out the hotel menu and decide.”

  Venice thumbed through the menu while Craig started up the shower. She called Galen, got his answering machine, and left him a message before doing the same with Monique. She lay back on the pillows and rewinded the events that had just played out in front of her eyes. Venice didn’t care what Craig said. His boss was being a little too friendly with him.

  Venice could hear Craig singing in the shower. The steam was coming from under the bathroom door. He did like his showers hot. Minutes later, he came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. His body was dripping with water and he never looked sexier. The silky hair on his chest was as soft as hair on a newborn baby’s head. He ignored Venice gawking at him as he searched for his lotion.

  Damn she’s beautiful!

  Breaking the silence, he asked, “Have you decided what you want to do?”

  “Let’s go out.”

  “Fine with me.”

  “Do you need any help with that lotion?”

  Craig approached her on the bed, crawled up next to her, and cuddled. He put his wet arms around her.

  Venice hollered, “You’re wet!”

  Venice screamed as he held her down and began to tickle her. She struggled to get away, but was unsuccessful. When he stopped tickling her, she was soaked from head to toe. He rolled off her and started caressing her body gently. Venice felt the heat of his touch through her blouse.

  “I’m glad you surprised me.”

  Craig’s face was inches from hers and Venice could smell the sweetness of his breath. The intoxicating scent of the soap he had used made her lightheaded. He had her beneath him as his lips made the journey from her neck, down to the roundness of her breasts. Venice could no longer be mad at Craig for being too close with boss. It was only a matter of seconds before her blouse, skirt, and everything else was on the floor. They made love from the bed to the floor to the chair to the shower. They were exhausted and almost completely forgot about dinner. After showering, they dressed and headed out for a night on the town.

  It was a cool, breezy night. Venice had on a pair of jeans with a red button down sweater. Craig wore a long sleeved, white cotton shirt with his jeans, which fit his thighs and butt with perfection. One of his baseball caps topped off the ensemble.

  The riverfront downtown was bustling with activity and people. The aroma of various delicious foods filled the air and made their stomachs growl. The wonderful smell of pastries accompanying the delicious aroma of coffee filled the air as they passed one cafe. They walked hand in hand until they came upon an Italian restaurant.

  Craig asked, “So, what do you have a taste for?”

  “You.”

  Craig blushed and smiled and planted a big kiss on Venice’s cheek. “I’ll feed you whe
n we get back to the room.”

  They walked around the corner and there it stood: “The Seafood Shack.”

  Craig said, “I’ve never eaten here, but I heard the food is good.”

  They entered the doors to the sound of New Orleans jazz music. The waitress seated them and gave them menus. As they gazed over the menus, Venice decided to run her foot up his leg under the table.

  Craig blurted out, “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

  Venice giggled. “I know what I want. I’d like the sampler platter with crabcakes, crab legs, fried shrimp, and fish.”

  “I’ll just get a salad.”

  Venice looked at him in disbelief. “I know you’re kidding.”

  Craig chuckled. “I just wanted to see what you would say. No, I’m going to get the shrimp scampi and the lobster tail.”

  They burst out in laughter. The waitress brought their drinks and took their orders. While they waited, Craig took Venice’s hand into his. “You’ve become a little wild woman, Taylor.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Craig leaned toward her and said, “It’s getting to the point where I’m having a hard time keeping up with you. You’re wearing me out. I’m beginning to think I’m out of shape. I thought I was going to have a heart attack back in the room.”

  “Baby, you’re nowhere close to being out of shape. I’m not wild, but if I am, you bring it out in me.”

  “Venice, if I had it my way, I’d take you into the restroom and go for it.”

  Venice stood up and said, “Okay, let’s go.”

  Craig leaned back in his chair in shock. “For real???”

  Venice sat back down. “Gotcha!”

  Craig shook his head and blushed. Their food arrived with steam rising from their meals. Craig fed Venice some lobster tail dipped in warm butter. In turn, Venice popped some of her crabcakes into his mouth. They ate until they both were stuffed.

  After Craig paid the bill, they decided to walk around a bit to look at the different shop and vendors. They came across a laser tag amusement center and decided to play. After a few games, Craig wanted to take Venice on a sky lift. She was reluctant since she had a fear of heights. Craig finally convinced Venice and she held on tight as the lift took them high above the city lights. She eventually relaxed as she snuggled in his arms. Craig teased her by saying he was going to rock the seat.