Malik smiled. God heard his prayer. “No, I didn’t see them at all,” he mused.
“So, why are you here? I hear you left the hospital before Ian was even out of harm’s way. Did you know that Jefferson stayed and watched vigil over him last night?”
“Margo, I didn’t come to argue with you. In fact, quite the contrary, and I’m glad we are able to be alone. Finding out that one of the twins belonged to me blew my mind, and I wasn’t able to deal with it at the moment. You have to understand where I’m coming from.”
“I’ll give you that.”
“I’m here today to let you know that I’m here for you and Ian. Whatever you and the baby need, I’m prepared to man up to the plate.”
Margo continued to stare. “What about Ivy? How does she feel about you obligating yourself to Ian and me? Have you even spoken to her about it?”
“She’ll understand. I have always taken my responsibilities seriously, and this is no different. I still can’t believe this has happened. I truly wished that I had found this out before I married Ivy.”
Margo stared at him, her eyes twitching back and forth. “You need to take back what you said. You are married to my daughter and I won’t allow you to disregard her as if she’s one of your conquests. She is your priority. Furthermore, I can take care of Ian. In fact, I want you to sign over your parental rights to me.”
“Damn you, Margo. Why do you hate me so much? Why do this to me? Ian is the thread that holds us together. I haven’t stopped loving you. And I haven’t forgotten the afternoon you came to see me when you thought Jefferson was with Angelica and begged me . . . I mean, you pleaded with me to make love to you. You gave of yourself so freely, and I fell deeper in love with you at that moment. And now to find out that you bore our love child—a gift from God.”
Margo held her hand up. “Shut up, Malik. Don’t do this. I don’t love you and what you have for me is nothing more than pure lust. It’s in your eyes—the way you always look at me, stalk me . . .”
“That’s a lie, Margo. I felt nothing but love for you then as I do now. Why do you think I was always around after Jefferson went to prison and after Toni was killed in the car accident? I was afraid to come out and say it, but I was madly in love with you. In fact, I was in love with you long before then. I wasn’t coming around for my health; I couldn’t stay away. I wanted to be there for you in any way I could. I enjoyed our talks, our dinner outings, the way your hair smelled, and the way you smelled. I was too afraid to come out and tell you how I felt because I thought you’d run away. So I settled for being near you as often as I could.”
“That was then, Malik, and this is now. You have chosen my daughter to be your wife, and it’s she you are now beholden to. And I hope and pray that you’re not playing with her emotions and affection for you. I will personally rip your heart out if you hurt my child.”
“Margo, please don’t do this. I want to be in my child’s life; I want to be in your life. We can make it work, and I can still be the husband to Ivy.”
“Malik, you need to leave now. You make me ill. If I never see your face again, that would make me happy. I do want something from you, however. Sign the waiver of your parental rights.”
“What if something should happen to Ian that he needs my blood?”
“We’ll cross that hurdle when it happens.”
“You’re being a bitch, Margo. What have I ever done to you but love you?” Moisture formed in Malik’s eyes. “Don’t dismiss me like I’m your disobedient child. I love you. I want to be with you. If not now, later; I’ll wait. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“I want you to get the hell out of my room.”
“You heard my mother,” Winter said, her voice booming. “Get the hell out, you bastard. How could you come up in here and say those things to my mother when you have a wife who’s carrying your child?”
Malik looked up and saw Ivy. He had no idea as to how much she heard, but he could tell she’d been crying. He pushed past Winter but Ivy was out of the door.
“Wait, Ivy,” Malik called out and the door closed behind him.
Winter pulled back the curtain and went to her mother. Tears were streaming from Margo’s face. Margo looked up at Winter and tried to raise her hands. Winter held her mother’s hands and kissed her forehead.
“Not one time, Winter, did Malik mention that Ivy was pregnant. I hope he rots in hell.”
“He’ll get his. Now I’ve got to find Ivy before Malik does. I’ll be back.”
Forty-Six
There would be no more waiting on Jefferson Myles to show his face at her place. Toni had been there, done that for many of her adult years, and as of today, she was going to put her foot down. Maybe she thought she needed a man, but her days of chasing tail were coming to a close. True, she wanted that good-looking hunk of a man who was still in his prime and could still break hearts if he wanted to, but how much was she to sacrifice to have him as her own?
Toni had her taste of the younger men, who only seemed interested and desperate to see what she could add to their dossier. A cougar she wasn’t, and if anyone was to be kept, it wasn’t going to be her doing the keeping. Her life was not defined by any man; in fact, she didn’t want a man that bad that she’d be handing out jewels and money to keep them interested.
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The sun was high in the sky. A quick run to Saks at the Triangle Town Center Mall would assuage her spirits. Last week she glimpsed a nice Louis Vuitton bag that would go nice with a pair of shoes she’d been dying to wear.
Toni swished her hair as she stared in the mirror for the last time before making her exit. Her hot pink multi-colored spandex top made a blazing statement as it settled at the edge of the pockets on her white Wrangler jeans. She was hot.
Picking up her purse and BlackBerry, Toni prepared to leave. She put on her large, black Chanel sunglasses, looked around, set the alarm and closed the door behind her. Before she could take another step, her phone chirped . . . rather it sang one of her favorite love songs that she’d recently assigned to Jefferson. She paused, then answered, not sure she was doing the right thing given his seemingly lack of interest. “Hello,” she said in a rather distracted voice.
“Hey, sorry about yesterday. What are you up to?”
“In fact, I’m on my way to Saks to treat myself. I got a little stir crazy sitting in the house, especially since it’s a beautiful day, and . . .”
“Would you like some company?”
“Aren’t you at the hospital?”
“Need to get away. Thought seeing you would lighten my mood.”
Toni smiled. “Well, I don’t have to go to Saks right now.”
“No, why don’t I meet you there? I’d like to tag along on your shopping expedition and see your taste in clothes. But I want to take you back to your place and make love to you. Now that the boys are out of the woods, I can’t think of anything else but being with you. I want to hold you, feel you, and taste you. The other night only fueled the passion that is wracking my body right now.”
“Well, maybe we should forget about shopping.”
“You think?”
“Jefferson, what about Margo? Um, isn’t she going to need you?”
“Winter and Winston are there. J.R. went into the office for a little while.”
“What about your other daughter and her husband?”
“Malik, that’s his name. He’s been hanging around the hospital this morning. I can’t stand the sight of him. I stayed with the twin that shares his blood type all night, and now after the crisis is over, he had the nerve to show up like he’s the big D.”
“So this is why you want to come by. To let off some steam.”
“Toni, that was unfair.”
“The truth is the truth.”
“Toni, I really want to be with you. Margo and I will never be again. Our divorce will be final in a few weeks, and she’s made it very clear that she wants to be alone—th
at is without me.”
Relief shadowed Toni’s face like a total eclipse. She couldn’t contain her smile. To think she was ready to throw in the towel so early. “Okay, meet me at Saks. I’ll be there in about fifteen or twenty minutes, and then I’m going to take you home and make you forget what day it is. You won’t even remember that you were at the hospital caring for Margo before finding out that your daughter’s husband is the father of one of Margo’s twins.”
“Ouch,” Jefferson said. “But I do like what you’re saying. It sounds like a place I want to be and in full submission to you. I’ll be there as fast as I can get there, and keep stoking that fire that’s got you saying just what I need to hear.”
“Oh, baby, it’s already a forest fire, and not even Smokey can put this out.”
“I’m on my way.”
• • •
Malik emptied the paper cup that had been filled earlier with Coke. He sat alone in the hospital cafeteria, going over in his head all that had transpired today. It hurt him that Ivy was a witness to his proclamation of love for her mother, while he yet loved her. But he couldn’t help himself because this was how he truly felt.
He wanted to slap Ivy’s sister, Winter. She had gotten all up in his face, threatening him if he hurt Ivy. Hell, he loved Ivy, but not the way he loved Margo. Winter had one more time to step to him because he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions the next time.
Looking up, Malik saw Jefferson enter the cafeteria. He wasn’t sure if Jefferson was stalking him because this was the third time he had seen Jefferson in a matter of an hour, but it appeared something else was on his mind. Jefferson walked past without blinking an eye and, within seconds, he left the way he had come. It was hard to fathom that they had once been best friends.
Malik got up and threw the cup away. Before he left for Fayetteville, he wanted another opportunity to speak with Margo. He had to convince her that he meant no harm, especially as it concerned Ivy, but he was serious about how he felt about her. How he was going to manage loving two people at the same time had yet to be worked out in his head. He had no choice because his heart told him so—that he belonged to Margo and Ivy.
Forty-Seven
It was like a rumble in the jungle. They tore at each other like carnivores—kissing, licking, sucking, and tearing each other to shreds as if the world was coming to an end and this would be their last tryst on earth. Their bodies were entangled as one flesh and they continued to devour each other until there was nothing left to eat. Spent, they lay motionless, falling under their own spell.
With arms outstretched and eyes closed, Jefferson lay next to Toni satisfied, although his thoughts had now turned to Margo. Only hours earlier, he’d been surrounded by his boys, making sure that Margo was being treated well as she lay covered in Plaster of Paris. Jefferson thought he saw a twinkle in her eye—one of the moments that their eyes locked on to each other, bringing back a flood of memories they shared as husband and wife.
Toni shifted her body and nestled up against Jefferson, interrupting his thoughts temporarily. Something other than sex had attracted Jefferson to Toni, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. In the past few days, it caused him to question his true motive toward Margo. But even at that moment, lying so close to Toni, feeling the tender curves of her buttocks on his groin, Margo’s name was imprinted in bold letters on his mind.
He kissed the back of Toni’s head, and she ran her hand over the length of his calf, feeling for his manhood that had sent her into a villainous frenzy. Aroused, Jefferson cradled her breast in one hand and kissed her on the back of the head once more, then squeezed her breast intermittently to stimulate Toni’s passion that rose in her like a beast. Not even a minute had passed before the sucking sounds of the beginning of their ravenous foreplay could be heard, almost as if each were auditioning for a part in a play. And then the curtain opened, and the well-rehearsed drama unfolded—Jefferson and Toni playing their roles, perfecting them from the time before. And the ending was spectacular—Jefferson roaring like a lion as the taunt muscles in his body pushed outward after which his body shook as if a thousand volts of lightning had hit him. And Toni followed with the passion of a mother lion protecting her cubs, her roar almost as loud as Jefferson’s. Then her legs fell from around Jefferson’s waist and her wet body soaked up the sweat that fell from his dripping body as she lay limp from exhaustion. And then he moved from over her and fell on the bed face up and drifted off to sleep.
• • •
The room was stark quiet except for the heavy breathing of the two lovers who lay asleep upon the coolness of the satin sheets. The closed blinds hid the afternoon sun, which soothed the lover’s souls and allowed for uninterrupted peace.
Without warning, a loud noise rocked Jefferson and Toni from their slumber. They jumped at the sound of Beyoncé’s voice serenading them over Toni’s BlackBerry. Toni reached for her phone to quiet the noise that threatened the tranquility of the moment, but when she saw the caller’s name, she decided to take it, scooting from the bed in her birthday suit. Jefferson watched groggily as Toni sashayed across the room until she disappeared from view.
Closing the door to the spare bedroom behind her, Toni resumed her conversation. “What is it, Anissa? I’m right in the middle of romancing the man of my dreams.”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt your lovemaking session, although you didn’t have to answer the phone, you know. But I’ve got something hot for you.”
“It better be good. I left my hot hunk of a man, who for the last hour has been snuggled up against my body.”
“Ooh, too much information. Maybe I should call you later.”
“No, let me hear what you’ve got so I can go back to my man in peace.”
“Okay then. I was out with some of my girlfriends last night, and afterwards I stopped in the lounge at my favorite hotel for a nightcap and to hear the band. This guy was sitting at the bar sipping on his drink by his lonesome, and I went over and sat down. Like a perfect gentleman, he offered to buy me a drink and we began to talk.”
“Okay, now that you’ve gotten the preliminaries out of the way, I trust this conversation is leading to something more meaningful.”
“Hold your horses, Toni; I’m getting there. Anyway, I wasn’t as interested in what he was saying initially, but once he began to pour out his soul and spill the reason he was sitting alone, he had my undivided attention. I asked him his name, and when he told me Malik, I was none the wiser. But when I got home and turned on the TV, there he was in living color.”
“Well, who is he and what did he say?”
“Ready for this? I was hobnobbing with Malik Mason.”
“The Malik Mason out of Fayetteville who is running for a North Carolina senate seat?”
“The one and only, girlfriend. But that’s not the half of it. He found out that he’s the father of his wife’s mother’s baby. Can you believe that? But it gets even better. His mother-in-law has twin boys, but he’s the father of only one of them.”
“Damn! And who’s the father of the other one?”
“The mother-in-law’s soon-to-be ex-husband.”
“Shut-up. I owe you for this tidbit. This is gossip at its best.” Toni smiled to herself. Now she had her story as given to her by someone other than Jefferson. She needed to move on it; otherwise, old news wouldn’t pack the kind of punch she intended. Cousin Sterling would owe her big after she let this story leak into the political sewer. “Let’s meet for an early dinner, and you can finish giving me the sorted details.”
“Let me see if I can fit you into my schedule.” After a slight pause, she said, “I believe it’s doable. What time?”
“Anissa, you’re crazy and I’m not mad at you for the interruption. Let’s say five-ish at Macaroni Grill. Now, I’ve got to go. I’ll have my recorder with me.”
“See you then.”
Finished with her call, Toni left the room and headed back to her bedroom. She jumped
when she saw Jefferson’s fully clothed silhouette blocking the sun from the living room window. At that moment, she felt like Eve in the Garden of Eden—naked before God and Jefferson, her mind rapidly assessing the situation, wondering if Jefferson had overheard any of her conversation with Anissa. One thing was apparent, though; their romantic interlude had been abruptly terminated—kaput for the day. Anissa’s timing might have been off, but Toni saw her interrupted time with Jefferson only as a momentary setback. He’d be back, but in the meantime, she was going to sell this story to the highest bidder. Hell, she no longer needed a website.
Forty-Eight
Malik cased the hospital like a secret service agent, making sure that he didn’t overlook any nook or cranny. He crisscrossed the hospital from one wing to the other, but there was no sign of Ivy. He peeped into the small snack bar, but without any luck.
As he exited the snack bar, Malik ran into Winter who rolled her eyes and scowled at him. “If something happens to my sister, you’re gonna wish you were dead.”
“Save your rhetoric for someone else, Winter. You need to watch your mouth and learn how to talk to your elders. I’m sure your mother taught you better. And so that you know, you don’t scare me in the least.”
Winter waved her finger in Malik’s face and did a snake shake with her head. “So long as you heard me.”
“Whatever, little girl.” And Malik walked off.
• • •
Ivy walked blindly through the hospital corridors until she found a public telephone booth and walked in. She willed her tears to subside, but she was unable to shut off the steady stream that flowed from her eyes. Tears marked her path but she was determined to get as far away from the hospital as she could.
She fumbled through the Yellow Pages until she came to the page marked Taxis. Reaching in her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the numbers that were written in bold black print in the advertisement for Cardinal Cab. Painfully, she gave the dispatcher her whereabouts and turned to exit the phone booth.
In My Rearview Mirror Page 19