by Skyy
Jason stood up. “Sahara, would you please marry me?”
The class laughed. Denise looked at Cooley, who was also amused by the statement.
“Aww, come see me in seven years,” Sahara told him.
“I will! I will!” Jason sat back down, instantly getting daps from the other guys in his crew.
“Ursula.” Carmen almost didn’t call on the tall girl. She already knew that Ursula was gay and so were her friends. They all walked around like mini Cooleys, rocking the hottest male fashions, braids, Locs, and short haircuts.
“Yeah, I have a question for Denise. I play ball too, and I was wondering if you ever miss basketball since you are making movies now.”
Carmen let out a sigh of relief that nothing gay had been brought up. She could tell the principal felt the same way. He nodded his head and walked out of the classroom, feeling comfortable that Carmen had everything under control. The vice principal followed him.
Denise swallowed the knot forming in her throat. It had been years, but it still stung whenever her failed basketball career came up.
“I do miss playing for the crowds and fans, but I love what I am doing now. It’s just a different type of excitement now. I still play ball to stay in shape.”
“I think I could take you,” Ursula boasted.
“Oh, really? We might have to see.” Denise smiled. She glanced at Carmen, who already knew what she was thinking. It was funny to see how out kids were now in comparison to when they were in high school.
“Where is Farih?” one of Ursula’s friends blurted out. Carmen’s body tensed. She was glad no administrators where in the room.
“She’s working right now but sends her love to everyone,” Denise answered quickly and professionally. “Carmen.” She threw it back to Carmen before any other relationship-type questions came up.
“Kelly.” Carmen called on one of the loners in the room. Out of all the students, she truly cared about Kelly. Kelly was an attractive plus-sized girl who struggled to find friends due to her weight and her inability to afford the expensive clothes at Lane Bryant and other stores for larger sizes. She was stuck wearing Wal-Mart’s best, which had at least improved from when Carmen was a young overweight girl.
The young girl struggled to get out from behind the small desk. Carmen cringed. She remembered those days and still hated desks like that.
“My question is for Cooley, actually. I was wondering what you look for when you are looking for an artist to represent.”
A few snickers came from various students, but most waited in silence to hear the answer.
Cooley put her phone in her pocket and stood up. She hadn’t expected any questions for herself. “Well, I look for the whole package, but talent is the most important thing. Why? Do you do something?”
“I sing.” More snickers came from the room. Carmen shot the class a stern glare. She looked at Kelly.
“Really? Let me hear something.” Cooley leaned back on Carmen’s desk.
Kelly looked at Carmen, who reluctantly gave the okay. Carmen knew this could end in disaster. Kelly closed her eyes and began to belt out the chorus of Christina Aguilera’s “Reflection” from Mulan.
The class was in awe, as Kelly owned the song. Carmen’s mouth dropped open. She was completely in shock. Kelly’s voice didn’t tremble or falter. Everyone could feel her emotions pouring through the song. As soon as she finished, the classroom erupted in applause.
“Goodness, girl, that was amazing.” Cooley felt her arm. “You definitely have talent, sweetie.”
“So you think I could make it?” Kelly’s eyes were brighter than Carmen had ever seen.
“Tell you what. Stay in school, graduate with honors, and when you get out, come and see me.”
Everyone in the room listened as the principal made the announcement for all classes to come to the auditorium. It was a part of the deal that if celebrities visited, something would have to be done for the whole school. Sahara had agreed to perform a song and answer a few questions. Carmen’s students headed to the auditorium as Sahara’s security prepared to usher Sahara, Denise, and Cooley out of the room.
Carmen hugged Sahara. “Thank you so much.”
“Girl, anytime. This is actually fun. I need to do more of this.”
“Yes, this is a PR gold mine. We have interviews set up afterward. This is going to be great for the image of our little engine that could.” Cooley tapped away on her iPhone.
“And some of us care because it’s actually a good thing to give back to the community,” Denise remarked and shook her head. She loved her friend but hated how money hungry she had become.
Carmen knew she would be voted teacher of the year for her gift to the school. Sahara’s performance was amazing. For once, the students didn’t want to leave the school. Carmen walked back to her empty classroom after the majority of the students had left for the summer.
“Feels different, doesn’t it?”
Carmen turned around to see the French teacher, Michael, standing in the doorway. His bright white smile lit up the room. Michael was from the Ivory Coast, and French was his native language.
“What feels different?” Carmen put her last items in her bag.
“Come on, Carmen. You are a first-year teacher. You know you feel it. We always do. We hate the school year, but then, in the end, we miss the little monsters.”
Carmen laughed. “I guess you are a little right. But I don’t get to miss them for too long. I’m teaching summer school.”
“Really?” Michael sat on the edge of her desk. “Why?”
“Only the first term. I wanted to earn a little more money for my wedding this summer.”
“Oh, that’s right. You are committing to a woman.”
“Nicole.” Carmen turned her head.
“So do I get an invitation to this wedding of yours?” Michael resembled Blair Underwood to Carmen. She had to admit for a man, he was very attractive, which was why so many of the teachers—single and married—threw their pussy at him. It made Carmen laugh knowing he took pleasure in flirting with the one adult lesbian in the school.
“It’s a destination wedding, but you will be invited to the reception when we get back.”
“Nice. Well, I’ll see you in two weeks. I’m teaching the full summer.” Michael stood up. He walked closer to Carmen. “Adieu, très belle fleur. Si seulement j’ai eu une chance avec vous, je ne serai jamais vous laisser aller.” He smiled and walked to the door.
“Okay, what did you just say?” Carmen smirked.
“Nothing much. See you later, Carmen.” Michael winked and walked out of the classroom.
“Well, my Bobby is lactose intolerant, so we have to have something other than milk.”
Misha rolled her eyes. She hated the sound of the cackling housewives she was forced to socialize with every week at Jaylin’s day care. Patrick had to put him in a fancy day care that required mothers to actually participate in fund-raisers and activities for the children on what seemed to be a weekly basis.
“We could do punch,” one of the mother’s interjected.
Vivian, the leader of the pack, frowned. “So we can take home sugar-crazed children afterward that won’t be able to sleep?”
“Ugh.” Misha sighed before realizing she was loud.
“Misha, have something to add?” Vivian asked. She hated Misha, and the feeling was definitely mutual.
“Oh no. I’m good.”
“No.” Vivian held her hand out. “Tell us what’s on your mind.” She smiled the fakest smile in history.
“I just think that we are putting too much thought into beverages,” Misha said. “Seriously, we go through this for every event, and in the end we always end up bringing both juice and milk. Why are we even discussing this?”
“Well, because maybe we want to change things up for a change.” Vivian scowled.
Misha nodded. “Okay, well, do a sorbet punch and call it a day. I just know that my time and all o
ur time could be better served discussing more important aspects of this event.”
“I do love sorbet,” another mother added. The others all nodded and made approving sounds, infuriating Vivian. She took a deep breath and flashed her wicked smile.
“Well, I guess it’s sorbet, then. Seriously, Misha, you really should add your input more often, instead of just showing up and doing nothing.”
Just as Misha was about to rip Vivian a new one, the children came running into the room. The two women exchanged evil glances, followed by their normal fake smiles, before grabbing their children.
Misha headed out the door. She wanted to grab all of Jaylin’s things and un-enroll him immediately. They were headed to their car when she heard her name being called. Misha turned around to see Lisa Murell, one of her Chi Theta Sorority sisters, headed in her direction.
“Fuck me.”
“Ohh, Mommy, you said a bad word,” Jaylin said, shocked.
“Sorry, baby. Get in your seat.” Misha sighed and turned back around. “Oh my God, Lisa, is that you?”
Lisa looked good in her black pin-striped suit. She had put on weight, but it was in the right places. The two hugged.
“Girl, I saw you walking out of the day care and couldn’t believe it. I’m trying to get my little Tamar in here.”
“It’s a great school.” Misha nodded.
“I know, right, and so close to my job.” Lisa pointed at a large glass building. “I’m with Wheeler & Moss now.”
Misha’s eyes widened. “So you did go to law school?”
Lisa nodded. “Girl, yes, I’m just an associate, but you know I have my eyes on the prize. Give me a few years, and it will be Wheeler, Moss and Murell.” Lisa and Misha gave each other a high five. “What firm are you with?”
Misha’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh, actually, I changed my mind about law school.”
“Oh, so what did you decide to do?”
“Actually, I’m raising this little one here. I didn’t want to be a working mom, at least not in the first years.”
Misha could see the disappointment on Lisa’s face. Both of them had talked about going to law school more than anything in school. Misha had been accepted to a few prestigious law schools, but all her dreams of the courtroom faded when she chose marriage and children.
“Well . . .” Lisa forced a smile. “Good for you. If I had a good man, I would probably do the same thing. Are you considering going back?”
“Yes, I’ve even been looking into reapplying after he’s four.”
Lisa’s smile reappeared. “Well, good for you. Look, we need to keep in touch. I heard about Carmen marrying that beautiful girl. I swear, if I was gay, that would be the way to go.” Lisa and Misha laughed. Misha knew that was closer to reality than Lisa would ever let on.
The two exchanged numbers, and Misha got into her car. She couldn’t shake the feeling she got when she was with Lisa. She hated how Lisa seemed to perk up only when Misha mentioned the possibility of going back to school. Misha felt like a complete failure.
Jaylin ran into the house as soon as Misha opened the front door. She could hear the video game coming from Patrick’s study. Misha wanted to kill him. She stormed back to the room.
“Why are you here?” Misha snapped.
Patrick pulled off his headphones. “Had an early day. What’s up, boo?”
Misha picked a Transformer action figure up off the floor and threw it at Patrick, hitting him in the back of his head. Patrick jumped.
“What the fuck, Misha?”
“This, all of this is what the fuck!” Misha paced in the room.
“Misha, I’m not in the mood for this shit right now. I had a long day.”
“You had a long day? You had a long day? Did you wake up at five to get your son breakfast and get him ready for school? Did you spend the day in a room of screaming toddlers? Did you have to endure the most irritating woman on the planet and then come home and find me chilling, playing a stupid video game? You could have at least picked some of this shit up!”
“Misha.”
“I’m tired of this, Patrick. I don’t want to be a housewife anymore.”
Patrick turned his head. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said.” Misha sighed. “I am tired of this. This isn’t me. I want to go back to school or get a job, just do something besides cook and clean every fucking day for the rest of my life.”
“Misha . . .” Annoyed, Patrick sat down on his love seat. “We’ve gone through this. I am not making the money I was making when we got married. We can’t afford for Jaylin to be in preschool full-time.”
“Well, let’s find a cheaper preschool.”
“Out of the question.” Patrick folded his arms.
“Patrick, neither one of us came from some fancy preschool. Why is—”
“I said no!” Patrick’s voice echoed throughout the room, sending chills through Misha’s body. “Look, I don’t know what has gotten into you lately—maybe it’s because you’re spending more time with Lena and them—but this shit is getting out of hand.”
Misha knew exactly where Patrick was going. No matter what he said, she knew the idea of her continuing her friendship with Carmen was a problem. Although he liked Carmen, the idea of Misha being so close to someone who was close to Cooley was always going to be a problem.
Misha knew she was talking to a brick wall. She walked out of the room without saying another word. She headed to their large master bathroom. Misha started the shower, pulled all her clothes off, and stepped into the steam. The hot water hit her face and her soul at the same time.
It was evident, she was unhappy.
Chapter 13
“So you got everything you need, right?”
Cooley was finding it difficult to focus with Sahara’s half-naked body lying on top of her. The only time she found her new managing job hard was when she wanted to talk business and Sahara wanted only to talk sex. Sahara’s soft lips kissed Cooley’s abs slowly. Completely ignoring Cooley’s question, Sahara used the tip of her tongue to lick around Cooley’s navel and then down, until reaching her boxer briefs.
“Sa. Come on, girl.” Cooley felt herself aflame. Her girlfriend still turned her on like it was the first time. Sahara knew what to do to get Cooley going. Within an instant, Cooley’s professionalism was out the window. With a quick push, Sahara found herself back down on the bed, with Cooley on top. She bit her lip.
“Now . . .” Cooley held Sahara’s arms down. Sahara’s black lace bra was barely holding her breasts; her areolae were already showing. “Do you have everything for your trip?”
“Not everything.” Sahara bent her knee so she could press it against Cooley’s crotch. Sahara smiled.
Cooley shook her head. “You are a mess.” With one hand Cooley moved the small piece of lace in front of Sahara’s vagina. Cooley rammed two fingers into Sahara, causing her to gasp. “Wanna keep talking shit?”
Sahara nodded yes. Cooley finger fucked Sahara roughly. One of the things Cooley loved about her girlfriend was that she could take it and love it many different ways. Sometimes they made love, but right now they were fucking.
Sahara wasn’t going to let Cooley stay in control. She pushed Cooley’s head down. Cooley didn’t need any coaching and buried her head between Sahara’s thick thighs. Sahara didn’t moan; she talked shit.
“Yeah, Daddy, eat this pussy. Shit, nigga, damn.” Sahara’s dirty comments only enticed Cooley more. “Nigga, fuck me, fuck me.”
Cooley loved when they made love, but fucking was her specialty. She bit Sahara’s clit with just enough force to make her scream. Sahara’s sweetness shot into Cooley’s mouth. She loved when she squirted.
Before Cooley could catch her breath, Sahara threw her man to her. Cooley quickly strapped up. Sahara turned over on all fours. Her round ass was calling Cooley’s name. Cooley used some of Sahara’s own sweetness to lubricate the tip as she entered Sahara from behind. Sa
hara’s ass bounced as Cooley pumped, causing vibratory waves in her soft ass.
“Oh, shit, Daddy.”
“Whose pussy is this?”
“Yours!” Sahara moaned.
“What was that?” Cooley slapped Sahara’s ass.
“It’s yours, baby.” Suddenly the potty mouth was gone. “It’s always yours.”
Cooley stopped pounding and started stroking slow and long. She ran her fingers from the nape of Sahara’s neck to her lower back, stopping only to kiss her on the Chinese symbol for love in the middle of her lower back. They came together.
Afterward, Sahara lay in Cooley’s arms in the dark room. Their naked bodies were intertwined. Cooley gave Sahara a sensual forehead kiss. Sahara smiled.
“I do,” Sahara whispered.
“What?” Cooley looked down. Sahara looked up, and their eyes met.
“I have everything for the tour. I just wish you were coming with me.”
“I wish I could, but I gotta get stuff together here. It’s only three weeks. We’ve done longer.”
“But I don’t want to do a day, let alone three weeks.” Sahara poked out her bottom lip. Cooley touched it with her index finger.
“You will be good. I’ll try to make it out to L.A. for the last show.”
“Promise?”
“Of course.”
They lay there in silence for a few moments. The only sound was their hearts beating. Sahara put her hand on Cooley’s chest.
“Do you hear that?” She smiled.
Cooley looked at her beautiful girl.
“Our hearts are beating in perfect sync,” Sahara said. She and Cooley both smiled.
They fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Carmen poured a cup of coffee from the teacher’s coffeemaker. She tasted it and immediately spat it out. She turned around when she heard a loud, deep laugh come from behind her.
“I know you didn’t just try to drink that coffee.” Michael grinned. He was holding a cup holder with three cups of Starbucks coffee. He held it out to Carmen, offering her a cup.