I dried off and put my clothes on. I heard something that sounded like Hope crying. I eased her door open and saw her laid across her bed in tears. I rushed to the bed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Every man I trust end up lying to me.”
I patted Hope on the back. “It’ll be okay. What did your man do this time?” I still didn’t like the fact that I hadn’t met him.
Hope looked up at me with puffy, red eyes. “I called him all night and he never returned my calls. I promised myself I wouldn’t run over to his place, but maybe I should have. That way I would know for sure if he’s cheating on me.”
“Hope, I’ve told you if he was really in love with you he wouldn’t be putting you through all of these changes. You should reconsider this relationship, and think about getting out while you still can.”
Hope sat up in bed. “I’ve tried. It’s something about him that won’t let me stop loving him. Now I see what all the guys go through who confess their love for me.”
I laughed.
Hope didn’t see anything funny.
I grabbed her by the shoulder and made her look at me. “Are you serious? Girl, you’re a Jones. We may fall down, but we dust ourselves off and we get back into life. Don’t let this man take any more from you than he already has.”
“For the first time, I experienced a real orgasm,” Hope confessed.
“That explains it. You’re not in love. You just love how he makes your body feel.”
“No, it’s more than that. We have this connection. It’s hard to explain.” She looked down.
“Hope, look at me.”
Hope looked up. I continued. “Trust me, he is not the only man capable of making your toes curl and your body tremble. You might find better.”
“But, I want him.”
“Just from what you’ve shared about him, he is clearly not the one for you.”
“Would you be saying that if Scotty hadn’t broken off your engagement?”
Ouch. She wanted to hit below the belt. Little did she know I’d come to terms with the demise of my relationship with Scotty a long time ago. I was naive like her then. “My friend Lisa tried to warn me about Scotty, but like you I ignored her. I wish I hadn’t because it would have saved me heartache and grief.”
“But he is nothing like your Scotty. When we’re together, he makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.”
“You’ve been warned. I hope you’re using protection. The last thing you need is to get pregnant by this dude.”
“We are, but he did want us to start sleeping together without one,” she confessed.
“If you don’t listen to anything else I’ve told you, please listen to this. Do not, and I repeat, do not sleep with him without protection. There’s disease. You could get pregnant. Trust me on this. Please.”
“Fine. I will always use protection.”
I sighed. “Good. I hope I’m wrong about everything else. I still want to meet him, so make it happen and soon.”
I got up and left Hope alone to deal with her feelings. I’d spent too much time on personal things. It was almost noon and I needed to get focused on planning my next event.
CHAPTER 29
Hope
Tyler seemed to think because I was younger than him, he could continue to string me along. He needed to know there were plenty of men who wished they were in his position. I refused to spend another night alone crying over him.
Tyler finally returned my call. We argued right away. He snapped at me. “Hope, you need to grow up. Better yet, get a job like the rest of us, and you’ll understand why I’m not always available to you when you call.”
“T, that’s bull and you know it. You have access to text and email. It doesn’t take but a second to respond.”
“I’m not going to be rude in front of a customer and text you back.”
I threw my hand up in the air. “Whatever. Call me when you can fit me into your busy schedule.”
I clicked the end button on my phone. Tyler called back, and I sent each call to voice mail. Two could play that game. Like Charity reminded me, I’m a Jones and Mama didn’t raise no fool.
I sent a quick text to someone, and got dressed in a violet pant suit with purple alligator-printed heels. I grabbed my matching designer clutch and drove to the other side of town.
“Ms. Jones, here’s your key,” the clerk at the front desk of the Horseshoe Casino said.
The hotel suite’s bar was filled with food and drinks. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, so I chose a sandwich and sat at the table while waiting on my guest to arrive.
An hour later, I heard a knock at the door. By this time, I’d become relaxed. I’d removed my shoes and was watching one of my favorite soap operas. I placed the television on mute and went to the door. I looked through the peephole before opening.
Jason walked in and attempted to hug me, but I moved. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
“You’re late,” I responded.
“I was actually surprised to hear from you. It’s been a few months.”
Jason attempted to kiss me. His lips were met with the back of my hand as I blocked him. I sat down on the couch. He sat next to me. I scooted toward the other end.
“What’s with the attitude? You called me.” Jason popped his knuckles.
“This was a mistake. Our whole relationship has been a mistake,” I blurted out.
“You’ve been listening to your brother, haven’t you?” Jason said.
“No, this has been wrong from day one. I shouldn’t have ever allowed our relationship to get to this point. If my parents ever find out, they are going to be so disappointed in me.” Tears formed in the crevices of my eyes.
Jason placed his hand on my knee. “Haven’t I always been good to you? Whatever you wanted, I made sure you had. Who has been keeping money in your pockets? Wasn’t I the one you called when your dear ol’ Dad cut off your credit cards?”
“Yes, Jason, you’ve been good to me. But, come on. What we’ve been doing is wrong.”
“You were an adult when our love affair started, so don’t get it twisted.”
“Barely. I was eighteen when you took advantage of me.”
Jason laughed. “Dear, you came on to me first. I’d tried to ignore your advances, but I’m a man. You caught me at a weak moment.”
He was delusional. His recollection of things was way different than mine. I recalled the time we had our first sexual encounter. He’d financed a trip to Dallas for me and some friends. He conveniently was in the Dallas area at the same time. While my friends were busy doing their thing, he invited me up to his room. The next thing I knew, he’d given me a few drinks, and we were having sex.
Instead of being ashamed of what we had done, our relationship had continued off and on since. We were good at hiding our attraction to one another. At first, I was with him because of the admiration I’d always had for him, and I was able to live a childhood fantasy. The relationship then became more of a business transaction for me. Whenever we slept together, he was more generous to me with gifts and cash.
A part of me was ashamed of what I’d done. I came close to confessing our relationship the other night to Lovie and Charity, but was too embarrassed to bring it up.
“Jason, let’s keep it real. If my dad ever found out you’ve been sleeping with me, he would kill you. And don’t let my mom get a whiff of it. You would definitely be good as dead.”
Jason gripped my knee. “That’s something you don’t want to do. You forgot about the videos we made. If you tell, I will make sure they are uploaded on the Internet.” He chuckled. “With a body like yours, your videos would be an overnight hit.”
I hit his hand off my knee. “You’re sick. I regret the day I ever let you touch me.”
Jason shifted his body and leaned over me. “Don’t be that way.”
“No. I don’t want to do this with you anymore.”
Jason kissed me. I bit his
lip. He raised his hand to hit me, but stopped. “Ooh, Hope, you’re pissing me off.”
I pushed myself up from under him and stood up. “I think you should leave.”
“I’m the one paying for this room. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Fine, then I’ll leave.” I picked up my shoes and my handbag.
He blocked the doorway. I could feel his hot breath in my face. “Remember what I said. Keep this our little secret, or else.”
I couldn’t leave the room fast enough.
CHAPTER 30
Lovie
Slim was one of the luckiest men I knew. After only being in jail for a short period of time, he was back out on the streets. He wanted to meet with me so I could give him an update on how his finances were looking.
We met at the club like we normally do. This time, it was during the day and without his normal entourage.
“I’m glad I was smart enough to use you. The government seized the rest of my money, but thanks to you I’m still a rich man,” Slim said.
“That’s what friends are for,” I responded.
“You were always the smartest in our class.”
“Thanks to you, I didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to beat me up.”
We continued our trip down memory lane for a few minutes before returning to the present.
Slim took a puff of his cigar and blew out smoke. “Word on the street is that your Uncle Jason has been stealing money from some of his clients. One of them came to me. Out of respect for you, I wanted to talk to you about it.”
I looked Slim straight in the eyes. “Between you and me, ain’t no love lost between the two of us. That’s his business, not mine.”
“Word. Well, fam, you know we look after each other. Just wanted to clear it with you.”
Under normal circumstances, I would have tried to convince Slim to let it go. Not this time. His situation didn’t have anything to do with me. I glanced at my watch. “Man, I’m supposed to meet my mom, so I’d better go. If I’m late, I’ll have to hear her mouth.”
“Understood.” We gave each other a fist bump.
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting on the couch at my parents’ house. My mom paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.
“Mom, you’re going to wear a hole in the carpet if you don’t stop. Come sit down, and tell me why you needed to see me.” I patted the couch next to me.
She stopped pacing. Her forehead wrinkled with stress. She blurted out, “It’s Jason. He’s going to be a big problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“I need you to promise me something.” She walked and sat next to me.
“I can’t do that until you tell me what it is.”
“I need for you to promise me that what I am about to tell you will remain between the two of us. That means, don’t repeat this to your sisters.” She paused. “And, definitely don’t share this with Royce.”
There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my mom, so I responded, “Sure, Mom. I promise. Now what is it?”
“Your Uncle Jason wants me to convince you to back off. He basically threatened to tell your father something if I didn’t.”
“In other words, he’s trying to blackmail you.”
“Exactly. I love Royce, and I won’t let anything come between us. I do mean anything.”
“Looks like I need to pay dear old Uncle Jason a house call.”
“No. You need to stay away from him. I’m going to deal with him.”
“Mom, that’s what you told me earlier. Now he’s threatening you. What does he have over you that could destroy your relationship with Dad?”
Her eyes shifted away. Her head drooped down. “I’m ashamed to say.”
“Please tell me it’s not what I think it is.” I bit my bottom lip.
“It only happened once, but I regret it happened at all.”
I didn’t know how to take this information. I couldn’t believe my mom cheated on my dad. If my dad found out, it would kill him. I looked away. “How could you? Dad’s given you everything.”
“Son, it was during a time your father and I were having problems. He was taking weekend trips. It would be days before I knew where he was. Jason, of course, was always around to offer a shoulder to cry on. One night, he made a pass at me. In my vulnerable state, I allowed things to get out of control.”
“But, that’s no excuse.”
“You’re right. There’s no excuse for me allowing it to happen. You don’t know how many times I’ve beat myself up about it.”
“Sleeping with your man’s woman is a serious violation.” The veins in my forehead tensed up.
“I tried to tell your dad that Jason couldn’t be trusted, but he wouldn’t listen to me. So over the years, I’ve pushed the incident to the back of my mind and dealt with Jason because he’s your dad’s best friend.”
“I have one question. Did he lay his hands on you when you confronted him at his office the other day?”
“No, dear.” I could tell she was lying. She continued to say, “But he did threaten to expose what happened between us to your father.”
“Not on my watch he won’t.” I got up and stormed toward the door.
My mom grabbed my arm, but I jerked it away. “Please, don’t. Just leave it alone,” she begged.
“He’s not going to get away with blackmailing you.”
“Lovie!” she shouted out as I rushed to my car.
It was still early, so Jason would still be at his office. I sat and waited in the parking lot until he came out of the building. I eased my car behind his and followed him home without him noticing me. I ignored my mom’s phone calls and text messages.
I waited for him to go inside before parking my car behind his. I got out and rang his doorbell.
He opened the door. “Lovie, what are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
He opened the screen door. As soon as I got inside, I pulled back my arm and smacked him in the mouth with my fist. He wobbled and fell back. “That’s for threatening my mom.” I hit him again in the face. “That’s for stealing from my family.”
Blood dripped from his bottom lip onto the front of his suit. I let go of his collar, and he hit the floor. As I left out the front door, Jason yelled, “You and that ratchet mom of yours are going to pay for this.”
I shook my fist. It hurt a little bit, but the satisfaction of punching him eased the pain. The only thing that saved him from me putting a bullet between his beady eyes was the vision of my mom having to visit me behind bars.
CHAPTER 31
Lexi
Lovie wouldn’t answer his phone. I was beginning to worry. I decided to cook dinner to keep my mind occupied. Royce strolled in after eight o’clock. I ended up having to microwave his food.
He sat in his favorite chair in the den. He looked up at me with appreciative eyes as I handed him his plate. “Lexi, I appreciate you. I really do.”
“I know you do,” I responded.
“I’m serious. You take care of the house. You try to keep our family together. You make sure I have what I need.”
“I’m just doing what any good wife and mother would do.” I took a seat in the nearby chair.
“This issue with Jason and the money has me stressing out. I’m sorry I haven’t been myself lately.”
“Don’t worry about Jason. He’ll get over it,” I tried to assure him.
“He feels I’m cheating him out of work.”
I laughed. “The gall of him. He’s been cheating us out of money. I say turn him into the police and let them deal with him.”
“It’s not that simple. Lovie doesn’t have concrete proof yet. I want to make sure before I go around accusing anyone.” I rolled my eyes as I listened to Royce continue his praises. “Jason’s been a good friend to me over the years, and I would hate to ruin his reputation because of speculation.”
I shifted in my seat so I could see Royce’s face. “That’
s just it. Jason is not the friend you think he is. He’s always been jealous of you, but for some reason you have this blind loyalty. You’re loyal to him, but Jason’s never been loyal to you.”
“I’m a pretty good judge of character. I would know if Jason wasn’t the friend you claimed he’s not. I don’t know why you don’t like him. He’s done nothing but be nice to you and the kids.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Frustrated and confused about which direction to go in, I changed the subject. “I know this sounds morbid, but I’m glad business has picked up.”
“That’s the thing about being in the funeral home business. Someone has to die in order to make money.”
“It’s part of life, so we might as well benefit from it.”
“Lexi Marie Jones, you can be so cold.”
“I’m just saying. We are born. We live. We die. It’s just a part of life.”
“You sound like my daddy.”
“He was a wise man.” I picked up a magazine and flipped idly through it.
“That he was.”
My cell phone rang. I glanced at it and saw Jason’s number on the display. I hit the ignore button. Jason called back.
Royce said, “Whoever that is really wants to talk to you. Maybe you should answer.”
“It’s nobody important. They can wait.”
Royce’s cell phone rang. He looked at it. “Speaking of the devil. Guess who this is?”
I had a good suspicion I knew exactly who it was. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. I prayed Jason would keep his big mouth shut.
Royce hung up the phone. “Jason’s on his way over.”
I tried not to panic. “I thought tonight it would just be me and you. You know, so we could do what married couples do?”
“After he leaves, it’ll be on. So I hope you took your vitamins today.” Royce winked his right eye.
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