The Company We Keep

by Mary Monroe

  “Nicole, you need to behave yourself,” Teri scolded. “We are both old enough, unfortunately, to know that that size thing is a myth. The size of a man’s dick doesn’t matter.”

  “No, the size of a man’s dick doesn’t matter,” Nicole agreed. “But it matters when you’re fucking him.”

  CHAPTER 41

  Harrison had arrived at four, not five like she had suggested. But he had sat in his car two blocks away from her building for an hour before he rang her buzzer. He was in a fever of anticipation as he awaited her response.

  She had on a pale yellow hostess gown when she opened the door. “Right on time,” she said. Her smile was so radiant her face glowed. Her freshly painted toenails called attention to her bare feet. And she smelled like a rose, which he knew was one of the fragrances that Vera Wang endorsed because he was the one who had given her the perfume.

  “I meant to ask if you wanted me to bring something. Like a bottle of wine.” He felt like a schoolboy about to get his first piece. She felt like the Whore of Babylon.

  There was no time for games so she cut to the chase. “Fuck a bottle of wine. Did you bring some condoms?” she said bluntly, with lust about to consume her.

  Her question and eagerness caught him off guard. Had he known it was going to be this easy, he would have rung her buzzer an hour earlier. “What you say!” he mouthed, using a well-worn phrase that the elders used when they got excited about something.

  “Did you or did you not bring some condoms?” she demanded.

  “Uh, yes, I did,” he told her. “But I always carry them with me. Habit from college…”

  “Good!” she whispered in his ear, licking it for good measure. She was in the mood to get loose and she wanted him to know that. Like with everything else she did, she would leave no stone unturned. Right after she licked the tip of his ear, making him tremble and moan, she massaged his dick with both hands.

  Before he knew what was happening, she had him by the arm, leading him to her bedroom, and that was where they remained for the entire evening.

  She couldn’t get enough of him. She felt safe in his long, muscular arms, and he loved the way she wrapped her legs around his waist. She thought her body would break in two when she arched her back and lifted her pelvis to make it easier for him to get as deep into her as he could. And he did. He slid both hands beneath her butt and pulled her even closer to him. He slammed into her so hard, the head of the bed banged against the wall. He could tell from how tight she was inside that she had not been with a man in a while. That was a damn shame. She felt almost like a virgin.

  He had been with somebody just a week ago but the way he was jackhammering into her, she was convinced that he hadn’t been intimate in a while himself. That was what she wanted to believe and that was what she did believe. But she didn’t want a confirmation, so she did not ask.

  They came together, and for her it seemed to go on for so long she was afraid that it would be fatal. Finally, when it was over for her, too, she slid from beneath his body, breathing so hard it made her lungs hurt.

  “It’s been a while for you, huh?” Harrison asked, still gasping for breath. He leaned off the bed and scrambled around on the floor for his pants.

  “Uh…yeah. It’s been a little while,” Teri admitted, breathing through her mouth.

  “Do you mind if I smoke a joint?” He had already lit up and taken a few hits.

  “No, I don’t mind,” she said, reaching for it herself. Smoking weed was something else that she hadn’t done since her last time with him.

  “Omph! Baby, that was pure ecstasy. It was well worth the wait,” he told her, turning onto his side. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her. “Woman, you are amazing and you know it, don’t you?”

  She smiled demurely. “It’s tacky to brag, but what the hell. I’m hot.” She laughed, pinching his arm. Then a serious look slid across her face. “Harrison, we really need to talk. I don’t know where this is going this time, but it’s something I need to know before we get too carried away.”

  “I want you to be my lady, Teri. I can’t think of a woman in this city I’d rather be with more than you.” He looked at her with so much affection, she shivered. “I am so proud of the way you turned out.”

  His last remark made her giggle. “You make me sound like a table leg,” she told him.

  “I mean, I am proud of the woman you are. You were at the top of your game when I first met you. And to be honest with you, back then I didn’t think there was anyplace left for you to go but down. You are still at the top, and that’s where you are going to stay, lady.”

  “Would you mind explaining yourself, please?” she said, sitting up. Her face was so close to his, his hot breath stung her eyes. “I’m the same woman I was a year ago.”

  “Uh-uh. For one thing, you are more beautiful now than you were then. And that body, girl, if you get any hotter I will have to turn a hose on you.”

  “You say all that now. But what will you say tomorrow?”

  “Teri, all kidding aside, you are a beautiful woman, inside and out. You are strong and successful and smart. And, you got balls. Other than Rosie O’Donnell I’ve never seen a woman kick ass the way you do. Where do you think Eclectic would be without you?”

  “Everybody is replaceable, Harrison. If and when I do leave Eclectic, I am sure that the company won’t go out of business.”

  “Do you ever think about leaving?”

  She shrugged. “It’s crossed my mind. Recording artists aren’t the easiest people to deal with on a regular basis. Then there’s Victor, vying for the ‘boss from hell’ title. I will admit that my job gets on my last nerve from time to time and sometimes I wish I was back working the counter at Burger King. But, to be honest with you, as far as a job, I am where I want to be. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I’d like to know if a job is all you want.”

  “No, that’s not all I want, Harrison. I want a whole lot more than a job.” She paused and let out a heavy sigh. Then a thoughtful look appeared on her face. She shared that thoughtful look and a smile with him before she spoke again. “I want to be a stay-at-home mom someday.” This was the last thing he expected to hear from her.

  He was practically speechless. But after he cleared his throat, he revealed what was on his mind. “I see. Well, some guy is going to be a very lucky dude someday. I’m jealous already.” This was the last thing she expected to hear from him.

  “I can tell,” she said, a touch of melancholy in her voice.

  Was this his way of telling her that that “lucky” man wouldn’t be him? That was what it sounded like to her. Damn him to hell! What had she gotten herself into? Suddenly, she felt profoundly sad and was sorry she had behaved like a video vixen. What did he think about her now? They hadn’t been together in more than a year, and the first time they did get together again she practically raped him. What kind of woman was she? She knew how the men she worked with talked about women who came on too strong, or who were too easy. If she ever got married it would be to a man who didn’t know how nasty she really was. Why would Harrison want to marry a woman like her? As far as she was concerned, she had a royal mess on her hands now.

  They didn’t talk for a few minutes. When Teri finally spoke again, he didn’t answer.

  “Harrison, I just asked if you wanted a drink or something,” she said. He still didn’t answer. She nudged his leg with her foot. His response was a resonating snore.

  The broiled salmon that they had not even touched was still on the platter on the counter in the kitchen when Teri rolled out of bed the next morning. But the Rémy Martin was gone. The wine was gone. And Harrison was gone.

  She found a neatly written note from him stuck on the front of her microwave in the kitchen. I had a great time. Will call you…the note said. She scratched her head and bit her bottom lip. This was not what she had wanted to wake up to. Not after all she’d been through the night before. Was this what she ha
d “saved” herself all this time for?

  “What did I get myself into?” she asked herself out loud.

  CHAPTER 42

  She had slept soundly and hadn’t heard him leave. She didn’t know if he’d eased out in the middle of the night, just before dawn, or what. Had she become just another piece of hit-and-run pussy like the women she regarded with such contempt? Like that Mia and Yvette? She felt like a fool. And she was the one who was always telling Nicole not to let any man make a fool out of her. Well, Nicole would get the last laugh on her. Maybe not. If Nicole ever heard about her getting played in such an avoidable way, it wouldn’t be from her.

  She threw out the trash, then took a shower. While she was still drying herself off, she called up Carla.

  “I need to see you ASAP,” she told her psychiatrist and close friend. Teri adored Carla but she knew that as long as Carla was happily married and had so many other wonderful things going on in her life, she could never have the same type of relationship with her that she had with Nicole. Teri doubted if she’d ever be Carla’s equal. An attractive, happily married, successful woman—with two great kids thrown in the mix—was the goal of almost every woman Teri knew. It was hard enough to hold her envy at bay when she socialized with Carla. She would never tell Carla how she felt about her. How could she? But in her heart she knew that Carla probably already knew she harbored a spark of harmless jealousy. And even though she was a psychic, she didn’t need to be one to know that.

  “Well, I haven’t heard from you in a while,” Carla told her. She could tell from the tone of Carla’s voice that she was glad to hear from her. She was just sorry that she had waited until she needed professional help before she called her friend. “I’ve been so busy,” she lamented. That much was true.

  “And things must be going well for you, too,” Carla insisted. “I’ve got a pretty full schedule for the next two weeks. Is this serious?”

  “Carla, I’m a damn fool! I am a low-down, stupid, black-ass slut! I am nothing. Do you hear me? I am a piece of dog shit!”

  “Hmm. Is that all?”

  “No, that’s not all! There is a lot more and it’s not pretty. Since I’m being honest and up-front, one of the reasons I haven’t called you is because you’re everything I want to be. I’m a little jealous! I love you to death, but I’m still jealous of all you’ve got! You’ve got it all. Me, I am nothing but a damn fool.” She couldn’t believe what she’d just confessed. After she’d promised herself she wouldn’t! But she was glad she finally did. If nothing else, she felt liberated. It felt as if a huge monkey had been removed from her back.

  “I know all that,” Carla said calmly. “I know a lot more than I want to know.”

  “And that’s another thing—I can’t keep a damn secret from you.” Teri laughed. “I’m glad I’m not your husband! I bet you don’t even have to worry about him screwing around. And your poor kids! Their teen years are going to be hellish with you knowing practically every move they make.” Teri stopped talking and started laughing. Carla laughed with her. “I’m sorry. I’m upset.”

  “I can tell. Listen, I’m really sorry that I can’t talk to you more right now, but I’m expecting a seriously distraught client any minute. She’s on her last leg.”

  “Well, I already passed that point. I’m on my knees begging you to squeeze me in within the next day or so!”

  “Baby, you know I would if I could, but I have a responsibility to all my patients. Hey! I’ve got an idea that might work for both of us. If you don’t mind skipping church this Sunday, I can give you an hour, but it has to be before noon. I have a hot date later in the day.”

  “A date? A hot date? You? Woman, I know what you do is your business, but you are the last person on this planet that I expected to…uh…get jiggy with another man. I guess if a shrink can’t walk the straight and narrow, the rest of us don’t have a chance.”

  Carla laughed and tried to imagine the kind of horrified look Teri must have on her face. “Don’t let your mind run wild. My hot date is with my husband. After I give him a foot massage, I am going to treat him like the king he is. I’ve reserved a suite at the Beverly Hilton.”

  “You need a suite at the Hilton just so you can make love to your husband? That’s where the stars stay.”

  “Well, my husband is a star to me. And I’m not going to make love to my star, I’m going to fuck him. Being his whore keeps him from going out and buying one.”

  Teri was at a loss for words. “I’ll see you Sunday morning at ten?” she managed after a few moments.

  “If you really think it’s necessary, yes. I don’t expect to see you, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know all the details yet, but the information is still coming to me. I could see it more clearly if you were in my presence.”

  “You know about Harrison and me, don’t you? You know he spent the night at my place last night?” Teri didn’t allow Carla to answer her questions because she already knew the answers. “If you do, then you know he slipped out of here like the Frito Bandito while I was still asleep.”

  “Like I said, I don’t know all the details. But I do know that he was with you last night.”

  “I’ll see you Sunday morning,” Teri mumbled. She hung up and moped around for about ten minutes.

  Other than the empty Rémy Martin and wine bottles and her sore pussy, there was no other indication that Harrison had even been in her residence. His hit-and-run had left her feeling like roadkill.

  Teri didn’t even bother to call Nicole after her conversation with Carla. But an hour later, Nicole called her on her cell phone.

  “What’s up?” At first Teri didn’t recognize Nicole’s voice because she was whispering. And she sounded like a man. A few weeks ago Teri had received phone calls from some horny men who were trying to make dates with a call girl named Wendy. Come to find out, her cell phone number was the same number that had been issued to this Wendy woman. And that hussy must have had some damn good pussy or she offered discount rates, because men claiming to be her regular customers were calling day and night, seven days a week. Teri had called Verizon a week ago and had them change her cell phone number and had not received any odd phone calls since. Until now.

  “You’ve got the wrong number,” she said, rolling her eyes and letting out a harsh breath. She was in her bathrobe and house shoes in her kitchen making a salad. She could still smell the salmon that she had prepared for Harrison the night before. She had left it in the broil pan, wrapped it, and shoved it into the refrigerator. She didn’t like to waste food so she decided she’d warm it up for lunch and dinner.

  “It’s Nicole,” Nicole said, still whispering. “You able to talk?”

  “Yes, I am able to talk. Why wouldn’t I be able to talk in my own home?” she asked, slicing off pieces of lettuce and tossing them into a wooden bowl on the counter.

  “Is he gone?”

  “That motherfucker snuck out of here like he stole something!” Teri hissed.

  CHAPTER 43

  “Damn! What the hell did you do to him, Teri? Bite one of his balls in two or bore him half to death? See there! I told you that shit like that happens when you don’t stay in practice in the bedroom. Either you fuck up or you forget how to do certain things!”

  “Girl, I don’t even want to talk about it. I should have never let my guard down again with that Negro!”

  “Then why did you?”

  “Because he’s a…he’s a—he’s a smooth operator, that’s why. He knows how to work a woman. But it’ll be a cold day in hell before I let my guard down again.”

  “You can do better than that. That’s the lamest thing you’ve said since, uh, since yesterday.”

  “Maybe we should change the subject,” Teri suggested, chewing her nails, something she had not done since high school.

  “Change the subject, my ass. You know I am not going to get off this phone until I get the whole story.”


  “It just didn’t work out, okay? Again.”

  “Well, I don’t know what he did or didn’t do. Or what the hell you did, and it’s none of my business. I just don’t want to be dragged into this mess and then left out in the cold.”

  “I’m not dragging you into anything, Nicole. As a matter of fact, I didn’t plan on telling you anything about last night.”

  “So why is Harrison calling me this morning? Will you tell me that much?” Nicole demanded.

  “What…what do you mean?” Teri stammered. “This morning? Why would Harrison be calling you this morning?”

  “Because he couldn’t reach you. He said he’d called several times and let the phone ring more than a dozen times. Your answering machine didn’t even pick up the calls.”

  Teri’s head felt as if the sky had fallen on it. It was only then that she remembered she had turned off her landline and answering machine! And so far, Nicole and Victor were the only ones to whom she’d given her new cell phone number. “Oh shit!” She dropped the head of lettuce into the sink and slapped the side of her head. “I turned off everything just before Harrison got here last night because I didn’t want us to be disturbed! He’s been trying to call me?”

  “All morning.”

  “Shit. Well, the way he snuck out of here—”

  “The man told me he had to get his car to his mechanic this morning.”

  “And he couldn’t tell me that?”

  “Teri, give the man some slack. Like everybody else, he’s got a life. You can’t expect to be in on every little detail of it. We have to do our part if we want our relationships to work. Look at me. I know I’ve got my work cut out for me if I want to make things work with Eric.”

  “This is a fine mess,” Teri said. She moved across the floor to the wall phone and turned it back on. Still talking, she rushed into the living room and turned on the other telephone and the answering machine connected to it. “If Harrison calls you again, tell him to call me.”