“I went shopping earlier, and I knew these outfits would look good on you. I asked the salesperson to hold them until you came back with me. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No baby, that’s so sweet.”
First, I tried on a lavender sundress. It had wide spaghetti straps and the neckline was cut low in the front. It showed off my perfectly round size 36Ds, if I must say so myself. It fit tight around the waist and hung loose around my hips. The dress was made of rayon and silk. It was very elegant, the kind of sundress that can be worn on the beach or to dinner.
The second outfit was a silk turquoise ensemble. The sarong skirt fit like a loose mermaid skirt. It started just below my waist and stretched just past my knees. The top fit snug, but not too tight, against my body. This outfit was definitely saying something. It was sexy and chic. I walked out of the dressing room, giving my best “working it” walk. The sight of Michael standing there in awe made me work it even harder.
“Baby, that’s gorgeous. You have to wear it to the players’ party.”
I kissed him on the lips and said, “I love them both. Thank you.”
Michael had good taste and made sure his woman was looking good too. I couldn’t wait to wear my outfit. I wanted to make him proud.
When we left the mall, we went to the day spa down the street. Michael had our massages set up so both of us could be in the same room. Also, I got a facial and a body wrap. I never knew that going to the spa with my man could be so romantic. After he finished his massage, he had to go to the stadium. I stayed and finished my day of pampering.
When I left the spa, I met Toi for a drink at a sidewalk café. Michael and Johnny were at the field, so we took time to discuss what we had to do to make sure Toby was out of the picture for good. We decided to meet when the guys went to the park.
TWELVE
Life, love, disappointment, happiness,
loathing, distress, peace, loyalty,
jealousy, commitment, betrayal,
hate, envy, and sin.
It’s all bound to happen so . . .
let the games begin
Toi wasn’t her usual talkative self. She became quiet and very nervous as we approached Johnny’s house. Her voice trembled when she spoke, and she was shaking like a dried-up leaf on a tree. It was obvious that she was apprehensive about seeing Toby. However, I knew she realized that this situation must be addressed soon.
“Are you sure this is the best time to do this? Should we really go through with it, Candice?”
“Look Toi, the question is, are you sure that you want to do this? Do you want Toby to be part of y’all’s life forever? If you don’t mind sharing yo man . . . hey, it’s up to you. I can’t make the decision for you. You have to decide what direction you want your relationship with Johnny to go, not me. So I’ma ask you one more time, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah, I want him out of our lives, but you don’t have to put it like that!”
“You must’ve forgotten what you’re dealing with, and what brought us to this point in the first place. If you want things to change, then you gotta do this. Now is the best time. This definitely ain’t the time for reservations, Johnny will be home soon, and we need to be finished before he gets here.”
When we pulled into the driveway, we saw Toby’s car. As expected, Johnny’s Porsche wasn’t in the garage. He should be back in about fifteen minutes, so we had to get started immediately.
We walked into the house and saw Toby sitting in the den playing video games. We knew that he wouldn’t speak to us but we spoke to him anyway.
“What’s up Toby?” He ignored us and continued to play the game as if we hadn’t said a word.
We walked past him and continued down the hallway that connected the master bedroom to the rest of the house. Suddenly, Toi stopped and turned around facing the den. She hesitated for a brief moment, took a deep breath and headed toward the den where Toby was sitting.
“Why is it that every time I come to town, you act like you have an attitude problem when you see me?”
Toby ignored her and continued to play the video game. If we hadn’t known better, we’d probably have thought he didn’t hear a word she said. He didn’t acknowledge her presence at all, not even by a blink of the eye.
Then Toi said in a harsher tone, “Why the hell do you act like you’re jealous of me and Johnny’s relationship? You know what, you act like a jealous girlfriend.”
Toby looked up at her with his eyes so wide that they looked like they were about to pop out of his head.
“Hoe, me and Johnny go way back. You don’t have nothing with him that I don’t have, and if you don’t know it or not . . . you ain’t all that!”
Then he rolled his eyes, snapped his neck, and turned his head away from her like he was a punk queen or the way an upset hood rat would do when she’s arguing with her boyfriend.
By this time, Toi was fuming.
“You ain’t nothing but a homeboy that don’t wanna work and will do anythang for a free ride, probably even suck a thang or two, huh nut breath?”
Toby jumped up, huffing and puffing, with his fists tightly closed. You could tell that he was trying to refrain from knocking the hell out of her. He got in her face and said, “You ain’t running a damn thang around here. If you only knew what you had, then you’d shut yo damn mouth and not talk so damn much, you . . .”
Toi cut him off before he could finish, “What do I have? Tell me nigga! What do I have you punk?!”
I saw Johnny’s car coming down the street and I gave Toi the signal. Toi continued with, “What do I have? You want him, don’t you? You want my good dick. You punk. You want Johnny to give ya what’s mine, don’t you?”
By this time, Toby was so mad that his face had swollen and he started yellin’ and calling Toi all kinds of names. I signaled again for Toi to hurry. I wanted her to know that Johnny was at the gate. She needed to hurry up and come over to where I was standing.
She walked over to me and said, “Go ahead do it now!”
Before she could finish, I reached back and punched her with all the strength I had in her eye and nose. She acted like she ain’t feel no pain. When she saw Johnny’s car, she just ran out of the house holding her face screaming and crying. Her eye had swollen and her nose was bleeding.
Johnny saw her, stopped the car abruptly, and then jumped out.
“Baby what’s wrong? Who did this to you?”
The taxi I had called pulled up before Toi could answer him.
“Come on Toi, let’s go. Let’s get out of here.”
“Wait a minute! What’s wrong with her? Who did this?” Johnny yelled as he demanded an answer.
Toi sat on the ground, just crying and screaming, trying to talk as snot and blood ran out of her nose. She tried to explain, but he couldn’t understand anything she was trying to say. Her nose was bleeding profusely, and her eye had turned blue.
She started speaking slowly, but still sounding confused, “Toby said . . . Toby said . . . I asked Toby why he did not like me because he never speaks to me . . .” she sniffed snot back up her nose as she tried to talk, “and he just went off on me. He said I wasn’t getting nothing from you that he wasn’t getting. He said he was getting the . . . he was getting the dick too.” Toi was crying uncontrollably at this time.
She looked up into Johnny’s eyes and said, “I told him he was a damn liar. Then he punched me in my eye . . .”
“He said what?” Johnny yelled. He was so mad that sweat started rolling down his face, and his eyes became bloodshot red.
Toi continued to cry and yell. “I told him he was lying. Look what he did to my face. I can’t go back in there. I won’t go back in there. He hates me, and he hates seeing us together. I gotta go. I’m sorry, but I gotta go. ”
I pulled her by the arm and told her to come on and get in the taxi. Johnny was begging her to stay. He said he’d take care of everything, but she got in the taxi anyway.
As I closed the door, Johnny was still begging for Toi to stay. I put Toi’s head against my chest and held her.
“It will be all right,” I said to her as the taxi drove away and left Johnny standing in his driveway.
When we got down the street, I whispered in Toi’s ear, “Damn girl, you need to be an actress. You trifling little heifer you.” When I said that, she almost burst out laughing.
“You didn’t have to sucker punch me that hard. I didn’t know you was going to hit me like I was a nigga,” she said softly.
I laughed aloud and stared at the taxi driver to let her know that we had to continue this conversation when we were alone.
When we got to Michael’s house, I led Toi to the guest bedroom and gave her a bag of ice to put on her eye. I hoped her makeup would cover up whatever bruise was left in two days. We’d be attending the players’ party then.
I wanted to get her in bed and settled before Michael got home. If he saw her face today, he’d ask too many questions. He’d be worried because he always says he can’t stand a nigga that hits on a woman.
“Hey baby,” Michael said as he walked into the kitchen and gave me a hug and kiss.
“Oh that feels good, I really need that right now.” I stood there in his arms enjoying his touch and sweet smell. Just when he started kissing me around my neck, the microwave buzzer went off.
“Oh wait, the soup is ready,” I said.
“Are you eating soup for dinner?”
“No, this is for Toi. She’s in the guest bedroom. She and Toby got in an argument, and he punched her in the eye. She left Johnny’s house and came over here,” I explained as I took the soup out of the microwave.
“He did what? That nigga did what? Where was Johnny when he did that? What did Johnny do?” he asked with concern.
“Johnny was coming up when we were leaving. I don’t know what he said to Toby because by that time we’d already left the house.”
Michael walked to the guest bedroom with me to take Toi the soup. He was pissed when he saw Toi’s eye. He picked up the telephone and called Johnny, but he didn’t get an answer. Just as he hung the telephone up, the doorbell rang. It was Johnny. We knew he’d come over, but we didn’t expect him so soon. Both Toi and I were surprised when we heard his voice over the intercom.
When Michael walked out of the room to go and unlock the front door, Toi looked puzzled and said, “Candice, do you think he’s mad at me? Why do you think he came so soon?”
Toi looked worried, as if Johnny knew what we’d done. Before I could answer, Johnny walked into the room and just stared at her. She was lying with her back to him. She didn’t look up when he said her name. He sat next to her on the bed and started rubbing his fingers through her hair.
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this happened to you, but I’ve taken care of everything. He won’t be hurting you again,” he said softly as he rubbed his hand through her hair.
At that moment, I knew that everything would be fine. So Michael and I walked out of the room to give them some privacy.
We went into the den and played cards as we listened to music. Twenty-five minutes later, Johnny and Toi walked out hand in hand.
Johnny looked at Michael and said, “Man, I’m taking my woman home so I can take care of her.”
I got up, hugged Toi, and told her to take it easy for the rest of the evening. I asked Johnny to call me tomorrow before he went to the field to let me know if Toi felt like going to the mall to shop for her outfit for the party. I looked at Toi with a “you go girl” expression on my face as they walked out of the door. He asked me to come in the morning and keep her company when he and Michael went to the field.
When I went over to Johnny’s house the next day, Toi filled me in. Johnny made Toby leave. He didn’t let Toby say or explain anything. He told Toby that he loved Toi and couldn’t let anyone come between them. I didn’t think that Toby knew anything about Toi’s eye, because Johnny didn’t go into detail with him and Toby didn’t see me punch her. Johnny just made it clear that Toi came first in his life and that she was going to be his wife. Johnny told Toby to leave his house forever.
Well, our plan worked. Now, let’s just hope Toby stays out of their lives for good.
THIRTEEN
You cheated and hurt me
That was not in the plan,
What must I do
To find an honest man?
I’ll let you go and
Do all that I can,
To forget about the lovin’
Because I finally understand,
That the disrespect is why . . .
I ain’t your woman
The next afternoon, Toi and I went to the mall to find Toi some shoes for her party outfit. I got back to the house around seven. I thought that I’d find Michael sleeping, but he wasn’t. He was sitting on the chaise longue in the bedroom, waiting for me. There were two glasses of Merlot on the end table next to him.
“Come here baby,” he said. His sexy voice sent chills up my spine.
He patted the seat next to him. When I sat down, he handed me one of the glasses of wine.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, then he stood up and pulled me up next to him. He gently pulled the straps of my sundress off my shoulders and let the dress fall to the floor. He watched me with those alluring passionate eyes as I stood there wearing only a red G-string. He kissed my nipples softly, and led me into the bathroom.
The dim candlelight made it almost impossible to see in the room. Scented candles were neatly arranged on the countertops and around the Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi was full of bubbles and what looked like a zillion exotically colored roses sat on the countertop adjacent to the tub. Everything was so beautiful. I looked at Michael and was about to tell him how beautiful everything was, but he put his lips to mine and said, “Don’t speak, just enjoy the moment.”
He slipped off my G-string and told me to get into the water.
I slid into the luscious water and rested my neck on the bath pillow. I closed my eyes and let the bubbles rise up to my shoulders.
“Baby, is the water okay?” he asked.
“It’s perfect. Just like you.”
Then he handed me my glass of wine and the card that came with the roses. The card read, “Just because I love you, Michael.”
I looked at him with tears in my eyes. He said, “Do not say anything, just close your eyes.” When I closed my eyes, he massaged my shoulders as I enjoyed K-Ci & Jojo’s CD. The music played softly through the wall speakers, the candles’ sweet odors gently wafted through the air, and his touch soothed me. I relaxed to truly savor the moment. I knew now for sure that I was blessed to have Michael as a part of my life.
After I got out of the water, he wrapped a towel around me and carried me to the bed. He lovingly massaged oil over my entire body. When he finished, he said, “I’m going to take a shower, wait right here and do not move. Is there anything you want before I get into the shower?”
I pulled him on top of me and said, “Yes, I want you now.”
He started kissing my body, but I rolled over on top of him and said, “I have a taste for you right now.” Before he could respond, I grabbed his perfect protruding chocolate stick and sucked him as he softly moaned. I savored him until he exploded into my mouth.
“Now baby, you can go take your shower.”
We both had to get ready for the party. I was so relaxed that I thought about just going to bed, but it was my baby’s big night. I had to be there.
Michael put on a tailor-made suit that fit him perfectly. His tie was the same color as the dress that he bought for me to wear to the party. He sported some black ostrich shoes and a three-carat diamond stud in each ear. He looked good, and I w
as proud that he was my man.
“You’re looking so beautiful and sexy. I better keep you close to me because I want everyone to know that you are my woman,” Michael said, as he guided me to the car.
Toi and Johnny met us at the party. She was looking like a star in the fuchsia dress we had picked out at the mall. Her skirt was long with a split in the center. It showed off her bowlegs that seemed to drive men crazy. The top of the skirt had a split on both sides of her waist with an opening for her navel, and it was low cut to reveal her cleavage. Her makeup was perfect and the bruise was barely noticeable.
The room was exquisitely decorated, with a huge ice sculpture of a man swinging a bat. Huge piles of shrimp, crab legs, cheese squares, and fruit surrounded the frozen, translucent figure. A champagne fountain sat next to the sculpture spewing what seemed like an endless amount of golden bubbly.
Michael held my hand continuously, even when we were sitting down. I must admit, we did look good and probably seemed like the perfect couple. However, as with anything made by man, there had to be some flaws. Remember when y’all were little and your grandmother would say things like, “Don’t eat where you mess?” Well, by the looks of what was probably about to happen, I must’ve taken a massive dump all over my plate.
Damn . . .
“Look directly in front of you . . . a little to the left,” Toi whispered in my ear.
When I looked up, I saw Fred staring at me looking hurt and disgusted. I looked him in his eyes and whispered under my breath so he could read my lips.
“Hi.”
I wanted him to know that it didn’t bother me to see him there. I wasn’t gonna let him intimidate me, especially not when I was with my man. Even though he was with his wife, he couldn’t hide the anger on his face.
He started to walk toward our table. I knew there was nothing to be concerned about, since Johnny and Fred were friends, and he knew Michael. The only thing that could be a problem would be his wife, if she were to recognize me. But, I didn’t have time to worry about small stuff. Y’all know what I’m saying?
Sins & Secrets Page 12