“Hey.”
“Hey, I wanted to say something.” He sighed as if what he was about to say was difficult.
“What?”
“I love you,” he said in a rush. “I’ve always had a hard time saying those words, but I just had to tell you.”
Oh. My. God. “I love you, too.” I hung up the phone with a big exhale, then I lay on my back staring at the ceiling and decided I was going to do whatever it took to break him and Reese up. I know it sounds selfish, but it’s a dog-eat-dog world, and it’s obvious he is only settling. Why have second best when you can have a dime piece like me, that’s what I plan to make him see. Closing my eyes, I started making a mental list of everything it was going to take. Renee Moore planned to get her man, and what Renee wants, Renee gets.
“Kenny told you he loved you?” Kayla repeated with a look of disbelief.
“Yep.”
“Hell nah!” Danielle screamed. She and I had met at Kayla’s house to work on the wedding arrangements. Planning a wedding was too much damn work.
“Yep, he told me yesterday,” I said, hugging my knees to my chest. “I think I’m crazy about him as well.”
“Hell nah! You? Crazy about Kenny’s country ass?”
“Yep, me, and quit talking about my man,” I said with attitude. She got a lot of nerve with her man and all his charges.
Kayla shook her head. “Please don’t tell me anything else. Next thing I know he’ll be canceling his wedding.”
I took a sip. “Good.”
“No, that’s not good. Reese’s excited and she would be heartbroken.” Kayla gave me a long, scolding look. “Why can’t you just sleep with him like you do with all the others and leave him alone, because as soon as he calls off the wedding and decides to be with you, you’re going to dump him like you always do.”
“Right,” Danielle cosigned.
I rolled my eyes because those two think they know me. “I would never intentionally break them up.”
“Uh-oh. I heard a however.”
I smiled. “However, I ain’t got nothing to do with what Kenny decides to do. If for some reason he decides marrying Reese is a big mistake, then that’s on him.”
Kayla pursed her lips. “And I’m sure you’re going to do everything in your power to make that happen.”
I laughed. “Hey, I’m just going to be me. I can’t help it if he can’t get enough of this sweet kitty-cat.”
“And then what? The two of y’all going to live happily ever after?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Hell nah!”
I rolled my eyes in Danielle’s direction. “Girl, if you don’t shut up with that hell nah, you sound like a damn parrot.”
“I don’t know what else to say because I’m like Kayla, you don’t really want Kenny’s skinny ass.”
“Actually, he has a nice ass.”
“Ugh!” Kayla put her hands over her ears.
“And a big dick.”
“She’s too much.” Danielle shook her head.
“I’m just keeping it real.”
“Can we talk about something other than my cousin’s body parts? Just remember if he cheats on her, he will cheat on you, too.”
Danielle nodded. “That’s true, because men ain’t shit.”
“And if you had him, what would you do with him?”
“What do you mean, what would I do?”
Kayla leaned forward, I guess to make sure that I heard every word. “Kenny’s not moving to Columbia. Kenny’s a country boy. He lives on a farm up the road from his mother, who makes his meals and washes his clothes.”
“That’s ’cause Reese doesn’t cook.”
“Uh-uh, that’s because his mother has spoiled his behind and he won’t eat anybody’s cooking but my aunt Pat’s.” Kayla shook her head. “She’s got all three of her sons so spoiled no woman with any sense would want to be bothered. Kenny doesn’t even know how to turn on a washing machine.”
Okay, she was lying now. “I don’t believe that.”
“Ask him.”
“I will, and I bet if I cook this weekend he’ll come over and eat.”
“Probably will, but he’ll need to be back home in time for his mother’s cooking. Trust me, I know.”
Danielle finished chewing and interrupted. “Enough about Kenny’s turtle-looking ass! We’re supposed to be planning Kayla’s wedding.”
I was glad to change the subject because I’m tired of them dogging out my man.
38
Danielle
It was Wednesday night. Chance had been over every night for the last four weeks. I know he was my man, and it was wonderful for him to want to spend all his time with me, but I was itching for a chance to fart without him right behind me sniffing it.
I made dinner, then we moved to my room where he screwed my brains out, then we spent the rest of the evening watching television. Chance got up to fix us something to drink and I curled deeper into the sheets. His cell phone vibrated. I started to ignore it, but then thought better of it. Chance said he had nothing to hide, so I reached over and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Is Jaycee there?” someone asked with attitude.
My brow rose a fraction. “Jaycee?”
“That’s what I said.”
No, she ain’t trying to get smart. “You have the wrong number.”
She sucked her teeth. “Wrong number? This is the same number I called last week.”
“Sorry, but this is my man’s phone and his name ain’t Jaycee.” I ended the call and five or ten seconds later the phone rang again. “Hello?”
“Is Jaycee there?”
Now I had an attitude. “I just told you there is no one here by that name.”
She mumbled something under her breath, then hung up. I was returning the phone to the nightstand when Chance walked back into the room. He almost dropped his water when he saw me with his phone.
“Yo, baby girl, whadda you doing?”
“I was answering your phone. But it was a wrong number. Some chick was looking for Jay-Z or C.”
He frowned, then started laughing. “Jay-Z? They most definitely had the wrong number. Hell, I wish I was that nigga. Although I have to say my woman is finer than his,” he teased.
I had to smile at that one. He took a seat and handed me a bottle of water and opened his. He was quiet, so I knew he was thinking about something.
“Yo, baby girl, check this out.”
The look on his face said that whatever he was about to say was serious. “What?” I moved and took a seat beside him.
“Yo man is trying to hold it down in these streets, and I don’t want you to have no part of that.”
I could understand that.
“I don’t want you answering my phone. Most of them calls is business. My clients hear a strange voice on the phone, they might be tempted to hang up.” He must have looked at the pissed-off expression on my face because he pushed on. “Like that female that just called. She was probably one of my customers. She heard your voice and gave you a fake name to try to cover it up.”
He did have a point.
“You understand, baby.” He stared at me until I nodded. “If I wasn’t using that phone for business, you could answer it all day long and it wouldn’t matter to me.”
“It sounds to me like you need two phones, then.”
“You right. How about you get me a phone on your plan? Then I’ll have one for business and one for personal and you can answer the personal one all day long. I’ll even let you put the message on my phone.”
I grinned. Yep, that was exactly what I planned to do to let all them hos know that Chance was my man.
His phone vibrated. I glanced over in time to see if it was that same bitch calling. He reached for it. “Speak to me.” Whatever she said caused him to smile. “Chill out, that was my girl. Hold up a moment.” He covered the phone and stared over at me. “See, didn’t I tell you? It’s just business
, baby. Yo man trying to hold it down. Ima go take this in the other room.”
I nodded and watched him leave the room. I felt proud knowing he was in high demand. If he was really doing the damn thing like he said he was, then I think a shopping trip this weekend was in order.
39
Renee
It’s been a long week, but I made sure I saw Kenny every night. I’d been pulling out the stops to get him. I spent so much time at the adult store buying flavored oils, costumes, and sex toys. I did everything to show him what life with me would be like.
I called him one morning and instructed him to be at my house at five. No ifs, ands, or buts. A smile curled my lips when I pulled into my driveway to find him already there.
“You’re late,” he greeted with a wink.
“And you’re early.”
We hurried into my house and as soon as the door was shut he pinned me on the wall and we got busy right on the wall in my living room. Afterward we moved into the bedroom.
I could tell something was bothering him. “Baby, what’s on your mind?”
He hesitated. “I’m just thinking about this wedding. I know I’m making a big mistake, but there’s nothing I can do about that now.”
Yes, there is, but I kept that comment to myself.
While he took a quick nap before he began his night shift at FedEx, I went into the living room and retrieved our clothes before the kids came home and saw them. I was no longer keeping our relationship a secret from them. Kenny had come over last week and taken me and the kids out for ice cream. We have so much fun together, and he has even said being with me is nothing like being with Reese. I still can’t figure out why he feels obligated to marry her, but I guess it’s kind of like me feeling sorry for John for so many years. Too nice to hurt her feelings.
I glanced over at the clock and noticed that it was almost three. Time to get up and send Ken down the road. Even though the kids knew we were seeing each other, I didn’t want them to catch us in bed. I was a freak, but what I did behind closed doors was my business.
I planted a kiss on his cheek. “Get up.”
“Is it that time already?” he asked in a groggy voice.
“Yep.” I moved into the bathroom, lathered a towel, carried it back into the room, and washed him up. As soon as he was dressed I followed him down the hall toward the door and ran right smack into Quinton and his hot-ass girlfriend coming through the door.
Ken jumped and looked like he’d seen a ghost.
Alicia dropped a hand to her waist and smirked. “Daddy? What you doing here?”
Daddy! Hell nah!
“I’m visiting a friend.” He tried to laugh, but his nervousness rang loud and clear. “What are you doing here?”
She touched Quinton’s arm and smiled. “This is my boyfriend.”
“Oh yeah?” Kenny looked amused, but not as tickled as his daughter. The smirk rang loud and clear on her face that she was up to no good.
“Well, I was getting ready to leave.” He moved to the door to put his work boots on while his daughter stood there with her hands at her waist, looking from him to me and back.
“What’s going on with y’all two?”
He frowned. “Don’t worry about what I’m doing.”
She and Quinton were both grinning like fools.
Quinton swung his book bag over his shoulder. “Mom, we’re going to the family room to do homework.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know how I feel about company on a school night.” My son was pushing his luck with this little girl.
“Mom, just for a little while, then I’ll take her home. She’s going to help me with some math problems.”
Quinton knows I hate being put on the spot. He should have called and asked me before bringing that hot-ass girl in my house. But the frown on Kenny’s face stopped me from saying what I wanted to say. I followed him out to his truck.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Kenny brushed a hand across his receding hairline. “I wish I had known my daughter was dating your son.”
“I didn’t know,” I replied, then studied his eyes. “You think she’s going to tell on you?”
He opened the door to his truck and took a seat. “Alicia has a big mouth. As long as I give her what she wants she won’t say nothing, but the moment I piss her off she’ll go to Reese and blab her mouth.”
I tried to hide a smirk. His daughter was the excuse I needed to get Reese out of the picture. It would be so easy to piss her off, then chances were she would run back to her future stepmother and mention that I was fucking her daddy. But I could tell by the look on his face he was worried.
“Do her and Reese get along?”
“Not really. But Alicia talks to Reese when she wants something.”
“I guess you’ll have to pay her off.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He sighed. “I better go.”
I tried to cheer him up. “Maybe you should call her and tell her not to say anything.”
He shook his head. “If I do that she’ll definitely run her mouth. Just don’t say anything to her.”
As much as I didn’t want to, I would respect his wishes. I waited until he had gone around the corner before I went back in the house. I headed straight to the family room in time to catch the two of them kissing.
“Uh-uh, y’all need to go on somewhere with that.”
“Mom,” he groaned. “I’m eighteen.”
“And from what Ken tells me, his daughter is only sixteen. I don’t want or need any problems. The two of you need to go up to the kitchen table to work on homework, and then you need to take her home so we can have dinner.”
Alicia turned up her nose and pouted as she followed my son into the other room. As far as I was concerned, I couldn’t care less who her daddy was, her hot ass could go home.
That evening I waited until Quinton got back home for dinner. When he stepped into the kitchen I turned and pointed the spatula at him. “This is the last time I’m going to tell you not to bring that fast-tail girl to my house.”
He looked as if he had no idea what I was pissed off about. “Mama, but that’s Kenny’s daughter.”
“And that’s supposed to make it right. He ain’t even raised that girl.”
He mumbled something that sounded like, “Uh-uh.”
I waited until I put the chicken on the table before I asked, “What did Alicia say about her daddy being here?”
He smirked as if he knew a secret. “She thought it was funny. She told me her daddy was engaged to get married next month. Is that true?”
I took a moment to speak. “Yeah, but he ain’t married yet.” And as far as I was concerned, he never would be.
40
Danielle
I got off work on Wednesday, and when I called Mama and found out she had made collard greens, I turned off Providence Road and made a left. There was nothing like a good Southern meal.
I was halfway there when I glanced down at my phone and saw Chance’s number flash across my screen. I wasn’t up to dealing with him today and ignored him.
His jealousy was starting to be a problem. Two days ago, he saw me in the hallway talking to one of the residents assigned to our floor. The second Dr. Kemp walked away, he came up and took me by my arm and led me into the supply closet.
“Chance, what are you doing?” I asked, then yanked my arm free.
“Are you fucking him?” he demanded.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Bitch, don’t play with me! You heard what I said.” His eyes were small and I could tell he was dead serious.
“No, I’m not fucking him.”
“Then why you all up in that mothafucka’s face?”
“Because we were discussing a patient.”
“Yeah, right.” Before I realized what he was doing, he slipped his hand inside my panties and rubbed.
I pushed his hand away. “What the hell are you doing?”
He brought
his fingers to his mouth. “Why’s your pussy wet?”
“What? I don’t have time for this shit!” I tried to push past him, but he grabbed me by the arm.
“Didn’t I tell you I don’t share my pussy with no one?”
“I don’t have time for this bullshit!” He pressed his lips to mine, silencing me, then slid his fingers back inside my panties and this time slipped them inside my mouth.
“Taste that? That’s my pussy you’re tasting. See how good that tastes? That’s why I don’t want no otha mothafucka hitting it. You feel me?” He stroked my clit with each word. I couldn’t do anything but agree.
“Yes, baby. I’m not giving it to anyone but you.”
“You better not be lying,” he whispered near my ear, then released me and left the closet, leaving the door wide open behind him. I got myself together, then moved to my patient’s room.
Ever since, I’ve been finding him lurking in the corners, watching me. Even after the end of his shift he was still there somewhere close by and once I got home, I was barely in the door when he was pulling in the driveway. At night he wanted to fuck, and if I refused because I was tired, he swore up and down I was giving it away to another nigga. I was starting to think something was wrong with my man. I loved him, and that was one of the reasons why I was trying to stick it out and make it work. The other was, of course, the sex. Damn, I’m a slave to his dick.
I parked in my parents’ driveway and used my key to get in and found my daddy sitting in the living room in his favorite recliner watching the evening news.
“Hey, Daddy.”
“Well, hello, pumpkin.”
I gave him a hug and kissed his wrinkled cheek. “You bowling tonight?”
Daddy nodded. “Yep, we have a tournament tonight.”
My dad had been part of a bowling team for the last five years. I think it gives him something to look forward to each and every week. He had just celebrated his sixty-third birthday and was starting to slow down. I took in his curly salt-and-pepper curls and the pot belly that he’d gained over the years and noticed that Daddy was starting to look his age.
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