by K. C. Mills
Just as I got to the door and pulled my keys out of my pocket, a familiar voice surfaced.
“I guess it’s true,” she said from behind me.
I looked across my shoulder and sure enough, the one person I never expected to lay eyes on was standing there in front of me, looking like she just stepped off a runway. Her smile subtle and seductive as her eyes traced my body.
“The fuck you doing here?” I asked unable to control my smile. It had been years but she still had that effect on me.
With a slight shrug, she moved towards me stopping just before we connected, leaving about a foot’s distance between our bodies.
“How could I not be here? I had to see for myself. You are the last person I would have expected to be caught in the middle of all this,” she waved her hand behind her.
I folded my arms and peered at her. “Why is that?”
“Because you hate people and attention.” A smile formed on her honey colored face as she waited for my response.
“Damn, why the fuck does everyone keep saying that. I don’t hate people, I just don’t trust people, it’s not a hate thing.”
“Same difference. Can I have a hug; it’s been awhile?” she asked.
I clearly needed to say no but didn’t. I reached for her, pulling her into my chest as the scent of jasmine tickled my nose. Her soft body fit perfectly into my arms, the way it always had. Hell, she was the first woman to ever own that spot. There were plenty that had been privileged enough to feel my arms around them, but only two had actually owned it: Janell and now Tasia.
“I missed this…I missed you,.” she said against my chest, causing me to quickly let her go.
“What’s up Janelle, why are you really her?” I asked after I finally got my mind right. I wasn’t about to fuck shit up with Tasia for the one person who decided I wasn’t good enough.
“I’m here because I missed you.” Her eyes met mine and I could see the hope behind them.
“Well you’ve seen me, so now what?”
“I guess I deserve that.” She looked disappointed, but fuck it, I didn’t care. A nigga wasn’t shit back then so why should I be now? This club didn’t change the fact that she walked away because she wanted more than my simple ass.
“You damn right you do. I’m still the same simple ass nigga that you walked away from, you remember that shit? Let’s see… you said I wasn’t gonna be shit and you weren’t about to sit around being a statistic.”
“I was young, Keem. All I knew was that my parents weren’t going to accept the fact that I was with you. How I felt didn’t matter so—”
“Man, go on with that bullshit J, you made that decision. You did exactly what mommy and daddy wanted you to do. You look good though, so I guess shit worked out for you.”
She just stared at me for a minute, like she was trying to figure out what to say, before she stepped to me and let her lips touch mine. I shouldn’t have given in but I kissed her back. It felt comfortable, the way it used to be, so I pulled her body closer to mine and let myself feel what I hadn’t felt in years.
“I guess you missed me too,” she said after my lips belonged to me again.
“That don’t mean shit. I’m good J. I’m happy and it don’t have shit to do with you, so you can leave.
“That kiss didn’t seem like you’re happy with someone else, it seemed like you miss me just as much as I miss you.”
I couldn’t say shit because she was right about the way I was reacting to her. However, truth be told, I wasn’t about to leave Tay for shit, but I had to admit that being around Janelle had me feeling some things that I hadn’t thought about in years. I needed to get my ass from around her real quick.
“It was just a kiss, don’t read into it. Trust me, I’m good.”
“Yeah well, time will tell.” She turned and walked away leaving me standing there with a rock hard dick and a feeling of confusion. How the fuck do I keep slipping like this? First Sky and now Janelle; I needed to get me shit together.
I unlocked my office door, stepped inside attempting to close it, but felt tension against it for a second before Sky showed up right behind me.
“Oh hell,” I mumbled. “Not now, I’m not in the mood for your shit tonight Sky,” I said.
She just laughed, stepped around me and walked into my office.
“I would go for that but seeing as how you’re being so free with your kisses tonight, I figured why not get what I deserve.”
She sat down in my chair behind my desk, leaning back, legs spread wide, leaving nothing to the imagination.
“You need to leave, Sky. The last thing I need right now is for Tay to catch me in here with you,” I said pointing to the door with one hand, while I held it open with the other.
“No love, the last thing you need is for me to tell her that your lips are not just reserved for her anymore. I bet she wouldn’t appreciate the fact that they’ve been all over me and whoever that was.” A smile crept across Sky’s face.
I laughed. “You threatening me Sky?” I shut door and moved towards her. Once I was close enough, I grabbed her arm yanking her from my chair with little resistance from her. Once she was on her feet, I pulled her into my chest as she looked up at me, with those green eyes penetrating my thoughts.
“I’m not threatening you Hakeem, I’m just making it clear that I want something from you and you want something from me.”
“I don’t want shit from you, but for you to leave me the fuck alone.”
“What you want is for me not to tell Tasia how I do this to you.” She reached down and grabbed my shit, which was hard as a rock. I didn’t resist as she began to unbuckle my pants. Her small hand slid down into my boxers and released me. I should have stopped her but I didn’t. She had a hold on me I couldn’t break free. Thoughts of fucking Sky had taken over and it was all I could think about.
“You need to leave,” I said again, still not making any effort to resisting her exploration of my body.
She laughed as she slowly lowered herself to the floor, keeping her eyes on me the entire time until I felt her tongue and then the warmth of the inside of her mouth.
Sky wasted no time at all putting in work, and I damn sure wasn’t about to stop her. She had my ass zoned out, so much that after my first orgasm hit, I pulled her off the floor, bent her over my desk and slammed into her with so much force that the whole fucking club should have heard her ass yell.
“Oh shit, slow down Keem. You don’t have to rush,” Sky panted.
“Shut the fuck up, this is what you wanted, right? You wanted me to fuck you.” I grabbed her hair with one hand while the other pressed the small of her back. Sky let out a soft laugh as she grabbed the desk to brace herself. I was showing no mercy. I was fucking Sky, thinking about Janelle.
It didn’t take long for Sky to achieve her orgasm and I was right behind her. I held on as long as I could, but I was fucking her so hard it came fast and strong, so I pulled out and backed away from her.
She lay there with her chest pressed against my desk while I released into my hand.
“You need to leave,” I said over my shoulder as I made my way to the bathroom. What the hell had I just done? Reality was quickly settling in and I felt like shit.
“You don’t need to feel bad. It’s what you wanted.” I could hear Sky moving behind me, but I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. It took me a minute to get myself together but once I was done, I stood there with my hands gripping the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I had just cheated on Tay and with Sky of all people. I didn’t trust her for shit, so I knew this was about to come back on me.
I was so deep in thought that the knock on the bathroom door startled me. I pulled it open and Sky was standing there looking pleased.
“Do you mind?” she asked nodding towards the bathroom.
I stepped out and she stepped in.
“Fuck,” I mumbled again, looking around my office as if I expected to see
something different. I had just messed up and there wasn’t anything that could change what I had done.
“Don’t look so stressed, I’m not going to tell her,” Sky said after she walked out the bathroom. Her hand moved across my back which caused me to tense up and step away from her.
“This shit is not happening again, I swear on everything, and if you even consider telling her you will regret it.”
Sky laughed. “Baby, don’t threaten me; you have way more to lose than I do. I can find another job, but can you find another Tasia?”
Her words struck a nerve, causing me to lunge at her. Without a second thought, my hand was around her neck squeezing tightly.
Her crazy ass just laughed, looking at me like she was enjoying it, so I shoved her away.
“I won’t tell, but trust me, it will happen again.” She stood there for a minute before she blew me a kiss and then disappeared into the hallway. I was screwed and I knew it.
After Sky left, I sat there trying to make sense of how badly I had just fucked up and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I locked up and headed back to the club. I found Tay in VIP with the crew. She was deep in conversation with Brit and Lisa, but looked up at me and smiled. I winked at her before I walked over to Jodie, who had some random chick on his lap.
“Excuse him for a minute ma, I need to holla at him for a sec,” I said as I stood in front of Jodie.
He glanced at me before patting her on the thigh and then kissing her on the neck. “Don’t take your sexy ass anywhere, just chill right here for a minute, I shouldn’t be long,”
She slid off Jodie’s lap, waited for him to stand and then took his seat. Jodie followed me out of VIP and we posted up a few feet away from the entrance. After a quick check to make sure Tay was still occupied, I let Jodie know what was going on.
“What’s up Keem, you looked stressed and shit?”
“I just fucked up,” I said keeping my eyes on Tay to make sure she didn’t pop up on me.
“Fucked up how?” Jodie asked.
“Janelle is here, or was here.”
“The fuck you mean she’s here? Since when do you talk to Janelle?”
Jodie’s jaw tightened, as he began looking around as if he expected to lay eyes on her.
“Chill, I don’t. She just showed up. I haven’t talked to her in years but that’s not the problem. I fucked Tay’s assistant.”
“You did what?” Jodie’s fist clenched like he was about to hit my ass.
“Nigga you heard me,” I said as we both looked in Tay’s direction.
“The fuck Keem, why the hell would you do some shit like that and what hell does that have to do with Janelle being here?”
I let out a long sigh and then let my hand go across my head.
“Sky has been on my dick for a while, but so far I’ve been able to keep that shit under control. But she saw me talking to Janelle and decided to use that shit against me—”
“Nigga, don’t play me like I’m fucking stupid. Tay wouldn’t say shit about you talking to Janelle. She might not like it but she wouldn’t say shit about it.”
“Janelle kissed me, Sky saw that shit and threatened to tell Tay. One thing lead to another and—”
“And you fucked her to keep her quiet about you kissing Janelle. What kind of fuck shit is that Keem? Come on bruh, you know better than that. You really think it’s gonna end with that? Damn man, Tay is gonna fuck you up.”
“Tay isn’t going to do shit because she isn’t going to find out,” I said getting pissed at the idea of it even getting to Tay.
“What-the-fuck-ever, whoever this Sky chick is has got your ass by the balls nigga, and she isn’t letting go.”
“Fuck, I’m screwed,” I said glancing at Tay again.
“Hell yeah, you are.”
“I can’t let Tay find out about that shit. I went in on her about that bitch, Jace and she didn’t even do shit. I’m guilty as fuck so there’s no out for me.”
“I don’t know what to tell your ass, but you need to figure something out because if old girl gets to Tay before you do, that’s your ass and you know it.”
Once again, Jodie and I laid eyes on Tay and then back on each other. I didn’t know what my next move was going to be, but it was damn sure going to have to be a good one.
-13-
Tasia
“Good morning, Tay. I’ve got everything set up for your appointments.”
Jacob looked at me before we both looked at Sky; she was too damn giddy. Something was up with her but I didn’t have the energy to figure out what it was. It would just have to wait.
“Thanks,” was all I said before I lifted my coffee cup and took a sip.
“So I bet Hakeem was real excited about the club opening.” I didn’t like the way Sky said Hakeem’s name. It struck me wrong but I couldn’t quite figure out why.
“I guess, he’s not really big on stuff like that,” I said trying to read her expression.
“Really, it seemed like he was in a zone,” she said, again, with that fucked up ass grin.
“Come on love bug, let’s get started.” Jacob grabbed my hand to pull me from my chair, damn near making me spill my coffee all over my clothes. I looked at him like he was crazy. He just raised his eyebrows and pulled me behind him towards the door. Of course Sky’s sneaky ass followed behind us.
“Do you guys need any help? I’m pretty much caught—”
“No we’re good, you can mail flyers or something,” Jacob said over his shoulder as he left my office. Once we were in our design room, he shut the door and dramatically placed his hands on his hips, before leaning slightly back.
“Look, I know you’re all rainbows and sunshine but when something’s not right, it’s just not right and that hoe has got some shit with her.”
Jacob had removed one hand and was pointing at the wall that housed my office on the other side of it.
“I just don’t know what it is though.” I leaned on the edge of the oak round table that sat in the corner of the room.
“She’s after your man Tay. I see the way she’s always watching him and conveniently finds a way to be all up in his personal space. You can’t trust a hoe like that. Those damn eyes are green for a reason and that’s envy. She wants what you have. When is the last time you’ve heard her talk about Nate? You haven’t, right? Do we even know that he exists? But she damn sure lets Hakeem’s name fly out her mouth at least ten times a day.”
Jacobs’s words confirmed everything that I was already thinking but had compressed because I trusted Hakeem. I was finally starting to realize that it wasn’t about trusting him because no matter how much I trusted him, a hoe was gonna be a hoe and when it was all said and done, a man will be a man. Sky had to go.
“I don’t trust her.” When I finally pulled myself out of my head, I looked at Jacob and frowned.
“And you shouldn’t. Anyone that pays that much attention to another woman’s man is up to no good. Let’s drop her ass,” Jacob said with a seriousness that would have normally made me laugh, but right now my mind was kicked into overdrive.
“Yeah, but I can’t just fire her,” I said looking him right in the eyes.
“Why the hell not? This is your shit and you call the shots!” Jacob damn near yelled at me.
“I know but, I don’t really have a legit reason to let her go and—”
“And what? You care about her wellbeing; you don’t want to be the bad guy? What if she already fucked your man, would you care then or would you just drop her ass?”
Reality quickly slapped me in my face. I had never been one to fight for, or over a man, and even when I got into it with Trey’s hoes, it was always because they disrespected me and came at me wrong, but never because they had been with him. But with Hakeem it was different. He wasn’t just some guy; he was everything to me. Just the thought of him being with Sky was literally sucking the air out of my lungs. I could seriously feel myself struggling to breathe.
&nbs
p; “You’re right, fuck her.” I stood and looked Jacob right in his eyes. I made my way to the door which Jacob held open for me. He had a pleased smirk on his face as he followed behind me, and when we reached the lobby I almost lost it. I don’t know if it was the conversation I had just finished with Jacob or the look on Sky’s face, but either way I went from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds.
“Why the fuck is you in his personal space, again? You seem to do that shit a lot and it’s really starting to piss me the fuck off.”
“Tay, chill with all that hood shit,” Hakeem said as he took a step towards me. He looked stressed like he just got caught doing something.
I ignored him and moved towards Sky. “Get your shit and get out,” I demanded as my finger went from her face to the door. The confusion on her face wasn’t helping matters, but I wasn’t for all that playing innocent. It was like I was releasing months of frustration all at one time and there was no reeling me back in.
“Wait, why? You’re firing me?”
“I did say get your shit and get out, didn’t I? How much more clear can I be?”
“Let me help. Yes, she’s firing your sneaky ass, so get your shit and get out,” Jacob said from behind me.
“Yo, chill the fuck out. What’s going on Tay?” Hakeem asked looking directly at me before he glanced at Sky first, then Jacob and then focused on me again.
“Did you tell her? You said you wouldn’t tell her,” Sky said as she peered at Hakeem. My eyes left her and went straight to him, and he looked like he was about to throw up. I swear his black ass got pale as fuck and his eyes were the size of golf balls.
“Tell me what?” I yelled as I took another step towards Sky, who instinctively stepped back because of the aggression in my movement.
“Oh Jesus, Mary, Joseph, please tell me this hoe didn’t sleep with Tay’s man or I’m going to have to press pause on my religion and beat the breaks off her trifling ass!” Jacob yelled, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.