“Sorry it took me so long,” I said, smiling at the awed looks on their faces. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
Jaylin and Shane, too, continued to look at me as if I hadn’t said a word. Shane slowly stood up, and Jaylin still hadn’t moved.
“I—I’m going outside to get some fresh air,” Shane said. He walked past me with approval, yet some lust in his eyes. “You look nice, Nokea. Real nice.”
“Thank you,” I said, blushing. “So do you.”
Jaylin stood up and guzzled down his glass of Rémy. He kept his eyes on me, and then he placed the glass on the table.
“Do you... Are you wearing any panties?” he asked. “I can tell you don’t have on a bra, and your nipple imprints are showing.”
“Thanks for noticing my hair. I had it done today. My nails were done too, and my panties are, indeed, on.”
Jaylin stepped up to me and took my hand. He placed it on his heart. “Can you feel that?” he asked.
“Yes. Now, why is your heart beating fast?”
“Because you are the sexiest, most beautiful, loving and dedicated woman I know. I don’t know if I should send you back in our room to put on another dress, or be proud that I have you as my wife. You already know that if you keep that dress on, I’m gonna be all over you tonight. The men are not going to be able to contain themselves, and I already gotta go check that fool, Shane, for drooling at his mouth.”
“Do what you gotta do,” I said, turning around. “I’m not taking off this dress, and the only thing you can do is be proud to call me your wife.”
I stepped away, and Jaylin couldn’t resist pulling me back into his arms and kissing me. His hands swayed all over my backside, and he couldn’t help but take a squeeze.
“I have got to be the luckiest man in the world. My dick already leaking, and we need to hurry back from this party—soon.”
I took Jaylin’s hand and we made our way to the car. We only had to drive about half a mile down the street. As soon as we parked, we could see how crowded the party was. Bentleys, Jags, Mercedes-Benzes—expensive cars were everywhere, and our neighbors definitely knew how to throw a party.
As soon as we got inside, everybody was being friendly. Along with Jaylin and me, and Shane and Tiffanie, there were only two other black couples there. We were very cool with them, so we stopped to talk to them first. Jaylin kept a tight grip on my hand, and that was a good thing. I didn’t know if the dress was too much or not, but it was definitely bringing me attention, especially from the men. My neighbor’s husband, Jerrod, who lived directly across from us, he was the first to pay his compliments. He looked me over; then he patted Jaylin on his back.
“You guys are so fucking awesome, man. Nokea looks magnificent.”
He leaned over to kiss my cheek and I proudly turned it up to him. “Thanks, Jerrod,” I said. “Your wife, Marsha, looks spectacular too.”
“Oh, not like you do. You remind me of that, uh, Nia Long chick. She is hot!” He calmed himself and straightened his suit jacket. “Have an enjoyable evening and do not leave until you’ve tried some of the dip over there. Marsha made it and it is the best.”
“I will,” I said, releasing Jaylin’s hand so I could walk over to the bar and try the dip. Surprisingly, he let my hand go. When I walked away, my sexy walk was on point. I purposely strutted my stuff. No sooner had I tasted the dip, another one of my neighbors came up to me. His name was Charles and he was known as the playboy of the neighborhood. George Clooney was written all over him; and for many women, he was hard to resist.
“Nokeaaa,” he said, dragging out my name while holding out his arms for a hug. I hugged him and he slowly rubbed up and down on my back. “You look lovely,” he said. “Where’s Jaylin?”
I looked around Charles. As I had suspected, Jaylin’s eyes were focused in our direction. Charles put his fist up at Jaylin, and all he did was nod. I was just about ready to walk away, but that’s when I saw Tiffanie heading my way. She had arrived separately from us, planning to meet up with Shane at the party.
“Hey, you.” She smiled, making her way through the crowd. “I love, love, love your dress. Where in God’s earth did you get it from?”
“I’ll tell you later,” I said, looking her over. Tiffanie looked nice too. She had on a simple black strapless dress that gave her boobs an extra boost. “Did you see Shane?” I asked.
“I did, but he’s talking to Mr. Milono right now. I know it’s about business, so I stepped away to find you. Let’s go get something to drink.”
I looked back to see if I could see Jaylin, but he had walked away. Tiffanie, several other ladies and I were standing around talking about reality TV shows. We laughed at all that was going on with the shows that we loved to watch, and talked badly about the ones that we couldn’t resist watching. As one of the ladies was giving her input, I looked behind her and saw Shane standing alone on the balcony, looking at the amazing scenery down below. His suit jacket was pulled back and his hands were in his pockets. “Sexy” was the only word that described him. I excused myself from the ladies and walked up closer to him.
“Are you having a good time?” I asked.
Before he said a word, his eyes searched me up and down. “Yes, Nokea, I’m having a great time. I was looking around for Jaylin, but I didn’t see him.”
“I saw him inside talking to Mr. Milono and some of his buddies. They sure do like you and Jaylin a lot.”
Shane laughed. “As long as you got the money to fit in their circle, everything is fine. You should know that by now.”
“I’m starting to get the picture,” I said, chuckling. “But, uh, I’ve been meaning to ask you, is everything okay with you and Jaylin? I’ve noticed some changes with the two of you, and I hope you’re still excited about being here with us.”
“I’m good. Real good. Jaylin has been more than a friend to me, almost like a brother. We have our differences sometimes, but there ain’t nothing we won’t be able to work through.”
“That’s good to know. I know how much he cares for you, and he’s been so happy since you’ve been here with us.”
“I know how much he cares and loves you too, Nokea. I hope you know that he will do anything in the world for you and the kids.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t he?”
I could tell Shane knew what was going on behind closed doors. For him to say what he’d said, that was just another clue. Everything was starting to add up, and I couldn’t wait to present Jaylin with the facts, along with what I had suspected.
Everyone talked and danced the night away. Jaylin and I had a wonderful time fast and slow dancing on the concrete patio full of intoxicated people. Jaylin and Shane kept switching partners; and whenever Shane would get too close to me, Jaylin would cut in. He was so protective of me. As numerous men asked to dance with me, he made it clear that wasn’t going to happen. He kept complimenting me throughout the night, and many of our neighbors stressed what an attractive couple we made.
“Oh, I would pay millions to watch the two of you make love,” my neighbor Nancy said. “Jaylin oozes sex appeal, and so do you. I bet sex with him is sooo great, isn’t it?”
Tiffanie and I looked at each other and laughed. I knew Nancy had had too much to drink, but what an inappropriate thing to say. When I didn’t answer, she made a comment to Tiffanie.
“Stop laughing, you lucky bitch. Shane is just as gorgeous, and I hate you for nabbing that great piece of ass. Those two make me want to go black and never go back. My husband is such a lazy bum in bed. Boy, does that man need help in the bedroom!”
Nancy’s husband walked up, stumbling right in front of us. He was drunk, like always, and his glasses were tilted on his face. As drunk as Nancy was, she had the nerve to cut her eyes at him. “Come on, cupcake,” he said, “let’s dance.”
She smiled and snapped her fingers as she danced away. They were such an interesting couple to me, and were always blunt. Knowing how much money her husband
had, I was sure she would make that horrible sex she mentioned work out.
The dinner party wrapped up about two o’clock in the morning. Shane drove to Tiffanie’s house with her, and Jaylin and I went home together. He was borderline tipsy. As I stood on the balcony, outside our bedroom, Jaylin snuck up from behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist. Like always, he placed passionate kisses on my neck.
“Why you out here?” he slurred. “Why don’t you come inside so I can show you what I’m workin’ wit.”
I continued to gaze out at the ocean. “I already know what you’re working with, and a sista getting a little bit bored with the same ole, same ole,” I joked, but kept it real.
Jaylin halted the pecks on my neck. “Say it ain’t so, Mrs. Rogers. Did you just try to say being with me was boring?”
I shrugged. “If that’s how you want to put it, then yes, maybe so.”
Jaylin stepped a few inches back; then he peeled the top part of my dress away from my shoulders. He rolled it down past my breasts and tightened his arms around my waist. His lips touched my earlobe.
“Let’s go inside and make love all night long. I can almost promise you a baby tonight, and you know what? As anxious as I am to dip into that pussy, you don’t even have to do any work. As soon as I pop my dick inside you, bam! We gon’make our baby.”
“Hmm.” I smiled. “Are you sure about that? I get to have another one of your babies, huh?”
“Yep. And being the loving and beautiful mother figure that you are, how can I go wrong?”
“You can’t,” I replied. “There’s not a chance in hell.”
Jaylin lowered the rest of my dress and I stepped out of it. He lifted me and carried me to our bed. Carefully laying me on it, he looked down at me. I couldn’t believe when I saw that strange look in his eyes again. I held his handsome face with my hands.
“Please tell me what’s wrong,” I begged. “I can tell that something is troubling you, and I need to know what it is.”
“I just have a lot on my mind. There’s nothing for you to worry about, okay?”
“Are you sure? Your problems are always mine too.”
“Positive” was all he said.
He knelt to the floor, taking off my shoes and tossing them aside. After he removed his clothes, he eased on top of me and made love to me in slow motion. Our bodies rocked in rhythm together. I gave him my juices, while sucking in a heap of his. There were plenty of juices to exchange, and one load after another swam into me. Just like the last time, Jaylin had exhausted himself with telling me how much I meant to him. Whether I was willing to admit it or not, he meant a lot to me too.
JAYLIN
Making love to Nokea was truly the best. She knew how to make me feel as if I had not a worry in the world. She provided me with the love and care I so desperately needed. She made me feel whole and feel as if I could conquer the entire world. Her touch was like a security blanket, telling me that I could hold on to it forever and never let it go. After the lengthy lovemaking session last night, I realized one simple thing about myself. I was one selfish motherfucker, and why did life always have to revolve around my needs? It was so hard for me to consider other people’s feelings. After marrying Nokea, I thought I’d gotten beyond that shit. Obviously, I hadn’t. I had to work hard on my selfishness, or if not, I knew I would lose everything.
The dinner party last night was an eye-opener too. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Nokea, and there were many times that she didn’t even notice me looking at her. She was so beautiful, sexy and classy at the same time. I loved the fact that she felt so confident in herself that she could dress as she did. The men couldn’t keep their eyes off her, and her aura was lighting up the room. That’s the kind of woman I loved to call my wife. After all of the dust settled, I intended for her status to stay that way.
On another note, Shane and I had settled our differences. He was a little uptight about Scorpio, and I truly understood how he felt. The only thing he asked of me was that I not use him as an alibi to see Scorpio. I promised him that I wouldn’t. His other advice was for me not to tell Nokea. He felt as if it would devastate her, and he didn’t want to see me lose out. I thought about that too, but I also knew how much Nokea loved me. Yes, she would be highly ... severely upset, but walk away for good? I wasn’t sure about that. We had a lot to lose if she did, and a part of me didn’t think she’d be willing to lose so much.
For the first time, I got to sit down, relax and play with my son. Mackenzie was in physical therapy, and I had spent at least an hour with her earlier. Justin was a happy child, and I couldn’t believe how much he looked like me. I couldn’t wait for LJ and Jaylene to meet him. Once I broke a few things down to Nanny B, things would eventually come together.
Justin and I sat on the floor, stacking some of his plastic Lego blocks as high as they would go. I let him kick them. When they came crashing down, he laughed. I pulled him in my arms, kissing his soft cheeks.
“You think that’s funny?” I said, tickling him. He cracked up and fell back on the floor while kicking his feet on me so I would stop.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s put this train set together so you can see this bad boy do its thing. Will you help me?”
“Yes,” he said, sitting down next to me.
After a while, all Justin did was watch me put the train set together. We were both excited, watching the trains roll quickly around the tracks.
“I told you, you would like that. Now, what else would you like to do?”
Justin stuck his finger in his mouth and looked around his room. He then pointed to his bookshelf.
“You want me to read a book?” I asked.
He nodded. I removed his finger from his mouth. “Don’t nod, say yes. ‘Yes, I want you to read a book.’ Always be clear about what you want.”
“Yes. Read!” Justin shouted.
I laughed, knowing that he liked to read because of Mackenzie. As much as I used to read to her, she now loved to read books. She told me she read to Justin every single day. As he sat on my lap while I read to him, he seemed tuned in. It impressed me how much Mackenzie looked after him, just as LJ looked out for Jaylene. I was so lucky to have all of them in my life. Even though I felt bad about what I’d done, this was one of the things I hadn’t yet regretted.
It was getting close to dinnertime, and Loretta had the whole penthouse infused with the smell of Italian food. The four-layered cheesy lasagna almost smelled as good as Nanny B’s, but not quite. I carried Justin out of the room, flying him like an airplane, causing him to laugh his butt off.
“Jaylin, please be careful with him,” Scorpio said, standing in the kitchen with Loretta. “He’s not one hundred percent yet, okay?”
I put Justin on the floor and he ran up to Scorpio. She picked him up and he squeezed his arms around her neck.
“Hi, baby,” she said, kissing all over his cheeks. “Did you have fun?”
He nodded and Loretta gave him a Blow Pop he was reaching for. Scorpio unraveled it, and Justin put the sucker in his mouth.
“Are you staying for dinner?” Scorpio asked me.
“Nah, I’m getting ready to go. I’ll stay for dinner some time next week.”
Scorpio walked me to the door with Justin on her hip. I leaned in to kiss both of them.
“Be good,” I said. “I’ll be back sometime tomorrow.”
Scorpio waved good-bye and so did Justin. Spending time with him truly made my day. I headed for home, seriously on cloud nine. I was anxious to spend time with my other two children. When I got home, no one was there. That kind of surprised me, because it was rare that we had a peaceful home. No one had left me a note, text or anything. I called Nokea’s cell phone, she said that she was en route home. She said the kids were with Nanny B at the mall and they were going to a 3-D kiddie movie afterward. When I hung up with her, I called Shane. He was in a meeting with a potential client, who wanted to purchase one of our properties. I told him to hit me
back later, to let me know how the meeting went.
Wasting time until Nokea got home, I changed clothes and headed to the lower level to shoot some hoops on my half-court. I kept thinking about playing ball with my sons, imagining them as they got older. When I started to sweat, I took off my wife-beater and played in my hanging basketball shorts. Time was flying by. I heard Nokea call my name on the intercom, I rushed over to it, pushing the button.
“Yeah, baby,” I said breathing heavily.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on the court. I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes.”
“Hurry,” she said.
I took two more shots, missed one and made the other. When I got upstairs, I stopped by the fridge to get a bottled water. I drank it halfway down, then poured the rest over my sweaty face. I caught the dripping water with a towel, then rubbed it on my chest. I saw Nokea leaning against the arched kitchen’s doorway with her arms folded, I walked up to kiss her cheek.
“What’s up?” I said. “I can’t believe we’re all alone. If you want, we can definitely take advantage of the time.”
Nokea smiled, but she took my hand and led me into the great room. I didn’t want to sit on the leather couches with my sweaty body, but she asked me to have a seat. She sat across from me, crossing her legs.
“First, let me say that we’re alone on purpose. I asked Nanny B to take the kids out for the day, and Shane already told me that he had an appointment. I—I’ve known you since I was six. I think after thirty plus years, I have gotten to know you pretty well, Jaylin. Even when you were a little boy, I knew when you were troubled, and I did everything in my power to help ease your pain. As we grew up together, that never, ever changed. When we became a couple, I knew the kind of man you’d grown into, and I accepted that because of your past. In time, I figured all wounds would heal, and eventually they did. With that, I am requesting that you tell me what is going on with you, right here and right now. I will not accept you telling me ‘nothing,’ as I know that is not the truth.”
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