by K, S
Roni told Darrell she'd met someone about a year ago and they were in an exclusive relationship. He was aware of the situation between her and Darrell and had left for the day to give them privacy to talk.
Darrell touched her cheek gently as the corner of his mouth lifted. "You really care about him. Your face lights up when you talk about him."
Roni ducked her head to hide her smile. "I do. I mean, he's not the love of my life but he's a very sweet man and he loves me."
"I'm glad, Roni. You deserve to be happy."
"Yes. We both do."
Soon after, Darrell stood up and grabbed Roni's hand in his as they headed inside and slowly walked to the front door. They hugged again before Darrell went to his car and turned to her one last time. "Don't forget. I'm always here for you. Take care of yourself, baby."
"I will. You too, as well as your beautiful family. You have what you've always wanted, Darrell. You’re very lucky. Don't ever take that for granted."
Darrell nodded and got in his car, waving to Roni before he pulled off and headed to his hotel room to check out. Marcus and Aleesha had left on a flight earlier that morning. His wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow, but he was going to see if he could reschedule his flight and leave on the next thing smokin' back to Vegas....back to his wife.
Jerra had his heart. She and DJ were his family, and his family was his life. Roni was his past. It was true what they said, a person could never go back and pick up where they left off; it would never be the same.
Everything happened for a reason - everything had its season. It was time to go home.
Hours later, while Darrell waited in the airport to catch the flight he'd managed to reschedule, Bryan Jefferson was walking into the foyer of an enormous mansion which was one of the largest and finest in Las Vegas. He followed the butler down a long hallway, admiring the priceless works of art which hung on the wall. Many were original paintings dating back to the early 1800's and very valuable. The collection, as well as the one of a kind sculptures, would put even the most prestigious of art galleries to shame.
Standing outside the closed door of an office, the butler knocked twice. When the voice on the other side told them to enter, the butler opened the door for Bryan and bowed before leaving.
The man sitting behind the large, mahogany desk was finishing up a phone call but gestured to Bryan to fix himself a drink then have a seat.
"Are you sure you're okay? Yes, I know. At least you have a sense of closure now. You both do. Of course, Roni....yes....he just came in....I'll talk to you soon, sweetie."
When he hung up the phone, he settled back into the leather chair and looked at Bryan with warm, green eyes. "Good to see you, my friend. How've you been?"
"Fine, Angel. And yes, it has been a while."
"We need to schedule a game of golf soon. I'll give you a chance to win back the pocket change you lost last time," Angel chuckled.
Bryan threw his head back and laughed. "You're the only person I know who considers ten thousand dollars 'pocket change'. Tell you what. Let's double the wager this time. I'm feeling lucky."
Angel drummed his fingers along the side of his glass and narrowed his eyes. "Really? I'm feeling lucky as well. Why don't we triple it?"
Bryan nodded once and raised his glass in acceptance. Angel did the same as they each took a sip of their brandy to seal the deal.
"So. That was Roni on the phone?" Brian asked. "She told me she was going to give you a call."
"Yes. She seems happy. I think the visit with Darrell really helped."
"I agree. I was a little worried at first, but she sounds really good."
"She does. She even mentioned coming home one day."
Bryan's brow furrowed a bit because Roni had said the same thing to him. "Do you really think that's a good idea? She's still in love with him, you know."
"Yes, I know. But we can't protect her forever, Bryan. Roni's a lot stronger than we give her credit for."
Bryan made a sound of agreement before changing the subject. "Darrell still has no idea that you were the one who helped fake Roni's death and paid for her treatment."
"I know. And I want it to stay that way."
Angel had briefly met Darrell over a year and a half ago when he and Marcus accompanied his brother, Dominick, to his home seeking his help with a predicament which involved Keisha. Angel had taken care of that situation within twenty-four hours and gotten rid of the...problem. He'd also been impressed with Darrell and Marcus' loyalty to his brother.
Angel was also aware of how Darrell had taken care of the men who tried to kill Roni. As soon as Angel found out the Sicilians weren't responsible, it hadn't taken him long to find out who was. Apparently, Darrell had the same idea. Angel had stepped back and let him handle it. Darrell was a good man, the kind of man Angel respected. He'd been very interested to see how things would play out when he and Roni saw each other again after all these years. As he and Bryan said, they both knew Roni was still in love with Darrell. When Darrell made the decision to go back to his family, Angel had been happy to see that his instincts about him hadn’t been wrong.
Finishing off his brandy, he said to Bryan, "So when do you want to set up a date to lose your ‘thirty thou’? And just as a reminder: cash only."
Darrell turned onto his street, eager to get home. He glanced at the clock on the dash. It was way past DJ's bedtime, so he would be asleep by now. Darrell missed the hell out of him, but this would give him and Jerra time to sit down and –
He frowned as he pulled into his driveway and saw Marcus and Dom's vehicles parked there. With a look of curiosity on his face, he got out of his Rover and hurried to the front door. Curiosity immediately turned to apprehension.
If something was wrong, surely somebody woulda called him...
Letting himself inside, he automatically tossed his keys in the square tray that sat on the table by the front door and walked through the house. When he didn’t see anyone in the living room, he headed to the family room. He was half-way there when he heard the Sunday night game blaring from the surround sound speakers set up around the room.
Stepping inside, he saw Dom and Marcus sitting on the couch intently watching the play in progress. Darrell stopped several feet behind them and folded his arms to watch as well. When the quarterback of his favorite team took a hard sack by a player who was twice as big as he was, Darrell hissed.
"Damn! What's the score?"
It was almost comical the way Dom and Marcus' heads swiveled around at the sound of his voice. They stared at him with their mouths hanging open before they jumped up off the couch.
"Wassup, bruh?" Marcus grinned as he walked over and slapped hands with him. "We weren’t expecting you back until sometime tomorrow."
"You lucky you didn’t get popped, sneaking up on a brutha like that," Dom teased as he shook Darrell's hand.
"Yeah, right. A muthafucka gotta make an announcement before he walks into his own home?" Darrell laughed.
Marcus folded his arms and rubbed his chin. "So, uh. You handled your business?"
Darrell nodded. "Yeah. It's handled. I'll talk to ya'll about it tomorrow, but wasn’t no reason for me to stay any longer. I needed to get home to my family." Darrell glanced around. "Speaking of which, where's Jerra and her partners in crime?"
Dom snorted. "They've been closed up in Jerra's bedroom for an hour and a half. Last time we saw them, they were carrying a bucket of ice, a bottle of Ciroc Red Berry Vodka, Hawaiian Punch, and a Sprite. So my guess is they're probably feelin' hella good right about now."
"What?!" Darrell yelled. "Aw, hell nah! I know ya'll did not let them give my baby nothin' to drink! Ya'll know Jerra can't hold her liquor worth a damn."
"What did you expect us to do?" Marcus asked as he and Dom settled back on the couch and directed their attention towards the television. "By now, I'm sure they've hatched a plan on how to cut ya balls off and feed 'em to ya for breakfast," he casually added.
"Yep," Dom added.
Darrell glared at both of them. Neither seemed the least bit concerned that he was floundering like a fish on the end of a hook. They quickly became engrossed in the game again. Darrell went over and snatched the remote out of Marcus' hand and turned the television off. Ignoring their yells and curses, Darrell waved his hands for them to dead the bullshit. "Nah, nah. I'on wanna hear it. Get ya asses up, come get ya tipsy ass wives outta my bedroom, and get the hell out. Finish the game at ya own damn houses."
He walked out of the room with them still behind him talking shit. Darrell gave them each a middle finger salute over his shoulder, but as soon as they stood outside of Darrell's bedroom door, they instantly became quiet and looked at Darrell, ready to follow his lead.
Darrell took a deep breath before opening the door and walking in. The men’s eyes immediately went to their women who were lying on their stomachs, sipping glasses full of Ciroc and watching a DVD of the old movie, Waiting To Exhale. They still hadn’t realized their husbands were standing just a few feet away.
"I tell ya. Men can be such dogs," Keisha slurred, frowning as Angela Bassett's husband revealed he'd been having an affair and was leaving her.
Dom frowned and tilted his head to the side. Why they gotta be dogs??
"Yeah. They can be really, really selfish too!" Aleesha chimed in a little bit too loudly before sipping on her straw.
Marcus folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at his wife. She hadn't said that in Aruba when he made sure she was satisfied several times over before he got his own satisfaction.
"That's okay, though!" Jerra pointed a limp finger at the television. "'Cause Angela gon' take care o' his cheatin' ass! She gonna burn his clothes..."
"And sell all his shit for a dolla!" Keisha added.
"And then take all his money when they go to court!" Aleesha grinned.
Darrell raised an eyebrow as those scenario's flashed through his mind, starring him as the lead actor in the film. Hell nah!
"Jerra."
When he softly called her name, three surprised - then accusing - faces turned his way. Jerra scooted back and sat with her rump resting on her heels and looked at him with large unblinking stares. "What are you doing here?"
Mild amusement brightened Darrell's tired gray eyes. He'd been going almost non-stop for the last couple of days. "That seems to be the question of the night, I see. Guess next time I'll make it known ahead of time before I just pop up at my own house."
Keisha scowled and sat up as well. "Next time? Are you planning on going back?"
An immediate frown marred Darrell's forehead. "That's not what I meant, Keisha."
Aleesha raised up to join them. "Well, that's the way it sounded."
Darrell's frown switched to Aleesha. "The way it sounded and the way I meant it are too different things, Leesh."
"Then exactly what did you mean?" Jerra glared.
Chapter 36
Darrell walked towards the bed and stared at Jerra. "I mean that I'm sorry I let things go this far. Instead of just leaving, I should've stayed so that we could fix this. But I'm here, willing to do that now if you are."
Aleesha and Keisha looked at the sincerity written on Darrell's face and turned identical questioning eyes to Jerra. She hesitated before nodding. Darrell knew he was still on probation with her girls, so he didn’t let his impatience show. He breathed a sigh of relief when they each gave her a hug and drunkenly crawled out of his bed without incident. Keisha paused and gave him the evil eye, but she still lifted her cheek towards him. Darrell dutifully kissed it and told her to have a good night and then did the same with Aleesha. Marcus and Dom came over and gathered their wives and told Darrell they'd make sure the door was locked behind them.
After they were gone, Darrell sat down on the bed with his elbows resting on his knees and stared at Jerra. "Giselle made it off okay?"
"Yes. She called several hours ago to let me know they were home. She wants to come back to stay during spring break. I told her yes. I assume that's okay with you?"
"Of course, baby. I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend time with her, but I'll make it up to her when I see her again."
An uncomfortable silence fell between them that neither was accustomed to. Jerra stirred her straw around in her drink then asked, "So, how did your visit with Roni go?"
"It was good. Helpful. Provided closure."
Jerra nodded. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Are you still in love with her?"
Darrell shook his head. "No."
"Look, don't worry about hurting my feelings. If you are, just be honest about it and tell me rather than -"
"Have I ever lied to you, Jerra?"
"No."
"If I were still in love with Roni, I'd tell you. I'll always care about her. She was a big part of my life...a very important part at one time, but that was B.J."
Jerra frowned. "'B.J.'?"
"Before Jerra," he smiled. When she didn’t return the smile and just looked back down at her glass, Darrell's face sobered. "Is there somethin' you wanna ask me?"
"Is there something you want to tell me?" she countered. Jerra's lips turned down at the corners then met his direct stare with one of her own. "Did you sleep with her?"
Darrell slowly moved his head from side to side. "No. I didn’t."
"But you wanted to?"
Darrell's eyes wavered for the briefest of seconds before he brought them back to her face. "It's not that simple. Did old feelings surface when I saw her? I'd be lyin' if I said they didn't, but sleeping with her was never an option."
"Did you kiss her?"
Darrell hesitated before answering. "Yes."
Jerra closed her eyes and swallowed hard as the image of Darrell kissing and touching another woman played out in her head. She reached over and placed her glass on the nightstand before crawling out of bed. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"Jerra," Darrell softly called her name. When she ignored him and started to walk away, Darrell grabbed her wrist and pulled her between his widely spread thighs. He placed his hands on her hips. "Jerra, please, just listen to me." He tried to catch her eye when she stubbornly averted her gaze. "Please?"
Reluctantly, Jerra turned her face to his but didn’t say anything.
"Baby, I don't want this distance to continue. Before I left, I said that we probably both needed to face our pasts in order to move forward in our future. I think we've both done that. I can't say that I'm sorry I went to see Roni because I'm not. It's something I felt I needed to do, just like the process of finding your daughter your way was something you needed to do."
Jerra reached up and wiped the dampness from her eyes.
"I never meant to make you doubt my love for you. We both made mistakes in the way we handled our situations but the only thing we can do now is learn from those mistakes and move on. As perfect as I am, I'm sure it won't be the last mistake I make," Darrell teased, hoping to get at least a tiny smile from her.
When her tears kept coming, Darrell stood up, towering over her, and outlined her face with his palms. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I'm so sorry." He gently kissed one cheek, then the other, using his mouth to dry the evidence of her sorrow. "I'm sorry..."
His lips went to her lowered eyelids and delivered the lightest of touches over each closed eye and whispered sweet, loving words, apologizing and telling her how much he loved her. Once his mouth finally found its way to hers, the kiss was more a gentle caress that spoke for him and relayed everything he couldn’t find the words to say. The sweet overture of his mouth asked for her forgiveness and initiated an opening for them to make things right, get them back to the way they used to be.
But it wasn’t that simple.
Jerra returned the kiss for a few moments, powerless to stop herself from falling into the same state of mindless, heady bliss she always surrendered to whenever her husband touched
her. It had been that way from the beginning. Darrell brought out a side of her she never knew existed. She’d always had a serious disposition. Having to deal with an alcoholic mother and then an alcoholic stepfather, she sometimes felt like the parent instead of the child while growing up. After the abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather, the disciplined control she kept on her emotions only tightened. That strength enabled her to move to a strange city at the age of fifteen, pregnant and all alone. She'd gone through the horrifying ordeal of giving up her baby for adoption and then determinedly gotten her GED and finished her education. When the firm she worked for as a paralegal recognized her brilliant mind, they'd harvested it and sent her to law school. With a focus that had been resolute and steadfast, she’d made a promise to never depend on anyone but herself.
The night she met Darrell, he had changed all that. Darrell unleashed the woman Jerra had kept hidden and stifled for years. The attraction between them consumed them both until it was as if they were two parts of a whole. She'd been one of those people who scoffed at the idealized notion of an undying love. The only "love" she'd ever known had been, dirty, ugly and evil. Darrell was the first man she'd allowed herself to rely on. She felt safe. With him, she knew she never had to worry about any outside force coming between them and what they shared - until now.
Hearing Darrell moan brought Jerra out of the thick, sensual mist that had settled around them. His hands slipped down to cover her luscious lady humps, as he teasingly called them, pulling her firmly up against the rigid flesh filling up the front of his pants. Sparks of wanton, raw lust shot straight to the very center of Jerra's femininity. She let out a soft purr of longing that mingled with his deep growls. It seemed like forever since they'd made love and their bodies were yearning to mate in the oldest dance known to man. It took every ounce of Jerra's willpower to bring her hands up to his chest and push him away.
"Mmph...Darrell...wait..."