In The Company of My Sistahs

by Angie Daniels

  When Kayla finally hung up, she felt like crying. Lowering onto the bed, she forced herself to take several deep breaths. She had really thought that was Leroy finally calling her. Dang, was she ever going to learn?

  Chapter 62

  RENEE

  How the hell are they going to tell me how I feel about someone? They don’t know what I feel or what I am thinking. None of them does. I mean, it’s not like I am trying to find another husband. Shit, I ain’t even trying to fall in love again. All I am trying to do is have a little fun while on vacation. And that is exactly what I am having with Solomon. Lots and lots of fun. He makes me laugh. That man has a sense of humor that is all his own. He also is a wonderful conversationalist. I could listen to his accent all day. And his lips while he speaks, oh my goodness, they look so succulent, so thick and juicy, all I want to do is reach over and lick them like an ice cream cone. But the icing on the cake was the sex. That boy knew how to fuck a sistah to death. I must say, after last night my coochie was sore but there wasn’t anything wrong with pleasurable pain. There was nothing better after a night of sex than to still feel the physical aftereffects the next morning. And a sistah was definitely feeling it. I woke up with a smile on my face and Solomon on the brain, and ain’t shit wrong with that. So why were them bitches hating? Okay, maybe I did fuck up the first night by sleeping with Everton’s worthless ass. And maybe the next night I was all over that Taye Diggs look-alike however, since I’ve met Solomon, I have been all about him. And that’s who I planned to stick with until the end of this absolutely wonderful trip.

  Another thing: what in the hell is Nadine doing questioning my motives with Clayton? I know that he and Kayla are dating. Yeah, so maybe I was flirting when I shouldn’t have been, but that’s just the way I am. I don’t mean shit by it. Okay, maybe I am lying. I guess I do mean something by it. I’m just having a hard time trying to figure out why he passed over me for my girl. All I want to know is if he is interested and that’s it, nothing more.

  Before I met Solomon maybe I would have been interested in sampling the dick but now that I have my own, I don’t need to. Shit, she can have him. It’s not like Clayton’s giving up any dick anyway.

  As I moved down the beach, I shook my head. I simply don’t see how women did it back in the day. They remained virgins until their wedding night. They had no idea what the mothafucka was working with until after the deal was sealed. Then it was too late to back out. I’m sorry, but there ain’t no way I would even think about spending the rest of my life with some mothafucka until I had a chance to see what he was working with. And even then I’d need to take a couple of long stiff rides on his dick before I could have made the decision to spend the rest of my life with him.

  Yep, the only thing appealing about Clayton was the size of his pockets. And right now money was the last thing on my mind.

  “Hey, it’s chicken feet!”

  I glanced over at the jerk-chicken hut and waved to Langley.

  “I’ve got some good Jamaican jerk pork, mon.”

  “Maybe later,” I yelled, then kept on walking, feeling the heat of his gaze on my back. Damn, I love Jamaica!

  I was moving down the path toward our building when I spotted Everton coming my way. Shit! Quickly, I ducked behind a bush and waited for him to pass. My heart was pounding like an African drum. I don’t know why, because I wasn’t scared of him. However, after last night something about him was starting to really annoy me. One more encounter with him and the rest of my day would be a total loss.

  Glancing out from between two branches, I waited until he made it to the end of the path before I sprang from the bushes, dashed into the building, and climbed the stairs to the room. Kayla was in there getting ready for her outing. Clayton was taking her to Ocho Rios. How sweet! She smiled at me as I stepped into the room.

  “Girl, if Everton comes in my face one more time I swear I’m going to have a long talk with his boss.”

  “He called looking for you. I told him you were outside.” I could tell she was trying not to laugh.

  “Thanks a lot.” I had too good of a day ahead to be truly angry. “Girl, it’s going to be a beautiful day!”

  “Yes, it is,” she agreed. Kayla was smiling and looking happy, and I’m glad. Anything is better than watching her moping around over Leroy’s ass.

  “What time are you all leaving for the falls?” I asked as I took a seat and kicked off my shoes.

  “In thirty minutes. I can’t wait.”

  I frowned. “I don’t know why your ass is excited about climbing some damn waterfall.”

  “I heard it’s a lot of fun. You climb the falls in a human chain and experience the soothing effect of the water as it cascades to the sea below. I can’t wait.”

  That shit sounded corny as hell. “What if you fall?” Her ass is big, after all.

  “Renee, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

  “Whatever you say.” Shit, maybe spending the day under a waterfall wasn’t a bad way to spend a day. It was supposed to be hot as shit today. And riding on the back of a moped was going to be torture.

  I rose, moved over to my tote bag, and removed a pink bottle. “Hey, do me a favor before you leave. Rub some sunscreen on my back.” The last thing I needed was for my ass to burn.

  Chapter 63

  LISA

  “You need to check your sister,” Nadine said to Lisa once they returned to their room after breakfast.

  “Why do you say that?”

  Frustrated, she placed a hand to her hip. “Because she is after Clayton.”

  Lisa shook her head. “She wouldn’t do that.” One thing she knew about her sister, she didn’t intentionally mess with someone else’s man.

  Nadine gave her the eye as she spoke. “No, she won’t take him, she’ll wait for him to come to her. All the flirting she’s doing, there is no way he’s going to be able to resist too much longer. You forget he is still a man. You should have seen the way she was grinding on his ass at the club last night.”

  Lisa lowered onto the bed, then gave her a puzzled look. “I thought she was into Solomon.”

  “She is, but Clayton’s a challenge, and you know how she likes a challenge.”

  Lisa nodded and slipped out of her sandals. Yes, she was right about that. What Renee wants, Renee gets. She knew her sister all too well. She also knew that as soon as she fucked Clayton, she was going to play him like a harmonica. As soon as she was done she was going to push him aside. She didn’t want him. She wanted him because he wanted Kayla and because of it, that made him a challenge.

  She and Nadine were going snorkeling this afternoon. While she reached in the drawer for a clean swimsuit, she tried to think about how to handle the situation. If she approached her sister, Renee would deny any attempt at trying to snare Clayton and would be pissed off instead.

  Lisa sighed. Her sister had far too many issues; she just didn’t know how to approach her anymore. Maybe bringing her to Jamaica to break the news wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  Don’t start doubting your decisions, whispered a voice. Her conscience was right—she couldn’t start second guessing her decision. Tomorrow she was going to sit all three of them down and lift a tremendous weight from her soul.

  Chapter 64

  RENEE

  I can’t believe this shit!

  Solomon stood my ass up. I had been waiting at the front gate for over an hour, basting in the hot sun, and his ass still hadn’t shown up. I mean, whatever happened to common courtesy? Obviously, his parents didn’t teach him shit.

  I have never in my life been stood up. Okay, there I go lying again. I did get stood up once but that was some pretty boy that I had met at the car wash. I knew by the way his cell phone kept popping off that he was just running game. We were supposed to meet at the movies. I told him to give me a call when he was on his way. I didn’t even bother getting ready ’cause I already knew. Sure enough, he never called and I didn’t give the inciden
t a second thought.

  I glanced down at my watch one last time. Five, four, three, two, one, I’m out. I stormed up the driveway past the gardeners and through the front door across the lobby.

  “Renee!”

  As soon as I heard Everton calling my name, I ran. Good Lord, why can’t he just die and leave my ass alone? I was so pissed off with Solomon that I had made the mistake of going through the main lobby instead of cutting through the side. The last thing I wanted was for Everton to know that I was on the premises. Now he was going to bug the hell out of me.

  I raced across the lobby. Once I reached the pool, I realized how stupid I must look and stopped. I couldn’t believe this shit. That boy had me so upset, he had me running from his ass. This just didn’t make any sense at all. And all because I gave him some. I was going to have to think of some way to get Everton off my back once and for all, because I couldn’t go on like this. He was ruining my vacation.

  I slid my glasses off my head and onto my eyes, then quickened my steps. I needed to make it up to the room without being spotted by Lisa and Nadine. If they knew I had gotten stood up, I would never live it down. After teasing Nadine’s ass, she was definitely going to try and give me a hard time. To be honest, I just wasn’t in the mood for that shit.

  As I moved up the path, I passed the hamburger hut and almost plowed into Pierre.

  He seemed pleased to see me. “I didn’t think I would ever run into you again.”

  If only I could have been so lucky. Staring up at Pierre, I prayed that he had remembered to suck on a breath mint, then said, “Hello, Pierre. Ready for your son’s big day?”

  “Yes, tomorrow will be here soon enough. Have you thought any more about attending my son’s wedding tomorrow? Everyone is going to be there.”

  Including Clayton and Kayla. I shrugged. “Sure, why not?” At least his breath wasn’t stinking today.

  “Excellent. How about dinner tonight? I made reservations at the restaurant upstairs.”

  The pamphlets had said the restaurant was five-star quality, with crab cakes that were so good they made you want to slap your mama. Unfortunately every time we tried to make reservations, they were already booked for the evening. Dinner with Pierre might be my only chance at getting in, then I can rub it in everybody’s face. “Listen, Pierre, I might as well tell you now, I don’t do old men.”

  “Good, then we shouldn’t have any problems.” He winked. “All I’m interested in is a good meal with a beautiful woman on my arm and a little conversation.”

  Sure, why not. Now that Solomon had stood my ass up, what else did I have to do besides dodge Everton’s ass all day?

  Chapter 65

  NADINE

  Nadine would never have believed that snorkeling was the best way to observe aquatic life if she hadn’t experienced it first hand. She and Lisa and a team of ten spent the afternoon snorkeling around shallow coral reefs where marine life abounds. For someone who had never been a strong swimmer, she was delighted how easy the experience had been. She was so engrossed by the world under the sea that for almost two hours she had completely forgotten she had gotten her freak on with Lavina the night before. It wasn’t until they were returning to the shore that the memories came flooding back. She closed her eyes as heat flowed through her body and settled down low. Thank goodness she was already wet between her legs, because juices were running down the insides of her thighs. Lavina had put an end to any further doubts she might have been having. She was definitely a lesbian. There was no longer any ifs, ands, or buts about it. Lavina was a skillful woman who last night shared with her the art of making love to another woman. After her sister had returned to her room, she pulled out the couch bed. She then cut off the lights and the two had gotten completely undressed and climbed beneath the sheets. From that moment on, Lavina was in complete control. She caressed every corner of Nadine’s body, and with the help of a vibrating dildo, Nadine reached a level of sexual release that she had never obtained before.

  As she moved out of the water she couldn’t suppress the glow to her cheeks as she continued to think about how good Lavina had made her feel. However, she had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in anything but a little vacation fling. Lavina agreed. Nadine had yet to share with Lisa the details of her evening.

  With her partner on her mind, she glanced to her right, suddenly remembering that she was supposed to be right beside her. Only she wasn’t there. Turning on her heels, Nadine spotted Lisa a short distance behind her. Nadine stopped and waited for her to catch up. As soon as she saw Lisa’s face she could tell something wasn’t right.

  “Are you okay?” Nadine asked as she quickly moved toward Lisa.

  Lisa nodded her head and tried to put on a good front, but Nadine immediately saw through it. Lisa was breathing hard and she didn’t look too good. Nadine took hold of her arm and helped her the rest of the way.

  “Nadine, I’m fine, really.”

  Nadine wasn’t buying it. “Tell that to someone else. I used to be a nurse’s aid, remember?”

  “Yeah, and I know my body better than anyone else. I just overdid it today, that’s all.”

  Nadine refused to argue with her, however, as soon as they got back to the room they were going to have a long talk.

  They followed the rest of the group to the equipment room to return the snorkeling gear, then she and Lisa went back to their room so they could relax a little before dinner. Nadine waited until they had both showered and were lying across the bed before she mentioned the incident again.

  “Lisa, I know you’re hiding something,” Nadine finally said.

  Lisa smiled as she leaned back against her pillow. “Quit being a worrywart.”

  “I am not. I just know you’re hiding something. I’m your best friend. Please tell me what’s going on with you,” she pleaded.

  Before Lisa spoke she was quiet for what felt to Nadine like forever. “You’re right. I have been hiding something.”

  “Damn. Finally the truth,” she said as she swung her feet off onto the floor and sat up on the bed, giving Lisa her full attention. She watched carefully as Lisa took several deep breaths, and suddenly she got scared as she prepared for what Lisa was about to say that caused her normally happy friend to look so sad.

  After several more moments of silence Lisa quietly said, “Three years ago I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.”

  “What?” Nadine’s hand flew involuntarily to her mouth. She couldn’t possibly have heard her best friend right. “How did you ... I mean, what happened?”

  “I had been experiencing abdominal pain and constant bleeding. My doctor decided to run some tests. The results were inconclusive.”

  “Oh, Lisa. I’m so sorry. How come you didn’t tell me?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t know how to tell you. First I was mad, then I was in denial. When she told me I had to have a hysterectomy, I was devastated because I knew I would never have children.”

  “Wait a minute. That’s why you had the surgery?” Lisa nodded. “Why did you lie?”

  Tears streamed down Lisa’s face as she told Nadine the truth. “I didn’t want to worry any of you.”

  “That’s what friends are for. To share burdens with.” She reached over to the nightstand and handed Lisa a tissue. “Does Renee know?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Damn, girl.” She moved over to the bed and wrapped her arms around her best friend. There was no way she could have stopped the flow of tears even if she had tried. “How have you been? Did they get rid of all the cancer? Are you getting chemo?”

  Lisa released her and sat up straight on the bed. She then told her about the surgery followed by the rounds of chemotherapy. For two years she had thought the cancer was gone, until a recent test had told her otherwise. “I’m scheduled for surgery next week.”

  Nadine couldn’t move. She couldn’t believe that something like this was happening to someone she loved. Cancer! It just wasn
’t fair. Lisa was such a loving and giving person. Nadine remembered when Lisa had first told her she wouldn’t be able to have children. Her heart had gone out to her and Michael because she knew how badly Lisa had wanted children. However, when Lisa had reassured Nadine that she had decided she liked her life just the way it was and was pleased about the surgery, she had actually believed her. Then she found out that it had all been one big lie.

  She stared at Lisa as if she were seeing her for the first time. Physically Lisa was the same person she had known for years. Although her shoulder-length hair had been gone for over two years, Nadine had grown accustomed to the short, curly natural look. However, light radiating across her tired face, allowed her to see that the person on the inside had long since changed.

  “How’s Michael handling all this?”

  Lisa dabbed her eyes as she spoke. “I don’t know how I would have survived without his love and support.”

  Nadine hugged Lisa again, glad for the few seconds to shield her startled expression. While holding her, she allowed her own tears to fall freely from her face.

  “I can’t have you falling apart,” Lisa said after she reared back.

  Nadine wiped the tears away from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know I should be giving you support, but I am just so damn mad! Why you, of all people?”

  Lisa looked her in the eyes. “Things happen sometimes for reasons we can’t begin to explain. I feel that God picked me for some reason. Maybe even to help save someone else’s life in the process.”

  Nadine gasped. “Oh, my God! You’re not planning to die on me, are you?”

  Lisa shook her head, then chuckled. “Girl, hell no. I plan to live a long time. It’s surgery, that’s all. My lymph nodes are unaffected, so that’s a good sign. My doctor is confident they should be able to get almost all of the cancer this time, and we should be able to shrink the rest with chemo.”

  Nadine tried to smile through a haze of sadness. “I hope so, because I don’t know what I would do without you.”