Let's Get It On

by Cheris Hodges

  She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “You had all of that, and you threw it away. How do I know you won’t do it again?”

  Maurice threw his hands up and released a slow, long sigh. “Because I just told you, and if you don’t trust me, why have we been spending this time together, and why have we been sleeping together? What’s your angle, Kenya?”

  Slamming her hand against the desk, she said, “This is a waste of my time, and I don’t feel like talking about this anymore. I can’t do this, Maurice. I’m not going to rush into an engagement and a marriage because of nostalgia.”

  Closing the space between them, he pulled her into his arms and captured her lips, kissing her until her knees buckled and she shivered. Maurice could feel her trying to resist him, but he continued to kiss her until her resistance crumbled and she kissed him back with the same passion and fervor that he possessed. She shuddered as Maurice toyed with the button on her slacks. Slipping his fingers inside her slacks, he could feel the heat radiating from her core. Maurice wanted to take her right there on the desk and make her moan in delight as he wrapped her legs around his waist and found her G-spot.

  Kenya pulled away like she’d gained control over her senses. “I can’t keep doing this,” she said. “We argue, we disagree, and then we have sex. But what changes?”

  Exasperated, Maurice walked over to the window. “You’re the one who won’t change. You keep holding on to all the mistakes I’ve made and the ones that you think I’m going to make.” Turning and looking at her, he added, “I’m not the only one who’s made mistakes in the past.”

  His words seemed to punch her in the stomach. “Get out,” she snapped. “I’m not the one who . . . Just get out.”

  “Fine. But when I walk out this door, don’t expect me to come back,” he said.

  Kenya dashed over to the door and opened it. “I don’t give a damn what you do. If you don’t want to come back, then don’t.”

  Maurice walked over to the door and closed it. “All right. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to leave. I’m not going to let you run me away, and I’m not going to let you run away again. Why don’t we go somewhere and talk? You can ask me anything you want.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “This is insanity. I don’t want to fight with you, but I can’t help what I feel.”

  “What do you want from me?” he asked. “I don’t want to feel like I’m forcing you into something.”

  “Meet me tonight at Blue around seven,” she said.

  “All right,” he said. “Bring an open mind, and I still want you to keep the ring, whether you say yes tonight or not.”

  Watching him walk out of the office, Kenya wondered if she was making a mistake by pushing him away. She slipped the ring on her finger, even though she wasn’t sure what her answer would be.

  Chapter 18

  Maurice walked into the trendy uptown restaurant at seven on the dot. Tonight he was going to prove to Kenya that she would be safe in his love. In his arms were more roses. He’d tried for about three hours to find some orchids, but he couldn’t. Taking a seat at the bar so that he could see Kenya when she walked in, Maurice prepared to open up about everything in his past. He was going to tell her how he’d thought about her often, even when he was with Lauryn, sometimes when they were in bed together. He’d tell her how in quiet moments, when a song that they’d listened to while they were together would come on the radio, she’d pop into his mind, and he’d want to call her. He’d tell her how, when he went home to Atlanta for the holidays, he would fight the urge to drive to her house just to see her walking in the front door.

  “Well, Maurice, we meet again,” Lauryn said, slipping onto the stool beside him.

  “Go away.”

  “Roses? You must have a date.”

  “Again, go away.”

  Licking her lips, she said, “Why can’t we be friends?”

  “Because I don’t want to be your friend or anything else. Will you get lost before Kenya gets here?” His voice was peppered with irritation.

  “Are you and Kenya together now? Trying to relive the past?”

  “Where’s Mya?”

  Lauryn shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. She’s on some human-rights committee thing. I messed up. What I was doing with Mya was a mistake. I miss you.”

  Maurice looked at her outfit, which consisted of last season’s Gucci, two-year-old Prada shoes, and a three-year-old Coach bag, all things that he’d purchased for her. “You miss me or my black card?”

  “It was never about the money,” she lied.

  “Right.”

  “Can we have just one night together? One night to rekindle our past? It’s been so long since I’ve felt a man’s arms around me, lips kissing me, d—”

  “Isn’t this cozy,” Kenya said as she walked over to Maurice and Lauryn. “Just like being in college all over again.”

  Maurice rose to his feet quickly and kissed Kenya. “Lauryn was just leaving.”

  “Actually,” Lauryn said, “Maurice and I were talking about the past and how good we were together.”

  Glaring at her, Kenya didn’t say anything. Maurice knew that she was fuming on the inside, and that Lauryn was playing on all of her insecurities, insecurities that his reckless actions had caused.

  “No,” Maurice said. “You were talking about how you’re trying to switch teams again. Lauryn, you know that we’re done, and you can try and come between me and Kenya, but I’ve learned my lesson. I have a real woman who knows that she wants to be with a man.” He wrapped his arm around Kenya’s waist, and they headed to the hostess to be seated.

  “I tell you what,” Lauryn said to herself. “She’s not going to have you when I’m done.”

  Kenya turned to Maurice when she was sure Lauryn was out of earshot. “So, she wants you back?”

  “I don’t give a damn what Lauryn wants. She’s confused, and she’s no longer my concern.”

  Believe him, Kenya thought. It’s not like you walked in and saw them kissing. You didn’t catch them having sex.

  Maurice held her chin in his hand. “Don’t let her get to you. Lauryn, I finally see, is a gold digger. She misses my money, and that’s it. She never loved me. She wasn’t real, like you.”

  “Huh. Only took you nine years to figure that out?”

  He kissed her nose gently. “What can I say. I was a few test scores short of riding the short bus to school.”

  The hostess walked over to them, letting the couple know that their table was ready. As they walked to the table, Maurice looked down at Kenya’s left hand. She was wearing his ring. It was a positive sign that he was happy to see.

  Once they were seated and their drinks ordered, Maurice took Kenya’s hand in his. “So, you’re wearing it. What does this mean?”

  “That I’ve always loved diamonds and emeralds. This ring is beautiful, but I don’t know if I’m going to keep it.”

  “Yes, you are, because it’s yours. The jeweler who designed it for me actually named it the Kenya cluster. I have a certificate to prove it.”

  She beamed and shook her head. “Maurice, you know I can’t be bought, right? I’m not one of your groupies or Lauryn. I have to know that I’m the only woman that will be sharing your life and your bed.”

  “You are and you will be. Kenya, I don’t want anyone but you.”

  “Since tonight is about honesty, it’s time for me to come clean. I’ve never stopped loving you. Not even when I tried to hate you. I’ve been hiding behind my work, avoiding dating, because no one compares to you,” she said.

  Maurice listened intently as she spoke, watching the pain in her eyes. He hated himself for hurting her and leaving such a deep scar. He was truly no better than his father. He could understand why James didn’t want to see him and Kenya together again. His brother saw their father in Maurice.

  “I still don’t trust you completely,” Kenya said. “And when I saw you and Lauryn at the ba
r, I started to turn around and leave. But I’m not running anymore. We didn’t meet up in the Bahamas for no reason. I didn’t get transferred to Charlotte for no reason. This is it, Maurice. This is our last chance, and I swear, if you blow it this time, there will be no going back.”

  Reaching across the table, he kissed her tenderly. “So, is that a yes?” he said when they broke off the kiss.

  “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

  Leaping from his seat, Maurice crossed over to Kenya, lifted her from her chair, and spun her around. “Woman, I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

  “Uh, excuse me,” the waiter said. “Do I need to come back?”

  Maurice turned to the man and smiled. “We’re getting married!”

  “Congratulations,” said the waiter. “Do you want to hear tonight’s specials?”

  Kenya laughed as Maurice let her go. “Sure.”

  They settled into their seats, and the waiter rattled off the specials of the evening, but Maurice was too excited to listen. He couldn’t believe that Kenya had agreed to be his wife, and he knew this time around there’d be no surprises at the altar and no media blitz, either. But whatever Kenya wanted was what she was going to get. Looking into her eyes, all he could see was their future. A few children, a house out in the exclusive Ballantyne community, and a vacation home in Miami.

  “Maurice,” Kenya said. “Have you decided on what you want to eat?”

  Smiling sassily, Maurice said, “It’s not on the menu.” The blush on Kenya’s cheeks made his blood run hot. “But I’ll take the first special you talked about.”

  “Thank you. A good choice,” the waiter said as he walked away.

  Maurice turned to Kenya, with a broad smile on his lips.

  “Why don’t we take this food to go and celebrate our engagement?” he said in a sultry whisper.

  “You’re so bad,” she said. “But let’s do it.”

  Maurice waved at the waiter and motioned for him to wrap up the food. “We’ll meet you at the door,” he mouthed as he rose to his feet.

  He and Kenya headed for the door. Maurice stuffed a wad of cash in the waiter’s hand and took the boxes that he held out to him. It didn’t matter that he had paid two hundred dollars for a dinner that cost fifty. All Maurice could think about was getting Kenya back to his place and stripping her clothes off piece by piece.

  Lauryn watched Maurice and Kenya leave, and she saw the money that changed hands. She chalked it up to Maurice showing off again. He used to do that whenever she asked him for money to shop when she was around her girlfriends. That was why she’d only ask for money when they were around. It wasn’t like Maurice was cheap, but he loved to put on a show. Kenya was getting the benefit of the life that should’ve been hers.

  “I refuse to let her win,” Lauryn muttered. “I took him once, and I can take him back, and this time I’m going to stay married to him long enough to get a hefty settlement.”

  The bartender leaned over and looked at Lauryn. “You all right, honey? Sitting here, talking to yourself, isn’t a good look, no matter how pretty you are.”

  Lauryn rose to her feet and stormed out of the bar, leaving her unpaid bill on the counter. As soon as she got outside, she saw Maurice and Kenya getting into his car. She’d talked him into buying that sports car, because he’d wanted a bland SUV.

  I deserve all of this, the fancy dinners and the cars, she told herself. Why did I listen to Mya and turn my back on this life? I was fine having the best of both worlds, and listening to her has left me with nothing but an apartment that she’s crowding. She can have this bohemian lifestyle and live like the characters in Rent, but I’m not happy.

  Lauryn stomped off to the bus stop and waited for the one that headed to east Charlotte. All the while, her eyes were focused on the car speeding by her.

  By the time Maurice and Kenya arrived at his place, dinner was the last thing on their minds. The only thing they could think about was getting in the door, ripping each other’s clothes off, and feasting on the other’s body.

  After Maurice hopped out of the car, he walked over to the passenger side, scooped Kenya up in his arms, headed up to the doorman, and slipped him a tip just for being there.

  “Mr. Goings, Ms. Michaels is inside, waiting for you.”

  He wanted to take the money back from the doorman as he lowered Kenya to the ground. “I thought I told you that she wasn’t welcomed here.”

  “She was very insistent,” the man said, casting his eyes downward. “I figured since the two of you were living here together at one time and . . .”

  Maurice threw his hand up and glanced at Kenya sideways; her body language told how uncomfortable she was about hearing that he and Lauryn had lived together. “I’ll take care of it, but from now on she’s not welcomed here anymore,” he said, grabbing Kenya’s hand. “This is the future Mrs. Maurice Goings and the only woman who has carte blanche to my place.”

  “Yes, sir,” the doorman said.

  Kenya walked in behind Maurice and held her hand out for his key. “You deal with your garbage, and I’ll meet you upstairs.”

  Lauryn glared at Kenya as she stepped on the elevator. Then she turned to Maurice. “That’s what you want?” she asked.

  “Lauryn, why are you here?” Maurice said. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned back on the wall. “You left me at the altar, remember? How does Mya feel about you stalking me?”

  “Maurice, I made a mistake, and I want you back. I want our life back.” Lauryn closed the space between them and stroked Maurice’s cheek. He slapped her hand away.

  “Woman, have you lost your mind? Kenya and I are getting married, because she knows what she wants. You, on the other hand, don’t. One day you’re a lesbian, and the next you miss our life? Or is it that you miss the money, the gifts, the trips, and the attention? You wanted to be an NFL wife and a closet lesbian. You wanted me to be your bankroll, and to be honest, that’s all you’ve wanted from the first time you spread your legs in that hotel room.”

  Lauryn turned her head away from Maurice’s intense stare. “That’s unfair.”

  “Unfair, but true. I was a fool. I let what’s between your legs cloud my brain, make me think that you were better than that woman waiting for me upstairs. I wasted so much of my life with you. I wasted so much money on you, trying to keep you happy and trying to make you a housewife when you were nothing but a common—”

  Lauryn slapped Maurice before he could finish his statement. “You son of a bitch. I wasn’t all of that when you were screwing me any way you wanted to. Your problem is that you don’t think you’re man enough to satisfy anyone except Kenya, who probably hasn’t had another man look her way since you dropped her for me. You’re embarrassed because I left you standing at the altar. I was the best thing that ever happened to you, and if you don’t see that, then you’re a fool.”

  Maurice pushed Lauryn away from him and headed for the elevators. He turned and looked at her. “You’re right. I’m embarrassed, embarrassed that I fell for a tramp like you. But I have a real woman upstairs, waiting on me. Don’t you have a woman at home that you need to go tend to?”

  Kenya tried not to let her mind wander, but she couldn’t help herself. What if Lauryn had seduced him again? This isn’t college. You have to trust him, she thought while she paced from the window to the sofa. What are they going to do? Have sex in the lobby? She was sure that she’d walked a groove in the carpet with all of her pacing.

  Looking around the room, Kenya took stock of the fact that she’d never noticed the décor of Maurice’s place until now. Sure, she’d known that Lauryn had lived there, but she hadn’t thought about the fact that Lauryn had left her touches all over the place. The living room reeked of her style, eighteenth-century French inspired, except for the solid oak coffee table and a round sectional leather sofa, which only now seemed out of place.

  Kenya marched into the bedroom and surveyed the stainless-steel bed and its mattress.


  I hope he bought new sheets, she thought as she looked at the slightly worn mattress. The mattress and box spring were obviously new, because the plastic was still on the box spring. It was obvious that the sheets weren’t new. Snatching them off the bed, she threw them across the room. Were those the sheets that he and Lauryn had made love on before they broke up? Were these their favorite sheets, sheets that had been on their bed every time the mood struck them?

  She wanted to burn those sheets and anything else that Lauryn had left in the house. Stalking into the bathroom, she opened all of the cabinets, looking for old make-up, old hair spray, and the like. Her head was spinning; the temperature in the room seemed to have jumped up a hundred degrees. Leaning back on the oversized tub, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Sweat had beaded on her forehead, and make-up ran down her cheeks. She felt as mad as she looked.

  “What’s going on?” Maurice asked as he entered the bathroom.

  Looking up, she gave Maurice an intense stare. “When’s the last time you bought new sheets? How much of this furniture did Lauryn pick out?” she ranted. “I’m not going to play house with you while living with another woman’s relics. As a matter of fact, I don’t even want to be here in this place, knowing that she lived here and made this place your home.”

  Maurice grabbed her shoulders. “Kenya, calm down. Lauryn is trying to push our buttons, trying to come between us, and I’m not going to let it happen.”

  “Like before, right?” she snapped, then immediately regretted the words.

  Dropping his hands to his sides, Maurice shook his head from side to side. “Why do we have to keep going back to the past?”

  “Because she keeps showing up,” Kenya said, her voice low and angry. “Why is that, Mo? What kind of signals are you giving her?”

  Taking a step back, Maurice grabbed the edge of the sink. “I can’t keep defending myself every time Lauryn shows up. She’s going to be around. Charlotte isn’t that big. What do you want me to do? Ask to be traded? Then are you going to quit your job and join me wherever I land? I can’t control what she does. But you have to trust me when I say that I’m finished with her.”