I got out of my car a bit disappointed in him. Then, there was a side that knew what affect Scorpio had on him. After all, she had the same affect on me. I would have cheated on Sam in a heartbeat, so that’s how I knew it wasn’t time for me to get married. Being the man that I was today, I would be no good for a woman who was looking for a brotha to settle down and commit to marrying.
I opened my front door that seemed to be already unlocked, and made my way to my bedroom. Hoping that everything was cool, I stood in the doorway and looked inside. My bed was neatly made with satin off-white sheets. Red and pink rose petals were all over the place and burnt candles were visible, too. It for damn sure didn’t look as if any fucking had gone on because the room would have been much more of a mess. I walked further inside and noticed an envelope on the bed. It had Scorpio’s name on the front. Trying to figure out what was up, I opened the envelope, and pulled out the piece of paper inside. I unfolded the letter and it simply said: Sorry, but I had to go. I couldn’t do this to you or to myself. Whenever you find someone who loves you as much as you love yourself, then maybe you’ll understand why. Love Jay-Baby.
Well, I’ll be damned, I thought. He couldn’t even do it. How he found the strength to walk away this time, I’d never understand, especially after appearing so weak yesterday.
I sat on the bed and wondered . . . If the letter was in my possession, why didn’t Scorpio get it? I reached for the phone to call Jaylin. It was still early, but I knew he’d always make time to talk to me. He answered on the second ring.
“Yeah, I know. I forgot to tell you I was outtie,” he said.
“Well, it ain’t like I needed a public announcement or anything, but a phone call would have been nice. Especially to let your boy know you made it home.”
“Man, I was trying to get the hell out of there as fast as I could. My ass was tripping.”
“Yeah, you were. Especially, by leaving my damn door unlocked.”
“I thought Scorpio would have locked it on her way out.”
“Well, if she was here she didn’t.”
“I don’t know why she wouldn’t, but maybe she was upset.”
“Upset about the letter?”
“Yes.”
“But, I don’t think she read the letter. When I got it off my bed, it was still sealed.”
Jaylin paused. “Say it was, huh?”
“Yep. By the looks of things, I think she had a change of heart, too.”
Jaylin snickered. “Damn, that’s fucked up.”
“Naw, not really. I guess she thought about the consequences like you did.”
“Pimp, I’m an irresistible man,” he joked. “That kind of shit doesn’t happen to me.”
“I guess there’s a first time for everything, bro, you think?”
Jaylin laughed. “I guess so and good for her. When you talk to her, make sure you tell her I said so.”
“What makes you think I’ll be talking to her? Our business is finished.”
“Oh, I doubt that very much. By the way you were all into her, I’d say it’s just getting started.”
“Negro, please. I don’t want your leftovers.”
“My leftovers are good. And, you should be thanking me for serving them to you. I just might change my mind, though.”
“Whatever, Jay. If or when I speak to her, I’ll let you know what’s up.”
“You do that, my brotha, and keep in touch.”
“Take care. Maybe I’ll see you in a few months. This time, though, I’m coming your way.”
“The door will always be open.”
We ended our call and I lay back on the bed. I wasn’t sure if he’d encouraged me to see Scorpio, but a huge part of me wanted to take our friendship to another level. I hated to go behind my boy like that, but I felt the same connection with her I’d felt in the past. I just didn’t know if I wanted to pursue her right now.
SCORPIO
11
Almost a whole week had gone by and I hadn’t heard from Jaylin. I was sure he was pissed that I opted not to show, but I hoped he understood I couldn’t go on hurting myself anymore. I wanted to call his cell phone number I’d gotten from when he called me, but I decided to leave well enough alone.
Since then, I’ve been having a fucking festival. I’d invited Spencer back into my life, I was just with Maxwell last night, and this morning, Calvin, my workout instructor and I had plans to hook up tonight. Basically, I’d gone back to my old ways already. I thought seeing Jaylin would give me closure, but for some reason, it seemed as if things got worse. Neither of the men were to my satisfaction and it was as if I didn’t have nothing else to do. I think I loved the attention they gave me. They all ate out of the palms of my hands and wanted so desperately to be with me. The challenge made them more eager, but I’d been dangling them on a string, as I’d been doing all along.
By all means, I had some powerful stuff to work with. I knew it, and they knew it, too. I’d heard brothas talk about bad, good, or just any ole pussy; but according to many, I was in a category all by myself. Basically, the total package with a li’l something extra-extra to go with it.
Other than dealing with Jaylin, I’d always been in control of my relationships. I said when, where, and how. Most of the time, I called the shots, and many of my companions didn’t seem to mind.
I sat in my office and lightly blew my breath on my nails I’d just polished. I reminded myself to call Shane and apologize for how desperate I appeared to be; with some free time on my hands, I picked up the phone to call him. I hated like hell that when I called Davenports, Felicia answered the phone.
“Shane Alexander, please,” I said, disguising my voice.
“May I ask who’s calling,” she said professionally.
“Scorpio—”
The phone went dead.
I couldn’t believe that bitch had hung up on me, so I called right back.
“Davenports,” she said again.
“May I speak to Shane Alexander?”
“No you may nottt,” she said, hanging onto the T.
“And, why nottt.” I replied, hanging onto the T as well.
She hung up again. I refused to play her childish games, so I waited until later to call Shane at home. Before that thought sunk in, my cell phone rang and it was Shane calling back. When he asked for me, he sounded a bit angry.
“This is Scorpio,” I said.
“Did you just call for me?”
“Yes, I did. Unfortunately, your unprofessional partner still has a case of bitterness in her bones.”
“I wholeheartedly apologize. And, trust me, it won’t happen again.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Anyway, what’s up? I’m sure there was a purpose for your call.”
“Yes, there was. I wanted to apologize to you for the other night. It was so tacky of me to come off like that, and to involve you wasn’t cool.”
“No, it really wasn’t. But, it’s cool. I enjoyed myself, so it ain’t no biggie.”
“Are you sure? I mean . . . I’d like to offer you some kind of peace offering.”
“Scorpio, I’m serious. There ain’t no need.”
I paused for a moment; I wanted to know if he’d talked to Jaylin. “So, uh, have you heard from your friend?”
“Yes, and as a matter of fact, he left something for you.”
“Really? Something like what?”
“I’ll bring it over to Jay’s during my lunch break. Besides, I haven’t had the opportunity to see your place. Jay said it was off the chain.”
I smiled. “I try. And, I’ll be here when you come. If I’m not up front, just ask the ladies to buzz me.”
“Will do,” he said, and then hung up.
I could hear all the hoopla going on and figured Shane must have walked through the door. Soon after all the noise, I waited for my phone to buzz and it did.
“Yes,” I said, holding down the intercom button.
“Girl, God done bl
essed us again,” Jamaica said, in a teary voice. “You should see what he just dropped down from heaven.”
“Please ask him if his name is Shane. If so, send him back to my office.”
I released the button because I knew Shane was on his way back. I looked towards the doorway, and soon, one hell of a man appeared. He wore a royal blue oversized shirt and a white wifebeater was underneath. His faded jeans fit nicely around his waistline and were held up by a thick black Gucci belt. Face wise, his flawless carmello skin was shining and his pearly whites had me melting in my seat.
“Hi, Shane,” I said, standing to greet him.
I invited him in and closed the door behind him. I asked him to have a seat on the couch, and I took a seat beside him. I was wearing a khaki short linen skirt; it rose up a bit and showed my silky smooth legs. Shane couldn’t help but look. He then reached in his pocket and handed an envelope to me.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s a letter for you.”
“From who?”
“Jaylin.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to read it because I know he went off because—”
“Just read it.” Shane spoke urgently. “This was on my bed when I returned home that day.”
I took the opened envelope from his hand. I opened the letter and read it. My jaw dropped and I looked at Shane.
“Are you telling me that he left?”
“No, I’m not telling you. The letter told you.”
I sat in disbelief. “I can’t believe this! After bringing his ass over here to seduce me, he left?”
“Well, if you look at it like that, you seduced him—”
“Bullshit, Shane.” I pointed my finger at him. “You knew from day one that Jaylin was playing fucking games with me! He was turning me on and off! Damn,” I screamed. “Had I gone to your place that night I would have gotten the shock of my life!”
“So, why didn’t you show up?”
“Be—because I didn’t want to play the victim anymore. After I thought about the disadvantages of giving myself to him, I couldn’t go through with it.” I chuckled, “I can’t believe he packed up his belongings and left. But, what else did I expect? That’s the typical fucking Jaylin Rogers, ain’t it?”
Shane was quiet and he allowed me to vent for about ten minutes. When he saw me getting teary-eyed, he pulled me close to his chest and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“No, I’m not having none of that. Both of y’all did the right thing and no one is to blame.”
“Then, why does this hurt so badly?” I asked, unable to maintain my composure. I released my emotions while laying my head against Shane’s chest.
“I don’t know why it hurts,” he said, holding me. “I never loved anybody to that extent. You and Jaylin had something really special, Scorpio, but it was better off left in the past.”
Even though I agreed, I continued to express myself. Shane held me even tighter and placed his lips on my forehead.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Everything will be alright. You got a lot of good things to look forward to, okay?”
I lifted my face and looked at him with my tearyeyes. “Good things like what, Shane? Tell me what good things I have to look forward to.”
Our eyes locked for awhile, and then Shane placed his finger underneath my chin. He lifted it and inched his face closer to mine. “Good things like,” he placed his lips on mine. I inched my head back, only to see him move forward. His hand touched the back of my head to keep it steady. Our tongues intertwined with each other and the feeling was . . . good. So good, that I’d eased back on the couch and tried to pull him on top of me.
“I don’t want you like this,” he whispered, as I held a tight grip around his neck. I ignored him and released one of my hands from around his neck to remove his shirt. Even though he was saying, “not like this,” he allowed me to remove his shirt. Our tongues continued in motion, while Shane rubbed his hands up and down my legs. He quickly pulled his wifebeater over his head, revealing his nicely cut upper body. I knew I was in business and my insides were on fire!
The moment was intense. We breathed hard and Shane’s lips were getting wetter and softer. He eased his hands up the sides of my skirt to lift it. Assisting him just a bit, I lifted my butt off the couch so he could remove my thong. He held the string and looked down at what I was offering.
“I can’t take you like this,” he said again. “Under these conditions—this is wrong.”
“No it’s not. I want you to fuck me. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
He moved his head from side to side. “Not now, and not like this. I can’t.” He released his hand from the string on my thong and sat up. Frustrated, I continued to lay back on my elbows with my legs open.
“I must be losing my touch,” I griped. “First Jaylin, now you. What’s going on Shane? Is this a game y’all playing with me or what?”
His eyes dropped between my legs again. “Trust me, it’s no game. The timing ain’t right, Scorpio. I don’t know what you’re aiming for and I don’t want to be part of your revenge for Jaylin.”
“Revenge? I’m not out for revenge, Shane. I felt something and I acted on it. Forgive me for responding to your advancement.”
Shane stood up and placed his hand in his pocket. He walked towards my desk and then turned around. “Okay, I’ll tell you what—why don’t you let me take you out on Sunday?”
“Why?” I sat up. “To make up for your rejection?”
“Naw, just to . . . kind of make shit right between us. Kind of develop a better friendship or something. Let me get to know you better.”
“I already got plenty of friends,” I said with attitude and then stood up. “I don’t need no more.”
“You can never have too many friends. That’s, of course, if you mean true friends and not screwing partners. I ain’t trying to be one of your screwing partnas, alright?”
“I’ll call you later and let you know.”
He walked over to the couch to get his shirts. I couldn’t help myself from getting weak while looking at his body. After he put on his shirts, I straightened myself up and got ready to walk him out.
As we made our way through the shop, this time, the ladies shrugged their shoulders. I had an idea what that meant, but I didn’t say a word until Shane left. I stood with my hand on my hip and looked around the room.
“I guess that means that y’all don’t know, right?” I said.
“An A+ for you, miss thang. You’re so right this time.” Jamaica said. “Howeva, my dear, we got a feeling that you might know something you’re not willing to share.”
“I ain’t telling y’all no more of my business. The last time I shared something with y’all, half of St. Louis knew about it.”
“Come on, Scorpio. Please,” Bernie whined.
Deidra chimed in. “I know, girl. You can’t keep nothing like that a secret, especially with a brotha that fine. It’s either the pinky or the fist, which one?”
I smiled, raised my fist and stretched my arm high in the air. “Hands off, though, ladies. This one is mine.”
We all laughed.
“She gets all the good ones,” Jamaica griped. “Can’t you allow somebody to have just one?”
“If you want, you can have Spencer. I don’t think I’m gon’ be needing him anymore.”
“No thank you,” she said. “I need a postman that can deliver. Not one who don’t even know how to lick the mail.’”
The ladies slapped high fives and I referred to them all as nasty girls. I guess they weren’t any nastier than me because I had a feeling that within the next few days, Shane and me were about to get downright dirty and filthy nasty with each other and I sure as hell couldn’t wait.
SHANE
12
Since Scorpio and I had a heated moment at Jay’s, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. I told her to call me, but it was Monday afternoon and I still hadn
’t heard from her yet. I guess my suspicion was right, and that was, she was using me to get back at Jaylin.
If anything, I wasn’t going to get caught up in her mess. It was obvious that she was looking for somebody to use and it for damn sure wasn’t going to be me. Anyway, I couldn’t focus too much time on it. The Mayor’s Group kept Felicia and I busy, so my issues with women simply had to wait. I made that clear to Sam when she visited me the other day. She apologized for giving me an ultimatum, but I was still uneasy about working things out with her. Especially, since I’d known I had feelings for Scorpio. I wasn’t sure what it would lead to, but I wasn’t about to get into another relationship before closing the door on the previous one.
As always, Felicia had been working my nerves. She’d been questioning me about Scorpio and the shit drove me crazy. I couldn’t get nothing done without her making snide comments. And, whenever I suggested Scorpio and I were just friends, Felicia couldn’t control herself from calling her bitches and hos. Now, that was awfully ironic, especially when those two words fit her to a capital T.
After sitting around pouting all day, Felicia asked if I wanted to go to lunch. I wanted to tell her “hell no” but since my stomach growled I opted to go.
We made it to J. Bucks, but the line was almost outside of the door. The waiters quickly seated everybody, and when they took us to our seats, I was surprised to see Scorpio and another companion. The brotha looked to be much older than Scorpio, and since Felicia noticed my stares, that caused her to follow the direction of my eyes.
“She is such a tramp,” Felicia said. I pulled the chair back for her to take a seat.
“Well, that’s her business, Felicia. Why don’t you chill out and enjoy your lunch with me?”
She gave Scorpio another devious look and then faced me. “Why you always taking up for her? Every time I say something, you’re always defending her. I hope you realize, what Jaylin realized, and that was: She ain’t good for nothing other than lying on her back.”
I took a deep breath and gave Felicia a cold stare. “Stop, alright? If all we gon’ do is sit here and discuss Scorpio, I’m leaving. McDonald’s right down the street and a Big Mac sounds pretty good right now.”
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