The waiter came over, and instead of waiting for our drinks, I told her I was ready to order. I didn’t want to be in J. Bucks no longer than I had to because the situation was quite sticky. Not knowing who the brotha was with Scorpio, I found myself a bit jealous. I knew he was one of her friends—and by the way, he couldn’t stop grinning while looking at her. If that wasn’t enough, I noticed his hand touch her leg from underneath the table. She laughed and rubbed her hand along his beard.
Felicia cleared her throat. “Are you going to sit there and gawk at her? If so, then I’m leaving.”
I didn’t notice my stares. “The, uh, brotha she with . . . I think I know him from somewhere. I just can’t remember.” I lied.
“Yeah, right,” Felicia said, taking another look at him. She sipped from her glass of water and cleared her throat. “I got a question for you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to tell me, but did Jaylin fuck her while he was here?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“You wouldn’t tell me if he did.”
“No I wouldn’t, however, I did tell you he don’t go out like that no more.”
She threw her hand back. “Whatever, Shane. You know for a fact I know Jaylin better than anybody. It is just a matter of time that he’s gonna be back to his old ways. Nokea has got to be one stupid woman if she believes a man that fine ain’t cheating on her.”
“Fine or not, people change, Felicia.”
She lifted her index finger and moved it from side to side. “And, they can always change back.”
So far, Felicia’s and my lunch was strictly on other people’s business. I tried hard not to go there with her, but the things she kept saying made me defensive. Either way, I had to do something to stay occupied, since Scorpio and her obvious lover held my attention.
Our lunch had been served, and when I noticed Scorpio and her friend stand up to leave, I purposely laughed out loud with Felicia so Scorpio would turn her head. She’d been so indulged with her conversation, I wasn’t sure if she’d even known I was there. At this point she did. She turned her head and waved at me from a short distance. Trying to play it cool and not look overly excited, I nodded and turned back to Felicia. She and I both watched as Scorpio and her companion made their way to the door. I was focused on her tall, pretty legs that showed because of the short skirt she wore. Her long curly hair was bouncing against her back, and always, she had the attention of every man in the place.
“You want to fuck her, don’t you?” Felicia said. She broke my concentration.
Even though I did, Felicia wouldn’t know about it. “Felicia, whether you want to admit it or not, that woman got it going on. Did you see the way her skirt gripped her fat ass and her silk blouse showed her hard nipples? If anything you learn from her, you should learn how to dress like her. Maybe you’ll get as much attention as she does.”
“Okay, that was cute. I know you said that just to get back at me for telling you how fine Jaylin is, but giving her props in front of me is a no-no. Besides, I dress a whole lot better than she does. Every piece of clothing I own looks better, and costs more than anything she can afford—so there.”
“Well, miss, I bet that woman who just walked out of here can purchase her clothes from Kmart and still come out looking just as good as you do by wasting your money at Saks. It’s not the clothes that make the lady, it’s the lady who makes the clothes.”
“Shut the hell up, would you? When you still get done talking, she is the biggest ho that I know in St. Louis. Some hos can clean up good, and she happens to be one of them.”
“We need to end this conversation, okay? All you know, and all you’ve ever known, is that she had sex with Jaylin; and that’s it. How or why that makes her a ho, you tell me?”
Felicia sat up straight in her seat. “Fool, not only did she have sex with Jaylin, but she had sex with his cousin, Stephon, too. And, by the way you’re acting, I wouldn’t doubt that she gave you a piece of her, let’s-pass-it-around ass, too.”
I thought about my sexual encounter with Scorpio many years ago. I’d just licked between her legs for a moment, she came, and that was it. Knowing that Felicia knew nothing of it, I fired back hard. “You, my dear, have shared your body with Jaylin, Stephon, and me. How can you sit there and dog out another woman, when all three of us had you any way we wanted you. I ain’t trying to hurt your feelings, but you need to think about shit before you say it. Bottom line, you can’t be no judge, and you need to take a look at yourself in the mirror.” I stood up and laid my napkin on the table. I pulled my wallet from my pants and dropped a fifty dollar bill on the table. After that, I left.
I couldn’t figure out if I was more mad at Felicia, or angry with Scorpio for trying to play me shady. She hadn’t called and she could have kept that fake ass wave to herself.
When I looked outside of the restaurant and seen Scorpio holding hands with her lunch date and kissing him, that was right about the time I started arguing with Felicia. Maybe she was right though. Scorpio had been putting herself out there a bit, but I knew there was something good inside of her. I also knew that being hurt could cause a person to act out of the norm.
Since Felicia drove, I decided to walk back to the office and made my way up Forsyth Boulevard. There was a man on the corner selling roses, and the brotha who Scorpio was with stood next to him. I watched as he paid for the roses, and opened the passenger’s side door to his gray Cadillac, handing the roses to her. I couldn’t see her face, but I watched as he leaned in for a kiss. I didn’t want her to see me, so I crossed to the other side of the street and slowed my pace until he pulled off.
This was a sign for me not to get involved. I knew it was a game she was playing with men and probably didn’t give a damn about no one. She was out to get what she could and didn’t have a problem breaking a few hearts along the way. At this point, I was glad she hadn’t called. And, she for damn sure didn’t have to worry about me calling her.
SCORPIO
13
In the middle of the day, there I was lying in between Maxwell’s legs with my head on his chest. We’d previously encountered somewhat good sex, and for the time being, he was the best thing I could find, in the bedroom, comparable to Jaylin.
No matter how good he was, though, as soon as I’d gotten my satisfaction, I was always ready to go. Besides, Maxwell was married, so I knew I’d better get the hell out of his house before his wife came home. He said he’d leave her for me, but that’s what they all said. I wasn’t trying to be with him like that anyway, so there was no need for him to leave his wife and come to a woman who wanted nothing more from him but sex.
See, I learned the hard way by giving a man all my love. Mister you know who taught me that no matter how much I put myself out there for men, I wasn’t going to get the same in return. Those days were over with. I didn’t give a fuck about love and love didn’t give a fuck about me. All the love I needed was from Mackenzie, Leslie, and my nieces and nephews; that in itself, was more than enough.
Maxwell was sound asleep and the look of a satisfied man showed on his face. Other than him having a wife, he was pretty cool to kick it with. He didn’t harass me as much as the other men in my life did, and since he was forty-nine-years-old, he was very mature. In addition, he was rather fine for his age. He had a tint of gray in his wavy hair and neatly trimmed beard. I adored being with a man who dressed well, smelled good, and had his own money. Most importantly, Maxwell was able to turn heads when he walked and that was a big plus for me.
I was ready to go home, so I eased my naked body off Maxwell and tried not to wake him. Sleeping and creeping was the name of my game; and after I quietly put my clothes on, I closed the door behind me on my way out.
I got inside of my car, and noticed my cell phone blinking, displaying four messages. Of course, Spencer was bugging, and so was Latrell, a new flavah I’d met the past weekend. Leslie le
ft a message and told me to hurry home. Apparently, the kids had gotten into a fight, and according to her, Mackenzie’s lip was busted. In a rage, I hurried home to see what was up.
I pulled in the driveway and was surprised to see the kids outside playing. Mackenzie ran up to me, and when I noticed slight puffiness in her lip, I asked what had happened.
“I kicked the ball and it hit li’l James in the face,” she said, while holding the ball underneath her arm. “He got mad and punched me. When I cried he said he was sorry and now we’re playing again.”
I was mad. “James,” I yelled. He was two years older than Mackenzie and for damn sure didn’t have no business punching a girl. Seeing how angry I was, he slowly walked up to me.
“Yes,” he said.
“Don’t put your hands on my daughter. Do you understand ?”
He nodded.
“I need a, ‘yes ma’am,’” I said, pointing my finger at him.
“Yes, ma’am. I told her I was sorry.”
“Well, sometimes, sorry just isn’t good enough.”
Just then, Leslie came storming outside. “Thank you,” she said, placing her hand on her hip. “I already corrected my child, so I don’t need you out here doing it again.”
“When it comes to mine, I do what the hell I want to do. You allow your kids to get away with too much shit and I’m sick of it!”
“Don’t make me disrespect you in front of these kids, Scorpio. I suggest you go back to wherever you came from and try me on another day!”
“And, I suggest you stop li’l James from becoming the product of his father. If you don’t stop him now, I’d hate to give props to the person who will.”
I rolled my eyes at Leslie and walked off. She followed behind me and the kids stayed outside. As I went inside, the aroma of delicious smelling food was in the air. I walked into the kitchen and noticed a big casserole dish of mac and cheese, a plate piled high with crispy chicken, and a few other side dishes.
“Don’t you walk off and I haven’t finished talking to you yet,” Leslie yelled.
Hungry, I picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in my mouth. I chewed and looked at Leslie. “I don’t care what you say, li’l James had no business putting his hands on her.”
“And, I never said he did. I’m working on James, because he got issues. I can’t blame him for me having a no-good fool in my life for years. He often seen his daddy go upside my head, so what else is he supposed to know?”
“I—I know. I just don’t like for nobody to mistreat my baby, that’s all.”
“Same here. But, kids gon’ always be kids. I talked to James about hitting Mackenzie and he promised me he wouldn’t do it again. If he does, then he knows there’s going to be consequences.”
“Big consequences,” I said.
“Consequences that only his mama will deliver.”
I smirked at Leslie and we embraced each other. After I fixed both of our plates, we sat at the kitchen table for a chat.
“So,” she said. “You never did tell me how the other night went with Jaylin. I gotta admit, when he came into the shop that day—girl, I’d only wished I was in your shoes.”
“Ah, trust me—no you don’t. Jaylin needs to wear a sign on his forehead that says, I can fuck you well, however, your heart will break afterwards.”
“So, y’all didn’t hook up?”
“Nope. We were supposed to meet at Shane’s place, but I didn’t show and neither did he.”
Leslie laughed. “Now, that’s funny. I can’t believe the both of you turned each other down.”
“Hey, the man’s in love. In love with a simple bitch who I can’t stand. If she’d stayed married to Collins and went on about her business, Jaylin and I would still be together today.”
“Well, he was with her first, Scorpio. They were together nine or ten years before you met him?”
“Nine,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“That’s a long time to be with somebody. It was just a matter of time, but he was destined to be with her. You need to thank your lucky stars that God didn’t allow you to marry a man like him. That would be too much head and heartache for me.” Leslie was in deep thought. “Can you imagine how much attention he probably incurs on a daily basis? I’m sure he has to fight pussy off everyday. I don’t know of no man who can fight for that long.”
“Well, that’s Nokea’s problem, not mine. When we were together, I had my share of trouble with women. Thing is, though, Jaylin knew how to handle his shit. Whenever you’re with him, he makes you feel like the love of his life. It’s when he’s not with you, that’s when you have to worry.”
Leslie nodded and we finished our dinner. The kids came in and ate as well. I didn’t feel like going back to Jay’s because I was too tired. Leslie told me she’d go, so that allowed me to spend some time with Mackenzie and Leslie’s seven kids.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I applauded Leslie for her patience, but having so many kids simply wasn’t cut out for me. Mackenzie was enough. She was high maintenance and always had to have her way. I’d seen how bossy she was with Leslie’s kids, and that brought on much frustration for them. I made it my business to have a talk with her before we went to bed.
The kids were downstairs watching TV and I was upstairs in my room while on the phone with Spencer. I said he’d be history, but a part of me still wanted to be nice. Besides, Shane hadn’t called. My rule was never to call him first. If he wanted me as bad as he said he did, then there shouldn’t be no problem with him picking up the phone. He looked so workable at the restaurant earlier today, and I would have stopped to say hello, but he was with skank-ass Felicia. I don’t think I ever hated anybody in the world as much as I hated her. Nokea was on my shit list too, but not like Felicia. She intentionally did what she could to hurt people, and that was in no way cool with me.
“Scorpio,” Spencer whispered, as my thoughts were on seeing Shane at the restaurant.
“Yeah, baby.”
“Can I see you tonight or what?”
“I told you it was that time of the month.”
“And. That means nothing to me. We can always work around that.”
“Well, I don’t like working around my period.”
“Then just come over so we can chill. All I wanna do is hold you.”
“I don’t feel like cuddling tonight, Spencer. I’ll call you in a week or two.”
“A week or two, huh? If you plan on calling me in a week or two, then I’m left to assume there’s someone else occupying your time.”
“There always is, and there always will be. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but I’m not looking for anybody to settle down with.”
“And, I’m not looking forward to sharing you with anybody either. When you’re ready to come around, you let me know.”
He hung up and I’d been there and done that with Spencer before. We’d been on and off, and every time he’d say he was through dealing with me, he’d be right back with me once I begged for forgiveness. Being in control was really working out for me. Call me a ho if you’d like, but many men reacted this way all the time. If I can play the game better than they do, then there ain’t no need to be mad at me.
Hearing very little from the kids, I went downstairs to check on them. Most of them had fallen asleep, except for li’l James. He was lying on the floor while resting his head on a pillow. The TV was right in front of him, so I turned it down. I kneeled down on the floor next to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
“I apologize for yelling at you earlier, okay?” He nodded and gave me a hug. “You know your auntie loves you, don’t you?”
He nodded again.
I tucked him underneath the sheets and gave him another kiss before I headed to my room to get some sleep. I dreamed about having dinner with Shane, but his woman came in and spoiled it for us. Maybe that was a sign for me to forget about him, but then again—maybe not.
SHANE
14
Since we couldn’t seem to get along, so I packed up my stuff for the day and decided to go home. It was already getting late, but I wanted to stay late to get something done. So much for that, and as I was on my way out, I listened to her yell and scream behind me.
If she didn’t know what her problem was, I damn sure did. She wanted to get laid. She was mad at Scorpio for getting all the goods and she’d been left without. I promised myself, and so did Jaylin when he was in town, that we would never ever go there with Felicia again.
It was almost 8:30 P.M. when I got home. I planned to wrap it up at the office by 10:00 P.M., but so much for that thought. Somewhat tired, I grabbed the mail from my mailbox and unlocked the front door. I flicked the light switch in my living room, but the lights didn’t come on. Noticing a flickering light coming from my bedroom, I placed my keys and mail on the table. I took slow steps to my bedroom, and when I peeked inside the doorway, Sam was lying sideways on my bed.
“Home so soon,” she said. She rubbed the spot in front of her. “Come lay down, but remove your clothes before you get here. I want to give you a massage.”
I hated to mess up the mood, but I had to go there. “Are you sure there won’t be no strings attached? I don’t want to get all hyped and you—”
“Shane, stop being so stubborn and take off your clothes.”
I hesitated, but did it anyway. I climbed in bed next to Sam and lay on my side to face her. She grabbed one of my fluffy pillows.
“Rest your head on the pillow and lay on your stomach.”
No questions asked, I did as she’d requested.
Sam slid her thin, but firm leg across my back and straddled it. She rubbed her hands together and massaged my neckline and shoulders. When she got to my back, she rubbed something on her hands and had me feeling as if I was in another world.
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