SCORPIO
26
Shane had given up on me—on us, for that matter. For the past month or so, I’d been going at him with everything I had and my many efforts had failed. There was no way possible for me to prove to him I hadn’t slept with Maxwell that night, and as far as trusting me again, there was no way in hell he would.
Somewhere in my mind I kept making excuses for what I’d done by saying that Shane called it off with me that week, so it was okay for me to move on. I knew deep inside that based on our strong feelings for each other, something as stupid as him reading my journal wasn’t going to keep us apart for long.
So, our time apart gave me a chance to think about my mistakes. Never, ever would I date another married man. I cost Maxwell his life, and even though he was a cheater, he didn’t deserve to die. I even felt bad for Eva. What she’d done was more than wrong, but losing her marriage over somebody like me sent her over the edge. I was just so caught up in my satisfaction, that it was a thrill for me to be with Maxwell. I loved the challenge and just to know that I could have any man I wanted was the best feeling ever. Even if he belonged to someone else.
Now, because of my stupidity, I’ve lost out again. I think it hurts more this time around because there was something different about being with Shane versus being with Jaylin. Shane allowed me to be me. He cared more about what I wanted, than what he wanted. He knew how to make love to me without even being inside of me, and he helped me overcome my feelings for Jaylin. That in itself was a good deed, and I refused to let go of a man that was capable of opening my eyes so I could see.
I was laying on my bed in deep thought. Mackenzie and Barbie were lying next to me asleep. We had a long day after coming from the water park so everybody was exhausted. It was still a bit early, and since I was accustomed to going to bed late, I was up watching TV. I reached over to my dresser drawer and pulled out the pictures that Eva had given to Shane. I looked at how they surely revealed something hot and heavy must had gone on with Maxwell and me that night. Whoever Eva hired to take the pictures, they had taken pictures of me from other days too. It was obvious because she’d known who Shane was in one of the pictures. At the bottom of a picture of us together, I noticed the date and time. I looked at the other pictures and they revealed the same thing. I found a picture of me entering the Marriott, a picture during the time I stood in the window with Maxwell, and one that showed me leaving. There was a fifteen minute time difference between the second and third pictures. I didn’t know what it would mean to Shane, but at least I could prove to him that I wasn’t lying. It wasn’t much, but I had something to work with and I was desperate.
I pulled the covers back and got out of bed. I slid into my button down khaki dress and stepped into my white tennis shoes. My appearance was the last thing on my mind, as I grabbed a rubber band and tied it around my frizzy hair that had gotten wet earlier. After that, I grabbed my keys and jetted.
It took me less than thirty minutes to get to his place, and when I did, my heart sank into my stomach. A silver Mercedes was parked in his driveway and by the pink, and purple beads that hung from the rearview mirror, I knew the car belonged to a female.
I sat in my car for a moment to gather myself. I wanted to let him know I was outside, but since I’d been calling so much, he had my number blocked. Unable to walk away from the situation, I went to the door with the pictures in my hand. I lightly knocked, and soon after, I heard footsteps come toward the door.
“Shane,” I said. “It’s me. I need to show you something. Please open the door.”
There was silence. I saw a light go out in the living room and I banged harder.
“Just five minutes,” I said. “I swear to God that if you don’t open this door, I’ll stay here until you do. I really need to talk to you about something important.”
Still, nothing. I banged again, and this time, he spoke up.
“Didn’t I tell you I needed some time?”
“Yes. But I can’t allow you time to be with somebody else. Please open the door.”
Surprisingly, he did.
I stepped inside looking a mess, but right about now, I didn’t care.
“I won’t stay long,” I said. “Can we go near some light so I can show you something?”
Shane headed back toward his covered patio and I followed. When we got there, I couldn’t believe his visitor was Felicia. They had papers all over the place and Chinese food boxes were on the table. She was fully clothed, but Shane was in his red Calvin Klein boxers. I wasn’t sure what was up, but I wasn’t about to blow it and make a scene.
“No introduction needed,” Felicia said, standing up. “Do you need me to come back or can we finish this tonight?”
Shane rubbed his hands on his face. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow or Monday? Either day is fine with me.”
“Shane, we really need to get this done. I don’t need any setbacks—you understand what I’m saying?”
“I understand what you’re saying. And there won’t be no setbacks.”
She snatched her purse off the table and tooted her lips at me. She said something underneath her breath, but I wasn’t even trying to go there with Felicia. Shane walked her to the door and I heard the door close. Without taking a seat, I waited for him to come back. He ignored me and started picking up the papers around the table.
“I have something I need to show you. I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it, but I hope it will clarify a few things.”
“What?” he said. He looked disinterested. I laid the three pictures on the table and pointed to the first picture.
“This picture was taken when I entered the Marriott that day, the second picture was taken while I was in the room, and the third picture was when I left. If you look closely at the day and times on the pictures, there’s a fifteen minute time difference from the second to the third pictures. There was no way I wrapped up sex with Maxwell that fast. You know me well and I am not one to finish up so quickly. Your phone call came as soon as I lay on the bed. I listened to it and I realized that I didn’t want to be there. I knew it before, but at that moment, it confirmed it. I don’t know if you’ll believe me now, but it’s all I got. I’m desperate for your love and I don’t know what else to do.”
He didn’t even look at the pictures. He ignored me and continued picking up his papers. I didn’t intend to start no crying festival, so when I felt myself about to lose it, I turned to leave. I took a few steps up from his patio and turned to him.
“I do love you. My heart aches badly for you. I didn’t know what it meant to really love somebody until you opened my eyes so I could see. Maybe that was our purpose for being together, but my heart tells me there’s more to it. If I’m wrong, then I guess I’m wrong.”
I walked off and took a hard swallow to hold back my hurt. When I pulled on the doorknob, the door cracked open and Shane pressed his hand above it to close it. He stood closely behind me and I could feel his heart beat.
The room was dark and there was silence for awhile. I could feel his lips touch the back of my head.
“I’m a fool aren’t I,” he said. “A damn fool for love.”
I shook my head. “No, no you’re not.”
“Then, why do I feel like one? What if you’re lying to me? What if you’re feeding me all this bullshit and you walk out of here and go be with somebody else? You’ve always done it in the past, Scorpio, so why is this time so different?”
I turned to face him. “I haven’t been with anybody else. I did not lie to you about Maxwell and this time is different because I don’t need any man in my life but you.”
“I want to believe that so badly. But I hear this echo that says I’m a fool for loving you like I do.”
“You tell that echo to go to hell. That’s nothing but the devil, and whenever something good is about to happen, he’s always poking his business where it don’t belong.”
I could see Shane’s eyes feeling me out in the
dark. He rubbed my messy hair back with his hands as we continued to stand by the door.
“I asked for time alone, in hopes that I’d get over you, but that never happened. I knew it wouldn’t, but I was hoping to get rid of this feeling that sticks with me everywhere I go. Since you came through that door, that ill feeling is gone. I feel relieved and—”
Shane reached out for me and we tightly embraced each other, quietly standing for a long, long time.
That night was all too special to me. Shane held me in his arms on the living room couch, until I fell asleep. My heart no longer ached, and if anybody had learned from their mistakes, I surely had. I was going to do everything possible to never lose Shane again.
SHANE
27
Everything was all gravy. I woke up the next morning and cooked Scorpio and me some breakfast. She was still knocked out on the living room couch and I knew it was a matter of time that she got a whiff of the bacon and woke up.
Nearly ten minutes later, she came into the kitchen, looking just as pretty as she did last night.
“Good morning,” I said, with a towel thrown over my shoulder.
She yawned. “And a good morning it is. Why’d you let me sleep so late?”
“Because you probably needed it.”
She took a seat on one of the stools to watch me cook. “Do you need any help with that? That bacon is getting awfully black.”
“I like my bacon burnt. Don’t you?”
“No. Not that burnt.”
I took a fork and picked up the bacon from the skillet. It was burnt to a crisp. “We can’t eat this, can we?” I asked.
“I don’t know about you, but I can’t.”
I turned off the stove and popped out the burnt toast from the toaster. When I took the pieces out, I burned the tips of my fingers. “Damn,” I said, and then placed my fingers on my lips to lick them. “I’ll have to find us something else to eat.”
I headed for the fridge and Scorpio grabbed my arm. She took my burnt fingers and placed them on her lips. “If you’re looking for something to eat, I can always serve you something tasty. Since you didn’t get a chance to make love to me last night, do you think we can spend the day making up for a month of lost time?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But, why should I be so generous to you today. You knew I wanted to have some fun last night, but you fell asleep.”
Scorpio stood up. “Because, Mr. Shane Ricardo Alexander #2, I was tired last night, but today you owe me big time.” She unbuttoned her khaki dress and dropped it to the floor.
I looked at her naked body. “You wrong for that because I am not an Alexander the second. I’m the first and the only.”
“The #2 was meaning Hollywood #2. It’s a secret between the stylists and me at Jay’s. Now, getting back to why you owe me—”
Scorpio turned around and the tattoo that said JAYLIN’S had been removed from her butt.
I placed my hand on my chin. “Now, that’s the kind of ass I’m talking about. Whoever got a chance to remove it must have been grateful.”
“Not as grateful as you’ll be today.”
Scorpio sauntered off towards my bedroom. I watched her from behind, and not wanting to appear too anxious, I waited until she disappeared from my sight. I then stepped out of my shorts in the kitchen and made my way to my bedroom. When I got there, she had already positioned herself on the bed. I closed the curtains and didn’t expect to open them for quite some time.
It was always the damn phone that broke me from my sleep. I slowly removed my arm from around Scorpio and reached over her to get it. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but since the room was pitch black, I knew it was late.
“Yeah,” I said in a sleepy voice.
“Hey, man,” I heard a soft voice say. I couldn’t make out the voice, but it sounded like Jaylin.
“Jay, is that you?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
“What’s up, man, is everything cool?”
He continued to speak with a soft voice. “Naw, Shane, everything ain’t cool. I . . . I’m at the hospital. Nokea lost the baby.”
I quickly sat up. “Jay, I’m so sorry to hear that. Is she all right?”
“Yeah, I guess. She . . .she kind of upset with me.”
I was afraid to ask why, but I had to. “I hope you didn’t cheat—”
“Naw, naw. She’s upset because she saw that fucking CD!” His voice got louder. “After she looked at it, she fell backward down the steps and lost my motherfuckin’ baby!”
I sat in disbelief. I couldn’t believe what Jaylin had said to me. “Man, you gotta be thankful that Nokea didn’t lose her life. And y’all can always have another—”
“Shane, I am thankful!” he yelled. “I am very thankful that I am not in St. Louis right now to kill that bitch! Nokea barely talking to me! Nanny B, she . . . she won’t even look at me! And the worst fucking thing of all is,” I heard his fist pound on something. “There’s a possibility that my wife won’t be able to conceive another child!”
I was trying to calm Jaylin down. It was obvious that some serious shit was about to happen. “Man, you don’t know that. And, I don’t understand why Nokea got so upset when you told her what had happened that weekend, didn’t you?”
“The CD tells a different side of the story! You’ve seen it! There’s no fucking explaining that shit! I can explain shit all day long, but nothing compared to her seeing it for herself!”
“Jay, you need to calm down. It is not the end of the world. Sometimes things happen and nobody lives a life without troubles. You and Nokea live a wonderful life and many people would love to be in your shoes. Again, setbacks will happen, and as soon as Nokea gets well, things will work out.”
“You got that shit right,” he laughed. “You for damn sure got that shit right! I told you, if that CD made it to my house, what was gon’ happen? What did I tell you Shane!”
Jaylin wasn’t trying to hear me. A lifetime of happiness just wasn’t no guarantee. “I wouldn’t think you wouldn’t risk all that you have—”
“You know what, Shane, you just don’t fucking get it! You have allowed that bitch to get away with so much shit and that’s why she continues to play the games she does. Well, game over! And you can tell that bitch it’s on when you see her!”
The phone went dead.
Scorpio was wide awake, and she could hear Jaylin yelling through the phone.
“Who was that,” she asked.
“It was Jaylin. But, I don’t want to talk about it right now okay? Let’s just go back to sleep.”
Scorpio didn’t say anything else. She laid her head back on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.
Of course, I couldn’t get back to sleep because there were so many “what if’s” in my head. What if I’d never told Scorpio he was coming to St. Louis? What if I’d never asked him to stay for Trey’s party? What if Felicia didn’t have hidden cameras in Davenports, and most of all, what if Jaylin followed through with his threats about killing her?
He was known for being a man of his word, so I reached for the phone to call the airlines. I had to make plans to get to Florida and get there fast to stop him.
FELICIA
28
I sat in my office, thinking about how all these suckers thought they’d live happily ever after. First Jaylin and Nokea, and then, Shane and Scorpio. Yeah, right? I’d been through mega shit with both men, and to kick me to the curb like a piece of dirt wasn’t cool.
Maybe, I would have left shit alone had Scorpio not brought her trampy butt back into Shane’s life. He was hurt by what she’d done and I almost had him in the palms of my hands. We’d already been having small sexual talks over the phone, but when I’d go see him, all of a sudden, he’d have a change of heart. All I needed was one more week or two with him, and trust me, he would have been mine once again.
Since Scorpio was back, I hadn’t heard from him. I figured she must have worked her char
m on him, and again, all was forgiven. I was angry with Shane for allowing her to come back into his life. If anything, he knew darn well that he couldn’t turn a ho into a housewife. He deserved so much better and I intended to make sure he got what he deserved.
I figured I wouldn’t hear from him; so it was time to shake, rattle, and roll. So, that was why I overnighted my package to Nokea. I wasn’t going to be played anymore by Shane or Jaylin. And, how dare Jaylin try to cut me out of that much money with the Mayor’s Group? That was a dirty trick, especially after the work I put into that design.
See, men could continue to play all the games they wanted to, but they never ever know what kind of woman they’re dealing with. Some women could walk away after being messed over, however, I was not one who could walk too far. Never will I sit back and allow anybody to get over on me without suffering the consequences and that goes for women, too.
As I stared out of the window, he cleared his throat. I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled at him. Over the last few months, we’d become quite a team. Not only had I been screwed over, but he’d been screwed over in the past as well. Of course, by Nokea, who was supposed to marry him. While at the altar, she decided that she was still in love with Jaylin, and left my friend standing there looking like a fool. Tell me, how many people were going to suffer for what Nokea and Jaylin had done? Yes, being on drugs had him tripping, but for Shane and Jaylin to turn their backs on him, at a time when he needed them the most, that was so sad, especially Jaylin. He was his cousin, and he thought blood was always thicker than water. So what, he’d screwed Scorpio when she came to him in her troubled time with Jaylin. If anything, he’d done Jaylin a favor. One that allowed him to open his eyes and see Scorpio for what she really was—a whore. Honestly, he was just as angry as I was, and we were determined to make their lives as miserable as they’d made ours.
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