“Your ass should’ve been a comedian. No, I take that back; you need to see a damn psychiatrist.”
“Nina, I think you’re right. I take this shit seriously.”
“I can see that. You said you had names for your toys.”
“You’re damn right! I call my little silver bullet vibrator Sneaky.”
“Why?”
“Giiiiiiirl, that little thing makes my orgasms sneak up on me. I have another vibrator that’s about six inches long. The tip of it kind of curves and moves around and around and the damn thing glows in the dark. When I cut off the lights, it looks like one of those swords they use to fight with in those Star Wars movies. I call that one Thumper because it makes me quiver.”
“What about the third one?”
“Ooooh, child! Now the third one is special. It doesn’t vibrate; it’s just a big ass dildo. I bought that one around two years ago after Tyrone went to jail. I keep it in a special case.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. When I open up that case, sparks and shit start flyin’: I swear, it’s like a bright light comes shinin’ out. It’s like somethin’ out of a movie.”
“If it’s that special, I’m sure it’s got a crazy name.”
“I call that one Meat.”
“What?” Nina asked as she tried to control her laughter.
“You heard me. I call it Meat! It’s about ten inches long and as thick as my wrist. Do you mind if I smoke? Girl, I need a cigarette, just thinkin’ about big Meat.”
“You are crazy!” Nina yelled as she wiped the tears that formed as a result of her laughter. “I can’t think of any clever names.”
“You have to be creative, Nina. All women name their toys. I gotta good name for yours.”
“What?”
“You should call it ‘Ya Boy.’”
“Ya Boy?”
“Yeah, ‘Ya Boy.’ Did I stutter?”
“Why?”
“You know how it is when you’re talkin’ to your girlfriend about your secret male friend or her secret male friend, but you don’t want to say the man’s name out loud. What do you usually refer to him as?”
“Ya Boy!”
“Exactly! You’re not givin’ poor Larry any sex. So whenever you hook up with your vibrator, it’s like sneakin’ around with your secret lover.”
“Okay, I’m feelin’ that.”
“Good! It’s official. From this day forward your vibrator is officially called Ya Boy!”
WHILE THE TWO OF THEM SPENT the entire day laughing, shopping, and sightseeing, Larry could be found at home in the kids’ playroom doing fingerpainting with the girls.
Laughter could be heard coming from the room as Larry showed Precious how to cover her hand with paint and then make an imprint of her hand on the paper. He used some of the other colors to turn the imprint of her hand into a turkey. Precious looked at Larry like he was some type of god. Never in her young life had she received such undivided attention from someone other than Nina.
Even while he gave Precious the positive attention all young girls need and long for from a man, Larry never lost sight of Chrissy. As he used his right hand to point and instruct Precious on the dos and don’ts of fingerpainting, he used his left hand to caress Chrissy’s chin and cheeks. Larry’s gentle touch was his affectionate way of letting her know that she was always in his thoughts, even when he wasn’t looking directly at her.
Larry glanced at his watch and realized that he was behind schedule. He helped Precious gather her paint and supplies and put them away. With the quickness of a superhero, he picked up both girls and ushered them into the bathroom so that they could get cleaned up. He prepared a bubble bath for Chrissy and gave her a quick bath. After washing Chrissy, he took her out of the tub and carried her into the bedroom. He instructed Precious to take off her clothes and get in the tub and then went into the bedroom and got Chrissy dressed in her new pair of pajamas.
Once both girls were cleaned and looking like two little baby dolls, Larry set them up downstairs in the family room in front of the huge flat-screen television with a bowl of popcorn and two ice-cold Capri Suns. He relinquished the babysitting duties to SpongeBob SquarePants as he moved around the kitchen grabbing pots and skillets like a world-class chef.
When Nina and Val returned to the house, Larry was sitting down with the children preparing to eat the Mexican feast he’d cooked.
“Well, well, well, look what the wind blew in,” he said as Nina and Val walked through the door.
“Aunt Val!” Precious screamed and leaped from her chair to run and give Val a hug.
“Hey, Precious! How are you doing?”
“Fine.”
“Hello, Larry.”
“Hello, Val. Welcome to California.”
“Oh my God! This house is off the chain!”
“Well, make yourself at home . . .mi casa, es su casa,” said Larry.
“Hello, Chrissy,” Val said, in an attempt to be polite. Chrissy started fidgeting in her seat and making a whining sound. “I’m sorry. Did I scare her?”
“No, you didn’t scare her; she always does that,” Nina replied with a twinge of annoyance in her voice.
“She’s just a little excited. She’s fine, Val,” Larry said in a defensive tone. “Would you like to eat? I made quesadillas and enchiladas. I figured the two of you might be a little hungry after tearing up the shopping malls.”
“No thank you. We ate while we were out. I’m gonna go to whatever room y’all are gonna let me sleep in while I’m here, and get ready to take a shower. I’m feelin’ a little sticky.”
“I understand. I had Maria, the girls’ nanny, set up the guest room at the end of the hall for you.”
“Thanks, Larry.”
Nina gave Val an abbreviated tour of the house and then escorted her to her room.
“Nina, this house is awesome. I gotta tell you, Larry may not be the best lookin’ guy I’ve seen, but he definitely cares about you and Precious. This man has spared no expense tryin’ to make you happy.”
“He has tried, I’ll give him that. But sometimes money just isn’t enough.”
“Wait a minute. I tried to warn you on your wedding day, but you weren’t tryin’ to hear me.”
“Yes, you did. But I can’t get into him. He’s just boring. I don’t like the way he chews his food, always wanting to talk about politics and stuff, and he’s always reading some kind of book. He’s kind of nerdy to me.”
“Now that you’re married to him and he has you livin’ large like this, you’d better learn to deal with it. I can’t believe you have a problem with a man that likes to read books.”
“I hear you, but I want a Tyrone to put it on me.”
“Whatever! Girl, Tyrone can sling that dick, but he’s broke. I’m talkin’, ‘Baby, give me five dollars so I can go get some cigarettes’ broke. Did I tell you what that nigga did last week?”
“No. What did he do?”
“Remember, I got that temp job as a receptionist during the daytime last month.”
“Yes. He didn’t come on your job and embarrass you, or anything like that, did he?”
“No, he didn’t, but he did somethin’ even more triflin’. While I was sittin’ at my desk, I got a text message from him that read, ‘Where is the peanut butter?’”
“No, he didn’t!”
“Yes, he did! That nigga sent me a text while I was on my job askin’ me about some damn peanut butter.”
“I know yo crazy ass sent a flip response.”
“You know I did. I sent him a text back that said, ‘Go to the store. They have a lot of peanut butter, and fill out an application while you’re there.’”
“What did he say?”
“He didn’t say shit. He hasn’t mentioned the words peanut butter since that day, and I refuse to buy some. To be honest, as much as I care about him and enjoy the sex, I’d rather have somebody who can upgrade me financially. I can be poor by myself.
Nina, I’m tellin’ you, if good sex is all that’s missin’ in your relationship, I suggest you go get ‘Ya Boy’ to fill in the gaps. The world is full of dick-slingin’ niggas with no jobs. If your man does everything else right, I suggest you figure out a way to make that shit work.”
“I hear you. Look, get ready because tomorrow we have a big day ahead of us.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I told you a few weeks ago that we’re going having a party this Saturday.”
“Oh yeah, that’s tomorrow?”
“Ahhh, hello! Tomorrow is Saturday. Pick out one of those dresses we bought today because you need to look good. There are going to be some ballers in here.”
“Say no more. I already know what I’m going to wear.”
VAL WAS AWAKENED THE NEXT MORNING by the smell of eggs, bacon, and freshly brewed coffee. The expensive sheets and soft mattress on her bed caused her to sleep like a newborn baby. The only thing that caused her to move throughout the entire night was the few times she was awakened by the sound of her own snoring.
As she stretched and tried to force her eyes to stay open, she heard a knock at the door. The giggling on the other side let her know that the tap came from the hands of a child.
“Precious, is that you?”
“Yeah,” Precious replied as she let out an innocent giggle. “Mommy wants you to come eat breakfast.”
“Okay, baby. Tell your mama I will be down in a second.”
Val managed to shake off her sleep enough to get up and stumble to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and gargled before she grabbed her robe and trudged down the steps.
For the remainder of the day, Val acted like a teenager getting ready for her first prom. This was going to be the kind of evening she saw the celebrities have on television.
As she put on her clothes, she peeked out of the front window to get a look at the landscaping. The property was beautiful and so were the expensive cars that aligned the circular driveway. Val struggled to contain her excitement as she walked out of the room and down the stairs in search of Nina. Together they stood in the corner of the living room and checked out the sea of wealthy prospects that seem to rush into the party like the Pacific Ocean’s waves.
“Nina, this party is off the chain! Girl, I’ve never seen this many millionaires in one room in my life.”
“Val, what are you talkin’ about? You’ve never met one million-aire in your life.”
“Whatever! Your ass never knew any millionaires either before you hooked up with Mr. Money Bags, so don’t try to front like you all that!”
“Whatever! I’m rollin’ with them now and that’s all that matters.”
“Oh my God,” Val mumbled as she saw a handsome, well-built man walking toward them. “Girl, that nigga is fine. Who is he?”
“His name is Sharrard Hogan. He’s a football player who’ll soon be filthy rich when he gets drafted. He’s Larry’s newest and biggest client. Larry decided to host this party in his honor.”
As Sharrard walked toward Nina and Val, it was apparent that he had bad intentions. Maybe it was his exaggerated swagger or the way he licked his lips like L.L. Cool J that gave it away. One thing was for sure, he had one or maybe both of the ladies square in his sights.
“Hello, Mrs. Dennison. Who’s your lovely friend?”
“This is my friend . . .”
“My name is Val,” blurted the eager Val.
“Hello, Val, my name is . . .”
“You’re Sharrard Hogan, the football player.”
“So you know who I am?”
“Of course, I know who you are. This is a nice party.”
“Yeah, it is. I owe it all to this beautiful lady’s husband. My man hooked me up! By the way, Nina, where’s your husband? I want to thank him again.”
“I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him in an hour. He can’t be too far.”
“Well, if he has any sense, he won’t leave you standing here alone too long. Somebody might try to scoop you up,” Sharrard said in a flirtatious tone. His gaze was so piercing that it caused Nina to adjust her stance and look in the other direction.
As much as Nina tried to look away, she couldn’t avoid making eye contact with Sharrard. The two of them stood there for the next five seconds eye-fucking each other. It would’ve lasted longer if Val hadn’t put an end to it.
“Ooooh, that’s my song! Sharrard, would you like to dance with me?”
“Yeah, why not,” Sharrard responded, never taking his eyes off of Nina.
Val and Sharrard stood in the middle of the floor dancing closely to the latest Chris Brown tune. The sexual tension in the room was so thick it was suffocating. This was the stereotypical celebrity party, equipped with enough rated “R” behavior to fill a tabloid magazine.
White groupies were being groped in every corner as they giggled and grinned unrepentantly in the faces of the young, burly, black athletes their parents fought so hard to keep them away from. Sports agents with the persona of used car salesmen passed out business cards to anyone that would stand still long enough to listen to their sales pitches. Struggling has-been actors who could only be seen on reality television shows were talking loud and downing shots of Patron as they basked in the most attention they’d received in years.
Still, with all the dysfunctional behavior surrounding her, Nina’s eyes ignored the controlled hysteria and focused solely on Sharrard as he moved his hips from side to side. She silently marveled at his athletic physique that was on full display as his form-fitting, short-sleeved, crew neck shirt hugged his biceps. His tattooed covered forearms symbolized the defiant streak that made him insatiable to like-minded women and the guilty pleasure of even the most conservative women.
Sharrard was no dummy. He knew Nina was looking at his every move. As the song was ending, he whispered something in Val’s ear. Val smiled and nodded her head in agreement. A few seconds later, the two of them left the room and went upstairs.
Nina watched closely, secretly longing to be in Val’s place or maybe even join the two of them. What she didn’t realize was that while she watched them, her husband was standing in a dark corner on the second floor balcony watching her. He had been sipping on a glass of wine and watching her for the past twenty minutes.
A few minutes later, Nina could see Val and Sharrard vanish as they entered and closed the door of the guest room. She looked around for Larry, but realized that finding him amongst the sea of people was going to be impossible. As she stood there fidgeting like a junkie eager to take a hit on the crack pipe, Nina contemplated whether or not to follow her best friend.
Larry watched Val and Sharrard go into the bedroom and then focused his attention back on his peculiar-acting wife.
“Mrs. Dennison, how are you?”
“Hi. Jim, right?”
“Yes, I’m Jim; Larry’s coworker. This is my girlfriend, Susan.”
“I’m Nina. Welcome to the party.”
“Thanks for having us. Where’s Larry?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a while. He can’t be too far. Please enjoy the party. Susan, give me your shawl, and I’ll put it in a safe place.”
“Thank you, Nina.”
Nina took Susan’s shawl so that she could take it to the empty guest room where the guests’ clothing was being kept. Her offer to take the shawl had less to do with a desire to be hospitable, and more to do with having an excuse to go upstairs near Val and Sharrard.
Nina walked up the stairs at a brisk pace. She avoided looking down at the partygoers and focused on the stairs so that she wouldn’t take a spill in her three-inch heels. Once she reached the top of the stairs, she turned left and started to go toward the guest room Val was in. Her momentum was stopped when someone grabbed her arm. It was Larry.
“Hey, baby, where have you been?” Larry asked.
“Oh, hey. I’ve been walking around mingling, tryin’ to make sure everything is going as plan
ned,” Nina replied nervously.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to put this shawl up. It belongs to Susan, Jim’s girlfriend.”
“I know who she is. The guest room where the jackets are being kept is this way. Have you forgotten? You already put a few items in there,” Larry said as he pointed at the guest room located in the opposite direction.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, baby, you should probably go say hello to Jim. Try and have some fun. I’m gonna go and put this up.”
Larry took a long sip of his wine, never taking his eyes off of Nina. He walked downstairs and started mingling with Jim and some of his other coworkers. Nina threw the shawl on the bed in the guest room and then stood in the exact same spot that Larry had stood in when he watched her. Once she was sure he wouldn’t notice, she quickly walked across the hallway, which overlooked the living room, and headed toward Val’s room.
Nina placed her ear against the door and tried to turn the knob. The door was locked, but the little slender key that was used to unlock the door was sitting on the top of the doorframe. Looking like a burglar trying to break into a house, she peeked over her shoulder while she reached up and grabbed the key. Her heart started to beat faster as she used the key to unlock the door.
The only thing that illuminated the room was the lamp that sat on the nightstand. The dim light created an environment that proved to be a breeding ground for lust and salacious behavior. A marijuana-induced cloud lingered lazily in the air like low-hanging storm clouds. Trying to take a deep breath proved challenging as the strawberry-scented plug-in responsible for keeping the room fresh was being bullied and rendered useless by the scent of Mary Jane that dominated the air.
Once Nina was inside the room, all she could see was Sharrard sitting on the edge of the bed staring back at her with a devilish grin. Positioned between his legs on her knees was Val, stroking and caressing his penis as she prepared to wrap her thick, sultry lips around it. Located on the bed a few inches away from Sharrard was a mirror with two and a half lines of powder cocaine.
“Come on in, baby girl,” Sharrard said as he gestured for Nina to come over. “You wanna hit this weed?”
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