Baby Momma Saga

by Ni'chelle Genovese

  Well, damn, let me find out this heffa got herself a mini sorority and shit. I shuddered, a chill of disgust running through my body at just the thought of Darnell’s breath on the side of my face.

  “Well, I’m callin’ you ’cause I got a bigger problem. Michelle ass done went out and hired a security company to fuckin’ follow us around and shit. Not regular security. These niggas in unmarked cars doin’ hidden surveillance-type shit.”

  The line was quiet for a minute. I could tell I had Lania stumped with that one. Hell, my ass was stumped too.

  “Hmm, security company you say? We will have to think on this little hiccup. I’m sure there are ways around her hired dogs. Enough bullshit, are you guys coming to the party?”

  “She mentioned a dinner party or somethin’, but I don’t know. We got a lot goin’ on right now.”

  “Oh trust me. We have the best parties, best coke, best everything. If she’s worried about security Curtis has his own. No one’s going to come up in there with any shit. I might also have something for you, if you feel like making some extra money.”

  Her emphasis on the words “extra money” let me know plain and simple this wouldn’t be a regular meet-and-greet type situation.

  “I know how you are about men, this one would definitely be different.”

  The thought of making another five or eight grand had my heart going triple time. That would put me at damn near $20,000 in less than a week. At this rate I’d be making so much money I wouldn’t even need to worry about Michelle taking care of me, or leaving me anymore. I couldn’t resist it. “All right, I’m in. What do you need me to do?”

  “I’ll fill you in when you get to the party, and then we’ll have to find a way to get you away from your wifey. I promise we will have so much fun—even your uptight Michelle will be drunk dancing by the time we’re all done.”

  I almost laughed in Lania’s damn ear trying to picture that shit happening. Never in a million years, no—no way—no how.

  “Lania, you obviously don’t know my wife.”

  Double Take

  47

  Darla showed up right on time as expected and I led her upstairs to the playroom where the kids were quietly watching a movie. Ris was still in the bathroom, getting dressed. I smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out of the burgundy and gold comforter on our bed and sat down. I’d decided to keep my attire simple, wearing a black high-waist Cavalli pencil skirt and my favorite silver Yves Saint Laurent blouse that flared at my collarbone. It was sexy, yet classy; with the right pair of glasses I could definitely pull off the naughty librarian image.

  I was too antsy and stressed out to worry about fussing over my hair. Instead, I opted to just let it hang loose, falling past my shoulders with the ends bumped under so it curled slightly. I might have looked like a perfectly composed, well put together woman on the outside but, on the inside, I was a complete and absolute mess.

  Nothing was adding up. I was so careful when we left Virginia. I’d gone through so much trouble getting us away from there as quickly as possible and as discretely as possible. How on earth had Rah managed to find us? The question rolled over in my head repeatedly along with the image of his face the last time I’d seen him. Years hadn’t erased that memory: the day he realized that the misery he’d suffer for the rest of his life was all because of us, because of me. There was so much hate and anger.

  My stomach had rumbled very loudly, interrupting my thoughts. I hadn’t had much of an appetite since talking to Jim, and Lord knows I couldn’t eat anything. My nerves were so bad I constantly felt nauseous. A few strong drinks were exactly what I needed, but just enough to calm my nerves so I could talk business with Curtis if the opportunity presented itself.

  “I’m all ready.” Ris walked in looking like she was going to either a rap video or porn shoot audition. She was wearing her bright pink “come fuck me” stilettos, the ones we only used for playing dress-up. They were paired with a matching skirt and matching see-through fishnet top with a black and pink zebra-striped bra underneath.

  “Um, you know this is a dinner party and not a Nicki Minaj lookalike contest right?” I was agitated and didn’t bother hiding it.

  “Oh, whateva. If you wanna roll up in there lookin’ like somebody’s damn principal dat’s on you. I seen how Key an’ his people do on TV, my ass gon’ fit right the fuck in. Watch.”

  * * *

  And watch was exactly what I’d decided to do. The gated mansion community was nothing like the ones Ris had ever been exposed to.

  When the limo dropped us off in front of the main entrance my own eyes widened; this man’s house was the size of a small strip mall. There had to be at least five levels to it on the inside. A butler greeted us, carrying a tray of champagne, and we each took glasses. It was nine o’clock on the dot and I imagined we must have been the first to arrive, seeing as how there were no other cars in front, unless he had a damn parking garage somewhere that I just hadn’t seen. It was highly fucking possible.

  We were led inside through the main foyer by another suited-up butler. It reminded me of the Roman Colosseum in Italy where the gladiators fought. Huge pillars lined both sides and Ris and I both stopped and looked up in awe. The ceiling was hundreds of feet up, but instead of the typical chandelier the ceiling was a constellation of glittering stars and planets, and every so often a shooting star would fly from one end of the ceiling across to the other.

  “The guests are all in the evening ballroom. Follow me please.”

  I was so busy staring at the place, I’d completely forgotten about the butler.

  Ris giggled and downed her glass of champagne. “Follow Alfred.”

  I rolled my eyes at her immature comment. We walked past statues of Hercules, Apollo, and other Greek gods. Curtis seemed to have a serious thing for power figures. We were led down several long hallways before finally stopping in front of an elevator.

  “You are going to the fourth floor, enjoy.”

  We stepped inside and Ris and I both looked at each other, eyes as wide as saucers. “This nigga got a muthafuckin’ elevator in his house,” we said in unison, giggling on the way up. I immediately felt transported into another world. The doors opened up and before us was what I’m just going to call “Club Curtis.” This fool had a disco ball and everything. The entire fourth floor was Curtis’s own private club, DJ booth and all. The area was darkened with multicolored strobe lights flashing overhead. I squinted and looked through the crowd of people blocking the elevator entrance, trying to find Keyshawn’s ass. Ris nudged me in my ribs when a topless waitress walked by with a tray of syringe-shaped shooters and multicolored Jell-O shots.

  “I told yo’ ass I’d fit the fuck in, Ms. Know-it-fuckin’-all.”

  I just ignored her.

  “Hey, hey, hey, mi gorgeous, momma’s glad you both could make it.” Lania swirled out of thin air, pulling me into a hug that lasted a little too long for my taste, which ended with her air-kissing me on either side of my face. She was obviously already a few shots or champagne glasses ahead of us. She then turned and pulled Ris into the same embrace.

  “I just love, love, love you in these color. Perfect pink like pussy is, yes?”

  “Well, fuck yes,” Ris chimed back, obviously happy someone else agreed with the outfit that my ass so openly disapproved of.

  Oh, well isn’t this just wonderful. Here I was looking like the Nutty Professor’s assistant and everyone—including Lania, in her see-through, barely there, all-white body suit—was in straight-up hoochie wear. Keyshawn approached us, his smile already preparing me for the damn jokes.

  “Hmm, now did I say come to a party or come defend me in court?”

  I glared and he laughed, making me blush. We hugged and I couldn’t help but notice he was wearing Vera Wang for Men cologne, and damn it if that shit didn’t smell good. I bit my bottom lip. He escorted us over to the bar and I tried to get the attention of the topless bartender.

  “I know t
his heffa sees me standing here.” I blamed my damn outfit.

  Key walked up behind me and ordered us all shots of Patrón Platinum and mojitos as chasers from a man who looked like one of the statues I’d seen in the hallway who was also tending the bar.

  “Curtis. You remember Michelle and Larissa right?”

  I turned and extended my hand but was instead pulled into a tight bear hug that damn near took my breath away.

  “Sure as hell do. Beautiful women I never forget.”

  We exchanged minor small talk over our drinks.

  “What the fuck is this?” Key’s comment was directed toward the elevator as Curtis walked over to meet the new arrivals. They exchanged hugs before walking back over to our little gathering.

  “I’d like to introduce you all to Angelo Testa. This is Michelle and her wife.”

  It was the same man from the club earlier with his entourage of women. I’d seen them disperse to different parts of the room as Curtis brought him over to meet us. He was a beautiful, younger-looking Italian man to say the least, with piercing grey eyes that looked like they could see straight through you. I reached out to shake his hand and he grabbed mine, turning it over in his and softly kissing the inside of my wrist instead.

  “Absolutely beautiful. Such a shame.”

  “Why, because I’m married or because I like women?” I stared back at him, waiting for his answer. His gaze was making me nervous as he stared up at me. I thought it was the intensity in those grey eyes of his that made me uneasy. He opened his mouth as if he were about to answer me and was distracted as Keyshawn slammed his glass down. The glass shattered as it hit the bar and Keyshawn walked toward the elevator with disgust written all over his face.

  Angelo turned to Lania, who’d come up to give him a hug.

  “You should tell your people ova’ there to be more respectful, need I remind him of his place on the totem pole?”

  “Please don’t mind Keyshawn, he’s been drinking. The champagne you sent over at LIV was wonderful, by the way.”

  I listened to Lania and Angelo, but I was still looking in the direction Keyshawn had gone. I couldn’t help but feel like there was something more to Key’s behavior than just the liquor.

  “Is he going to be playing at his best or should I be concerned? I have a great deal of assets in play right now—I don’t want his dick getting in the way of his focus.” Angelo motioned for one of his girls to come over while waiting for Lania to answer his question.

  Lania looked anxiously in the direction that Keyshawn had just walked in and gave me a nervous, apologetic smile that I tried to return. I guess basketball is that serious of a business in these parts.

  “He’ll play, Angelo, don’t you worry about him. I’ll handle it, I always do. You have my word.” There was sadness in Lania’s voice and I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on with these three.

  * * *

  By the end of the night my ass was done. The room was completely spinning and all I could do was sit my ass down and watch everyone else. Drinking on an empty stomach was such a fucking bad idea. The crowd had started thinning out and I could only see a few people scattered here and there throughout the huge area. Ris was laughing and dancing with Lania and Chanel. I dizzily scanned the room for Keyshawn, but he was nowhere to be found. I only closed my eyes for what felt like a split second. When I opened them, Lania was lying in the floor, covered in what appeared to be blood. My head throbbed as I tried to get up. Curtis and several others were hovering over here. Ris, to no surprise, had vanished.

  “Curtis. What . . . what happened?” Fear sobered me up quick as fuck. Did Ris do this shit? I was scared to even speak the words out of my mouth. She had a jealous streak, mean, and a crazy streak. Ignite all three and hell would certainly break loose. I kneeled beside Lania looking for a puncture wound, squinting at her face for signs of a fight, but saw none.

  “Don’t stand y’all asses there. Somebody get a towel. Did anybody call nine-one-one?” I was frantic. At least if she survived it wouldn’t be considered manslaughter. There were too many witnesses to keep this one under wraps. Frustrated, I look around. Nobody was moving fast enough to make me happy and I hopped up, sending the room reeling around me.

  “Nah. Think she just fainted. That ain’t blood; she was drinkin’ her umpteenth Bloody Mary. My guess is she done did too much of that shit and not enough water. Got a doc on the way. He said don’t move her.” It was Curtis who answered and he was so calm, like this kind of shit happened all the time. I looked around again and still saw no sign of Ris.

  “Did too much of what shit, Curtis?”

  “Oh, hell. Pills, coke, new shit, who knows.”

  Immediately I started worrying. If Lania had access to anything, Ris did too. The last time I’d seen her they were together. Clumsily I made my way to the elevator and pushed three, two, and one. When it stopped on the third floor I got off in a dimly lit hallway. The first door I came to was a large sauna. Head spinning, I heard faint laughter coming from the other end of the hallway. It sounded like Keyshawn, but I wasn’t sure. If Ris is off somewhere fuckin’ this muthafucka, I swear on my life and everything I own and have ever had I will kill them both without a second thought, right on the muthafuckin’ spot.

  As I neared the door toward the end of the hall I could now clearly hear Ris and Keyshawn. I instantly saw, for the first time in my life, what I’ve heard people call “white rage.” I tested the doorknob and my heart damn near beat out of my chest when I found that it was unlocked. Twisting the knob ever so slowly, I tried to open it without making a sound. My blood ran cold at the sound of Ris’s voice.

  “Oh my God, Key, I didn’t know I was missin’ all this!” Breathless and excited, her voice was a high-pitched squeal of delight. That was a Ris I hadn’t heard in forever and it hurt that I wasn’t the reason for her excitement.

  “Yeah, baby! I know, I know. It take a real nigga to show you how this shit get done!” Keyshawn’s conceited ass was just as out of breath.

  That was it; I saw pure blood red. Bursting through the door like a bull blindly charging a matador I ran into the room. Tears were already starting to run down my face from the pain, and anger, but mostly from Ris’s disloyalty. I cursed myself for not having a fucking pistol or a knife or anything with me. In my rage I decided to just beat their asses to death with my bare hands if I had to. I saw Keyshawn first and blindly lunged toward him.

  “What the fuck, Key? This is how you do, huh? You come at me an’ talk all that shit an’. . .” I launched, my body set on full-all-out attack mode.

  I was on him before the fact that he was fully clothed and standing in front of the TV beside Ris, who was also fully clothed, registered. All of that filtered through long after I’d already embarrassed myself.

  “Michelle? You on something, ma? You good?” He’d grabbed both of my wrists, restraining me like I was nothing but a rag doll, looking me in my eyes as if he were trying to see if my pupils were dilated.

  “I’m fuckin’ fine. Let me go, damn.”

  Ris was beside him, staring at me wide-eyed. I couldn’t help standing there feeling like a complete fucking idiot.

  “Baby, we was just playin’ this dance game on Curtis’s Xbox. You were asleep upstairs an’ I didn’t wanna wake you up. Curtis said it was okay to jus’ leave you be ’til e’rebody left.”

  Deflated, I dragged myself over to the humongous bed off to the side, suddenly feeling like I’d just poured all of my energy out in that fit of idiocy. I sat on the edge, my head down and my shoulders slumped in embarrassment.

  “I’m jus’ kin’a wasted, a li’l maybe. I think.” Damn, and I was slurring. I could hear them laughing as I fell back exhausted from not sleeping, not eating, worrying about way too much, and taking way too many shots.

  It must have been close to 3:00 a.m. when I was awakened from my liquor/exhaustion-induced coma to the feeling of warm lips running laps around my nipples. I tried to
open my eyes, but the room spun like crazy so I closed them and let myself relax. Fresh Jasmine caressed my senses and immediately I knew it was Ris. I moaned when she did that thing I love so much: lightly grazing the sensitive skin around my breast with her teeth. I was still too damn drunk to do much more than just lie there.

  The combination of liquor and grogginess were working to her advantage. She was talking to me, but I couldn’t make out the words. I tried to focus. Cool air hit my skin and I realized I was completely naked. The bedroom was dim and I couldn’t tell if it was from candlelight or light dimmers. Ris hovered over me, all of her clothing gone, leaving her completely naked, completely beautiful. Her eyes reflected the lighting as she looked down at me. They also reflected something else. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it was sexy. She leaned down and kissed me softly before whispering in my ear.

  “Baby, I told them they could watch us.”

  I didn’t know what “them” she was talking about. I gazed around as best as I could without making the room move again. I wasn’t able to focus. Ris climbed up, straddling me; she was already hot, soaking wet. I could feel the heat and her moisture pressing against my stomach. Suddenly the thought of someone somewhere watching was the last thing on my mind. I blinked, trying to regain my bearings, hoping it would stop the spinning in my head.

  In one fluid motion I had Ris off of me and on her back. I could hear one of whomever this “them” was inhale sharply as my ass arched up in the air and I licked and savored every inch of skin I could reach without going exactly where Ris wanted me to.

  I sucked and teased every inch of her body from her neck to her toes, never going anywhere near her pussy. I let my fingers wander there, but I wouldn’t slide them in. I’d run my lips and tongue around it but never across. The thought of Ris with any man gave me such a feeling of anger and rage. I wanted her to beg, but most importantly I wanted her to beg me. I parted her legs and pressed myself up against her. Our wetness intermingling, I gently ground my hips into her, not enough to give her what she wanted, but just enough to make her want more. Ris closed her eyes and threw her head back, trying to press herself back into me, but I wouldn’t allow it. She moaned in frustration.