The Doctor Is In

by Carl Weber

  Raine jumped up, thinking she had been rescued, but as she attempted to get out of the bed, she realized her hands and ankles were tied to it. Her head dropped back on the pillow. She looked up at the spinning ceiling fan, wondering where the hell she was.

  Her answer came when Voncile came through the door with that same ol’ dumb smile on her face. Raine surely wanted that bitch to disappear, but it didn’t look as if that was going to happen anytime soon.

  “How are you doing?” Voncile asked, sitting on the bed as if she were deeply concerned. “I hope you and the baby are okay.”

  Raine squeaked out a one-word answer: “Fine.”

  “I know you’re hungry. My friend made you some chicken and dumplings, buttermilk biscuits, and she baked you a peach cobbler. I can’t cook like she does, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy her meal. Don’t forget to thank her. She’s a real nice person, and we both did all of this for you.”

  Voncile looked around the room proudly, waving her hand Vanna White style to call attention to the decor. Raine didn’t say one word, not even when Voncile’s friend entered the room, carrying a tray. The food smelled delicious, and when she laid the tray down, Raine had to admit that it looked good.

  “Thank you,” she finally said, looking from one woman to the next. “Thank you both, but how am I supposed to eat with my wrists tied to the bed?”

  “See what I mean, Patrice?” Voncile said as she untied Raine’s wrists. “She gets real snippy and demanding at times. You’re going to have to watch her. If things get out of hand, you already know what to do.”

  Raine massaged her sore wrists for a minute before spooning up some of the food that smelled like heaven compared to what Voncile had been feeding her. She put the food in her mouth, closing her eyes as she savored the flavor.

  “This is delicious. Is there a chance that I can have some more once I finish this?” she asked the woman that Voncile had called Patrice.

  “Hell no,” Voncile answered. “We don’t want no fat kid. You need to eat healthy for that baby. You will be on a strict diet. You really shouldn’t even be having that cobbler or that biscuit, but since you’re looking as if you need to gain back some weight, I’ll let you have it this time.”

  Raine didn’t bother to reply. She just enjoyed her food, finishing it in less than five minutes. Voncile took her tray, and right after Patrice escorted Raine to the bathroom, she was then tied back to the bed and left in the room alone. While the room was, without a doubt, better than the other room, Raine still wasn’t okay about being there. She wanted to go home—home to a private island where she and her baby would never have to see Kasen or Voncile again.

  Chapter 16

  Kasen’s friend Jansen was in town, and they had gone to play golf together. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two years, but they talked from time to time over the phone. They had graduated from college together, but Jansen went a different route, becoming involved in real estate sales. He made a fortune and never looked back. He had tried to get Kasen and Omar involved in the business, but neither of them wanted to pursue another career. Jansen understood why Kasen wouldn’t want to. After all, he was already making a lot of money as a therapist. But with Omar, he didn’t get it. Omar needed all the money he could get, but when Jansen inquired about it many months ago and Omar declined, he didn’t push. Omar always had been a little unpredictable that way, so when Kasen told him about Omar’s recent actions, a part of him wasn’t surprised.

  “I hate to say I told you so, but Omar has always been troubled. You knew that,” Jansen said.

  “Yeah, but you know me. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Omar gets off track, but then he gets back on. This time, though, he completely lost it. To do Voncile like that was totally uncalled for. I don’t have much else to say to him.”

  “To do any woman like that is uncalled for. He is a womanizer, and he’s abusive. Always has been, always will be. Look at what he did to that chick when we were in college. We should have known then that his ass wasn’t right.”

  “Yeah, he did beat her up pretty bad, didn’t he?” Kasen said. “Then he tried to blame it on her. I just hope that I don’t have to see him again, ’cause if I do, I don’t know what will happen.”

  “I feel you, man. I was thinking about stopping by his place to holla at him again about investing in some property. I would like to help the brother out, but I can’t do anything unless he’s willing to offer some apologies and correct himself.”

  “Maybe going to his place is a good idea. I’ve been thinking about going there myself. Maybe he’ll listen if we’re both there delivering the message,” Kasen said.

  Kasen and Jansen finished up at the clubhouse. Jansen had rented a Mercedes truck, so they rode to Omar’s place in style. They went to his door and rang the bell several times, but he didn’t answer. Jansen pulled out his cell phone to call him, but the phone went immediately to voice mail.

  “No answer,” Jansen said. “I wonder why that fool won’t answer his phone.”

  Kasen knew that Omar kept a spare key under the flower pot right outside his door, so he lifted the pot and took the key. He opened the door, and they went inside the beautifully decorated modern apartment that made Omar look as if he had some serious dollars. The black leather sectional in the center of the room was topped with red and black pillows. Fine art covered the walls, and the open kitchen had stainless steel appliances. Kasen noticed that Omar had remodeled the place, and he had seriously upgraded everything. None of this was cheap.

  “Omar!” Jansen shouted as he moved toward another room. “Are you in here?”

  Kasen searched around too. In the kitchen, he noticed a pot on the stove with dried corn in it that looked like it had been sitting for days. There was also a cereal bowl with curdled milk in it on the kitchen table. Dirty dishes were piled up, and the kitchen had a sour smell, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in quite some time. Omar had never been the cleanest guy, but this was just ridiculous.

  Kasen went to find Jansen in Omar’s bedroom, sitting on his bed, looking at some pictures. They were well aware that Omar liked to take pictures of naked women, to keep score every time he slept with someone. He had been doing it ever since college, and he saved every photo, pulling them out often to look at his past conquests and show them off to anyone who was willing to look. The pictures had Jansen engrossed.

  “If he hit that, he is one lucky man,” Jansen said, holding up the picture of a beautiful Latina. He kept flipping through them, making comments that made Kasen want to see them too.

  Jansen passed a few to Kasen, who flipped through them quickly. Sure, a few of those women were pretty damn hot, but something felt wrong about ogling the pictures that were taken for Omar’s benefit. He was sure the women in the photos wouldn’t be happy knowing that they were looking at them now.

  Kasen tossed the pictures back to Jansen. One of them fell on the floor, sliding a few inches underneath Omar’s bed. Kasen got on the floor to retrieve it. That was when he saw another stack of pictures with a rubber band around it. Normally, he wouldn’t dare look through Omar’s things, but the picture on top caught his eye. The woman was bent over, showing her slit to the camera, but Kasen knew that ass very well. Pulling the picture out to get a closer look, he saw the woman’s face and realized it was Voncile.

  His breathing halted for a few seconds, and his mind raced. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the picture again, just to be sure. The lump in his throat was stuck, and he zoned out, staring at the photo.

  Jansen reached for the stack of pictures in his hand, but Kasen snatched them away.

  “We did not come over here to look at his pictures,” Kasen said abruptly. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Jansen put the pictures back in Omar’s drawer where he’d found them. Kasen, however, tucked the stack of photos into his pocket as soon as Jansen turned to walk away. They grabbed two beers from the fridge then left.

  “So you don’t hav
e any idea where he is?” Jansen asked Kasen as he drove off.

  Kasen was too distracted to answer. His mind was stuck on Voncile. How did Omar get those pictures of her? Were the two of them involved? Why would Voncile lie and pretend that she wasn’t interested in him? Something wasn’t adding up.

  “I’m sorry, man. What did you say?” Kasen asked.

  “I asked if you had any idea where Omar is.”

  “No, I don’t. The last time I spoke to him, he got pretty pissed off at me. At the time, I didn’t understand what he was mad about, but now I think I know why.”

  “Well, if you hear from him, let me know. I’m going back to the hotel to get some rest. Let me know what time you plan to pick me up.”

  “Probably around nine. Is that cool?”

  “Sounds like a good time to me.”

  Kasen and Jansen had plans to go out that night, but Kasen couldn’t wait to get back to his car and look at the rest of those pictures. When he was alone, he removed the rubber band from the pictures and found plenty more shots of Voncile. She had gone all out for the cameraman. Kasen didn’t know she could open her legs that wide or that she was that flexible, and seeing her in so many positions made him think about the sweet, innocent woman who claimed she was so afraid of Omar. While some women turned up the heat in the bedroom, Kasen just couldn’t believe that Voncile would take pictures like these and give them to Omar. He wanted to call her and inquire, but he wasn’t even sure how he would approach the subject without embarrassing her. He was sure she never intended for anyone else to see those intimate pictures of her.

  * * *

  Later that night, Kasen and Jansen sat in a busy nightclub, dressed to impress in tailored suits that placed them in the VIP section. The club was thick with celebrities, as well as with everyday clubbers, who were there to celebrate birthdays or simply get their party on. Rap music thumped loudly, and the white-and-yellow lights, rotating from up above, lit up the entire dance floor. Kasen and Jansen sat at a circular booth with three women and a man Kasen knew from the clubhouse. There were champagne bottles on the table and several joints in an ashtray. Kasen didn’t get down like that, but Jansen definitely did. He was a party animal, and had applied just the right pressure to convince Kasen to go out that night.

  Since Kasen hadn’t seen Jansen in quite some time, and he hadn’t been to a nightclub lately, he didn’t mind. It would be good, he decided, to take his mind off all the craziness happening in his life at the moment. He was having a good time, and when one of the young women at the booth asked if he wanted to dance, he accepted her offer.

  “Sure. Why not?” he said. Kasen removed his jacket, tossing it on a chair. The silk button-down shirt he rocked tightened on his muscles and caused quite a stir. Women peeked over their shoulders just to get a glance at him. Kasen didn’t mind the attention at all. It felt good, especially when he stepped on the dance floor and saw so many women watching attentively, as if they wanted to jump up there and eat him alive.

  “You are definitely an attention grabber, aren’t you?” the woman he danced with said. She had men checking her out too, especially when the short dress she wore crept up her thighs as she danced.

  She and Kasen tore up the dance floor. They laughed when the song was over, and exited the dance floor with sweat on their bodies. Kasen’s shirt was so wet that it stuck to his chest. He wanted to remove it. As hot as it was, he wouldn’t mind rocking a wife-beater, like some of the other brothas did. Removing his shirt caused more attention to swing his way. His tats were on display, and his muscles were stacked for all to see. Women pulled on him from left to right. He was flattered, but all he wanted to do was go sit down and cool off.

  He stepped into the VIP section, anxious to get back to his seat and down another drink, but he stopped in his tracks when he spotted Voncile sitting next to Jansen. Her layered hair was cut short and spiked in the front. The loud pink dress she wore stretched across her perfect breasts and heart-shaped ass. Her ribbon-tied heels were tied all the way up to her knees, and the smile on her face implied that she and Jansen were getting to know each other.

  Kasen didn’t know Voncile hung out in places like this. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn’t, and the fact that she was there now didn’t feel like a coincidence to Kasen. He was still upset about those pictures, and her strange appearance at the club didn’t help matters.

  He stepped up to the booth.

  “Hi, Kasen,” Voncile said with a smile. “I saw the two of you when you came in, and I wanted to introduce myself to your friend. Why didn’t you tell me that he was so funny, and that he looked like Boris Kodjoe?”

  Jansen blushed, looking like he loved every bit of this. Kasen knew exactly what was on his friend’s mind. Voncile was sexy as hell, and Kasen was sure that Jansen couldn’t wait to get her back to his hotel room and show her what her presence had done to him. Kasen, on the other hand, wasn’t impressed. He thought that Voncile was sitting too close to his friend. He also didn’t appreciate her hand on his leg.

  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was important,” Kasen snapped.

  Everyone around the table looked at Kasen, even the chick he had danced with. They could sense that he was irritated by Voncile’s presence.

  Voncile didn’t seem to care about his feelings. She shrugged, turning her attention back to Jansen. “Would you like to dance? They’re playing my song, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been turnt up.”

  Jansen didn’t hesitate. He followed behind Voncile like a puppy dog, gazing at her ass and no doubt imagining how many positions he would put her in that night.

  Something about this whole situation just didn’t feel right. Sure, Kasen had told Voncile that they should take things slow, but that didn’t mean he wanted her to flaunt it in his face when she flirted with someone else. Also, considering what had happened not too long ago with Omar attacking her, she didn’t seem bothered in the least. As he watched Voncile and Jansen on the dance floor, he became more and more pissed off by her behavior.

  “Hey, sexy. You wanna go over there and chill with me?” one chick asked Kasen.

  “No.” He didn’t bother to look at her.

  Another chick squeezed the muscles on his arm. “Umph. I would love to get into your head, if you know what I mean.”

  She was ignored too. Kasen kept his eyes zoned in on the dance floor, where Jansen was grinding against Voncile’s backside. She grinded right along with him, snapping her fingers in the air. Jansen kept whispering in her ear, and each time, Voncile nodded her head and laughed.

  Kasen had seen enough. He rushed down the long stairs, bumping plenty of shoulders as he made his way to the dance floor. He reached for Voncile’s arm, snatching her in his direction.

  “What?” she said, pulling away from him with an annoyed look on her face. “Why are you pulling on me?”

  “I’m not pulling on you,” Kasen said, dialing back his anger a little. “I just need to speak to you somewhere in private, if you don’t mind.”

  Voncile rolled her eyes then looked at Jansen. “Excuse me,” she said. “I need to go take care of something.”

  Jansen cocked his head back. His face was scrunched, like he didn’t appreciate Kasen trying to interfere with him trying to get some ass.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked Kasen.

  “There is no problem,” Kasen answered. “I just need to get at her, like I said.”

  Jansen stood there looking frustrated as he watched the two of them exit the club together.

  As soon as Kasen and Voncile got outside, stepping to the side of the building, Kasen let her have it. “What the hell are you doing in there?” he barked.

  “What does it look like I’m doing? I was trying to have a good time. Is something wrong with that?”

  She was tipsy and slurring her words a little, which irritated Kasen even more. “This is not like you, Voncile. Why are you acting this way?”

  “Act
ing like what, Kasen? I’m just having fun dancing.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re dancing with my friend. And your dress is too damn short and too damn tight.”

  Voncile smiled, looking like she’d won a victory. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re jealous right now.”

  Kasen shook his head. “No, I’m not jealous. I’m pissed.” And then, he finally admitted what his real problem was. “I’m pissed off about the pictures I found at Omar’s house today.”

  Voncile’s eyes opened wide and she stumbled back a step. “You were at Omar’s today?”

  “Yeah. He wasn’t there,” Kasen answered, “but I found some pictures of you that tell a very different story than what you’ve been telling me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Voncile asked.

  “Naked pictures at Omar’s crib. You were telling me he was coming on too strong and you had no interest in him, and then I find the pictures. What the hell, Voncile? Were you fucking him?”

  Voncile appeared to be nervous. She looked down at the ground for a minute then shifted her eyes back to Kasen. They were wet with tears.

  “Tell me the truth,” he said. “If you fucked him, you fucked him. I don’t know why you lied to me about it from the start, but it does kind of explain his actions. What guy wouldn’t be jealous when you’re fucking him and then you turn around and fuck his friend?” He stopped short of blaming her for the breakup of his friendship with Omar, but now he understood that Omar must have been so hurt when he found out Kasen had sex with Voncile. Kasen never would have done it if he’d known about their relationship. Her deceitfulness had done a lot of damage, and now Kasen didn’t know which way to turn. Could anything be fixed?

  She sighed and launched into her explanation. “Yes, Omar and I used to be involved. I never wanted you to know because I was ashamed of being with a man like him. Your friend was abusive, and I tried my best to end it with him. It wasn’t as if we were ever in a relationship. All he ever wanted from me was sex, and vice versa. We hooked up a few times right after I met him at your office. It was one big mistake, and I regret giving myself to him.”