Cougars

by Earl Sewell

  “What do you want, Harrison? You woke me up,” Jasmine said curtly.

  “You haven’t been coming to yoga class. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m fine,” Jasmine said.

  “Will you be coming back?” he asked.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Harrison. At least not right now.”

  “Why not?” he asked innocently.

  “Look. We had fun and now it’s over. It’s time for you to get on with your life and stop worrying about me.”

  “How can you switch from hot to cold like that?”

  “Harrison, you’re making this more complicated than it has to be. I wanted to fuck you, so I did. Now I’m done fucking you. Just forget about me.” Jasmine was trying her best to let him down easy.

  “It’s so hard though. I still want to be with you,” Harrison whined like a snotty-nosed boy.

  “Harrison, this is going to sound really mean, and you’ll probably think I’m a real bitch afterwards, but I’m doing it for your own good. Stop fucking calling me!”

  Jasmine hung up the phone. She placed her forearm on her forehead and exhaled, fully anticipating a return phone call, but to her delight he didn’t call back.

  “Thank goodness. Maybe he’s finally gotten the message through his thick head.” Jasmine hated to let go of the comfort of her bed, but now she was wide awake and thirsting for a cup of coffee.

  After freshening up in the bathroom, she walked downstairs to her kitchen and cooked breakfast. She went into her office, sat at her desk and began going through all of her mail which had piled up. She paid her bills, did some filing and then checked her Facebook page. She was surprised to see a friend request from Travis Adams. Jasmine smirked, then denied his request. She knew that he’d be receiving an offer for the position on Monday and didn’t want to start a relationship with him, especially since they’d be working together. That was one of her rules. She didn’t date guys she worked with. Although she had to admit that she was very attracted to him.

  Just as Jasmine was about to move on and check her e-mail account, she heard her doorbell chime.

  “That ain’t nobody but Lauren. She’s the only person who comes over totally unannounced.” Jasmine got up from her seat and went to answer the door. Sure enough her sister was standing there wearing her DEA jacket, bulletproof vest and gun belt. She was also driving a blue Crown Victoria squad car. Jasmine opened the door.

  “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” Jasmine asked.

  “Yeah, but I don’t have to report in for another two hours. I have a task force meeting later on today. We’re raiding a medical marijuana dispensary.”

  “Oh, one of those places that administers marijuana legally to patients, right?” Jasmine had a very clear idea of what Lauren was talking about but wanted to confirm it.

  “Yes. It appears as if there have been violations of federal and state laws. Girl, it’s rough out there. Just two days ago we raided a home that was turned into a crystal meth factory, right in the middle of suburbia. It’s a damn shame.”

  “Who was making it? The homeowners?” Jasmine asked as she led Lauren into the family room.

  “No. The house was a foreclosure. The suspects took over the house, but we believe that there are also either bank employees or real estate agents involved. Someone had to provide these criminals with a list of addresses as potential sites to set up their operation.”

  “Wow,” Jasmine said as she sat down.

  “It’s getting worse and worse out there. People who’ve lost their jobs, livelihood, and hope are turning to either using drugs or selling them. It’s a real mess.”

  “It sounds like it,” Jasmine agreed.

  “I didn’t stop by to talk about my job though. I came by to ask your thoughts about what happened with Millie,” Lauren said.

  “What do you mean what happened with Millie?” Jasmine was confused.

  “You didn’t hear? Millie didn’t call you to talk about it?” Lauren was truly surprised.

  “No. I haven’t heard from Millie. I did talk to Tiffany and she was trying to tell me something, but I had to run off to a meeting.”

  “Well, listen to this mess.”

  “I’m all ears.” Jasmine leaned in toward Lauren.

  “Millie’s lover came to her house to confront her husband.”

  “What!” Jasmine shouted.

  “You heard me. The young lawyer she was messing with called out her husband and they got into a fistfight on the front lawn of Millie’s house.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “Well, who won the fight?” Jasmine asked out of curiosity.

  “Millie’s husband got his ass kicked from what I understand, and the police arrested Millie’s lover.”

  “Oh shit. Why did the lover go to Millie’s house in the first place? How did he even know where she lived?”

  “Sounds like Millie had brought that man to her house before. Anyway, Millie’s husband found out about the affair she was having and he lost it.”

  “What do you mean, ‘he lost it’?”

  “He hit Millie,” Lauren explained.

  “Oh, that fool has really lost his mind! It sounds like we need to catch a flight out there to help Millie deal with this. He shouldn’t be putting his damned hands on her.”

  “I know that’s how I feel as well but there is more. You’re not going to believe this part.”

  “Oh Lord.” Jasmine paused, then waited for Lauren to give her the final detail.

  “Millie’s husband was also having an affair with the young intern’s mother.” Jasmine’s mouth opened as wide as the sky. She was completely speechless, blown away by this news.

  “How in the hell did that happen?” Jasmine asked.

  “Girl, your guess is as good as mine, but Millie and her husband were screwing two different members of the same damn family.”

  “Ooo, that sounds messy as hell. No wonder I haven’t heard from Millie. She’s got a big pot of shit stirring.” Jasmine tried to imagine what her girlfriend must have been going through. “Have you talked with Millie at all?”

  “I called and left a message. I told her that you and I were ready, willing and able to come out there and see about her. She shot me a text message back saying that she had him locked up for hitting her and that she was fine.”

  “Has the media gotten wind of all of that? You know she was under investigation,” Jasmine reminded her.

  “I don’t know. That’s a good question. I do know that Millie’s husband is also pressing assault charges against the lover in addition to having to defend his own case.”

  “Damn!” Jasmine said as she and Lauren moved over to a nearby sofa and sat. “I’m going to give her a call today to find out how she’s doing. It sounds as if her life is in a chaotic tailspin.”

  “Well, if you get through to her, let her know that we’re here if she needs us. But you know how Millie is. She won’t ask for help even when she needs it the most.”

  “I know but this is different and I intend to make sure she understands that she has friends who care about her and are on her side.” Jasmine coughed a few times and then continued, “Not to change the subject, but did I tell you that Harrison, the yoga instructor, turned out to be a damn stalker?”

  “A stalker? What are you talking about? Is he following you around or something?”

  “No, he just has a difficult time understanding that all I wanted to do was fuck him. He tried to turn a good fuck into a meaningful relationship,” Jasmine joked.

  “Goodness, Jasmine! You didn’t have to break the boy’s heart.”

  “Honey, he hasn’t been a boy in some time.” Jasmine rose up to turn on the stereo. The sultry voice of Jazmine Sullivan came through the speakers.

  “So what’s going on with you and your friend?” Jasmine asked.

  “Everything is going well. No
complaints here,” Lauren said.

  “Well, we’re about to hire a young, sexy chemist named Travis Adams,” Jasmine said, putting on a wicked grin.

  “Oh yeah. Is he a new fish you have on your hook?” Lauren asked.

  “Nah, although he was eager to jump on the line. He told me that he only dates older women, then tried to undress me with his eyes on the sly.” Jasmine laughed.

  “How old is he?” Lauren asked.

  “Twenty-eight.”

  “That’s not a bad age. He should have gone through enough relationships by now to have a little more life experience under his belt.”

  “Oh honey, he appears to have an abundant amount of experience under his belt. I can tell by how confident he was. He thought he was going to bed me last night when I ran into him at a social function.”

  “Well, you know the rule. You shouldn’t fuck a coworker,” Lauren said.

  “Aren’t you being a little hypocritical seeing as how you’re doing just that?”

  “As Daddy was so fond of pointing out: Do as I say, not as I do.” Lauren laughed and then made a move toward the door.

  “He did say that all of the time, didn’t he?” Jasmine reflected for a moment. “Make sure you call me after your raid. You know how I worry about you.”

  “I will,” Lauren said and hugged her sister.

  “Be safe,” Jasmine said. She walked Lauren toward the Crown Victoria, and watched her get in and drive off.

  Chapter 12

  Travis

  Travis received a handsome offer for the position at Headroom Pharmaceuticals which he gladly accepted. He worked out the details of his start date so that he could have enough time to return home, contact his parents and take care of all the details associated with moving out of the house.

  With Alex’s help he was able to locate a decent two-bedroom apartment in the Wrigleyville neighborhood just north of downtown Chicago. His apartment was directly across the street from Wrigley Field, which was the home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. His vintage apartment building had rooftop seating so that he could enjoy a game during the season without ever really having to leave home. Sports bars ruled the area, which suited Travis just fine because he figured that it would provide him with plenty of opportunities to unwind when life got a little too stressful. His new neighborhood also had excellent restaurants that ranged from Chicago-style to upscale full-service restaurants.

  It was a bit of an adjustment to move from a spacious house to the more compact confines of an apartment. He also had to get used to parking his car on the overcrowded streets of Chicago. Travis figured that after twelve months on the job he’d have a better sense of whether or not he was going to stay or decide to move on. If he elected to stay, he’d then begin the search for a home.

  TRAVIS WAS IN HIS APARTMENT UNPACKING the last of the boxes he’d shipped from California. He’d just opened a container with an assortment of items including an old photo album. He decided to take a moment to flip through the photos and saw one of him and Alex when they were undergraduate students. The photo was ten years old and was taken shortly after a game in the bleachers of the football stadium. Alex was holding up his finger indicating that he was number one and Travis was standing behind him with two fingers held up directly behind his head. Travis laughed at the silly photo. His cell phone vibrated, indicating that he’d just received a text message. He pulled out his phone and read it.

  “In your neck of the woods. Stopping by 2 C U.” The text was from Alex. Travis responded and then went back to viewing his photo album. The next photo was of him walking across the stage getting his PhD.

  “God, I was so wasted that day because I’d been out the night before fucking a woman from Australia who was visiting the United States for the first time. She had a voracious appetite for black men. I almost didn’t make it to graduation because she drained me before I left,” he muttered to himself as he thought about all of the wild times he’d had. At that moment he heard his doorbell buzz. He went to glance out the window to see who was downstairs. He raised the window and leaned slightly forward.

  “Alex?” Travis called to him.

  “What’s up, pimp? Are you going to open the door or just leave me standing out here?”

  “Hang on,” Travis said as he went to buzz his friend in. It took Alex a few moments to hustle up to the second floor.

  “What’s going on?” he asked as he entered the apartment and shut the door.

  “I’m still unpacking,” he said as he walked toward the dining room where the boxes were stored.

  “I thought I’d drop in to see how you were doing. I still can’t believe you actually live here in Chicago now.”

  “Neither can I.” Travis huffed as he handed Alex the photo album he was looking through. “There is an old photo of us in there.”

  “Oh shit,” Alex howled. “We were so young then.”

  “We’re still young. We haven’t even crossed over into our thirties yet,” Travis reminded him.

  “But we were still teenagers when this picture was taken. We had a shit load of fun in college, didn’t we?”

  “Yeah we did, but you had a lot more fun than I did as I recall.” Travis continued to empty the box.

  “Shit, I’m still having a blast. I love my carefree bachelor lifestyle. I honestly don’t see how a person can get married and just settle down with one woman. That shit would drive me crazy.” Alex couldn’t see the possibility of falling in love at all. Emotionally unconnected sex was all he was after.

  “You say that now, but I think eventually we’ll settle down with someone,” Travis said to ruffle his feathers.

  “Not me. Can’t do it, won’t do it and absolutely refuse to do it.” Alex was unyielding and wasn’t going to change his mind.

  “I heard that,” Travis agreed.

  He glanced at Alex for a moment and noticed some bruises on his neck.

  “What happened to your neck?” Travis pulled his shirt collar so he could see more clearly. “Damn, those bruises are all over your chest and shoulders. Did you get into a fight or something?”

  “Dude, that’s what I came by to tell you, I hooked up with this Cougar last night—wild and passionate. She kept biting the shit out of me whenever she had an orgasm.”

  “Damn, didn’t that shit hurt?” Travis winced.

  “Hell no, at least not at the time. The woman was new to the list and I was her first. She was tall. I mean really, really tall. Her curvaceous mahogany legs were long enough to drop kick a brother into the middle of next week. She told me that she was from Miami and that she’d never been with a gigolo before.”

  “You’re not a gigolo though.” Travis laughed.

  “Yes I am. I let the ladies know that I’m a trained gigolo with exceptional skills. Shit, I don’t fuck around. I’m giving these ladies what they want and providing an excellent service.”

  “Okay, I see your point.” Travis backed down.

  “Anyway she says to me: ‘Start by eating my pussy.’ I was like cool, no problem. Man, I must have licked her snatch for a good forty minutes. She squirted cum juice all over my face and lips. She was so wet that I had to ask her how long it had been.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said it’s been over a year. Right then I knew that it was going to be an all-night job. I popped a Viagra, put on my rubber glove and let her ride cowgirl style. Her pussy had a fucking death grip. I mean she was squeezing my shit like she was trying to strangle it. I bust a nut so big I felt like she was a damn vampire sucking out my blood. All I wanted to do was take a nap after my release.”

  “Oh, don’t tell me you pulled the old, ‘give me a minute’ line?” Travis laughed.

  “Hell no, I was still hard and we fucked in every position imaginable. I was hitting the back of her pussy like a fighter punching a bag. That’s when all of the biting started. She got animalistic on my ass.”

  “I can tell.” Travis smirked as he glanced at
the love bites once more.

  “Anyway, when I left her, my nuts were tender but she was satisfied. How is the new job going?” Alex asked, switching the subject.

  “So far so good. My first week hasn’t been too bad. I spent the majority of my time reading.”

  “Do you like your boss?” Alex asked.

  “My boss and I get along just fine,” Travis said.

  “Good, I’m happy for you, man. I’m glad things are working out. Why don’t you take a break from all of this unpacking and let me treat you to lunch.”

  “That sounds like a plan to me. Let me grab my wallet,” Travis said as he walked toward his bedroom.

  “What’s your boss’s name?” Alex spoke loud enough for Travis to hear him.

  “Sallie.” Travis gave Jasmine’s last name.

  “How does she look? Would you bang her if you had the chance?” Alex asked.

  “There is no doubt about it. She’s a thoroughbred and I’d love to be her jockey,” Travis returned. He picked up his keys from a nearby countertop and walked toward the door.

  “So are you going to put the moves on her or what?” Alex asked, curious about Travis’s intentions.

  “I’ve thought about it, but right now I’m really focused on doing a good job,” Travis admitted.

  “Oh boy, here we go. You’re about to go into the nutty professor mode again. Although it would be cool if you could create a formula like they did in the movie. I’d have you tweak it a little bit so that I’d be irresistible to women. If you could do that, I’d buy a supply of that by the barrel.”

  “Man, come on and stop fantasizing about being the Casanova of the twenty-first century,” Travis said as they walked out.

  Chapter 13

  Jasmine

  Jasmine arrived at her office at 6:30 a.m. so that she could begin her research on the project that Helen had given to her. It was going to be a huge task coming up with an aphrodisiac for women and she knew it. When she walked into the lobby, she was greeted by Sam, the young security guard.

  “Good morning, Sam. I noticed another car out in the parking lot. Has someone else come in?”