“What kind of work were you doing before you got popped?” Jayla asked as she scraped around the rim, quickly filling the spoon with the delectable treat.
“I worked for my mom’s church,” Derek said.
“Doing what? Choir director? Let me find out you have musical abilities,” she said jokingly.
“Nah, nothing like that. I worked with a construction team, rehabbing houses.”
“Your church rehabbed houses?”
“Uh-huh, and then sold them at affordable prices. The church helped improve declining areas by providing low-income housing.”
“That’s great. So, what exactly was your role with the construction team?”
“At first, I was just the cleanup guy. Then I worked my way up to a painting apprentice. Over time, I learned everything from putting up drywall to roofing, carpentry, plumbing, and running electricity.”
“Really? With your skills, I could get you a job with one of the contractors that works for my employer.”
“Don’t you have to be bonded?”
“Oh, damn. I forgot about your record. But I’m sure there are plenty of contractors that hire ex-cons. I know for a fact they’re not that particular about who they hire, as long as the person can do the work. I’ve seen contractors with workers who can barely speak English, and I’m pretty certain those dudes don’t have green cards.”
“I think people are more willing to hire an illegal for cheap labor before they’ll hire a black man with a criminal record.”
“With your skills, you could work for yourself. Flipping houses is the way to go. Contractors are taking over the real estate industry, buying cheap properties for cash, fixing them up, and selling them for a nice profit.”
“Where would I get cash?” Derek asked.
Jayla stuck her spoon in her ice cream and interlocked her fingers thoughtfully. “I could persuade my mother to use some of her retirement savings to invest in us.”
“Us? How far do you plan on taking our little scheme? It’s one thing to trick Ms. Lorraine into thinking I’m straight, but I’m not comfortable with hitting her up for money.”
“As long as we pay her back, with interest, what difference does it make?”
“We can’t ask her to risk her life’s savings on something that’s not a sure bet.”
“It is a sure bet,” she insisted. “It won’t be easy, and we’re gonna have to grind, but the end result will be worth it.”
Derek looked downward, obviously unconvinced.
“Aren’t you tired of losing, Derek? I know I am. I’m the low man on the totem pole at work. I’m good at what I do, yet my boss thinks so little of me, I’m not even offered the listings of African American clients—unless they’re low-income. It burns me up that I’m rarely considered for high-end properties.”
Derek listened quietly as he chomped down on a slice of pizza. Jayla noticed that he kept one arm near the pizza box, as if safeguarding it from thieves. Being on high alert for food snatchers was probably a practice he’d picked up in prison.
“You did hard time for something you didn’t do,” Jayla reminded him. “The only thing the system is going to give you is paltry handouts, and you deserve so much more after all they took from you. I don’t think I could do this on my own, but together, we’d be unstoppable.”
He looked at her searchingly. “You think so?”
“Damn, right.”
Mulling over Jayla’s words, Derek chewed his food. He didn’t say anything, but she could tell by the hint of a smile on his lips that he was beginning to warm up to the idea.
“At first I didn’t understand why the universe would play with me like this. It didn’t seem fair that a fine-ass, eligible bachelor, with no kids was staying with my mom, but I couldn’t have him because he’s gay. Now, I get it.”
“Oh, yeah? Care to enlighten me?”
“I have a real estate license and you have contracting skills. We’re both in a financial rut and we’re both pretty disillusioned with life right now. But by combining our strengths, we can be a force, Derek. And we can make a lot of money.”
“Do you really think Ms. Lorraine will help us out?”
“Yes, but she’s convinced that we’re into each other. In order to get her to invest in us, we’ll have to make her believe that we’re an official couple.”
“I don’t know about—”
“Don’t worry, we’ll tell her the truth as soon as the money starts rolling in. Once she starts getting a hefty income from our new enterprise, I guarantee she won’t give a damn that we’re only platonic friends.”
“I like your plan, but I’m not licensed,” Derek divulged.
“Who cares? I know how to forge paperwork. Don’t even worry about your credentials—I got you.”
Derek’s shoulders seemed to visibly relax with the news that there was a realistic way for him to earn a living. Since he wasn’t computer savvy, Jayla had been helping him fill out employment applications online, and he’d also been attending job fairs once a week, but so far, he hadn’t had any luck finding a job.
She began swiping the screen of her phone. “I’m checking out foreclosure listings. We should have some numbers in mind before we approach my mother about the money.”
Derek looked pained. “Jayla, your mom has been good to me, and I hate the idea of coming at her with a con.”
“We’re not conning her. Would you feel more comfortable if you knew that she is loaded? I mean, loaded! Her so-called retirement savings came from my father’s life insurance policy, and she got another huge lump sum in survivor benefits from The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. She invested some of the money, and believe me, she won’t starve to death by giving us a loan.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that.”
“That’s because she lives damn near like a pauper. All I got out of the money was a college education.”
“Isn’t that enough?” Derek asked.
“Not really. My mom could have raised me in a nice home in a safe neighborhood with a great school system, but she wouldn’t touch the money. Don’t get me wrong; she’s a good woman, but she’s a miser. The way she holds on to a dollar is like an illness, almost. And it’s time for her to be a little generous with me, don’t you think?”
Derek held his hands up. “I’m not getting in the middle of a family issue.”
“Anyway, I’m not asking her to give me anything. I’m asking for a loan. It’s not immoral to borrow money.”
“You’re right.”
“So…are you on board with my plan?”
“It doesn’t seem like anyone is gonna hire me, so I guess I don’t have a choice.”
“I wish you were a little more enthusiastic.”
“Just because I’m not jumping up and down doesn’t mean I’m not excited.” Derek placed a hand over his heart. “Inside, I’m ecstatic, but I’m a little cautious about showing it. From past experiences, things don’t tend to work out for me.”
Jayla gave Derek a sympathetic smile. “That was the past, Derek. Trust me, this is going to work, and our lives are going to change. We’ll talk to my mom about the money the night before I go into surgery. She’ll be so afraid that something’s going to happen to me while I’m under, she’ll agree to anything.”
Derek shook his head. “That’s cold.”
“Whatever. As soon as I finish recuperating, we’re going to purchase our first fixer-upper and then—” Jayla abruptly fell silent, pushing the ice cream away and shaking her head as if it had suddenly gone sour.
“What’s wrong?” Derek asked, concern wrinkling his forehead.
“There’s a slight problem with my mom being an investor…she’s going to want us to be legally married.”
Derek frowned. “You’re pushing it now, Jayla.”
“Don’t worry; it won’t mean anything. It’ll be a marriage of convenience,” she assured him. “We can easily get a no-fault divorce if either us wants to get out of it.”<
br />
Derek exhaled loudly. “Okay, but let’s not bring up the subject of marriage if Ms. Lorraine doesn’t say anything.”
“Deal,” Jayla said, reaching for the ice cream container and scooping out the last spoonful. “I wonder if I’ll still have ice cream cravings after the surgery. I hope not. It would hurt me to my heart to yearn for it, but not be able to tolerate it.”
“We’ll find out in a few days.”
“I know, right? I’m so excited.”
Derek had taken on the habit of catering to Jayla, and he dutifully removed the empty ice cream container in front of her and tossed it into the trash bin. He opened the freezer and retrieved another pint of Ben & Jerry’s, which he set in front of her. “Being that you only have a few more nights of sin, you might as well eat up.”
“Truer words were never spoken,” she said as she pulled off the protective plastic wrapping, lifted the lid, and stuck the spoon in.
Chapter 22
The Butt & Gut workout was deceptively rigorous. The movements had been slow and languid, giving the impression of a gentle workout. But the next morning Bailee woke up feeling like she’d been in a car wreck. Her abdominal area burned as if on fire and her buttocks pulsated with searing pain. The muscle soreness in her limbs caused her to wince as she threw off the covers and eased her legs off the bed.
Grimacing, she walked stiffly to the bathroom. Even the act of lowering her body down to the toilet seat was excruciatingly painful.
Working out today was unthinkable, and she concluded that she needed to be treated in the infirmary with painkillers, cold packs, and a therapeutic massage.
Hunched over, she moved feebly toward the desk, like she’d been stitched up and stapled after abdominal surgery.
Deciding to send Susan a quick e-mail to let her know she was too beaten up to attend classes, she pulled out the chair and gingerly sat down.
She powered on her laptop and before she had an opportunity to compose the e-mail, she noticed a message from Jayla that was dated the day before and had the word URGENT in the subject line. Bailee quickly opened it.
Hi Bailee, You won’t believe what I heard today! While eavesdropping on two coworkers, who were kicking it in the breakroom, I learned that none other than Trent Evans is looking for commercial real estate to open up his own boutique law firm. According to the realtors, he is willing to spend top dollar for the perfect space, and they were pissed that he gave his business to our rival agency.
Knowing Trent’s hating ass, he probably wanted to make sure I didn’t make any coins off him.
Girl, I’m nosey as hell and have so many questions. Why did he leave his prestigious firm and where did he get the resources to start a business? I know you sent him packing with only the clothes on his back, so did he have some money saved up or do you think he took out a huge bank loan? If so, you need to make sure you’re not liable to help him pay it back. After all, you are still married to him.
I realize talking on the phone is against the rules, but please shoot me an e-mail to let me know if you were aware of Trent’s new venture.
Btw, how are you making out on the fat farm? Say the word, and I’ll overnight you a big, greasy hoagie. Lol.
Love you, Jayla
Bailee closed the e-mail and groaned.
Of course, no one other than Giselle was financing Trent’s law firm, and Bailee wished she didn’t know about it. Jayla hadn’t meant any harm in relaying the message, as she still didn’t know about Trent’s relationship with Giselle. But, it was unfortunate that Bailee’s peace had been shattered by learning what her mother and her husband were up to.
She’d hoped to be able to put them out of her mind while she was over a thousand miles away, but obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. Feeling more determined than ever to stick to her workout schedule, Bailee decided she wouldn’t give up. She’d take a hot bath with Epson salt to soak away the pain.
Before logging out of her e-mail, another message caught her attention. It was from Gentle Breeze with the subject line: Amp Up Your Workout. She gave the message an eye roll, wondering how the facility had the audacity to suggest that she intensify an already brutal workout schedule.
Her first instinct was to delete the message without opening it, but curiosity got the best of her.
Dear Members, This is a reminder that the trainers at Gentle Breeze are available for personal workout sessions at the rates and specified times below. Remember, slots fill up quickly, so sign up right away!
Bailee perused the rates and let out a whistle. The personal training sessions were by no means cheap, but apparently, many of the women at the retreat were willing to spend the extra money for one-on-one sessions with their favorite trainers because there were hardly any slots left.
Although she would have gladly swiped her credit card for the thrill of being able to sit and stare at Hayden’s handsome face and concrete body for an hour, she simply didn’t have the physical strength to add another workout session to her routine.
She wondered if rosy-cheeked Cindy had paid extra to give Brahim, the Aqua Fit instructor, a blowjob, or if their clandestine time together was free of charge.
Fat chicks were always doing the most for male attention, she thought cynically. But then again, with the way society viewed curvy women, it was understandable why they often allowed themselves to be pushovers for men.
But what kind of an excuse did a model-thin beauty like Giselle have? Giselle had traded her morals and scruples, betrayed her own daughter, and opened up her wallet for the affection of a man.
Bailee would have never imagined that Giselle, an elegant woman with impeccable taste, was anything except poised and self-assured, but judging from her recent behavior, it was clear that low self-esteem plagued women of all walks of life and all shapes and sizes.
Bailee had always berated herself when her diet was out of control. But the rare times in her life when she had controlled the quality of the food she fueled her body with and had adhered to an exercise regimen, her self-worth had drastically improved.
Perhaps a personal training session wasn’t a bad idea. With the bizarre family situation she had to contend with, she could use all the extra help she could get. Without a second thought, she clicked on Hayden’s name and then provided her credit card information.
* * *
“Hi, there,” Hayden greeted Bailee. He presented a slight smile, but wasn’t overly friendly. “I noticed you struggling in class, and I plan to help you improve your technique and perfect your form, so you can get maximum benefit from the class.”
Bailee nodded. For some reason, even Hayden’s voice sounded vaguely familiar.
“Before we start your workout, we’re gonna begin with a five-minute warmup on the treadmill, starting at a good pace and using the incline to get your heart rate going.” He motioned to the treadmill and Bailee climbed on. He pushed buttons and Bailee found herself instantly trotting to keep up with the speed.
She’d gotten extra cute for her session, wearing a lime-green stretch top and green and black moisture-wicking Lycra tights, and a new pair of white sneakers. She’d hoped to chat a little and prance around daintily in her new gear before getting sweaty, but Hayden wasn’t having it.
It only took a few moments for Bailee to feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck, and before the five minutes were up, she was breathing heavily, which wasn’t cute.
“Okay, let’s continue to get that heart rate pumping with some jumping jacks and pushup jacks to get those muscles warmed up to prevent injury.” He pulled a stopwatch from his pocket.
Bailee groaned. “Jumping jacks? Seriously?”
“You can do it,” Hayden assured her.
“I hate jumping jacks. And I’ve never done any kind of pushup in my life.”
“You’ll be fine. I’ll help you through it.”
After ten jumping jacks, Bailee could no longer sustain the jumping aspect of the exercise, and Hayden had to modify
the movement for her. She made it through only three pushup jacks before collapsing onto her chest, panting.
Again, Hayden was encouraging, assuring her that with practice, her strength and stamina would improve.
“Okay, we’re done with the warmup. You can take a water break before we get into the full body workout. To get you familiar with the routine, we’re only going to do one set and ten reps for each exercise.”
Thank God!
Bailee suffered through basic squats, lunges, and deadlifts without toppling over in defeat. Hayden moved her along to ten repetitions of the bent over row, which weren’t too bad, but she didn’t actually begin to enjoy herself until the bench presses.
As she lay flat on the bench holding dumbbells, he straddled the end of the bench with his crotch area near the back of her head as he assisted her, touching her elbows and upper arms, making sure she was using the proper form. She deliberately held the weights improperly to feel the sensation of his large hands grasping her arms. They finished with the large muscle groups sooner than she preferred and it was time to move on to core and abs.
Down on the floor, using a mat, Hayden demonstrated the plank. It looked simple but hurt like hell after Bailee moved into the position. After a few more core exercises, he introduced a series of hardcore abdominal exercises that nearly reduced her to tears.
At the conclusion of the workout, Bailee curled into a knot and groaned without inhibition.
“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Hayden chided.
“Uh-huh, it was horrible. You tried to kill me,” she lamented as perspiration trickled down her back, her chest, and her face.
“Stop exaggerating,” he said, chuckling as he picked up her hand towel from the mat and gently mopped the back of her neck.
The gesture, totally innocent, caused a tingle that ran down her spine.
“Take a deep breath and sit up.” He took her by the hand and helped her to a sitting position. “Drink,” he said, offering her the bottle of water she’d brought with her.
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