Full Figured 5

by Brenda Hampton

  “Same here. Have fun and we’ll talk soon.”

  We ended the call and I couldn’t help but to think how sweet Angelique was. Some men just didn’t know or didn’t recognize a blessing.

  Monica interrupted my train of thought when she started complaining to the Asian woman about how hard she was massaging her calves. “Do you have to press so hard?” Monica asked. “Be gentle with these old calves. They’ve had years of wear and tear. Not as much as my dear old friend next to me, but they’ve had enough.”

  We laughed and so did the Asian woman. She put more lotion on Monica’s feet and legs, rubbing softly. Monica dropped her head back on the contoured pillow. “Awww, that’s much better. Thanks.”

  I shook my head and cut my eyes at Monica. She was a clown. “So, since you’re going out with Shawn tonight, what else am I supposed to do?” I asked her.

  “That’s up to you. But I’m sure you’ll be in bed making love to one of your books. My suggestion, however, would be for you to call Roc and see what he’s been up to. I know he’s still on your shit list for bringing his woman to Chassidy’s play, but get over it. At the end of the day, the two of you always have a good time and you need to have a good time on your birthday.”

  “What I need is not to be dealing with any drama. That’s Roc’s middle name, and around this time last year, we were dealing with what had happened to Ronnie. And look how Christmas turned out. Last Christmas I caught him on the couch with Vanessa. This Christmas you got Tiara and Vanessa fighting at my house. I’m for peace, and you’d better believe I’m going to have it today. Me and my daughter. I may wind up in bed with a book, but that sounds pretty darn good to me.”

  “Well, you can keep Chassidy out of it, because I doubt that she’s going to want to leave my house. She and Brea be having a ball and they’ve become really good friends. I’m glad Jade is home to watch them, because I’m looking forward to my date with Shawn tonight. I thought we scared him off after what had happened at Christmas, because he was in awe. We both agree that you may need a reality show dealing with Roc and his rats. I couldn’t believe how they were going at it. I didn’t know women could fight like that, and as mad as I may get sometimes, I could never see myself kicking a pregnant woman in her stomach, or in her face. That heifer Vanessa is ruthless.”

  “I agree, and as I told you before, Tiara lost her baby. Not right after that incident, but several weeks later. You know she’s not seeing Roc anymore, but it seems to me that Miss Raven is keeping him pretty darn busy. He’s real short with me when he comes by to see Chassidy. We barely say anything to each other. Most of the time, I go in my bedroom and close the door. I haven’t said a word to him about Raven, and one time he came over to drop off a DVD for Chassidy, Raven was in his truck. I suspect he wants a reaction from me, but he’s not going to get one.”

  “I wouldn’t react either, but don’t be so uptight about the situation. When he comes over, laugh with him, talk to him, and show him that him being with her does not bother you. Even if it does, he doesn’t have to know it.”

  I agreed. Monica and I spent the next few hours yakking and getting pampered. Afterward, we went back to her house, and she was right . . . Chassidy didn’t want to go home with me. The girls had made me a birthday cake, though, and we sat around eating cake and pizza that Monica had ordered.

  It was getting late. I knew Monica was anxious to get ready for her date and go. I told Chassidy I would be back late tomorrow to pick her up and Monica walked me to the door.

  “Thanks for sharing my birthday with me. Have a good time tonight with Shawn. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do and call me tomorrow.”

  Monica gave me a squeezing hug. “I will, but unfortunately, I’ve already done everything and there is nothing else left for me to do.”

  She winked and I threw my hand back at her, shaking my head as I left. While in the car, I’d thought about calling Roc to see what he was up to. I was quite surprised that I hadn’t heard from him today. Maybe he’d forgotten about my birthday. I suspected that Raven had his mind in another place.

  As soon as I got home, I showered and changed into my nightgown. I tied a paisley-print headscarf around my head, but left several curls hanging in the back. It was almost eight o’clock and I couldn’t wait to finish the last few pages of Silhouette’s book, Street Soldier. The main character reminded me of a younger Roc, as the character described his struggles with growing up in the hood. I got comfy in bed, propped my plush pillow behind me and sat against the headboard. No sooner had I started to get into my book than my phone rang. I looked to see who it was, and it was Roc.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Just checkin’ to see if you were home. I’m comin’ over.”

  “You mean . . . may I come over? You do have to ask.”

  He hung up, and even though I was annoyed by his actions, I did want to see him. I didn’t bother to call him back to tell him not to come, but I tried my best to finish the book before he got here. It didn’t take long, because twenty to thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang. I got out of bed to go open the door. Roc came inside with a sly smile on his face. “Why you lookin’ all hood and shit with that do-rag on your head?” he asked.

  “It’s a scarf, but I’m sure a woman with a do-rag on her head would suit you better.”

  He shrugged. “She most likely would. But, uh, happy birthday. Is Chassidy here?”

  “No. She’s at Monica’s house.”

  “Then go get your coat on so I can take you out to dinner.”

  “Dinner? I’m not going to dinner this late, and if I was, I wouldn’t be going dressed like this.”

  He sighed. “Okay. Then go put your coat on anyway. I want to show you something outside and it’s cold.”

  I hesitated, but went to the closet to get my coat. I hoped Roc hadn’t purchased anything for me, because I still wasn’t so sure where he was getting his money from. I never accepted any of his money, nor did I ask him for money to take care of Chassidy.

  Shivering a bit, I followed him to his truck, which was parked across the street from my house. My house was near a dead-end street, and Roc’s truck was close to it. The hatch was flipped up in the back, and when I looked to see what was inside, the back seats were pushed down and two pillows were against the front seats. A wool blanket covered the carpet and a wine bottle was chilling in an ice bucket with two flute glasses beside it. Pink and red rose petals were spread throughout, and the smell of hickory barbecue was coming from two white foam containers. I smiled, even though I was freezing my butt off.

  “I already know what you’re thinkin’,” Roc said. “But just so you know, thug men can represent romance too.” He helped me climb into the truck. I sat Indian style, and after he lowered the hatch, he put the heat on full blast and lay sideways with the pillow propping up his neck.

  “I never discredited what a thuggish man could do,” I said. “And I’m sorry that you see yourself that way. Either way, this was a real nice thing for you to do. I guess you figured you wouldn’t be able to get me to go out for dinner, right?”

  “Let’s just say I know you pretty well by now. Gettin’ you to go to dinner with me would’ve been impossible. So, I had to bring the dinner to you. I love the beef brisket sandwiches at Lil’ Mickey’s and I wanted you to try it.”

  I opened the foam container and was hit with a sweet-smelling smoky brisket sandwich that I couldn’t wait to dive into. The meat was hanging over the bun and I knew things were going to get messy. Roc gave me a plastic fork for me to dive into it.

  “This was so sweet of you,” I said, forking up a piece of the brisket to put into my mouth. It was delicious. “Mmmm, good. But you didn’t have to do this. I wonder how your girlfriend would feel if she knew you were over here, going all out like this for another woman.”

  “I’m not sure how she would feel, but since you brought her up, I have to ask. Are you jealous?”

  I looked at Roc with a straight
face, but lied. “Not hardly. If she’s what you want, so be it. I wish you well, and as long as you’re happy, I’m good. Besides, she’s a beautiful girl. I’m sure her assets work in your favor and most men would agree.”

  Roc cocked his head back. “Her assets? You think it’s all about a woman’s assets for me? Baby, you got me all fucked up. I couldn’t care less about a big ass and succulent titties. While that shit makes my dick hard, it don’t do much for my heart.”

  “Then, what is it, Roc? What attracts you to Miss Raven? How long have you known her and what’s up with the two of you?”

  I was surprised that he didn’t hesitate to tell me. “She good people. I met her while I was in Kansas City for those few months, but when I came back to the Lou, we went our separate ways. I kicked it with Tiara for a while, and you already know how that shit turned out with her. Surprisingly, when I took the kids to the movie that day, I saw Raven and we hooked back up. You and me had been havin’ our problems, so I moved in her direction. I like her, a lot, but she ain’t no Dez. But Dez be trippin’ too much for me and I realized that I will never be the man you want me to be. So, as far as acceptance goes, I’m down with the one who loves and appreciates Roc for bein’ Roc. Her fat ass has little to do with it.”

  “So, if her ass was flat, you’d feel the same way?”

  “I don’t do flat, but you know what I’m sayin’. You’re tryin’ to skip over all that I said and bring up what’s not important.”

  “Look, I get what you’re sayin’, but there is too much about you that drives me nuts. We’ve known each other for quite some time now and I’m still not comfortable with who you are. You keep too many secrets. You don’t tell me anything about your friends, family . . . work. How do you survive?”

  “I don’t tell you because you don’t ask. You couldn’t give a damn about my friends and family, Dez, and breakin’ news, baby, I do work. On my time, I do. I also don’t say much because you are very judgmental. You have a cut-and-dry way of thinkin’ and you believe your assumptions are always correct.”

  “Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are. And the only time that I’ve known you to do any work was when I got you a job. I’m not talking about the kind of work you’re talking about, so tell me . . . where do you work?”

  “I’m glad you finally asked,” Roc said. “It’s about damn time.” He sat up and opened the armrest to get something out of the compartment. He also removed a small cake box that was sitting on the front seat. He tossed a business card to me. I picked it up to read what was on it. I saw ROC’S AUTO BODY SHOP AND CAR MAINTENANCE on the card, along with an address and phone number.

  “The shop that I own is near Kossuth and North Taylor. You might have to bring your pistol if you ever come see me, but with it being dead smack in North City, I’m not sure your face, nor your purse, will be found anywhere near the vicinity.”

  Well, at least he was right about one thing . . . he definitely knew me well. I wouldn’t be caught dead at an auto body shop in North City, and Roc was brave to set up shop in that neighborhood. “I can’t argue with you there. Thanks for telling me. It’s good to know that you’re doing something productive with your time.”

  Roc cut his eyes at me. “More than you know.”

  He opened the cake box, pulling out two medium-sized cupcakes with chocolate icing stacked high. A candle was in one cupcake and he used a lighter to light it. Once it was lit, he moved closer to me. He pecked my lips, then backed away. “Happy.” He pecked them again, then back away again. “Birthday.” Peck. “To.” Peck. “You. Now, blow out the candle and make a wish.”

  I closed my eyes, making my wish. After I blew out the candle, Roc asked what I had wished for.

  I held the cupcake in my hand. “Nothing spectacular. Just wished that when I smash this cupcake in your face, you don’t get mad.”

  Roc tried to duck, but I smashed the cupcake in his face, getting him back for chasing me around the kitchen with my birthday cake last year to throw it at me. The chocolate icing was all over his face. He didn’t smile at all, until I leaned forward to lick off the icing. I twirled my tongue on his cheeks and then stuck it into his mouth. As we kissed, and put icing into each other’s mouths with our tongues, I felt the other cupcake smash at the side of my face. He rubbed it in good, all on my scarf, hair, and then some.

  “Now, you know we’re going to have to go inside and clean all of this up, don’t you?” I said.

  “Nah, let’s stay right here and clean it up. Per Dez, I’ve learned to be creative and work with the minimal space that I have.”

  I lay back and Roc lay over me. “Well, you can’t be in trouble for that. Smart man.”

  “I can’t be in trouble, but you definitely can be.”

  There was no doubt about that. I found myself sitting between the front seats and holding on tight to them, as Roc was down low making sweet love to my pussy. His tongue was so fierce that when I screamed from satisfaction, I was so sure I had awakened my neighbors. Neither one of us cared. I turned on my stomach, enjoying the feel of Roc’s twelve inches disappearing inside of me, as he held my cheeks apart. His thrusts were always to a rhythm that kept me on my toes, and the way he rotated his hips, while digging deep into me, was on point.

  “I don’t care what you say,” he said, guiding my hips and pulling me back to him. “This juicy pussy was made for me. Specifically for me, baby, and you need to do what it takes to keep this shit between you and me together.”

  At the moment, that’s what I thought I was doing. My body felt so heated that I had a desire to cool off. I forced Roc backward, until we both were halfway out of the truck with our feet on the ground. I remained bent over, while taking in all that Roc was giving to me. The cold air was cooling down our naked asses and it prevented us from sweating so much. We were definitely getting it in; had the back of his truck rocking for a while. There wasn’t a man on this earth who could make me feel like Roc did. I wasn’t sure if anyone was watching, but it was yet another memorable day that left me loving him more and more.

  “I love the way you do this to me,” I grunted while Roc played my clitoris like a violin and pushed in my folds with the force of his big dick. My wetness glazed his shaft, and he was in so deep that I could feel his balls smack my ass cheeks. It wasn’t long before I felt his liquids and my hot lava flowing down my legs. Roc’s body went limp. He laid his head on my back, then pecked his soft lips down my spine. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

  “I love you,” I mumbled while trying to catch my breath.

  He continued to peck my back. “You always do, especially during times like this.”

  I slowly opened my eyes, staring in front of me and thinking about what he’d said. He was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. Maybe I was wrong for not expressing my love for him more often, but it was so hard for me to do, under the circumstances. I didn’t want to appear desperate for this relationship, especially since he was with someone else. So, for now, I had no reply. Not even when he pulled me into the truck and locked the hatch. We cuddled our cold bodies together and wrapped them in the warm blankets. Something about all of this felt good, and as Roc had quickly fallen asleep, I lay there awake. I played back many of the things he had said to me over the last several months, realizing that it was time for me to take a clearer look at myself.

  Chapter 10

  The past month and a half had been very busy. Latrel and Angelique were due to graduate from college and we were all running around like crazy, trying to make sure everything went well for them. The things you do for your children . . . I don’t think any of them quite understood. Latrel was my priority and so was Chassidy.

  I was so busy that I hadn’t made much time at all for Roc, but to be truthful, he hadn’t made much time for us either. He’d only been to see Chassidy about three or four times, and when I asked him what was going on with him, he replied “nothing.” I didn’t have time to seek further for the truth, but I kn
ew it was something. That something was answered for me when Monica called me while I was at work and told me to go to Raven’s Facebook page. Monica stayed on Facebook more than I ever did, only because she had been networking to let people know about her event planning.

  My face twisted with a bit of anger. “I couldn’t care less about her Facebook page. I need to make some phone calls about the menu for Latrel’s graduation party. I thought you were supposed to be helping me, but you’re too busy on Facebook looking at pictures of Raven. Come on, Monica. Please.”

  “Dee, you know darn well that I wouldn’t call you about this unless I thought it was important. If you don’t care that she and Roc are engaged, then don’t worry about it. I’m just telling you what I saw. Take my information and do what you wish with it.”

  Monica hung up, leaving me in complete, utter shock. Engaged? Really? Not Roc. Had he lied to me in the truck that day? He made it seem as if his feelings for Raven weren’t all that. I knew those pictures I had seen revealed more than what he was willing to say. I was damn mad at myself for accepting his lies and it drove me crazy that I could never really tell what a man was really thinking. Damn him. His ass can go to hell.

  I quickly called Monica back to apologize. She and I rarely had any disputes and I knew she was only looking out for me. Her phone went straight to voice mail. “I’m sorry. You know I’ve had a lot on my plate, but that doesn’t excuse the way I spoke to you. I love you so much and I appreciate you for making sure I have a heads-up on everything. Call me back when you can, and don’t stay mad at me for too long, because I’d have to hurt you if you do.”

  Mr. Anderson was calling for me, so I hung up the phone to go see what he needed. “Two things,” he said, seeming more upbeat this week. “My file cabinet is a mess. When you get a chance, would you please go through it to make sure everything is in alphabetical order? Also, I need to make some changes to my calendar. I’m going on a two-week vacation with my wife. I need to move some of my meetings to other days.”