I unlocked the door and stepped into the restaurant. We didn’t open for two more hours and that was a good thing. I was pissed off!
The lights were still dim up front but the kitchen was in full swing. I heard music and laughter. I stormed toward the back. “What are y’all so damn happy about?” I didn’t mean to snap but I wasn’t in the best of mood.
Mimi was beaming with pride. “Jamie got accepted into barber school.”
I put my feelings aside and smiled over at my cousin. “Good for you!” I said. “You decided to follow after Brice?”
With his head lowered, he nodded. “Yep.”
“Well I would have rather you worked for me but I’m sure my knucklehead brother will be glad to have you working at his shop.” Brice owned a large barbershop off Providence Road. Everybody went there to get their hair cut.
“No doubt he will.” April then clapped her hands. “A’ight everybody. We need to get back to work. I need to smell cornbread and black-eyed peas.”
I patted Jamie on the back so he’d know just how proud I was of him then moved out the kitchen and down the hall to my office. April followed.
“You look pissed.”
She never did miss much.
I flopped down in my chair. “I am. Guess who got the space next door?”
Her brow quirked as she lowered onto one of the chairs across from my desk. “Who?”
It pained me to say it. “Alphonso.”
“What!” she screamed.
“Exactly.” I was so mad I couldn’t do anything but shake my head. That man was determined to get my attention. “He’s probably still pissed I kicked him out my restaurant.” After Kaleb got done acting a damn fool in the restaurant that evening, Al started blowing up my phone most of the night. Luckily, Kaleb hadn’t noticed.
April gave me a curious look. “So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to his job to see him,” I announced with a stubborn tilt of my chin. Trust and believe nothing was stopping me from getting what I wanted.
“You know that’s what he wants you to do.”
I swung a jeweled wrist in the air. “Yeah, I know, but he also knows how badly I wanted that space to expand my restaurant.”
She shook her head. “All this just to get your attention? Your coochie must be dipped in gold or some shit,” she added with a laugh and despite feeling some type of way about the situation, I joined in.
“Yeah girl. It’s all about the power of the pussy. Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to use her to get what I want from Al.”
After April left my office to check on lunch, I sent Alphonso a quick text and invited him to the restaurant for lunch. He texted back.
I’ll meet you at your house instead.
I thought about it for all of thirty seconds before I replied then I grabbed my purse and headed home to set the stage.
* * *
Will I ever learn that some men are not to be played with?
Two hours later I was trying to remain calm when what I wanted to do was crack that fool over his head. It’s not often that a woman finds herself in a compromising position when another man shows up. Why the hell didn’t I stick with my original plan and have Alphonso meet me at the restaurant? If I had then I would be surrounded by witnesses instead of hiding in the bathroom of my townhouse.
After Alphonso had texted he would meet me at my house, I hurried home and decided to create a scene of seduction.
As soon as I arrived, I lit several candles, turned on some soft music and then searched my clothes for something slutty to wear. I settled on a tight red number with no bra or panties and had just lubed my pussy with oil when I heard the doorbell.
I swung it opened and screamed when I realized who was standing on my front porch. “Kaleb!”
“Why you look so surprised?” he said suspiciously as he pushed past and stepped inside my living room.
“Be… because I was just getting ready to call and tell you to come over,” I said. Damn, I was quick.
“No you weren’t,” he said like he knew what I had really been up to.
“Yes, I was. I wanted to surprise you. I decided to take the day off and was going to see if you could come and spend the afternoon in bed with me.”
Honey came in the room sniffing around his feet. “Hey Honey,” he cooed and his face softened for a few moments while he rubbed him behind the ear, but it didn’t last. “Where you get that outfit?” he asked as he suddenly realized what I was wearing was hot. Really?
I struck a pose. “I bought it at a lingerie party a while back and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to wear it.” I gave a coy smile. “I thought today was perfect, don’t you think?” I sashayed over to him and started loosening his tie. “I’m horny. For once I’d like my man to fuck me and be able to scream as loud as I’d like.”
“You know I have a son.”
Goodness, don’t remind me. “Yes, I know but sometimes I want my man all to myself.”
I guess I must have said the right thing because he started grinning and unbuttoning his jacket. “Hold up. Let me go take a leak.”
I nodded and started backing up toward the stairs. “Okay, I’ll be upstairs waiting.”
He was already walking in the direction of the half-bath near the kitchen when he suddenly stopped and swung around. “I’ll just use the bathroom upstairs.”
Damn.
I struggled to keep a straight face and took his hand and led him up to my bedroom. We stepped inside and I felt nervous sweat start beading along, my forehead. My cellphone was on the side of my bed, and I just prayed it didn’t ring before I had a chance to shut that damn thing off.
As soon as Kaleb shut the bathroom door behind him, I dived onto the bed and grabbed my phone. My fingers were shaking so hard it took three tries before I was able to unlock the screen. By then I heard water running on the other side of the door.
Don’t come. My man’s here.
I quickly hit Send, turned off the ringer and tossed the phone back onto the nightstand just as Kaleb yanked open the door, like he was expecting to catch me.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” I said and hoped Alphonso received my text in time.
He walked over to the nightstand and glanced down at my phone. Sorry Charlie, I stop receiving text notifications the last time I caught that fool holding my phone.
“What were you doing, texting your man telling him not to come over?” It was more a statement than a question. You could see the distrust in his eyes. What the hell happened to him that he was so insecure when it came to women and relationships?
“Now why would I do that when my man is right here?” I stood my ground.
“Jae… who were you texting?”
“Okay, whatever.” I rolled my eyes because his jealousy was really starting to get on my nerves. I rolled off the bed and gazed out the window in time to see Alphonso driving slowly past my house. What the fuck?
“Babe?”
I whipped around and stepped over to Kaleb before he even had a chance to look out the window. If he saw a car out front I would never hear the end of it. “Sweetheart, let’s quit wasting time. I want to show my man how much I care about him.” I took his hand and led him over to the chair to the right of the room. “Have a seat.” The further he was from that window, the better. I just prayed Alphonso kept right on going.
I then moved over to my iPad on the dresser, searched through the music until I found what I was looking for then turned it on and watched as Kaleb’s mouth dropped.
A couple of months ago I had decided to dance for this dude I was dating and had choreographed a striptease to Ciara’s Body Party. I dumped his ass long before I got to perform it so what better time to showcase my skills than now.
I was gyrating my hips and licking my lips and Kaleb was so caught up in watching, he forgot all about my cellphone and instead was watching as I lowered my panties to my ankles.
“Damn, babe.” His eyes were ready to pop out of his head.
“You see something you like,” I purred and tossed my panties at him. I was so bad. I removed the outfit and approached him wearing nothing.
By the end of the song Kaleb exploded from the chair and backed me over onto the bed. As soon as I fell onto the mattress, he lowered onto his knees. “How about a little afternoon snack?” he said.
“Mmmm, lunch is my favorite meal of the day,” I cooed.
While he feasted between my legs, I laid there with my eyes closed, knees spread, moaning on cue. My mind was elsewhere. I still needed to see Alphonso and get that space back.
“Babe?”
“Hmmm,” I mumbled.
“Who’s that knocking at the door?”
My eyelids flew open and I jerked upright on the bed sending Kaleb crashing to the floor. “Oh, sweetheart… I’m so sorry!” I said, while I was scrambling to my feet.
Kaleb rose with that suspicious look in his eyes. “Who’s at the door Jae?”
I was already heading to the closet for my silk robe, avoiding eye contact. “How the hell should I know?” I swung my arms inside and was tying the belt as I said, “But let me go down and see.”
“Uh-uh. Hell no! My girl’s not going to the door, dressed like that. I’ll get it.”
I was so busted I couldn’t do anything but nod. As soon as he walked out the room my heart went into overdrive. I moved over to the window to see if I saw Alphonso’s car and spotted it parked at the corner.
Stupid! Stupid!
I raced into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. There was no telling what Kaleb was going to do when he saw Alphonso standing on the other side of the door.
It wasn’t long before I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. “Babe!”
Oh shit!
I flushed the toilet and pretended I didn’t hear Kaleb. I had no idea where Alphonso was. Probably laid the fuck out on my living room floor.
“Jae, where you at?” he called from on the other side of the door.
“I-I’ll be out in a moment.”
Frantically I looked through my bathroom drawers for something sharp just in case that crazy mothafucka tried to lay me out as well. Damn! The only thing I could find was a nail file.
“Hurry your ass up!” Kaleb was practically screaming.
Damn I shoulda brought my phone with me so I could have called 911 for an ambulance, possibly two.
There was no way I could stay in the bathroom all day. I stuck the file in my sleeve and slowly turned the knob. I expected to find Kaleb waiting on the other side of the door.
“Babe!” he called.
“Yeah?” I said, cautiously, then stuck my head out.
“Bring yo ass over here!”
Kaleb was lying across the bed, butt-naked with his dick standing straight up. What the fuck?
I crept out the room and glanced out into the hallway. “Sweetheart, who was at the door?” I questioned and searched his face for some kind of reaction.
He waved his hand. “Those damn Jehovah Witnesses! I gave ‘em a five dollar donation and sent her on her way.”
Her?
“C’mon babe. I’m horny as hell!” He started shaking his dick at me.
I started chuckling and shrugged out of the robe, dropping the file to the floor then climbed on for a French kiss and a nice long ride. I’ll worry about Alphonso later. Right now I had to take care of my man.
17
NYREE
I heard a horn blow. I reached for my purse and stepped out onto the porch.
“Hooker, hurry up!”
I tossed a dismissive wave in the air. Janelle can be such a drama whore. I don’t know what the rush was but I didn’t have anything else to do on a Saturday afternoon. Jeremy was at choir rehearsal.
“So you went and got yourself a church boy,” Janelle teased as she pulled out the driveway.
“Girl, whatever,” I said. “I got myself a good man.”
She looked away from the road long enough to give me a weird look. “Aren’t they all in the beginning?”
I leaned back on the seat and changed the subject. “So what do you need me for?”
“Alphonso snatched the space beside Foxtrot.”
My head whipped around. “Really? For what?”
Janelle frowned. “To open one of those tacky clothing stores of his.”
She forgot about the hot royal blue pantsuit she had bought at that tacky shop. In fact while they were dating she had been raving about his inventory.
“Anyway,” she began dismissively. “I want you to go with me to his real estate office and convince him to give me the space.”
My head whipped around. “What? He’s not gonna listen to me!”
Her eyes were all but studying me. “Why not? You used to date him.” She was trying to sound as convincing as possible.
“You’re right. I used to date him.”
What gets me is, as friends we’re supposed to have an unspoken rule—don’t date your best friend’s ex-boyfriend. I mean sure, Alphonso and I had dated for a brief time in high school and never had sex but still dating is dating. Janelle thinks since it’s been a decade the statute of limitations is over. Wow! Really? At first I had been pissed but then I decided, who cares? The three weeks Alphonso and I were together was barely a memory.
“But he respects you as a friend,” she stated firmly.
“And he doesn’t respect you?”
I caught her eyebrow inching up before saying, “Hell no. Ever since I saw him lapping his soup like a puppy dog and dumped him, he’s been on some psycho bullshit.”
“I’m not getting involved in your crap!”
Janelle sucked her teeth. “Okay, whatever. Then stay in the car as a witness. If I don’t come out in fifteen minutes then you need to call the police.”
Like I said, she’s a drama queen. She pulled onto Ash Street into a small strip mall and climbed out then sauntered inside with her wide hips swinging in a short yellow dress that was perfect for her curves and lime green pumps. One thing she knew was fashion.
I watched as she swung open the glass door to his office and went inside.
I leaned back onto the seat, sulking. I could be at Sam’s Club doing some bulk shopping. Instead I was about to be an accessory to who knows what. Since I’ve been ignoring my mother all morning I decided to give her a call. She too could be a drama queen.
“Hey Mom.”
“About time you call me back. For all you know I could have fallen and can’t get up.”
I laughed. “Mama, I’ve seen the commercial. How are you this afternoon?”
“Blessed. I just left church. Everyone is talking about that wonderful new man of yours.”
I shifted on the seat and brought the phone closer to my ear. “What are they saying?”
“That Jeremy is truly a child of God! I was happy to see him at choir rehearsal. Why weren’t you there?”
“Because I can’t sing.” Although neither could Jeremy, but that didn’t stop him. With that squeaky voice of his, hopefully the choir director had stuck him way in the back. I was crazy about him but I was gonna keep it real.
“Whether you can sing or not doesn’t matter. Chile, you’re singing for the Lord.”
“Trust me, Mama. The Lord doesn’t want to hear me.”
She released a long sigh of disappointment. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Mabeline Dawson was something else. “Just keep loving me Mama. That’s all I ask.” That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Being the middle child was tough.
“Your father and I would love to have you both for Sunday dinner tomorrow.”
I groaned. An afternoon with my family grilling him, I wasn’t sure if Jeremy was up for the task. He always seemed to get nervous when there were a lot of people around. For such a good looking man, he sure had insecurity issues but it wasn’t anything I didn’t thin
k I could work with. I don’t know what it was but I always liked a challenge. Not like that bullshit Janelle get off on but the challenge that came with being with a good man with a great deal of potential. I always believed that behind every great man was a woman pushing him to be the best he could be.
“Sure Mama. We’ll be there.” I glanced up to see Janelle storming out of the office. Oh shit, she was mad! “Mama, I’ll see you in the morning.” I hung up just as she hopped into the car. “What’s wrong?” I asked even though I already knew. Janelle didn’t get her way.
“The bastard. No problem. I have something for that ass!” She hissed then threw the car in reverse and peeled around to the side of the parking lot, where she brought the car to a screeching halt.
“Why’re you stopping?” This whole situation just spelled trouble in too many ways.
She didn’t bother to answer me as she reached into the glove box, and what I saw her pull out made me gasp, “Janelle, where the hell are you going with that switchblade?”
“Watch,” was all she said before she rushed out of the car.
“What is that crazy chick about to do?” I mumbled under my breath as I watched her walk over to a black Lexus and stab the rear tires with the blades. Laughing, she hurried back over to the car and jumped in.
“Are you crazy?” I squealed.
She put her Honda into Drive and hurried out the parking lot then headed down Ash Street. “That’s what he gets!” she screamed with laughter.
I tightened my seatbelt and shook my head. “You have lost your mind.”
“Nope. Not yet but if he moves in next to me you’re going to see just how crazy I can get.” She held up her finger to emphasize her position.
I couldn’t believe this shit. Not only did she vandalize his car but she took me along as an accomplice. “What if he calls the police?”
Janelle shrugged and didn’t bother to look away from the road as she said, “Call them for what? I’m with you shopping at the mall. Besides, the plates are illegal on that vehicle so he ain’t calling nobody.”
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