Don't Even Go There

by Brenda Hampton

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Can you talk?”

  “I have a mouth, don’t I?”

  He laughed. “You know what I mean. Is Claudette near you?”

  I looked right at her. “Nope. And for a man who doesn’t seem to care either way, why are you asking?”

  “I just want to be sure. You know I don’t want to go around breaking any hearts,” he joked.

  “Oh, I understand. So, what’s up?”

  “Are you thinking about me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, I’m thinking about you. Can I come over tonight, or would you prefer that we go out to dinner tonight? It’s Friday and I know you ain’t staying cooped up in your apartment.”

  Claudette had mentioned earlier that they were going to the movies. I guess he was willing to cancel their plans. “You don’t have any other plans? I thought you did.”

  “Plans to be with you. Are you game or what?”

  “Not tonight,” I whispered. Claudette and Veronica were taking in every word I’d said. They were some nosy-ass bitches, I swear. “Maybe next week.”

  “You got plans with somebody else tonight?”

  I disliked Korey’s insecurities and they really had no place in the kind of relationship we were beginning to have. “His name is Drake. Like you, I have something on the side and we have to be patient with each other’s circumstances. Next week, I promise.”

  “Fuck Drake. I want to see you tonight. Put that fool on the calendar for next week, not me.”

  “Good-bye, playboy, this is really a bad time. Elephant ears are around me, so call me later.”

  “No, I’ll see you later. If you slam the door in my face, too bad.”

  I shut my phone and looked at Veronica and Claudette. Their eyes were bugged and lips were pursed. “I told you she be lying,” Veronica said. “And, yes, these elephant ears were listening. Who is Drake?”

  “None of your business,” I said. “He’s not worth me discussing and neither is that phone call.”

  “Sounds like you got yourself a stalker,” Claudette laughed.

  That’s right, trick, and he just happens to be your man, I thought. Korey had better not show up tonight. And if he did, well, all I was going to do was…put him to good use.

  Chapter 3

  After another month of dealing with Korey, I could feel things getting out of hand. He had been at my place at least four days out of every week, and it was hard to get him to leave. His cell phone rang off the hook, and when I’d ask who it was, he always told me it was Claudette. Even her attitude at work had changed, simply because that trip she was supposed to take to Vegas had already been canceled and put on the backburner. She wasn’t happy about that at all, but was still making plans for her wedding that was due to take place in March.

  According to Korey, he had considered changing his mind. I made it clear not to do it because of me, and he assured me that his decision was not based on that alone. The truth was now coming to the light, and let him tell it, Claudette was a spoiled brat who his mother simply adored. She and Claudette were close, and as a matter of fact, his mother was the one who had introduced the two of them. Yes, he admitted to still loving her, but also said that he was in no way ready for marriage. That was obvious.

  I was a bit annoyed that he wasn’t playing by my rules as he’d promised, but for the last couple of days, I told him not to come over. He showed up anyway, and I switched to Plan B for men who didn’t know how to listen. I let him stay outside in the rain, begging to come in. When he left, I sent him a text, reminding him that I meant what I’d said. The only way that we were going to continue as we had been would be if Korey listened to me. If I didn’t want to be bothered with him, then so be it. He was so worried about me giving the goods to someone else, and even though I was in no way saving myself for him, I didn’t like giving myself to two men at once. I knew I was wasting my time with Korey, but for now, it was fun to watch what was transpiring around me.

  Claudette’s perkiness had calmed down, and I listened to her daily phone calls where she whispered to Korey, asking if everything was okay. Like many women, she knew when something was going on with her man, but she was in denial. She was determined to have her little perfect world through marriage, but little did she know, that kind of world did not exist.

  The Christmas party was tonight and I had gone out of my way to make sure everything was perfect as Liz had asked. She wanted gold accessories to match the red and green linen tablecloths, excluding silver altogether. Numerous dozens of poinsettias were bought in to liven up the ballroom, and special gifts had been wrapped for each employee and placed underneath a sixteen-inch Christmas tree. As for the food, the main course was steak or salmon. I was able to sample the food, just to make sure it would be to Liz’s satisfaction. To me, it was. Some very important executives were attending with their spouses, and the administrative staff was invited as well. I figured that it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to go alone, and maybe Veronica and Claudette were right. I would look stupid without a date, and as much as I wanted to call Drake and see if he’d go with me, I couldn’t. I had washed my hands of him and he had gotten the picture. His phone calls came to an abrupt end, and I figured he had moved on with the chick with long legs.

  With that in mind, I stopped my neighbor Lance as he was entering his apartment last week, and asked if he would attend the party with me. He was stunned that I’d asked him, but in return, I had to go to his Christmas party with him. We had gone to his Christmas party last night, and I was surprised by how much fun we’d had. By all means, Lance was no head turner, but he was genuinely a nice guy. His coworkers thought so as well, and they couldn’t stop bragging about how helpful he had been to them at the office. He was the info systems person, and it seemed as if everyone liked him. He had a great sense of humor, too, and he opened up to me about the numerous ladies I’d seen come to his apartment. They were all friends, he said, and that’s how he intended to keep it. He questioned me about standing naked in the doorway that day, and I laughed, explaining to him how anxious I was for the man at the door. If anything, Lance and I could become good friends. I was in no way attracted to him sexually, but I wasn’t sure if he felt the same.

  For the Christmas party, I wore a black and red strapless silk dress that boosted up my cleavage and squeezed my perfect waistline. My backside looked even plumper. Every man I had dated talked about how soft my butt was to grip. I kept my hair in a ponytail, but added bangs that swooped on my forehead. My hazel eyes were even prettier with the long eyelashes I’d had put on and my lips were glossed with M•A•C. Giving me a bit more height, I stepped in my two-tone black and red heels, feeling as if I looked dynamite as ever. I tucked my purse underneath my arm, and went to Lance’s door to knock. He wore the same black suit that he’d had on last night, and even though it was repeated attire, he still looked nice. A pressed white shirt was underneath and a thin black tie was around his neck. His bald head was cleanly shaven, and I loved that he wore a goatee.

  “You look amazing,” he said, kissing my cheek. “Are you driving, or shall I?”

  “Thanks for the compliment and you look nice too. You can drive,” I said, tossing him my keys. “But drive my car.”

  “Why?” he said as we made our way down the steps. “’Cause you have issues with my truck?”

  “Let’s just say that I have a destination to reach tonight. We may not have time to ask anybody for a jump.”

  Lance cracked up, and that’s what I appreciated about him. He wasn’t a smart ass, and could always find humor in anything I said. He opened the car door for me, and after I got in, he did.

  “So, what kind of behavior should I be on tonight? Are the people you work with uptight or loose? Can I crack a joke and expect to get laughs or stares afterward?”

  “That depends on what kind of joke you tell. As for the people, you’ll get a mixture of both. Just don’t be over friendly, and do not tell anyone
that we’re neighbors.”

  “Am I supposed to be your boyfriend, or just a friend?”

  “Just a friend. A good friend and you’ve known me for years.”

  Lance nodded and sped off to the hotel where the Christmas party was.

  When we arrived at the Four Seasons hotel, the ballroom was already packed. I was supposed to arrive early, just to make sure everything was in order, but so much for that. The room was dimly lit by the numerous chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. The tables were covered with red velvet tablecloths and decorated with gold and white plating. The serving tables were covered with green tablecloths and an array of foods was offered. Champagne and glasses were on another table, and an open bar was available for those who wanted to drink. The DJ was kicking up light jazz, but with the loud talking that filled the room, the music was drowned out.

  The first person I spotted was Liz. She looked magnificent, as she stood conversing with four white women. Her red, long dress was like a silhouette of her perfect, slim, model-like body. Her curves were in the right places, and she portrayed nothing but class. I assumed that the black man next to her was her husband. She hadn’t lied; they were a good-looking couple. His suit had to be tailored, and the way it clung to his frame said so. I staggered back a bit because of how fine he was, and I hoped that my date didn’t notice. Liz’s husband looked to be in his early fifties, and the tint of gray in his hair and beard made him even sexier. Now, I wasn’t a big fan of men with gray in their hair, but when it came in that fashion, I had to give the man props. The smell of money was on both of them, and I was glad to see them strongly representing the black folks in the room. The same, of course, could not be said for Veronica and her date. She was blooming in her flowers again, this time red and white. Her date had the nerve to be in a lime green suit, and when I saw the pimp hat on the table, I could have puked. Without even seeing his shoes, I could already imagine them. I didn’t see Claudette and Korey yet, so I walked over to our table and introduced Veronica and her pimp daddy to Lance.

  Veronica extended her hand to Lance. “Hi,” she said. “Nice meeting you.”

  “Same here,” Lance said. Pimp daddy never extended his hand; all he did was toss his head back and say, “What up.”

  Lance and I took our seats, and I immediately asked Veronica if she’d seen Claudette.

  “Not yet.” She looked behind me. “Oh, here she comes. She just came in.”

  I turned and almost fell over in my seat. This bitch had on the same dress as me, only hers had straps on it and she wore a silk shawl on her shoulders. I had shown the dress to her in an apparel magazine that we looked through, and she knew darn well that I had mentioned buying the dress. I could have ripped that sucker off of her, but I smiled, pretending as if it were all good. Besides, Korey looked spectacular in his black suit, and thinking about what would go down with us tonight put me somewhat at ease. He was too handsome to be by Claudette’s side, and when she skidded our way with flats on, I wanted to laugh my butt off. She didn’t even have the right taste to jazz up the dress like I had.

  “Hello, ladies,” she said, kissing the air beside our cheeks. She looked at me and pursed her juicy, soup cooler lips. “You look nice. And, so do I,” she joked.

  I couldn’t even respond, but I made a mental note to spill some wine on her dress tonight. She turned to Korey and proudly made her introduction. “I know some of you met my fiancé, Korey, before, but here he is again.”

  Lance’s eyes widened, and I suspected that he remembered Korey from my apartment that night. Either way, we all spoke and everyone got seated. That included Liz and her husband as well, as dinner was starting to be served.

  Liz pulled out her compact mirror and wiped the minimal sweat from her forehead. She sucked her pearly white teeth, then turned to her husband. “Is there any lipstick on my teeth? I’d hate to be talking to all of these people with lipstick on my teeth.”

  Her husband examined her teeth, telling her that there wasn’t. She closed her compact, and looked across the table, checking us out as well. “You ladies are hooked up tonight,” she laughed. “We have to make sure that we take plenty of pictures. Chase, did you bring your camera?”

  I wasn’t no darn photographer, and I hadn’t anticipated running around here taking pictures. This was a time to enjoy my evening too, and I had hoped Liz wasn’t expecting me to do any work. “No, Liz, I forgot to bring one.”

  She dug in her purse and passed her camera across the table. “Here, sweetie. Take as many as you can. No big deal, just whenever you feel like it.”

  “Sure,” I said, picking up the camera. I told Lance to smile, and when he did, I flashed a picture of him. When I turned to my left, I lifted the camera to take a picture of Korey and Claudette. She was all smiles, but he wasn’t. He had a cold look in his eyes, but I took the picture anyway, cutting Claudette out of it. I snapped a picture of pimp daddy and Veronica, then took one of Liz and her husband. I made a mental note: I’d have to cut her out of the picture, and keep a picture of him for myself.

  Lance was two steps ahead of me, and when he suggested a group picture, I gave the camera to him. We all gathered close, and I squeezed in right next to Korey. I looked at it as an opportunity to squeeze his butt, and when he put his arm around my waist, that’s what I did. He softly touched the side of my hip and smiled. Lance took the picture and we all took our seats again. Moments later, the waiters came over to the table to serve our salads and bread. They filled our glasses with water, and asked if anyone preferred iced tea. Liz did, and Claudette followed suit.

  “I’ll take a glass too,” she said, turning to Korey. “Honey, do you want some tea, or would you prefer to get something at the bar?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said in a griping tone. “I guess I’ll get something later.”

  I knew what his gripes were about, and as much as he was eyeballing Lance, it was obvious. Lance seemed to pick up on the stares too, and I noticed him looking a bit uncomfortable. As we all talked and ate our salads, pimp daddy started bringing attention to himself. He frowned while looking at the salad. He kept picking through it and letting out deep sighs.

  “Where’s the salad dressin’ at?” he said. “Why this doggone thing ain’t got no salad dressin’ on it?”

  Veronica was already embarrassed by him, I could tell. “It’s a Caesar salad, Tony. They don’t come with a lot of dressing.”

  “I can’t eat this mess. As much money as this hotel got, you would think they wouldn’t be so skimpy with the salad dressin’.”

  “Well, don’t eat it,” she said. “Eat the bread.”

  He picked up a piece of bread, then dropped it back into the decorated Christmas basket. “Feel how hard that bread is. It feels like a brick. I know you may not have a problem eatin’ that mess, but I sure as hell won’t eat it.”

  Veronica looked around the table, noticing everybody’s eyes on them. Yes, we tried to play it off by continuing to eat, but Tony was being rude and obnoxious. I hoped she had a Plan B for the night, and it was evident that she’d need one. Maybe if I had a greasy pork chop or doggie bone, I would have thrown it to Tony to keep him quiet. He knew better, and this wasn’t the time or place to be complaining. The food and drinks were free, so he should have dealt with it. He could stop for a happy box at Fried Rice Kitchen on his way home.

  I was so touched when Lance stopped the waiter and asked if he could have a side cup of dressing. When the waiter came back with it, Lance passed it over to Tony, just to keep down confusion. He waved Lance off.

  “Nah, that’s okay, bruh. I’m good,” he said, wiping his hands with the napkin. “They can have this shit. I’m going to get me somethin’ to drink.”

  He got up from the table, and, as expected, those lime green Stacy Adamses matched his suit to a tee. Veronica kept her head low, and I felt embarrassed for her. She should have known better than to bring a rat like that one to this kind of an event.

  “So,�
� Liz said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin, “Korey, are you prepared for the big day? Two months before our wedding, Steven and I were getting pretty anxious and we had even thought about squashing the wedding and going to Vegas.”

  Claudette laughed and clenched Korey’s hand. “How ironic! We thought about that too, but Korey and his dad had to go on a business trip that weekend. I’m glad we didn’t do it, though, and we are so looking forward to our wedding.”

  I thought Liz was talking to Korey, but Claudette always had to speak for him. That was a no-no for any man, and a for-real man didn’t need any woman to speak for him. Korey just smiled and sipped his water. I couldn’t help but throw in my two cents. “So, when is the wedding again? I know you’ve told us at least a million times, but you have yet to mention anything about us getting invitations.”

  Claudette threw her hand back. “Girl, you know I got y’all. You will definitely be invited and I may even let you see my dress before the wedding.”

  Liz started talking about her wedding day and everyone, including her fine-ass husband, was tuned in. Now, I wasn’t into older men, but damn! Why did he have that Denzel Washington swagga going on? Whenever he talked, his lips looked so juicy and sexy. I thought about them being pressed against my pussy, and when I blinked away, it was as if Korey had been reading my mind. I wished that he would stop staring at me, because if anyone had been paying attention like I was, they would have suspected something. Good thing Lance had excused himself to go to the restroom.

  Veronica’s date, Tony, came back and sat with two drinks in his hand. Veronica reached for one of the glasses.