I hated to see Scorpio so broken. I knew what our failed relationship had done to her. The repercussions showed as she fought her emotions. I stood up and went to her end of the couch. I pulled her up and put my arms around her waist. She resisted a bit and turned her head to the side. I placed my finger on the side of her face, turning it to face mine.
“Tell me something. Did you lie to Shane about being pregnant?”
Scorpio hesitated. Her eyelids fluttered and she slowly nodded. “I couldn’t lose him too. That meant losing my connection with you. I was so confused. I hated to lie to Shane, but even he knew how much I still loved you. Please don’t tell him the truth about the baby. I never meant to hurt him as much as I did.”
I shook my head in disgust. “Damn, Scorpio, but you did. He gave up so much for you and you—”
“I know. But, you haven’t walked in my shoes and you don’t know how difficult all of this has been for me. I’ve made so many horrible mistakes, all because I didn’t know how to deal with being without you. The relationships I’ve had, none of them made me feel as I do now with Bruce. I know he’s the one for me, and . . .”
I knew Scorpio too well and I didn’t believe her. “You said that Bruce loves you. Not once have you said that you love him. Please, don’t marry a man just to escape your hurt. You’ll make a big mistake and I’m not saying this because I’m jealous. I’m telling you this for your own good.”
Scorpio wrapped her arms around me, lightly scratching her nails up and down my back. Without a blink, she gazed into my eyes and I could feel what she’d been going through. Her look was so powerful that it caused me to blink and look away. This time, she turned my face to hers.
“I do love Bruce, Jaylin,” she confirmed. “But, I will never, ever love a man as much as I love you. So, if that’s what you came here to hear, then I have no shame in saying it. Yes, I still love you, but there isn’t a darn thing I can do about it. Who in the hell could blame me, after what you did for me and Mackenzie? You changed my entire life around. At the time we met, my life was headed for destruction. We endured a lot in our relationship, but overall, you were a blessing to me. Therefore, losing you was tough. I . . . I can’t forget what we shared and I will never forget. Call me stupid or whatever you want, but my love for you can never be replaced.”
I was speechless and continued to stare at Scorpio. She was so damn sexy and her watery brown eyes, along with the thoughts of my dream, and Alicia Keys’ song replaying had me so caught up. As I felt a rise down below, I slightly backed up and cleared my throat.
“Listen, I gotta jet. I hope everything works out for you and Bruce and, uh, I appreciate you sharing with me how you feel.” I loosened our embrace and made my way to the door. When I reached for the doorknob, Scorpio’s hand covered mine.
“I’m getting married soon. This might be our last chance,” she said. “Please stay with me for a while.”
I turned to face her. “Our last chance for what?”
She got on the tips of her toes and whispered in my ear, “Last chance for us to be naughty. I will never interfere with your marriage to Nokea again. I wish you and her nothing but future happiness. I hope you feel the same way about me and Bruce, but please allow us to have this one last time together.”
I stood for a moment, seriously debating with myself. I was so weak when it came to Scorpio, and the thing is, she knew it. She stepped forward and when her lips touched mine, I held her face in my hands, sucking her lips in like kissing was going out of style. “Call Bruce,” I ordered. “Tell him to come much later. I . . . I gotta tell you about a dream I had, but you gotta promise me that you and I will be Naughty No More.”
Scorpio reached for my belt buckle. “After tonight, you go your way and I’ll go mine. I promise you there will be no phone calls, no questions and no attachments. Let’s just get this over with and do something that we both have been dying to do.”
I didn’t say another word. I followed Scorpio to her bedroom. When she removed all of her clothes, there was no turning back for me.
I reached the hotel at 1:15 in the morning. I wasn’t sure if Nokea had made it in yet, but I hurried to slide the card in the door. When I didn’t see Nokea, I rushed out of my clothes to take a shower. All I could think about was where in the hell I’d just come from. I kept telling myself that Nokea didn’t deserve this. Feeling frustrated with my decision, I threw my cell phone across the room and broke it. I hurried in the shower. While my hands were pressed against the shower’s wall, I let the soothing cold water drench me to calm down my dick. I closed my eyes and visions of Scorpio played in my mind. Damn, I thought. Why couldn’t she have just let me leave! The betrayal I felt from being inside of her made me ill. My stomach turned in knots. I had the nerve to hold my dick and look at it, as if it was the one who made the decision. “Fuck,” I said loudly and rubbed up and down my dripping wet face. Why? Why did I go there? Never, ever would I do this shit again. I didn’t like how being with another woman made me feel. Yes, Scorpio’s performance was good . . . damn good, but I had no idea I’d feel like this.
The cold water dripped from my face. As I was reminiscing about what had just happened, the shower curtain slid over and startled me. Nokea stood outside the shower and stared at me with a blank expression on her face.
“What?” I hurried to say. “Is . . . is everything okay?”
She gave me a puzzled look and the knot in my stomach felt like it was being pulled tighter. “Everything is fine, Jaylin. I saw your broken phone and called your name several times. You didn’t answer, so I thought something had happened.”
To release my tension, I took a deep breath and turned off the water. “I got mad at the damn thing because I couldn’t get a signal. I tried to call you, but it wouldn’t dial out.”
Nokea reached for a towel and slowly wiped my body. When she got to my back, she stopped. “Where did this red mark—long scratch on your back, come from?”
I turned my back toward the mirror to see what she was referring to. There was a long scratch on my back and I had to think fast. “Shit, I don’t know, probably from Jaylene climbing on my back yesterday. Remember, when I was on the floor and she . . .”
“Yes, I remember,” Nokea smiled and yawned. “I’m so tired. Pat’s baby shower is tomorrow, and can you believe I’m already missing home? I can’t wait to get back to my babies.”
“I can’t wait to get home either. I wish we could leave now, but I know how important it is for you to be there for your friend.”
“Very important,” she said. “Pat would die if I left this soon.”
As Nokea got undressed, I got in the bed. The feeling I had inside was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. From the disturbing look on my face, it was so easy for Nokea to tell that something was wrong.
“Out with it Jaylin Rogers, what’s on your mind?” she teased while climbing underneath the sheets with me. We cuddled, and as I held her, she lay the back of her head against my chest.
“I just had a long day, that’s all. I’m glad that Shane and I worked things out. I’m looking forward to him moving to Florida. My mind’s been preoccupied with our new business venture.”
“I knew it was something. I’ve been here for almost thirty minutes and you haven’t even kissed me.”
Nokea looked up at me and that same powerful feeling I felt with Scorpio came across me. There was no denying that I was in love with Nokea, but now, it was easy for me to admit that I had some love for Scorpio too. For me to have gone as far as I did, it was obvious. I continuously interfered with Scorpio’s relationships. Being as jealous as I was of them, the proof was in the pudding. No matter what, though, the love I had for Scorpio could never amount to the love I had for Nokea. Deep down, I knew it and Scorpio knew it as well.
As I kissed Nokea, it was hard for me not to think about where my lips had been only a few hours ago. I paused and pecked Nokea’s forehead. The step I’d taken tonight required me t
o close my eyes and ask for forgiveness. Already, I could see my mother shaking her head and Nanny B looking at me with disgust. Even Stephon was yelling that I was a dog-ass nigga who didn’t deserve Nokea. I could hear Shane telling me how wrong I was for making such a move. I was human. Even though I hated to admit it, I wasn’t perfect. My flesh was weak, and this was firsthand experience as to just how weak it was.
With my eyes still closed and head lay back on the pillow, Nokea interrupted my thoughts.
“Hey, baby, can I ask you something personal?” she said.
“Of course.”
“You mentioned that in your dream, you had millions and millions of dollars. I don’t keep up with your financial status, but isn’t it fair to me that you be a bit more specific about those kinds of things?”
“Yes, and if you ever want to know, all you have to do is ask. Anything you want or need, you can have it. What’s mine is yours. It’s not that I’ve been keeping our finances a secret, it’s just that you rarely ask about our financial status.”
“I do look at our bank statements, but you have accounts that belong solely to you. For the sake of our children, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“I agree. It’s not.”
“All I want to know is, is there more than $15 million in your combined accounts?”
“Yes.”
“Twenty-five?”
“Yes.”
“Thirty-five?”
“You’re on to something.”
“Fifty?” she looked shocked.
“You’re very close. I promise you that when we get home, I’ll reveal everything to you.”
Nokea lay her head back on my chest and rubbed it. I thought it was ironic that she had brought up this subject at this particular time. A woman’s intuition, I guessed. “Can I ask why, all of a sudden, you’re inquiring about our finances?”
“Because I’d been thinking about the yacht you’d purchased. That thing cost some serious dollars. I felt so foolish for not knowing that we could afford something like that. I don’t like being kept in the dark, and I do want to know about all of our assets. A husband and wife should know those kinds of things. It’s only fair to me.”
I was real uneasy. I didn’t know if it was just my guilt eating away at me or if Nokea knew something she wasn’t telling. I love her more than anything in the world, but nobody could be trusted with the amount of money I’d given away in my dream. After my interesting night with Scorpio, this was a touchy subject for me. Surely, though, if Nokea knew I had been intimate with Scorpio, I wouldn’t live to see tomorrow, nor would we be lying in bed having a civil discussion.
“Like I said, baby, it’s whatever you want. Next week, I will make arrangements for us to meet with my financial advisor and Frick.”
“Thanks,” Nokea said, as she lifted her head to give me a tiny peck on the lips.
Afterward, she reached in her purse and pulled out a silver picture book. When she lay back on my chest, she opened the book and it displayed many digital pictures of us.
“This was your anniversary gift,” she said. “I was too embarrassed to give it to you.”
“Why?” I said, admiring the cute and memorable pictures of us. “Woman, this book is priceless. We make an adorable couple, don’t we?”
“Yes, and look at this one,” she said. “This was taken when you were nineteen and I was eighteen, remember? You were so handsome and bad to the bone.”
I smiled at the picture. I couldn’t believe Nokea was embarrassed to give this to me. The yacht didn’t compare to our memories together. As we lay in bed laughing at the pictures, I told her just that.
Chapter 31
Scorpio
Nearly a year and a half ago was the last time I’d seen Jaylin. I was now a happily married woman and Bruce and I were doing well. At first, I’d talked myself out of getting married because that interesting night with Jaylin couldn’t be forgotten. He admitted to being in love with me, but made it clear that he’d never, ever leave Nokea. The moment he strutted in my house with confidence, casually dressed, tanned as ever and smelling good, I knew it would be a life changing moment for me. There was no way in hell I was going to let him leave without giving me something to remember. I’d waited a long time to feel the satisfaction only he could give me, and it started with a juicy long kiss. It was like magic, and when all of the touching, feeling and stroking was over, he left.
Yes, I hated to see him go. To put me at ease, he called and talked to me until he reached the hotel. During our conversation, he made me smile. We talked about how we’d missed making love to each other. We discussed his dream, and I was glad we made part of it a reality. According to Jaylin, I’d gotten my feelings hurt in his dream, but to me, being with him, that kind of hurt came with the territory. He continued to pressure me about marrying a man I didn’t love. When I asked if he ever thought he’d be available, he responded again, “Unfortunately, that day will never come.”
With that being said, my wedding day went off without a hitch. Surely, because Jaylin had revealed his love for me that night, I kept hoping he would show up and I’d be able to drop my bouquet on the floor and run away with him. I even thought I’d seen him peeking around corners, but I knew it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. Then, several months later, out of the blue, I received documentation from Jaylin’s attorney. Jaylin gave up custody of Mackenzie. I knew that closed the final chapter of our lives. He had his own family and was with who he was destined to be with. So was I.
A few months after I was married, Bruce and I purchased a new home and we shared it with our two children. Almost nine months after the honeymoon was over, Bruce Jr. was born. As he sat on my lap at the park, I held his hands with mine. I then turned him to face me. Every time I looked into his eyes, it took me back to that unforgettable night with Jaylin. Bruce Jr. had many of Jaylin’s features. Even Bruce had commented on how his son looked more like me, not him. When it came to making babies, my credibility had been shot. I refused to go through the headache of finding out the truth. My desires for Jaylin were gone. I had no intentions whatsoever to ever disrupt or disturb his happy home. We both agreed not to share the detailed events of that night with anyone. In order for peace to prevail, my secret would go to my grave with me.
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Naughty No More ©copyright 2010 Brenda Hampton
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