Everyone went around the room and introduced themselves. Maya noticed a couple of women from work but there were several she didn’t know.
Alexis and Champagne listened as Maya proceeded to give a rundown on the procedures for the meeting. She asked Alexis if she had a chance to read the book, Sister Girls 2 by Angel M. Hunter. The truth was she hadn’t had a chance to finish it, with her busy schedule and all.
“I started it but didn’t get an opportunity to finish.”
“I read all of it,” Champagne told them.
Alexis looked at Champagne, “You didn’t tell me you finished it.”
“Was I supposed to?” Champagne joked.
“When did you have time?”
“I didn’t have to make that much time. It was a quick read. I read it in like two days.”
“Good, then let’s get started,” Maya said.
* * *
An hour and a half later, when they were wrapping up, Alexis was surprised how much she enjoyed the meeting.
It was also obvious that Champagne had enjoyed herself as well because she was standing with a few women on the other side of the room deep in conversation.
Just as Alexis was about to walk up to them, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
“Hey beautiful.” It was Gavin, Maya’s brother. “Come in the kitchen and talk to me.”
Alexis looked in Champagne’s direction. She wasn’t paying her any mind and so Alexis followed Gavin into the kitchen. At first glance he reminded her of Morris Chestnut, chocolate, muscular and intense looking with a pretty-ass smile.
Once inside, he poured himself some orange juice and asked Alexis if she wanted something to drink.
“No, thank you.”
“So, my sister told you I wanted to meet you?”
“Yes.”
“And you decided to come.”
“Yes.” Damn, why is that all I’m saying?
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you decide to come?”
What kind of question is that? “Because I had nothing better to do,” she told him with a smirk.
“Damn, it’s like that?”
“Well, don’t ask a question you might not want the answer to.”
“Duly noted.”
They sat there for a few seconds looking at one another.
“How old are you?” Alexis asked breaking the silence.
“Old enough.”
“No, for real.”
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah, it matters.”
“I’m twenty-nine.”
Had Alexis been drinking she would have choked. She turned to walk away.
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t go out with you. You’re too young for me.”
“You’re in your thirties right?
“Yeah.” She was thirty-two.
“Then what’s the big deal? Age ain’t nothing but a number and I can do just as much if not more for you than a man twice my age.”
“Oh, really?” Alexis was feeling his boldness. She didn’t know about this dating a younger man thing. Even though it was only by a few years, she still wasn’t feeling it. She felt like younger men had to be tolerated a little more and she didn’t have the energy to do that. However, he was so good-looking she was willing to hear him out.
“Let me take you out one time and if you don’t enjoy my company then you don’t ever have to see me again.”
“Oh, there you are.” Champagne walked in the kitchen. “You ready?”
Gavin didn’t let her answer. “So what’s it going to be?”
“Let me get your number and I’ll think about it.”
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a card. He opened one of the drawers in the kitchen, got a pen and wrote down a number on the back. He handed the card to Alexis. “This is my personal number. Call me with your decision sooner rather than later. I’m not a man that waits around.”
“I’ll do that.”
* * *
Once Champagne and Alexis were in the car, Champagne asked what was up with Gavin.
“Nothing. He saw a picture of me and asked Maya to introduce us.”
“Damn girl, look at you. Thomas, Shamel, and now Gavin. You’re on a roll.”
Alexis didn’t respond, she was too busy asking herself what the hell was she doing. This wasn’t her. Although she was trying to be this bad bitch, did she really want to be that person?
“Just be careful sweetie, because there are some crazy-ass men out there,” Champagne told her as she’d told her a time or two before.
“You ain’t said nothing but a word.”
Chapter Forty-six
A day with someone special can make up for a week of hell.
It was Sunday and Alexis didn’t have any plans. All she wanted to do was relax. Maybe finish reading Sister Girls 2 and go to the movies. It was going to be a day just for her. The past couple of weeks had been hectic. She’d had a few dates, busted one of her students working as a stripper and had to deal with an irate student. She deserved a day of doing nothing.
After grabbing her book and cell phone off the kitchen table, Alexis went and sat on her porch, in her rocking chair. Just as she was getting comfortable, her cell phone rang.
She looked at the caller ID. It was Thomas.
“Hey there.”
“What’s up beautiful?” Thomas asked.
“Nothing. Just sitting on the porch reading.”
“Are you doing anything today?”
“Nope, and I don’t plan on doing anything. Today is my day for me.”
“Well, you have to eat, let me take you to lunch.”
Alexis hesitated because she really didn’t intend to leave the house at all. She wondered if he sensed this.
“How about I bring you lunch instead?”
That suggestion perked Alexis right up. “Now that sounds like a good idea,” she told him.
“What would you like?”
Alexis had no idea what she wanted so she told him to surprise her.
“What’s a good time to come by?”
Yes, today was supposed to be a day by herself but like Thomas said, she had to eat. Alexis looked at her watch. It was just eleven o’clock. “Come around one.” That would give her enough time to read a couple of chapters and take a shower.
After hanging up, Alexis gave herself one hour to read. That was hard to do considering her mind kept drifting to Shay. She’d made the decision to go by her apartment. The thing is she didn’t want to go alone. Shay lived in “The Grove,” which was a bad neighborhood and you just never knew what could happen. The drive to get there was around thirty minutes.
I’ll wait and see if she comes to school Monday and if not, I’ll have Champagne or someone go with me.
A few chapters and a shower later, Thomas knocked on the screen door.
When Alexis went to let him in, she saw that he was carrying a picnic basket.
“What’s this?” she asked as she led him to the kitchen. “We’re having a picnic?”
“Yes, right in your kitchen,” he told her as he placed the basket on the counter.
“So what’s inside?” Alexis was starving.
“Can I have a hug first?”
She gave him one and took in his scent. “You smell good,” she complimented. “What is that?”
“It’s an oil I bought from some Muslim guy. It’s called Blue Nile.”
“I like it.”
“I’ll pick you up some.” Thomas opened the basket and pulled out a bottle of Moscato wine.
“I love that wine.”
“I know.” He knew because he called Champagne and asked her what type of food and wines Alexis liked. He then pulled out some containers.
“Can I look inside?” Alexis asked.
“Of course.”
When Alexis opened them, she saw that he’d brought a cucumber, tomato, and cheese salad, with what smelled like sun-dried tom
ato dressing, some sort of quiche and there were a couple of slices of cake. She took a sniff and could tell immediately that it was her favorite kind, lemon.
“Okay, you need to tell me how you knew that Moscato is my favorite wine along with lemon cake and quiche.”
“I have contacts,” he told her.
“And do those contacts include someone named Champagne and Zyair?”
Thomas threw up his hands. “You got me.”
Alexis was touched that he put this much effort into their lunch date and impressed that he did it in under two hours. She walked around the table and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“What was that for?” Thomas asked, pleased that he’d scored some points.
“It’s for being thoughtful. You sit down while I set the table.”
Thomas looked around and told her, “Your kitchen is so . . . so–”
“So white?” Alexis finished the thought for him. It’s something most people commented on when they came over. Her cabinets were white, her floor was white, her refrigerator was white and her accessories were white.
“That and clean. It’s so crisp looking, I’d be afraid to cook in here.”
Alexis laughed, “Oh, believe me, I cook. Maybe not often enough but when it’s just you, there’s really no need to, especially when you can just pick stuff up and throw it in the microwave or go out and eat.”
“I know just what you mean, I eat out often and I have to tell you, I’d love a home-cooked-meal every now and then, by someone other than myself.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” Alexis teased. “Sit down,” she told him again.
Thomas did just that. He sat and watched as Alexis set the table and made their plates. They made small talk while eating but Thomas could tell something was on Alexis’ mind.
“So, what’s going on?” Thomas asked.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” Thomas wasn’t easily fooled.
“Well, actually there is something going on but not with me. It’s with two of my students.”
“You care to share?”
“Well, one of my students came into my office and asked me to talk to her mom because she believes she’s suicidal over a man and the other I found out is a stripper.”
“Wow. How did you find out about the one that’s a stripper.”
Did Alexis really want to tell him about her going with Shamel? She didn’t think so. “It doesn’t matter, what does matter is that she is and when I confronted her, she walked out on me and hasn’t been to school since. I’m concerned. I’m almost thinking about going to her house to see what’s up.”
“You don’t think that’s a bit much? The way these teenagers are today, you can’t tell them shit, they know more than us.”
“I know, but I still feel like I need to do something. The only thing is where she lives is not a welcoming area. It’s the hood of all hoods.”
“Where does she live?”
“In The Grove.”
“Oh, hell no, you will not be going into that neighborhood by yourself. Should you decide to go, I’m going with you.”
That was all Alexis needed to hear. “All right, then let’s go.”
“Today?”
“Why not?” Although the plan was to do nothing, she might as well do something productive and meaningful.
Before Thomas could respond, his cell phone went off. “Excuse me,” he told her as he unhooked it from his belt.
“I’ll be right back,” Alexis told him and walked out of the kitchen to go to the bathroom.
When she was reentering the kitchen, she heard Thomas saying, “I asked you not to call me anymore and I mean that shit,” then he hung up.
“Someone stalking you?” Alexis asked.
“It’s this female I used to see. She’ll call, then she’ll stop calling for a while and then it starts up all over again.”
“Block her number from your phone,” Alexis told him.
Thomas looked at her and frowned.
“What?”
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of that shit.”
“That’s what we women are for, to give you men the answers.”
Thomas stepped toward Alexis and pulled her into him. “I can’t believe I’m finally spending time with you.”
“Well, believe it,” she told him.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yes, you can do more than that if you want to.”
Thomas stepped back and looked at her.
“Just not today,” she teased.
“Girl, don’t play with me like that. Shit, I was ready.”
“I bet you were. Let me go get my bag and put some shoes on so we can go.”
“Go where?”
“The Grove.”
Thomas looked at his watch. He didn’t think she really meant doing it today. He’d made plans with his boys to play basketball around four
“What? You have other plans?” Alexis asked.
“I did, but I can postpone for you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
“Damn, you’re racking up the points today.”
Thomas hoped so. He was trying his damnest to be sensitive, caring, and attentive. This was a new experience for him but hell, he’d do whatever it took to win Alexis over.
Thomas called Zyair and told him to let the others know that either he’d be late getting to the gym or he wasn’t going to make it.
“It’s going that good?” Zyair asked him. They’d spoken earlier that day when Thomas called to find out what types of food Alexis liked.
“I’m going to run an errand with her.”
Zyair thought this was the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time. He could not stop laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“You man, being all domestic and shit.”
“Whatever,” Thomas told him, and hung up.
A half an hour later they parked in front of the building Alexis had on record for Shay. The appearance of the outside had not changed much. It still looked dingy and worn. The graffiti or tags as some called it were still everywhere.
“You sure you want to get this involved?” Thomas asked.
Alexis’ answer was to start walking toward the building. Thomas followed behind her while making sure he was aware of all that was around him. What that consisted of was young wannabe thugs hanging on the corners and on the bench that was in front of the building. It was obvious some of them were drug dealers.
Little did either of them know that right across the street was one of Shamel’s boys. He recognized Alexis from when she came to Dreams. Alexis and Thomas were now in the building, looking for apartment 3B. When they found it, Thomas stood close behind her as she knocked on the door.
“Who the fuck is it?” someone on the other side of the door yelled.
Alexis looked at Thomas, who said to her, “What’s the girl’s name?”
“Shay.”
“I said who the fuck is it?” the person yelled again.
“We’re looking for Shay,” Thomas yelled back.
The door swung open and standing before them was a woman that was drunk as hell. You could smell the liquor coming out of her pores.
“Don’t no Shay live here.”
“Are you sure?” Alexis asked.
“What the fuck? You think I don’t know who lives in my damn house.”
“This is the address I have for her miss.”
“Well, it’s the wrong fucking address,” she told them and slammed the door in their faces.
Alexis looked up at Thomas who took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
When they were walking out of the building, Shamel’s boy watched their every movement and he made sure to snap a picture with his cell phone.
When they pulled off, he called Shamel and all he got was a voice mail. He left a message telling him the honey he was with at the strip clu
b was in The Grove with some other dude.
Chapter Forty-seven
People are not who they seem all the time, but they are always who they tell and show you they are.
Shamel was sitting a few houses down from Alexis’. It didn’t take much to find out where she lived. He had Michael, the guy who set up the computers in his establishment search her name on the Internet. Not only did Michael found out where she lived but he found out her credit score, her history, who her parents were, and a whole bunch of other shit.
This was not Shamel’s style, to be stalking a female. To him, he wasn’t stalking her. To stalk a woman was to scare her, to leave her notes, to threaten her. He wasn’t doing any of that, he was just staking his claim and trying to find out as much about her as he could. Was he becoming obsessed with her? he wondered. Maybe but he had set it in his mind to make her his and for her to be the mother of his children. He’d even dreamed it and as a believer that dreams often had a meaning, he’d decided to put it into action.
A couple of days ago, his boy called him and told him that he saw Alexis in The Grove. Later he showed him a picture that he snapped. When he saw the picture of the dude she was with, he recognized him as that Thomas character.
This motherfucker was getting on his last nerve popping up everywhere. Not only that but Shamel wanted to know what the hell was she doing at The Grove. That used to be his old stomping ground when everything he did was illegal, but since he was now on the up and up, it was his boys’ spot.
Shamel also found out some information on Thomas; found out he was a well-known sports agent and not a fuck-up like he was hoping. He was going to have to come up with some sort of plan to get him out of the picture. Shamel wanted Alexis to himself. He was not one to share.
Because he’d been watching her for a few days he learned her schedule and knew that she would be home shortly. He had one of his boys farther down the block waiting for her car to turn the corner and when she was close by, the plan was for him to go set flowers, candy, and a teddy bear on the porch. He would be walking away when she pulled up.
His cell phone beeped, there was a text message from his boy, Now, now, go now. Shamel got out of his car with gifts in hand and placed them on the stairs. He could hear her car pull up into the driveway. He wondered what she was thinking when he turned around and they were looking at one another through the windshield.
Turned Out Saga Page 31