by Pynk
“As long they’re not filed against us. If so, we just might have to settle and get rid of it.”
“For what? I say we wait and see if it goes to trial.”
Milan deleted junk messages from her e-mail. “You have a lot of confidence in the system I see.”
Lavender took the Tenth Street exit. “Not even. I just think it might bring out other fools who think they can do the same thing.”
Milan read one of her messages. “Maybe. Here’s a message from the guy who owns The Playpen. He suggests we check out the latest blog on the North American Swing Club Association site. I think folks are talking about our case. He’s saying these charges are just another way to try to get sex clubs shut down.”
“I believe it. It’ll all work out.” He leaned his right elbow along the middle console. “No worries.”
Milan looked at him and then back at her phone. “You amaze me with your outlook. I don’t know if it’s optimism or naïveté. Ramada is the reason for the madness. She’s a hot damn mess.”
“That she is.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. What I was gonna tell you earlier was that she called the house again today while I was there.”
“For what?”
“We didn’t get around to why she was calling. We had it out.”
Lavender made a lane change. “Damnit, I am so tired of this shit from her.”
Milan put her cell on her lap. “Of all people, she had the nerve to call me a ho because I opened the club. Honestly, I don’t know how much more of her games I can take.”
“She called you a ho? Damnit. I’ve told her to stop calling your house.” He gritted his teeth and frowned.
“And she said she’d be in your life for the rest of your life and she’s not gonna let me raise Taj.” She again resumed scrolling. “She also said you wouldn’t be around long anyway. That you’ll get bored and start cheating on me.” Milan looked at Lavender.
He reached into the console and grabbed his phone.
Milan said, “Don’t. That’s just what she wants you to do is call her.”
“I’ve had it.” He stopped at a light before turning. “That’s it.” He put his phone in the cup holder slot. “We’re gonna place a restraining order so she won’t contact you. Why didn’t you bring it up with Hunter tonight? He needs to know. Maybe he can do something about it.”
She simply looked at him. “I already told Hunter when I was on my way to the station. He knows everything.”
He looked over at her. “I’m sorry, Milan.”
“Yeah, well, anyway. Right after that I had my number changed.” She looked down and read a message while talking. “Effective tomorrow morning, she won’t be able to reach me. But as far as her reaching you, now, that’s a different subject.”
“I know you’ve had that same number for a long time.”
“To keep her from reaching me, it was worth it. As long as she doesn’t try to call the club.”
“Oh hell no. That would be stupid.”
“Well. Stupid is as Ramada does. I’m not so sure she didn’t call the radio station today. That last caller sounded a lot like her to me.”
“I thought about that.” Lavender pulled up into the reserved space near the front door. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to make this go away, and to make this easier on you.”
Milan grabbed her bag and shoved her phone inside. She sat and waited, looking around at all the cars in the parking lot.
Lavender’s cell sounded and he pressed the screen. He put the car in park and turned off the ignition. “Hey, Great Mama. Yeah, Milan and I just came from a meeting. Yes, it went well. Taj is fine.”
Milan sat still as she said, “Please tell her I said hello.”
“Milan says hello.” He looked Milan’s way. “She says hi.” He continued, “No, we’re just pulling up to work. To Milan’s work. Yes, the club. It’s going well. And how are you doing? Good. Okay, well, you take care and I’ll talk to you later. Love . . . She hung up before I could finish saying good-bye.” He pressed the screen.
Milan asked, “She still thinks I run a regular nightclub?”
“She’s never asked. But she knows. I guarantee you, she knows.” Lavender opened his door and came around to her side.
Milan sat still as he opened her door, looking up at him. “How would she know? Wouldn’t she tell you if she did?”
“No. Not Great Mama. But I’ll bet Ramada told her. I’ve known her long enough to know that much.”
“That would be messed up. But, then again, it fits.” Milan adjusted herself to exit the car when her phone signaled another text message. She reached inside and read it as she took Lavender’s hand and stood. Her eyes grew large. “What? My manager said Maurice Black wants to schedule me for his radio show. Looks like it’s to talk about black women who own sex-related businesses.”
“You gonna do it?”
“I don’t see why not. Radio’s the best free advertising there is.”
Milan replaced her phone into her bag and prepared to take a step.
Lavender pulled her close and looked into her eyes. “I’m proud of you. And like I said, I’m sorry.”
“Just keep that, ‘everything’s gonna be fine’ attitude. We’re gonna need it,” Milan said, giving him a half hug and walking away to head toward her sexual sanctuary.
Lavender closed her door and pressed the alarm, walking in behind her after greeting the parking attendant.
Milan stopped at the front counter. “Hey there,” she said to the bouncer and then spoke to her front desk girl, “Hey, Rita. What’s going on?”
“It’s busy again.”
“I can tell by all the cars.” Milan gave a click of the computer and searched through the new member files. She kept clicking. “Wow. This is a lot. It’s not even midnight. Wait. Who’s this new member? The one named Clark?”
“Oh, she joined a little while ago. Really tall white lady.”
“Did you write down all of her driver’s license information?”
“It’s on the back of the hard copy.”
Lavender walked behind the desk and opened a black notebook that had sign-in sheets for all the employees.
Milan flipped through some papers and gave a quick read. She spoke at a faster pace. “Where is she now?”
“I have no idea.”
“Lavender, let’s go inside and look around, please.”
“Why?”
“That birth date is August 18, 1965. I think Nancy’s ass is here.”
“Nancy, your stepmother, Nancy?” he asked, looking at Milan.
“Ex-stepmother.”
“Why would she be in here?”
“Why wouldn’t she be? She’s a hot damn mess, too.”
Lavender stepped from behind the desk after grabbing his usual pistol from the safe, and he took a two-way out of the drawer. He pressed the button and spoke. “Jarod? Jarod?”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” He spoke into the radio again. “Jarod? Where are you?” He then called out on a different frequency. “Brian.”
“Yeah, man. What’s up?”
“Where’s Jarod?”
“I haven’t seen him in a while. I have no idea.”
“Thanks.” Lavender led the way and gave Milan a concerned eye. She returned the same.
They rushed down the hall, past the first-floor bathrooms, peeking in each room along the way. They went up three short stairs, past the lockers, to the pink room.
When they reached the closed door, Lavender turned the knob and pushed it open. The view that met their eyes made them both take a quick breath.
Nancy Clark Kennedy was bouncing upon the cigar-shaped, ebony strap-on that Heidi wore, riding shotgun, and her pussy was the holster. She was in the passenger seat, sitting on the woman’s lap, facing away from her as Heidi sat on the floor. Heidi’s butt was resting on the back of her heels. Nancy was squatted, with her knees up to her chest. Her horniness devoured th
e long, fake dick. And her face said she was in total ecstasy.
And in the corner, way behind the view of others, was Jarod, facing the female-fucking couple.
Milan’s eyes dropped to where Jarod’s hands were. He was straight in the middle of whacking himself off a mile a minute. His self-giving strokes were rhythmic. His brown dick was stretched far out into the air, and his hand was beating the skin of his shaft like he was in an X-rated panic. His pants were around his ankles, his two-way was on the floor behind him, and his eyes were glued to the hot, live, girl-on-girl action before him. It was like a close-up and personal Girls Gone Wild infomercial, only kinkier.
Milan yelled like she was about to explode. “O-fucking-K. Jarod, what the hell?”
“Milan?” Jarod’s rounded eyes showed raw surprise. His mouth flew open. His hands froze in place. His dick began an instant collapse.
The cartoon caption above Nancy’s head read, Oh shit!
Milan looked at her buck-naked stepmother with a deep down frown, flailing her hands about. “Nancy. Get the fuck up.”
First Nancy stood, and then her strap-wearing accomplice, Heidi, stood as well. Heidi undid the buckles and held the long black dildo along the side of her thigh. She frantically began to look around for her discarded clothing. Nancy stood still, big tits, big hips, big legs, all six feet of her, towering over Heidi, paralyzed like her feet were stuck in place.
Lavender asked all three of them, “What’s going on?”
“I was j-just . . .” Jarod began to say with a stutter. “See, w-what had h-happened was . . .”
Milan took over. “Jarod, this is my father’s ex-wife. The one who’s been trying to get half of his estate and you’re up in my club yanking your dick at her?”
“She’s who?” His forehead showed his shock.
“You have the nerve to fuck around on my sister with her own stepmother, and at work of all places? What the hell is wrong with you?”
Lavender spoke up with a stern voice. “Jarod, you’re fired. Get the hell out of here.”
Milan pointed to Nancy who stood there naked, only wearing black patent leather high heels while she scanned the floor for her skirt and blouse. “And take her with you.”
Nancy looked bimbolike confused as she covered her double handfuls of breasts with her hands as best she could. “Milan, I’m not here to . . .”
Milan cut her off in an instant, boldly stepping up within an inch of her face. “I see why you’re here. Leave now.” Milan aimed her index finger toward the pink door.
Nancy blinked but did not say another a word. She bent down to scoop her clothes from the tiny pile and began to head for the door. Still naked.
Milan said, “Coming in here trying to live out your lesbian fantasies in my club. That is straight stupid.”
Nancy awkwardly hurried along as she made her fumbling exit.
Jarod stuffed his major equipment into his boxers and pulled up his pants. He scrambled to reloop his belt.
Milan said, “I guess the thrill clouded your reasoning, huh? I told your ass, don’t get your honey where you get your fucking money. Now your money from my water well has run dry. Get the fuck up out of here. Now.” Milan pointed her hand toward the door for him, too.
Jarod simply exited quietly. His head was hung low.
Heidi hurriedly moved about, slipping back into her short cotton dress. She slid into her shoes. “Ma’am, I’m sorry.” Her hyperactiveness was showing. The caffeine had taken over and she looked like she was about to straight lose it.
Milan’s look was still one of raging anger, but she spoke to Heidi, who was now trying to tuck the retractable fuck strap into her tiny purse. “You can stay. But go find yourself some sane ass pussy.”
Heidi flashed a smile two times fast and stepped away, still looking along the floor as she exited.
Milan headed for the door. “These folks are losing their damn minds up in here. Damnit,” she said as she dashed out and down the long hall.
Lavender exited, too, shaking his head in wonder, with a bit of brotherly compassion.
25
“Un-Break My Heart”
Saturday, April 26, 2008
6:57 p.m.
The full darkness of midevening approached after a long day of solace, a long day of thinking, and a long day of worry. Gray skies and a sudden mist of casual raindrops, mixed with a weak wind, matched well with the mood. Her mood from trying to debond from the hold that oxytocin had on her.
Exhaustion had seized Tamiko’s very being. She had day-old mascara that still coated her lashes. Most of it had rubbed off and smudged, giving her raccoon eyes. Her nose was red. She cupped her left hand and blew into it, sniffing her own breath. She frowned in reply.
She smoothed her hairline, noticing she was in need of a meeting with a hairbrush and sank into her ivory leather love seat in the sitting area of her bedroom. The fireplace fought to light up her dim view. She leaned her head from front to back and then from left to right, trying to work out a nasty kink in her neck.
It was the day after her true nasty kink, the insatiable Jarod, was busted while giving himself the gift of a peeping-Tom hand job at the sight of her own stepmother getting fucked by a lady with a dildo.
Tamiko’s mind battled between anger and sadness. Her Bluetooth hung from her ear as she spoke. She curled her legs to the side and placed her hand on her ankle. Her eyes were moist and her heart was heavy. “I can’t believe those two fools really hooked up like that. And at your club of all places.”
Milan spoke loudly as she drove to the nail salon a few blocks away from her home for a late appointment. “I never want to see that woman naked again in my entire life. That was absolutely traumatizing. Just the whole thought of Daddy doing her and there she was in front of me. My Lord. I can’t believe Jarod didn’t even know who she was. Didn’t he ever see a picture of Nancy’s trashy ass before?”
Tamiko leaned her elbow onto the soft armrest and propped her head up. “I doubt that I have many pictures of her other than in some old photo album somewhere. But this is just as much her fault as it is his. If she didn’t know before, she knows now that Jarod is my man, or excuse me, was my man, and she hasn’t even picked up the phone. She’s been trying to be all brand-new ever since she turned forty I guess.”
“I’m not surprised by her at all. What’s worse is that he knows she was Daddy’s ex. He hasn’t called you?”
“No. I’ll bet he’s got his tail tucked between his legs, hiding like the mutt he is. I gave Jarod more credit than that. I would have never predicted this crap from him.”
“That was just ignorant.”
Tamiko gave a deep inhale and a slow exhale. “He’s got some nerve. They both do. And I was the one she called whenever she wanted to try to convince us that she was a cool person. Now I see Dad was right.” Tamiko’s cell beeped. Her heart gave a thump and she darted her eyes down toward the display. As much as she was disgusted, she hoped against hope that it would say Jarod. It read Gloria instead, the woman who was making a few samples for Tamiko’s collection. It was a call she’d been expecting for days. She gave a long blink and let the call go. It no longer seemed important. The vertical line between her eyes was deep.
“Tamiko, didn’t Daddy accuse her of being gay? Of foolin around with her trainer?”
Tamiko rubbed her temple. “He did.”
“Now we know he was right about that. I thought her trainer’s name was Sal, but maybe that was short for Sally.” A honk could be heard. Milan said angrily, “Damn. Let me get over. These people out here are just rude.”
Tamiko had a one-track mind. She somberly asked, “What was she doing in the club anyway? Trying to find herself a woman?”
“Who knows? Maybe just being nosy because of all the mess that’s been in the news. But she had no business in there.”
Tamiko’s stomach growled. She leaned her head back and gave a long cleansing breath. She asked, “Milan, do you think they’ll
end up seeing each other?”
“That would be dumb, but when you’re dealing with two dumb-ass people, who knows?”
Tamiko looked up at the empty ceiling.
Milan said, “Sis, I know you and Jarod seemed pretty close. But I never felt he was as serious about you as he should’ve been, so please don’t trip. He’s just foul, just thinking with his dick. Please don’t confuse sex with love. Don’t lose any sleep over him.”
Tamiko grabbed the chenille throw from the back of the sofa and smothered her legs with it. “What bothers me is thinking about the fact that he thought he could get away with it. Plus, he’s always had a thing for white women. Every woman he’s been with before me was white. It’s just his preference.”
“You see what that preference has gotten him now. He lost out on you. That’s a hell of a price to pay to whack your shit over Nancy’s big fat ass.”
Tamiko allowed her tears to release. She wiped her face as they flowed and stared at the flickering flames of the fireplace. “Milan, why does any man do that shit? Why do men seem to need to cheat? I really thought Jarod and I were okay. I mean, I thought our issues were minor enough. And for him to not even pick up the phone and so much as apologize. I just don’t get it.” Tamiko’s voice fell apart.
“Baby sis, don’t cry. What he did was selfish. You know I don’t too much believe a man can be faithful anyway. I think if Jarod had needs, he could have found a better place to do it than his own job, if he was gonna fuck up at all. Just because he was in a sex club doesn’t excuse it. It was his place of employment, run by his woman’s sister, and now he knows she was his woman’s stepmother. All of that adds up to wrong.”
Tamiko rubbed her nose. “Milan, why do I seem to meet guys like this? Jimmy just snuck off with someone and tried to lie his way out of it.”
“Puh-lease. You’re a good woman. And you need to be strong. Besides, an insecure woman is great for a man’s ego, so don’t even go there. Be strong and one day you won’t be asking why anymore. It’s not about you. It’s about a man who got caught with his pants down, and a woman who doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”