by Nicole Falls
She stopped struggling against my hold, but remained silent. I reached into my pocket and handed her my phone. I had an email application open with the deals from that same airline. I had come over here with the idea of whisking her away for a date since I couldn’t get her to go out with me here. I knew she had no rebuttal to turn down a date hundreds of miles away from where anyone knew us.
Looking at the phone, a small grin spread across her face.
“So I guess we’re NOLA bound?”
“Not quite…” I trailed off and filled her in on Trey and Demi planning their Vegas elopement.
“So Sin City, then?”
“Just say the word and we’re booked, baby.”
“Welp, since y’all stole Parker and Associates from us, my calendar is wide open.”
I chuckled, raising a brow. “Stole? Jake Parker came to us, practically begging for us to take them on. My team was actually focused on their competitor before Jake met with Eric and the senior management team.”
Shifting in my lap, Bee turned so that she was fully facing me. “Wait. Jake was the one who came to y’all? Not Senior or Junior?”
I shrugged. “Yep. Something about needing to make a clean break.”
“That motherfucker!”
Bee leapt from my lap, pacing back and forth mumbling about throwing hands. I got up, grabbing her forearms to get her attention.
“Baby. Calm down. What’s going on?”
“Ol raggedy ass Carlton Banks lookin’ ass nigga. Tryna play my friend. Got his good damn nerve. I will fuck his shit all the way up.”
She shook off my hands, moving out of the office and back into the living room area. When I walked into the room she was rifling through her bag in search of something. Frustrated with not being able to find it upon first glance, she overturned the bag, dumping everything out onto the couch. Whatever she was looking for was clearly not in the bag as she stalked out of the room and into the kitchen. She came back into the living room a few minutes later, clutching her phone in her hands, still visibly upset. I sat there quietly, not sure why what I’d said had set her off. She sat down on my lap, burrowing her face into my shoulder. Instantly, I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing her back in soothing circles. She murmured something into my chest that I barely understood.
“Come again?” I said, shifting so we were eye to eye.
“If you want to end this, please promise me you won’t ever pull this ghosting shit.”
She blew out a breath, looking down, fidgeting with her hands.
“Babe. Look at me,” I said, tilting her chin up so I could see her face.
Her eyes were reddened, full of unshed tears. Leaning in, I gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. She heaved a sigh.
“Just promise me you won’t disappear…”
“I’m not going anywhere, baby. If I was, you’d be the first to know.”
She stared at me for moments, eyes searching my face. My answer and whatever she saw in my eyes seemed to satisfy her. She settled back against my chest and then began talking. The story she told me was one of the most nonsensical tales I’d ever heard.
“Roger, you got a minute?”
Roger was my counterpart on the national sales team and my backup whenever I needed to be out of the office. He was this white cat, who swore he was down for the cause. Dated sistas, stayed at the local juke joints, and had a propensity for calling everybody “my man”. I rarely gave him static because he was a good dude deep down, just tried a little too hard to come off as down.
“What up, E?”
“Can you cover Parker for me until I get back?”
“It’s nothing, my man, you know I got you. How long will you be gone?”
“I just need you to hold it down from Friday through Monday. Robert Junior and Jake are supposed to be coming in for an update Friday afternoon. Pauline has a general idea of all of the information they’ll be looking for, so she can get you up to speed before they come. Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“It’s just what we do, bruh,” Roger said, holding out one fist for a pound, “A brotha’s gotta make sure somebody is here to watch his back, know what I’m sayin’?”
“Right. Appreciate it, Rog.”
I turned and left his office. I was halfway down the hall before I heard Roger calling my name. I turned back to see what he wanted.
“You just gon’ leave me hanging, my man?” Roger called out.
I was certainly not walking back to his office to give him no damn fist pound. I just threw my hands up, giving him the wink and a gun gesture.
“You da man, Rog!”
Completely missing the sarcasm in my gesture coupled with those words, Roger preened and strutted back into his office. What a clown. I chuckled, as I made my way back to my office. My phone rang and I picked it up mid chuckle.
“Ellis Taylor.”
“I need a favor.”
“Uncle El, you said we could go to Easy Sundae…” Sophie whined as we pulled into my driveway.
“And we will, Sweetpea. I’ve just got to run in super quick to grab my wallet. C’mon. The faster we get it, the quicker you’re face planting in a banana split.”
I unlocked the doors and came around to open the door for Sophie since the child lock was on. Everett called me frantic needing someone to pick up Soph from after care. Our mom was supposed to pick her up per their usual plans, but somewhere along the way their signals got crossed and moms went on one of those old people bus trips instead of picking up her darling grandgirl. So I left work a little early to scoop the little one. And of course, since she had me wrapped around her little finger we were headed to Easy Like Sundae Morning for pre-dinner dessert when I realized that I didn’t have my wallet. Since Easy Sundae was cash only I had to stop at the bank. I’d pulled into the drive-through ATM only to keep on trucking back to my house where I was sure that my wallet sat on my dresser.
“Isn’t that Auntie Beebee’s car?” Sophie asked, dancing along the sidewalk, while pointing across the street.
I looked over at the car that she pointed to that was parked across from my house. It looked like Bee’s Malibu, but I knew she wouldn’t be in this neighborhood for no reason so I didn’t think anything of it.
“Nope, it’s not babygirl. C’mon, so we can get inside and you can help Uncle El find his wallet so we can get ice cream.”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure that’s Auntie Beebee’s car. Is she coming to get ice cream with us? I haven’t seen Auntie Beebee in a whole lotta days.”
“That’s not her car, Sweetpea. Auntie Beebee is still at work. C’mon…”
I waited for Soph to run in front of me, while I fished out my keys. She skipped up the porch and easily opened the storm door, which I knew I’d locked that morning when I left. I moved Sophie aside to open my main door. As soon as the lock clicked, I could hear music playing faintly. I opened the door to see Bee standing in my foyer; hands on hips, legs splayed wearing the tiniest piece of lingerie I’d ever seen. I licked my lower lip, moving toward her when a tiny voice interrupted my dirty ass thoughts.
“See, Uncle El I told you Auntie Beebee was here. Auntie, were you sleeping? Why are you in your PJs?”
Just that fast I’d forgotten Sophie was there. All I saw was my girl looking good enough to eat and I was instantaneously hungry.
“Oh my God!” Bee yelled, before running down the hallway.
“Here, Soph. Sit down for a minute and watch some TV while I find my wallet so we can get ice cream.”
“Fiiiiiiiine, I guess,” she huffed.
“Sophia Lauren Taylor.”
She instantly dropped the attitude when she heard the bass in my voice. I turned on the TV to one of those kid’s stations and she plopped on the couch, entranced. As I moved to walk back toward my bedroom, Sophia called out to me.
“Uncle El?”
“Yes, Sweetpea.”
“Can you please ask Auntie Beebee to hurry up and put on her clothes so we ca
n go?”
Chuckling, I responded, “Sure thing, babygirl.”
I walked into to my room to find Devorah burrowed beneath the covers. I lifted the duvet and she was curled into a ball, hands covering her face.
“Hey, pretty.”
“Oh my God, El,” she said, lowering her hands, “Did I scar Beanie for life?”
She looked genuinely freaked out and I couldn’t help but chuckle. I leaned down and pulled the bedcovers back a little more.
“So…Soph is currently watching TV as if nothing happened so you didn’t scar her, baby. And two, you need to get your ass dressed because your little niecey-pooh wants Auntie Beebee to come for ice cream, too. But uh…when we get back though…”
She looked up at me, running her tongue across her lower lip. I couldn’t resist and leaned down to draw her tongue into my mouth in a lazy kiss.
“Mmmmmm, as much as I’d like to finish this, we have an impatient seven year old in there waiting on her ice cream. I’m surprised she hasn’t made her way back here already asking what’s taking so long.”
“I heard you have to put that bass in your voice to get her in line. You plan on using that with me later?” Bee said.
It took everything in me to back away and say, “Five minutes or we’re leaving without you!”
I had to leave that room before Sophia, her ice cream and anything else that wasn’t Bee and her tempting form was a distant memory. Devorah dressed in record time and we set out to take Sophia to Easy Like Sundae Morning. While we were at Easy Sundae, Everett called asking if Soph could stay for dinner as well because he and Cassidy were both tied up at work longer than expected. So we ended up going back to my house and ordering a pizza—pepperoni because sausage looked too much like hamster poop according to the little miss. I knew better than to argue the issue, so as usual what the princess wanted was what the princess got. After we ate dinner, we settled in to watch a movie.
Within in ten minutes of the movie starting, Sophie had draped beneath herself, beneath her special blanket she kept over here, across both Bee and I, snoring lightly.
“Are you staying over?” I asked Bee, making sure to keep my voice low to not wake the kid.
“That was the plan…is that cool?”
“Is putting back on that little number you had on earlier part of the plan too?”
“It can be…later.”
Peering to ensure the kid was still sleeping I replied, “There’s no time like the present.”
“Good things come to those who wait,” she drawled, the slightest hint of sleepiness creeping into her voice.
“Absolutely. Matter of fact, let me see where her parents are…I do believe I’ve waited long enough.”
Bee giggled softly as I got up to retrieve my phone to call Everett. When I picked it up, I saw that I had a few texts from Everett waiting. Reading them, I saw that he asked me to keep Soph overnight and he’d come get her in the morning for school. That seemed a little strange, so I decided to give him a call to see what was going on. My call went unanswered, so I replied to his text letting him know it was all good. I walked back into the den where Bee and Sophie were to see that Bee had dozed off now, too. I picked Sophie up, transferring her into the bed in my spare room. Her clothes would have to do double duty as pajamas because she had outgrown all of the spare pairs of pajamas I kept over here when I babysat for Everett and Cass in the past. Just as I pulled the comforter up over her, Sophie stirred, eyes slowly opening.
“Go back to sleep, Sweetpea,” I said, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
She muttered something before her eyes drifted back closed. I waited for a couple minutes more to ensure she was sleeping peacefully, then left the room to go back to Bee. When I got back in the den, the tv was off, Sophie’s blankie was put away, and Bee was nowhere in sight.
“Looking for me?” Bee said from behind me in a honey-coated voice.
I turned around to see Bee draped across the doorway in the flimsy lingerie from earlier.
“Now is later?” I said, advancing toward her.
Not answering, Bee simply turned and walked down the hall toward my bedroom. I hung back to enjoy the view. The scant lace of the underwear barely contained her curvy backside, which jiggled a little with every step she took. She was about halfway there when she noticed I hadn’t fallen into step behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she asked, “You comin’?”
“Definitely. But not before you,” I said, slowly strolling the length of the hall to reach her, sweeping her into my arms and continued the short distance into my bedroom.
“I didn’t disturb your groove the other night, did I? I had no idea Rhett asked El to pick Bug up from school. I thought she was going to Mother Taylor’s. I’m so sorry, friend,” Cassidy apologized for the fourth time in our barely two minute conversation. I could barely get out an initial greeting before she apologized profusely for messing up my special night. She knew what I had planned for Ellis since she was the one who’d managed to swipe his spare key from Ev to loan to me for my night of seduction that got thrown off course.
“Oh my gosh, Cass. Like I told you when you walked in, it was fine. Plans were altered slightly, but all’s well that ends well.”
And it had certainly ended well. Several times over. Thank God the guest room that housed Sophie was far enough away to blanket the ear-piercing screams I’m sure I let out that evening. I’d already scarred the baby earlier that day, God forbid her being awakened by my cries of passion that Ellis tried in vain to swallow.
“I know what you said, but I also know how much trying to do something special for El meant to you. I’m so sorry. Again. Really. Once again my husband’s lack of listening skills has come to roost.”
“Stop apologizing, Cass. What’s done is done.”
“Whew. Ellis must’ve really put it on you, sis. You speaking in clichés and adages.”
“I mean…”
“On second thought, don’t answer that. He still is my brother-in-law and ew. I don’t want to think of any part of him being sexual.”
“Oh come off it, Cass. We’ve shared much more than that over the years. Anyway…what happened to y’all last night? I didn’t know the world of accountancy was so high stakes that you had to pull all-nighters?”
Cassidy briefly flushed red and lowered her eyes.
“Ohhhhh, I see. You sent ya lil blocker my way so you could get your groove back. Ain’t that a bitch?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. You know I wouldn’t…” Cass trailed off, her voice catching slightly. “It was an honest mistake. Actually forget that, it was Rhett’s fault for once again not fucking listening when I was talking.”
Whoa.
Cass wasn’t a swearer. And even when she did let a bad word slip every now and again, the worst I’d heard her say was “hell” or “damn” in the nearly fifteen years that I’ve known her. For her to be dropping f-bombs meant whatever was going on had to be serious. Cassidy raised her head and I recognized the sheen of unshed tears. Her eyes were red and a little puffy now that I was really taking a good look at her.
“What’s going on, Cass?”
“I think I’m leaving Rhett.”
“I’m sorry, what? I know I didn’t hear you right…”
“No, you did. It’s…we…it’s for the best. Before things get really bad and start to affect Bug. Oh God, my poor baby…”
Cassidy broke down into full on sobbing and I moved over to the couch to comfort my friend. Pulling her into a hug, I rubbed her back in small, but firm circles until her crying subsided. Damn. Cass and Ev were my real life relationship goals—along with Cade and Geoff. Cheesy social media hashtag aside, I’d always been a bit envious of the easy way in which they interacted with one another. Cade and Geoff’s relationship never quite compared to the legend that was Everidy though. Everett always seemed to be in tune with his wife’s needs, catering to her every whim. She took a few deep shuddering breaths before disengaging fro
m my embrace.
“Okay, start at the beginning.”
“He’s messing around on me, Dev. And you know I don’t do cheaters. Not after seeing my mom dogged out by my dad for all those years.”
“Everett James ‘Solid as a rock do-gooder Boy Scout ass’ Taylor is doing what now?”
“Fucking around. Putting my dick in holes it doesn’t belong.”
My jaw dropped. Okay, I’d seriously never seen this side of Cassidy.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Cass. This is…what?”