by Tiana Laveen
SHUT UP!
No matter how much he and his inner twin argued, they both knew what was to come. He’d be making love to her all-night long, pouring his mind, body, and soul into it. Lovemaking to him was an event; it had little to do with the affairs of the heart. But this time, the wires had gotten crossed and the signals went haywire. She’d eventually leave, return to her own corner of the world, safe from the peacocking Guido she believed him to be, and then he’d find himself once again scrambling, coming up with excuses to see her again, ASAP…
Something would have to give. But for now, he and his twin promised to keep their mouths shut, even though he realized that peace and quiet would be short-lived…
CHAPTER SEVEN
An exercise in Truth
…A few weeks later
There’s been a whole lot of fuckin’… suckin’… laughin’… and good times. Chinky blows my mothafuckin’ mind!
Giovanni gripped his cellphone as “Bitch Betta Have My Money” by Rihanna blasted through the gym speakers. Sweat glided down his face; he’d just finished his set. Getting off from the bench press, he returned to the shower area for some quiet and called his friend, Manuel, back.
“Hey, where tha fuck ya been, ya fuckin’ bonehead?” the man said.
“In my fuckin’ skin, that’s where. What do you mean?”
“Matteo and Cleet been tryna get uh hold of ya. Bobby said ya ass was chasin’ skirts and cash so what tha fuck gives?”
“Working. Ever heard of it, you lazy bum?!” Gio teased as he paced back and forth, avoiding eye contact with a naked guy who was looking at him mad funny.
What the fuck is this dumbass looking at? If you say some stupid shit, I will pop you in your fuckin’ mouth. Naked and looking me up and down… What tha fuck is your problem?! I like chicks, not dicks!
“Yo! Ya hear me. Where ya been, Gio?”
“Are you my mother now? I need trackin’ devices on my ass for your comfort? I told you, workin’ my ass off.”
“Workin’, workin’, workin’… such a show off. You always did want to be the center of attention. Ya think ya too good for your friends now? Fuckin’ meat head, always in the gym and flexing, protein head. Hey, so, uh, thought we’d get together tonight over at Dutch Kills. Ya stoppin’ through?”
“I can’t. Gotta client.”
“A client at fuckin’ nine? Come on, man. It won’t be for another few hours. Stop through.”
Giovanni took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. He’d spiked it with too much gel, but it damn sure had looked good when he’d left the house. He hated lying to the guy, but what the hell was he supposed to do? No one would understand him putting hos before bros. She wasn’t a ho, but it didn’t matter, anyway, Vanessa was a female; angelic or not, she was not supposed to be given a pedestal. In the past, he never did such things. If his friends wanted to hang out, he was gone before they could even finish the request. Now, he’d been ducking and dodging them like he was AWOL.
“That’s bullshit. What’s really going on, Gio?” His friend sounded like a mixture between hurt and angry. He couldn’t say that he blamed him.
“Aiight, I gotta come clean. I’ve been working a lot but there’s something else going on, too. Do me a favor though; keep ya trap shut about this, aiight?”
“Yeah. What gives?”
“I’m seein’ somebody.”
“Seein’ somebody?” There was a brief pause. “Well, good for you!” The guy chuckled. “All right. I get it. That’s not a big deal, right? Why so top secret? Oh, I know, she famous or somethin’?”
“Nah, she’s not famous… just kinda wanna keep it to myself right now. We’re not exclusive or nothin’, but I like ’er, you know? Tryna get to know her better, so that takes time.”
“What’s ’er name?”
“Why? You don’t know her.”
“So fuckin’ what! I ask what the broad’s name is and you act like she’s in the fuckin’ witness protection program and mum is tha motherfuckin’ word, ya fuckin’ jackass. What’s this? Your life is like Fort Knox now? Nobody can get in?”
“Nah, of course not. Stop being a fuckin’ douche.”
“I’ll ask ya a fuckin’ ’gin. What’s on the bitch’s birth certificate?”
“Vanessa…”
“Hmmm… What does she look like? Where does she work?”
“She’s beautiful… real nice body, a show stopper. Nice convo, on a daily basis… she keeps me interested. That’s a damn first. She doesn’t take my shit, either.” He chuckled. “She works at this place for makeup ’nd shit. Sephora. She’s also workin’ on her own cosmetics line. She does make up for brides, beauty pageant contestants, shit like that, too. She’s good, mad talented.”
“She’s into the girly shit, huh? That’s good. Glad you’re not wrapped up with some grenade, ya fuckin’ juice head. So tonight is a no go for ya, got it. Bring ’er by next time, all right? We’re all family here.”
“Got it.” His lips curled in a smile. “I’ll do that.”
Gio ended the call and went back into the gym to run on the treadmill for a bit. Vanessa was due to stop by any minute after work. He’d been putting some space between them the last few days—trying to get his thoughts together, make the words make sense. There was a fight raging within him, and he was losing. It was time to put up or shut up…
Wearing the tightest pair of jeans she owned, paired with a white tee tied right above the navel, Vanessa made her way inside the gym. Her black heels clicked against the floor with each step she took. It was noisy and full of people grunting and stretching, bending and pressing, running and lifting.
She scanned the area, not seeing Giovanni anywhere in sight. Sliding her purse handles higher along her shoulder, she zigzagged through the various machines until she saw him in a mirror reflection. There he sat, his back to her, swinging a kettlebell. She paused, her breath hitching as she watched the thick, hard muscles in his perfect back contort beneath his black tank top. Her mouth moistened as he dropped low, then came back up, making the shit look easy.
“Gio!” she shouted over the music, but the man didn’t hear her. She drew closer, careful to not startle him. “Hey! Gio!”
He suddenly paused and caught her reflection behind him in the mirror. His mouth curved in a smirk. Dropping the kettlebell at his feet, he turned to face her. She was astounded at how perfect his hair was, not a strand out of place.
“Hey, baby.” He smiled, looking sweaty and happy as can be, his chest heaving up and down. He bent to grab a water bottle and chug the hell out of it.
“Hey. Are you finished with your workout or do you need me to wait?”
“Give me like fifteen minutes to get cleaned up and dressed. And do me a favor.”
“Okay. What?”
“Go next door to the coffee shop. I’ll get showered and be right over. I had no idea they had the music so damn loud in here or I wouldn’t have had you come inside in the first place.”
“Okay, no problem.” She gave him a wave and turned on her heels. As she headed out, she caught him looking at her from another wall of mirrors, and his eyes were zoned right on her ass. She burst out laughing as she made it to the front doors. The setting sun was streaming in, signaling the ending of a long summer day. Minutes later, she was seated at a window, with a large vanilla and cinnamon cappuccino in front of her. She tapped a tune on the cup with the tips of her silver painted nails. Something to merely pass the time as she swam in assorted daydreams.
“Hey, Chinky.”
She smiled as she felt soft lips press against her cheek. Smelling like soap and a new day, he sat across from her sporting a white V-neck shirt, NY Yankees baseball cap, baggy jeans and chucks.
She crossed her legs, feeling giddy as she looked into his eyes. It seemed the more time they spent together, the crazier about him she became. Her smile slowly dissipated when her worries came to the forefront. She didn’t know how or why, but something was
happening. Her heart had beat faster when he’d called her earlier in the day. She would practically cum the moment he got naked and by most standards, they were fucking A LOT. She’d even broken her one cardinal rule—no period sex. Somehow, the fucker had talked her into it, said they could do it in a bubble bath and she wouldn’t be able to tell.
He was right.
Sometimes she’d ask herself if this was just lust, a sexual tryst. Initially, it felt that way but now she wondered. Sometimes, he gave her this grim, serious look, like he had a lot on his mind. When she’d ask him what was up, he always said the same thing: ‘Nothing.’
He’d made himself scarce lately but now, he wanted to see her face to face. She’d already figured it was to cut things off—she was almost certain of it. She wouldn’t be okay with that, but she’d pretend to be. Men like Gio simply didn’t settle down, and regardless of how she felt about him, she understood the nature of their situation.
He had everything he could possibly want. He’d had so many women from all walks of life. Intimacy was a candy store. He did the choosing and it never mattered the cost. At the time she met him, having someone like Gio seemed ideal, an easy situation she could get out of at her leisure…
But the fucking Guido had tricked her. He wasn’t some walking cartoon after all. The man was smart and sexy; he knew how to make her cum multiple times in one night, and could also discuss almost any topic with some degree of intelligence.
He was absolutely hilarious, a good dancer, and an endearing man. Yeah, he could be crass at times and got a kick when they argued, could be a windbag, petty, egotistical, shallow, and demanding. But, after all of that, he could boost her spirits like no other and make her feel like the prettiest, smartest, and best woman in the whole damn world.
Gio was far more complicated than she’d ever imagined, and that drew her more to him. Now, she was entangled in his snare, one that perhaps he had no intention of setting. The proof was in the bastard’s homemade Italian pudding.
Since he’d been hard to reach the past couple of days, this was a tell-tell sign that the end was near.
I really like him, care about him… That’s bad enough, but still. So glad I’m not in love with him—this would hurt all the worse…
She swallowed down the lie.
“You doing all right?” he asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. He leaned forward, looking sneaky as ever with a twisted grin on his face.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day. Well, what’s up? I told you I couldn’t stay long but you wanted to see me… said you didn’t want to discuss it over the phone.” She huffed.
Let’s just get this over with. The whole, ‘Let’s just be friends’ bullshit…
“Look, I, uh, need to talk to you about something. I don’t know where you are in your life as far as relationships—what you’re looking for—because we never really discussed it. I know you got outta something about five or six months ago.” He looked around the shop, as if stalling for time, then focused back on her. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”
“What do you mean you don’t know what you’re doing?” Her face flushed with heat.
He frowned. “I mean, like…” He tossed up his hands and fell back into his seat. “I don’t know shit about how to be a boyfriend… some chick’s man.”
Here we go.
She intertwined her fingers around the coffee cup and kept a smile on her face. Practiced her ‘I don’t give a fuck’ resolve.
“For the past few weeks, we’ve seen each other practically every damn day. I mean, I am busy as fuck, Chinky, and I keep finding ways to squeeze you in my schedule. I’ve even cancelled a couple of important meetings on account of you.”
“I never asked you to.” She grimaced.
“I know that… Why do you have an attitude?”
“I don’t… yet.”
“Your timing to have a stick up your ass is unreal. I’m tryna—”
“I’m tryna, I’m tryna, I’m tryna! DUH DUH DUH! Just spit it out!”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Would you be quiet and just listen?! Maybe you need somethin’ to suck on so I can get a word in edgewise.” He motioned for his zipper…
Oh no, this mothafucka didn’t!
“You arrogant son of a bitch! I don’t know who the fuck you think you are yelling at but—”
“Jesus Christ of Nazareth ringing Seven Day Adventist bells in the middle of the Jehovah Witness Bible study! Please shut tha hell up and let me say my piece! It’s hard enough tryna get this shit out. I feel stupid as fuck!”
“Well, you look stupid as fuck, too! Just tell me so I can get the hell outta here, Gio!”
“You’re being fuckin’ childish, ya know that? Look, can’t cha see I’m struggling, here?!” He threw up his hands. “I’m tryna tell you that I want you, goddamn it!” Her heart felt as if it had stopped… “That I want to see you… just me and you, Chyna Doll.” He pointed to her, then to himself. “That I want to get rid of everybody else that I was screwin’ right before you, the ones waiting in the wings, Nessa. Things have changed. After a while, I didn’t want anybody else but you. Women were calling, shit, one just called a minute ago, but I curved them… ignored them. You were the only one on my mind. I can’t… I can’t explain it, but I just don’t want that shit anymore.”
He sighed, as if exasperated.
“I… I don’t know what to say.” For the first time ever, the man she’d been falling head over heels for looked scared, downright afraid.
“I’m tryna tell you that I give uh shit about cha, okay? It’s not just sex, if it ever was only just about sex… I question that too, now. I think I liked you pretty early on, I think I knew deep down that you held the key to my heart. I mean…”
He shrugged and hung his head. “Now, when I think of new pussy, I still think of yours. You make me feel high, like I’m floatin’, baby. I feel like a fuckin’ grownup with you… like a grown ass man, not some guy out here chasing skirts who’s too juvenile to find all that he needs in one woman… or maybe just too terrified to fully commit. I’m not afraid of anything, or I wasn’t, until I met you. I feel like…”
He closed his eyes.
“Chinky, what I’m tryna say is… that I want to be your man, all right? I want us to be the real deal… like a real fuckin’ couple.”
She couldn’t believe her damn ears. For the past few hours she’d already designed in her mind how this conversation would go. This was why she’d made sure her face was beat for the gods, and her hair done just right. She wanted this bastard to see what he was walking away from, but it had all been in vain. He already knew…
Reaching across the table, he took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
“So, what’s up? You wanna be my woman or do you just wanna keep fuckin’? If you just wanna keep fuckin’ then you need to understand that I don’t want that, I don’t like that, but I’d rather have your pussy than no parts of you at all. We can try to keep doing what we’ve been doing, but I can’t promise it won’t get hard for me and I might have to just leave you alone, period. Especially if I found out you were seeing someone else and it was no longer just me. I couldn’t do that. I don’t share anything but advice. I refuse to watch you fall in love with someone else, because women like you are built for love. That would rip my fuckin’ heart out. I like you too much now… I need more.”
She finally found her voice, the shock not wearing off, but she forced herself forward nevertheless. “Yeah… I wanna be your woman. That’s cool. Just me and you. So, are you thirsty? Want some coffee?”
She took a long, hard slurp from her straw then started playing with her phone.
I didn’t have time to deal with his shit before, but today I got time, cuz…
He looked at her like she had two heads, then he burst out laughing. He shook his finger in her face, but just kept laughing.
“Yeah… I want somethin’ to drink. You’re a real pi
ece of work, Chinky.”
He got up from his chair and sauntered over to the ordering area, leaving her staring at him. He stood in a short line, looking delicious as hell with his broad, muscular shoulders and dark hair fitted under that snapback. Like a snack on steroids… but he was all natural.
And now, he was all hers…
CHAPTER EIGHT
You’ve Changed Me, Baby…
…A couple of weeks later
“Because it’s a good idea.”
Giovanni shoved his sneakers to the side in his home gym. He snatched his socks off and threw them beside the shoes, too, then wiggled his toes. He was sore all over, proof he’d done a damn good job. His workout was now complete.
He grabbed a handful of fresh, sliced strawberries from a bowl and shoved them in his mouth. The sweet juice exploded along his tongue, and he savored the taste.
It was one in the morning and he and his baby were having a pow wow. This seemed to be the theme lately. His hours had gotten crazy with many new clients filling his schedule for the next two months. Due to this, he worked that much harder to ensure they spent time together, even if it happened at an odd time of day. Vanessa sat across from him on his second weight bench, her silky Asian designed robe hanging open, exposing her bare tits and panties. With legs crossed and one foot swinging back and forth, not quite reaching the floor, she had her attention on him as he tried to explain his side of things.
“You need it.” He placed the bowl of fruit down.
“I never thought about it before.”
“Well, can you do it?”
“Yes, I don’t see why not. So, this men’s line… it would be lip balms only, right?”
“Yeah. You want, like, mint, eucalyptus, aloe, things like that. Maybe lemon for a fruit.” She nodded in agreement. “I’m telling you, with what you’ve shown me, your shit is good. I saw your portfolio. Your website is coming together nicely, and yeah, I don’t know shit about makeup but I know what I like to see on a lady. I know what men like, baby. I know what we’re attracted to.”