by Honey
Chapter Sixteen
Jay left Julio’s Bar around two o’clock in the morning and headed for Zach’s house. The Disaronno had her feeling light and mellow. All she could think about was Jill sitting on her face once she hit their bedroom. That would be the perfect nightcap before Mr. Sandman carried her away. Jay hadn’t been in the mood for sex lately, not after hearing Charles’s cheerful greeting on Venus’s voice mail. It was hard to believe her ex had moved on and was happy with a man. Back in the day, Venus used to constantly say that all men were dogs, but now she was engaged to marry one and was raising Nahima with him.
“Nahima,” Jay growled and sucked her teeth. Zach had been thoughtless and cruel to bring her to his house while Jay was still living there. And he’d had the audacity to let Jill meet her. He was a dog, just like all men. He was no better than Wallace, Claudius Henry, or that Charles clown. Jay killed the engine in front of the house and rubbed her temples. When she thought again about making love to Jill, she hurried out of the car and went into the house. She headed straight to the upstairs bathroom.
* * *
“Jill, wake up, baby.” Jay had taken a quick shower and was standing over the bed in her birthday suit. She reached under the covers and pinched one of Jill’s nipples and then the other one. “Wake up, baby.”
“Go away, Jay. I’m tired.” Jill turned over on her side and pulled the covers up to her neck.
The word no was not an option for Jill as far as Jay was concerned. Jill had never denied Jay sex, even when she was sick back in Jamaica. It was the second time since they’d moved to Atlanta that Jill had brushed her off in the bedroom. Jay snatched the covers from Jill’s body. She wrestled her onto her back and got on top of her.
“Stop it, Jay! Get off me!” Jill struggled against Jay’s weight. She folded her lips inward to keep Jay’s tongue from entering her mouth.
Jay got a twisted rush out of Jill’s resistance, and her arousal flew off the chart. She ran her tongue down Jill’s face and neck and even lower. Jay then grabbed both of Jill’s wrists and pressed them to the bed, high above her head. She dipped her head below Jill’s neckline and caught one dark nipple between her front teeth and bit it.
“Ouch! Jay, you’re hurting me! Please stop! Get off me! Why are you doing this?”
“You like it. Stop pretending,” Jay growled low and emotionless. She bit down on Jill’s nipple again with more pressure.
“Ah! Stop, Jay, please! I’m begging you to stop. You’re hurting me!”
Jay maneuvered her hand down Jill’s body and lifted her T-shirt. When she ventured between Jill’s thighs, Jay was shocked to feel fabric. Jill was wearing panties. Jay went off. “What the fuck?”
“What the hell is going on in here?” Zach had burst into the room and had flipped on the light switch. He stood in the middle of the floor, his eyes shifting back and forth from Jill’s horrified face to Jay’s annoyed one.
Jay yanked the covers over her body and Jill’s. “It’s all good. We were just doing a little role play. You know how it is, bro. Couples have to keep it fresh and spicy. Go back to bed. We’re fine.”
Zach’s instincts told him that wasn’t the case. Jill was not fine. She looked like a terrified child and had tears in her eyes. As usual, Jay was lying. From the way Jill had been crying and screaming, it was obvious they hadn’t been playing some kinky sex game. He had just walked in on Jay forcing herself on Jill. Zach was tempted to drag Jay from the bed and kick her ass out of his house, but Jill would suffer her wrath if he did.
“It just sounded kinda strange in here,” Zach finally said. “It was pretty loud. I thought Jill was crying. Maybe you were being too rough with her, sis.”
“She’s fine,” Jay hissed, annoyed as hell. She looked over at Jill. “Aren’t you, baby?”
Jill nodded her head but kept her eyes on Zach. Her eyes were sending out a message that conflicted with what Jay had just said. She was anything but fine. Zach sensed that Jill didn’t want to be in that bed or even in this room.
He wished he could do something to help Jill. Obviously, she was in distress, and it was eating him alive. But his hands were tied at the moment. One wrong move or word could send Jay over the edge, and she would take Jill away from the house and make sure Zach never saw her again. He had to be careful not to provoke Jay to go there, but he had to do something soon. Jill didn’t deserve the harsh treatment Jay was inflicting on her. And she shouldn’t have been subjected to the emotional and verbal abuse she had endured from Jay over the past four years either. Before long, Zach would confront Jay about a few things concerning her mistreatment of Jill and her obsession with Venus.
Zach looked at Jill one last time before he turned off the light. “Good night, ladies,” he said and closed the door.
Minutes after he had returned to his bedroom, he heard Jay running down the stairs. The front door slammed shut with a bang. Then the engine of her BMW came to life, and she sped recklessly away from the house.
* * *
Jay’s sexual aggression had shaken Jill up. She rubbed her sore nipple and cried silently. If Zach had not come into their room, God only knows what might have happened. Jill had smelled alcohol on Jay’s breath, which wasn’t unusual. Jay had at least four or five shots of Disaronno every night before she went to bed, but tonight she reeked of her favorite liquor. Why had she been drinking on the job? Jill wondered. Had she been at work at all? Suddenly, thoughts of Jay hugging and kissing Venus or another woman popped in Jill’s head.
Oddly enough, the thoughts didn’t disturb her. It used to break her heart whenever Jay stumbled into the penthouse at all times of the night with the scent of another woman on her skin. Jill had been no fool. She’d known back then that Jay had been with several women around the island. Charlotte, the voluptuous chick with the size 44DD breasts, had been one of her flings. Roy, the driver at the resort, had told her about Jay’s outside sexual indulgences, but Jill had been helpless to do anything about it. Now, in light of everything Zach had shared with her about Jay, and the way Jay had just treated her, Jill no longer wanted to be in a relationship with her.
The story Zach had told her that night had paralyzed Jill to the point that she’d sat alone in the dark den for two hours after Zach had gone to bed. She’d been shocked to learn that it was Jay’s idea to have a child together with Venus, and not the other way around. Jay was fully aware that they would have to conceive by in vitro fertilization. During that time, they learned that Venus had a rare condition that limited her ability to ovulate. So Jay volunteered her eggs to be fertilized by a sperm donor, and she promised to underwrite the cost of the entire procedure. All Venus had to do was find a male family member who would donate his sperm so the child could be biologically related to her. And of course, she was expected to carry and give birth to the baby, because that part was definitely out of the question for Jay.
Venus’s first cousin Whitaker, the worthless jailbird that he was, agreed to give them all the sperm they needed for a one-time payment of two thousand dollars. He signed all his paternal rights away long before the child was even born. He was more concerned with dollar signs than the future of his seed. Zach had said that initially, Jay was ecstatic when Venus became pregnant, but her emotional high nose-dived right after the doctor told them they were having a girl. Jay had made it known to everyone who would listen that she wanted a little football player.
That disappointment was magnified for Jay when certain legal issues surfaced, drastically complicating the matter even more. Jay learned that the state of Georgia would not recognize her parental rights once the child was born, even though she had provided the egg. She could be recognized as the child’s legal and natural mother only if she took Venus to court once the baby was born and stripped Venus of her maternal rights. Jay felt slighted because she had made major sacrifices for Venus to become pregnant, yet all her involvement was reduced to little or nothing under the laws of the state of Georgia. Finding herself
on the losing side of the judicial system and wanting to avoid a legal battle, and save her troubled relationship, Jay demanded that Venus terminate the pregnancy or give the baby up for adoption immediately after its birth.
Quite naturally, Venus refused to entertain either option. She was stunned that Jay had even suggested that they do away with the baby. Then Whitaker met his untimely death from an accidental cocaine overdose. The news sent Venus into premature labor in her thirtieth week of pregnancy, and she gave birth shortly thereafter. Nahima was born with underdeveloped lungs, weak kidneys, and severe jaundice, and while she fought to live, Jay kept her distance from the hospital. Just three days after undergoing an emergency C-section, Venus camped out at Grady Memorial’s neonatal intensive care unit, refusing to leave the baby’s side. Early one morning Venus called Jay out of desperation and asked her to bring a change of clothes and a pillow to the hospital. In an angry and drunken state, Jay told Venus that she would not bring anything to her and that she hoped the baby would die, because their lives would be better off without her.
When Nahima was finally released from the hospital, she and Venus went home with Zach. He took off six weeks from his job to take care of both of them. Surprisingly, Jay came over to check on them every day. She and Venus began to work on their relationship. Things seemed to improve, and they were getting along well. But not once did Jay hold Nahima. She wouldn’t even look at the poor baby. It was too much for Venus. She refused to raise her daughter in a home with a woman who didn’t want the child there.
When Nahima turned three months old, Venus took her to the house she had shared with Jay for four years. It was her home. She had purchased it before they had ever met. Venus asked Jay to vacate the house and take all her belongings with her. Venus offered Jay a financial settlement to cover whatever expenditures she had incurred during the course of their relationship. In retaliation, Jay sued Venus for two million dollars, citing abandonment, mental anguish, and breach of a verbal contract as the basis. Additionally, Jay sought reimbursement for her portion of the mortgage, half of all the household bills over the period of four years, the cost of the in vitro procedure, and her relocation costs. The judge ordered Venus to pay Jay twenty-five thousand dollars, which was the amount Venus had initially offered her. When the issue regarding custody of Nahima was raised, Jay left the courtroom, and Venus was awarded permanent sole custody of the child.
Chapter Seventeen
“Have you heard from Jay?”
“No,” Jill said, opening a pot on the stove to stir its contents. “She was vexed when she left that night, ya know?”
Zach took a seat at the kitchen table and began sorting through the mail. It was almost the weekend, and neither he nor Jill had heard a single word from Jay since she’d left the house angry Monday night. In her absence, Zach and Jill had spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other as friends. They had not shared anything intimate other than a kiss here and there, although the sexual tension between them was damn near explosive. Zach wanted to make love to Jill again, but he needed to know her expectations and intentions. For the first time in his life, he wanted something more than just a casual physical relationship. With Jill, Zach wanted it all.
He’d helped her complete two college applications for the spring semester. The dance programs at Spelman College and Emory University were quite impressive. Zach was willing to pay whatever portion of Jill’s tuition that grants, scholarships, or financial aid would not cover. He loved her and wanted the best for her. Jill wanted to dance. It was what she’d been born to do, and Zach wanted to help her pursue her dream.
“This letter is for you, Jill.” Zach held it up and waved it.
Jill washed her hands quickly and dried them on the red-and-white checkered apron around her waist. “It’s from Oliver!” she said as soon as she saw the penmanship. She sat down in the chair next to Zach and read the letter. She ran her fingers across her brother’s handsome face in a picture he had sent. “He wants to know if I am happy.”
“Are you?”
Jill sighed and stared into space. “I could be.”
“What would make you happy, Jill?”
“If my life had a wonderful purpose, I would be very happy, Zachary. Remember when you told me how taking care of sick babies was very rewarding? I want to know what that feels like. My life lacks purpose. I must find it. And one day I want to be loved and respected by someone I can trust with my heart. What Jay did to me was so very unfair.”
“What do you mean?” Zach knew exactly what Jill was talking about, but he needed to hear it from her mouth.
“I was only nineteen when I met Jay. I knew nothing about life. Papa had said I could not have a boyfriend until I turned twenty-one, and I had never been exposed to . . . um . . . ya know . . .”
“Lesbianism,” Zach interjected. “You had never been exposed to lesbianism.”
Jill nodded. “I was young and stupid. I knew it was different, but Jay was so kind to me and my family at first. She made me believe she was genuinely interested in my dream to become a dancer. Jay gave me fool’s hope with many broken promises. By the time I discovered I had been deceived, it was too late. I had already left my parents’ house to live with her at the resort. I was too ashamed to go back home. So I stayed and pretended as if everything was great.”
“Do you still love her?”
“A part of me will always love the woman I met while walking home from dance class that evening nearly five years ago. But I can see Jay and me only as friends now. So much has happened. I am not the same person I was back then. I’ve learned a lot, thanks to you, Zachary.”
That evening Zach and Jill feasted on a meal of curry chicken, peas and rice, fried plantains, and steamed cabbage. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. Jill appeared content. She didn’t seem the least bit uneasy being there with him alone, as she had been right after they’d made love. Zach was relieved.
“After I wash dishes, I’d like to take you dancing,” he told her after they had finished dinner. “Go change into a party outfit, and we’ll head out to this reggae spot in Buckhead called Club Colony. I think you’ll like it.”
“Are you sure, Zachary? You have to work tomorrow, ya know?”
“I’m very sure. I wanna take you out tonight.”
Jill rushed toward the stairs, humming a happy tune and snapping her fingers.
“Jill,” Zach called out.
She turned around. “What is it?”
“The climate in Atlanta is nowhere near as hot and muggy as Jamaica. It’ll be okay if you wear undergarments. You do own a bra and some panties, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, silly Zachary. I have one bra and one pair of panties. I must go shower now. We’re going dancing!”
And dance they did until two o’clock in the morning. On their way home, Zach took out his cell phone and called his supervisor’s desk. He left a message saying he wouldn’t be in before noon. There was just no way he could make his regular seven o’clock shift. Jill had worn him out. She’d pulled him out on the crowded dance floor for just about every upbeat tune the deejay or the live reggae band had played. And whenever the music had slowed down, it had been Zach who led Jill out onto the floor, to hold her in his arms as they swayed to the smooth melodies of love songs.
“Thank you so much, Zachary,” Jill said the moment they entered the house. “I had an absolutely wonderful night! I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun.” Jill turned abruptly and threw herself into Zach’s arms and kissed him on the lips.
Zach slid his arms around Jill’s tiny waist and responded with fervor. He deepened the kiss when she parted her lips and granted his tongue full access inside. Zach felt himself getting caught up in the moment. He had promised in his heart that he wouldn’t make love to Jill again unless she came on to him. For too long, she had been coaxed and had bartered with her affection. Zach wanted her to be liberated and to seek pleasure at her will. If Jill want
ed him, if she needed him, she would have to take the initiative and express her desires with words as well as actions.
Zach mustered up restraint he didn’t even know he had, and released Jill from his hold. With staggered breathing and in a voice so deep it could’ve easily put James Earl Jones to shame, he told her good night. Then he kissed her on her forehead, climbed the stairs, and went to his bedroom.
Jill was left alone at the bottom of the staircase and felt chilled to her bones. She rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms and shivered. She longed for Zach’s warmth. Jill wanted him to take her to his bed and make her body sing and dance again, like he’d done that night he introduced her to womanhood. What she had experienced with him was indescribable. Never in the four years she’d been with Jay had her soul taken flight and soared among the stars. No woman, and no other man alive, could make her feel the way Zach could.
“Zachary!” she called and bolted up the stairs. “Zachary, I need you!” Jill pounded on his bedroom door. “Zachary, please let me in!” She burst into his bedroom and heard the spray of the shower in the bathroom. “Zachary!” She ran into the bathroom and snatched open the glass shower door and hopped inside with Zach, fully clothed. Water poured down over her chic red minidress, her five-inch silver sandals and, yes, her bra and panties.
No words. No contemplating. No hesitation. There were just passionate kisses, gentle caresses, and moans of pleasure under the spray of warm water and the rising steam. With speed and expert hands, Zach slid Jill’s dress over her head and let it go, and it floated in the shallow pool of water at their feet. She kicked off her high heels as he relieved her of her bra. Extreme anticipation caused Zach to rip the left string on the only pair of panties Jill owned. He pressed her back against the black-and-white tile in the shower stall.
“I’ll buy you a thousand pairs,” he whispered, his lips pressed against hers.
Jill nodded and sucked his bottom lip. Her entire body trembled with need. Zach inserted one, then two fingers, into the damp place he wanted so desperately to bury himself in and remain in for a lifetime. Jill whimpered, squirmed, and thrust her hips against Zach. Using both hands, he lifted her effortlessly, the tile still their base. And in one fluid motion they became one again. It was a sweet reunion, a homecoming, an old-fashioned rekindling of a flame.