Vexed

by Honey

  A white man in a gray Versace suit had approached the table at Charles’s side, a brown Coach briefcase in his hand. “May we?” the man, a Richie Rich look-alike, asked, already moving toward the chair beside Jay. Then he took a seat.

  Charles sat next to his fiancée and draped his arm around her shoulders. A few moments of uncomfortable silence hung over the table like a cloud. Diners filed into the restaurant just ahead of the seven o’clock dinner hour. When Alonzo returned with the drinks, Charles lifted the Hennessy and Coke to his mouth and took a long swig. He smacked his lips and glared at Jay. The chandelier cast a glow on his bald head and golden complexion.

  Venus took the initiative to get the party started. “Jay, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Charles Morris Junior. Charles, honey, this is Jay King, my ex.”

  Jay grunted something in the form of a greeting to Charles and then drained her drink. She raised the empty glass and signaled for Alonzo to bring her another one.

  “And I’m Kirk Orowitz, their attorney.” The white dude motioned toward Venus and Charles with the glass of merlot Jay had ordered in his hand. “I’ll just jump right in, Ms. King,” he said, tossing his blue eyes at Jay. “Ms. Lawson does not wish for you to contact her ever again by any means. She and her fiancé over there are in the process of having restraining orders issued against you. We all just dropped by to have drinks and give you a heads-up. That’s how we roll. As their legal representation, it is my obligation to let you know that if the restraining orders aren’t persuasive enough for you, they’re prepared to sue you for harassment. Lawsuits . . . my, how awful they can be. You remember, Ms. King, the one you filed against Ms. Lawson was messy.”

  Kirk reached inside his briefcase and removed some documents. “Anyway, here’s a copy of the notes from this cozy soiree. And just in case you’re a little iffy about what constitutes contact, I’ve included a list you can refer to. From this day forward, you should not come in physical contact with, call, text, email, write letters to, or send flowers or any other gifts to Ms. Lawson, Mr. Morris, or little Nahima. Should I forward documentation of anything we’ve discussed here this evening to your attorney?”

  “Nah, that won’t be necessary.” Jay guzzled down her second drink and slammed the glass on the red linen tablecloth.

  “Whew! That’s good. We’re all on the same page.” Kirk finished the glass of merlot, sat it down, and gripped his briefcase. “I guess we’re done here,” he said, rising to his feet.

  Charles stood and helped Venus from her chair. He held her hand, and they both stared at Jay with victorious smiles on their faces.

  Jay was not to be bested. “I ain’t done yet,” she said. She turned wicked eyes on Venus. “It’s funny that old Kirk here covered Nahima under the restraining order. What do you think is gonna happen when she gets older and starts asking questions? She doesn’t look anything like you, V, and I bet she’s never even seen a picture of Whitaker. What are you, Uncle Z, and Stepdaddy gonna tell the little princess?”

  Venus dropped Charles’s hand and stepped closer to Jay. “We will tell her the truth about everything, including how her biological mother wanted me to abort her in my nineteenth week of pregnancy. And we’ll also tell her how she wanted her to die in the hospital after she was born prematurely. What will you tell her, Jay, if she reaches out to you?”

  Charles placed his hand in the small of Venus’s back and led her away. Kirk gave Jay a quick courtesy nod and followed behind them.

  * * *

  Jay was tired of driving around aimlessly. It was too late to visit Aunt Jackie, and she didn’t need another damn drop of alcohol in her system. She had already exceeded the legal limit to operate a vehicle in the state of Georgia. She yawned and blinked her eyes against her fatigue. Jay figured she might as well go back to the one person who loved her in spite of herself. Jill had never been able to stay mad at her for more than a day or two. Poor thing was probably going crazy without her.

  The light in the guest room upstairs was off when Jay pulled into the driveway. She guessed Jill had already turned in for the night. Cuddling, instead of hot, wild sex, would just have to do. It was better than nothing after the humiliation Venus had put her through. Jay needed Jill more than ever before. And it wasn’t for anything physical. She was in need of love. She planned to go into the den, where Zach was probably watching the Braves play. She would be cordial to him before she headed upstairs to Jill.

  Nothing could have prepared Jay for the scene she discovered on the floor in the den. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She had thrown quite a few drinks back after Venus and company had left her at the table in the restaurant, pissed and embarrassed. But Jay was not too drunk to make out the bodies sprawled out on a blanket on the floor. The sight was sobering. Zach and Jill had fallen asleep with Nahima snuggled between them. The television and DVD player were on. A couple of frogs and a big alligator were singing and riding a log down a river, headed for the Louisiana bayou.

  Jay backed out of the den and ran outside to her car. Her emotions surprised her. She hadn’t cried since her breakup with Venus. The day Venus told Jay to pack her shit and get the hell out of her house had been her darkest moment ever. Since then, she had coasted through life with a brick wall around her heart, protecting it from anyone who dared to care. Not even sweet Jill had been able to penetrate that wall with all the love she had showered on Jay. Jill had dedicated her entire life to Jay and had turned her back on the world to be with her. But it hadn’t been enough to win Jay’s heart.

  Jay started the Beamer’s engine and drove toward the interstate. She was too exhausted and upset to make it to the hotel. The cheap motel two exits south of Zach’s subdivision would suffice for the night. In the morning she would pick up Jill and take her to breakfast to apologize for being such a bitch the other night. And because her naïve lover adored her so, she would forgive her without a second thought. Then things would return to normal between them. Finally, Jay would make the necessary arrangements to get Jill out of Zach’s house before she became too attached to Nahima and started asking questions. All Jay’s past and present skeletons needed to remain in her closet. But how could she pull it off? Several ideas begin to roll around inside her head.

  Chapter Twenty

  From her stakeout point two blocks away, Ayla watched Zach, Jill, and Nahima exit his two-story brick home. Her curiosity was piqued. Where the hell were they off to so early on a Saturday morning? Ayla’s eyes zoomed in on Nahima. The little girl was twirling and waving her arms in the air like a ballerina. Jill stopped her and placed her short arms in another position and instructed her how to point her toe correctly. The child mimicked the move, and Zach applauded like she had just landed a spot on Dancing with the Stars. Ayla grimaced and cursed when the trio held hands and walked to the Mercedes SUV and hopped inside.

  The pretty doctor sat behind the wheel of her red Mustang convertible, pouting like a bratty kid. She was tempted to trail them but quickly decided against that juvenile move. She started her engine and was about to do a quick U-turn when a black BMW whipped into the driveway. Ayla leaned forward for a better view and held her breath. When the woman who exited the car used a key to enter the house, she knew instantly it had to be Jay. Ayla eased her car down the street and stopped behind the Beamer. She killed the engine and waited.

  * * *

  Jay did a speedy but thorough inspection of the house and discovered nothing out of the ordinary. She searched the refrigerator and was pleased to find leftover double-pepperoni pizza. She gathered two slices and placed then on a paper plate, then grabbed a bottle of guava juice and sat down at the table. Jay had been a fan of cold pizza since her days at Howard University’s School of Business. She gulped down the food and the juice and discarded the bottle and the plate in the trash can. On her way out, she looked inside the den, and fresh memories of the night before came floating back. She did some lightning-fast math inside her head and came up with
the magic number of thirty-six hundred dollars. That was the amount of money she needed to get her hands on before she could move into the condo at the Seven Seas. Zach was the only person who would be stupid enough to lend it to her.

  “Ms. King?” Ayla called out as soon as Jay walked outside. She had stepped out of her Mustang and was standing next to it. “Ms. King, I’m Ayla Fitzpatrick. I’m a very close friend of your brother’s. We also work together.”

  Jay took Ayla’s offered hand and shook it. She held on to it for a few seconds as she checked Ayla out from head to toe. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”

  “Actually, it’s Dr. Fitzpatrick,” Ayla said, correcting her. She eyed Jay closely and was stunned by the King siblings’ facial similarities. Ayla thought Jay was much too pretty and curvy to be a lesbian, as was Jill. Jay was quite feminine too, not butchy at all.

  “So you’re a doctor, huh? That’s cute. I bet my brother loves playing doctor with you. I damn sure would.”

  Jay’s last remark threw Ayla off a bit, but she recovered fast. “I decided to pay Zach a visit after I left the gym this morning. It hit me after I got here that he told me last night he’d promised to take your friend to run some errands today.” Ayla tapped her finger against her chin several times, pretending to recall her last conversation with Zach. “I forgot where he said they were going. With all the stuff I have to remember about my patients, I guess it slipped my mind.”

  “I’m sure,” Jay mumbled, gawking at Ayla’s breasts. “I’ll tell my brother you made a house call, Dr. Fitzpatrick.”

  “Oh no, you don’t have to do that. We’ll just hook up some other time, although it hasn’t been easy for us lately. Zach told me how much you work and that most times he’s left to entertain Jill. She’s so lucky to have him. The sweet girl would be bored to death if my Zach wasn’t around to take her to church, grocery shopping, and dancing. They partied so hard the other night that he was five hours late to work the next morning!”

  “Yeah, Jill told me about that.”

  “Well, I better let you go now, Ms. King,” Ayla said, confident she had done her job.

  That tidbit about Zach and Jill’s night at the club had surprised Jay. Her poker face was terrible. Ayla had seen her flinch from the shock, and she couldn’t be more satisfied.

  “Please call me Jay. Any friend of Zach’s is a friend of mine, especially one as fine as you.” Jay reached into the breast pocket of her suit jacket and removed one of her business cards. “If you ever need anything, Dr. Fitzpatrick, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

  Ayla took the offered business card before she and Jay parted ways. She was 99 percent sure she had just been hit on by Zach’s sister, but she was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’d just made an ally. Jay had been working too hard and too long, while Zach and Jill had been playing just as much, if not more, behind her back. Ayla had just cast the line, and now it was up to Jay to take the bait. She read the card and placed it inside her purse for safekeeping. She would indeed give Jay a call in a few days to add a little fuel to the fire she’d just started.

  * * *

  Jill’s insides started bubbling with anticipation when Zach went upstairs to put Nahima to bed. Once he returned to the den, she was going to put Roy’s advice into play. Their private conversation right before sunrise had lasted thirty minutes. The middle-aged driver had been thrilled to learn that Jill’s relationship with Jay had taken a wrong turn, and that now she was in love with Zach. Roy had been even happier to find out they were living under the same roof while his former boss was off working and collecting women as usual. Jill heard Zach’s footsteps coming down the steps. She closed her eyes and tried to recall every word Roy had told her, especially the test he had prescribed that would determine if Zach truly loved her or not.

  Zach sat close to Jill on the sofa and snaked his arm around her waist. “Did you have fun today?”

  “Yes, I did. Thank you for everything, Zachary. Breakfast was delicious. I enjoyed the movie and lunch. I can’t believe you bought me a cell phone. It was kind of you. I loved shopping for Nahima. She was so excited.”

  “Do you like the clothes we picked out for you?”

  “Of course I do. Why do you ask?”

  “You seemed distracted and very indecisive. I wanted you to select the pieces, but you kept asking my opinion.”

  “I wanted to know what you liked. I didn’t want to choose the wrong color or fabric. You wouldn’t have approved.”

  “I’m not Jay. I don’t want to control you. It’s not necessary for you to hide your feelings or opinions from me. Sometimes we’ll disagree about certain things, but it won’t be the end of the world. Your feelings really matter to me, Jill. This relationship isn’t just about me. It’s about us.”

  “So we are in a relationship, Zachary?”

  “I thought we were, but I may have assumed too much. I’d like to hear your opinion.”

  “I don’t want to be with Jay anymore. That, I know for certain. I am happy here with you. I don’t ever want to leave. I love you very much, and I think Jay needs to know immediately, Zachary.”

  Zach pulled Jill’s body closer to his. He kissed her eyelids, her nose, and then her lips.

  Jill melted into Zach and responded to his kiss with zest, but Roy’s voice ringing in her ears caused her to pull back. She ended the kiss suddenly.

  “What’s the matter?” Zach asked, frowning.

  Jill had purposely poured water on the flames. “Did you not hear what I said?”

  “I heard you. I love you too, Jill. You know that.” Zach kissed her lips. “But I’d much rather show you than tell you right now.” He kissed her again, more passionately than before.

  Words and thoughts were flying out the window. Jill had to fight the fire burning within in order to stay on course. She pushed away from Zach again. “Mmm,” she said, trying to reel in her raging hormones. “If we are going to be together, we must tell Jay at once, Zachary. It is only right. If it is truly love, why must we hide it? She will be vexed, but I don’t care, and neither should you. Jay and your friend Ayla must be told that we are in love, if it is really the way you feel. I’m sleepy. Let’s go to bed.”

  When Jill suggested they go to bed, Zach hoped she meant to make love. But when he finished showering, he was disappointed to find her in his bed, sound asleep. He climbed into bed and gathered her in his arms, and she threw her right leg mindlessly across his lower torso. Against his better judgment, he slid his hand down her waist and onto her hip. Her bottom was bare. On their shopping spree, Zach had bought Jill over a dozen pairs of panties in all colors, prints, and styles. He was aggravated that she had chosen this particular night to backslide to her old habit. He had to laugh to keep from crying.

  Jill opened her eyes in the darkness when Zach kissed her on the forehead. She smiled when he whispered, “I love you, Jill.” She couldn’t wait to report back to Roy. Zach had passed parts one and two of his three-part test. Once he told Jay and his friend Ayla, whom he had warned her about, that they were in love and were involved in a romantic relationship, everything would be perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Ramona picked up Jill from Zach’s house at ten o’clock Wednesday morning, as she had promised. Her younger cousin Zariah was an aspiring dancer and a student at Umoja Academy of the Performing Arts in Midtown. Zariah had told Jill about an opening for a dance teacher at the school after meeting her at Ramona and Dex’s house Sunday evening. Zach and Jill had stopped by to see little Abriah after they’d taken Nahima home. Zariah had been there getting her hair braided by Ramona’s sister Felicia and had talked nonstop about her upcoming audition for the lead in a dance recital. Quite naturally, when Jill heard the word dance, she had got excited, and she’d offered Zariah a few tips. The two dancers had made an immediate connection, and it had resulted in Jill’s upcoming job interview at the academy.

  * * *

  For weeks,
Umoja Academy’s founder and director, Helena Bingham Scott, had been in a desperate search for a replacement for Sister Asatta, the previous instructor for the senior women’s dance class. The sixteen silver foxes had been abandoned for the bright lights of New York City. Asatta had landed a spot in the off-Broadway production of Angels with Black Wings. Mrs. Scott was proud of her former student’s accomplishments, but Asatta’s sudden departure had left her in a bind. Now, she read over the profile of Jillian J. Bessette, the Jamaican dancer that one of her female intermediate dance students had been raving about. Her training was inadequate, but her references and the reviews from critics on the small Caribbean island were impressive. Mrs. Scott shuffled through the thin stack of pictures again. She thought Ms. Bessette was a natural beauty who could do very well on catwalks with the proper training.

  The intercom on Mrs. Scott’s desk buzzed. Petra, her administrative assistant, announced that her eleven-fifteen appointment had arrived.

  “Send Ms. Bessette right in, Petra. Thank you.”

  Jill bounced into the office, smiling. She looked radiant in her bright orange Michael Kors single-breasted pantsuit with brushed gold buttons. The multicolored silk scarf draped around her shoulders and neck was a nice touch, and so were the gold Jessica Simpson sling-backs.

  “Good morning, ma’am. How are you? I am Jillian Bessette, but you may call me Jill.” She extended her hand.

  Jill’s lovely smile was infectious. Mrs. Scott offered her one in return and grasped her hand in a friendly shake. “Please have a seat, Jill,” she said, motioning to the chair facing her desk. “Tell me about yourself. What brought you all the way to Atlanta from Jamaica?”

  “I moved here with a friend, an American friend who wanted to move back home. I came to Atlanta so I could study dance. And I’d like to teach as well. Back in Jamaica I taught and conditioned young girls for performances. I choreographed group and solo routines for Carnival. It is a very special time on our island. Thousands of people come to Jamaica from all over the world for Carnival each year.”