“He’s a fucking mess.” Merce shook his head as we headed to our rooms.
“I’m already tired of his ass. In a minute I’m gon’ let whoever is looking for him kill his ass.” We chuckled in unison.
“That doesn’t sound too bad. Well I’m about to change and go meet up with this chick I met earlier and get some pussy to relieve my stress.”
“You do that. I got a couple hitting me up, old ones that I used to bang out when I lived here. They said they saw you out and about earlier so they knew I was here too.”
“You’re welcome,” he winked and then went into his room.
I did the same and began removing my tennis shoes when I heard the front door open. I put them to the side and then tread down the hallway to see who it was, even though I already knew. A smile spread across my face when I spotted Tatiana. Her legs looked so sexy in the heels she had on. I watched her as she sifted through the mail and finally looked up to see me and smirked.
“Are you just gonna stand there and watch me like a creep?” she questioned, using my same words from last night.
“For a little bit. Come talk to me.” I nodded back towards my room. “He’s drunk as fuck and out of it, come on,” I added when I saw her hesitate.
She followed behind me and we ran into Merce who was smiling widely at us.
“Don’t worry ma, I didn’t see nothing,” he said before walking past us.
“He’s cool,” I reassured her before we continued to my bedroom. When we got in, I closed the door and helped her remove her jacket.
“Maybe you should open the door.”
“It’s fine. He’s asleep and I’m not gonna hurt you. You trust me?”
“What? I don’t even know you, how could you ask me something like that?” she frowned, folding her arms.
“I can tell that you know how to read people, Tatiana. Do you think that I would do something to you?” She shook her head ‘no’ but slowly. “Then you trust me right?” She nodded subtly.
Pulling her to the chaise in the room, I sat her down and began removing her shoes. She inhaled and exhaled quickly and sharply, so I knew she wanted to say something but she changed her mind. Throwing her shoes to the side, I sat on the carpet and began massaging her small feet.
“That feels good,” she cooed.
“I’m sure it does.” I eyed her sexy legs. “You’ve been on your feet all day, while being pregnant, that’s a lot shorty.”
“I know.”
“So now it’s my turn to pry a little. Where did you come from?” I asked her the same shit she asked me, and in that same odd way.
“I was born in Florida, but my mother gave me up for adoption and my adoptive parents moved to Cleveland when I was two years old.”
“They still around?”
“My father is but not my mother. My mother… she…” she cleared her throat.
“You don’t have to tell me just yet. I’m a patient man I don’t mind waiting,” I continued massaging her feet gently. I was fighting the urge to kiss up her legs until I was face to face with her pussy.
“Thanks.”
“I can’t get over how beautiful you are.” She said nothing in response, her eyes just darted away as she nervously pushed her hair behind her ears. I took a chance and let my hand move up her smooth calf, while keeping my eyes on her pretty face. “It’s okay if I touch you right?”
“Teflon,” she whispered. “I’m tired so I’m gonna go to bed.” She pulled her foot from me and stood up, grabbing her shoes along the way.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine. Look, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, Teflon. I have a man and I’m carrying his child.”
“You’re stating facts.”
“Yes… huh?”
“Why are you telling me that when that’s something I already know?”
“Because I-I want to make sure you haven’t forgotten that I belong to your boss and that’s how things are gonna stay.”
“You like me, Tatiana?” I moved closer to her, causing her to gasp lightly.
“I have a boyfriend-- fiancé, a-and a baby.”
“That’s not what I asked you. Again, you’re stating facts. I’m asking you how you feel, do you like me?”
“I just met you.”
“Dodging the question,” I grinned and moved her hair from her face. She moved from my touch and looked away. “I will leave you alone, goodnight.” I opened the door for her and she quickly walked out.
At least for now I would.
12
Jadynn
I’d been calling my sister all day because we were supposed to go to dinner tonight when I got off work. She hadn’t answered once, which was kind of annoying considering the fact that she’d bugged me for weeks saying I never spent time with her. A part of me didn’t even wanna go because I was tired from planning that Jason Coral party all day, but I didn’t want my sister thinking that my job came before family. I was tired of her, my mother, and Russell saying that all I did was work.
Swooping into her driveway, I shut the engine off and climbed out. Her car was there so I knew her ass was too. This bitch never let people drive her anywhere because she swore that the only person who knew how to drive was her ass. I didn’t mind letting her though because I despised her complaining the whole damn ride when I drove.
“Paiiiggee!” I called out as I banged on her screen door.
I got no response so I was starting to worry. I pulled my keys from my pocket and quickly slipped it into the knob, gaining entrance. I rushed to the back and burst into her room, but man I wish I hadn’t. She was down on her knees sucking my nigga’s dick, as he held his head back in pleasure. The way he palmed the back of her head made me want to break each of his fingers, one by one.
“Jadynn! It’s not even—“ Russell tried to say.
WHAM!
I punched Paige’s ass and she flew into her closet, sliding down the door while groaning. I then turned my attention to Russell, who had his hands up and his eyes bucked. I couldn’t even cry because I was so damn angry at what the fuck was going on. All I saw was red and only violent thoughts raced through my mind.
“Baby calm down!” he hollered when I chucked Paige’s iPad at him.
Immediately after I began taking off on him, while Paige sobbed like a newborn baby on the floor. She was crying as if she’d just caught me with her man. I couldn’t believe her. She was my sister and someone I considered a best friend, yet she had betrayed me in the worst way.
All those times she tried to convince me to move on from broke down ass Russell; it was probably because she wanted him to her damn self. These thoughts continued to circle my mind as I wailed on Russell’s whack ass. I didn’t even care about the blood that I saw coming from his face.
Finally, he got a good grip on my wrists, stopping me from fucking him up.
“Let me go muthafucka!” I shouted and tried to snatch away from him. He wouldn’t let me at first so I kicked his ass in his bare nuts.
“Jadynn, I’m so sorry,” Paige wept, still sitting on the floor naked.
I walked up to her, backhanded her ass to the point where the other side of her face hit the closet and then left out.
There wasn’t shit else for me to say to her or that nigga Russell. I hoped she planned to let him live there because he wasn’t coming back to my shit. And whatever he wore over, was all he was gonna have because the shit he had at my spot, he would no longer have access to.
When I got into my car the waterworks started, but I quickly wiped the tears and began backing out. I wasn’t so much sad about Russell as I was about Paige doing this to me. She was supposed to have my back, but instead she was creeping with the same nigga she was begging me to leave alone. Something told me she was a hater but I just didn’t want to listen and now look at me. And I feel so stupid for sticking by Russell when I knew I should have been let his ass go. But I guess since
I didn’t want to do it, God did it for me.
I didn’t feel like going home so I decided to stop by a bar near my apartment. I knew it wasn’t a good idea for me to have a drink and then try to drive home, but I would cross that bridge when I came to it. My mom or Tatiana would come and get me if push came to shove.
When I walked into the bar, I saw the back of someone that looked familiar. Naturally, I wasn’t in the mood for company after enduring something so heartbreaking, but strangely I wouldn’t mind getting to know him right now. I fixed my purse strap nervously and then made my way over to the bar where he was sitting. I left a stool in between us because I didn’t want to be too forward. I then took a deep breath as I set my purse in front of me.
“What will you have?” the bartender questioned me.
“Can I try the jalapeño margarita please?” I sighed and that’s when he looked over at me.
I got even more nervous than I already was and I didn’t know why. He was sexy as hell, even though he wasn’t really my type. He was light skinned, had a scruffy beard, was skinny and very tall like his friend that had a thing for Tatiana. Even though it was late in the evening, he had shades on and a baseball cap with his kinky curly hair sticking out of the back a little.
“Jadynn, right?” he pointed to me with one of his long fingers, allowing me time to admire his diamond watch under the light.
“Yes, you said your name was Merce?” I finally got the courage to look over into his eyes… well shades.
“Yeah that’s right. What are you doing here? And without your friend?”
“She can’t exactly drink and I wanted to be alone for the time being.” I accepted my margarita and mouthed thank you to the bartender.
I tried handing him my card, but Merce said, “Nah, put it on my tab.”
“I don’t need you to pay for my drink.”
“I know. You don’t look like a woman who needs much of anything from anybody.” I didn’t respond so he asked, “Why did you want to be alone?”
“I found something out that really hurt me and I just wanted some alone time to think.”
“Well I won’t bother you then, it seems like it really got to you.” He tossed back the rest of his liquor and then waved to the bartender for a refill.
“No you’re not bothering me,” I let him know quickly because I wanted him to continue to talk. “Why are you here without your friend Teflon?”
“I just stopped by here on the way home, nothing major like what you got going on over there though. Are you originally from Cleveland?”
“Yes, you?”
“I am, love my city. I should have never left, but I thought I’d found an opportunity down in California. The statement grass ain’t greener is so true.”
“What kind of an opportunity? A job?”
“Exactly. And truthfully it was going good for a while and then out of nowhere shit went left, so Teflon and I came back.”
“I was gonna say I’d seen you before, but I thought you were new to Ohio.”
“I’m not. I’ve never seen you though.” He took off his shades and furrowed his bushy eyebrows. He was so rugged and opposite from the clean cut niggas that I usually went for, but I liked it. I liked how raw he was and I knew he was the type of nigga to put it all on the table… that intrigued me.
“How do you know you’ve never seen me?”
“Trust me shorty I wouldn’t have forgotten that face.” He chuckled to himself.
“I could’ve been an ugly duckling and then grew into my looks.”
“Well for one I’ve only been gone for three and a half years and secondly that would be one hell of a transformation from ugly to what you look like now.”
“Don’t pump my head up, it won’t help you.”
“Won’t help me do what?” He looked thoroughly confused and now I felt dumb for insinuating that he wanted me like… like I wanted him.
“Nothing, it was a joke.”
“Well have a goodnight and don’t drink too many of those. These niggas around here can get rowdy and I wouldn’t want some shit happening to you.” Why did that turn me on?
“You’re leaving?” I exclaimed, when I really didn’t mean to be so excited when I asked.
“Yeah, I have some shit to do in the morning, but it was nice chatting with you. And whatever that nigga did, you deserve better anyway.” He winked before pulling his jacket on, grabbing his receipt, and leaving.
Embarrassingly I developed a crook in my neck from trying to watch him through the window as he walked down the sidewalk.
Temporarily, Paige and Russell had left my mind.
13
Merce
As I was leaving the bar, my cellphone rang and I pulled it out to see it was this girl named Savannah. I wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten my new number, but I knew hers by heart so it was obvious who was calling me when looked at my phone.
She and I used to fuck around heavy before I left to California and I admit I did think about locking her down a couple times. However, unlike Teflon, I wasn’t getting into some shit that I knew I wasn’t ready for. When I told Savannah that and brought up the fact that I was moving to California, she told me never to call her ass again. And when I did just that, she got even madder saying I didn’t care. I just cut her off completely after that and stopped replying or answering anytime she reached out. She eventually gave up, but she must’ve gotten word that I was back in town.
“What’s good?” I answered before slipping into the rental I’d gotten. I couldn’t wait to get my own shit.
“You wasn’t gon’ tell me you were back in town, Merce?”
“I didn’t know we were cool like that anymore for me to be telling you I was town and shit, Sav.”
“Well we are. I was just in my feelings before.”
“Don’t talk like this shit just happened a couple of days ago. We haven’t talked in two damn years woman.”
“I know and I miss you, us.”
“Us, there won’t be any of that, I’m gonna tell you right now.” I didn’t want her getting the wrong impression at fucking all.
“So you’re still on that bullshit, Merce? You’re twenty-eight years old still trying to run around like some high school kid.”
“I’m not trying to do shit but get money and help my family, Savannah. I’m really not trying to be stressed out when I’ve only been here a couple of fucking days.”
She continued talking and running her mouth, but seeing Jadynn walk to her car caught my attention. I cranked my vehicle and then rolled the window down so I could speak to her.
“Have a goodnight!”
She looked to me with a confused expression, but soon after a smile appeared on her pretty face. She pushed her hair behind her ear and reached into her purse for her keys.
“You too,” she finally replied.
“Hello! Hellooooo!” Savannah shouted through my phone.
“Look I have to go, I can’t drive and talk. I will see you around or some shit.”
“Or you could come see me now,” she said sweetly. “I just cooked and everything.”
“You still live downtown?”
“Close, I live in Central now. Want me to text you the address?”
“Yeah, go ahead and do that.”
We disconnected and I sped out of the parking lot of the bar, headed to her crib in Central. I nodded my head in approval once I arrived to her nice little place on Sumpter Court. She was doing pretty well for herself, but I expected nothing less from Savannah. She was always a dope boy’s dream because she was that good girl college student that niggas in the hood knew would go places. Savannah never let me forget how lucky I was to have her. I shook my head at my thoughts.
I got out and jogged up her steps before knocking on the little screen door. She answered in no time wearing some little ass shorts, a bra, and was holding a bottle of some type of alcohol that I couldn’t make out through the screen.
“Took you long enou
gh,” she sucked her teeth.
“I had to stop and get gas,” I stated, nonchalantly as I took her place in. It was small but still very nice. I guess she didn’t need much room since it was only her anyway.
I followed her to the living room and once I sat down, she went to get some glasses. She filled them with the whiskey and then left out, returning with two plates piled with slices of enchilada pie. She knew that was my favorite, which made me wonder if she had planned to invite me over.
“Thank you, this shit looks fire,” I took the plate from her. She just chuckled like she always did when she got a compliment and then we dug in.
“You back for good now?”
“I would like to think so.”
“You know if you need work Merce, I can check with my boss to see if he can help you out. Maybe you can be my assistant or something.”
“Umm, nah. Can I get some water please? I’ve had enough alcohol tonight.”
She stared at me for a few and then put her plate down on the coffee table to get up. She came back with the water, handed it off, and then took her seat next to me again.
“Why don’t you want me to see about getting you a job? Is it your pride?”
“No, it’s not.” I gulped the water. “I have a job and I don’t need you trying to help me out aight?”
“I’m sure whatever that job is, it’s something illegal. Merce, I don’t want anything to happen to you baby, and running with Teflon and Groove will get you nowhere but behind bars or in a grave.” She spoke to the side of my face as I continued to grub on my food and stare straight ahead at the turned off television. “So you’re gonna ignore me?”
“I just wanna finish this.”
We ate in silence, and once I was done, I polished the water off and stood up. I was ready to go, and confused on why my ass thought coming here was a good idea.
“Calvin stay, I’m sorry.” She got up with me and began loosening my belt buckle.
I Got Your Back- Teflon & Tatiana’s Love Story Page 6
