The Appraisal

by Brielle Montgomery

  The water pelted her skin like a soothing massage, but it did little to help her headache. Jayla sighed. Her mind was overflowing with thoughts of Derrick. The problem wasn’t her acknowledging these feelings. She was a big girl, and, hell, she wasn’t ashamed. Yes, she liked the man. A lot. But she was torn. She wasn’t supposed to like him. Couldn’t afford to. Didn’t want to. That was the damn problem.

  Jayla stepped from the tub, then used a towel to dry her body before wrapping it around her. She wiped the fogged-up mirror and shuddered at her pitiful reflection. The heat from the shower had flushed her light skin to a warm scarlet hue. Her hair had frizzed, and her eyes reflected every bit of the hangover she felt. Derrick was just going to have to settle for her worst today. Given the circumstances, the scales were tilting away from the embarrassment side to the “too tired to give a damn” side.

  Jayla changed into the clothes he had left out on the bed, and then made her way down to the kitchen.

  The scent of fresh ground coffee beans caught her; then she heard the sizzle of grease and the low murmurs of an old-school radio station. Jayla paused in the kitchen doorway and watched as Derrick busied himself with scrambling eggs on the stove.

  “Hey you,” he greeted.

  When he turned, she accepted the mug of coffee he offered. The steam wafted up to warm her cheeks, and she inhaled the aroma with a relaxed smile.

  “Here.” Derrick handed her two pills.

  Without speaking, she knocked them back, grateful for the relief.

  “Feel better?” he said.

  Jayla’s appreciative smile spread. “I do. Thank you.” She watched him plate some eggs and bacon. “You didn’t have to do all this,” she said before taking another sip of the coffee.

  “I wanted to. I didn’t have any grits or oatmeal.” Derrick began setting out the food buffet-style on the bar area. “So we’ll just have to settle this time.”

  “This looks great,” Jayla commented as she climbed onto the nearest barstool. “You don’t look like the cooking type.”

  Derrick smiled as he dished out healthy portions on her plate first, then on his own. “A man has to be able to feed himself, right?” He placed her plate in front of her, then slid on the stool next to her and set down his own plate. “And his companion,” he added.

  They ate in silence, their knees bumping companionably against each other under the counter.

  “Thank you,” Jayla finally murmured as she savored the delicious breakfast. She wasn’t aware Derrick had been watching her until she felt his finger nudge her hair behind her shoulder.

  “Why are you making this so difficult for us, Jayla?” he murmured.

  She paused, felt his gentle lips touch her shoulder. She sighed. If only. “Listen, Derrick.” She turned to face him, surprised by the close proximity. She didn’t see the gesture, only felt the hand circle the back of her neck, the fingers tangle in her hair and then drag her toward him. She could stop this. He seemed to be moving slow enough to see if she would. She had time to catch the lust in his eyes for a split second before his mouth crushed hers.

  She hadn’t expected or prepared for the tenderness. That was what scared her. Rough, wild, quick, she could handle. But this man was taking his time, coaxing her mouth wider so he could gently suck her tongue. He seemed to be igniting something she hadn’t felt in years. Interesting. Her pussy was aching, but it wasn’t just a sexual desire clawing at her. It was more.

  She sucked in a desperate breath, soaked in the sheer pleasure as he tore his mouth from hers and began sucking her neck. She hadn’t felt his hands crawl underneath the T-shirt, but they were caressing her titties now, his thumbs massaging her nipples until they ripened against his fingers. Jayla’s eyes flew open. It was a weak attempt, she knew, but she forced herself to pull away.

  Derrick didn’t push. “How long are we going to play this game, Jaye?”

  She wanted to smile when she heard his voice, thickened with desire. At least she wasn’t the only one. “Derrick. This isn’t a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  She fumbled for an excuse. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

  She kept her eyes trained on his when he stood and gave her another one of his leisurely full-body once-overs, as if he were committing each curve to memory.

  “You haven’t given me a chance,” he said finally.

  “I’m not interested in sex.” She almost had to swallow a chuckle at the ironic statement. When he leaned closer, she leaned back, and she was surprised when he grinned in response to her unconscious motion.

  “Derrick.” She hadn’t intended to sound like she was pleading. But the way he stared at her, as if he could devour her right there, was becoming more than she could handle. And she could handle a lot. If it was just sex, maybe that would be more tolerable. Sure, she could pleasure him left, right, and sideways, but that was all she was good for. This man had made his intentions crystal clear. He wanted all of her. And she was fucking up. She had allowed herself to like this man.

  “I want to see you again, Jayla,” he said.

  She remained silent. She couldn’t do it to him. Couldn’t do it to herself. If she wanted to keep her sanity, she needed to stay as far away from Derrick as humanly possible.

  * * *

  Jayla left the restaurant a few short minutes behind her client. She’d handed over another evaluation, and now she needed to get to the bank to deposit the money before they closed.

  She hurried down the sidewalk, at the same time pulling out her cell phone. She dialed a number, and Jasmine answered as quickly as if she had been expecting her call.

  “I have an assignment for you,” Jayla said as she stopped at the ATM. “You think you can handle it?”

  “I think so.” Her voice sounded slightly hesitant, but still more confident than before.

  Jayla smiled. “Good. His name is Benny. I just got the initial deposit from his wife yesterday, so this is a completely new task.” She began depositing her money, tossing an absent glance over her shoulder. “Tonight he’ll be at that hookah lounge in Midtown. You know the one I’m talking about?”

  “In the shopping plaza?”

  Jayla finished her transaction and turned around to scan the streets. Pedestrians hurried by, cars eased through the busy downtown district, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her heart rate quickened as she glanced around for some sort of sign that something was off. She saw none.

  “Auntie?”

  Jayla snapped back to the conversation. “Yeah, sorry. What did you say?”

  “I asked if you meant the one in that shopping plaza?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.” Jayla shook off the eerie feeling and hurried back down to the parking lot where she’d left her car. “His wife says he usually gets there around seven, and he tends to stay a few hours. Now, I don’t know how this guy is. The wife is not sure if he’s a cheater, so he may reject you. Either way, don’t push. Just feel him out first and then see how you want to make your next move. If you don’t think he’ll bite tonight, just let me know and we’ll set him up again.”

  “All right . . .”

  Jayla climbed into her car, quickly shut the door and locked it. She sighed. “Hey, you can do this,” she assured her niece.

  “Okay.” Jasmine blew out a breath. “Auntie, how much is this one?”

  Jayla did a quick calculation. At first, she figured Jasmine could have the whole fee, but shit, she still had to do the legwork on the assignments, considering her niece was a newbie. To be honest, she really didn’t expect Jasmine to be successful on her first night.

  “You’ll get ten thousand dollars,” she said after deducting a generous 60 percent cut. It wasn’t personal. It was business. And the wife had paid well over the amount Jayla had planned on charging, so she didn’t mind sharing. “Call or text me and let me know what goes down.”

  * * *

  At one in the morning, Jayla
was surprised to hear the alert to an incoming text. She rolled over in the bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand to read the message. It was from Jasmine.

  You didn’t tell me the man was fifty-eight.

  Jayla rolled her eyes and quickly punched in her reply.

  What damn difference does it make? Dick is dick. Did you get it done or not?

  She waited, drumming her fingers impatiently on her leg. She surely hoped Jasmine hadn’t punked out or done some weak-ass shit that could potentially ruin the whole assignment. Moments later, her phone vibrated again, and Jayla could only grin at the message.

  It’s done.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jayla zeroed in on his black Range Rover as soon as she wheeled her truck into the crowded parking lot of Spades. She had never been to the place, but in a quick update, Heather had informed her that Reggie frequented the popular hangout every Thursday night. So here she was, showing every piece of curve in the tight skinny jeans, meticulous razor-slashed holes adorning each thigh area, and a cream crop top that dipped suggestively off her shoulders. She had decided on wedge heels for comfort, and her hair was swooped into a casual ponytail. As far as she was concerned, she was dressed to hunt, and if she played her cards right, she’d be straddling this plumber before sunrise.

  The sports bar was in an uproar. Apparently, some football game had brought out every man in Atlanta. They either nursed shots and Coronas around the crowded bar or sat munching on hot wings at the high-top pub tables. Every seat was in view of an angled flat screen, all showing the same game currently in progress. An occasional touchdown or penalty call unleashed unanimous cheers and high fives, and even a few exchanges of money, as the gamblers made good use of the anticipation. The scent of lit Black & Milds, cologne, and liquor hung in the air like a stale blanket, and someone had turned down the music enough to hear the football game.

  She may have been the only female in the place, but Jayla was satisfied with that. She didn’t need the jealous stares from women as their men gave her all the attention. She ignored the whistles, the groans of appreciation, even the bold one who grabbed at her hand as she made her way to the bar. She was used to it. She basked in it. She knew she looked good, and everyone who came into her inner circle knew it too. But she was fishing for one, and only one. She’d play the tease to everyone else.

  “What can I get you, sexy?” The female bartender, who had a tattoo sleeve laced up each arm, sat a napkin on the marble bar. She winked, the piercing in her eyebrow glistening with the gesture, and despite her huge breasts and curvaceous body, she had her eye on the candy just like everyone else in the room and could hide her huge grin.

  Jayla’s grin was polite. “Surprise me,” she said.

  The woman nodded and began mixing vodka, rum, and a combination of fruit juices. She tossed a few cubes of ice in the mixture, poured it into a glass, and sat the glass on the napkin. “I call this a Cherry Popper.” The bartender licked her lips after that statement. “It’s on me, babe.”

  Jayla lifted the glass and grinned over the rim. A free drink was always worth a little flirting.

  The woman scribbled her number on a bar napkin and slid it to her. “I get off in an hour,” she said.

  Jayla accepted the napkin, smiled once more, and slipped away from the bar. Not really her type, but that was completely irrelevant. She began to scan the crowd for Reggie.

  A group of men posted around a pool table off to one side were obviously torn between their game and the TV. Once she made her way over, she smiled when she recognized Reggie among the men at the pool table. He leaned casually on a pool stick, his eyes on the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. Two other guys stood around, as well, and another was leaning over the table, already in position to take a shot.

  One of Reggie’s friends saw her first and let out a low whistle, apparently approving of the newcomer. “Damn, girl,” he said. “You know you a fine one.”

  Jayla smiled as her eyes met Reggie’s. The fearful look on his face was priceless. “Thank you,” she said and also acknowledged the comment with a wink. “I’m Slim,” she added.

  “Shit,” one of the other guys exclaimed. He didn’t bother hiding the head-to-toe scan of her body. “I’m Bruce, by the way.” He gestured to the other three men. “That’s Mike, Reggie, and DW.”

  “I don’t mean to impose,” she said, still watching Reggie. “Unfortunately, my date stood me up. So . . .” She glanced around, pretending to look for someone.

  “Aye, man,” said the one named DW as he nudged Reggie. “You know her?”

  “Not really,” Jayla said before Reggie could respond. “He did some things for me, though.”

  “Plumbing,” Reggie explained when the others turned his way. “Work. It was work.”

  “That’s what I meant.” Jayla took a sip from her glass and watched his uneasiness.

  So was this all she needed to do to make this man break? Show out in front of his friends? Too easy. She glanced down at the pool table, feigning interest. “Oh wow. I haven’t played pool in forever. You guys mind if I join?”

  “I don’t think you can afford us, sweetheart,” Mike said with a grin, exposing a gold cap on one tooth. “We don’t play for free around here.”

  Jayla nodded. Taking care to exaggerate her movements, she ran her hand along her breasts for a moment before sticking her fingers into her bra. She pulled a stack of twenty-dollar bills into view. The attention had her adrenaline on an all-time high.

  She looked to Reggie again for confirmation. “Only if it’s okay with you, though, Reggie.” She could tell he was getting flustered from the heightened tension, but his absent shrug had her reaching for a cue stick. She let Bruce rack the balls while she chalked her cue tip.

  “Ladies first, Slim,” he said.

  She leaned over, felt every set of eyes on the jeans hugging her ass. Fine. He wanted to act tough. She knew how to break him. She smirked as she took her shot.

  One hour and three drinks later, Jayla scooped up the bills the men had piled on the pool table. A combination of premium liquor and a nice winning streak had a triumphant smile planted on her lips. Even Reggie had loosened up a bit. So much so that he had started talking smack like the rest of his friends in a weak attempt to throw off her game. But it was a public display of his relaxation, nonetheless. She was juiced.

  “I underestimated you.” Bruce touched her waist lightly. “You fine, but you damn sure can play.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced at Reggie again. “It’s getting a little late, so I’ll head out. You mind walking me to my car?”

  Reggie nodded, laid his pool stick down, and followed her outside.

  It felt late. Much later than it was. The July air was crisp and gently tickled her skin, coaxing a slight shudder from the temperature. She slowed, allowing Reggie to fall into step beside her.

  “Sorry about your date,” he mumbled, and she could tell it was his attempt to break the awkward silence.

  She shrugged. “Hey, you know what? It’s his loss,” she said. “And I had a great time with you and your friends.”

  “I bet you did.” He laughed. “Hey, how is your garbage disposal?”

  “Good. You do excellent work. I’m definitely going to give you some referrals.” She stopped at her car and turned to lean on the hood as Reggie stuck his thumbs in his front pockets.

  “I appreciate it,” he said.

  Jayla bit her lip and swallowed her slight impatience. She was going to have to speed up this thing if she wanted to get it over with. White boys liked that damsel in distress shit.

  She shifted and stumbled, and her intentional clumsiness prompted Reggie to grab her arm to catch her fall. Exaggerating even more, she allowed him to pull her upright, but then she stumbled again, and this time she leaned on his chest when he grabbed her. “I’m sorry.” She faked a chuckle. “I think those drinks are finally getting to me.”

  Worry creased his forehead as his eyes studi
ed hers. “You probably shouldn’t drive,” he said. Jayla leaned in closer, pushing her protruding titties against him. She glanced at his full lips, then back up at his eyes.

  “You want to take me home?” she whispered. She felt his body stiffen. Before he could pull away, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

  He remained stiff as she gently prodded his mouth open with her tongue and then drew his lower lip into her mouth to suck. The beer taste was strong, but she ignored it as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When he still made no move to return the kiss, she slid her hand down his chest and into the waist of his jeans. Her hand snaked past the elastic in his briefs, and her fingers got a possessive grip of his dick. That was the switch.

  Reggie came alive, hardening in her hand and beginning to suck her wild tongue. He nudged her back against her hood and, in one movement, gripped her plump ass and lifted her legs so she would wrap them around his waist. He reached in the top of her shirt and pulled out one of her titties. The sudden exposure to the brisk air startled a gasp from her lips. Then, with an urgent moan, he tore his lips from hers and leaned down to devour her supple flesh. His movements were hasty, as if he needed to feast. Thank goodness nobody was in the parking lot, but Jayla wouldn’t care when all was said and done.

  Jayla purred. “Damn, you’re big,” she whispered.

  He groaned, and she felt his fingers flick the button of her jeans open. Then they snatched down her zipper. Her lips curled when his hand brushed her naked pussy. No need for panties tonight. It was ready for him. She felt his fingers dancing around her clit before dipping inside her, allowing her juices to spill. She moaned and bucked against his hand, urging him to go deeper. He obliged, shoving in his second and middle finger to stroke her walls as well. Her head fell back as he continued to finger her, his rhythmic pace increasing as she gyrated her hips against his hand. Harder. Faster. She felt his thumb caress her clit with the motion, and she braced herself.