Fall Knee-Deep In It

by Monica Walters

Shaking my head slowly, I made my way to the bathroom to see tea lights everywhere and my bath ran, with more flower petals floating in the water. He was laying the shit on thick. However, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he fucked this all up again. My plans were still intact, and I would be searching for other places to live the rest of this week. The landlord would also be made aware that I would be moving. He was gonna be looking crazy when he came home, and all the furniture was gone.

  That was my shit anyway. All of his raggedy shit was in storage. Movers would be called and I would start hauling my stuff out of here, little by little. He would realize then, if he hadn’t already, that there wasn’t shit he could do to repair our relationship… to get back what we once had. But I would enjoy sex tonight. Since he was trying to win me back, I knew he would be putting in his best work.

  Chapter Four

  Maverick

  “You could have left me at my damn house. That comic was dry as hell.”

  “First of all, we didn’t come here for the comics. We came here for the music and to mingle. You trusted me by going see Yuri, but you don’t trust me here? The music is good and only grown and sexy women come here. Well… I mean… not all of them are sexy, but they all definitely grown.”

  I rolled my eyes. “For your sake, I hope you…”

  My voice trailed off as I watched the women walk through the door. They were sexy enough, so he wasn’t lying. He turned to see what I was looking at and said, “See! I told yo’ ass. Now get you another drink and chill the fuck out.”

  When the waitress came to our table, I ordered another vodka tonic, then did my best to chill out as he suggested. Casing the scene, I noticed quite a few women that were pleasing to the eye. He was right. This place was ripe for the picking for a thirty-four-year-old man… one that was tired of the games and immaturity. As I grooved to the soft jazz between sets, I noticed another group of women. I nearly lost my shit when I saw that familiar bun and those long, chocolate legs. I wasn’t expecting to see her until next month. Luck was on my side.

  As she and three other women made their way to a table, one of the women with her caught my gaze. She smiled, then nudged Yuri. When she pointed her in my direction, she smiled and waved. I gave her a smile and a head nod. “Who you making a damn connection with already?”

  He glanced in the direction I was looking, then said, “Oh. That’s Yuri. She fine, huh?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  I’d never voiced my attraction to her to Cameron, but I was sure he could clearly tell because I hadn’t stopped looking at her yet. The women she was with looked older than her, but maybe that was why she seemed so mature. I was sure she wasn’t over thirty. At least she didn’t look to be. Cameron cleared his throat and said, “Damn, nigga. What I miss? You feeling Yuri like that?”

  “She’s beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “She is that. You gon’ try to talk to her?”

  “Yeah, but I wanna just watch her for a while. I want her to see me watching her before I make a move.”

  “Okay, playa. I see you.”

  I rolled my eyes as he walked away to speak to someone else. I didn’t wanna scare Yuri away. I was her client. Knowing of my intense attraction to her could possibly make her cancel my appointment. It would make the massage awkward. Then she wouldn’t want to be in my presence at all. As I stared at her, I took a sip of my drink. “Everything okay over here, sir?”

  “You see that group of ladies over there, the group with the really tall lady?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Ask them what they’re drinking. I’ll handle their tab tonight.”

  “The whole night?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Wow. Okay.”

  I wasn’t a spender, and I didn’t make chump change, either. My pay was nearing eighty grand a year. I lived a modest life. One vehicle and a three-bedroom house nice enough for me. I really didn’t need three bedrooms, but I knew that one day, I wanted a family. Whether that happened or not was yet to be seen. So, needless to say, I had a good amount of money saved up. This splurge wouldn’t hurt.

  I watched the waitress get their drink orders and they all looked my way and waved with full smiles on their faces. I smiled and waved back as I watched the woman sitting next to Yuri nudge her. I watched her medium-brown complexion slightly redden, then she headed my way. I sat up in my chair, because frankly, I wasn’t expecting her to come my way so soon. When she got close, I stood from my seat and quickly scanned her body. Wearing heels, made her really close to my height. Her lime green dress showed off her beautiful legs, and at the top, her shoulders were bare, only a thin piece of material going around her neck.

  God, she was so beautiful. I held my hand out for hers and she placed it in mine. I expected her to shake it and let me go, but she just held it. “Hello, Maverick. Thank you for the drinks.”

  “Hello, Yuri, and it’s my pleasure. You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you. You look nice also. Did you come here alone?”

  “No. Cameron Wilkes is here. He went over there to speak to some people.”

  “Oh. Umm… the ladies had wanted me to invite you to our table,” she said, turning to glance at them. “Please say no because they will embarrass the hell out of me and you. They have no filter, and I often wonder why I go out with them.”

  She chuckled as her hand heated. We were still holding hands. Realizing that, she slowly slid her hand away from mine as I stared at her. “What if I wanna come over?”

  Her eyebrows lifted slightly, then she nodded with a smile and said, “Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  I smiled slightly, then grabbed my drink from the table and followed her to their table, where the waitress was setting their drink orders down. Once the waitress left, Yuri said, “Everyone, this is Maverick. Maverick, this is Lizzy, Marla, and my mother, Yulonda.”

  She’d gestured to each one, then sat next to her mother and offered me the seat between her and the woman she introduced as Lizzy. I shook each one of their hands as they stared at me. Once I sat, Lizzy scooted closer to me as the rest of them giggled. “So, Maverick, Yuri tells us that you’re a client of hers.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I responded to her mother. “She came highly recommended.”

  She didn’t look old enough to be her mother. As far as age went, she only looked to be a few years older. They didn’t look a thing alike, though, so Yuri must’ve looked like her father. Yuri’s cheeks reddened as she lowered her head, then looked back up at me with a smile. She was so modest, but at the same time, I could tell that she knew she was the shit. I licked my lips as I stared at her, then heard her mother ask, “So, what do you do?”

  “I work for the city, maintaining the traffic signals.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Nice,” she responded.

  My eyes traveled back over to Yuri, to see her ordering another drink. Just by her body language, I could tell she was much looser than she was when she first walked over to my table. The women were the opposite of what she said they would be. They were somewhat quiet until Lizzy said, “I’m tired of being polite. You have a woman, Maverick?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “You want one?”

  I chuckled, then said, “I do.”

  “Well, Yuri is probably closer to your age. She’s twenty-eight. Y’all should probably go to your table and get to know one another. I can’t have a man this fine sitting next to me that’s interested in somebody else.”

  Marla and Yulonda died in laughter as Yuri rolled her eyes. Turning back to her, I reached for her hand and she slid it in mine. So, I stood from my seat, assisting her from hers and we made our way back to my table, just as the waitress was returning with her drink. She took it from her and quickly downed it this time, causing me to lift my eyebrows. She was nervous. “So, Yuri, what’s your last name?”

  “Joseph.”

  “Okay. Are you nervous? Am I making you nerv
ous?”

  “I’m okay. I’m a little nervous, but nothing to be alarmed about.”

  “Would you like to dance?” I asked as I glanced out at the other couples on the dancefloor.

  “Sure.”

  I downed the drink I’d been playing with and again grabbed her hand. Once we got to the dancefloor, I slid my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me as she rested her arms on my shoulders. I was only about an inch taller than her at this point. I’d never dated a woman who I could look at eye to eye so easily. She stared into my eyes, then smiled. That liquor was getting to her. “I love your eyes. They’re so inviting… and sexy.”

  I smiled slightly. “Thank you. From the first time I saw you, it was hard to keep my eyes off you. You’re gorgeous.”

  “Thank you.”

  She molded her body against mine as “Share My Life” by Kem played through the speakers. I tightened my arms around her waist as we stayed to the music. It seemed like we were meant to be at that very moment. It was like she was supposed to share my life like Kem was singing about. I didn’t know her. Yuri Joseph… twenty-eight-year-old massage therapist. But I wanted to know everything about her. “Maverick, how old are you?”

  “Thirty-four.”

  “You smell so good.”

  “Thank you. I know I’m your client, but I would love if I could take you out.”

  She stiffened slightly, then backed away from me some. Fuck. I’d moved too fast. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I won’t say anything else. Just come back.”

  She smiled softly, then allowed me to pull her closer. We continued swaying to the music without speaking another word. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but she’d muted me. Once the song went off, I led her back to my table. We both ordered more drinks and she swayed in her seat to the sounds of SiR. I was beyond intrigued, but I knew that if I wanted to stay in her good graces, I should keep the conversation light and friendly. “I have to ask, Yuri.”

  “I played volleyball and basketball in school. I earned a scholarship for volleyball, though.”

  I chuckled, and so did she. “I take it that you’ve been asked that question most of your life, huh?”

  “Yep. Both of my parents are tall. My dad is a basketball coach at LSU.”

  “Oh wow! That’s awesome.”

  “Yeah. It was pretty cool growing up.”

  “Is he and your mom a couple?”

  “No. I don’t ever remember them being a couple. My mom said they broke up when I was three. They were never married, though.”

  “Oh okay.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “They’re still together. When they retired, they sold their house and bought a Winnebago. They’ve been traveling the country for two months. I have an older sister that lives in DC. Since I don’t have any kids, they figured they might as well enjoy life.”

  “Wow. That’s beautiful.”

  “Yep. You have any kids?”

  “No. So, do you frequent this club often?”

  “No. Cameron practically drug me here. What about you?”

  “Same. My mama didn’t really give me a choice. I would much rather be sitting in Sertino’s, sipping on a smoothie or at home on the couch, watching Lifetime movies.”

  She giggled, so I chuckled. She was my type of woman. “Your life sounds a lot like mine. Cameron told me that I would never meet any women that way. But now that you’re here, I’m glad I came.”

  She smiled, then sipped her drink the waitress had set on the table. I glanced over at Cameron, who’d purposely stayed away from our table, and he gave me a head nod. When the next comic finally came to the stage, Yuri moved her chair close to mine, where we were sitting side by side. I put my arm around her and laughed at bullshit that wasn’t even funny. But she’d made me feel happy inside… something I hadn’t truly felt in years.

  Chapter Five

  Yuri

  “Mama, I don’t know him like that, though.”

  “I can’t tell. You were up under that man since Lizzy pushed you to him,” she said, then laughed.

  She was suggesting that I allow him to take me to dinner and bring me back to her place to get my car. Rocco was already blowing me up because I was almost an hour past the time I told him I should be back. Although we’d had a great time the other night and had been getting along okay for the past few days, I was still leaving him. “Are you sure you’ll be okay to drive home?”

  “I don’t know. I feel so dizzy.”

  “Why don’t you just stay here and go home in the morning? Besides, you need to call Maverick and tell him we made it safely.”

  I rolled my eyes. He’d walked us to Marla’s car and programmed his number in my phone. Everything in me wanted to give in to his questions. His lips were calling me, begging me to lay mine on his. They were so soft looking. We’d danced more after the last comedian and I’d had at least three more drinks. I’d nearly gave in to the feeling early on in the night until he asked to take me out. My thoughts immediately went to the nigga at my apartment. I sent Rocco a text and said, I’m gonna stay at Mama’s. I’m drunk as hell.

  My phone started ringing and I knew it was Rocco. I answered, “Hello?”

  “Why didn’t you call instead?”

  “Because I feel like my speech is slurred.”

  “It is.” He chuckled. “I can come pick you up.”

  “It’s okay. Mama is insisting that I stay.”

  “You sure? Something seems a little skeptical to me.”

  “What are you talking about, Rocco?”

  “You always come home. Why can’t I come pick you up?”

  “Rocco—”

  “Why are you about to explain something to a man that ain’t your husband? That nigga ain’t even your man anymore. You don’t owe him an explanation for shit. Na come on,” my mama said.

  She couldn’t stand Rocco. “I guess you heard her. You still skeptical?”

  He exhaled loudly. “Do what’chu want. You do that shit anyway.”

  He ended the call as I rolled my eyes and followed Mama in the house. When I was little, she seemed so proper and refined, but as an adult, I realized she just kept that part of herself hidden from me as a kid. “What did that jackass say?”

  “For me to do what I wanted.”

  I flopped on the couch and held my phone in my hands, hesitating to make the call or text or whatever the hell I was gonna do. “He’s so ignorant. If I held as much power over him as you do, I would make his damn life miserable.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Then he would make me miserable. It would be pointless now. Three more weeks and I’m done. Okay. I’m gonna call Maverick.”

  “I’m gone. Enjoy,” she said with a smile.

  She didn’t know Maverick, but she was willing to root for anyone that wasn’t Rocco. Finding his number, I called it. My nerves were going haywire like I wasn’t just with the man. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Maverick. It’s Yuri. We’re home, or rather, safe.”

  “Hey. Thank you for calling and letting me know. I enjoyed your company tonight.”

  I closed my eyes, thinking about the fool at home and how I left Maverick hanging about a future date. “Listen, I umm… have a slight situation. I just broke up with my boyfriend, but we still live together for another three weeks. That was why I felt uncomfortable about accepting your offer for a future date. My name is on the lease and he won’t leave. So, when my lease is up, I’m moving.”

  He was completely quiet for a moment and that made me nervous. Then suddenly, he asked, “So, when are we going out?”

  I swore my heart melted in my chest like butter in a hot skillet. Smiling, I said, “That doesn’t matter to you?”

  “Why should I be worried about a man that no longer has your heart? Or does he?”

  “No. He hasn’t had it for a while.”

  “Okay then. I won’t go to your place, because I don’t need the extra d
rama in my life, but I do wanna date you. Now if I’m not helping you move in three weeks, then I’ll know this was a game.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll have you helping me move, but I’ve already paid my deposit at another place.”

  “We’ll see. I know it depends on how comfortable you feel with me and all. So, are there any restaurants off-limits next weekend?”

  “Cheddar’s and Logan’s Roadhouse.”

  “Got it. I don’t really like Logan’s all that much anyway.”

  Rocco stayed up in Logan’s and Cheddar’s. I didn’t need any mishaps. I almost still wanted to say no, but this fine-ass man was hard to say no to. I remained quiet until he said, “Well, I’m gonna let you rest, beautiful. Is it okay if I call or text you before next weekend?”

  “Yeah, that’s cool. You have a good night.”

  “Thanks. Goodnight.”

  When I ended the call, I was on cloud nine. It had been a while since I’d allowed a man to sweet talk me. I’d always been the one to exhaust all options when it came to my relationships. When I knew there was nothing else I could do to salvage it, then I’d let go. But I’d come to the realization that none of them deserved that type of loyalty from me, especially when they didn’t give it to me in return. Rocco had put me in a horrible frame of mind. For a man that didn’t have any immediate family, and barely knew the rest of them, he was way too comfortable with mistreating me.

  There were only a couple of friends of his that I’d met, but he rarely spent time with any of them. He was too busy tracking my whereabouts every minute of the damn day. I’d never been with someone as needy as his ass. There was so much other shit he could have been doing to keep his mind occupied. Standing from the couch, I nearly busted my ass. I was so damn dizzy, it was ridiculous. When I got to my mother’s room, she asked, “Well?”

  I frowned slightly. “Well, what?”

  “Maverick! What did he say?”

  “He’s glad we got home safely.”

  “That’s it?”

  I swore she was living vicariously through me at this point. “Ma. You tripping. I mean, just because we’re going out next weekend, doesn’t mean—”