“Okay, but first thing when you get back,” Shawna said, rising to her feet. She was disappointed; she needed to get her contract straight.
As Shore walked out she dialed Emma. “Can you cancel the lunch reservations and make it dinner at Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn? Also, call this Jeremy person and let him know what time the dinner will be. Have the car pick me up first and text me his info. Thanks.” She hung up the phone.
She glanced at her watch: 11:50. Well, I might as well go home since I’ll be working later. I’ll go get my hair and nails done. That should waste some time until my dinner date with this Jeremy. Why does that name sound so familiar to me? Shawna grabbed her purse and headed out the door.
10
LaRhonda
Two weeks later . . .
God, please let this turn out the right way. She prayed silently before opening the envelope with the DNA results.
The probability of Mr. Eric Barnes not being the biological father of Aaron Williams is 100 percent. Therefore concludes that Mr. Eric Barnes is not the father of Aaron Williams.
“Holy shit! Then he is Vincent’s,” LaRhonda said with slight uncertainty in her voice.
Keisha looked at her with a smirk. “Damn, sounds like you still unsure.”
“Umm, no . . . it was only outta those two,” she said, diverting her eyes everywhere but Keisha’s way.
LaRhonda’s avoidance was definitely a sign that she was hiding something more.
Keisha pushed, “Ronnie, what’s up? Do you need to test Vincent too?”
LaRhonda was embarrassed to admit she was looser than ever after Diamond. She looked at Keisha. “Don’t judge me, okay?”
“Ronnie, you can’t be serious right now. I’m like yo’ sister.”
“There was someone else,” LaRhonda said reluctantly.
“Who?”
LaRhonda knew that question was coming, but she wasn’t ready to reveal the entire truth. “Some random dude from Marcy I knew. It was one of those nights where everything was goody. Liqs, weed, shit I can even remember half the night.”
“What you gonna tell Eric?” Keisha asked.
LaRhonda wanted to lie, but she knew Keisha could see right through her.
“You gotta tell him something even if you plannin’ to lie.” Keisha knew the answer already.
“He don’t care.”
“Umm, he cares ’cause he got you staying here. Let’s say you don’t tell him, then what? You still gonna be second-guessin’ Aaron’s daddy aren’t you? Shit, I don’t wanna see yo’ ass on Maury either.” Keisha laughed hard.
The front door suddenly unlocked. Quickly, LaRhonda tucked the paper and envelope under the cushion of the sofa.
“Hey, Eric,” LaRhonda greeted him.
“Hey.” He was surprised to see Keisha sitting on the sofa as he entered.
“Eric, you know Keisha right? She just stopped by to check on me. Umm, you hungry? I could make you somethin’ real quick.” LaRhonda tried to change the awkwardness in the room.
“Nah, I’m good. Where the kids at?” Eric asked.
“Aaron’s asleep and Diamond watchin’ TV in the other room.”
Keisha sat there as Eric stared. It was obvious he needed to say something to LaRhonda alone. “A’ight, Ronnie, I’ll check you later. Later, E,” Keisha said, giving dap to Eric, walking toward the door.
LaRhonda felt a little uneasy with Eric’s tone and was happy Keisha exited when she did. She didn’t want Keisha to think she didn’t have everything in check.
“Do you have anything to tell me?” Eric stared at her.
LaRhonda could tell he had something on his mind. Could he already know? The question entered her mind as she walked over to the sofa. Contemplating telling the truth or lying, she watched him closely.
“Is there something wrong, LaRhonda?” Eric asked suspiciously.
Slowly she removed the paper stuffed under the cushion. You better turn on the waterworks, she voiced in her head. She stepped closer to him and handed over the paper.
“I don’t need to see it,” he said, pushing the paper away.
LaRhonda’s crocodile tears began to fall. “You know? How you know?”
“Why you cryin’? Ain’t nothin’ for you to cry about.” He looked at her face and couldn’t feel any emotions; her actions were empty. “You didn’t think you was the only one gettin’ the test results did you? We knew there was only a possibility that I could have been the daddy. So what? He’s Vin’s; he’ll be happy when he find out,” Eric said in a flat tone.
Her fake tears turned into fear. “What you mean, he’ll be happy when he find out? I ain’t talk to him since our last visit and that was a couple of weeks ago. And I definitely didn’t answer any calls from his ass on purpose.” Her voice suddenly changed to the rough and tough chick she was known to be. “He can’t just take the test like that without them notifyin’ me.” Her eyes widened.
“Ahh, there we go.” Eric took a seat on the sofa, leaving her standing. “I mailed his ass a copy of the results and some pics of the kids. I thought that would be cool with you. You ain’t tryin’a to be with him are you? ”
She swore steam appeared from her ears. How could he be so disrespectful to me? she thought. Too many scenarios were playing in her head. LaRhonda was infuriated.
“What’s the matter, Ronnie? You ain’t mad are you?” he asked with a grin on his face.
LaRhonda looked at his face. She wanted to smack him. Why the fuck is he grinnin’ though?
“A little birdie whispered in my ear ’bout some things for some time now and they had a lot of shit to say ’bout you.”
A somber look came over LaRhonda’s face. “Who were you talkin’ to?”
“C’mon, did you think it wasn’t gonna come out? Truthfully, I pretty much beat the shit outta him to get him talkin’. I just didn’t think it was true.”
“And who you had to beat on to get this lame-ass shit you sayin’ to me?” She rolled her eyes, quickly jumping to her feet.
“Scared that shit gonna catch up to you?” He laughed, rising up from the sofa.
“You know what, Eric, what is all this shit? I actually thought you wasn’t like the rest of these niggas out here. I thought you was tryin’a build somethin’ with me. Nobody ain’t hold no gun to yo’ head, forcing me to come here, remember? You invited me,” she said, trying to flip it on him.
“Build somethin’?” He had to laugh. “I can’t build nothin’ wit’ a liar or a cheat. And sure as hell nobody I can’t trust.” Eric shifted a little to the left to retrieve a folded paper tucked in his back pocket. He unfolded it. There were three pages. Eric handed over the last page to LaRhonda.
Her face said it all; real tears appeared. The reality of her loose actions was before her in black and white.
“What the fuck is this?” She threw the paper at him and sobbed, holding her face. LaRhonda wanted to run like those girls do on Maury.
“Do you want to come at me with the truth now?” Eric watched as she held her wet face.
“Why did you do that? Vin gonna kill me when he get out,” she screamed out.
“I ain’t do nothin’ but help yo’ lyin’ ass out. I actually fuckin’ cared for yo’ ass. I fuckin’ fell for yo’ dumb shit, too. But you see that’s what makes me different from any one of these niggas out here. I’m willin’ to do for yo’ ass regardless. You ain’t wonder why I ain’t fuck you yet?” He arched his brows.
She didn’t answer.
“You better start sayin’ somethin’ ’cause I been the one playin’ daddy for both ’em kids in there. Or did you forget ’bout ’em times you had to hide out with Diamond ’cause Vin was tappin’ that jaw too many times.”
LaRhonda’s sniffles stopped instantly with his harsh reminder. She stood there, replaying every close-to-death beating she’d gotten from Vincent. He know he wrong for doin’ that shit! Now he wanna act like I ain’t supposed to be mad. Shit, he better have a place for me to sta
y after all this shit.
“Look I ain’t no cold nigga. I had feelings for you even with all the shit you did, but that sneaky shit rubs me the wrong fuckin’ way. I don’t want any harm for you or ’em kids so like I told you from the start, it don’t matter if I ain’t Aaron’s father. I’ma still look out for you,” he said, hoping she would understand what he was about to say next.
LaRhonda hid her relief when those words left his mouth. Her sobbing eased a little, but the thought of what Vincent was going to say or do put fear into her. She started pacing the floor.
“Listen, I didn’t wanna tell you this before, but I guess since the DNA came back it’s only right I tell you. I’ma be headin’ outta state in a few days to make some extra dollars. I’ma leave you some dough, but it’s gonna have to hold you down ’til I get back.” Eric grabbed her shoulders and looked at her. “You okay?”
LaRhonda wiped the wetness under her eyes with her fingers. “Why would you still help me out?”
“That don’t matter.”
LaRhonda didn’t know how to feel. This was the first person doing anything close to good for her without wanting something in return. But there she was taking all he could give like every man who came into her life.
“But on some real shit, you gotta get somethin’ poppin’ ’cause my pockets ain’t that deep for too long. So I hope you got a plan. Besides, I ain’t gonna be comin’ through like that no more. You got my number and if you need anythin’, you call me.” He squeezed her hand and kissed her on her cheek.
So you ain’t really gonna help me. I shoulda figured like every man who’s ever said that same shit. You ain’t gonna do but so much or until you get tired of the shit, she thought, feeling more alone than the day Vincent got locked up.
“I’ll talk to you later.” He turned slowly toward the door.
“So that’s it, Eric? You act like you here for me and act like you daddy. But yet you gonna leave when you dropped this fuckin’ bomb in my lap. Why would you send him the fuckin’ results? What do you think is gonna happen when he gets that shit?” LaRhonda started to pace the floor again.
All the anger seeped back in and she wanted to bash his head against the door. LaRhonda didn’t want the reality of Aaron’s father being a different man from Diamond’s. Now her label and stereotype truly fit her: hood chick with different baby daddies with nothing good about her.
Deep down she wanted him to stay and play house until she got tired of it, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen now. Since she moved in with him it’d been a solid routine giving her stability; without him there she didn’t know if she could have handled it on her own. She was at a loss without knowing her next move. Now what the fuck am I supposed to do? I thought this was gonna work for now. I don’t got nobody to fall back on.
Eric watched as her wheels turned and her pacing got quicker. “I’ma go now. I’ll check on you. A’ight?”
“So what, Eric, I’m supposed to act like shit is good ’cause you lettin’ me stay here? You done fucked up my whole shit. I can’t believe you did that shit. Aaron was the only reason he stopped beatin’ on me. Now you put all that anger and power back into his hands. This ain’t gonna be good for me. You happy ’bout that?” she said, hoping to make him feel regretful.
“You ain’t gonna lay that guilt trip on me right now. You better think ’bout how you gonna explain that shit to Vin.” He opened the door and walked through, letting it slam and lock on its own.
This motherfucker done started a shit storm for my ass. I better try to cover my tracks. I need Shawna. He’ll believe her over Keisha any day. Shit, that bitch ain’t even talkin’ to my ass! LaRhonda’s thoughts of a quick cover-up may have been harder than she wanted. There were still a few days to construct a plan before Vincent would get those results. She continued to pace the floor, praying that USPS would somehow lose the mail.
11
Shawna
It felt so good to see the first-class attitude that came her way once she moved away from the hood. Although her new friends were those of business, it didn’t affect her socially; it only enhanced it. Her apartment was on the second floor of a brownstone nestled off the path of the downtown bustle of Brooklyn. Cumberland Street was lined with trees, renovated brownstones, and young, artistic city adults thinking that it was actually the “hood.” The atmosphere oozed “young” swag and Shawna was finally in the middle of it.
It’d been awhile since Ronnie or KeKe tried to reach out to her. If it was that easy to drop me then they wasn’t my friends from the start, she thought as she hustled to catch the elevator to the Lifers Music offices. Did she miss the drama they came with? Yes, she did, but she wouldn’t dare admit to it.
Once stepping off the elevator and through the doors Emma greeted her with a mouthful. “Good morning, Shawna. No schedule changes, but Mr. Hughes insisted on waiting for you in your office. I tried to get him to make an appointment, but he said you wouldn’t mind.”
Shawna subdued her eagerness to rush into her office. “Umm . . . that’s okay. Are there any messages for me?” Her continuous tapping of her foot gave Emma the impression of impatience, which covered her true feelings.
“No messages, Shawna, but Shore would like a brief word with you once he gets in.” Emma smiled.
“Okay, can you buzz me when he comes in? Thanks.” Shawna stared over Emma’s head into the conference room for a moment. Briefly her movement paused as she remembered the feeling of strong arms embracing her, soft, full lips kissing above her waist just the way her—
“Shawna, Mr. Hughes is in your office; did you forget?” Emma asked.
Snapping out her little trance she turned and headed to her office, trying not to step too fast.
Jeremy Hughes stood five foot nine with a well-toned body. His dark curly hair, strong facial features, and light brown eyes made him a good looker to most women. He stood over Shawna’s desk scanning her VIP invites, scattered CDs, memo pads, different-colored sticky notes, and receipts layered from edge to edge.
Shawna got closer to her office; the door was left wide open. There he stood, tall and handsome, hovering over her desk. She walked into her office, closing the door behind her. “Hello.” She smiled.
“Come here, mmmm . . . you smell so good,” Jeremy said, pulling her closer and nibbling her neck.
“Stop, papi, not here. You know what that does. I won’t be able to control myself.” She giggled, moving her neck away. “Jeremy, I told you we can’t act like that here. Professional, remember?”
Suddenly her door opened. She was in the arms of Jeremy with a caught look on her face. There Shore stood before them. Shawna quickly backed away from Jeremy.
“Shawna, can I speak to you in my office please?” He was still standing in the doorway.
“Shore, it’s not what—”
“In my office now, Shawna!” Shore snapped as he turned toward his office.
Shawna knew her job and her budding career could be over. She looked to Jeremy. “I’m finished.” She slowly headed to Shore’s office.
“Close the door,” Shore said, standing close to his desk. “Shawna, do you know why I hired you?”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Am I fired?”
Shore laughed. “If I fired every employee who crossed the line with a client I wouldn’t have a staff.”
Her heartbeat slowed. She took a seat on the single chair in front of his desk. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. It just did.”
“So, what, you went to dinner then opened your legs?” Shore didn’t hold back.
“No, it wasn’t even like that. That dinner was all business and you know it ’cause the next day he signed the contract without any lawyer present, just the way you wanted. It wasn’t until I bumped into him a couple of days later did it progress into something more.”
“I should have realized that you would fall for a hood nigga like that. I thought you had something, but I guess I was wrong. I trusted
you enough to think this type of shit wouldn’t happen. I thought you were ready. Get out of my office and I don’t want to see your face for a couple of days.” Shore watched her jaw drop, standing behind his desk.
Shawna’s tone changed from soft to harsh in an instant. “Hold up, Shore, who do you think you’re talking to? I did my job and you got what you wanted. So what if I want something more with him? That’s my business. Who the fuck are you? This is not what I signed up for. You can’t control my personal life.” She stood up, ready to walk out.
“Shawna, you don’t even know shit about this nigga, but yet you spreading yo’ legs. I thought if you crossed any line it would be with me,” his honesty spilled.
She was shocked, then confused. There was a long pause before she finally said, “What makes you think I fucked him?”
His head dropped a little; then he stepped closer to her. “That ain’t my business, but wasting your time with these young toys when you need . . . a real man in your life . . . like me.”
“Are you saying that—”
Shore reached for her hand. “This is not how I imagined telling you my feelings, but honestly, when I saw you in that . . . in your office, I knew I had to tell you. Yes, I am attracted to you and yes, I do want to see if it can go further.”
Shawna moved her hand slowly. Her voice was trapped in her head. You can’t be fuckin’ serious. Now he wants the cookie. I can’t believe this shit! She walked out his office without a word. Passing her office on her way toward the reception area’s front doors she saw Jeremy still in her office. She stopped at the door.
“Is everything okay?” Jeremy moved closer to the door.
“No, but this can’t continue,” Shawna said, quickly moving past him toward her desk.
“What? I thought—”
“You thought wrong. This ain’t what I want or need. I’ll have Carolyn call you to set up your studio time and arrange a producer for you. Now please just leave.” Shawna turned her back toward him, indicating that she was not taking any pleas.
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