Too Naughty

by Brenda Hampton

  “Why’d you do this to me?” I asked.

  “Who is this?” he asked, as if he didn’t know.

  “You know damn well who this is!”

  “Trick, I’m busy. Stop calling my house.”

  “Ah, so it’s like that now, huh? I’m your trick now, but I wasn’t your trick when I gave you all of that money, was I?”

  “Yes, you were. You were just a stupid trick then. You need to get over it, Felicia. Tricked means you got played. When are you going to realize that I used you to get what I wanted? I got it, so our business is finished. I’m moving on to bigger and better things now, so stop calling my house and harassing me. If you don’t, you know what the consequences will be.”

  “Do you honestly think I’m letting you off the hook that easily? If you do, you are sadly mistaken. Trust me, you will pay for what you did to me, and for what you did to my place.”

  “Yeah, I thought you’d like it. That was just a li’l payback for sending your boyfriend over to my shop the other day. He fucked up my shit, so I messed up yours. And when you see him, tell him these few words for me. Shake, rattle, and roll. He’ll know what it means, and it’s time to do this shit.”

  “I’ll be sure to pass on the message. Until then, I got several words for you, too... . Your ass is dead. I’m sure you’re going to take my threat lightly, but it’s all over for you, Stephon. Make sure your life insurance is paid up and your burial arrangements have been made. And watch your back. You never know when I might creep up on you.”

  “Ditto, baby girl. Right back at ya.”

  He hung up, and I already knew what I had to do.

  Bottom line, I was pissed, and the only thing I needed was to get my hands on a gun. I knew I could get one on the streets, but it was getting late and I didn’t want to be roaming around at night, trying to get a gun. So, all I needed was one more night to hide out at Shane’s place, just in case Stephon was out looking for me tonight. I called Shane’s house to see if I could get an extra night, and by the third ring, he answered.

  “Shane.” I spoke softly and sadly. “This is Felicia. I’m still at Davenports. Would you please come and get me?”

  “Why are you still at Davenports?”

  “Because I’ve been here cleaning up. I called Stephon and threatened him. We got into a heated argument. I ... I don’t want to be alone tonight. Tomorrow I will go home, I promise.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did they say?”

  “They made a report, but that was pretty much it. I asked for protection, but they told me to get a restraining order. It’s too late, so I can’t get one tonight.”

  “What are the names of the officers who you spoke with? And give me your report number.”

  “Uh, I ... I don’t have the paperwork in front of me. Why do you want it?”

  “Because you are full of shit, Felicia. I can tell by your tone that you haven’t done nothing I told you to do. If anything, you called Stephon and made more trouble for yourself. Now you calling here so I can feel sorry for you and come get you. Well, this time, I ain’t coming. I told you what to do, but you didn’t do it. I’m already in enough trouble as it is, messing around with you.”

  “And you will be in even more trouble if you don’t come and get me! Now, I’m asking you nicely if I can stay one more night at your house. I will not bug you—”

  “And I’m telling you nicely, no, Felicia. You cannot stay at my house another night, because I need some space and some time alone. Got it?”

  “Shane, I am not the one to fool with right about now. I swear, I will call Scorpio and tell her that you and I made passionate love last night. I know for a fact she’ll believe me and—”

  He laughed. “I knew you were going to say that. I knew it! Not only that, but I expected you to use what happened between us against me. But, Felicia, I don’t give a damn what you do. It is so typical of you to not see the good in what I did for you and turn around and fuck me. So, go ahead and tell Scorpio. I ain’t got a damn thing to lose. However, you do. If you stab me in my back one more time, you will, from that moment on, be one lonely-ass woman.”

  “If you think I need your so-called friendship, you are sadly mistaken. And if you think your li’l speech about how good you’ve been to me is going to stop me from telling Scorpio, again, you are dead wrong. Prepare yourself, Shane, because I’m preparing myself. Thanks for nothing.”

  I hung up and hurried to the bathroom to get myself together. Before I did anything, I had to pay Scorpio a visit and tell her how good her man was to me. I was sure she’d appreciate my honesty, and we’d see just how much Shane didn’t give a damn.

  Since it was late Friday night, I figured Scorpio would most likely still be at Jay’s. I drove there first, and when I saw her Thunderbird parked out front, I knew she was inside. I was in such a bad mood, and who better than her to take my frustrations out on. As soon as I got inside, one of the older stylists asked if she could assist me. I looked at her customer’s hair and declined.

  “I don’t think so, especially if you’re going out like that.”

  Another stylist burst into laughter.

  “Don’t laugh at her, Jamaica. She ain’t funny. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I’m looking for the owner of this place.”

  “He lives in Florida,” the ghettofied one said. “You rarely will find him here.”

  “Would his name just happen to be Jaylin?” I asked.

  “You might be onto something, suga.”

  “I was on him quite often when he lived here,” I proudly announced.

  “Now she’s only on him in her dreams,” Scorpio said, walking into the styling area.

  A few people covered their mouths, and Jamaica cracked up again. The oldest one spoke up.

  “Jamaica, the shit ain’t funny. Miss Boss Lady, do you have this situation under control? If not, just let me know.”

  “Bernie, I’m cool. Felicia ain’t nobody I can’t handle. Now, why are you here, and what is it that you want with me?”

  “I got some news for you. Either I can blurt it out right here, or else we can go somewhere private and talk. The choice is yours.”

  “Since you’re not welcome in here, the alley works better for me. If not, right out front might not be a bad idea, either.”

  “Scorpio, go out front so we can see you,” another stylist said. “I don’t know what’s up with these hoochie mamas coming in here like you owe them something. First Eva, then Jay’s wife, and now her. You need to check these bitches.”

  Before going out front, I turned to the stylist who spoke last. “You don’t know me to call me no bitch. And if your boss is getting visits from other women on the regular, then maybe she need to learn how to keep her legs closed to men who don’t belong to her. The next time I come in here, you all need to refer to me as Shane’s longtime girlfriend. Scorpio’s been with him on a temporary basis, and now the real deal is back to handle her business.” I turned to Scorpio. “Sex between us has been delicious. I felt obligated to personally come here and thank you for turning him into a more creative, energetic, and passionate man. Basically, you made him for me. And now you have no choice but to release him.”

  The place was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Scorpio stared at me without one blink. “Are you finished? Did you say everything that you came here to say?”

  “Oh, I almost forgot. From all the juices Shane’s been pumping into me”—I rubbed my belly—“we might just have ourselves a li’l something on the way. If it’s a girl, maybe, just maybe, I’ll name her after you so he’ll have some kind of memories.”

  She snickered. “Well, congratulations. I wish the both of you well, Felicia. Don’t forget to tell Shane I said congrats, too.”

  Saying nothing else to me, she turned and walked away. Before leaving, I gave a few hard stares at the ladies who were whispering about me and left.

/>   It was late, so I checked into a hotel for the night. I wanted to stop by Shane’s place to let him know what I’d done, but I was too tired to go at it again with him. Instead, I got my room, lay back on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. For whatever reason, I thought I’d feel some type of satisfaction after going to see Scorpio. But the more time I had to think about it, the more I felt kind of bad for doing so. Shane was gon’ kill me, and he didn’t lie about me feeling lonely, because at this very moment, I felt so alone.

  SHANE

  27

  Finally, I was able to get some rest last night. I’d thought about whether Felicia had actually called Scorpio, but since she wasn’t knocking down my door or ringing my phone, I guess Felicia must have changed her mind. It had been over a week since our breakup, and I was really starting to miss her. I’d been missing her before, but not like I was today.

  I got out of bed and put on some clothes. My first stop was the flower shop. I wanted to have some long-stem roses delivered at Jay’s today to surprise her. Then I called Tony’s Restaurant and made reservations for tonight. After that, I went to a nearby hotel to check out the fantasy-theme room suites. Normally, they were used by couples who were on their honeymoon, but what the hell? We needed if not one, at least two days to make up for so much lost time. Lastly, I stopped by Jared’s Jewelry store. For the time being, I skipped over the engagement rings, but after hours of being particular, I found her a diamond necklace. Set in platinum, the four aqua blue diamond drops circled a centered white diamond. It had her name written all over it, and I was so excited to purchase it and give it to her.

  With all the last-minute running around I’d been doing—picking up bottles of champagne, buying her something sexy and seductive to slip into and taking it back to the hotel—time got away from me. It was almost 2:45 P.M., and since her flowers were supposed to be delivered before noon, I headed over to Jay’s. I looked around for Scorpio’s car, but I didn’t see it. Maybe it was parked on another street, since the place was packed. I went inside, and no one said a word to me. Actually, things were a bit quiet. I figured something was up, so I headed back to Scorpio’s office.

  “She’s not in there,” Bernie said while working on her customer’s hair.

  I stopped in my tracks. “Where is she?”

  “She’s at home, ill. She left about an hour ago.”

  As she spoke, I noticed a couple of roses by her workstation. When I looked around, I saw all the stylists had roses at their stations.

  I think I had my answer, but I had to be sure. “Where did everybody get the roses from?”

  “From you,” Jamaica blurted out. “Thank you, playa.”

  “Girl, shut up,” Bernie said. She stopped working on her customer’s hair and asked me to follow her. I followed her outside, and she pointed her comb in my direction, tearing into me.

  “Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but you need to get your bitches in order. Scorpio has been through enough shit, Shane, and I thought you were exactly what the doctor ordered. Stop playing—”

  “What are you talking about?” I said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m talking about Felicia. She came here last night and showed her ass. Scorpio was downright humiliated, and I stayed here almost all night to help calm her down. She really loves you, and for you to—”

  “Look, you have no clue what’s going on right now. Please don’t judge me, unless you have all the facts.” I paused, in deep thought. “Where did she go? I need to talk to her.”

  “She went home. But give her a couple of days—”

  “No can do, especially since tomorrow is never promised.” I turned to make my way to my car. “Thanks, Bernie, and seriously, where did everybody get the roses?”

  “She gave them to us. Said she didn’t want them.”

  I nodded and abruptly walked to my car.

  Scorpio’s condo in Lake St. Louis was a lengthy ride away. Since we’d been together, I’d been to her place only twice. One time I dropped her off to get her car, and another, I had to take her to work because her sister needed to use the car. Other than those two times, she never invited me over. She was very protective of Mackenzie, and all I could do was respect her wishes. Today, however, I needed to see her face-to-face. I knew I had some major explaining to do, and talking over the phone just wasn’t going to cut it.

  When I was only minutes away from her condo, I quickly checked myself in the mirror. I straightened my goatee and patted my face with the Kenneth Cole aftershave that was in my glove compartment. My Sean John piqué polo and PPD jeans were already working for me. I felt good about my appearance, and hopefully, she wouldn’t be able to turn me away.

  When I saw her car in the driveway, I was a bit nervous. And when I got out of the car and knocked, my nervousness surely didn’t go away. She swung the door open so fast that a cool breeze hit me from inside.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  I put my hands in my pockets. “I came to talk to you. I heard you had a visitor, and you can’t believe everything you hear.”

  “Well, I got one question for you. Did you have sex with Felicia?”

  I answered her question as best as I could. “No and yes.”

  She tried to slam the door, but I used my arm to stop her from closing it. I pushed back on it, and my strength was too much for her.

  “Shane, I’m not going to do this with you. You’ve made your choice, so just leave and be done with it.”

  She walked away, and I turned to close the door. I slowly walked to where she was in the kitchen. She was sitting in a chair with her arms folded. Some of her long, curled hair was clipped in the back, and the rest hung on her shoulders. Her flower-printed, satin, flimsy nightgown showed her perky breasts and her light-skinned, tanned legs. At that moment, I wanted to hurt myself for how I’d played her.

  I pulled back a chair at the kitchen table and sat in it. “I know that saying I’m sorry isn’t what you want to hear, but it seems like the right thing to say. I made a mistake allowing Felicia to stay at my place, and I never, ever should have done it.”

  Her eyes were watery, but she held back on the tears. “It’s a little too late to be sorry, and are you sorry you fucked her?”

  “It wasn’t done with intentions. I was asleep, Scorpio. I was thinking about you, and when I woke up, she was on top of me.”

  “And ... so she was on top of you. Did you continue having sex or what?”

  “No, I stopped her. Actually, I damn near threw her ass off me.”

  “Do you really expect for me to believe that? Is that what you came all of this way to tell me? You could’ve come up with a better lie than that one.”

  She quickly stood up and walked out. I sat for a moment, because I knew this would be harder than I thought. The story didn’t even sound convincing to me, and even I would’ve had a hard time believing it.

  When I stepped out of the kitchen, I could see Scorpio enter a room at the top of the stairs. I went upstairs and walked into the room where she was. It was her bedroom, and it had feng shui furniture with ocean blue walls. Fresh silk flowers adorned the vases, and tall candles stood on her nightstands. A round floor mirror stood by the huge picture window, and satin white sheets covered the bed. Scorpio had stepped into her closet and came back out in her black bra and panties. My dick was rock-solid hard as I watched her step into a pair of blue jeans.

  “I know my story doesn’t add up, but I swear to you, baby, that it’s the truth.”

  She sucked in her flat stomach and buttoned her jeans. “Did you cum inside of her?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Did you come at all?”

  “A ... a li’l bit.” I attempted to be extremely cautious with my answers.

  “The entire time she was there, how many times did you do it with her? She told me it was an ongoing thing.”

  “Are you not listening to me? Of course she’s go
ing to say that. You know how Felicia is.”

  Scorpio pointed her finger at me. “You’re damn right I do. It’s too bad that you claimed you didn’t know how she was. To me, you knew she would do something like this, Shane! All she wanted was to get you to screw her, and you did. I haven’t a clue how many times, and frankly, it really doesn’t matter. This relationship has been over with for quite some time, anyway.”

  “Oh, really?” I said, stunned by her words. “And why didn’t I know it was over with?”

  “Because you were too busy doing what the hell you wanted to do. You never consulted with me about anything, Shane. You ran off to Florida and left me behind, and then didn’t even call me. For months, the only time I hear from you is if you’re horny. And what about the times that I call you, and you say you’re busy, but you never call me back? Then you tell me you love me, but I don’t need to see or hear from you every day. What kind of fucking relationship is that? You putting your dick inside of Felicia was just the last straw.”

  Scorpio tried to walk away, but I grabbed her waist. “I didn’t put my dick inside of her. She did. What do you want from me? I’m sorry. I fucked up, and I won’t do it again. From now on, I’ll call you every day and I will call you back if I’m busy. You never said those things bothered you, so how was I supposed to know?”

  “When you love somebody, Shane, you don’t have to tell them how to treat you. It comes naturally, and if I have to tell you how to treat the woman you claim to love, then maybe you should rethink your feelings for me.”

  She attempted to move my arms from around her, but I held her tighter and closer. “So, I’ll change some things. Don’t just give up on us like this, all right?”

  “I gave up the night you allowed Felicia to stay with you and not me.”

  I took a deep breath and let her go. “You’ve been seeing someone else, haven’t you? I can tell by the way you’re acting.”

  “I’m acting this way because you fucked up, not me,” she fired back.