“Nope. Not anxious, actually looking forward to this.”
He nodded, his eyes on the floor. “Me, too.”
My mind rewound to the phone call he made on speakerphone, the excitement I could hear in Esther’s voice at the prospect of coming here, probably in anticipation of screwing my man. I had added her to a very short list of people I hated, right behind my father. I was tired, exhausted from the mere thought of the shit she’d pulled in the time me and Everett had been together, and to be brutally honest, didn’t care if Everett kicked her ass all up and down our house. I just wanted this nut to cease to exist. And if she did, I was prepared to help hide the body. As messed up as it sounds, those were the thoughts swirling in my mind when the gate intercom buzzed in the noiseless house. Everett cut his eyes at me as he pressed the button on the gate remote control, allowing her entry onto the property. At that point, I could only hope she hadn’t brought her security so we could get this over and done with.
“You can still go back to bed,” he said, as he stood to answer the door.
“No, I can’t,” I replied.
He left, returning moments later with a very chatty Esther Reese waltzing in behind him.
“I’m so glad you called and invited me over. I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I’ve missed you so—” She cut herself off once she spotted me sitting on the sofa, then she turned to face Everett. “I thought—”
“You thought you got rid of me?” I spoke up with one eyebrow cocked, making her turn to face me. “I bet you did.”
“Everett?” She was still facing me as he stepped around her.
I shook my head, and before he could speak, I said, “No, you talk to me, not him, since I’m the one you seem to have an issue with.”
“The only issue I have with you is you being a thorn in my side,” she countered, eyes narrowed.
“Look—” Everett tried, but I cut him off.
“And why is that? Because he loves me and not you? That’s why you helped Sonya Lugo leak that video and those pictures? Because you thought it would make him stop loving me?”
The shock registered on her face for a few seconds before she wiped it off. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Everett damn near jumped in her face. “Sonya taped your conversation. We heard you offer to leak more shit, you motherfucking—”
Esther jumped at his thundering voice. “What?! You’re lying! I didn’t—”
“You know, Esther, I didn’t get you and Everett’s relationship for a long time. I struggled to understand why you wouldn’t let go, why you felt so comfortable making demands of him, calling him to get in his personal business, expecting him to still want you after you two being divorced for all these years.”
“We were in love. Real love, love that created a child. That kind of love never dies,” she declared.
“Uh-huh,” I said. “And then him? Him hating you so much? I mean, yeah, I know you hurt him, but I was like, he should be over that by now. For a while there, I thought he was still hung up on you.”
“He still loves me, I know it,” she said, lifting her chin a bit.
“Hell-no I don’t! I can’t stand your ass!” Everett shouted. At this point, even as huge as the house was, I half-expected Nat to take the elevator down there if she could reach the buttons.
“I thought so, too, but that’s not it. I know he loves me. No doubt about that. So that’s when it hit me. I realized hate like he has for you is much deeper than you cheating on him, even though he caught you with two people. He should’ve been over that. Plus, why would you keep letting him threaten to tell people what you did? Hell, if folks found out about your freaky-deaky ways, it’d probably boost that pathetic reality show career of yours. Shoot, you leaking that tape put me on the map. Who knew people would appreciate my fellatio skills so greatly? Thanks, by the way. That shit you did backfired like a motherfucker.” I laughed for effect. Yeah, Evil Jo was in the building and in rare form.
Esther was visibly pissed. “Look, you—”
“Don’t worry, I’m almost finished. So I’ve figured it out. The reason he hates you, the only thing that could make a man despise a woman he once loved the way Everett does you is there’s a constant reminder of what you did present, a physical manifestation of your infidelity and disrespect for him—Ella.”
The air seemed to leave the room as they both wore shocked expressions. Everett even stumbled a bit before sitting down beside me, speechless.
“What are you…Everett?” Esther stammered.
“Oh, he didn’t tell me, didn’t have to,” I said. “I just put two and two together, placed myself in his shoes, and realized he probably started having doubts after he caught you in your mess, had a DNA test done, and found out she wasn’t his. The problem was, he loved her, and he was the only father she knew. It’s just like him to keep this secret for her sake. And because he did, because he agreed to be a father to her despite her not being his, you took that to mean he still loved you. The fact that he never had a serious relationship with another woman after you two split only fueled that delusion.” I smiled at her. “Until I came along.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” she hissed.
“Oh, but I do. Ella isn’t any more his than my Nat is, but he loves her. He cares about her wellbeing, and he would never hurt her by revealing the truth.” I stood from the couch. “But bitch, I will.”
“Jo!” Everett sounded panicked, but I ignored him.
“Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna go about your life, let them prosecute you for distributing nonconsensual porn or whatever, do your probation, and leave us the fuck alone or I will spill all the beans about EVERYTHING.”
“Jo—” Everett began.
“You don’t want Ella to hate you, do you? No mother wants that, not even you. But she will, because she actually loves him more than she loves you. You know I’m right. She already thinks you’re crazy for that mess you pulled in Houston, and rightfully so, and when the truth about the video comes out, that’s only going to make things worse. Don’t add to it by making me reveal the truth about her father.”
“He’ll never forgive you if you do it. You’ll lose him.”
I shrugged, my eyes on the tall, beautiful, stupid-ass woman before me. “Maybe, or maybe he’s tired of lying to her. Maybe he knows she should know the truth. Who’s the daddy? A bodyguard, your trainer, the mailman, a male prostitute, some crackhead, crying-ass Tyrese Gibson? I mean, how you gonna not make sure the baby was his? That’s Hoenomics 101. If you were gonna fuck around on him, the very least you could’ve done was make sure he was the daddy.”
“Fuck you!”
“No thank you. I prefer penis. Got enough dick to keep me occupied. You remember what he’s packing, right? Girl! I ain’t walked straight in months! It’s like ground beef down there!”
She gave me half a smirk. “You can’t even handle him.” Damn, this heifer just would not lie down.
So Evil Jo said, “Oh, I can handle him now. I can handle the shit outta him. Wanna see? I know you like watching us…or listening to us…or whatever you were doing in that closet.”
I heard Everett behind me. “Jo, baby—”
“I’m done, but so is she if she wants her daughter to keep loving her. I’m not playing. I’m not gonna be her victim anymore, and neither are you.”
Everett stood, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Um, Esther…you should go.”
She stood there for a moment, her pouty lips trembling like her big bad ass wanted to cry. Then she said, “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it, and heed it, ho’. Don’t think for a minute I won’t do it. After what you did to me, it would be a pleasure. I’m even willing to pay for Ella’s counseling afterwards. I do care about her, you know?”
She shook her head as she glared at me.
“Oh, and you better not tell anyone about tonight. You were never here, and if you say
otherwise, you know what I’m gonna do.”
“You bitch,” she gritted.
“Awww, thanks,” I replied.
A few seconds later, she stormed out of the house, burning rubber as she left our property.
I turned to a still-stunned Everett, and said, “I was bluffing. I’d never do that to Ella, but I had to make her believe I would. I just wanted her to know I knew, to take some of her power away. That secret was like Kryptonite to you, and well, I’m over people treating me like shit and me just taking it. I—”
“How long have you known?”
“I figured it out when I was stuck in my depression, lying in bed with nothing to do but think.”
He nodded. “Why didn’t you say something before now? Why didn’t you mention it to me first?”
“I…I didn’t think it was something you wanted to discuss, figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”
“But you changed your mind?”
“No, I wanted to keep you out of it and confront her alone, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that.”
“I wasn’t gonna tell you. I don’t think I could’ve. My family doesn’t even know.”
“They don’t?”
“No. I know that’s fucked up, but I just didn’t want anyone to know. I-it’s...I don’t know how to deal with you knowing this.”
“Ev, I think it’s beautiful that you put Ella’s needs and wellbeing before your own. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You are a good man, the best I’ve ever known, and I’m proud to call you mine. I’m sorry if what I said to her hurt you. That wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to shake her up. She was too bold with her shit and—”
“Jo, I hear you. I just…” He sighed.
My heart fell as I watched him struggle internally. I knew I was running a risk when I decided to confront her, but I honestly wasn’t ready for losing him to be the consequence I’d have to face. “You can’t be with me now that I know, or because I threatened her?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just…embarrassed as hell about how she fucking played me like that from day one. She was already pregnant when we got married. The baby was the main reason I rushed to marry her, And everything…everything went just like you said. I didn’t have even one doubt until after I caught her cheating, had the test done, and my whole world fell apart. Ella’s been my heart since she came into this world, and to find out she wasn’t mine? That just, it broke me. For real. And it made me look like a sucker, a fool. I still feel like a damn fool. And if anyone else finds out—this shit is embarrassing, Jo. Yeah, Esther’s the one in the wrong, but still…”
“I would never, ever tell anyone, Ev. I wouldn’t do that to you. I just had to make her believe I was as low as she is, but I wouldn’t do that to you or Ella. I promise you. I won’t tell anyone.”
“But you know.”
“And like I said, I think it’s beautiful that you decided to still be a father to Ella.”
“But…how can you respect me after this? Knowing this?”
“I respect you more for your sacrifice, for your big heart. I—I’m sorry. If I could take it back, I would. I just didn’t know any other way to stop her. I…”
We stood there for a moment, both of us mute. I didn’t know what else to do or say, and evidently, neither did he. So I just said, “Let’s go to bed, talk about it in the morning?”
“No.”
I stared at him, my heart thrashing in my chest. This was it. I’d overstepped and messed everything up. It was over. “W-why?”
“Nothing left to talk about. You did what you felt you had to do. I appreciate that, because I was ready to go to jail. Didn’t want to, but I was willing to. You probably saved my ass.”
“I know I did.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Same old Jo.”
“There’s only one old person in this room, Everett.”
With raised brows, he countered, “You don’t be calling me old when I—”
“You still love me? You still want me after what I said to her? You believe I was just bluffing?”
He pulled me to him. “I know your heart. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me, and you know that would hurt me.”
“I really wouldn’t.”
“And to see you go that hard for me makes me want you even more, love you even deeper. Shit, the way you fired those shots at Esther? You a rider for real.”
“Only for you, Big South. Only for you.”
39
Two months later…
My heart was full as I watched her standing there. She’d changed out of her cream gown into a short white dress covered in crystals and some stilettos that made it hard for me to keep from attacking her right there in that room where we waited to be escorted out to the receiving line in the grand ballroom. She was my wife now, and I couldn’t get the image of her floating down the aisle toward me to OutKast’s Prototype out of my mind. Jo almost tripped over her feet when she saw Andre 3000 standing on the other side of Leland, my best man, serenading everyone. I was glad I was able to pull that surprise off.
And now, as she turned to face me, excitement in her eyes, I couldn’t help but smile. I loved this woman so much, more than I even knew I was capable of.
She returned my smile as she inched closer to where I sat on a chair observing her in the small room. Standing between my legs, she asked, “What are you looking at?”
I placed my hands on her hips. “You, Mrs. McClain.”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, grinning down at me. “That’s Mrs. South to you.”
I slid my hands around to her ass. “You know what I’ve never done before, Mrs. South?”
She shook her head. “No, what?”
Sliding my hand under her short dress to grip her bare ass in her thong underwear, I answered, “Made love to my new wife.”
Closing her eyes as I slid my hand from her ass to her mound, she murmured, “Uh…isn’t that what the honeymoon is for?”
As I found my way into her panties and slid a finger inside her, I said, “Traditionally, but I say, fuck tradition. I want you right here, right now.”
She grabbed my shoulders as I used my thumb to massage her clit. “But-But we have to greet people, do the dance, and I don’t wanna be—ohhh, shit! I don’t wanna be leaking you from me while I do that stuff.”
I reached up with my free hand and tilted her head so that I could kiss her, sliding my tongue into her mouth.
A minute later, she pulled her mouth from mine. “Ev, for real. I don’t wanna be all juicy and stuff out there.”
I slid my fingers out of her and licked them. “You can stop in a restroom before we go to the ballroom, clean yourself up. I saw one close by when they were leading us in here. Shit, I’ll wash you up myself, but I need it, baby. Right now.”
Her eyes narrowed with what was undeniable desire as she reached down and began unbuttoning my pants. I stood, slid them down my legs, and was pushed back onto the chair by Jo, who pulled her dress up and was about to pull her underwear off when I stopped her.
“I’ma just slide them motherfuckers to the side,” I said in a voice so full of lust, I barely recognized it myself.
Without another word, she straddled me, giving me room to slide her panties to the side and line my dick up with her treasure. She clamped her hand to my mouth as she sank down on me.
“Shit!” I yelled into her hand, then grabbed her hips to help her move, but she shook her head.
“I got it. Let me do the work, baby,” she said.
That shit was so sexy, I almost busted right then, but managed to hold it because I knew the longer I held it, the better the explosion would feel. She slid up and down me, coating me with her juices as she looked into my eyes with heavy lids, moaning softly, her face in a pretty frown. I slid one of her dress straps down her shoulder, and reached inside the strapless bra to grab and twist her nipple, making her lose her rhythm for a second as she rode the hell out of me.
“Damn, baby!” I mumbled, her hand still muzzling me. She felt so damn good and hot and shit, I closed my eyes and just felt it all, felt her clenching and pulling at me each time she lifted from my lap, as if her pussy was trying to take possession of something it already owned—me. I would hop in a damn volcano just for a taste of it.
When she stiffened and I heard a soft, tortured-sounding grunt, I opened my eyes and grabbed her hips, moving her up and down me at a hectic pace as she vibrated around my dick, contracting, jerking, milking me. Then I felt it coming, the sensation so strong there was no holding out this time. I reached around and clutched her ass tightly as my ass lifted from the chair and I emptied inside her. Just as my eyesight returned, I saw the door ease open then slam shut. It was the wedding coordinator, a really kind older black lady who’d just gotten an eyeful of Jo’s ass and a nose full of our sex. Jo’s hand was still covering my mouth, and I was still half high off her pussy. Neither of us had thought to lock the door.
“Who was that?” Jo asked with big, panicked eyes.
“The wedding planner,” I said into her hand.
“Shit,” Jo mumbled, as she removed her hand from my mouth and lifted from my lap, sucking in air as I slipped out of her. “I can’t believe we just sort of got caught. She must think we are the nastiest people…”
“Much as I’m paying her? She ain’t got room to think shit. Come on. Let’s find that restroom.”
Jo shook her head. “You just couldn’t wait. Had to have some right now…”
“Sure did, and don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it.”
“Did I say that?”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is I’m sure she’s livid to have seen that…us.”
“I’ll give her a fat-ass bonus. That should fix it.”
She rolled her eyes at me, and I grinned as I guided her out of the room.
*****
“Thanks for coming,” I said for probably the thousandth time, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind any of it, not the money we spent on the wedding, the millions of pictures we took, or having to stand in this receiving line. It was all part of the best day of my life.
Let Me Love You (McClain Brothers Book 1) Page 29
