“Bye, Latrel. I love you.”
“Me too.”
Latrel hung up, and as expected, Roc was still staring at me. “He’s my son, Roc, and I couldn’t let him make a big mistake like that one.”
“Right, you’re so right. I feel sorry for that man, and he will never find the woman of his dreams, waitin’ on you to come around.”
I pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it on the floor. “I guess he won’t,” I said. “And I guess that will only lead to me being in trouble again.”
Roc winked at me, then jumped on the bed. “I knew you’d find a little time to fit me into your schedule. Lie back, baby, and swoop those pretty legs into position.”
I did as I was told, and rubbed my hands on Roc’s carved chest. “Do . . . Don’t you think we fuck too much?” I said bluntly. “Every time I look up, there you are, looking down at me, smiling and stroking away.”
“Then maybe you should turn around more often and let me get at your pussy from the back. Besides, I know you ain’t complainin’.”
I turned on my stomach, resting my head comfortably on a pillow. Roc straddled my legs, bending one of them so he could have easier access.
“Hike that ass up a bit so I can get at it like I want to.”
I hiked up my ass, and he pulled my cheeks apart. When he entered me, I squeezed my eyes, and let out a deep sigh of relief. I thought about how good he made my insides feel, and confirmed that I wanted to feel him inside of me forever.
“Nooo complaints,” I assured him. “And you could fuck me like this forever.”
“That’s what I thought and it’s somethin’ that I definitely know.”
Cocky or confident, it didn’t really matter. Roc was giving me what I wanted and that was summed up as sexual satisfaction.
The sex session delayed us. By the time we got ready and arrived at Roc’s cousin’s church on Grand Boulevard, it was 3:45 P.M. The wedding hadn’t even started yet, and since Roc was one of the groomsmen, that was a good thing. He drove like a bat out of hell getting there, only to be told that the minister hadn’t shown up yet. I sat by myself in the crowded church that was filled with who I assumed to be many of Roc’s relatives and friends. The church was beautifully decorated with turquoise, black, and white. I could tell someone had put a lot of money into the wedding, and I guessed the money for the flowers had come through. Beautiful lilies were everywhere, and each pew had a bundle of carnations with pearls. A big picture of the bride and groom was propped up on the stage on an easel, and the dim lighting made the sanctuary look even more elegant. The pianist started doing his thing, but for at least ten minutes, he seemed to be tuning the piano. I crossed my legs, looking down at my black silk and leather heels with pleats near my opened toes. The half-shoulder mustard-colored silk dress I wore tightened at my waist and hugged my curvaceous hips. It was knee-length level, but inched up a bit when I took my seat. My hair was pinned up, giving me a very classy look that kept others staring. Whenever someone smiled at me, I smiled back. One older lady in particular, she came over and stood next to me with her cane.
“Oooo, young lady, you’re so very pretty,” she said. “What gentleman in here do you belong to?”
I could only thank her and laugh. “Thank you for the compliment, and you are beautiful too. I’m here with Rocky Dawson. He’s one of the groomsmen.”
“You mean Roc?” The lady smiled. “Nobody calls him Rocky anymore, and he hates that name. I’m a longtime friend of the family, and we all go way, way back.”
The lady stood next to me, going on and on about the Dawson family. I asked if she wanted to take a seat next to me, but she insisted that she was sitting elsewhere. Almost fifteen minutes later the pianist asked everyone to take their seats, and that’s when the elderly woman walked away. By now, there was no place next to me to sit, and more people had crammed into the church.
The wedding got started, and instead of the groomsmen coming down the aisle, they all walked in at once and stood in front of the church. There were eight men total, all very handsome men, with the exception of Ronnie. Well, he was nice-looking too, but I couldn’t stand him. To me, of course, Roc looked the best. The black tuxedo fit his body perfectly, and along with his fresh haircut and trimmed hair on his chin, my eyes stayed glued to him. I couldn’t help that I was sitting in a church, thinking about what had transpired only a few hours ago. My mind was definitely in the gutter, and God would have to forgive me.
My attention turned to the bridesmaids coming in, and then to the flower girl and ring bearer. The bride was also pretty, but I wasn’t going to say anything about her having on too much caked-on makeup. Whoever did her makeup needed to rethink his/her career. Other than that, she was perfect.
As the ceremony was in progress, I occasionally looked at Roc and he looked at me. We smiled at each other, but I also noticed his attention focused elsewhere. I followed the direction of his eyes, only to see Vanessa sitting in one of the pews with another man next to her. I thought I’d seen the man before, then I quickly realized it was that goon Mississippi who was at Roc’s place that day. His dreads had been cut off, and even though he looked a little better, he still wasn’t all that great looking to me. I wondered if Vanessa was now seeing him, and I guessed as close as they were sitting, it was obvious. I didn’t know how well that had gone over with Roc, but I really wanted to know how he felt about it. I suspected the day would get interesting.
The “I do’s” were exchanged, so were the rings, and the broom had been jumped over. The wedding party was asked to stay to take photos, and instead of waiting around, I left to go use the bathroom, plus call to check on Latrel and Chassidy. The hallways were so crowded that you could barely move, and when I got to the bathroom, a line was outside of the door. I dug in my purse to get my phone, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t hear the word “bitch” from behind. I turned, seeing Vanessa standing only a few feet away with three other women. To be honest, she looked really nice in her lavender sheer-like strapless dress with a small slit on the thigh. Her long hair was pulled away from her face, bumped up a bit, and clipped in the back. All I did was cut my eyes at her, and started to move in another direction. I was glad to see Roc exiting the sanctuary. He saw me and motioned for me to come his way.
“I want you to meet some people,” he said. I made my way up to him and he eased his arm around my waist. He introduced me to several of his cousins, aunts, uncles, and some friends. He was all smiles, and seemed really proud to have me with him. I was kind of shocked by his reaction. More so by his arm that he never removed from my waist. People were taking many photos and I couldn’t tell you how many times we had to stop and pose for the cameras. I had even posed in two pictures with Ronnie, and you best believe that he was on one end and I was on the other.
Everyone was starting to leave the church to make their way to the reception. I still needed to use the bathroom, so I interrupted Roc, talking to a couple of his friends.
“Say, honey,” I said. “I’ll be back, okay? I need to go to the restroom.”
Roc held my hand, asking me to hold up a second. He exchanged a few more words with his friends, then they walked away. He then turned to face me, while wiggling his bowtie away from his neck.
“It’s hotter than a mug in here,” he said. “So, what did you think?”
“Think about what? The wedding?”
“Yes, the weddin’ and my peeps. They ain’t as bad as you thought they would be, are they?”
I smiled, thinking how surprised I was that he had some very nice and down-to-earth people in his family. I then reached out to help him remove the bowtie he seemed to have trouble with. It came loose and Roc placed it in his pocket. He wrapped his arms around me and I wrapped mine around him. “I think the wedding was beautiful, you looked so very, very handsome, and your family is everything I imagined them to be. Wonderful people.”
Roc laughed. I swear his bright white teeth against his dark skin was a
combination that set me on fire. “Quit lyin’. You are such a good liar, but you good.”
He pecked my lips, only encouraging me to go for more. As we kissed, an older man interrupted us and held up his camera. He flashed it, making us laugh.
“Boy, you got yourself somethin’ right there,” he said, squeezing Roc’s shoulder. “Good God Almighty, and if you can’t handle all of that goodness, be sho’ to let me know!”
“Will do, Cousin Freddy, but I’m positive I can handle it.”
Freddy walked away, sucking in his lips and eyeballing me. I couldn’t help but blush from his compliment.
“I really need to get to the bathroom,” I said. Roc let go of my hand, and thank God the bathroom wasn’t that crowded. After using it, I washed my hands while checking myself in the mirror. My lip gloss had gotten light, so I removed my tiny purse clutched underneath my arm to find my gloss. I must have forgotten it at home, so I snapped my purse back together and left the bathroom. No sooner had I walked out than I could see Vanessa, who had already made her way up to Roc. She was close to his face, pointing her finger and gritting her teeth. Several other people were standing around, and didn’t she know how much she was embarrassing herself? Roc slapped her finger away from his face and that’s when he saw me coming. He looked over Vanessa’s shoulder at me.
“Are you ready to jet so we can go to the reception?” he said, trying to ignore her.
She quickly turned around with a mean mug on her face. I stepped around her, and stood next to Roc. She couldn’t help herself from reaching up to hit him. This time, however, I grabbed her wrist, catching it in midair. Her eyes widened, as she couldn’t believe I was protecting Roc.
“That will land you on this floor, and I don’t think you want to catch a beat-down in no church. Take it up with Roc later, and if you don’t, you will regret it.”
She snatched her wrist away from me, and before any words could come out of her mouth, the man standing next to Roc pushed her backward. She almost fell, but charged forward again. This time, he squeezed her arm, ordering her to leave.
“Move out of my way, Steve! That bitch don’t put her hands on me. She don’t know me and I will kick her ass! I’m just tryin’ to talk to Roc!”
“Wrong place,” Roc said with a smirk. “Wrong time.” He looked at Steve, who seemed to have control over her. So many people there were shaking their heads, and the whole scene was quite embarrassing. “Please do somethin’ with her,” Roc said to Steve. “Throw her ass in the river for all I care, but get her the fuck out of my face.”
Vanessa called Roc all kinds of son of bitches, you muthafucka this and that. She was being pushed in one direction while we walked in another one. As soon as we walked out of the church doors, Mississippi was standing outside, talking to a gathering of other young men and several ladies. Roc was holding my hand, but I guess he couldn’t help himself from saying something.
“Sippi, you need to go inside and calm your bitch down. She clownin’, and if you care about her like yo’ hatin’ ass say you do, then go handle that.”
Sippi pointed to his chest. “Nigga, you talkin’ to me? I know you ain’t talkin’ to me.”
Roc tried to let go of my hand, but I squeezed it. He snatched away, making his way up to Mississippi. I knew this day was too good to be true, and didn’t somebody recognize that we were in a church? I called out Roc’s name, but he ignored me. A few people had already started to move out. Many stayed to watch as Roc stood face to face with Mississippi with tightened fists.
“You damn right I’m talkin’ to you, you fake-ass muthafucka. Now what, nigga? Yo’ move.”
Mississippi didn’t have a move, especially since Ronnie and three of his henchmen walked up from behind him. He gripped Roc’s shoulder, massaging it.
“Calm down, baby boy. There won’t be no bloodshed today. G’on and take yo’ pretty young thang to the reception and enjoy yourself. Sippi ain’t mean no harm, did you?”
Roc hadn’t moved, and he waited for Mississippi to respond. “Roc know he my boy, but he don’t need to be comin’ at me about some dumb shit over no trick.”
“One who ain’t even worth it, so we gon’ leave this shit right here at the front door of the church,” Ronnie said. “Squash this and let’s move out. We got a party to go to.”
Mississippi held up his fist for Roc to pound and squash it, but Roc cut his eyes and walked away. He took my hand, and, at a speedy pace, walked with me to his truck. Honestly, I didn’t feel like going to the reception, and this ongoing drama with Roc was working my nerves. And then for Ronnie to suggest that they leave the drama at the church door—please. God was probably shaking His head at all of us. There was no denying that every time I attempted to be a part of Roc’s circle, something tragic almost happened. I prayed for him and definitely for my safety.
Roc sped off the parking lot, only to be stopped by Ronnie, who stood in front of the truck, holding up his hand. He strutted around to the driver’s side, and Roc lowered his window.
“You good?” he asked Roc.
“I’m fine. That fool was the one trippin’, not me.”
“I don’t give a shit about him. All I care about is you. I don’t want no shake, rattlin’, and rollin’ goin’ on, so calm down and sleep on it.”
Roc nodded, and before he rose his window, Ronnie looked over at me.
“Sup, Desa Rae? You lookin’ lovely as ever. Glad you decided to come. When you and my Roc gon’ tie the knot?”
Roc smiled and put his hand on the switch to raise the window. “Man, stop talkin’ shit. You high, drunk, on crack, or what?”
I leaned forward to address Ronnie. “You look awesome too, Ronnie, and as for me and Roc tying the knot, not a chance in hell. I only use him for sex.”
Ronnie laughed and backed away from the car. Roc looked disturbed by what I said, and I was bothered by what he’d said as well. That’s why I responded the way I did. We couldn’t get off the parking lot before he tried to tear into me.
“Not a chance in hell, huh? And all I’m good for is sex? You shot me down like I wasn’t shit.”
“I knew you were going to say that, but it was no worse than you saying Ronnie was high, drunk, on crack, or whatever if he thought we’d ever get married.”
“I was just playin’, and I told you that’s how we talk.”
“Well, I guess I’m learning from you, and, at the time, I couldn’t think of a better response either.”
I playfully shoved Roc’s shoulder, and, just to irritate me, he blasted his music. I turned it down, feeling a need to ask him a few questions.
“Snookums, I don’t really want to bring this up right now, but please tell me what is up with Vanessa. Why does she always carry on like that? Has she always been that way?”
“She’s a crazy and deranged woman. She actin’ like that cause I don’t fuck with her no more. She didn’t always act like that, but she definitely ain’t got it all upstairs.”
“Well, it’s been awhile since you’ve been out of jail. Almost six months to be exact, and I don’t understand why she doesn’t accept the fact that you’ve moved on.”
Roc stopped at the red light on Lindell Boulevard and looked over at me. “I don’t know either. But since you showed her how gangsta you can be, next time you see her, why don’t you ask her? I can’t answer why she’s a nutcase. Some people are just that way when they don’t get what they want.”
“Gangsta, no. I just don’t have time for games, that’s all.” I touched the side of Roc’s face. “Besides, I didn’t want her messing up that handsome face. Not today anyway.”
“No worries here. But I don’t believe for one minute that you ain’t got a li’l hood in you. It’s there, and ain’t no way you’d be messin’ with me if it wasn’t.”
I threw my hand back at Roc, but he was on to something, because I did graduate from the one and only Charles Sumner High School. I did have my suspicions about why I thought Vanessa reacted the
way she did. I couldn’t believe any woman would constantly be carrying on the way she had been if she wasn’t still someway or somehow involved with Roc. Maybe it was just me, but the next time I saw her, yes, I very well would ask.
The wedding reception was just as nice as the wedding was. It was in a ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel where we were staying the night. It was even more packed than the wedding was, and you would have sworn that Roc’s cousin and his new wife were celebrities. I was having myself a good time. The people who sat at the table with me were funny, as well as entertaining. There was something about the way an older man cracked jokes, and the one next to me was on a roll. He was talking about everybody and their mama, including Roc and his bright white teeth. I even danced with the old man a few times, but when Roc cut in, the dance floor belonged to us. I still hadn’t learned how to dance, but as long as Roc kept me close to him, I was perfectly fine.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he said, pressing his hardness close to me.
“As a matter of fact, I do. In front of all of your relatives and friends, I feel how hard you are. I may have to bend over to give them something to watch.”
He blushed. “Ooooo, you so nasty. But you know I love it, don’t you?”
“I hope so. Now, how much longer are we going to be? My feet are killing me and I’m getting very tired.”
“I’m gon’ be awhile, but if you want to go upstairs to our room to get some rest, go right ahead. I’ll be up later. Not too late, though.”
That didn’t sound like a bad idea, so I got the keycard from Roc and gave my good-byes to his family. I made my way to the elevator, on my way up. The door was about to close, but someone put his hand between the doors to make them open wide. It was Ronnie. He stepped onto the elevator with me.
“Going up?” he asked.
I nodded, feeling very uncomfortable being alone with him. We pushed the sixth floor button at the same time.
“I had a damn good time today,” he said, sucking his teeth. “How ’bout you?”
Full Figured 3: Carl Weber Presents Page 9
