“Oh, you can be next to me all right.”
“And I will. But first let me finish what I was saying before I forget.” She got up from the table a few minutes later and put her plate in the dishwasher. She stared at Nigel while he cleaned his plate. His lips were juicy. She bit her bottom lip. Right here. He can start right here, she thought as she ran her finger up and down her cleavage.
“Okay, babe. I’m ready. You can finish now. You were saying something about being comfortable.”
“Oh, yeah.” She paused, searching for her thought. “Okay, as I was saying, when you get too comfortable, you can lose the fire it requires to keep the relationship burning. Sometimes you can have the tendency to forget that the person you live with is also your friend and not just a sleeping partner. And when that happens, you’ll treat your outside friends better than the one you have at home. When people get too lax and too deep, things tend to change. The long walks in the park start to disappear right along with the romantic dinners and surprises, and going out to a club or a party . . . please, you can forget that because all those things are usually replaced. The romantic dinners on Saturday night turn into a evening of boredom and take-out food. The long walks in the park turn into a casual stroll to the kitchen or bathroom, and the going out together becomes you out with your friends or me out with mine. Then the surprise comes when one of us gets fed up with the other and then decides to go out and create our own fun, for the lack of a better word . . . cheats. You do understand what I’m trying to say here, don’t you?”
Nigel tilted his chair back and rested his arms on top of his head. “Yes, I understand you clearly, Simone. What you’re trying to tell me is that you don’t want me to turn out like your ex, right?” He studied her with knowing, accusing eyes, and when she nodded, he continued, “Now it’s your turn to listen to me, baby. I love you and I’m not him and if I were, I am sure you would’ve recognized it by now and left me out for the dogs. You have to trust me, Simone. Better yet, trust your heart. There’s no pressure here, so relax and take your time. This here is not work and you do not have a deadline that you have to meet.” He kissed her hand.
Simone wrapped her arms around his neck and stood still for a moment. Finally, a man who understood her. “Thank you, Nigel, for being so patient. I don’t mean to lecture you. It’s just that I’m a little nervous and scared and besides, what would your daughter say?”
He grinned, showing off his killer smile. “First of all, thank you for being you. Second of all, love is nothing to be afraid of. Third of all, let us not forget that my daughter is twenty, a woman herself, and she’ll have to understand. She did with her mother anyway.”
Simone smiled and sat in his lap. She traced his thick eyebrows with her finger. “That’s good to know, now let’s go upstairs because I have an itch that needs to be scratched.” Simone laughed as she took his hand and led him through the house. Her getting as much as Kennedy did, was all she could think about.
After Nigel had fallen asleep Simone silently eased up from her bedroom and walked downstairs to get something to drink. She was glad that Kennedy wasn’t home because she could walk around naked. Walking around naked in one’s own house felt good. Nigel could, too, although now she hoped that he’d stay asleep. She needed this time to regroup. She did her best thinking in either the kitchen or the bathroom. And right now that was exactly what she needed.
She had always known what she wanted but she now found herself a little skeptical. She wanted Nigel. He was so good to her but she was afraid of what a serious relationship would eventually amount to. After they’d spend a certain number of years together the question of children would come up.
She wanted children, but was deathly afraid. Every time she thought of Kennedy, she grew even more scared. She thought of all the single mothers and deadbeat fathers that she encountered every day at the office. If a woman wasn’t complaining about how she had to raise her children by herself then a man was calling to inform one of the accountants that his child support payments were in arrears and he was being governmentally garnished. How did Kennedy do it? True, Jared was nowhere close to being a deadbeat dad, but Kennedy had Kharri most of the time. Kennedy had to take her to school, the doctor, and the dentist. Kennedy raised Kharri, not Jared. Sure, he paid child support without a court order and he spent time with their daughter every chance Kennedy would let him—mostly weekends and summer holidays—but Kennedy was Mommy and Daddy the majority of the time. Simone admired Kennedy for that, but didn’t think that she could ever do it. She simply didn’t believe in herself enough.
She laughed. Talk about thinking far ahead. She was too busy for a baby, but deep inside she wanted one, maybe two. Imagining a little Nigel, she laughed and headed back upstairs.
Nigel was sitting up, wide awake. Simone licked her lips at the sight of him. She had always been attracted to muscles, and he had plenty of them, but she was only interested in one of them at the moment.
“Nigel, can I ask you a personal question?” Simone asked.
Nigel jumped. “Hey. Don’t scare me like that. I didn’t even hear you come in. Sure, you can ask me whatever you want.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Simone rubbed the side of her neck. “When was the last time that you were tested?”
“Tested. Tested for what?”
“You know. HIV, AIDS?”
“A few weeks ago. Remember the time I got cut on that bottle at that construction site and there was something brown on it? We couldn’t tell if it was dried-up blood or not. Well, when I went to the hospital to see if I needed stitches, I had them test me. It’s company policy for insurance regulations in case we get hurt on the job. You know the insurance companies want to cover their backs. It was negative. Why do you ask?”
“Because there’s something I want to try,” Simone replied.
“If it doesn’t hurt, I’ll try anything once.”
Simone pulled down the sheet. She knelt down and kissed him and then climbed on top. Nigel reached to the night-stand for a condom. Simone then politely removed the condom from his hand and threw it across the room.
“Why look through the window when you can come right through the door, Nigel?” she whispered in his ear, guiding him into her quickly before he stopped her. Once he felt her, he wouldn’t be able to stop her. Nor would he want to.
~ 4 ~
By the time Derrick pulled into his driveway he was pissed. He had paged his new friend and didn’t receive a return call. Derrick always had a “new friend,” as he liked to refer to his rendezvous partners, which was the reason he was missing thirty-five percent of his check each week. Seventeen and a half percent for each of his two children, results of his long-term, on-again/off-again secret relationship with Jericha, a twenty-seven-year-old, beautiful, mean and lazy, at-home mom who did not believe in work. His son, Derrick Jr. was seven and his daughter Anjelica was almost six.
At thirty, Derrick had almost everything he wanted: two adorable children (even though he didn’t get to see them very often), a condo in New Jersey across the water from his Wall Street office, a nice and healthy bank account, a Lincoln Navigator, and to top it all off, he was in good health. All he needed to do was find someone with whom to settle down—exactly what he was trying to do. As of late, he was putting more into the relationship than he received and he couldn’t take it. Courtney was gorgeous, sexy, and successful with a larger bank account than his, so Derrick couldn’t complain. He, too, had played the hard-to-get role and knew it didn’t usually last for long. Derrick knew the game because he played it well.
“Damn, why does it have to be the one that I’m really interested in who has to play these games?” Derrick said aloud as he entered his condo. He walked to his state-of-the-art entertainment center. Being an avid music collector, he insisted on nothing but the best of electronics, speakers, and of course, his Sony Play Station 2, of which he had become very fond. His condo, a typical well-to-do bachelor pad,
was sparse of furniture and coziness, but quality and money filled the air. He hadn’t paid for anything in his place except for food and clothes. The rest were all presents from his previous new friends. Well, forget Courtney. He’d just call Jericha. She was always willing to see and please him, which was exactly what he needed—some good sex and a lot of attention and someone who wouldn’t want to spend the night. Just as he was about to pick up the phone, it rang.
“Hello, Derrick Jacobs speaking,” he said in his best business voice in case the caller was one of his pain-in-the-butt clients who felt they had the right to call him at home.
“Hey, sorry it took so long for me to return your call. I tried your cell phone and when I didn’t get through I decided to try you at home,” Courtney said.
“No problem, so what’s up? Are you coming by tonight or should I meet you at your place?” Derrick asked, feeling like a fool because only five seconds earlier he was mad and didn’t have the nerve to say it.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I completely forgot about our meeting tonight but I didn’t forget about you. I’m kind of tied up right now. I’m in a meeting and it’ll probably last a while. I’m afraid I can’t get out of it, and besides it’s very important, a new client and account that I’m trying to land. And tomorrow I promised my mother I’d come to her house for dinner, remember? You know I haven’t seen her in weeks. I truly apologize, but I promise to make it up. Forgive me?”
“Yeah, we’ll see. I’ll forgive you if you promise to teach me something new, if you know what I mean.”
“You got it. Oh, and did I tell you that I have a wonderful birthday surprise all planned for you?”
“That’s sweet, but my birthday isn’t until July, it’s only May.”
“I know, but I was thinking about you and I’m looking forward to making you smile. I’m also looking very forward to our trip to Rio next month. Unfortunately for you, you’ll have to wait until your birthday for your surprise but I can assure you that it’s better than Rio. On that note, sweetheart, I have to go now. My client keeps looking at me and that isn’t a good sign. Okay, bye.”
Courtney hung up and Derrick grinned, temporarily satisfied knowing that he was being thought of. He picked up the phone again and dialed Jericha’s number. She was bound to give him what Courtney couldn’t.
* * *
Derrick had not spent quality time with Courtney in weeks. They saw each other on occasion and met for lunch or dinner when the opportunity presented itself, which was not often enough. Because of their busy schedules—usually not his—they didn’t have the time, couldn’t find the time, and Courtney seemed not to make the time. Derrick was lonely. He silently longed for the mornings when they had awakened with their bodies entangled and their legs criss-crossed. He missed the sticky afternoons when they would sex each other until their sweat poured out like tears. He wanted the endless nights that ended way too soon. He wanted all of those things but he couldn’t say it. He was a man, a man who was used to being chased, not doing the chasing.
Time to have a serious discussion with Courtney. They would have to make the time to talk, or Derrick would be forced to remove himself from the situation. How could anyone be with a person and not spend time with them? How could Courtney expect him to stay true when they were absent from each other? Didn’t Courtney know how large his appetite was?
Derrick bitterly paced, pondered his current situation, then grabbed his keys from the table. He didn’t know where he was going but he knew he had to clear his thoughts. His cell phone rang. Instead of answering it without thought as he usually did, he looked at the caller ID. He was too upset to talk civilly so he’d let Courtney wait on him for a change. Later they would talk. With keys and cell phone in hand, he grabbed his Palm Pilot and was out the front door.
* * *
As Derrick reached the end of the Lincoln Tunnel, Manhattan bound, his phone rang again. Damn. Must be Courtney calling again. They didn’t speak as often as he would’ve liked them to, but when Courtney called, Courtney called! He refused to hide from anyone.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Hey, babe,” Kennedy said, “what’s going on? I’ve been calling you for the last fifteen minutes and the recording kept saying that you were out of area. Aren’t you supposed to have one of the best, I’m strictly Wall Street, my phone never goes out type of phones?” Kennedy teased.
“Hey, what’s up, li’l sis? Nah, it wasn’t the phone, trust me. I was stuck in traffic inside the tunnel. You know how it can be. Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. You might not remember about that, considering that you never visit me anymore,” Derrick said, as his aggravation turned into a smile.
“That’s not true. That’s why I was calling. I was on my way out there but I can see that you’re here now. Any plans?”
“Nope. On my way to nowhere. What you got in mind?”
“Whatever,” Kennedy said.
“Where are you?”
“Midtown, Times Square. I’m on Forty-fifth and Broadway. I’m on the way to my car, just leaving the Virgin records store.”
“Meet me at Windows of the World. And yes, I’m paying. See you there,” Derrick replied and hung up, anxious to see his little sister. He needed somebody to confide in and Kennedy was fair if nothing else. She wasn’t always the most considerate person in the world because she had a habit of telling the truth even if it hurt. And what he needed right now was a dose of the truth to wake him up.
* * *
When Derrick saw Kennedy enter the restaurant, he waved to her to get her attention. As usual some man was trying to hit on his little sister. Even though she was now a full-fledged woman he couldn’t help but feel protective. Men would always be attracted to Kennedy. She was smart, beautiful, and sexy. He hated to admit the sexy part because she was his sister, but he couldn’t lie. He would never see her the way other men did of course, but all in all, she was definitely shapelier than a lot of his ex-women were.
When Kennedy finally saw Derrick, she dismissed her latest pursuer, who more than likely knew he didn’t stand a chance in hell with her but tried anyway. They always did.
“What’s up, D?” Kennedy asked, hugging Derrick, who had stood up as she approached the table.
“Apparently you, sis,” he said as he kissed her cheek and nodded toward the man who had stopped her.
They both laughed when they saw the look on the man’s face. The man flared his nostrils, puffed out his chest, and gave Derrick a quick nod.
“You still know how to pick ’em, huh, Ken?” Derrick teased.
“Yeah, right.” Kennedy laughed. “Him, you must be crazy. As a matter of fact, I do indeed know how to pick them but them does not include him!”
“Okay, let’s talk about them. Let’s do something that none of us do. I’m talking about me, you, and Simone. Let’s share, as you would say, but not too much detail, okay? I don’t think that I could handle that,” Derrick said.
“Sure. But you go first because I don’t trust what I’m hearing. You. Wanting to share? Who’d ever believe? What is it, Mr. Jacobs? Are you in love? Did somebody break your heart? No wait, I got it. You are in love and you have a baby on the way, right? Because that’s the only time you want to share,” Kennedy said very matter-of-factly, with interest and concern, and smiled.
* * *
Kennedy left the restaurant amazed by their openness and candor. She couldn’t believe how easy their conversation flowed. More important, she couldn’t believe all that they’d shared. Derrick was definitely one to be proud of. Not only honest but also sincere, his smarts were never in question. Neither of her siblings lacked intelligence, just openness. All of them were that way. She couldn’t remember a time when they had all been unguarded with one another. She liked being able to be honest with Derrick, well, almost honest. She couldn’t tell him everything about Michael. And she had a feeling that Derrick had been holding back too.
* * *
On her way to meet Miranda, Kennedy
wondered if she should’ve told her brother everything. She found it hard to love someone and not be able to share it, especially with family. Miranda knew. But telling Miranda was like telling herself. Miranda was one of those people who was love struck by love. She didn’t care who was in love, she would still be excited.
When Kennedy pulled up in front of the hair salon she noticed Miranda’s new car immediately. Although she had never saw it before, she knew because of the description Miranda had given her. It was the only bright red Mercedes SL600 series parked. As she was admiring the car up close a man’s voice startled her. Immediately she turned to see Rich, Miranda’s fiancé.
“What’s up, Rich?” Kennedy asked nicely, pretending she really liked him.
“Like what you see? Miranda told you that I hooked her up, right? See, some of us are nice guys,” Rich said through closed teeth as he got out of his car. The same closed teeth that made Kennedy weary of him.
“Yeah. It’s nice. It’s real nice.”
“Maybe if you’re nice, real nice, maybe you can get hooked up too,” Rick replied.
“Hooked up? Hooked up by whom?” Kennedy snapped, not believing that the lunatic had the balls to say what he just did while Miranda was just across the street in the salon. “Are you crazy? Do you know who I am? I’m Miranda’s best friend. We’re close but not that close, not close enough to be sharing everything. You must be fucking nuts!”
Rich inched between Kennedy and Miranda’s car and tried to run his finger down the side of her face. “Come on now, Ken. You know you wanna be hooked up. Loosen up a little bit and share the wealth. I won’t tell if you won’t tell.”
“Fuck you!” Kennedy jumped back and mouthed under her breath as Miranda came out of the salon. She would tell her friend as soon as they were alone.
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