Naughty 3: It's Juicy, No Matter How You Slice It

by Brenda Hampton

“This shit has got to stop!” she yelled. “I’m fed up with you and Jaylin’s mess, and this is the last straw!”

  I leaned my head against the window and held a towel with ice in it against my mouth. “Just take me home, Nanny B,” I mumbled. “I want to go home.”

  “I am not taking you back to that house tonight. I’m too old to be keeping two idiots apart, and I’m not about to kill myself trying to do so.”

  “We’ll work it out. Please, just take me home.”

  Nanny B ignored me and drove downtown to the Hampton Inn. She parked the car and got out to go inside. I stayed in the car, and when she came back, she opened the passenger’s side door.

  “Stay here for a few days and allow things to cool down. I don’t want Mackenzie caught up in all this mess, and I’m sure you don’t either.”

  “But I want to go home,” I said, covering my face. “Jaylin and I need to talk.”

  Nanny B kneeled down and touched my hand. “Scorpio, you need to stop doing this to yourself. Sometimes things don’t work out for a reason. Now, I don’t know exactly what happened, but you and Jaylin need to be as far away from each other as possible right now. So please, go inside. Get some rest and I’ll come back and check on you in the morning.”

  I sat for a moment, and then got out of the car. Nanny B walked with me to my room and stayed for about an hour. Before leaving, she asked if I would be okay, and I told her that I would be. She gave me a squeezing hug and told me she loved me.

  Feeling numb, I tore off my clothes and went into the shower to wash off Stephon’s scent. I rubbed my hair back and let the water stream out on my face. The tears just kept on flowing because no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that having sex with him was the right thing to do, I realized just how wrong I was. Even if Jaylin was still having sex with Nokea, I should have known there was a better way to handle this. I always knew a part of him still loved Nokea, but deep down, I knew he loved me more. That’s why I couldn’t believe I stooped so low, even after I knew I’d be the last woman standing.

  Now, though, there was no telling what would happen. We’d made it through tough times before, but I wasn’t sure about this time. As usual, I wasn’t going to give up without a fight. To me, Jaylin and I were meant to be together, and that’s simply how it was going to be.

  I finished my shower, wrapped a towel around me, and got in the bed. I pulled the covers over me, and called home. He answered in a low voice.

  “Jaylin,” I said softly. He didn’t respond. “Baby, are you there?” He still didn’t say anything. “Well, if you’re listening—”

  “I’m not,” he said, and then hung up.

  I called back, but he wouldn’t answer. After a while, he took the phone off the hook. When I tried his cell phone, he turned that off as well. I must have played the entire day in my mind at least a million times. Over and over again, I listened to the message he’d left earlier as he was on his way over to Stephon’s house. He was hurt bad. As much as he said he’d kick my ass for messing around on him, I thought he was just playing. I’d never seen him so angry before, and when Stephon put the gun to his chest, I could see in Jaylin’s eyes that he cared nothing about dying. What if Stephon had pulled the trigger? I was so wrong for creating such a mess, but I had no problem putting the blame on Nokea. Why couldn’t she just leave us alone? I hated her so much. After this, I knew she’d find a way to give Jaylin the comfort he needed.

  By morning, I still hadn’t had any sleep. When I heard a knock at the door, I lay there until I remembered Nanny B saying she’d be back to check on me. I opened the door and was glad to see her. She had a bag in her hand and a plate covered with aluminum foil. She came in and put the plate and bag on the table. Before she sat down, she pulled my robe from the bag.

  “Here,” she said, reaching to give it to me. “I knew you didn’t have anything to put on, so I brought a few things for you to change into.”

  “Thank you,” I said, putting on the robe. I sat back on the bed and pulled the cover over me. “Did Mackenzie make it to school okay?”

  “Yes. I dropped her off and then came here.”

  “Where’s Jaylin?’

  “When I left he was still asleep. We stayed up late last night and talked about what happened. I believe in being fair, and I know there are two sides to every story, so I’d like to hear yours—if you don’t mind.”

  “I’m too ashamed of myself to tell you what I did. Whatever he told you was probably the truth.”

  “I know he told me the truth because he had no reason to lie to me. When he told me how much he loved you, I believed him. And when he said he would have killed Stephon over you, I believed that too.”

  “Did he tell you how much he loves Nokea? This wouldn’t have ever happened if I hadn’t seen the two of them about to have sex.”

  “Yes, he told me he loves Nokea too. But he didn’t tell me he was about to have sex with her. Through your eyes, though, maybe they were about to get intimate. I’d let you be the judge of that because I wasn’t there.”

  “Well, yes, through my eyes they were. And he knows damn well that they were too.”

  “But, baby, whether they were or weren’t, you had no business going over there. If you can’t find it in your heart to trust him, then you don’t need him. I’m not saying that Jaylin is a trustworthy man, because we both know that he’s not. All I’m saying is if it’s gotten to the point where you have to follow him around and have sex with Stephon for revenge, then you have to know it’s time to move on.”

  “No, I just think we’re going through something right now. Soon, all of this will be behind us and everything will be back to normal. You know how we are, Nanny B.”

  “And just what do you call normal? It is not normal for a man to have control over you the way Jaylin does. It is not normal for him to have sex with any woman he wants to, or for you to pat him on the back as if it doesn’t matter. It is not normal for him to love another woman and for you to act as if it’s okay. It is not normal for you to have sex with his cousin and think everything is going to be fine, and, my dear, it is not normal for you to get pregnant by another man, lie about it, and think that he’s forgiven you.”

  “Everything I can think of about y’all’s relationship is abnormal, if you ask me. But if you think that some miracle is going to happen for the two of you, then you go right ahead.”

  “Well, I’m a firm believer that love can conquer anything. Any obstacle, any—”

  Nanny B got angry and snapped at me. “I want you to leave the house, Scorpio. In a few days, I want you to come to the house, pack up your things, and go.”

  “I will do no such thing,” I said, sitting up. “Now, I know how much Jaylin means to you, but he means more to me. I need him just as much as he needs me. We’ve been down this road before, and our love for one another always brings us back together. I don’t give up that easily, and you should know that.”

  “Chile, you are so blind. When Jaylin and I talked last night, I asked if he could find it in his heart to forgive you. He said there wasn’t a chance in hell, and I believed him. He also said if you came back to that house, he wouldn’t throw you out, but he would make it so bad for you that you’d want to run out. I believed that too. I’m trying to save you from a life of nothing but headache. I will give you five hundred thousand dollars of Mackenzie’s money, to use for you and her, if you leave the house in a couple of days.”

  “Mackenzie doesn’t have five hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Yes, she does. She’s not supposed to have access to it until she’s eighteen, but I’m getting desperate. I want Mackenzie to be happy, I want you to be happy, and more than anything, I want Jaylin to be at peace. So take the money and do as I asked.”

  “Nanny B, you can’t buy me out of Jaylin’s life. I told you, I’m in this relationship for the long haul, and I mean it. We’re going to work this out and soon.”

  She stood up, putting her purse on her
shoulder. “If I only had somebody to talk some sense into me when I was going through my ups and downs in my marriage. Please, think about what I said. It’s time for this relationship to come to an end, and everyone needs to focus on their own future. Don’t you think so?”

  She headed for the door and walked out.

  Everybody was going to focus on their future. Nanny B just didn’t understand what type of bond Jaylin and I had. I’d known couples that went through what we did every day and still prevailed in their relationships. If anything, she needed to mind her own freaking business. She was so caught up and obsessed with Jaylin that it seriously drove me crazy. I knew how much she cared for him, but damn! She was poking her nose where it didn’t belong, and I was furious about it.

  Not wanting to stay cooped up in the room all week, I took my butt to school. Normally, when Jaylin and I had our ups and downs, I’d stay home. This time, I wasn’t going to do that. Even though I’d been going to school here and there, I was still considered a full-time student. I’d even taken up a theater class, and the instructor was quite impressed with my playwriting.

  During my English Literature class, I couldn’t stay focused. The instructor assigned students to read their papers in front of the class, and by the time he called on me, I was in another world. He skipped over me.

  I stayed after to apologize. I told him I had some personal problems, but when he told me I at least had a C-plus in his class, I was cool with that. I left, heading for my theatrical class, where I remained focused for the rest of the day.

  On the bus ride back to the hotel, I thought about Mackenzie and Jaylin once again. When I was a kid, I watched my mother go through so much, and wondered if Mackenzie even noticed why one day I was there and the next day I wasn’t. I didn’t want to call the house because I hated to lie to her about where I was.

  As for Jaylin, I hoped by now he was ready to talk this out with me. Since I knew him so well, I decided to wait a few more days before I called him.

  Early Saturday morning, I finally called. He answered sounding a little more upbeat.

  “Hi,” I said. There was no response. “Okay, if you don’t want to talk to me, can I at least come home?”

  “Any time.” He hung up.

  Anxious to see him and Mackenzie, I gathered my things and left the hotel. I didn’t even care that I didn’t have a ride home. I did have money for a taxi, so I called a dispatcher and a taxi came for me.

  Needless to say, I was so glad to be home. I didn’t expect things to be perfect, but I knew Jaylin would eventually come around and we’d discuss what happened. But when I stuck my key in the door, the lock wouldn’t turn. I tried harder to turn it, but the key bent. I rang the doorbell, and that’s when Nanny B came to the door and opened it. There was no smile on her face as she took the bag of clothes from my hand.

  “I’ll go wash this stuff for you. Have you had anything to eat?” she asked.

  “No, but have the locks been changed? My key wouldn’t work.”

  “And neither does mine,” she whispered. “So, are you hungry?”

  “Not really. Where are Jaylin and Mackenzie?”

  “They’re all out back by the swimming pool. Megan spent the night, and Nokea brought LJ over.”

  “Oh, I see.” I walked over by the window and looked out at them. Megan and Mackenzie were in the swimming pool, while LJ sat on Jaylin’s lap and played with his sunglasses. I turned and looked at Nanny B. “Has he said anything else about what happened?”

  “Nope. Actually, he hasn’t said much at all. He hasn’t returned any of his phone calls and has kind of been to himself.”

  I nodded and went upstairs to his room. I stood in the doorway and stared because it was spotless. The marble surrounding the fireplace was sparkling, the plush carpet was vacuumed, and the windows were so clean, they looked as if they didn’t exist. New satin Gucci sheets were on the bed, and the pillows on the sofa in the sitting room were in neat rows. As for the closet, it didn’t make any sense. Like always, his suits were neatly hung, but not one shoe was out of place. Other items were neatly folded or put on hangers. Even my things were in order. Jaylin was the only person who could clean his room like this, so I was careful not to mess up anything.

  I quickly changed into my black bikini. It didn’t reveal too much; I didn’t want to look too sexy with the kids being around. It was, however, sexy enough and had a fishnet wrap to match. I tied the wrap around my waist, put my hair in a ponytail, and headed out back to join them.

  I slid the patio door aside and walked out. The sun shone so brightly that I placed my hand above my eyes to see. Jaylin sat on the far side of the swimming pool in a lawn chair, and I couldn’t tell if he saw me or not through his dark sunglasses. I sure as hell saw his fine ass, with his shirt off and dark, tanned body. LJ had some sunglasses on too, and they looked so adorable with their matching red swimming trunks.

  When Mackenzie hopped out of the pool, she ran up to give me a hug. Megan followed and hugged me as well.

  “If I’m going to be shown this much love, I might just stay away a little more often,” I said.

  “Mommy, why did you and Leslie go on vacation without telling me? I wanted to go too.”

  I looked at Jaylin, and then looked back at Mackenzie. “Maybe next time, okay? I promise you next time you can go.”

  “Okay,” she said, kissing me on the cheek and then jumping back into the pool. Megan jumped in after her. I watched them for a while, then headed to where Jaylin and LJ were.

  I removed my wrap and sat back on the lawn chair next to him. He didn’t say one word to me. Trying to break the ice, I reached for LJ, who had already reached out for me. I sat up and put him between my legs. There was something in his curly hair, so I picked through it to remove it. He started playing with me, and took off his glasses to put them over my eyes. When I kissed his cheeks and tickled him, he cracked up. Jaylin still wasn’t saying anything, and when LJ called me Mama, Jaylin got up and walked into the house.

  Shortly after, he came back outside with a glass of iced tea in his hand. He stood by the patio door and drank it, then went to the other side of the pool to sit down. I knew he was trying to avoid me, so I continued to play with LJ. Moments later, I got up and held LJ’s hands as we walked slowly up to Jaylin. I put LJ on Jaylin’s lap and headed for the diving board to dive into the pool. I swam around with Mackenzie and Megan, then we went for the slide. The girls had so much fun, but I was tired. I rested by the edge of the pool, then got out of the water to dry off.

  Still, Jaylin hadn’t said anything to me, so I lay on my stomach next to him on a lounge chair. I saw him take quick peeks at my body, but that was it. He turned up his iPod and tuned me out completely.

  Later in the day, Nanny B called us inside because dinner was ready. I wanted some privacy with Jaylin, so I took LJ off Jaylin’s lap and walked back into the house with Mackenzie and Megan. They all sat down to eat, and I went back outside and stood next to the Jacuzzi, where Jaylin had moved to. He still had his sunglasses on, but by looking at him from the side, I could see that his eyes were closed. He was leaned back, listening to some music. When I got into the Jacuzzi with him, he felt my leg touch his and sat up. He glared at me, closed his eyes again, and continued to lean back.

  This was the closest I’d been to him all day. I noticed some stitches on his hand, which were still a bit bruised. I leaned in to examine his face and saw a bruise underneath his eye behind his sunglasses.

  I felt bad because all I had was a sore head from him pulling my hair so hard, and a busted lip that had already healed. My thighs were a bit bruised too, but I knew he held back on beating the shit out of me like he really wanted to. If he hadn’t, I would have looked like Stephon. From what I could remember, he was way more messed up than Jaylin was.

  I sat feeling so sorry about what had happened, and when Jaylin mumbled something with his eyes closed, I didn’t even hear him.

  “What did you sa
y?” I asked.

  He sat up and placed the iPod behind him. “I said what in the fuck do you keep looking at?”

  “I can’t help it. I didn’t know you were hurt this badly. Are your hands still hurting?”

  “Yes, I’m hurting very badly. It’s ranked second to the most pain I’ve ever had in my entire life. So, to answer your question if it still hurts, it’s a hurt that I’m not going to get over any time soon. As for the marks and bruises you see, those will fade away in no time. Maybe in a week or two they’ll be gone. I’m hoping you’ll be gone by then too.”

  “It’s not that easy for me, Jaylin. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Do what you please, Scorpio. You are free to do anything you want to do.” He got out of the Jacuzzi, wiped himself off, and went inside.

  I stayed outside and thought hard about everything that had happened. There was no way Jaylin would get rid of me that easily. I was prepared to handle anything he could throw my way. Besides, I had been through it all anyway, so nothing he could do to me now could piss me off any more than I’d already been. More than that, I loved him with everything I had. I really didn’t have any place to go, and this was the life I’d become accustomed to. Like always, we were going to someway or somehow work this out. Yes, I felt bad for running to Stephon, but I had to get Jaylin to see that him loving Nokea, without telling me so, is what drove me to Stephon. That in itself was going to be a difficult thing to do.

  After Megan and Mackenzie got settled in for bed, so did Jaylin. I asked if he wanted to be alone. He told me to sleep wherever I wanted to, so I chose to sleep with him.

  We got in bed naked, but he immediately turned away from me. I eased over close to him, and he gave me a look that could kill. That being my cue, I waited until he was asleep before I challenged him again.

  While Jaylin was in a deep sleep, I made my move. I lowered myself to suck him, and was surprised to see his dick turn hard. I wasted no time putting him inside of me, and carefully went for a ride. He grinned and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at me for a moment, and before I could get in another good stroke on top of him, he quickly sat up. I thought he wanted to take control, but when I felt him deflate inside of me, I knew the party was over. He tightly held my hair back with his hands and gritted his teeth.