by Sienna Mynx
“Good.”
When her eyes opened she took notice of where they were. The jeep turned off 172nd street. They were heading toward Miami Gardens, a part of town she didn’t think he was too familiar with. She frowned. The jeep made a second then a third turn, going deeper into the urban part of the city.
“Ah…Kevin?”
“Almost there,” he said.
They passed several residences. Raven was taken aback by the after affects of last year’s tropical storm. Blue tarp still covered roofs of homes that suffered from their homeowner’s insurance company’s refusal to pay out. Most of the places had for sale signs out front. Kevin wheeled the jeep up the drive of an abandoned house with boarded up windows. He parked under the open carport. This house was a small flat roof squared ranch with a modest size front and back yard, and overgrown grass. The trees all had broken limbs. The other houses had spacious yards as well.
“Who stays here?” she asked.
“I do. Well I own it,” he said throwing the jeep door open. Raven stuck her purse under the seat then got out to join him. She looked around to see if it was safe. “You? This place looks condemned. Hell the entire neighborhood does.”
“Prime real estate. Most of the houses were foreclosed on. I’m thinking of buying each one. Redoing the entire block.”
“Why? For what?” Raven frowned.
“You know how many families were misplaced after that storm? How many homes lost? You should. You were the one that opened my eyes to it. Remember how we all volunteered last year with Zephyr at that feed the homeless fundraiser?”
Raven looked around. North West Miami wasn’t a place you wanted to go venturing into and exploring like this. If the neighborhood was abandoned, then vagrants or meth heads would be inside freebasing. Kevin was from the Southside of Chicago. He should know better.
“Maybe we should go?” she asked.
“Come with me, beautiful,” he smiled. He extended his hand. She looked back at him. Shaking off her doubt and smelling rain, she walked over to him. He took her hand. They treaded through the thigh high grass, heading further away from the house into the center of the yard. The prickly grass stung her legs and snagged against the delicate fabric of her dress. She held her tongue, on the verge of another complaint.
“So this place could be a community center. I could put a shelter out here. And then set up some apartment homes all around. We could call it Raven’s Cove. Because you gave me the idea.”
She blinked at him shocked. “Me?”
“You inspire me. It was the first time I got to know you outside of the office. You told me about how it was just you and your mom growing up in Mississippi before she moved to Jacksonville. Remember? How after the gulf storms you’d drive out to the coast and volunteer with the cleanup. Your ritual right? It got me to thinking of a safe place, for the neighbors that can’t escape. A place for people to come to and always find help. Miami Gardens is being rebuilt. The schools are improving. There’s public transportation nearby and—”
“Slow down.” she laughed. “I’m trying to keep up.”
“Why?”
“This is some hard work. A lot of commitment and—”
“Never been afraid of commitment, Raven. When I commit it’s for good,” he said looking her in the eye. Raven’s brows drew together. She recognized that gleam in his eyes that was very keen toward intimate interest. It was directed at her. Then the cloud cover that had been moving in finally gave way to sprinkles. She looked up and the heavens opened. The onslaught of rain was relentless. He grabbed her hand and ran for the cover of the carport. Raven’s heels sunk into the moist ground. She was forced to let go.
“Kevin! Help!” she laughed.
He turned and looked back at her. It was hard to see her through the downpour. The rain fell so heavily. Raven laughed and threw her hands up. He came over and pulled her so she could get her heels out of the soil but she sank again. He scooped her up in his arms. “You women and your shoes!”
Raven couldn’t stop laughing. Wow, it felt good. Laughter was what she needed. Holding on as he carried her back to the house, she couldn’t help but notice how strong he was. Once under the carport with the jeep he let her down. The rain blew in but it didn’t matter. They were both soaked. She shook her head at his wet suit, and the raindrops that coursed down his face.
And soon the laughter stopped. He wiped her cheek with his thumb. He looked into her eyes and then his gaze lowered. Her dress pressed to her skin. The black lace of her bra showed through the cross over bodice, her hair was heavy on her shoulders and flat to her head.
“Look at me, I look a mess!” she said. When she saw how revealing her body was in the dress she could do nothing or say anything to compensate. If she covered herself it would be awkward. If she didn’t cover herself it would possibly mean something more.
“You look beautiful,” he said in a tone low and sensual. He advanced on her. Raven looked up into his eyes and she was about to make a joke. Lighten the mood. Kevin surprised her. He took her by the face and their lips met. His tongue traced the soft fullness of her lips. His lips were more persuasive than she could have ever imagined. It didn’t take long for her to respond. His tongue swept in and lovingly claimed hers. Shocked, her eyes fell shut with gratitude over the forbidden kiss.
“Yes, baby, it’s about damn time,” he groaned. His lips recaptured hers more demanding this time. Raven was swept up and pressed into the wall. She hooked her left thigh around his hip and parted her legs for him. The dress she wore was pushed up to her panty line. She only knew one man in her sexual past. Raven was surprised and pleased by the hard length of Kevin’s erection. It felt hard as a bone pressed into her center.
Kevin went for it. He grabbed her ass and squeezed both cheeks. He deep kissed her. The spell was only broken when his kiss left her mouth and he heaved her higher up the wall to suck at her breast. She gasped at the urgency of his passion. They had no cover. Lightening ripped through the sky and thunder boomed around them. Her pussy was so wet she felt her heartbeat had descended to her core. She pulsed with hunger to be fucked wild and free, there on the spot.
And then her inner voice spoke up. Raven, girl, this is your employee. You’re married remember. If not legally, at least in your heart. She dropped her leg and fought against her lust for him and his for her.
It didn’t take much for him to back off. She had to pull her dress down and cover her exposed breast. “What the hell was that?” she gasped.
“Thunder, baby,” he smiled devilishly at her.
“No! That’s not what I mean. What was that? You and me?” she panted.
“You know what it is, Rae,” he took a step toward her.
She put up her hand to stop him. “Why did you kiss me?” she touched her mouth with her free hand. She reeled from desire.
“It was me. It was me finally showing you how much you mean to me,” he confessed.
“No. We’re not going there.”
“You never really see me do you, Raven?” he asked. “See how much I care for you.”
She tried to walk around him but he caught her by the arm. He pulled her back to face him when he spoke.
“Look at me, sweetheart. The real me. Who I am. I keep trying to show you and you keep missing it, Rae,” he told her.
“I’m your boss, we’re friends. That’s all. Are you saying you did this to impress me? Bought this place? Brought me here? What did you expect as a reward?”
“Of course not. You know me better than that. I’m not going to deny having feelings for you anymore. Why should I? You’re single and so am I,” he reminded her.
“I don’t want to hear this. We’re leaving. I want to go back to the office.”
“Raven? What will it take for you to let a man prove he’s not your husband?”
“Shut up! Don’t talk about Alex!” she shrugged him off. “You don’t know anything about him!”
“I know he’s a fucking idiot to let a woman
like you go. I know that if he’s back then it’s time for me to step up my game, baby. I want you. I don’t give a fuck what it takes to prove it,” he told her.
She sighed and shook her head. “I think you are a wonderful guy. But we have a friendship, that’s all. I’m going to forget this happened. I suggest you do the same!” She walked around him and went to the jeep. She pretended not to hear his last words to her.
“Not a chance in hell, baby. I don’t give up that easily.”
He snapped on the top cover on his jeep and got inside. They rode back to the office in uncomfortable silence.
**
Raven reached for the phone in her kitchen. “Hello?” she said licking the pads of her fingers.
“Ms. Katz, you have—”
“Valentina and Zee!” She heard them yelling in the background.
She smiled. “Send them up.”
Raven uncovered the dinner. It was the best dinner her money could buy. She walked out of the kitchen and headed to the door as the bell rang. Opening it she smiled.
“Hi, girl!” Zee said. She kissed her cheek and offered her a bottle of wine.
“Wsup?” Valentina walked in with a DVD case from her overflowing collection. Valentina swore Netflix’s movie list was crap. She preferred her bootleg stash of not-yet-released-in-the-theaters movies.
“I’m so glad to see you both,” Raven said. She closed the door.
“I’ll open the wine. What happened to your hair?” Zephyr said.
Raven touched the frizzy thick mass of hair on her shoulders. “Got caught in the rain.”
She followed Valentina.
“Damn, Rae. This place is really nice. Each time I come in here I see you’ve done something different,” Valentina tossed her purse. She headed out on the patio. Raven made sure she gave Zephyr the cork popper and located the correct glasses. She joined Valentina. They could sip wine and stare out at the sea. Zee walked out with her chilled bottle. “I am so glad you said let’s do this. I got something weird that happened that I have to tell you both about.”
Zephyr poured the wine for all of them. “Well? Aren’t you going to ask?”
“Okay, Zee, what’s weird?” Raven asked.
Zephyr sat down and picked up her glass. Valentina exchanged a look with Rae. Zephyr would nurse the same glass all night. She didn’t drink, but during girlfriend time she never wanted to be left out.
“So yesterday I came home and Mr. Stripes was missing,” Zephyr began.
Valentina frowned. “Girl, you and that stinky cat.”
“Mr. Stripes loves you, Valentina,” Zephyr said.
“Go ahead, Zee, what happened?” Raven sipped her wine.
“Okay so José—”
“Did you talk to him about West Palm?” Raven asked.
“West Palm?” Valentina asked. “What’s in West Palm?”
“José,” Raven said sipping her drink.
Zephyr sighed. “Let’s not get into all of that.”
“All of what?” Valentina asked.
“José lied again. I’m sorry, Zee, I’m siding with Valentina. You are going to have to get rid of this loser. That stuff he pulled—”
“Wait, would someone tell me what the hell we are talking about?” Valentina snapped.
Zephyr glared at Raven. “Rae, who rained on your parade today so you decided to piss on mine?” Raven realized she was picking on Zephyr. Between Alexander and Kevin, she was feeling like she was going crazy.
“Sorry, I’m sorry,” Raven said.
Valentina stared at Zephyr. “José cheating again? Never mind, of course he is. What I want to hear from you is what you plan to do?”
Zephyr sighed. “I wanted to tell you both something but forget it. Just forget it.”
Valentina and Raven exchanged looks. Raven put her wine glass back on the top of the bamboo coaster. The large umbrella that usually shielded her guests from the sun flapped in the night breeze.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I had a day, but never mind. Finish. What happened?”
Valentina laughed. “Stop pouting, Zee, you know you want to tell us. Out with it.”
Zephyr smiled. “Say please.”
“Oh good grief!” Valentina huffed.
Raven smiled. “Please, Zee, will you tell us your news? We don’t know what we will do if we don’t hear it right away.”
“Okay. Since you insist.” Zephyr smiled, pretending to drink the wine she swiped from José’s stock. “So I came home and Mr. Stripes was missing. I looked for him. I found out he escaped through the screen door.”
“Was he okay?” Raven asked.
“You know I told you about the alligator that came out of the lake two weeks ago.” Zephyr said.
The girls looked at each other. They both knew how crazy Zephyr was over that cat. But she was grinning at them, so they weren’t sure where the tale was headed.
“What happened to the cat?” Valentina asked.
“My new neighbor had him. He rescued him,” she announced.
“Huh?” Raven said.
“His name is Clayton Mills. He had him next door. He has a dog named Milo and Mr. Stripes just loves him.”
“Another white boy,” Valentina rolled her eyes.
“Nope. He’s black.” Zephyr announced.
“Wait. José isn’t white,” Raven said to Valentina.
“José is Dominican, and the only man with pigment in his skin to ever part Zee’s prissy thighs. She’s a white boy lover.” Valentina shrugged. Raven didn’t counter the argument. Zephyr never dated a black man or Spanish before José. She just said she never met one she was into, or that was into her. Even in college she joined a white girl sorority, and dated every preppie that came her way. Valentina swore it was a preference. As far as Raven was concerned the color of his skin didn’t matter. No matter what color they were, they were all cheating bastards.
“Go to hell, Valentina,” Zephyr mumbled.
Valentina chuckled picking up her wine. “So let me get this right. The cat gets out, and some black man is a hero. Got it. And you’re grinning because?”
“Forget the black man part. That’s not the news. I went over and he was really nice. Then he came back over to my place with dinner. Dinner he cooked, and we sat down and ate together. We talked.”
“Zee! You let some strange dude in your house?” Raven frowned.
“Nooo, you don’t understand.” Zephyr protested.
“Where was José?” Valentina asked.
“West Palm!” Raven and Zephyr snapped at once.
“Damn! Sorry,” Valentina laughed.
“He was probably humping some blonde.” Raven tossed out.
Zephyr frowned at them both. “Why do you two do that?”
They looked at her confused. “What?” they both asked.
“Gang up on me. Try to make me feel like the unpopular girl. I’m not like that with either of you. Together you just pick me apart. All I was trying to do was tell you that I met a nice guy.”
Valentina sighed. “Girl, don’t get all bent out of shape. Dang, I’m sorry.”
“Me too, Zee. I didn’t mean it. His name is Clayton?” Raven asked.
Zephyr shrugged. “He’s just a neighbor. He was nice and I thought that I’d tell you, that’s all.”
“So are you going to go out with him?” Valentina asked.
“What? No, I’m with José,” Zephyr frowned.
“Ugh! On that note I’m going to check on dinner.” Raven got up.
“What for, you didn’t cook it!” Valentina called out after her.
Raven stuck her tongue out and walked back into the penthouse.
Zephyr actually took a real sip of her wine. She didn’t know why she even brought Clayton up to the girls. It was just some random thing. It wasn’t like she was going to cheat on José or anything. She didn’t know if there still was an anything with her and José.
“So he’s in West Palm? Have you spoken to him?” Valentina aske
d.
“No,” Zephyr said.
“Then tell you what you should do.” Valentina leaned forward. “You put on one of those expensive pairs of shoes you got with the extra high heel. Those, I’m-sorry-I-fucked-up-babe gifts that José buys you. Get all perfumed and oiled up too. Cover yourself with that raincoat I bought you last Christmas. Make Clayton a plate of Latkes. You know what your mom made us for Chanukah, and then pay sexy chocolate a visit.”
Zephyr frowned. “Why?”
“To fuck him, Zee! Good grief. I think you need a brother, a real brother to break you off, Zee, then you won’t be so damn wimpy.”
“A brother? So José cheats on me because I’m black? I think you need a history lesson on where Dominicans originated from, Valentina.”
“No. He cheats on you because you act white.”
Zephyr glared at her. “Don’t go there, Valentina. My mother is white. You are about to piss me off.”
Raven came out with the plate of appetizers. “What did I miss?”
“In a matter of ten minutes Valentina managed to insult me and my parents.”
“Huh? How did I insult your parents? I love your mommy and daddy,” Valentina said shocked.
“You and this ‘I act white because I grew up with white parents and dated white men’ stuff. I hate when you say shit like that!”
“Whoa! No need to drop the ‘S’ word Zee,” Raven chuckled. Valentina did too. They couldn’t help it. Zephyr cursing was as funny as seeing a toddler do it. “Can we not fight”? Raven asked.
“You know what, Valentina? There are black women that date black men that get cheated on all the time. In fact, Raven’s mother was one of them!”
Raven blinked at her, shocked. Zephyr realized what she said and looked over shocked. “Rae, oh God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“Let’s just cool off.” Raven said, though the comment hurt. “Let it go.”
“I’m so sorry.” Zephyr started to cry. “I’m so sorry!” She got up and walked back inside.
Valentina put her hand on her forehead. “Now I made the baby cry.”
“I’ll go talk to her.” Raven said. She pushed up from the table.
“No, I’ll do it. It’s my fault. I did it on purpose. I suppose that LaCretia incident is still pissing me off. Let me go apologize.”
