Precious Stones

by Darrien Lee

  “I know. That’s why I told you to buy it for me,” Neil told him.

  Ramsey laughed. He often gave his friends and family lavish gifts, but he knew Neil really didn’t expect him to buy him such an expensive car, even though he could easily afford to.

  “If anybody’s getting a car, it’ll be my baby.”

  Neil closed the door of the Porsche and said, “You are so whipped.”

  “Don’t hate. I love my wife. She deserves this and more,” Ramsey declared.

  “No, you’re just afraid of her,” Neil joked. “Keilah could gut you in your sleep if she wanted to, and she might just do that after she finds out about Andria and what she did to your car.”

  Ramsey ignored his remark as they moved on to some classic 1950-style Chevrolet cars.

  “You’re ignorant, Neil,” Kyle pointed out. “Ramsey would never give his wife a reason to gut him, unlike you, and he can handle Andria without getting Keilah involved.”

  “You know Keilah’s not the average woman,” Neil replied. “She’s vicious, but sexy as hell. I’ve seen her handiwork. She’s accurate with a nine-millimeter and not a woman you would want to cross. Personally, I think it’s a turn-on when you know your woman’s capable of killing you.”

  Ramsey laughed out loud after this particular remark. He turned to Neil and said, “You’re only saying that because your second wife threatened to cut your throat, and for good reason, after she caught you kissing that legal secretary. You don’t know how to keep your pants up.”

  All three of them laughed because Neil had had a few close calls with some of the women in his life. Now he was single and on the prowl once again.

  “You keep up that kind of behavior and one of them will take you out for real. You’re too old for games like that. Be honest with the women,” Ramsey stated.

  “Yes, and stop dating the ones with mug shots,” Kyle added before laughing.

  “Enough about women. This is supposed to be a guys’ weekend,” Neil announced.

  “Oh, now you want to shut the conversation down,” Ramsey pointed out.

  Neil was always teasing everyone else, but when the table was turned on him, he was ready to change the subject.

  “Bro, you’re a work in progress,” Ramsey informed Neil. “We won’t give up on you, though.” Ramsey then turned to his buddy Kyle and patted him on the shoulder. “Kyle, don’t listen to Neil. He’s an idiot. Bring your lady over for dinner next weekend. I’m sure we’ll love her.”

  “Thanks, Ramsey. I’ll talk to her and let you know.”

  “What about me?” Neil asked. “Am I invited too?”

  “No!” the pair said in unison.

  Neil turned away from them and said, “That’s all right. I see how you guys treat me.”

  “If you come, you’ll scare the woman away for sure,” Ramsey explained. “You’ll start cracking your ignorant jokes, and then you’ll ask the woman a million questions. I want the evening to be relaxing.”

  “That’s cool,” Neil answered. “Kyle, I joke around with you and give you a hard time, but I’m just bullshitting with you. You’re a cool dude, and on the real I hope things work out between you and this woman.”

  Kyle shook Neil’s hand and said, “Thanks, bro.”

  Chapter Ten

  Back in D.C., at the Stone-Chance Protection Agency, the receptionist greeted the tall, handsome visitor standing in front of her. She smiled and asked, “May I help you, sir?”

  With a bouquet of beautiful flowers in hand, he smiled back at her and said, “I’m here to see Keilah Chance, and I apologize, but I don’t have an appointment.”

  “Your name, sir?”

  “Michael Monroe.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Monroe, but Mrs. Stone is not available at the moment, but I’ll be happy to make you an appointment.”

  Confused, he frowned and then asked, “Did you say Mrs. Stone?”

  The receptionist smiled and said, “Yes, sir.”

  He smiled back and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Keilah had gotten married. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, and I’ve been out of town for a while.”

  “I understand, sir. So would you like me to make you an appointment?”

  Michael handed the receptionist the flowers and said, “No, that’s okay. These are for her, if you would be so kind as to give them to her.”

  As he turned to walk away, the receptionist said, “I’ll make sure she gets them.”

  With a smile he answered, “Thank you.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to make an appointment ?”

  Still smiling, he said, “I’ll call later. I have somewhere I have to be.”

  After the elevator doors closed, the receptionist placed the flowers on her own desk so that Keilah would see them as soon as she returned.

  On the elevator ride down, Michael rubbed his head in despair. He had hoped to meet with Keilah and apologize for all the pain he had caused her. He had had no idea she had gotten married, because all Arhmelia had said was that she had a daughter, but since she was Mrs. Stone, it was obvious she had married Ramsey. They were close, but he had never seen any kind of attraction between the two of them. Perhaps she’d married one of his family members or something, he thought. One thing he knew for sure was that he needed to get home so he could do some research to find out exactly what he’d missed while he was overseas during the past year and to determine if there was a chance that he was the father of Keilah’s daughter. If he was, he wanted all his rights as her father, whether Keilah wanted him to exercise them or not.

  When he arrived home, Michael entered his house and threw his keys on the table. He made his way into his office and opened his laptop. As soon as it powered up, he logged on to Google Keilah’s name. Almost immediately, several links popped up, and he began selecting each one. The first was a local newspaper article, in the society section, confirming that Keilah had married Ramsey. Michael felt like the wind had been knocked out of him as he read the paragraph line by line telling the fairy-tale love story of how the young couple met. The article went on to highlight the success of their business. There was no mention of children in this article or in any others. Whether it was on purpose or not, he didn’t know, but he had to find out, and the best way to do that was to go to the source, so maybe, he thought, making an appointment to see Keilah was the best plan of action at this point to get to the truth about everything.

  Keilah stepped off the elevator and entered the office, only to be stopped by the receptionist.

  “Mrs. Stone, a friend of yours dropped off these beautiful flowers for you this morning.”

  Keilah walked over to the receptionist’s desk and asked, “Who?”

  The receptionist picked up a piece of paper and said, “He said his name was Michael Monroe and that he’s been out of touch with you for a while. He didn’t want to make an appointment.”

  Keilah turned to walk away and said, “If he calls or comes back, let me know.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Stone,” she answered.

  Keilah stopped, turned back to the young receptionist, and said, “It’s Keilah. You don’t have to call me Mrs. Stone.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The hallway to her office seemed longer than usual. She had known the possibility was always there that Michael would show his face, but she hadn’t been sure if he was going to have the nerve after what he did to her. She was curious to find out what the nature of his visit was, but she wasn’t going to panic and would wait to see if he decided to make a return visit. At that point she would meet him head-on and would settle their differences once and for all.

  The next afternoon, Ramsey returned home, and like usual, he was met at the door by his beloved German shepherd, Target. After rewarding his pet with some treats for guarding his loved ones over the past few days, he made his way into the family room, where he found his wife, dressed in sweatpants and a snug T-shirt, on the sofa, going through the Sunday paper. Neariah was sitt
ing next to her mother, playing with toys. When Neariah saw her father walking toward her, her eyes immediately lit up and she started calling out to him.

  “How are my two favorite girls?” he asked as he picked Neariah up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek before sitting down next to his wife.

  She admired the loving interaction between father and daughter and said, “We’re fine. How was your trip?”

  “I’ll tell you after you give me a taste of those luscious lips.”

  Keilah blushed and then leaned over and gave him a loving kiss on the lips and lingered there, inhaling his manly scent.

  He looked in her eyes and whispered, “I missed you guys.”

  “We missed you too,” she replied as she laid her head on his chest and caressed his face.

  Ramsey didn’t want to tell Keilah about his altercation with Andria, but he did tell her his car was keyed. There had been no love lost between the two women when he was dating Keilah. When Andria found out Ramsey had married Keilah, she claimed she was devastated by it, even though their relationship had been mostly based on physical intimacy and not on emotions, at least not on his end.

  Target tried to jump on the sofa to get some attention from his owner, but Ramsey stopped him and ordered him to lie down on the floor. Target knew he wasn’t allowed on the furniture, but he tried it, anyway.

  “Neariah looks like she’s grown since I’ve been gone.”

  “She probably has. She eats like a six-year-old.”

  Ramsey chuckled and bounced his daughter on his knee and then held her high over his head. She giggled loudly, and he continued to play with her. After a few moments he looked over at his sexy wife and put his hand on her inner thigh and massaged it seductively.

  “Stay home with me tomorrow,” he said.

  “Are you serious?” she asked with a giggle.

  “Hell, yeah, I’m serious. I have some catching up to do.”

  Keilah stood in front of him to give him a full view of her body and said, “If you help me with dinner and put Neariah to bed, I’m all yours.”

  He stood with Neariah in his arms and said, “Sounds like a plan to me. I’m starving. What are we having?”

  “Glazed pork chops, rice, and steamed vegetables,” she replied as she led him into the kitchen.

  Ramsey sat Neariah in her high chair and then washed his hands. “Do you want me to do the meat or the vegetables ?” he asked.

  “Whatever you want to do,” she answered.

  When he looked at Keilah, he noticed she was bent over in the refrigerator. He picked up a dish towel and dried his hands while admiring the view of her backside. When she turned around with an armful of vegetables, she noticed the sultry look on his face.

  “I dare to ask what you’re thinking,” she said as she placed the vegetables on the countertop.

  “You don’t have to ask, because you already know,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Are you that bad, Stone?”

  He washed the vegetables and then started chopping them. “I’m not going to lie to you, babe ... hell yeah! I haven’t seen you in three days. I’m aching.”

  Neariah giggled loudly, as if she knew what her parents were talking about.

  Keilah washed the pork chops and the seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic, and a few spices. She loved working side by side with her husband in the kitchen.

  “I’ll have to admit, I’m no different. I hate sleeping alone.”

  At that moment he pulled Keilah into his arms and gave her a deep, sizzling kiss. This went on for several seconds, until the couple found themselves almost at the point of no return.

  “Baby, you’re killing me,” he said softly after breaking their kiss.

  Keilah ran her tongue along his lips and then gave him another kiss and whispered, “Why don’t we hurry up with dinner so we can take this upstairs?”

  Ramsey turned on the gas stove, poured a little extra virgin olive oil in the pan, and began sautéing the vegetables. “That’s a date. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be done,” he said.

  “Me too,” she replied with a smile as she placed the tray of pork chops in the oven.

  Ramsey knew he needed to change the subject before they found themselves on the kitchen floor, so he pulled a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler and popped the cork. As he poured the pinot grigio into crystal glasses, he said, “I almost bought you a Porsche this weekend.”

  She looked into his eyes to see if he was joking. When she saw that he wasn’t, she answered, “A Porsche? Are you crazy? Besides, I’m perfectly happy with my Land Rover. I don’t need a Porsche.”

  “I know, but I let Neil get into my head and he almost talked me into it.”

  Keilah hugged her husband and said, “You should know not to listen to Neil. He can be an idiot sometimes. I’m glad you resisted the urge. If you want to buy me something, think about a vacation home in the Caribbean.”

  He took a sip of wine and said, “We do need somewhere to go to unwind. As a matter of fact, I wish I had you down there right now, buck naked on the sand, with the waves crashing all around us.”

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  Neariah called out to her mother and reached for her.

  “Somebody’s hungry,” Ramsey said as he scooped a small amount of the sautéed vegetables onto a saucer.

  Keilah mashed up the vegetables and blew on the mixture to cool it before giving Neariah a spoonful. Neariah squealed, wanting more food.

  “Check the chops, babe, because Neariah’s hungry. They should be ready by now.”

  Ramsey opened the oven and pulled out the chops. As Keilah watched him arrange the food on their plates, she saw the perfect opportunity to ask him about Trenton.

  “Hey, babe, did something happen between you and Trenton?”

  He glanced up at her and said, “I just reminded him that you were my wife and not to ever disrespect you or call you again.”

  She put her hands on her hips and asked, “And just how did you remind him?”

  He smiled and said, “In a manly way. That’s all you need to know. Why are you asking, anyway? Did he call you again?”

  “No, I ran into him when I was having lunch with Tori the other day.”

  He frowned and asked, “Are you sure it was a coincidence ?”

  She could see her husband’s jaw quivering. She wasn’t sure what had taken place between him and Trenton, but if she had to guess, it was physical. “I’m pretty sure it was a coincidence, but I will say that he’s not happy over what happened between you two. He said to tell you his memory is long and that you’re not invincible.”

  He sat their plates on the table and said, “I’m not the least bit worried about pretty boy Trenton. He knows I’m not going to tolerate him disrespecting you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, “I’m sure he does. Maybe that’s why he was wearing sunglasses, huh?”

  Ramsey laughed and said, “Maybe.”

  “Come on. Let’s eat,” Keilah said as she sat down across from her husband.

  Conversation over dinner was light and loving, while inside, Ramsey’s blood was boiling. Trenton was asking for another beat down, and he would be happy to oblige him as soon as he could find him. Keilah couldn’t feed Neariah fast enough. She didn’t have a lot of teeth, but she had enough to eat table food.

  “I can’t believe the appetite she has,” Ramsey remarked.

  Keilah laughed and said, “She’s your daughter.”

  He smiled and said, “You got that right. Oh, before I forget, I invited Kyle over for dinner next weekend. He has this new, mysterious girlfriend, and I told him I wanted to meet her.”

  “Kyle has a girlfriend?” she asked as she put their empty plates into the sink. “I thought he said he was too busy for a relationship.”

  Ramsey pulled Neariah out of her high chair and said, “Obviously, this one must’ve made an impression on him. He’s been dating her
for a couple of weeks now.”

  Keilah washed their plates and said, “Well, I hope she’s not a gold digger. He’s a good man, and he deserves a good woman who’s not with him because of his money, and she has to understand his job.”

  “That’s true,” he replied as he held Neariah high above his head, causing her to giggle. “Let me finish the kitchen while you give Neariah her bath.”

  She took her daughter into her arms and said, “Okay, and when I’m done, I’ll have a hot bath waiting for you too.”

  “Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” he said before giving her a kiss on the neck and a loving pat on her backside.

  Thirty minutes later, Ramsey made his way upstairs, with Target following close behind. When he peeped into the nursery, he found Neariah wide awake as Keilah gently rocked her.

  “She’s still up?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry, babe.”

  He walked farther into the room and asked, “Why is she so wired?”

  “I don’t know. She’s acting like she’s had some Red Bull or something.”

  Ramsey reached out for his daughter and took her out of Keilah’s arms. “Go run that bath you were talking about. I got this.”

  She stood and asked, “Are you sure?”

  He held Neariah high about his head and smiled up at his beautiful daughter and said, “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “If you say so,” Keilah replied as she sat her cup of milk on the table.

  Twenty minutes later, Ramsey laid his sleeping daughter in her crib and turned out the light. He had a special touch when it came to putting his daughter to sleep when she wasn’t sleepy. Keilah was a great mother, and her bond with her daughter was unlike any he’d ever seen, even with his sister. Maybe it was the fact that Keilah had been without her mother most of her life or that she was raised by four brothers. Either way, he wouldn’t trade her for anything or anyone. She was his match and the love of his life.

  When he entered the bedroom, it was dark except for a few candles that had been lit in the center of the fireplace.

  “Keilah?” he called out.