by Vera Roberts
****
“So what’s going on with you, man? How’s the single life?” Jeff asked his best friend over lunch. “I don’t envy you, by the way.”
Scott was living the single man’s dream: a bevy of women going through the revolving door of his bedroom. When he first started dating, his number of partners was a respectable 15. The number soon grew to 200 with no stop in sight. “I keep dating all these bitches who want to fuck my car more than they do me,” Scott shrugged, “I think I’m set to be a bachelor for the rest of my life.”
“Nah, you just haven’t found the right one, baby, that’s all.”
“I guess. Speaking of which, let me ask you. How do you know?” Scott asked.
“That you found the right one?”
“Yeah. Like what is it about a woman that would make a man to stop sleeping with all these other bitches out here?” Scott wondered.
“I can’t explain it, man,” Jeff had been happily married for three years. “You just know when it. There’s not time, no question, no ‘what if’. It’ll be a done deal.”
“Huh.” Scott wondered. He had no desire to sleep with anyone else but Mariana. That felt strange.
“Why? What’s going on?” Jeff questioned. “You found someone?”
“Maybe.” Scott went into a long, uncomfortable silence.
“Let’s not get excited now!” Jeff bristled.
“I fucked my maid last night,” Scott admitted.
Jeff thought he was hearing things.“You what?”
“Well, it just wasn’t last night. It was also this morning, too. Before she started cleaning my house, though.” Scott pointed out.
Jeff burst into uncontrollable laughter. He’s heard his best friend do some questionable women before but the hired help? That was a new one. “So did she polish your dick along with the silver?”
“Dude, I don’t know what happened,” Scott shrugged as if he honestly didn’t have a clue, “I caught her going through my shit, she took off her clothes, and I was like, ‘well, alright.’”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Jeff waved a hand. “She took off her clothes? She propositioned you?”
“Yeah,” The memory made Scott smile. “Kinda cool, isn’t it?”
“Dude, what the fuck, man? I had to wine and dine these chicks just so a brotha can have a little dome and you have a chick take her clothes off just so she won’t get in trouble?” Jeff was envious.
Scott shrugged. “I don’t know what to say, bro.”
“Yeah, yeah, fuck you,” Jeff replied to Scott’s laughter. “So what’s going on with you and the maid now? Y’all dating? Just fucking?”
“Okay, I’m going to say something but I don’t want any judgment.”
“Too late,” Jeff replied, “what is it?” He took a bite of his cheeseburger.
Scott sighed. “I think I might be in love with Mari.”
Jeff choked on his food. He quickly downed some water and wiped his mouth. He knew his boy was sprung because he actually said Mariana’s name instead of referring to her as bitch. “You…you…dude, what the fuck?”
“I know,” Scott still couldn’t believe it, “I can’t explain it.”
“Dude, what the hell? Is it her pussy?” Jeff asked. “That shit is clearly contagious.”
“It’s like all those sappy songs on the radio. The sky opened, the heavens shined down, and it was like a choir started singing,” Scott shook his head, “so fucking weird, dude.”
“Haha, my boy is sprung!” Jeff nodded approvingly. “It’s all good, baby. Being sprung isn’t a bad thing.”
“I don’t like this feeling,” Scott hated being emotional, “I don’t like what it’s doing to me.”
“Still haven’t gotten over Hurricane Caprina??” Jeff asked.
“I’m over her, been over her.” Whenever Scott saw Caprina in the news, he didn’t think twice about her. He was very apathetic. She could die in a car accident the following day and Scott wouldn’t even blink. “I told Mari I was going to introduce her to the Lifestyle and I just…”
“Wait! You were going to introduce her to the Lifestyle?“Jeff dallied in BDSM but wasn’t as hardcore as Scott. “Yeah, you’re not just sprung, baby. You’re fucking hooked on this girl.”
It was a sad realization that Scott was growing increasingly uncomfortable with. The last time a woman had him this twisted, she left him at the altar.“I just don’t like not having control over my emotions again.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to do something in the great words of Teddy P.,” Scott said, “and let it go.”
“You’re not going to try to pursue it?” Jeff insisted. “It sounds like there could be something.”
“I’m going to pull some strings and get her an internship at work. She was interested in interning at McCormick. She doesn’t know I work there, though. And then I’ll just stay away.” The idea sounded good in Scott’s head.
Jeff wasn’t convinced. “You’re going to create an internship just for her? Yeah, you’re not sprung.” He rolled his eyes.
“It wouldn’t just be for her,” Scott defended, “we have interns every year.”
“But this is a special one,” Jeff taunted.
Scott wasn’t amused by his best friend. “Fuck you.”
“Now would I need to be scrubbing the carpet for you do that to me?” Jeff shot back.
****
Mrs. Scott Reed. That sounds nice. Wait a minute…what the hell am I doing?
She replayed the events of the prior night. She could still feel the sting on her ass from when he repeatedly slapped it. His cock was so thick. He was so dominant. His tongue lapped at her clit for what seemed like hours. And he brought her to an earth-shattering orgasm each and every time.
Mariana still reeled from the best sexual experience she has ever had. Scott Reed. He was a god, plain and simple. Her thighs were sore, her head was dizzy with euphoria, and her pussy was officially closed for business to anyone else. Probably forever.
She knew there was no way she was going to be able to concentrate at school so she skipped class and went straight home. She made a bee-line to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling as she remembered the pleasure Scott gave her. Mariana was in love.
She wondered when she would be able to see him again. She had to. Her body needed him. Her mind wanted him. She had to have him again. And again. And again.
On second thought, Mariana Reed didn’t sound half-bad.
Chapter Seven
One month.
It had been a long month. Mariana felt stupid for even counting down the days. She felt even stupider for even believing him. Was a man like Scott Reed really going to be her boyfriend? Was he her boyfriend? Or was he a fuck buddy?
Whatever he was, there was one thing he definitely wasn’t: Master. Mariana shuddered at the thought. No White man was going to have a Sista call him Master in 2011. Fuck that shit! I’m no one’s slave.
Damn him! Mariana couldn’t show her anger. What would be the point of that? She cursed herself for getting involved with someone as evil, cruel, demanding, sexy, hot, and well hung like Scott. She hated him. She hated how he avoided her. She hated how he acted like nothing was amiss. She hated how he would make her wet and all he did was tell her to undress. He hated how big his cock was and how perfect he felt inside her.
She hated how she still craved him.
Despite how angry she was, Mariana hoped Scott was just really busy. She knew he was an executive and he often flew all over the country to meet with clients. Maybe he’s on a business trip. But she knew that was bullshit; there was evidence he had been home. The bed was unmade, there were a pile of dirty clothes in the hamper, and the kitchen was in disarray.
But the bedroom was the place Mariana found she spent very little of her time there. She used to spend the bulk of two hours cleaning Scott’s bedroom; she was barely in there for 30 minutes. She scoped out t
he place to see if there were any remnants of past dates but there was nothing. No condom wrappers, no spilled lubrication, nothing. She thought maybe Scott had gotten better cleaning up after himself but that was a failed conclusion. Despite how busy Scott was or claimed to be, he was still a slob.
She would arrive to his home early in hopes of catching him. He was never there. She would stay a little late. He never arrived. It seemed like he was trying to avoid her. Maybe she did cross a line. Maybe fucking Scott was the dumbest thing she could have done? No, fucking Scott wasn’t the dumbest thing she did; letting go of her other clients at his request was. He wanted her all to himself but she never saw him.
The real kicker was her tip. Mariana used to do little origami designs on the bed sheets as an extra bonus. She decided one day to skip the design and saw her tip significantly dwindle down to a dollar from the very generous fifty dollars. To see what game Scott was playing, she decided to do the origami design the next day. The tip went back up to fifty dollars.
This is some bullshit.
Once she knew there was no danger of Scott catching her, Mariana ventured back into the forbidden top drawer; everything was exactly like it was weeks ago. The porn stash was neatly arranged. The dildos and vibrators were side by side in order from smallest to biggest. Other bondage toys and the like were in a separate corner. Mariana was confused. What was going on with Scott? Did he start taking his dates somewhere else instead? Was he sick? What was going on that was so important he couldn’t spare a phone call?
She decided to test him and move a few inconspicuous items around in the drawer. If Scott wasn’t seeing anyone else, he would not notice the contents were slightly changed. She was confident everything would remain the same.
The next day when Mariana arrived, she noticed Scott had put a custom lock on the top drawer. She hurriedly cleaned his home and went back to her apartment. She stumbled upon the notebook where she doodled Scott’s name with a heart around it.
Mrs. Scott Reed, Mariana smirked as she remembered, I wonder how many other dumb bitches made the same mistake.
****
I need a new maid.
Scott spent the past month fighting his feelings for Mariana. The harder he fought, the stronger the connection grew. He wasn’t supposed to care. He shouldn’t have cared. He never cared about the other women that came and went. He couldn’t even remember one-quarter of their names.
He dated women from different ethnicities and races. He didn’t have a preference for a particular type as long as they didn’t bore him. It was a simple routine that took a lot of time to develop and cultivate. Step One was he would get to know them over internet and e-mail. Step Two was phone conversations and texting. Step Three was dinner and a stroll along the beach or something very romantic, specifically catered to the girl. Step Four: heart-stopping, earth-shattering sex. Step Five: The girl would always clean the kitchen and leave, just in time for another girl to start Step One.
It was always about sex. It always just sex. Now he found himself sprung over a one-night stand.
Shame on me for being caught up.
Mariana was young, ten years his junior. He’s dated younger than her and older. But she was very wise for her age. She didn’t bullshit and kept current on news events. He knew she liked some reality shows but she also made a point to visit CNN and local news websites on a daily basis.
Her body was perfect. She was tiny and maybe too petite but she kept herself in good condition, which surprised Scott with the amount of junk food Mariana boasted of eating. Ooh, I love McDonald’s, Roscoe’s, Jack in the Box, Carl’s Jr., Del Taco…I eat all of those. I’m really a junk food junkie.
Scott was convinced he loved Caprina deeply but was not in love with her. Mariana, however, Scott felt vastly different.
“Alright, man, you’ve been staring at this chess board for the past ten minutes,” Jeff had read two magazines in the meantime, “do you plan on making a move anytime soon or should I call Bella and let her know I won’t be home tonight?”
“Jeff, let me ask you something,” Scott stared at the chess board in front of him, “how did you know when it’s right? How did you know you found The One?”
“The one who could suck my dick the best is the one I’ll marry,” Jeff smiled.
“But besides that. What is it about a woman that will make you burn the black book?”
“When she’s all I think about. Her needs are more important than mine – period. She’s the air I breathe, the water I drink and bathe in. She’s my everything. There’s no question.”
Scott nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
“Why, what’s going on, baby? Some chick got you twisted?”
“Same one,” Scott admitted. It pained him to say that.
“Same one? Wait…the maid?” Jeff asked.
Memories of Mariana riding him flooding Scott’s mind. Her body rolled off his like they were in unison. Whatever he gave her, she threw it right back to him. And her fellatio skills were legendary. Scott had to calm down his impending erection. “The maid.”
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
“A month ago.” It had been a long month.
“And she’s still cleaning your home?”
“Yep.”
“So you’ve avoided her for a month while she’s still cleaning home?” Jeff asked as Scott nodded. “Yeah, that’s not a dick move.”
Scott rubbed his face. “I don’t know what I’m doing, man. I’m not supposed to care.”
“Why are you so scared?” Jeff dared not to mention Caprina’s name. “The Great Disaster?”
The ghost of Caprina still affected Scott years later. She destroyed so much more than his reputation; she killed his spirit. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to trust a woman again. “Pretty much.”
“You can’t avoid every woman for the rest of your life just because of that bitch, man. What if the maid is the woman of your dreams? What if she’s the one you’ve been waiting for?”
“What if she’s another Great Disaster?”
“You don’t know until you try?” Jeff shrugged. “She might be just another one of these chickenheads out here or she might be The One. But from what I’m seeing of you? I think you’re pussy-whipped and sprung like a motherfucker.”
“No, I am not!” Scott declared.
“You said you’re going to ‘let it go’ like Teddy P. but it seems to me ‘ol girl got you on that Lenny Williams shit.”
“Fuck you.” Scott knew his best friend was right.
“Next thing I know I’m gonna hear about your ass, crying and pleading for like, six, seven minutes. Talking about how much you loooooooooooove her.”
“Wait a minute, now,” Scott defended, “I don’t lo…” he paused. He did love Mariana.
“What was that?” Jeff leaned in closer. “I couldn’t hear you.”
“I guess you’re right,” Scott let out a sigh, “I guess we’ll have to see what happens tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Jeff inquired.“You still got her that internship?”
Scott lightly tapped the table. “I’ll meet with her tomorrow.”
“Does she know you’re interviewing her?”
“No,” Scott shook his head. He intentionally had Elissa interview Mariana for fear she wouldn’t come at all. To his surprise, Mariana nailed the interview and was qualified for the internship.
“Alright,” Jeff sat back in his chair, “can you do me a favor?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Can I be there to see her slap the shit out of you?”
Chapter Eight
I need to focus. It’s my last year and I don’t need to be caught up on any bullshit. Focus, focus, focus.
She finally had an interview with McCormick and Sheppard. The interview was at 3 PM. It was cutting close to the time she would be at Scott’s home but Mariana didn’t care. It appeared Scott didn’t.
She wore a pinstriped business suit an
d white blouse. Her long hair was rolled up tightly in a bun and she topped off her look with pearl earrings and subtle makeup. Mariana knew by a quick glance in the mirror she already got the job. She looked like a million bucks and felt like it. Always walk into the interview like you own it, a professor once told her, they would have no choice but to hire you.
Within a few minutes, a secretary, Elissa, came to the lobby to get her. “Mariana?” She greeted her. “He’s ready to see you now.”
