Believe in Me (Strickland Sisters Book 2)

by Alexandria House

  “You need to leave my mother out of this shit,” Lorenzo shot back.

  Then she started strictly speaking Spanish, her words tumbling out of her mouth so fast that it was hard to distinguish one from the other. I knew Spanish, took it in high school and college, and could hold a native speaker a decent conversation, but the only words I could make out were ass, bitch, and something I roughly translated as limp dick. And well, that was when I knew she was a loon. He might’ve been an ass to her, but he definitely wasn’t a bitch, and I’d never known him to have any erectile dysfunction whatsoever. I was a couple of years younger than Lorenzo, and his ever-ready ass stayed wearing me out.

  So I tapped him on the shoulder, and when he tore his eyes away from Sofia or Venus or whatever her name was, I said, “I’m going to the ladies’ room. Be right back,” and kissed him on the cheek.

  I had barely stepped out of the ballroom when both of my sisters accosted me. “Who is that chica in the Rainbow clearance rack jumpsuit in there all up in your man’s face? Does her ass need to be handled?” Nicky asked. Nicky was so tiny, a strong wind would blow her over, but I didn’t doubt she could probably clamp her legs around a person and get in a couple of good licks.

  “Yeah, because ole girl is in there being mad disrespectful!” Angie said.

  The two of them followed me into the restroom as I said, “I never confronted those women Robert cheated with and he was my husband. I’m not about to confront one over Zo. He can handle her.”

  “Okay, I guess that’s the mature thing to do,” Angie admitted.

  “Screw that! We ain’t talking about Robert the Alien Xenomorph here. We’re talking about Lorenzo. Big-ole-thick, sexy-juicy-ass Lorenzo! Girl, you better go peel that Quinceañera ho’ off your man!” Nicky declared.

  From inside the stall, I said, “Now you’re exaggerating. She wasn’t even touching him…was she?”

  “Shit, your ass left. She could have her tongue down his throat by now!”

  “She was going off on him, not trying to screw him.”

  “Girl, that chick is muy loco,” Nicky said. “Crazy people’s moods shift like Tennessee weather.”

  “Well, Zo wouldn’t let her be all up on him and stuff…He better not let her.”

  “Sheeeiiiit, how is he gonna stop her Livin’ La Vida Loca ass in public without catching an assault charge?” Nicky asked.

  I finished taking care of my business, flushed, exited the stall, and stepped to the sink to wash my hands. “Well, I’m not fighting her crazy ass. Crazy people have super-human strength.”

  “They really do,” Angie agreed.

  “Yeah. By the way, you look hot! I can’t believe you picked this out by yourself,” Nicky observed.

  “I have taste, baby sis. Just never felt like wearing anything like this before Zo.”

  “Mm-hmm, that’s what a good man with some good penis will do. You see Angie’s ass is a world traveler since she got with Ryan, and you up in here finally dressing for that body of yours.” She hesitated and shook her head. “I’m so proud of y’all. I mean, I’m really proud.”

  Angie and I kind of looked at each other for a second. I think we were both wondering what was going on with Nicky. She actually sounded kind of sentimental, like she possessed normal human emotions. So after that bit of awkward silence, we both hugged her at the same time.

  “You okay, Nicky?” I asked.

  She nodded. “It’s just…Nay, that dress almost makes you look like a ho’. I feel like a proud mother right now.”

  I backed out of the hug and rolled my eyes. “You are truly a damn lunatic, Nicky.”

  Angie just shook her head and left the restroom, followed closely by Nicky with me bringing up the rear. Zo was waiting for me in the hallway by the restroom door.

  She stepped out the restroom in that dress, and my dick jumped. I’d never seen anything as gorgeous as my lady was that night. Brown skin almost glowing against that white dress, her cleavage popping out at me, those thick legs shining from her knees to those damn shoes. Those shoes looked like something a dominatrix would wear, and that turned me the hell on.

  “She’s gone,” I said, as Renee stepped in front of me.

  “How’d you get her to leave?”

  “I told her the party is being videotaped and threatened to get a copy to her man.”

  She frowned. “Her man? She was up in there clowning like that and she has a man?”

  I nodded. “He’s locked up, but she knows I can get a video to him if I really want to. She doesn’t want that because his ass is crazy and she’s supposed to be out here waiting for him.”

  “Wow.”

  “Doc, I’m sorry. That was fucking embarrassing, and it was my fault. I should’ve answered when she called, told her to move on instead of ignoring her.”

  “Yeah, you should have,” she agreed.

  “Damn, baby. Really?”

  “What? I’m just agreeing with you, but she also should’ve had some self-respect and not acted such a fool.”

  “Yeah…look, if you wanna go, we can go.”

  She moved closer to me and placed her hands on my chest. “Zo, this is your party. We can’t leave.”

  “But—”

  “And we’re not going to let some crazy woman ruin it for you. And…your reclusive ass is going back in there whether you want to or not.”

  “Damn, you know me too well.”

  “Mm-hmm. Look, we’re going to do what I did right after my marriage went to hell and I still had to face the public every day.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Act like that shit never happened.” She reached for my hand. “Come on, Street. Let’s go get something to drink and rock this party.”

  I grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

  *****

  “Zo, did you do something to my ex-husband?”

  We made it home from the party around one in the morning and had both been so exhausted that we fell into bed without taking a shower. I was wide awake, but tried to act like I was asleep.

  “I know you’re not sleep.”

  Shit. “What, baby?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Yeah, but what do you mean? Why you think I did something to him?”

  “Because I saw him the other day and he literally started running away from me as soon as he saw me.”

  “For real? Where’d you see him?”

  “At the Langley Shopping Center when I was out trying to find an outfit for your party. I saw him at Elmore’s Department Store. He almost knocked down a whole display of purses trying to get away from me.”

  I had to fight hard not to laugh. “Damn, really? Maybe he was just in a hurry.”

  “I don’t think so. He had this crazy, panicked look on his face when he saw me, too. The same look I saw on his face at the movie theater that time.”

  “What time?”

  “The time he ran into those people and knocked them down.”

  “That was your ex?”

  “You are such a bad actor.”

  I chuckled. “Baby, I’m not acting. I didn’t know that was him.”

  “And a bad liar.”

  “I’m insulted. You think I’m lying?”

  “I know you are. And the more I think about it, you probably paid the judge to sign off on my divorce so quickly. You did say you had a few on your payroll in Chicago. A man who can get a video to an inmate can surely pay off a judge here in Tennessee, too.”

  Damn. She had really figured my ass out. I couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “What’d you do to him, Zo?”

  “Why are you asking about this now? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

  “I can’t sleep. Still wired from the party, and it’s been on my mind for a few days now. Just decided I’d ask. What’d you do to him?”

  “Does it matter? What difference does it make?”

  “I wanna know.”

  I sighed and eased her off my chest so that I co
uld sit up in the bed. “Me and Rell just scared him, messed with his head a little bit. Told him to stop fucking around and give you the divorce. And yes, I paid the judge off.”

  A couple of minutes of silence passed, and then she finally said, “Why?”

  “Why? Because…shit, because I wanted you to be free so we could get together. And because he was breaking you down. I could see it at that benefit. You looked like you were being tortured.”

  “I was,” she said softly.

  “Yeah, well, that shit pissed me the hell off, and I couldn’t let him get away with it. I couldn’t let him keep hurting you, so I showed him how it feels to be messed with like he was messing with you. Showed him how it feels to have no control over a situation.”

  More silence.

  Our bedroom was dark, so I couldn’t see her face, and I half expected her to get up and leave or something, although I hoped she wouldn’t. When I felt her move, my damn heart fell. This was why I’d kept it from her. She had morals. Of course she would think what I did was wrong, and maybe it was, but if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn’t change a damn thing. That asshole deserved it. He deserved worse.

  When I felt her slide her hand into my boxers and grasp me, I jumped. And when she positioned herself so that she was straddling one of my legs, I could feel the warmth of her naked treasure and my shit instantly sprang to attention. She wrapped her mouth around me, and my big ass gasped. This was definitely not the reaction I was expecting.

  She gripped me, taking me deeper and deeper into her mouth, causing me to sink into the mattress and close my eyes. My hand found her head, and I groaned as she slid me out of her mouth.

  “Doc, what are you doing?” I mumbled, not really expecting an answer.

  “Thanking you,” she said, and then slid me into her mouth again.

  “Oh, daaaaamn! Shit! Woooooo, shit!” I wished I could see her, but that would’ve probably sent me right over the edge. I didn’t want what I was feeling to end that quickly.

  She massaged and sucked until I knew I was going to explode. “Baby, I’m about to—”

  She didn’t stop, wouldn’t stop, even when I tried to move away from her.

  I stiffened, went deaf and blind for about a minute, actually stopped breathing for a few seconds, and then felt her kiss her way up to my mouth. “Thank you, Zo.”

  Through heaving breaths, I said, “Marry me, Doc.”

  “Are you asking me to marry you because I just—”

  “No, no, I was going to ask you at the party tonight. I had it all planned out but scrapped everything after Veda showed her ass. I have a ring and everything. Hold up.”

  My legs were kind of weak, but I managed to get up and find the tuxedo jacket I’d tossed on a chair in a corner and dug the ring out of the pocket. Then I turned on the lamp next to my side of the bed to see that she was crying.

  I climbed back in the bed and pulled her to me. “Doc, why you crying, baby?”

  “Because—ask me again.”

  I held up the ring. “Will you marry me?”

  “Zo, I’m scared.”

  “I know, but remember what I told you? I’m not him. You can believe in me.”

  She nodded. “You didn’t let me finish. I’m scared, but I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you. But can we have a long engagement. Like a year?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  I slid the ring on her finger, and she kissed me again.

  “Thank you. Zo. For everything.”

  “No, baby. Thank you.”

  31

  There was a little extra bounce in my step when I went to work the Monday after Lorenzo slid that ring on my finger, and for the life of me, I found it nearly impossible to stop smiling through my appointments with two prenatal patients and one young lady who was in for her annual examination and a refill on her birth control pills. I was feeling so good, I even walked all three patients back out to the lobby when their appointments were over.

  Around noon, I decided to go to the Smoothie Hut to grab a salad since Lorenzo had a day of meetings scheduled for his publishing company. I had grabbed my purse and was about to head out the door when someone knocked on it.

  “Come in!” I yelled.

  Janine flounced in with a huge smile on her face, holding a vase of gorgeous pale pink roses. “Must be nice,” she said.

  I grinned as I leaned forward in my chair, taking the vase from her and setting it on my desk. As I fingered one of the roses, I said, “Oh, it is.”

  She sighed. “You are so blessed to have found someone who adores you like Lorenzo does and—” She leaned in so close to me that I had to wonder if there was something on my face. “What is that?” she asked.

  I frowned. “What is what?”

  “That! On your finger. On your left hand, the hand you’re using to play with your hair. And I like your hair like that, by the way. You should wear it down more often instead of always in those ponytails. You look so pretty with it down.”

  “You really think so? I got it styled like this for Zo’s book party and decided to wear it like this for a little longer, but I’m not used to it, so I keep playing with it. I hate you missed the party. We had a great time.”

  She fell into a chair across from my desk. “I know, but I had to babysit for my sister at the last minute so she could go to work, and—wait a minute. You didn’t answer my question. Renee, what is that big rock doing on your finger?”

  I smiled. “Lorenzo gave it to me.”

  “Did he give it to you after he proposed and you said yes?”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  Her mouth fell open and she jumped up, scurried around my desk, and hugged me. “Girl, I’m happy like I’m the one engaged! I’m so thrilled for you, even though you kept him a secret from me for so long. Renee! Honey, you were not playing! You got rid of Robert and moved right on! I love it!”

  Once she finally released me and reclaimed her seat, I said, “Thanks, Janine. And speaking of secrets, um…about you and Rell…”

  She actually gasped and then wore this shocked look on her face.

  I rolled my eyes. “Me and Lorenzo saw you leaving his place a few weeks ago. So, don’t try to deny it.”

  Janine was a dark-skinned beauty, but I swear she was blushing. “Renee…Tyrell, he’s so sweet and kind and sexy. I’m-I’m crazy about him! At first, when I would see him out on the lot waiting for you, I thought he was your new man and girl, I was so jealous, because that’s one big fine teddy bear of a man to me! And now, he’s mine!”

  “Oh, Janine. I’m so happy for you. But, uh…how did you two…I mean, he doesn’t talk.”

  “Oh, we exchanged numbers one afternoon here out on the parking lot, and then we started texting, and he writes me the sweetest letters. And…I just love him. I really do.”

  “Sounds like you might be getting a ring soon.”

  “I really hope so. I’d marry him in a heartbeat and move right into that garage apartment with him.”

  “You’d leave your house for him?”

  “Honey, yes! I’d leave the country for him. He just makes me feel so loved and safe, you know?”

  I nodded and smiled again. “Yeah, I know.”

  *****

  That night, over a dinner of baked boneless, skinless chicken breasts and steamed vegetables (Lorenzo had been on a healthy cooking kick since finding out about my blood pressure issues), we talked about everything from his meetings, to his book sales, to Rell and Janice, to our future plans together.

  “You want a big wedding, Doc? Cathedral, white dress, long train, a bunch of bridesmaids?”

  I shook my head. “Not particularly. I wouldn’t mind just having something small and intimate like Angie and Ryan did. Their wedding was so beautiful. They had it at this little church our grandmother used to attend. Do you know Ryan actually cried whe
n Angie was walking down the aisle to him?”

  “My ass will probably be crying, too,” he said. “So…small, intimate. Your father will give you away?”

  I shrugged. “I guess. Really doesn’t matter. We’re not that close. Never have been.”

  “Sorry, baby.”

  “It’s all right. I mean, he’s my dad and I love him, but he hasn’t been that great of a father. Anyway, I just don’t wanna do the justice of the peace thing again like I did with Robert. I want our wedding to be special.”

  “Me, too, baby. Especially since it’ll be the first and last time I get married.”

  “It sure will, because I’m not letting your big, fine butt go anywhere.”

  He grinned. “So, are you good with this house? Want me to buy you another one?”

  “No, I love this house, big-ass furniture and all.”

  He laughed. “I love it, too, and it’s got plenty of room for when we start having kids…”

  He kept talking, but I didn’t hear a single word after kids. I hadn’t told him about my fertility issues, because…I really don’t know. After Robert and I tried and failed to get pregnant shortly after his first revealed infidelity, I just sort of trained myself not to think about it. The whole ordeal had been so painfully disappointing, trying all these natural methods, taking fertility pills and hormone injections, all to no avail. And with each negative pregnancy test, I grew more and more desperate. We were considering going the adoption route when I found out about Robert’s second affair. By then, we’d literally been trying to conceive for years, I was emotionally exhausted, and I made the decision that I couldn’t bring kids into my obvious shitty mess of a marriage. So I just gave up and pushed the thought of becoming a mother to the back of my mind, along with the painful memories of having tried so hard to make it happen. I decided I’d embrace the fact that I could bring life into the world through my job, and that was enough for me until that woman dropped my husband’s baby off at my doorstep. The feelings of inadequacy came flooding back as I was reminded of the fact that I was the reason we didn’t have children. Robert was obviously capable of making them.