With a towel wrapped around his waist, Cedric went into his closet to hang his clothes. Minutes later, he got in bed and turned his back to me.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened between you and Jacoby?” I inquired.
“Why should I tell you? You’ve already decided to take his side, so what happened between us doesn’t really matter.”
“I haven’t taken anyone’s side. All I said was that I didn’t appreciate you putting your hands on him.”
“And I don’t appreciate you telling me how to be his father. You heard that insulting shit he said to me. If you think that it’s okay for him to speak to me like that then you’re just as fucked-up in the head as he is.”
I put the remote down and glared at the back of Cedric’s head. “If you want to be his father then you should have started your journey a long time ago. You can’t wait until now to show up. He’s not hearing you and he’s definitely not down with you putting your hands on him at sixteen. Quite frankly, neither am I.”
Cedric turned around and tossed the cover aside. “I refuse to stay in this room and listen to your bullshit about how I’m such a bad father. Yo’ ass wasn’t complaining when I bought that BMW for him last year, you weren’t complaining when I paid for him to go to Italy with his classmates, nor were you complaining when I spent almost fifteen thousand dollars on a lavish sixteenth-birthday party that you wanted to have for him, just to impress your friends. Bad parents don’t do that kind of shit, so get your facts straight first then we can talk on a level in which you need to be on.”
Cedric headed to one of the guest rooms. I shouted out to him as he stomped down the hallway. “You can’t buy his love, Cedric. It takes more than money to raise a child and he needs way more than that from you.”
He stopped in his tracks, turning to look at me. “Since I have all of the money, why don’t you step up your game through nurturing and guiding? After all, we are in this shit together, aren’t we?”
I wanted to tell him to kiss my butt, but by then he had already closed the door. I seriously could not go on like this. Something had to change about this situation because I was starting to feel as if I were losing my mind up in here.
Chapter Three
Trina
The room was nearly pitch black, but I could see Lexi claw the sheets and suck in a deep breath. Her silky-smooth legs were wrapped around my neck and the sweet taste of her pussy always left me satisfied.
“More,” she said in a soft whisper. “Then it’s my turn to do you.”
Giving her what she asked for—more—I slipped my tongue deeper into her hot pussy that covered my lips with a light glaze. Lexi rocked her lips against my mouth, and minutes later she expressed her excitement for me.
“I love you so much, Trina. No man has ever made me feel this way.”
I knew exactly how Lexi had felt. Been there, done that, and what a waste of time it was. Day by day, I found myself being more attracted to women. I was even attracted to my girl, Evelyn, but if she and Kayla knew my situation they would never have anything to do with me. Even my own mother disowned me and so did my brother. I had no one but Kayla and Evelyn. They were considered my best friends. Still, there were some things I didn’t want them to know. They often questioned me about why I rarely brought my male companions around, but to keep their concerns to a minimum I threw some of my male coworkers in the mix and introduced them to my girlfriends. From my coworker Keith to JaQuan, I toyed with them and made them believe I was interested. Truthfully, the only thing I was interested in was tasting more of Lexi and getting her to cum again before the night was over.
Almost an hour later, Lexi and I sat in a bathtub filled with bubbles. She was between my legs and the back of her head rested against my breasts. I lathered her body with soap, using my hands instead of a towel. While massaging her firm breasts, she squirmed around and tilted her head. I placed a trail of delicate kisses down her neck and lowered my hand to touch her stiff bud that peeked out of her coochie lips. Soft music played in the background and two glasses of wine sat on the edge of the tub.
“If you love me like you say you do,” Lexi said, “why do you continue to keep our relationship a secret? I’m ready to tell the world how I feel about you. I’m a little disappointed that we’ve been seeing each other for almost two years and you don’t acknowledge me as your woman.”
Right then, I removed my finger from Lexi’s insides. Sometimes, she griped a little too much for me. It was the wrong time to have this conversation that we had had over and over again. I hated to repeat myself and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings.
“I already told you why I didn’t want to tell anyone about us. I have a lot to lose if I do. I thought you understood why I don’t want to go there. My decision to stay quiet has nothing to do with how much I love you. I do, but I know the consequences behind me admitting our situation to others.”
Lexi pouted, but then she took my hands, rubbing them together with hers. She remained quiet for a while, but minutes later she stood to get out of the tub. Suds rolled down her blemish-free body and her heart-shaped ass was so perfect that I couldn’t allow her to leave. I rubbed up and down her long legs then I separated her ass cheeks as they faced me. She backed up and squatted so I could taste her again. With my fingers in motion too, Lexi shivered all over and cried out my name. We finished up our sex session in bed, and by morning she was on her way out.
Unfortunately for me, though, Lexi bumped right into Evelyn as she opened the door to leave.
Lexi’s eyes widened. She searched Evelyn from head to toe. Evelyn peeked through the doorway with a smile plastered on her face. “Is Trina here?”
From in the kitchen, I waved my hand in the air. “I’m over here, Evelyn. Come right in.”
Lexi moved aside to let Evelyn in. The look in Lexi’s eyes said it all. She was jealous. She couldn’t hide it. The twitching of her eyes alarmed me. I had to remind Lexi who Evelyn was so she wouldn’t trip.
“Lexi, this is my best friend, Evelyn. Evelyn, this is my coworker, Lexi. She brought me some papers to sign this morning and joined me for breakfast. I guess you’re here for breakfast too?”
They spoke to each other, but Evelyn quickly turned her attention to me.
“If you could cook,” Evelyn teased, “I would love to join you for breakfast. But all you’re going to offer me is cereal and milk, so no thanks.”
“You got that right,” I said, laughing. “But you’re welcome to a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. We just had some, and the orange juice—if you want some—is back in the fridge.”
Evelyn shook her head, signaling no. She then sat at the kitchen table. I moved toward the door with Lexi who appeared irritated by Evelyn’s presence. After I opened the front door, we stepped outside of my apartment.
“So, what’s up with you and this Evelyn chick?” Lexi asked then folded her arms across her chest. “Are you sure the two of you are just friends?”
Lexi had no reason to be jealous of Evelyn, because she was just as pretty. The only thing with Lexi was her attitude. At thirty-one, she was five years younger than I was and she was a bit immature.
“I’m positive that the two of us are just friends. Now go before you miss your spa appointment. I’ll call you later.”
Lexi rolled her big round eyes that were nearly hidden behind her bangs. She tossed her straight, long hair to the side and rushed off with much attitude on display. She was a sexy biracial woman who stood about five feet two. I was happy to have her in my life, but unfortunately, she wasn’t the only woman I was attracted to.
I tightened the belt on my sweatpants and pulled down my tank shirt that cut right underneath my breasts. A flowered tattoo flowed across my stomach and a belly ring was clipped to my navel. I always wore my hair short and layered, but it wasn’t intact this morning. I hated that it wasn’t styled, only because I didn’t like to be around Evelyn when I didn’t look my best. She was very critic
al, unlike Kayla, who wasn’t—especially not of me.
I went back inside, locking the door behind me. Evelyn was on her cell phone talking to someone, but she rushed to tell the caller she would have to call them back.
“What’s up with that Lexi chick?” Evelyn questioned then placed her phone on the table. “She had a real bad attitude.”
“She’s always like that, so don’t take it personal. The people at work complain about her all the time and no one really likes her.”
I hated to lie, but I’d gotten pretty used to it. Evelyn nibbled on her nails while looking around. “I like what you’ve done to this place, but it’s a little too colorful in here. These bright yellow walls are working me. I know you got this artistic stuff going on, but you should consider toning it down in here. I feel like I’m back in the seventies or something.”
“I knew you would like my orange sectional and purple chairs, but how about you do you and let me do me? I’m sure you didn’t come over here to talk about my weird paintings on the walls and how outdated my furniture is. What brings you by this early in the morning?”
Evelyn crossed her long, smooth legs, and then reached into her purse for a cigarette. After she lit it, she whistled smoke into the air and licked her perfect lips. “First of all, I stopped by to see you because I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. I also wanted to find out if you were going to Kayla’s house for dinner tomorrow. I’ve been trying to reach you all night, but your phone kept going to voice mail. I came here to check on you in person, just to make sure everything was okay.”
I got up from the chair and went to check my phone. It was off the hook. With all the ruckus I caused with Lexi last night, we probably knocked the phone in my bedroom off the hook. I went to my bedroom, and sure enough the phone didn’t have a dial tone. I put it back on the charger and then joined Evelyn again in the kitchen. I hated for her to smoke in my apartment. She kept fanning her hands in the air to clear the smoke.
“I don’t have much else to do tomorrow, so I guess I will confirm with Kayla today that I’m coming to dinner. I assume she wants us to bring a dish, but whatever you do, please do not make any of that spaghetti you made the last time. That mess was awful.”
Evelyn laughed and pursed her lips. “I made it taste bad on purpose. This time, though, I’m going to make a seven-layer salad and call it a day.”
I looked up, pondering about what I had in the fridge to put together. Trying to see what, I got up and opened the stainless-steel door to the fridge.
“I . . . I guess I’ll make a cheese tray with veggies. I may add some fruit to it too, unless I go to the grocery store and get something else.”
“Uh, please do. I like to watch my weight, but my weekends are for splurging. Why don’t you make lasagna? The last one you made was fire.”
“I would love to make one, but do you see this figure I got?” I put my hands on my waist and twirled around. I was more fit than Evelyn and Kayla, only because I spent a lot of time at the gym working out. The muscles in my arms and abs were tight. “I don’t want to ruin what I have going on with this body. When I weighed two-hundred-plus pounds in the eighth grade, you and Kayla couldn’t stop teasing me. It took me years to get my weight under control, and lasagna is the last thing I need right now.”
“Fine,” Evelyn said, throwing her hand back at me. “Stick with the veggie tray and keep that muscle-packed, hourglass figure you got. You sure do have way more hips and ass than I do, but some men like all this slimness, so I’m good.”
“Some men,” I said, sitting back at the table. “Not all.”
“Well, the one who matters does.”
“Who may that be this month? And when are we going to meet him?”
“Maybe tomorrow. I may invite him to come with me tomorrow, so please be on your best behavior.”
“I will, so no worries.”
Evelyn and I sat for the next hour or so talking. I wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation, because I was thinking that I didn’t want to go to dinner tomorrow by myself. If I did, Evelyn and Kayla would surely question me about why I didn’t bring a date. I kept thinking about who to call, Keith or JaQuan. I suspected that they were getting tired of playing this game with me. Both of them had been trying to get closer, but I wasn’t having it. I pretended to be interested, but realistically, all they were good for was helping me keep up this front. The date thing wasn’t the only thing on my mind. So was Evelyn. Sometimes, I felt uneasy in her presence, considering these crazy feelings I had. I felt terrible for eyeing her sexy lips as she spoke. When she got up to get something to drink, I admired her ass that was fitted into a stretch skirt. I wanted to see her naked—taste her and make love to her like I did Lexi last night. I’d had these feelings for a while—well, more so after I ended a bad relationship with my ex. It was so hard for me to keep this secret, but I had to. I couldn’t tell Evelyn that all I wanted was one day with her. Just one. After that, I would want no more.
Evelyn stood and reached for her purse. “Well, it’s been real, my friend, but I need to get to the cleaners to pick up my clothes. I wanted to go shopping today, but window shopping won’t do.”
“I agree. I’m down to my last hundred bucks. I just paid rent and the hundred dollars is all I have left until I get paid again.”
Evelyn laughed. “At least you have that. I’m a broke bitch right now, but if I keep on working overtime it should help me get back on my feet. I don’t want to borrow any more money from Kayla. I have yet to pay her back the two grand I already owe her.”
“I know. I owe her twelve-hundred dollars and she told me to pay her back when I can. I was thinking about hitting her up for a few hundred tomorrow. I need something to help me make it to my next payday.”
Evelyn and I let out a deep sigh at the same time. Our financial situations sucked, but I was thankful to Kayla for being there for us. She was a jewel. I really did appreciate our friendship.
After Evelyn left, I picked up the phone, trying to secure a date for tomorrow. Keith wasn’t home so I called JaQuan.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” I asked as I heard loud music in the background.
“No. I’m just stuck in traffic. There was an accident on the highway and nobody is moving.”
“Sorry to hear that, but . . . uh . . . I have a question for you. Are you busy tomorrow?”
“Not really. Why? What’s up?”
“I wanted to know if you would attend a dinner engagement with me. It’s at my girlfriend’s house and she invited me to come over.”
“Which one of your girlfriends? The rich one or the snobby one?”
“The rich one. The one who is married to Cedric.”
“I liked that dude. We had an interesting time at the baseball game that day and he seemed real down-to-earth. I wanted to talk to him about a business venture I’m interested in—so, yeah, I can do that. What time would you like for me to pick you up?”
“Around ten o’clock in the morning. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to church first. Then we can meet up with everyone for dinner.”
“That’s fine. See you tomorrow, Trina, and thanks for asking me to go with you. You must be my good-luck charm because traffic is finally moving again. Way to go, huh?”
“Yeah. See you soon, JaQuan. Be safe.”
The next morning, JaQuan was right on time picking me up. He complimented the brown dress I wore that melted on my curves like a chocolate candy bar. My hair was layered and the makeup I wore dolled-up toffee-colored skin. The gold strappy heels I wore gave me much height; I was almost as tall as JaQuan, who stood almost six feet two. He was a head-turner too. What woman didn’t appreciate a light-skinned man with confidence? He defined sexy. His facial hair was neatly trimmed and his haircut was sharply lined and cut into a fade with waves. He wasn’t what I would call muscle-packed, but the man did have a fit body. Too bad it didn’t do much for me. The good thing was that being around JaQuan was fun, because he
was very comical.
We arrived fifteen minutes late for church, but were lucky enough to find seats that provided a clear view of the pulpit. Pastor Clemons sat in his chair, watching as church folks filled the sanctuary from the first pew to the back. The announcements were being read, and a few minutes later the ushers began to take an offering. When the choir started to sing, several people stood, clapping their hands. The first lady, Cynthia, was always there to show her support. Even though her husband was the biggest player in the church, she stood by him. But the truth was, she wasn’t on the up-and-up, either. She had flaws, like many of us who were there to cleanse our souls.
After the choir finished singing, Pastor Clemons approached the podium.
“Amen,” he shouted.
“Amen!” the congregation shouted back.
“We have one of the best choirs in St. Louis. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the annual concert. When I tell y’all this choir is going to set the roof on fire, I mean it!”
The congregation laughed and clapped their hands. My eyes were focused on Cynthia, who kept turning her head to the side, looking at me. I could see her staring, but I ignored her. JaQuan seemed to pick up on the constant eye gestures, and it didn’t surprise me when he leaned in to inquire about Cynthia’s actions.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not sure. It looks like she’s checking you out.”
Of course, she wasn’t. Because, like me, the first lady loved women and got excited whenever she saw me. She knew what I was capable of doing to her, and it had been almost a month since we’d had one of our sexual escapades. Cynthia told me that she wanted to call it quits because Pastor Clemons was starting to get suspicious. The last thing she wanted was to lose her status as the first lady. According to her, there were plenty of women waiting to take her place.
No matter what, though, I didn’t attend church to see her. I didn’t come to judge anyone. I was there to save myself. I knew the way I was living my life wasn’t right, and I looked forward to asking God to forgive me, especially on Sunday mornings.
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