by S. K. Hardy
Humming under her breath, Jerra hit repeat once the song finished, smiling at the nasty things the R&B artist sang about in the lyrics, and made a promise to reenact every single one of them with her husband before the night was over.
Darrell looked in on D.J. before he got ready to take his shower. As he expected, his son had kicked off the covers and was lying flat on his back with his arms splayed wide on either side of him.
Shaking his head, Darrell walked in and pulled the sheets and comforter back over him. “Boy, you and your mama are the worst sleepers I’ve ever seen, I swear,” he muttered as he tucked D.J. in again.
Leaning down, Darrell kissed him on the forehead and smiled. He had enjoyed spending the extra time with him this evening. They’d played a couple of rounds of D.J.’s favorite video game, wrestled a little, then ended the night watching television.
Darrell’s grin slowly faded as he thought about how much he missed being with his son. Yeah, he saw him mostly every day, but it wasn’t the same. Not at all. He missed Jerra too, but determined not to get lost in those thoughts right now, his mind switched to the counseling sessions he’d had with Dr. Williams. To say Darrell had been more than a little skeptical he had to admit, it wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. As always, his brotha had been right on the money.
Leaving D.J.’s room, he decided to put the food away first before taking a shower. Darrell rubbed his flat stomach as he walked into the kitchen and thought about the homemade banana pudding Mrs. Henderson had made for him and D.J. It wasn’t that Cool Whip and instant pudding kind either. It was the real mu’fuckin’ deal. He and D.J. had tore into it as soon as they’d finished dinner. Darrell couldn’t believe he was actually thinking about getting some more before he went to bed. He was already goin’ to have to do some extra sit-ups tonight as it was.
Frowning, Darrell shook his head. He was goin’ to have to talk to Mrs. H. about the desserts. Last week, it was strawberry shortcake. The week before that, homemade peach cobbler. He’d been sharing some of it with his neighbor, Charlene and her kids, and a few times, Marcus and Dom had come over and helped polish it off, so it hadn’t been so bad–but it was bad enough. Darrell exercised every day, but if Mrs. H. kept cookin’ these types of meals…
The rest of his thoughts were interrupted by the chiming of the doorbell. Darrell glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost ten o’clock. Walking to the door, he peered through the peephole and saw that it was his neighbor, Charlene. After disarming the alarm, he opened the door and saw that she was holding the container he’d put the strawberry shortcake in last week.
Handing it to him, she gave him a sheepish grin. “Hi, Darrell. I hope I’m not disturbing you. I know it’s late, but I figured I’d kept your container long enough, so…”
Darrell took it from her and smiled. Great. Now he could get rid of some of that banana pudding. “No, you’re not interruptin’, but there was no rush in returnin’ this. Since you did, though…” He swung the door open and grinned. “How ‘bout I just refill it with some homemade banana pudding?”
“Darrellll, noooo…” Charlene whined, pushing her bottom lip out in a pout. She gestured to the tight little workout shorts and sports bra she had on. “The kids are with their father, so I decided to get in a late night workout session downstairs. These scrumptious desserts your housekeeper continues to cook are one reason why I’ve had to double up on my exercise. Otherwise I would’ve gained ten pounds by now.”
“Aw, come on, I see how much you work out. As long as you keep burnin’ those calories you can eat whatever you want. And from what I see, you maintainin’ pretty damn good,” Darrell knew he was flirting a little, but it was all in good fun.
“Well, thank you.” Charlene’s pale cheeks blushed with pleasure at the compliment and flicked her long, strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. As if an idea had just come to her she said, “Hey, why don’t you change and come down and join me?” She reached out and patted his flat abs. “You can give me a crash course on how to get my stomach like that.”
Darrell was on the verge of refusing the offer, but before he could, a voice from behind Charlene did it for him.
“He’s busy…tonight and every other night in the foreseeable future.”
Frowning, Darrell peeked around Charlene. When he saw who it was, his lips parted in surprise because he hadn’t expected to see her tonight. “Jerra?”
CHAPTER 35
Ignoring Darrell for the moment and giving Charlene all of her attention, Jerra’s eyes traveled over the skimpy outfit the other woman wore. “Our son is spending the night, so I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to work out with.” Her tone made it clear that she knew exactly what type of “exercise” Charlene had been hoping to get in with Darrell.
Darrell gave her a hard stare, which she defiantly returned. “Jerra, I don’t think you’ve met my neighbor, Charlene Jameson. Charlene, my wife, Jerra Monroe.”
“Oh, uh, hello,” Charlene’s face turned beet red as she stammered out a greeting. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m sure.”
Darrell frowned. “Jerra.”
But Charlene took the not so subtle hint. “Darrell, I’ll get that pudding sometime tomorrow.” She gave Jerra a sly look. “Maybe if you’re free we can get that workout in then. Have a good night.”
Jerra stared after the woman with a sneer. It may have been his imagination, but Darrell almost swore he heard her growl. He opened the door wider for her to come in, his eyes following her as she walked inside glancing around the condo.
“Looking for something?” he asked with a slight edge in his voice.
Jerra swung around to face him. “No. Should I be?”
Darrell’s frown deepened. Closing the door, he headed towards the kitchen. “What’s wrong with you? You didn’t have to be rude. She was only returning a container.”
Jerra followed him, placing her purse on the counter. “I’m sure she wanted to give you a lot more than that, and from what I observed, you didn’t look opposed to the idea.”
Darrell stood on the other side of the counter staring at her. “Okay, what’s got you so pissed off?”
“Nothing,” Jerra muttered, still thinking about ‘Workout Barbie’. It had taken everything in her not to snatch that witch’s red hair out by its black roots.
And him. Jerra glared at Darrell. He’d stood there and actually…flirted with that woman. What would’ve happened if she’d decided not to stop by tonight? How far would the flirting have gone? Would he have invited her in and…and…
Jerra felt nauseous. The mere thought of Darrell having sex with anyone else was enough to make her crazy and insanely jealous. As much as she hated it, it was true.
“It seems like you’re enjoying your freedom quite a bit,” she continued when he remained silent. “First, you’re in Club Ecstasy taking pictures with other women and acting like you’re single, then I catch you flirting with your skimpily clad neighbor while she’s running her hands over you. I mean, is this what you do when you have my son? Wait until he’s asleep then invite random women over to do God knows what?”
The moment the words left Jerra’s mouth, she knew she’d made a huge mistake. The look Darrell leveled at her was one of absolute fury. “What did you say?” he asked, his features cold and stiff.
“Or you going to deny it?”
“Hell yeah, I’m denying it. Tha’ fu–” Darrell caught himself just in time. He took a deep breath, struggling to keep his temper in check because he didn’t want to go to the place Jerra was taking him. “Look, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I think we need to end this conversation now before things are said that can’t be taken back.”
“Whatever.” Jerra muttered in a dismissive tone. “I want to see D.J.”
“He’s asleep,” Darrel growled through clenched teeth.
“And? Does that mean I can’t look in on him?”
Darrell just stared at her through
eyes narrowed thin to crinkled slits. Jerra shifted under the unrelenting weight of his scrutiny. Swallowing, her eyes darted around the kitchen. What was wrong with her, acting like some jealous shrew? She couldn’t believe she’d gone off like that and said something so ugly to him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. About you bringing women here, I mean.”
“You’re right, you shouldn’t have,” Darrell snapped. “You can come at me all day if you want to, but don’t ever try to imply that I don’t proper care of my son.”
“That’s not what I…I didn’t mean to say…” Jerra clamped her lips shut for fear she would say something else to put her foot in her mouth. As things stood, she already felt about two inches high and knew she deserved every bit of his anger.
“Why are you even here?” Darrell fired the question towards her, his voice still angry and gruff. “I thought you said you were goin’ straight home?”
Feeling like the village idiot, Jerra grasped the first excuse that came to mind. “I…I was just thinking about D.J. and…and since I pass your exit on the way home, I thought it would be okay to stop and look in on him.” Great. Now she was bringing their son in on her lie.
Darrell placed his hands on the island located in the center of the kitchen and leaned forward. Without speaking, he gestured for her to go to D.J.’s room. Unable to meet his eyes, Jerra was almost to the door when Darrell called her name.
“Yes?” she asked, turning to face him.
“Why are you really here?” When she hesitated, he sighed, his anger fading, and slowly walked around to Jerra and stared down at her. “Baby, look we’re on our way to gettin’ things back on track, or at least I think we are. But it’s still fragile. For it to work, we’re gon’ have to put it all on the line and be completely honest with one another.”
Jerra looked up at him with wide eyes as she tried to find the words she was looking for, but for the life of her, her mind drew a blank. “I…well…”
Darrell placed a finger over her lips. “Tell ya’ what,” he said. “Go on and look in on D.J., then we’ll start over when you get back. Deal?”
Her throat working up and down, Jerra nodded and turned to go, hoping like hell that she could find a way to fix the mess she’d made, and salvage the progress they’d made if it wasn’t too late.
Darrell remained in the kitchen thinking about how things had gone left so quickly. He knew it was because Jerra had seen him talkin’ to Charlene and gotten jealous, but throwing D.J. in the equation as a means to get back at him was not going to happen. That was something she’d never done before. His mind continued to dissect what just happened until he heard her heels on the hardwood floors. Turning his head, he watched her approach with slow, reluctant steps. When she came into the kitchen and stopped a few feet away from him, he waited.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
Looking at the expression on her face Darrell had to bite back a smile. She looked so ashamed of herself he didn’t have the heart to give her a hard time. “It’s okay. No apology needed.”
Jerra looked down at the island and traced an imaginary pattern on it with her nail.
Darrell’s gaze roamed over her face. “Did D.J. look the same as the last time you saw him this morning?” he asked innocently.
Jerra raised embarrassed eyes up to his, but when the corner of his mouth lifted up in a teasing smile, her body lost some of its rigidity. She actually managed a half-hearted smile of her own. “Yes. He did.”
“See?” he smiled. “Have you eaten yet?”
Jerra automatically started to nod, but then she thought about it. “Not since lunch, but–”
Darrell’s lips tightened. Without a word, he went to the cabinet and took out a plate, then opened the oven to get the casserole and vegetables Mrs. Henderson had cooked for his and D.J.’s dinner.
“Darrell, no, it’s okay,” Jerra protested. “It’s late. You don’t have to do that.”
“Sit down.”
After doing as she was told, Jerra watched him in silence. When she saw how much he piled on her plate, she held her hand up. “That’s too much. I can’t possibly eat all of…”
A loud growl of hunger that rumbled from her stomach completed the rest of the sentence.
Darrell arched a brow as he put the plate into the microwave. “You were saying?”
Jerra pressed her hand to her stomach. “I guess I was saying, thank you. That looks delicious.”
They stared at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Seated at one of the high-backed stools at the island, Jerra kicked her shoes off and curled a leg up under her. The minute Darrell placed her plate on the counter, she dug in with enthusiasm. Her taste buds had a party the second she started to chew.
“Oh my God, this is so good. Mrs. H. has got to be the best cook ever.”
“Wait until you taste the banana pudding she made,” Darrell said, placing a glass of wine in front of her.
Jerra glanced at the bottle he held and noticed it was her favorite. Smiling her thanks, she took a sip before placing it back on the island. “Is this the same banana pudding you were trying to give away to your neighbor when I walked up?” Jerra asked casually. Taking another bite of her food, she watched him closely as she waited on an answer.
Darrell pulled out the stool beside her and sat down. “It is.”
“Hmph.” After swallowing the food in her mouth, she took another couple of sips of wine before saying, “As long as that’s all you were planning on giving away.”
Darrell looked at her in surprise and laughed. “I see somebody’s feelin’ a little possessive tonight. I like it, though.”
Emboldened by the wine, Jerra made no move to deny it. “I guess I am.”
“I ain’t givin’ away nothin’ that belongs to you, and you better not be givin’ away nothin’ that’s mine.”
“So, does it? Still belong to me, I mean.” Jerra finished the last of her wine and handed him her glass for more.
Darrell’s eyes melted into hers before he answered in a husky voice, “You know it does.”
The sexual tension in the room grew thick. Their gazes held for a few more minutes before Darrell got up and went to the refrigerator. He poured her another glass of wine, but this time kept the bottle out.
Sitting down again, he leaned back and watched in satisfaction as she ate. Jerra asked him about the therapy sessions he’d had so far, listening with interest until Darrell brought the conversation back around to what they were talking about a few minutes ago.
“So I answered you, now you answer me. You haven’t been givin’ away what belongs to me, have you?” he asked. “Who else besides me been tasting my ‘pudding’?”
CHAPTER 36
Jerra giggled at Darrell’s question but his expression was deadly serious when his eyes dropped to the spot between her legs as if he could see underneath her skirt. Jerra knew she was tipsy because hearing how he substituted “pudding” for “pussy” was just…hilarious. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she tried her best to get her amusement under control.
“I’m sorry. It’s…it’s the wine. You know I can’t really drink without everything turning into a comedy show.”
“Yeah, I know,” Darrell nodded.
“It’s just that…” Jerra snickered. Then she started laughing so hard tears ran down her face. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. It’s just the way you said ‘pudding’ when actually you…you meant…” Jerra covered her mouth with both hands to try to keep the giggles inside.
Darrell stood up and towered over her. Turning her around on the stool, he stepped in between her thighs. Lifting his hands to her hair, he gazed into her eyes and started removing the pins that held her bun in place in order to free her hair.
“You haven’t answered me, baby.” He dropped a couple of hairpins on the granite surface in front of them. “Who you been givin’ my pudding to besides me?” Eyebrow cocked, his fingers paused as his look intens
ified. “And I better get the right answer.”
Hearing the underlying seriousness in his voice Jerra sobered quickly. Her eyes turned liquid soft as a pool of warmth spread throughout her body and settled at the very core of her femininity. She loved when he got that look in his eye that was playful…yet dangerous. It turned her on.
“Jerra?” Darrell prompted her to respond to his question.
“Nobody.”
“Nobody?” Darrell repeated. “You sure? Justin ain’t been gettin’ out of pocket? He been stayin’ in his lane?”
Jerra nodded dutifully. “Yes. He thinks we need to try and work things out.”
“Does he now?” Darrell ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair, fluffing it around her shoulders.
Again Jerra nodded and took another couple gulps of wine. When she started to set it down, Darrell took it out of her hand and moved it far enough away so that it was out of her reach. Jerra closed her eyes when he started massaging her scalp around the area where her hair had been confined in the tight bun all day.
“Smart man,” Darrell drawled. “So Justin’s gotten with the program. Good for him. Nobody else been sniffin’ around my shit?”
Jerra frowned in concentration. “Well…someone tried tonight on the way home.” She moaned in protest when he stopped massaging her scalp.
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“I don’t know, some guy tried to pick me up at the stoplight,” she laughed. “I thought he was going to follow me at first, but he didn’t.”
“He just don’t know, that was the best decision he’ll probably ever make in his life.” Darrell started unbuttoning Jerra’s blouse. When she laughed, he looked at her inquiringly, a smile playing around his own lips. “What’s so funny now?”
“I…I have to tell you something.” Giggling hysterically, she leaned forward so that her head rested against his chest.
