Playthang

by Janine A. Morris

  As they came closer, Jordan noticed a few nearby women checking them out as well. As Jordan scooted back to let them walk by, she noticed them slowing down. They stopped in front of Donovan and smiled at Jordan and Tayese.

  Donovan and the two gentlemen exchanged words and pounds. The ladies realized at this point these were the friends that Donovan had been waiting for.

  Tayese looked over at Jordan and said, “I thought only bad things come in three.”

  They both laughed and tried not to seem so obvious that they liked what they saw. Being that Tayese strutted her single status, having never been married and having no children, her radar was always on high alert. Jordan, on the other hand, had been there and done all that, but as a newly single woman, she knew what she was missing and was just as open to finding good company.

  By the time the fellas had finished their chatter, Tayese and Jordan had started a conversation of their own. Donovan apologizedfor interrupting before he introduced his two old friends to his two new friends. The light-skinned one was Eddie, and the brown-skinned one was Tremaine. Pleased to meet them both, Tayese and Jordan shook their hands.

  For the next few minutes, the girls were engaged in the conversation they were having before they were interrupted, and the guys seemed to be laughing at how Tremaine and Eddie ended up at some other club. Out of nowhere, this guy came and knelt down in front of Tayese and Jordan and started a conversation.

  “I’m trying to figure out why both of you two gorgeous ladies are sitting down,” the guy said.

  “Just enjoying the music,” Jordan responded.

  “What about you?” the guy said to Tayese.

  “Same. Haven’t been here that long.”

  “Well, can I have the pleasure of a dance with you?” the guy asked.

  From the look on Tayese’s face and her discreet glance in Donovan and his friends’ direction, it seemed as if Tayese didn’t want to necessarily dance just yet, and not with him per se. However, she didn’t want to be rude. The guy wasn’t half bad-looking,either, and for all she knew Tremaine, Eddie, and Donovan could have been gay, so she wasn’t ruling anyone out. Tayese handed Jordan her purse and made her way to the dance floor with the guy.

  “Your girl left you,” Donovan said as soon as Tayese was beginning her two-step.

  “Yeah, it’s okay. I’m a big girl; I can handle myself,” Jordan replied.

  “I can see that. I didn’t notice you telling her to hurry back.”

  Jordan giggled at his sarcasm.

  “Let’s dance?” Eddie interjected.

  Jordan looked at Donovan, and he gave a look of unsure approval, as if to say “don’t let me stop you.”

  Jordan figured she could sit there and use her purse babysittingas a sure-fire excuse, but instead she figured she might as well. She did get dressed and go out to have a good time, not to sit down all night. Jordan stood up and headed toward the dance floor with Eddie in pursuit. Once she reached where Tayese was, she handed her her bag and turned back to face Eddie. Tayese gave a smirk and continued on with her two-step with a twist.

  Bobby Trends was playing the remix of R. Kelly’s “I’m a Flirt,” and everyone in the club was singing along. Eddie was dancing pretty close to Jordan, but with no hands. Jordan despised,so she was happy he hadn’t messed up with that. Jordan enjoyed a dance just like the next person, but when guys in the club put their strange hands on her body or poked their privatesanywhere near her, it put an end to the dance. Jordan’s thing was “they don’t know me like that.” So, prude or not, Jordan always kept some distance between her and her club dance partners. Eddie was following along just fine. He was bopping and two-stepping in accordance with Jordan, and Jordanwas staying aligned with Tayese as well.Tayese’s guy wasn’t being too aggressive, either. He was dancing a bit closer, but nothing that was unacceptable. It was obvious that he was enjoyingthe vision of Tayese as he smiled most of the song away.

  Tayese was very attractive. She was five feet six, 140 pounds, dark brown eyes, tan skinned, with thin lips and long black hair. She was shapely, a 34C with a rump to go with it, minus the excess waist and thighs. Tayese was single for the same reasona lot of attractive and successful women were single: Men were intimidated by her. At least that’s what most people concluded,because she didn’t have many flaws. Once the song ended, Tayese and Jordan headed back to the seats that were being held by Donovan and Tremaine. As they excused themselvespast some folks, the guy Tayese was dancing with tapped her on the shoulder.

  “I was hoping we can keep in touch and get to know each other better,” the guy said, looking a bit nervous.

  Tayese reached in her bag and gave him a business card. “Here you go. Call me when you get the chance. I don’t mean to run off, but I’m here with some friends.”

  “No problem, I’ll be in touch” the guy said, seeming excitedto have gotten the digits.

  Once back at their seats, Donovan and Tremaine made some jokes about how fast they all returned. Tayese blamed it on her heels, and Jordan and Eddie didn’t comment back. The five of them pretty much remained in those seats until they decided to go. There was a lot of conversation, several flirtatiouscomments, and a lot of grown-up talk, but it was unclear who was interested in whom. By the time the night ended, they all said they would try to get together again. Tayese and Jordan had given all three guys their business cards, and Donovanand Tremaine had given Tayese and Jordan theirs. Eddie didn’t have business cards, so he just gave hugs and kisses. Althoughthey had all just met, they seemed pretty comfortable with one another. A few months ago, Jordan wouldn’t have spent her entire night with some random guys at a nightclub, but tonight she figured what the hell, life is short.

  22

  Omar had called and said he wanted to talk when he came to pick up Jason. At first Jordan was hesitant, but then she knew that she too hoped that she and Omar could get along better.

  When he walked in, Jordan had to admit Omar was lookingquite handsome. It looked as if he had a fresh cut, and he was dressed pretty sharp. He was wearing new cologne that smelled real good, and he walked in with a sense of confidence.Jordan tried not to stare or show her recognition of what he was working with. Jason was upstairs in his bedroom, playing his PlayStation. Jordan had just finished doing his homework with him, so she told him he could play for an hour because she knew she would need the time alone with his father anyway.

  Once Omar and Jordan were settled on the couch, Omar started right up.

  “So listen, Jordan, me and you have to work at this a little better. Jason’s getting older, and we have put him through enough.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Jordan replied.

  “Well, since we agree on that, I’m assuming we will agree that going to court over him is also not a good idea.”

  “Omar, it’s like you forgot I birthed and raised that boy just because I tried to be fair when we split.”

  “Fair?”

  “Yes, not selfish ... You said you wanted him to stay with you and that he needed his father, and I was feeling guilty enough, so I convinced myself that it was the best situation for Jason.”

  “I think it was, but I can’t say that you weren’t selfish.”

  “I was selfish in regard to our marriage, I admit, but with Jason that decision was the most unselfish thing I ever did.You can keep thinking I did it so Jayon and I could be alone, and you will continue to be ignorant to believe that. Just shows you don’t really know me.”

  “Nah, I know you love your son and you weren’t putting Jayon before him, but the whole situation was just crazy.”

  “I know, Omar, and I think thus far we have been pretty good with everything, except Jason.”

  “You want him all the time, and it’s disruptive to his lifestyle,”Omar said.

  “Omar, his life has already been disrupted. I want my child, Omar. I miss him, and I’m tired of beating myself up. He doesn’t like Elisa, and he needs to be here with his real mother
.”

  “All the time? You really want me to give him to you for good?”

  “Omar, it’s not giving him to me. He is mine.”

  Omar just sighed and dropped his head in frustration.

  Jordan continued: “I will let you have him as much as you would like.You can come over here when you like. I wouldn’t keep you away from him, but you know it’s best, Omar. I am his mother. He needs me, O, and I need him.”

  “Jordan, it will be really hard for me to let Jason go just like that, but maybe we can take it slow.”

  “We can do it gradually, but by this time next month he will be living with me, Omar. You can take these next few weeks to get used to the idea.”

  Omar didn’t seem like he was completely with it, but he seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that he couldn’t just have it his way.

  “Jordan, I don’t want to be back and forth with you in court, and I definitely don’t want to put Jason through any more drama, so I will compromise and work this out.”

  Jordan wasn’t sure what Omar meant, but she wasn’t trying to keep going back and forth. She figured to herself as long as he understood the end result, he could rationalize it any way he wanted.

  23

  Jordan had stepped inside her office and began to unpack her briefcase. She settled at her desk and turned her computer on. From her desk she could see the staff walking back and forth, trying to get the day started. Jordan glanced up a few times to see who was getting work done and who was just killing time.

  Jordan was checking some e-mails on her computer that she hadn’t pulled off her BlackBerry yet when her assistant popped her head in the office door. Jordan looked up in her direction.

  “Hey, hun,” Jordan said.

  “Hi, Ms. Moore. I just wanted to remind you that Darren is coming in at noon today.”

  “Oh, OK. Thanks. Can you pull his file for me?”

  “Sure.”

  Jackie headed back to her desk, and Jordan went back to responding to e-mails. She was e-mailing legal documents to clients, answering legal questions, and responding to Dakota and Chrasey’s e-mails. The girls had an ongoing e-mail session during business hours where the three of them sent and replied to e-mails to keep abreast of their life updates and work drama. Jordan was caught up in the humor of one message from Chrasey about how Keith was driving himself crazy trying to see if she was cheating. She was so caught up she didn’t even glance at the phone when it was ringing. After two or three rings, Jackie answered. Moments later, Jackie popped her head in the door.

  “There’s a Donovan Shields on line one,” she said.

  Jordan took a second to think, and then it dawned on her that it was the guy from the club the other night.

  “I’ll take it,” Jordan said.

  Jordan hit SEND on her response to Chrasey, and then went ahead and picked up her phone.

  “Jordan Moore speaking,” she said.

  “Oh, OK. This is the professional side I’m speaking to. I met the booty-shaking side the other night,” Donovan started.

  Jordan began laughing at his introduction.

  “Ha ha ha, aren’t we funny?” Jordan asked.

  “I’m joking. How are you, Ms. Moore?”

  “Can’t complain. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Just trying to get to Friday so I can enjoy my weekend.”

  “You have a special weekend planned?” Jordan asked.

  “No, just running to the Poconos with some friends.”

  “That sounds nice. I could use some quiet Pocono time.”

  “You are welcome to come,” Donovan said.

  Jordan didn’t even realize how she had set that right up.

  “No, I’m OK. I wish I could, but I have a ton of work.”

  “Well, you can’t give me that all-work-and-no-play bit, because I saw you shaking your butt at the club.”

  Jordan laughed. “OK, you are on a roll here, I see.”

  “Well, I was calling because I was hoping we could go to lunch to discuss my business venture.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll have my secretary set a time with you and put it in my appointment book.”

  “Oh, it’s like that?”

  “No ... stop picking on me,” Jordan said with a light laugh. “She has my calendar, that’s all. She knows which days I’m in the office and when I don’t have a conflict.”

  “So who do I set it up with if I want to meet after business hours?”

  Jordan wasn’t sure how to take it, being that she was under the impression that Donovan was interested in Tayese. One thing she knew for sure was that he was making a pass at her. Jordan made it clear that she was taken aback by the delay in her response.

  “Well, I think I oversee my evening hours,” Jordan said.

  “So can I schedule something with you for next week, Ms. Moore?” he replied.

  “Sure, but let me check with Tayese and see when she can make it.”

  “Well, if Tayese is coming, let me invite Eddie as well.”

  Jordan didn’t want to sound conceited and jump the gun, but she was unsure at this point if Donovan was just trying to conduct business with her or something more. Eddie was the one she had danced with, so maybe he was saying since Tayese was coming he would invite Eddie for her. Jordan didn’t want to play herself, so she figured that she would have to clear up her confusion through conversation and not by asking a blunt question.

  “Well, that’s fine. Let’s shoot for Friday, at 8:00 PM at the Olive Garden on Forty-second Street.”

  “You like to take control, huh?”

  “I must admit I do, Donovan,” Jordan said.

  “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. Friday at 8:00 PM at the Olive Garden it is.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you know if we have to reschedule after I hear from Tayese.”

  “All right, sounds good.”

  “Talk to you later,” she replied, taking advantage of the perfect opportunity to wrap up the conversation.

  Jordan hung up the phone and went back to what she was doing before the call. She couldn’t help but be distracted by the conversation, because she wasn’t sure what exactly she should do. She definitely thought Donovan was fine, she’d been interestedin him from when she first saw him.That night just went so strangely, she couldn’t tell if he was feeling her or Tayese. She assumed his call clarified where his interest laid, but she still wanted to make sure Tayese wouldn’t feel a certain way. All Tayese said about him after they left that night was that he was fine, and Jordan agreed, nothing more, nothing less. Jordan figuredshe would tell Tayese he called and see what she had to say.

  After coming to her conclusion as to how she was going to handle the situation, Jordan began to send Tayese a message to her BlackBerry to tell her and invite her along on Friday. Jordansent the e-mail and then went back to her computer. She began some legal research and put the phone call behind her. Four of her clients were coming in for meetings today, and she was trying to get some work done before they began arriving. Jordan was taking notes from a case she pulled up when she heard her BlackBerry vibrate. Jordan reached up and saw that it was an e-mail from Jayon. Jordan immediately dropped the pen she was writing with and picked up the BlackBerry to read it.

  “Hey there, Jordan, I was thinking about you. I miss talking to you. Hope all is well.”

  Jordan could immediately feel her emotions rising. She hadn’t spoken to Jayon in weeks. She had purposely tried to erase him from her life and thoughts. He had been out of touch ever since she asked him to please leave her be, so this sudden contact surprised her. She knew that she shouldn’t respond; she knew he didn’t deserve a response. Still, the thought of Jayon brought on so many emotions. He was a lost friend and lover, and she still hadn’t finished grieving over either.

  Jordan put her BlackBerry down, not ready to respond to him just yet. She didn’t want to respond filled with emotions; she preferred to wait until she could think rationally. Truth was, Jordan�
�s feelings felt more like anger than sadness. She had allowed her pain to turn into disappointment and then anger. When Jayon asked Jordan to please forgive him, she told him “the feeling of betrayal from someone you trust and love is an indescribable feeling.” Jayon couldn’t respond to that statement,because he knew what he had done would scar her emotionally. Not because he was some special gift or anything, but simply because he was so special to her.

  24

  It was about time to go home, and Jordan was just finishing up some last-minute projects that she was working on while waiting on a client. She had spoken to her son for about an hour, and was in a pretty good mood hearing how excited he was to come back home with her. After receiving the e-mail from Jayon the day before, Jordan had found herself reliving all the emotions that stemmed from their breakup. It felt like every time she got stronger, something would make her weak, whether it was Jayon or the thought of him, a feeling of lonelinessat night, or just the harsh realities of what her life had become.She had ignored his e-mail then spent the whole night debating if she should reply and what she would say to him. After a few hours, she found herself dwelling on her problems. They lingered and followed her through the morning and her day at work, but she was fighting the feeling.

  Jackie showed up in her doorway, dressed in her coat and carrying her bag.

  “Darren is here to see you,” she said.

  “OK, send him in.”

  “OK, I’m going to head out afterward,” Jackie replied.

  Jordan sifted through her inbox and pulled out Darren’s file. She sat back in her office chair and waited for him to enter. Seconds later he appeared in the doorway dressed and a black and gray suit under a trench coat. As soon as he walked in the office he smiled at Jordan, quickly reminding her of their blurred line between business and personal. Jordan gestured toward the seat in front of her desk, letting Darren know he was welcome to sit down, and he accepted the invitation. Jordan hadn’t held late appointments like this in quite some time, but with the chaos in her life, she had to catch up.