“Are you sure it’s Jhamil?”
“Positive. I called and checked myself. It’s also the same address the insurance company is scheduled to mail the check to.”
Jay was silent.
“Who you want to send?”
If their suspicions were correct, things could turn ugly when they confronted the dead man’s brother. Jay knew that, as the head of the agency, he had to let the physical risk fall on him. With a silent curse, Jay answered,“Have Dory book me on a flight leaving tomorrow.”
Jay returned to the living room to find Rashad missing;however, a lovely silver-haired woman was sitting on the couch. Aside from the tiny lines around her eyes, her face was virtually wrinkle-free.
Honey did the introductions. “Mom, this is my friend Jay.”
Jay moved toward her. “We spoke on the phone. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Helen rose, extended her arms, and hugged him tight. Jay returned the embrace. When they pulled apart, she grasped his hand. “Thanks for taking care of my baby.” Her eyes moved leisurely across his face.
“Your baby is hardheaded.”
Helen squeezed his hand with affection while assessingthe tall man before her. His voice hadn’t lied. He was as handsome and kind as he had sounded over the phone. She gave an amused chuckle. “Yes, she alwayswas.” Still holding his hand, she returned to her seat on the couch. Jay sat beside her.
“So tell me, how’d you meet my daughter?”
Honey jumped in. “Terraine is Jay’s brother.”
Helen’s eyes grew large. “Oh, your brother is a wonderfulyoung man. Sasha’s like a daughter to me. Are you anything like your brother?”
Honey’s throat became dry. She knew where this conversation was going.
Jay looked down at the petite smiling woman. “I’d like to think we’re a lot alike.”
“Good,” she said, her eyes mirroring approval, and they shared a knowing smile. What Honey didn’t know was that they had shared a conversation the night before. Jay had instantly felt comfortable talking to Helen, as if she were his own mother.
Rashad came through the door carrying a large basket,tracking snow on the carpet. From the look on his sister’s face, he realized his mistake. “My bad.” He went back to wipe his feet on the mat.
Helen rose and took the basket from him. “I decided to cancel Sunday dinner since Shaquil’s in Kansas City this weekend and you’re sick. So I brought over some leftovers I froze.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Mom.”
“Yes, I did. You have this handsome man over here taking care of you. We can’t let him starve.”
This is exactly why I have never invited him to dinner.She had known her family would take an instant liking to him.
The four sat in the living room and talked until it was close to lunchtime. Then Helen went into the kitchen to warm up the food. Honey didn’t have much of an appetite, but she sat at the table while the others ate. She found herself watching Jay as he interacted with her family. Her coochie hot and moist, she had to squeeze her legs tightly together.
Jay looked at her in time to see her grace him with a dreamy, trusting smile. The glazed look in her eyes caused his mouth to drop open. Is she thinkin’ what I think she’s fuckin’ thinkin’?
Helen watched them, her eyes shimmering with happiness. Jay had eyes for no one but her daughter. He was sitting close to her with his hand possessively resting over hers; she had also seen the look in Honey’s eyes, and knew Jay was indeed the one. “Rashad, I think it’s time for us to go.” She rose and looked to her left. “Jay, I hope to see you at dinner next Sunday.”
Jay also rose. “I’ll be there.” Taking her hands in his, he leaned over to kiss her smooth cheek. As he looked over his shoulder, his gaze collided with Honey’s, and he saw that soft, familiar look in her eyes again. As soon as the two left, it was on and poppin’!
Together they stood at the window and watched them pull away. Jay clasped her hand moving her back to the couch. “I hope you don’t feel pressured to invite me.”
She shook her head, a smile on her lips. “I’d love to have you join us for dinner.”
“Good. Now back to bed.” He swept her up into his arms and carried her up to her room, their mouths only inches apart.
He didn’t have to wait long for her to make the first move. Honey’s hand came up and curled around the back of his neck, tugging him closer. Lowering her onto the bed, he leaned down beside her with her hot breath stroking his chin. She tilted her head back against the pillow and raised her lips to meet his in a fierce kiss. He used his tongue to open her mouth farther.Oh, it felt so good kissing her! He moved to kiss her neck and a moan escaped her lips. However, when his long fingers slid underneath her sweatshirt, she pushed against him and ended the kiss.
“Wait a damn minute!” she whispered, her breath coming out in short gasps. With her eyes closed, she had seen Walter lying on top of her with a devilish grin on his face. The image had scared the shit out of her. “N-not yet.”
“Aw’ight,” Jay whispered, his voice hoarse. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he nodded, then held her close to him. “I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
And she knew he meant it.
After a long silence, she removed her arms from his neck and gazed up at him. She saw desire mirroring her own in his eyes. Jay was different. He would understand.Something told her he would be gentle and patientand anything else she needed to help overcome her fear of sexual intercourse. Fuckin’ a vibrator she could deal with, fuckin’ a man she wasn’t sure if she was ready to explore.
She sat up in the bed beside him. “You want to know why I froze up that night and asked you to leave?” she finally managed to say.
“Only if you’re ready to tell me.”
“I’m not a virgin.” Honey paused, then said, “I was raped.”
“What?” Disbelief filled his face. He witnessed her pained expression. “How ... When ...” He broke off, unsure what to say, and pulled her close to him, resting her head on his chest.
Despite her best intentions, her eyes grew shiny with tears, and she reached up to wipe them away. “It happened during high school. I was on a date with this fool I really thought liked me... .”
As she poured out her story to him, Jay listened without interruption except for an occasional exasperatedsigh. Someone had violated his boo. If he could have found Walter, he would have capped a bullet in his ass. He felt some consolation that Shaquil had beat his ass. God! All this time he’d been thinking about his own ego, how she kept rejecting a nigga and how hard his dick was, while all along she was hurting and needed someone to listen. To understand. He had been a selfish bastard. Her wounds were far deeper than he had fuckin’ imagined.
When she finished, Jay pushed slightly away and gazed into her eyes. “Honey, baby, I’m so sorry.”
She heard the sympathy in his voice. What she didn’t want was his pity ... which was why she’d decided not to tell him she was unable to have children. That might be more than either of them could bear.
Taking her hand, he said gently, “I’m glad you finallytold me.”
“Thanks for listenin’.” She flashed him a smile designedto eliminate any pity he might feel.
“I’ll never pressure you. When you’re ready, you let me know.” He had been without pussy this long, what differencewould a little bit longer make? Drawing her close again, he planted small kisses on the top of her head.
Tears of happiness were in the corner of her eyes, but she didn’t wipe them away. His words soothed the fear that lay just behind her heart. She was glad he understoodand didn’t judge her. But she should have known all along that Jay would be patient with her. “I want to,” she told him. “I—I’m just so damn scared.”
“I’ll wait as long as it takes. When you’re ready for me to make love to you, you let me know. I promise when I do, I’ll take it slow. I want you to feel com
fortable.”He held her for the longest time after that. Finally,he said, “I hate to bring this up now, but I need to leave town for a couple of days, but when I return I want us to spend some real time together.”
“I’d like that.” His being away would give her a chance to figure out the 180-degree change in their relationship.
Jay stayed long enough to play a round of Scrabble. When he left, she climbed back into bed. Honey found herself smiling lazily as she lay there thinking about what Jay had said. He was going to be patient. She silently prayed as her eyelids drooped closed. The next time he attempted to make love to her, she wanted to be ready mentally as well as physically.
After hanging up the phone, Kendra rolled onto her side and pulled herself into a sitting position on the bed. Her big-ass stomach itched. Raising her gown, she reached for a bottle of cocoa butter and rubbed the lotion generously across her abdomen. Shit, if she had known pregnancy could cause stretch marks, she never would have allowed herself to get pregnant. Her doctor assured her the generous use of lanolin or cocoa butter would help, but that was no guarantee.
Jay had called to inform her he would be out of town for at least a week. He reassured her that if she needed anything she could call his office and they’d get in touch with him immediately. Kendra was fuckin’ insultedthat he hadn’t even bothered to come by. But she already knew where he had been. She had driven by that bitch’s house last night and found his car still there this morning.
It was apparent Jay had changed his mind about her and the baby. He had kicked her black ass to the curb. Asking her to hold off on seeing a lawyer was his way of trying to con her into keeping the baby. You got life fucked-up! She was through playing games with his mothafuckin’ ass.
Now it was time to get even.
Fourteen
“It’s not my fault,” Honey chanted as she exited her therapist’s office.
Today she had opened up and discussed her relationship.When her therapist asked her if she was ready for intimacy, without hesitation she had answered yes. She was no longer going to be a victim. The rape wasn’t her fault. She finally realized that it was time to let go of the past and move forward with her life. She deserved happiness. She was going to be a survivor.
Pulling away from the clinic, she stared out at the clear sky. The gorgeous day marked the beginning of March, and it was coming in as a lamb. Honey took a deep breath. Jay was willing to take things as slow as she needed. She giggled, feeling silly. It might not be as long as he thinks.
She was ready to be loved. It was time to put her vibratoraway.
Relief rushed though Honey, its force making her light-headed. She had lived with the memories and the fact that she would never have children for so long that she feared she’d never be able to love. But Jay changed all that shit. When the time was right, he would understand.He had to.
He had been gone three days. They spoke on the phone each night. Last night when Jay asked her how she had been able to satisfy her sexual urges, she’d admittedshe used a vibrator. Jay then instructed her to take it out of her nightstand.
“Now put the phone on speaker.”
She did as she was told, then slipped off her gown and panties and slid under the covers.
“Rub your pussy for me, boo.”
Lying on her back, she spread her legs wide as she stroked her clit with one hand and pinched her nipple with the other.
“You like that?”
“Ohhh, hell yeahhh!” she moaned.
“Now stick your finger inside your pussy and taste it.”
She stuck her fingers inside her wet welcoming walls, then brought her hand to her lips.
“What’s it taste like, boo?”
“Wet pussy.”
“Aahh, yesss! That’s some good shit!”
“Uh-huh,” she moaned as she reached down again and probed deeper inside.
“Now take my dick and put it inside your wet pussy.”
She reached for her vibrator and inserted it in her wet hole.
“Ohhh, yeahhh, now I’m strokin’ you with my big dick. Movin’ in and out of your pussy again and again just the way you like it.”
“Oh, yesss!” As he chanted in her ear, she followed his lead, pretending he was there inside her. She slowly slid the instrument in and out of her coochie again and again. Her body arched with shock and pleasure. As Jay continued to talk shit she plunged deeper, riding that vibrator as if it were a dick.
“Oh yeah, baby. You got some good-ass pussy. Damn, that shit is good. How you likin’ this dick?”
“I’m lovin’ it. Oh yeah.”
“You got me stroking my meat just imagining being in that phat pussy. Keep workin’ it, baby. Don’t stop! I want us to come together.”
“Aw’ight.” She moved it faster and harder, feeling the rhythmic contractions of her inner muscles grippingthe vibrator. Moans of pleasure escaped her lips when spasms coursed through her body.
“I’m getting ready to come, baby. Damn, that pussy is good. Come with me, baby.”
“Oooh ... weeee ... I’m comin’ too, baby!” It wasn’t long before she erupted in a flow of spasms.
“Aaahhh ... yesss!” he hissed.
They both lay there for the longest, breathing heavilyover the speaker.
“Boo?”
“Yeah?” she whispered, still out of breath.
“That’s what it’s gonna be like with us, baby. It’s gonna be good. It’s gonna be so damn good.”
“Uh-huh.” It wasn’t long after that that she drifted off to sleep with the vibrator still firmly in place.
When she arrived at the salon, she found it quiet for a Wednesday morning. The lobby was empty, and only three workstations were occupied.
Candy was returning to her desk carrying a cup of coffee. “Hey, boss lady,” she greeted. “A lady came by to talk to you about the nail tech position.”
While hanging up her coat, Honey glanced over at her receptionist settling back in her chair. “Oh, good.” She wanted to have her new staff on board and trained before the grand opening of the new addition. “Did she fill out an application?”
Shaking her braids, Candy answered, “Shit, I tried, but she said she’d wait until she had a chance to talk to you first.”
Mercedes came out of the restroom. Catching tidbitsof the conversation, she arched a sweeping eyebrowand asked, “Was she pregnant?”
Candy swung around in her chair. “Yeah, as a matter of fact she was.”
Resting a hand on her hip, she nodded knowingly at Honey. “She’s come by several times. I’ve tried to get sista girl to fill out an app, but she refused.” She paused, her eyes narrowing. “She seemed pissed off you’re never here.”
Honey shrugged and turned in the direction of her office. “Well, if she’d fill out an application, I could call her and schedule an interview.”
It was one minute after two when Jay entered his condo. Tossing his keys on the counter, he removed his jacket and draped it across the couch.
It had been a long week. He had arrived in Kansas City to find something that was only in the fuckin’ movies. Dr. J.W. Price had risen from the dead. Only he died, was reborn, then died again.
According to the police, Jhamil Wayne and James William Price had been identical in every aspect, from their features to their dreams of someday becoming a dentist like their deceased father. Only James had what it took, while Jhamil didn’t; James was an excellent student,but Jhamil’s college grades were far too poor to gain entrance into dental school. While on a boat trip together, James drowned. The drowning was accidental,but Jhamil saw it as his lucky break; he assumed his brother’s identity and attended dental school. In spite of his poor college grades, he was able to learn the hands-on dental techniques well enough to get by. Passing the academic courses was easier; by manipulatinga fellow student who had fallen in love with him, he was able to pass the academic requirements, if just barely.
After graduation, he built a practice
as Dr. James W. Price. When substantial gambling debts began to weigh him down he took out an insurance policy, leavingthe money to Jhamil Price—his real name. By switching dental records with a patient named Timothy Madden, who was also a friend, he put his plan into action.
He invited Timothy to meet him in Columbia, Missouri,for a tailgating party at Mizzou, and then the two traveled to Boonville to a casino boat. James made sure he got Timothy drunk enough to pass out cold. Then he put his car in gear, and with a push, it went over the cliff. Dental records identified the body as Dr. James Price. He moved to Leavenworth and rebuilt his practice as Dr. J.W. Price, then waited a year to file a claim on the insurance policy.
Jay found not only J.W. but another wife, a newborn son, and a mother suffering from Alzheimer’s, who didn’t care which son he was as long as someone was alive. J.W. Price tried to deny ever knowing Jocelyn, but after the insurance company sent one of their investigatorsdown and the police became involved, Jhamil, a.k.a. J.W. and James, took his own life, again.
Jocelyn had flown down with Chad to identify the body. Within a few hours, Jay saw the beautiful woman change. She had been betrayed. He finally realized what women meant when they said men make them the way they are.
Moving to his room, Jay removed his clothes, then fell facedown onto the bed. Sleep, that’s what he needed. Once he woke up, he was going to spend the entire weekend showing Honey how much she truly meant to him.
He knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to love him. He wanted her to marry him and bear him several gray-eyed children. He wanted to spend the rest of his life making her happy.
It was time for Honey to realize she wanted the same, ’cause phone sex was no longer enough.
My husband is dead ... again.
Jocelyn Price stared out the window as the plane prepared to land at St. Louis’s Lambert Airport. I’m not gonna cry again, she told herself. She’d cried enough the first time she buried the bastard. Or, the man she’d always thought was James Price.
When It Rains... Page 23
