“No, we don’t expect that kind of drama to happen this time. All we want is for everyone to get along. No one will be voted out of the house this time, and on a daily basis, it’ll be your responsibility to contact me and tell me who you think should receive the million dollars. You have to keep your opinion to yourself, and the other people can’t know how much your decision will count.”
I nodded and finally put another smile on my face. Giving me that kind of authority was perfect. I couldn’t wait to get the ball rolling now.
“I think I’m going to like this. Now, have a seat and continue to tell me about the rest of the people who’ll be coming here.”
Alex removed the folders from his briefcase, and one-by-one, he gave me the scoop on a newcomer named Evelyn and a man named Keith. Roc was coming back, too, but according to Alex, many people thought he was dead.
“He’s coming back by popular demand. His wife isn’t exactly happy about him doing this, especially since they’ve been living out of the country for a few years. Not many people know he’ll be here, and by the time this show airs, or should I say if it airs, he’ll be out of the country again.”
“If you ask me, he ain’t nothing but trouble. Back by popular demand my ass. He’s just coming back to see Chase. And with her and his wife, Desa Rae, being half-sisters, he should stay as far away from here as possible. I hope the newcomers ain’t no troublemakers. If they are, they’ll have to deal with me.”
“Yes, they will because I’m going to leave and this place will be all yours, after I share more of the rules and regulations. You’ll be like the boss around here, and you’re the only person who will have my number to reach out to me.”
I loved the idea of that too, but I was no fool. Alex was just saying this stuff to get me to stay. He knew good and doggone well that the president, nor Roc, would ever answer to me. I wasn’t sure what was up with this Keith dude, but I suspected that he wasn’t going to follow a woman’s lead either. Not to mention the women too. I predicted that they would break some of the rules and not listen to me.
“Finish telling me what else you need me to do and then you can go. I will call you tomorrow about my money. I hope after much thought and consideration, what y’all trying to pay me will increase tremendously.”
All Alex did was smile. He filled me in on everything else I needed to know, and after chatting for almost another hour, he gathered his things and left. I looked outside at Scorpio who was standing near the pool, speaking to someone with a smile on her face. She was already breaking the rules with that phone. I marched her way to quickly let her know what was up. I would also signal to her that she had a booger in her nose. That’s how I fucked with chicks who thought they were too cute.
JADA
While Scorpio was on the phone, I walked up from behind and tapped her shoulder. She swung around—her expression fell flat.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Alex and I are finished. I need to show you around and make you aware of some of the rules before the others get here. They should be here soon.”
She held up one finger. “Give me a minute. I’m taking care of something pertaining to my kids. I’ll come inside when I’m done.”
I stared at her nose, focusing in hard on it. Even frowned, as I rubbed my own nose and then pointed to hers. “Ugggh, you need to get that,” I said. “Something is hanging and it doesn’t look right.”
She sniffed then shrugged. “I’ll be inside soon. Meanwhile, I really need to take care of something in private, if you don’t mind.”
Since it was something with her kids, I walked off without saying a word. I went back inside, examining the kitchen cabinets to see what kind of food was inside of them. There was a whole lot of cereal and snacks. Can goods were there too, as well as bread and boxes of quick-fix meals. I opened the fridge and it was filled to capacity. I visualized all kinds of dishes I could whip up with the meats in the freezer, and I looked forward to showing everyone how well I could throw down in the kitchen. For our first day here, I removed some frozen chicken wings from the freezer to thaw them. I wasn’t sure what I was going to cook with them, but when I saw some fresh string beans, I removed them from the fridge, placing them on the counter. I opened another cabinet, but before I could search inside, I heard someone with a deep voice call my name. I turned around and right before my eyes stood Roc in all of his sweet and sexy Hershey’s chocolate. I couldn’t believe that a smile was on his face, especially after the way things had ended. More than that, I was shocked that the motherfucker had gotten even finer. A diamond earring was in his ear, his loose Levi’s did wonders for his physique and the button-down shirt he rocked appeared melted on his muscles. I could see a wife-beater underneath his shirt, and I was eager for him to take it off, just so I could get a glimpse of the tattoos on his chest and biceps.
“Don’t just stand there, Ma,” he said with opened arms. “Say something or come give me a hug.”
Absence definitely made the heart grow fonder. Maybe he forgot about how upset he was at the Hell House Reunion Show that day. He was so upset that he walked out, claiming that he never wanted to see any of our asses again. That was then, this was now. Now, I rushed up to him like Whitney Houston did when Bobby Brown had gotten out of jail. Roc was my Boo! I squeezed him tight, closing my eyes as I felt every single tight muscle in his frame. Not only that, but he smelled good too. I pressed my coochie as close to him as I could, just so I could feel his meat that I had previously witnessed with my own eyes. He stumbled back, trying to keep his balance as I attempted to wrap my legs around him too. The thoughts in my head were downright nasty. I couldn’t help but to think what a fool Desa Rae was for allowing him to come here again. She must’ve been one confident chick.
“Damn, Ma,” Roc said. “It’s like that?”
He hugged me tight, as if he’d missed the hell out of me. But when Scorpio came inside, he turned his head to look at her. His arms eased away from my waist; his head was cocked back.
“Damn. I mean, what’s up? Who are you?” he asked.
“Scorpio Valentino,” she said with a wide smile. “And you are?”
“Roc Dawson.” Roc stepped away from me, extending his hand to hers. “What’s up? Nice to meet you.”
“Same here,” she flirted. “I almost hate to admit this, but now I’m glad I came.”
His ol’ black ass was grinning from ear-to-ear, showing those pearly whites. I hope this wasn’t going to be a repeat of last time, when he screwed Chase’s brains out in the living room. Roc must’ve learned his lesson, but from the way he was checking out Scorpio, I wasn’t so sure.
“Uh, before you start pulling your dick out and throwing it on the table,” I said to him. “Scorpio is Jaylin’s ex. You do remember Jaylin, don’t you?”
Roc nodded and touched the hair on his chin while still gazing at her lustfully. “Yeah, uh, I do remember him. We holla at each other from time-to-time, but he never mentioned her to me. I need to call and tell that nigga he got very good . . . damn good taste in women.”
Scorpio blushed then shifted her eyes to me. “Just so you know, I’m more than just Jaylin’s ex. And as we all get a chance to know more about each other, you’ll see that referring to me as only his ex is not only small, but petty.”
I shrugged my shoulders, slightly irritated by her snobby tone.
“I hope you are more than just his ex, but I only mentioned that because Roc knew Jaylin from last time. You can fill me in later on all that other good stuff or fluff about you, but for now, I’m supposed to be showing you around and telling you where you need to put your things. I assume your luggage is still near the front door, right?”
“Yes, it is. I’ll go grab my things and then you can give me a tour of the house.”
Roc quickly spoke up. “I’ll go get your luggage for you. That way, you won’t break your long nails.”
He winked at her. She laughed, I didn’t. My eyes were focused on R
oc’s wedding ring, and before he stepped away from us, I grabbed his arm.
“I think she can handle getting her luggage, okay? Besides, you and me got some real quick catching up to do. I need to tell you something in private too.”
“I can take a hint,” Scorpio said. “I can also go get my own luggage, but thanks, Roc. Your kindness is much appreciated.”
That hungry glare in her eyes made me sick to my stomach. And when she walked away, you’d better believe Roc had undressed her already and slipped his dick into her muffin. I shook my head and tugged at his arm to get his attention.
“That’s a damn shame,” I said as he looked at me.
“Wha . . . What’s a shame?”
“You. That’s who. Why you always looking and acting so thirsty like that, especially when you have a beautiful woman at home? I thought you were soooo in love with Desa Rae. But from how you acting, I can’t tell.”
“I am and will always be in love with her. I’m just messing around, that’s all. You know how I like to flirt, but I promise you it won’t go no further than that. So chill, Ma, and stop sweating me already.”
“I ain’t sweating you. But if you remember, that’s what you said last time. And when you present yourself to a woman like that, you make her coochie react. You don’t want that to happen, and I don’t know if you can control yourself, especially in here.”
Roc sighed and stepped a few inches away from me.
“The bottom line is I like to have fun and that’s what I came here to do. You gotta have a little faith in me this time, even though some unfortunate things happened last time. I’m a different man. I got mad love for the woman I got at home, but a fine-ass chick like that will get a reaction from me, no doubt. Seeing you caused me to react too. I walked in here like . . . daaaamn, who is that?”
I blushed and playfully slapped Roc’s arm.
“You always trying to make somebody feel good. I’m warning you boy. You’d better stop saying things like that. Somebody in here may hurt you, including me.”
Roc looked at me with a straight face.
“Hurt me, please. I’m down, if you are, but since I know you a shit talker, and a tease, sex between us will never happen.”
“Never say never,” I said. If I wanted it to really happen, it would. “Just like you never said I would lose any weight. I took the advice I got last time and got my weight together. I’m down every bit of two pounds. Can’t you tell?”
Roc lifted my hands above my head, twirling me around.
“Two pounds, huh,” he said, examining me. “I can’t really tell, but you reppin’ that thickness like a mutha.”
I spun around like a beautiful ballerina, but unfortunately for me, my feet got tangled and I almost fell on my ass. Thank God Roc was there to catch me. He held me up by my waist, telling me to be careful.
“You be careful too,” I said, gazing into his eyes as Scorpio came back into the room. She cleared her throat, causing Roc to divert his attention back to her ol’ ugly self.
“I don’t mean to interrupt the party, but are you ready to show me around?” she asked.
“Yes, I am. As soon as Roc stop being playful, I’ll hook you up.”
I had to let her know that he was only joking with her, just in case she got her hopes up. I also wanted her to see that he and I had a connection too.
“Go handle that tour,” he said. “Then you and me can go somewhere and light that fire, if you know what I mean. I brought plenty of that shit with me. Just say the word when you ready to get hooked up.”
I knew he was talking about smoking weed, so I had to hurry up and do my thing with Scorpio. She had a slight frown on her face when I headed her way, and the second we entered the bedroom her frown deepened.
“What is this?” she asked, looking around. “Are all of us supposed to sleep in here? I thought the women would have a room of our own. With three beds against this wall, and three on the other wall, I guess we’re supposed to all share one room.”
“That would be correct. I’m the only one who can sleep in the basement. Alex said there’s a room for me down there, if I don’t want to sleep in here. As for you, you have to sleep in here. It’s not as bad as you think, and we had a lot of fun in this room. I’m surprised Jaylin didn’t tell you about it. He likes closets and I bet the closet over there still got his scent inside of it.”
I walked over to the closet; Scorpio followed with her arms crossed.
“Since you’re so eager for me to see the closet, I guess you must’ve done something in here with him, right?”
I put my hand on my hip, elaborating and exaggerating a little just to fuck with her, especially since she thought she was the bomb. She kept tossing her long hair back and batting her long lashes.
“Honey, no, I don’t get down like that with men like Jaylin. Even though he tried to go there with me, he failed miserably. He did, however, make some progress with a chick named Sylvia. They were in here alllllll night one time, and none of us were able to get any sleep. I don’t know what he was doing to her, but she was hollering, screaming and moaning at the top of her lungs. She couldn’t walk for two days after that, and when I saw him naked in bed one night, I discovered why. He is hooked up right, ain’t he?”
Scorpio sucked her teeth. The irritated look on her face said it all. She was upset for sure.
“Is this the only closet where I can hang my clothes? I can’t believe this is the only closet around here. This has to be the smallest walk-in closet I have ever seen, and mine at home is ten times the size of this.”
Was she trying to brag? I hoped not, because my closet had it going on too.
“It is the only closet, unless you want to hang your clothes in the bathroom. There’s only one of those, too, so if you’re used to having two or three bathrooms, you can forget it.”
“I’m used to having seven-and-a-half bathrooms, but I guess I don’t have a choice.”
I pursed my lips, watching as she removed some of her fine pieces of clothing, hanging them in the closet.
“You can do that later. For now, let me finish showing you around, before the others get here.”
Scorpio hung up one more shirt, before she stepped out of the closet, following me around the house. I showed her where the only bathroom was, took her outside to the pool area where there was also a basketball court, a sandy area to play volleyball, a workout room, and a game room. A sauna had been added and right behind the bar area was a theater room. Hell House had been hooked up even more. I was pleased to see more chilling areas, even though the large pool area with plenty of lounging chairs was enough.
“This will work,” Scorpio said as we headed back inside where Roc was. He was chilling back on the sofa with his feet propped on the table. The TV was on and his cell phone was up to his ear.
“Yeah, man, can you believe that shit? That nigga didn’t even see it coming. He lucky I’m still on the low right now. Handle that for me, but don’t call my house with no bullshit. You already know Desa Rae ain’t going for it.”
I cleared my throat to get Roc’s attention. He looked at me then removed the phone away from his ear.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I hate to break the bad news to you, but you know we can’t use phones in here. You got five minutes to hand it over, so if I was you, I’d be calling Desa Rae to say . . . see you whenever.”
“I already called her, but gimmie another minute or two. I know the rules, and I promise you’ll have my phone in about five minutes.”
I was surprised when Scorpio reached out to give her phone to me.
“This isn’t my actual phone, but it is the one that I brought here for emergency usage. For now, you can keep it.”
I looked around for the bag Alex gave me to put the phones in. He was stopping by tomorrow to pick them up. I expected for him to have an answer about my extra paper. If he didn’t, I was leaving.
Just as I dropped Scorpio’s phone in the
bag I’d placed on the island, I heard heels clacking on the hardwood floors. I looked up and there stood Chase, carrying Louis Vuitton luggage in her hand. There was no smile on her face, and her eyes shifted from Roc, to Scorpio, to me.
“I guess I don’t have to ask where I need to take my luggage,” she said.
No hello, no what’s up, no nothing.
“No need to ask because you already know,” I replied with sass in my voice.
To my surprise, Roc stood and offered his help. “You can drop your luggage right there. I’ll take them to the bedroom for you. It’s the least I can do.”
Chase appeared shocked by his kindness too. She dropped her luggage on the floor, walking away. As she headed my way, Roc picked up her luggage and carried them toward the bedroom. She glanced at his backside and rolled her eyes. Even rolled them at Scorpio, before displaying a fake smile that made her makeup crack. Chase was cute, but the makeup she wore was too heavy. The red lipstick was loud and it didn’t go well with caramel colored skin. To me, I felt as if somebody needed to pull a casket next to her and park it. She looked dead, and shame on her for letting somebody fuck up her face like that. The only thing she had going for her was her shapely figure that was noticeable in the sweat suit she wore. Her wrapped hair was parted through the middle and hanging on her shoulders. Her hair made up for the horrible makeup, and when I got a chance, I planned to tell her the truth about how awful it looked.
“Jada, to prevent us from getting off on the wrong foot, I just want to apologize for how things turned out last time. It was crazy around here, but this is a new day. I hope you’re not still holding any grudges against me, especially since you can be a little petty at times.”
I wasn’t sure how to take her comment, and only because she apologized, I threw my hand back at her, pretending as if everything was all good, even though I still didn’t like her.
Hell House Returns 4: Reality TV Drama Page 2
