by Jade Jones
Aside from the entertainment, Jude needed the alone time to clear his mind and organize his thoughts. Life had become so hectic for him in such a short period of time. It felt good to just chill and get his mind together.
Essence sashayed over towards Jude as he sipped on his shot of Patron. He tried to pretend he didn’t see her even though she was part of the reason he was there to begin with.
“What happened to your leg?” Essence asked, taking note of his single crutch. “Is this why you’ve been M.I.A.?”
Jude smiled. “I ain’t know you were lookin’ for me…”
“I didn’t say that,” Essence laughed. “But I guess you could say I’ve missed you…just a little.”
“Oh yeah?” Jude grinned flirtatiously. “Just a lil’?”
Essence looked sexy as hell in a pink shredded tank and boyshort set. Jude could clearly see her nipples peeking through the thin fabric of her top. Holding up a crisp fifty dollar bill, he said, “How ‘bout a dance?”
Rico Love’s “They Don’t Know” began to play on the club’s speakers. Essence removed her top, and tossed it onto the table. She looked better than Jude had remembered. Admiring her naked body made him feel like he was seeing her for the first time. “You so fuckin’ bad,” he said in a low tone. “You know that shit?”
Essence gently positioned herself in Jude’s lap. “So they tell me,” she teased.
Jude could smell the peach Ciroc on her breath. He was tempted to kiss her so that he could taste it for himself. “I shouldn’t be wantin’ you this bad,” he said while she grinded in his lap. “Why the fuck do I want you so bad?”
Essence seductively ran her fingers over her perky chocolate breasts. Secretly, she was just as aroused as Jude from the lap dance. He did things to her…unexplainable things that left him on her mind every night before she went to sleep.
“I guess the same reason I want you…” Essence whispered in his ear.
We was at the same hotel Super Bowl all-star week…They don’t know…
You be acting shy but you really an all-star freak…They don’t know…
That you got my name tattooed on yo’ body…
They don't know you belong to me…
Jude softly ran his strong hands along her bare thighs before gently squeezing her ass. Normally he wasn’t into lap dances because it was such a tease—but somehow Essence had managed to change that.
“What time you get off?” Jude asked her.
Essence smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now if you’d like…”
***
Cameron quietly opened her horizontal blind slats, and peered outside at the suspicious vehicle parked across the street. It was the same vehicle she’d been seeing over the past few weeks.
Cameron made sure to have her lights off so that the person couldn’t see her staring out at them. Nerves on edge, she dialed Jude’s number with trembling fingers. To no avail, he didn’t respond. After hastily leaving a voicemail, Cam called Jag. Surprisingly, she was sent straight to his voicemail which was a first. Usually whenever she called him he answered before the third ring.
Two men that claim they care about me aren’t even there for me when I need them the most, Cameron said to herself.
She contemplated opening the front door and confronting the mystery driver. Yet they quickly peeled off before she could make up her mind.
Shaken up and completely out of her element, Cameron retreated to her bedroom. Once inside she plopped down on the edge of the bed and called Rumor for what felt like the sixth time that week. Her voicemail was the only response she received.
“Rumor, where are you?” Cameron asked.
30
“So what’s been goin’ on with you?” Jude asked Essence. Sitting on her kitchen barstool, he watched her pour them a drink.
“Same old, same old,” Essence said.
She looked like something was on her mind, but Jude would’ve rather her speak on it voluntarily instead of asking.
“School’s pretty good,” Essence continued. “I ended up having to quit the gig at the bar because it was clashing with my schedule…Which kinda sucks because I could’ve used the extra money.” Tipsiness had caused her to have a loose tongue. “The transmission on my car is slipping.”
“I told you I got you, E,” Jude said. “Anything you want, it’s yours.”
Jude’s words sent chills up Essence’s spine. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling he inadvertently gave her. “But what if I wanted you…?” she whispered.
Jude climbed off the barstool and took his time walking towards Essence. For once, he didn’t grab his crutch. Wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, Jude pulled her close so that she could feel his erection. “Then I’m yours for tonight,” he spoke softly.
Essence stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jude’s neck. She knew that he was a married man, but at that moment she didn’t care. She wanted him just as badly as she did the first night he wound up at her apartment.
“One night might not be enough for me, Jude…”
Jude tilted Essence’s chin up towards his face and kissed her lips. Sadly, he didn’t notice his cellphone ringing on the kitchen island. He’d put it on silence the minute he walked into Blue Flame. “Then I’ll have to make arrangements,” he said confidentially.
Taking Jude by the hand, Essence led him inside her bedroom. Keeping her gaze locked intensely on Jude’s, she slowly removed her clothing and eased onto the bed. She then spread her legs, took Jude’s right hand in hers, and placed it over her warm and wet pussy.
“Mmm,” Jude groaned. His rigid dick strained against his $200 Hudson jeans. He’d never felt so much wantonness and hesitation at the same time.
“Come here…” Essence curled her finger and ushered for Jude to step closer.
When he did, she eagerly proceeded to unbutton his jeans.
All of a sudden, Jude heard Jag’s words from earlier replay in his mind: I lightweight think it’s fucked up you would hurt a woman who’s ready and willing to kill for you.
“Hold up. Hold up, ma,” Jude quickly said. Putting a little space in between them, he backed away. “I can’t do this shit with you—I mean, don’t get me wrong. I want you bad as hell. More than you prolly know it…But I can’t do this shit to my wife, man. I just can’t...Straight up.”
Essence was beyond offended that he’d turned away for the second time. “I don’t get you, dude!” she rounded on him. “Is leading me on a fucking game to you?!”
“Not at all,” Jude answered calmly.
“What the fuck do you want from me then?! Huh?” Essence yelled. “Some attention?! You wanna cheat with a guiltless conscience? What is it?! Do you want something your wife at home ain’t giving you? ‘Cuz right now all you’re giving me is grief! I’m tired of doing this back and forth shit with you. One minute you want me, one minute you’re pushing me away! One minute you’re here, the next you’re disappearing. This isn’t fair to me, Jude. I’m not some game.”
Jude breathed a sigh of disappointment. He finally felt like shit after everything he had done. “I’m sorry,” was all he could think to say.
Essence looked away from him. “Just leave,” she said dryly.
Jude’s jaw muscle tensed. He never felt like such an asshole. In a last ditch attempt to apologize, he dug in his pocket and pulled out a large wad of cash. “This should be enough for a down payment on somethin’ nice.” He tossed the knot on her dresser. With that said and done, he left Essence’s apartment and headed home.
***
Cameron jerked awake the moment she heard Jude enter her bedroom. Understandably, her nerves were still on edge. After recognizing her husband, she eased her fully loaded pistol from underneath her pillow and placed it on the nightstand.
“Damn…you back sleepin’ with the gun,” Jude said in a disgruntled tone. He was saddened by the fact that it had to come to that again.
“I’ve been calling you all night,
” Cameron told him. She sat up in bed and wiped the sleep residue from her eyes. “Where were you, Jude?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “I went to clear my head. Jag and I had some words earlier.”
That immediately caught Cameron’s attention. “About what?” she asked cautiously.
Jude carefully pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He then pulled his cellphone out and placed it on the nightstand. There was a small dime sized scar under his left collarbone from where a single bullet had exited. He was both a survivor and a soldier.
Jude gave Cameron a sideways look. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
Cameron didn’t miss the sarcasm and hostility in his tone. “What are you getting at?” she asked.
Jude shook his head. Honestly, he didn’t even feel like entertaining the conversation. “Nevermind. It’s nothin’,” he said nonchalantly. “I’m finna hop in the shower though. Can you wash my back for me? I get a lil’ sore when I try.”
A slow smile spread across Cameron’s face. “Of course, bay,” she answered.
Jude made his way inside the adjoined master bathroom and turned on the shower. Climbing out the bed, Cameron proceeded to undress. She was just about to join her husband when she saw his cellphone ringing on the nightstand. Since it was obviously on silence, Jude had no idea that Essence was calling him.
31
For a few seconds, Cameron debated whether or not to answer the phone when she saw the name Essence pop up on his screen. Siding with her better judgment, Cam decided to answer it. Instead of speaking right away, she simply placed the receiver against her ear.
“Jude?” Essence whispered. “Hello?”
Cameron quietly listened to the other woman on the opposite line.
“Jude, say something.” Essence sighed deeply after realizing that Jude wasn’t going to respond. She had no idea that his phone was in his wife’s possession. “Look, I’m sorry for the things I said when you were here…But how do you expect me to feel?” Essence paused. “Jude?”
Cameron was so angry that she didn’t realize how heavy she was breathing.
“You obviously feelin’ some type of way,” Essence continued. “Hit me back when you feel like talking.”
Cameron kept the phone pressed firmly against her ear until she heard the line disconnect. She was so stunned by the revelation that she had to sit on the bed to gain her composure.
Jude’s been fucking around on me, she asked herself. I can’t believe he would do this to me.
For fifteen minutes, Cameron listened to the shower water run while she stared off into space. So many thoughts ran through her mind, and she had so many things she wanted to say to Jude…but she simply couldn’t get off the bed. Shock kept her planted to her memory foam mattress. Doesn’t feel so good when the shoe is on the other foot, now does it, Cameron asked herself.
Suddenly, Jude emerged from the foggy master bathroom, wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist. The minute he saw Cameron’s expression he instantly knew something wasn’t right.
“What’s wrong, Cam?” Jude asked with concern in his eyes.
Silence.
“Babe…Talk to me,” Jude insisted. “I thought you were gonna join me in the shower. What’s up? What’s on ya mind, Cam?”
Cameron looked up at her husband with tear-filled eyes. “Who is Essence, Jude?”
The question immediately caught him off guard. His eyes then wandered to the cellphone clutched tightly in Cameron’s hands. It wasn’t until then that he noticed her holding his phone.
“Cam, let me explain—”
“Who is Essence?” Cameron repeated with more authority in her tone.
Jude ignored Cam’s question the second time. Instead of responding he removed his towel, and climbed onto the bed.
“Answer me, Jude,” Cam said in a softer tone. Tears slid down her cinnamon cheeks. “I need to know.”
Jude gently laid Cameron on her back, and spread her legs apart. When her flexibility could no longer be challenged, he closed his warm mouth over her pussy.
“Jude…Answer…me,” Cameron said in between moans.
The more she begged Jude for a response, the harder he licked and sucked. Apparently, he had something to prove. After pleasing Cam orally for a few minutes, Jude positioned himself between her legs.
Cameron’s breath caught her in chest when he slid inside. She’d easily forgotten why she was so angry with him to begin with.
Placing Cameron’s left leg over his shoulder, Jude sucked passionately on her small toes. “You feel that?” he asked while stroking deeply inside her.
“Yes, baby!” Cameron cried out.
“This is yo’ dick. You own this shit,” Jude told her.
Cameron felt herself on the brink of exploding—but right before she erupted, Jude pulled out and feasted upon her wetness. After lapping up everything she had to offer, he reentered her, and repeated the process several times.
Jude tried to mask the physical pain he felt from using his muscles. All that mattered to him was making Cameron cream.
“Cum on yo’ dick, Cam. Fuck me like this is our first time.”
Jude’s coaching made her drenches flow until she finally soaked his dick. When she finally came, Jude relaxed on top of her, making sure not to smother her with his weight. “Look me in my eyes,” he began.
Cameron obliged. Her cheeks were bright red, and her eyes were glossed over from crying.
“You got my heart. You got my son. You got my ring.” Jude kissed her chin and then her neck. “You ain’t gotta ask, babe. You should know what it is. And if you don’t…shit, I don’t know what else to do prove to you I love you…more than any fuckin’ thing, Cam. I’m with you and only you.”
“I wanna believe you, Jude,” Cameron whispered. “I need to be able to believe you…”
Jude placed a soft kiss against her lips. “Once I get some shit settled, I wanna take you on a vacation…Somewhere private and exotic,” he said. “Lately, it feels like we’ve been losin’ touch and I don’t want that. You and Justin are my whole life.”
Cameron gazed into Jude’s brown eyes. Although she had her suspicions, she trusted him with her heart and with her life.
***
One week after Joaquin’s incarceration, Roxie strutted down the hallway that led to the inmate visitation room. Wearing a white Céline t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of red, white, and black Retro Jordans, Roxie was dressed rather casually that afternoon. The last time she’d paid a visit to Fulton Detention Center it was to bail O’ Zone out after an arrest for drinking and driving.
Roxie’s bare lips pulled into a half-smile when she saw Joaquin on the opposite side of the glass partition. He picked up his telephone before she even took a seat. Although Joaquin was elated to see Roxie, he hated that she had to see him caged up like an animal.
“Hey, you,” Joaquin cheerfully greeted.
“Hey yourself,” Roxie teased. “You look like you haven’t been getting any sleep,” she said, taking note of the dark rings underneath his eyes.
“Well, thank you for the compliment,” Joaquin joked.
Maintaining her seriousness, Roxie asked, “Have you heard anything from your lawyer?”
“Nah. My boss don’t want me dealin’ with anybody outside our circle.”
“Your circle?!” Roxie repeated skeptically. “Boy, you’ve been in here for days. Damn a circle.”
“Well, if all else fails, Jag will get me an awesome attorney.”
“Has he come to see you at all?” Roxie demanded to know.
“Yes. Twice,” Jag told her. “Don’t worry, Roxie. I won’t be in here for much longer. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
Roxie stared at Joaquin through the fingerprint covered glass partition. She wished she could know everything about him, but there was a limit to how far Joaquin would let her in.
“Did you really kill someone, Joaquin?” Roxie asked after a l
ong pause.
Joaquin didn’t answer because he was certain she wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. In all actuality, he’d killed a total of twelve people—seven of them during black outs. That was something Joaquin wasn’t ready for Roxie to know about him. Telling her about his black outs were one thing, but he couldn’t tell her that he was a murderer as well. Joaquin wouldn’t have been able to take the judgmental looks or worse, losing her completely.
Roxie’s eyes filled with tears, but she quickly blinked them away before they could fall. “I guess I’m kinda glad you aren’t answering,” she said. “I get to keep my image of you.”
Joaquin smiled and placed a hand against the glass.
Roxie grinned and repeated the same gesture. A single tear slipped from her right eye, but she didn’t bother wiping it away. “I haven’t known you long…but I feel like I have forever,” she said. “Hurry up and get out so you can get back to me.”
***
“You’re leaving already?” Lark asked. Satin gray sheets covered most of her nude body. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was bare of makeup but she was still beautiful to Jag.
Lark had been digging Jag since she’d first danced for him and his brother at Blue Flame. Jaguar was quiet, low-key, and somewhat shy at times, which was what drew him to her.
“Yeah, I’ve gotta meet with a lawyer for my brother’s case,” Jag said, pulling on his Air Jordan 3’s. He’d been crashing at Larks’ crib for the past few days to escape the chaos of his life.
Whenever Jag went home his mother would fuss him out about Joaquin’s imprisonment. She blamed Jag since he was the eldest brother, and ultimately the one who was supposed to look out for them.
Since he was no longer rocking with Jude and the business, it made it even easier for Jag to lay up with Lark guiltlessly.
