“I don’t scare easily. Besides, you are my lady, my Boo-Bear, you are supposed to love me, vomit and all.” He laughed as he emphasized the last part.
She was laughing, too. “The party is Friday and some of our friends and family may stop by. It starts at 7 pm.”
“No problem. I can take a United flight into O’Hare and be there at 5:30.”
He could hear her smiling through the phone. “I’ll pick you up on the curb. Are you planning to stay all weekend?”
“Would you like me to?”
“It would be nice,” and she whispered his name into the phone. His skin immediately started to feel warm as if the hairs had just awoken and started a war dance.
“In that case, make sure you plan for dessert. I’ll stay all week.” He hung up the phone.
7
The Knight at Court
Gawain had taken Wilfred’s advice and he had work clothes for Tuesday, but packed some everyday clothes for the weekend. He kept several days’ worth of clothing in his assistant’s office closet for just in case emergencies. He was thinking of taking her to dinner and a movie.
Gawain had donned his favorite Stanford hoodie, black jeans, and red Timberland boots as he waited on the curb to be picked up. Shontae had only seen him in either a business suit or his birthday suit and almost passed him by. It was understandable that she barely recognized him in the black skullcap under the hood, which he wore under a heavyweight leather bomber jacket. He hadn’t shaved in days since he and Wilfred were going over numbers, planning for the second quarter, and shoeing horses. He often worked from the ranch whenever his schedule would permit giving him more time with his reclusive brother whose publishing business was based at the ranch.
Shontae looked at him strangely when he slid into the passenger seat. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the lips. “Missed me?” The smile he gave her nearly melted her in the seat.
She smiled back at him. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I just laid eyes on you.”
“You are just going to have to wait until after this party thing.” He reached into the bag he had placed on the floor and removed his razor. “I don’t like to be rushed through my meals.”
He flipped down the mirror and made quick work of the straggles on his face. He removed the cap and applied some of his hair product, which brought the hair back in line. He was in dire need of a haircut and had let it grow a bit too long in the past few weeks.
She began to recount her past three weeks. “I enrolled in the local community college to take a few courses.”
“That’s great news, what are you taking?” He nodded as she answered, like he had actually heard what she said. He even smiled, feeling shameful because all he could think about was getting her naked.
He immediately noticed Shontae wore a new scent. “I love the strong earthy undertones of your new perfume.” His eyes raked over her in a means of appreciation versus being lascivious. He was taking her all in, noticing the changes she made, including her new hairstyle. “Asymmetrical, one color and all natural. It looks very sexy. I like.”
He continued to work on his hair, and, without looking at her, he commented on how he loved the French manicure. Gone were the multi-colored claws.
I know my back and ass are going to be thankful.
“The nails are very flattering to your hands.”
Shontae could not help but notice how different he seemed. “You seem so … different. Are you okay?”
He looked at her as if she had just asked him to detach his penis so she could keep it when he was traveling. “Different from what, being high on E and having you shave my junk, or being riddled with fever, vomiting on you and thinking you were my mother?”
She laughed. “Good point.”
Gawain asked, “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you out to dinner and a movie tomorrow, anywhere you want to go.”
“Oooh, can we do Red Lobster if it’s not too expensive? I mean you did just buy me a car and paid six months’ worth of rent last month.”
Gawain had never dined at the place, although he was familiar with the brand. He nodded and asked a question that, at the moment, was far more pressing on him than dinner out. “How long do we have to be at this thing?”
The look he gave her was one of pure need and she nearly hit the car in front of her. She understood what that look meant and she was getting all tingly just thinking about some of the things he was going to do to her body.
“Would you like to make a quick stop first?” she asked, smiling at him.
“Nope!” he laughed. “We’ll never make it there, and besides,” he put the razor back in the bag and slipped the cap back on, “I don’t do anything quickly.”
“Amen to that!” They both laughed and he told her about his brother’s ranch when she asked about the smell of his gloves. He asked questions about the car’s performance and how it was working out. He wanted to make sure the car seat had worked out okay for her nephew and that she, too, had been okay while he was away.
They parked at the curb of a small house that was well lit. The music was blaring and big BMW was parked in the yard and profanity was oozing out the walls of the structure. Gawain felt a hint of trepidation but he knew it had to be done. I may as well get it over with if I am going to continue seeing Shontae. She tapped on the doorframe and let herself in. He followed along behind her and turned his back to close the door. When he turned around and dropped his hood, he heard the women inhale and felt as if the air had left the room.
Some woman in the corner yelled out, “DAMN, he fine!” He refused to look her way and thought he should have gotten Conchetta to cut his hair.
A middle-aged woman who was an older version of Shontae walked up to them. “Hey, Ma, come meet my man, this is …”
She interrupted her daughter. “You must be the boyfriend?”
He flashed a full on toothy grin, making sure to include the dimples in the smile. “I am he.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “A pleasure to finally meet you.”
Her mother was ogling Gawain in a way that made her daughter uncomfortable. “Ma, stop it, you looking at my man like he’s a ham sandwich or something!” Shontae laughed and at the same time punched him on the arm, “And you, stop putting the charm on my Mama.”
Still holding her hand, he flashed his smile again. “Am I charming you, Mrs.…?”
“It’s Ms.” She smiled at him. “Ms. Dorothy Jackson.” When she smiled back he noticed she also had a gold tooth.
What are they, a family of urban pirates?
He let go of her hand but was still looking Dorothy in the face, waiting for the next question he knew was coming. His full on gaze made her uncomfortable and he shifted his eyes around the room to break the tension. When he brought his eyes back to her, he had given her a chance to look him over.
“Shontae says that you are a hell of a man.”
His lips curled just a bit. “To be with your daughter, it is a requirement.” Smiling, he added, “You can’t be a punk and be with her. I have to be on my game!”
Obviously he had said something right because Dorothy went to the closet to grab her coat.
Gawain asked, “Are you leaving?”
“Yeah, I just dropped off my bad ass grandbaby, and I am headed out.”
“Do you need a ride or can we drop you somewhere?” He smiled while helping her on with her coat. “Naw, my ride is out front and I’m headed home.”
Shontae kissed her mother’s cheek and Gawain walked her to the door and held her elbow as she walked down the stairs. He opened the door and helped her into the friend’s car, saying her again, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jackson.”
As he walked back to the porch, he noticed a rather large, tattooed, angry black man watching him. Slowly making his way up the stairs, he immediately knew it was Shontae’s brother, and when he opened his mouth, sure enough, there was a gold tooth. “Darius, right?”
/> He extended his hand for a shake and began to say, “I’m …”
Darius interrupted him, “I know who you are!”
He stood toe to toe with her very thuggish brother on the front porch as he prepared himself for the third degree. The very large man handed him a beer. “Darius, I have a sister, so I know how you feel.”
Darius looked him over. “You don’t know me. You don’t know a damn thing about me, so don’t start a conversation with a lie about you know how I feel.” He turned up his bottle of beer, inhaled and Gawain watched the liquid drain from the bottle down the man’s throat. He burped and gave Gawain the stink eye. His lip was still upturned baring the gold tooth when he added, “I expect a pretty motherfucker like you to be on a red carpet with Janet Jackson and shit. You could have any woman you want.”
Gawain only smiled. “I have the woman I want and besides, Janet doesn’t really like me that much.” Darius scoffed but then realized Gawain was not kidding. Gawain could see it in his eyes as he tried to figure out if he was joking or serious.
“Your sister has given me something I haven’t experienced in a very long time.” Darius stiffened at the implication. “She gave me back my smile and I have never felt so alive.” He turned up his bottle and matched what Darius had done. He sat the bottle down on the porch rail like he had just completed a shot of Jägermeister. He was still standing toe-to-toe with Darius. “Whatever she wants, I will give her, and then some.”
Darius only sniffed as if he had a cold, curled his lip, the gold tooth shining like a beacon for lost sailors which revealed more than one gold tooth. Is that a whole grill? Don’t stare. Don’t stare.
“If she wanted your name, would you give her that, Pretty Man?”
Gawain paused for a moment and took a sip of his second beer, before providing a cryptic answer. “Depends.”
Darius was not fazed. “On what?” He turned his lips sideways in mockery.
Gawain gave him back the attitude and sarcasm. “Depends on whether or not you could stomach a pretty motherfucker like me as a brother-in-law.” Darius chortled, but also realized that her sister’s fancy, disgustingly good-looking boyfriend had not answered the question.
Gawain looked at him and said, “You have to appreciate the irony of all this, though.”
Darius still stared at him, looking over Gawain’s clothing. “I find it ironic that you decided to dress down to come and hang out in the hood.”
Gawain scratched his head. “I am finding irony in the fact that you’re standing here with tats on your neck, dreads, busting a sag, with a BMW in your front yard, and yet you are judging me based on my appearance.”
Darius got quiet. Gawain took a breath to let it sink in, then decided to drive his point home. “This is my favorite pair of jeans. I’ve had them for years. My little sister gave me this hoodie 15 years ago and my Tims are six years old. When I’m not in a suit, this is what I wear in my free time.”
“They look new because I have a really good housekeeper that hand washes everything to keep them looking fresh.” He did a Michael Jackson spin and a dip. Darius laughed and so did he.
He understood that Gawain was being facetious. “Man,” Gawain said, “I have no control over how I look. I have ridiculously good looking parents, but I do have control over who I am.” He extended his hand for the shake again, “I am a good man, and your sister is making me be an even better one. I will take good care and be good to her. You have my word.”
Darius accepted the handshake, even though he still was very skeptical of the man. Gawain kept an open mind for the evening, and tried to enjoy himself for Shontae’s sake.
8
Testing His Mettle
He thought it had been a rather nice evening, spending it with other couples doing normal things that couples did. Gawain could not remember the last time, if ever, that he had done so and was pleased that he had enjoyed himself. Even though Shontae’s brother was a royal pain in the butt, he knew how to host a card game. Gawain smiled when the look of shock crossed Darius’ face when they partnered up and ran a train in Spades.
There were a few tense moments during the evening, but being a gentleman, Gawain stepped back and allowed a great deal to slide. The first was when he heard Shontae and her friends clucking like hens and realized they must have been talking about him. He waited for the giggles to turn to cackles, and that was when he turned slowly turned in his seat to spot his lady. She stood there in the midst of the ladies in waiting and, as if on cue, he made eye contact with her, licked his bottom lip and tapped his watch. The women broke out into guffaws and he turned back to the table smiling. His smile quickly faded when he locked eyes with Darius who was not so amused. Gawain shrugged his shoulders.
Shontae bounced over and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Were you listening to us, or do you just have impeccable timing?” She kissed him fondly and he was still smiling as he watched that beautiful ass walk away. He turned again to meet her brother’s stink-eye gaze. His smile faded again like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Another odd moment occurred because Shontae had opted not to take her purse into the party – she dropped her car and house keys into his pocket. Once he had removed his jacket, he placed the keys in the front pocket of his jeans. His hands were wet from restocking the beer cooler when she came to find him an hour later to retrieve them. Unable to find anything to dry his hands and he raised his wet hands so she could reach into his pocket to grab the keys. With her arms wrapped around him from the rear, he was aware that all eyes were on them and he held up his hands like he was being patted down. Her hands lingered too long in his pockets, and he looked over his shoulder with a smile to remind her, “That’s not your keys.”
Smiling, he turned with wet hands that were now being dried on her bottom as she giggled and he nibbled at her neck. In her ear he whispered, “I know two other things that will open.”
She clung tightly to him as he reminded her of some of the things he was planning when they got back to her place. She kissed him briefly and pulled away and he still stood there smiling, as he once again watched that perfect ass walk away. His smile was drowned when he looked up to meet her brother’s ever-present gaze. The front gold tooth shining like a cut throat pirate ready to kill his booty.
Well, so much for being cool with her brother.
Another tense moment came when he realized that trying to drink with Darius was a mistake. He thought he would take a minute to just lean back on the couch to let the buzz come down a bit as he munched on some popcorn. It was the only thing on the table that looked like it wouldn’t give him a tore up stomach.
Darius’ son, Jaden, came over and climbed up in his lap, attempting to help him eat the bowlful. Gawain kicked off one boot and rested his right leg on the couch. Soon after he and little Jaden had gotten comfortable, they were joined by a cute little three-year-old named Candace. Before he knew it, all three of them had fallen asleep, with him holding each toddler on a separate arm.
He heard Shontae’s voice whispering to him, asking him not to make any sudden moves. Startled, he awoke gazing at her and asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”
She pointed down at his body. “You are covered in kids.” Confused, he looked down and saw that in addition to Candace and Jaden, there was another one sprawled across his stomach. A little fellow had fallen completely out on his right leg, which was also now asleep. Between his leg and the end of the couch was another child, as well as the one at his feet.
“What can I say, I’m a babe magnet.” A soft laughter formed between them as she helped take away the sleeping kids. But it also became evident to her that Gawain wanted children. How will I tell him that I don’t?
Gawain located Darius to thank him for the invite as he and Shontae slipped out the door. Both deep in their own thoughts about how the evening would play out. They were quiet as they drove back to her place, but for different reasons. Gawain was now faced with a question of
whether he treated any of his sister’s boyfriends like Darius had treated him. It further bothered him that her brother thought he was using Shontae up. Using her for sex and buying her gifts to keep her in pocket.
In the apartment, Shontae headed to the shower and he headed to the bed. Everything in him wanted to join her in the bathroom, but tonight, he wanted to prove to himself that he was not that horny bastard her brother thought him to be. Besides, he was whipped along with being torn between wanting to be with her and more sleep. On his way to the bedroom, he began to notice all the little touches she had added. Her image wasn’t the only thing she had changed.
She had purchased him a used Eames lounge chair with matching ottoman for the living room. It mattered little to him that he had four just like them, one at his brother’s, one at his parents, one at the condo in San Fran, and one at his sister’s apartment in New York. This one was special. Shontae bought this for me. He scratched at his neck as he spotted the small table, which sat next to the chair and held many of the magazines she had seen him pull from his leather case. He tried the chair and propped up his feet.
Aman could really get used to this.
There were new placemats on the new kitchen table with new flatware. Curiosity forced him to check the cabinets, which were fully stocked with staples, sundries and even new pots and pans. The fridge was loaded with bottles of wine, water, fresh fruit, cheeses, and stuff that he could use to really cook her a fabulous meal.
A man could get used to this.
He made his way down the hall. The small second bedroom that used to be bare now held a desk, a nice office chair, a cutely made bed for her nephew, and along with matching drapes. On the desk were her text books for her new college classes. The desk also held a laptop and printer. Shontae yelled from the bathroom, “I have internet and cable, too, babe!” He smiled as he made his way back to the bedroom.
At the foot of the bed, Shontae had laid out a bathrobe with matching lounge pants along with what appeared to be a new set of house slippers, all in the right size. She had also turned down his side of the bed. Nice, he thought. Stripping down to his boxers, he slid in between the sheets and allowed his head to sink back into the new pillows. She had upgraded the sheets to at least an 800-thread count and had purchased him a firm pillow. Throwing the back of his hand across his brow, he looked around the room at all of the subtle touches she had added, even down to the embroidered Matelassé coverlet.
Courting Guinevere (The Davonshire Series Book 1) Page 6
