Stalker

by Brenda Hampton

  “Grrrrrrrrl! Oh, baby, that was good. I knew you would be good. Next time, I want to taste it. I’ll let you taste me too.”

  He would be lucky if there was a next time after that performance. I didn’t have one orgasm, not even half of one. While seeing the disappointment on my face, he still got off the bed with pride in his eyes, as if he had done something.

  “I’m off work tomorrow, but I already have plans. What if I stop by next week? I’ll let you know when, if you want to see me again.”

  If he could get me the information I wanted, yes, seeing him again would be fine. “You let me know what day and time works for you. Meanwhile, enjoy your day off and don’t hurt nobody else with that thing.”

  When I said hurt, it was all about my feelings. It was a shame that he had a nice-size penis but didn’t even know what to do with it. Talk about being disappointed, I unquestionably was. Looking sexy, obviously, didn’t mean a darn thing. My encounter with him made me miss Brent even more. And as soon as Officer Wayne left, I returned to my bedroom, played with myself, and then called it a night.

  The next day, things took a little turn. I was outside talking to the guy who cut my grass, when all of a sudden, a white woman pulled over to the curb, parking her car. She got out with a tight face. There was no smile, no nothing. I hadn’t a clue who she was until she started to spill the beans about why she was there.

  “Well, you’re just the little homewrecker, aren’t you? Eric and I are getting divorced. You can have him, sweetheart, because I’m not the kind of woman who will fight over a man. Not even my husband.”

  “Neither am I, especially one who doesn’t know how to utilize his penis. There is no need for you to divorce him because of me. I don’t want him. He’s all yours.”

  “If you didn’t want him, you never would’ve had sex with him. Apparently, you have feelings for him.”

  “Listen, I had an itch that needed to be scratched. He barely scratched it, so I had to take care of the problem myself. Now leave, please. Go home and tell your husband that you forgive him. You’re going to do that anyway, so stop wasting your time and mine.”

  The woman caught me off guard when she shoved me. She knew I was coming after her. That’s why she took off down the driveway and hurried into her car. I was so damn frustrated. These women were acting nuts over men—it all made me think about what I had done to Brent. In my defense, again, he deserved it.

  Later that day, I was in my spare room sending out some more résumés. I hadn’t heard from anyone. I thought that was kind of odd. Clinton said it was hard finding a job in St. Louis, but I didn’t think it would be this hard. I had no plans to work at a fast-food joint, or any place like that, but if push came to shove, I had to do whatever I had to do for money. It was getting low. Some of my bills were starting to fall behind.

  I had just turned off the computer when I heard a knock at the door. I tightened my robe and went to it. Eric was on my porch with his head hanging low. The last thing I wanted to do was help to soothe the heart of a cheater, but what the hell? I wanted some company, so I opened the door.

  He leaned against the doorway with his hand in his pocket. “I apologize for my wife coming over here. I had no idea that she had been keeping her eyes on me. She was out of line, and I hope her visit didn’t upset you. More than anything, I hope it didn’t interfere with us.”

  “Actually, it didn’t. And, sometimes, I get that a woman needs to get certain things off her chest. I guess she did, so now what, Eric? Are the two of you going to work it out, or is that divorce really going to happen?”

  He walked inside and closed the door behind him before answering my question. “Don’t know, and I really don’t care. We’ve had problems for years.”

  That’s what they all said. I didn’t have time to listen to this mess, but I had to play nice. I walked into the sitting area, turned on the TV, and then plopped on the couch. Eric sat next to me, throwing his leg over mine.

  “Do you mind if I stay the night with you?” he said, then sighed. “We’ve been arguing all day. I just don’t want to go home and face my headache.”

  “You’re more than welcome to stay here, but be sure to leave your gun on the table. If your wife keeps showing up and causing problems for me, I’ll be forced to use it. So think about that, before you decide to get some rest.”

  He laughed; I didn’t. If he wanted to take the risk, oh well.

  “You wouldn’t hurt nobody,” he said. “You’re too sweet. I noticed that about you the first time I saw you. And after that sex we had last night, I can understand why Mr. Carson is having a difficult time letting go. Have you heard anything from him?”

  “As a matter of fact, he called me earlier today. He said if I didn’t meet up with him this weekend, there would be a price to pay. I think I’d better go get that restraining order against him on Monday. And if you can, see what you can do about finding an address for him. That would help me out a lot. He can be served the restraining order and that should be enough to put fear in him so he’ll leave me alone.”

  “That or possibly a bullet in his head. Niggas like him don’t know when to quit sometimes. And they only learn a lesson when they’re six feet under. I’ve seen cases like this time and time again. A nigga who puts his hands on a woman doesn’t deserve to live. And every time I’m called to a domestic violence scene, I make sure those fools get what they deserve. Brent better not ever show up while I’m here. If he does, that’ll be a bad move on his part.”

  Eric was talking like one of those dirty cops. But there was no question that he was what I needed to shut down Brent for good. Then again, that all depended on how well things were going with him and Lajuanna. Hopefully soon, I’d be able to find out.

  Eric and I sat quietly, watching a suspense/mystery thriller. It was really good, and after it was over, I got up to pour us some wine. He removed the wineglasses from my hands and set them on the table. Then he moved me over to the couch and kneeled between my legs. With his hand touching the belt on my robe, he looked at me.

  “Someone real close to me told me that you said my dick wasn’t all that. That’s what I heard through the grapevine, and she also said you had a severe itch that needed to be scratched. Since you think I didn’t utilize my penis well, maybe my mouth can do a little better and make you change your mind about me.”

  My robe fell open, exposing my nakedness. Eric scooted down lower, and as he spread my legs wide, his tongue slithered inside of me. I gasped and sucked in my shaky stomach.

  “I only told her that so I wouldn’t hurt her feelings. You know how it is when you just want somebody to go away. You’ll say anything.”

  Eric didn’t respond. He turned his tongue in my pussy, causing me to see the light. I had a much-better opinion of his performance, and if he didn’t know how to utilize his penis, he surely knew how to work his tongue. He pressed my legs against my stomach while feasting on me as if I was a full-course meal. I could barely control myself. My body started to shake, I squeezed my teary eyes together.

  “Call your wife and allow me to correct myself,” I shouted. “This is guuuud, baby. Damn good and . . . and you can stay the night with meeee any time!”

  All Eric did was laugh.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Eric and I had been kicking it for the next several days. He surprised the hell out of me when he stopped by in his police car to give me the information I needed. I leaned against his car, smoking a cigarette because my nerves had gotten pretty bad. This job situation was eating away at me, as was the fact that I hadn’t heard one word from Kendal. Not one damn word.

  “I think this is it,” Eric said, giving me a piece of paper. “Has he contacted you again?”

  “I don’t know why you continue to ask me that, but, yes, he has called. While I was at the grocery store yesterday, I swore I saw him, from a distance, sitting in his car. I walked toward the car, and that’s when it sped away.”

  “Well, go get
that restraining order today. And do not go to his house unless I’m with you. Understood?”

  “Sure.”

  “I mean it, Abby. You have no reason to go there, but just in case, at least take me with you so I can really scare him.”

  “I think that may be a good idea. I’ll go get the restraining order, and you can take him a copy of it too.”

  “No problem. Now, go handle your business. We’ll go there later. And then, we’ll continue what we started the other night. I’m glad you’ve gotten accustomed to my handcuffs.”

  I flicked the cigarette butt in my grass. “And I’m glad you’ve learned how to fully satisfy my needs.”

  We both laughed, and before he drove off, I bent over to give him a kiss. I looked at the address written on the piece of paper. I had no idea where it was, so I went inside, Googled it, and the information came up. The area he now lived in wasn’t bad. It was a downgrade from the Clayton area, and was much closer to me than I would have thought. With it being less than twenty minutes away, I hurried to change clothes so I could do a quick drive-by. After that, I was going to go get a restraining order against him. He hadn’t bothered me one bit, but what the hell? With all of the things I’d had against him, I would be issued one in a heartbeat.

  Twenty minutes later, I slowly drove by the two-story brick home that was surrounded by many trees. It sat far back from the curb, and there were several steps to climb before reaching the front door. A swing was on the porch, and when I saw Lajuanna’s car parked in the driveway, I knew I had the right house. I wanted to drive by a few more times, just to see if she would come outside. I figured Brent wasn’t there, and if he had gotten another job, I wondered where it was. That information would come soon enough. In the meantime, I did what Eric advised me to do and drove to Clayton to get my restraining order. The process was long, but at the end of the day, it was issued. I had to call Eric, just to let him know that it had been done.

  “I got it,” I said with excitement in my voice.

  “Got what?” he spoke in a whisper.

  “The restraining order. Were you busy?”

  “Yeah, I’m in the middle of writing this stupid, fool-ass nigga a ticket. Let me finish this and I’ll call you back. Better yet, I’ll see you a little later. Then, we can go handle that.”

  “Okay. But be nice and don’t hurt nobody, okay?”

  “I’ll try, but you already know how these fools are.”

  Eric was a mess. I didn’t like how he spoke about black folks, black men in particular. He always seemed to degrade them, but when it came to Brent, I really didn’t care. Maybe he just didn’t like men who abused women. He’d already made that clear.

  Eric showed up around seven that evening. I was already dressed to go, and for the first time, we rode in his police car together. He seemed real cocky, and as some people waved and spoke, he didn’t bother to reply. He did, however, turn his head when he saw a young black chick carrying some groceries, and when he saw another one standing outside of a convenience store. I didn’t say one thing to him, because after our business was done, I intended to get rid of him.

  “Which house is it?” he asked while driving slowly down the street.

  “Go a few more houses down. I think it’s the one on the left. But let me look at the address to be sure.”

  Eric pulled in front of the house I pointed to, and then he did a U-turn in the middle of the street, just so he could park on the other side. He held a copy of the restraining order in his hand and looked at me.

  “Don’t touch anything in here and please don’t get out of the car. Crouch down and don’t let him see you. I’ll leave the windows down just so it won’t get so stuffy.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Good luck.”

  “He’s the one who’s going to need it.”

  Eric got out of the car, cocky as ever. I watched his bowlegged self jog across the street and hike the numerous steps to the front door. Brent’s car was now in the driveway. I assumed he was home. Minutes later, someone came to the door. I didn’t know who it was until I saw Brent standing on the porch with Eric. My heart melted—I was still so in love with Brent. I wanted to rush out of the car, beg for his forgiveness, and ask him if we could just start all over again. After all that had happened, I knew his answer to that would be a big fat no.

  Eric talked to Brent while tapping the piece of paper against his hand. I leaned in closer, just to see if I could hear. I didn’t hear much, until Brent’s voice got loud.

  “I can’t believe this shit! My wife and I have been doing our own thing. We haven’t bothered anybody! When is this shit going to stop? Please tell me when it will end? How is she allowed to get away with this, and why does everyone believe her?”

  Just then, Lajuanna came outside. Her voice was softer, so I couldn’t hear what she was saying to Eric. All he did was listen, but soon, Brent started yelling again.

  “Bullshit! I’m not taking anything. To hell with her, you, and that damn restraining order!”

  He snatched the restraining order from Eric’s hand, ripping the paper into shreds. Eric grabbed him by the collar, and that was when Lajuanna tried to step between them.

  “Stop it!” she yelled. “We get the picture, and he’ll stay away from her, for sure!”

  “You’re damn right he will,” Eric said while still holding Brent’s shirt. “Leave her alone and don’t ever call her again. I’m going to keep my eyes on you, nigga. If I see you following her, you will be arrested. This time, you’ll be spending more than just five lousy days in jail!” He shoved Brent backward and left the porch.

  I was so pleased how Eric conducted himself. He had earned a big reward coming tonight. Brent and Lajuanna went back inside. I heard the door slam, and when Eric got in the car, he quickly sped off.

  “Ole punk-ass fool. He tried to get tough, but a man who puts his hands on a woman ain’t shit.”

  “No, he’s not. I noticed that that tends to upset you a lot. Do you have any history behind all that aggression?”

  “Absolutely, yes, I do. My father used to beat my mother. He’d have her face black and blue sometimes. I watched that shit play out for many years. Then, one day, my mother got tired, and she just upped and shot him. He didn’t die, but he damn sure got the message. Let’s hope that Brent just got the message too.”

  “I hope so. I really and truly hope so.”

  * * *

  Finally, I got a call from a job that I had just applied for a few days before. It was right after Eric told me where Brent was now working, at a rental car company as an assistant manager. I wanted that position, but instead, I applied for a customer service position where the pay wasn’t so bad. It was in another department; therefore, I assumed that Brent wouldn’t be the one interviewing me. I’d gotten a call from a white guy named Chris. He sounded very nice over the phone, and when I arrived for my interview, he was even nicer.

  “Come this way,” he said, walking down a long hallway. “Follow me.”

  I followed Chris into his office. He closed the door and invited me to have a seat in front of his desk. The interview got underway, where he mentioned the required job responsibilities, as well as the pay. He inquired about my background experience, and when I told him I’d worked in management for several years, he appeared interested. The only thing that was a setback was when he said he’d check my references. In an effort not to mention Mrs. Thiele, I had typed a false name and number on my application. I hoped and prayed that he wasn’t thorough with checking references.

  Other than that, I had sold him. I made him laugh, made him look lustful, and there was no question that he was impressed. So impressed that he offered me the job right on the spot.

  “Another management job may open up in another month or two. And if everything goes well, you should apply for that, just to earn more money.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what is the starting pay for assistant managers?”

  I was just try
ing to find out Brent’s salary, in addition to knowing how beneficial the position could be for me.

  “It’s usually based on experience, but most of our assistant managers start at fifty or sixty thousand a year.”

  I hated to hear that. No wonder he and his wife had moved. Things had been looking up. The pay he’d made as a teacher couldn’t touch that.

  “That sounds great,” I said. “I do want to apply for a management position, but in the meantime, I plan to work my position like you’ve never seen it done before. Thank you so much for the opportunity, Chris. You don’t mind if I call you Chris, do you?”

  He blushed while holding his hands behind his head and gazing at my legs that were crossed. “Not at all. As long as I can call you Abby.”

  I held out my hand. “Deal.”

  We both laughed. Chris stood and asked if I wanted anything to drink. “How about a soda, water, something? I need you to complete some paperwork, and then you’re free to go. But before you leave, I want to introduce you to our team. We have three teams here. Even though we all work separately, we’re really all in this together.”

  “Sounds good to me. And I’ll have a Diet Coke, Chris. Thank you.”

  He left the office, returning ten minutes later with the Diet Coke and papers for me to fill out. I sat at a table in his office, completing the paperwork and taking sips from the soda. Every now and then, I looked up and saw Chris staring at me. He’d smile, and I’d smile back. Deep inside, he made me cringe. I was sick of men like him, who only wanted one damn thing.

  “I think I’m all done,” I said, standing up. “Please look it over to see if I missed anything.”

  He looked over the paperwork and nodded. Afterward, we confirmed my start date, which was tomorrow. We then left his office, just so he could introduce me to the team. I met several white women, two were black. An Asian woman worked the front desk, and the rest of the offices were filled with white men. That was . . . until we got to Brent’s office. Chris knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, Brent said, “Enter.”