There, he’d admitted it to himself. He didn’t want to be with Misty, anymore. He’d changed, but she hadn’t. He was satisfied with working hard and leading an ordinary life, but she still wanted the moon, the stars, and the sun. She wanted attention and to shine so badly, she was willing to pretend to be psychic as a way to get her hands on other people’s money.
He wouldn’t leave her helpless; he’d find her an assisted living facility. There had to be agencies that could help find her suitable housing. He’d heard of wheelchair communities throughout the city that catered to young people. Misty wouldn’t like it, but over time, she’d adjust. She had no choice. Once he got her situated in a safe environment, he was out! He didn’t need the big, expensive apartment they were living in; he’d be perfectly comfortable in a smaller place.
Brick entered the apartment carrying an extra-large pizza with the works for himself and a large order of cheese fries for Misty, something she’d always enjoyed since childhood. He figured cheese fries were the kind of finger food that she could grasp and feed herself and were also soft enough for her to chew.
To his surprise, the living room was fully furnished. Brick put the pizza and fries down on the kitchen counter and then poked his head in the bedroom. Misty was sitting up in bed, hunched over the iPad as usual.
“Where’d the furniture come from?”
“Gavin paid for it and had it delivered.”
“I could have bought furniture, but I thought you needed room to wheel around.”
“I don’t want to wheel around.”
“Okay, there’s no point in arguing about it. I picked up one of your favorite snacks,” he said, making his voice sound more cheerful than he felt.
“What?” she asked without looking up.
“Cheese fries.”
“Oh, I’m not hungry. The nurse whipped up a banana and strawberry smoothie and I’m still full from that.” Misty pointed to a milky concoction inside a tumbler with an adaptive handle that allowed her to pick it up, and the long, bent straw inserted in the no-spill lid, also assisted in her self-feeding.
Noticing she’d only drunk half of the smoothie, he said, “The nurse left at eleven and it’s five-thirty; aren’t you hungry?”
“Nope, too excited to be hungry.”
Brick looked at her thoughtfully. “Excited about what?” Misty’s mind was always busy, and she stayed plotting and scheming. He braced himself for what she would pull out of her bag of tricks.
“Gavin surprised me with a visit today.”
“That was nice of him.”
“Not really; he wanted a reading.”
“And…”
“I gave him what he wanted.”
“That man spent a fortune getting you the surgery that you desperately wanted, he sent furniture over, and you repay him by playing head games with him?”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Yeah, I get it. You still only care about you, and I was gullible enough to believe that your brush with death had made you a better person, but you’ll never change, Misty.”
“Why don’t you believe me? Do you really think I’m crazy enough to keep a lie like this going?”
“How long have I known you?”
“Since forever.”
“That’s right. And there’s never been anything psychic about you. I went along with that crazy story about the janitor because I thought you were hallucinating. But I can’t pretend to believe in this crap any longer.”
“I don’t need your pity, Brick. Sorry you refuse to believe me, but that’s your problem. I didn’t ask for this gift of sight, but I have it and I’d be crazy not to milk it for all it’s worth.”
“I hope this shit doesn’t backfire on your ass. That rich dude may seem nice, but I bet he’ll show you a totally different side if he finds out you’re running a game on him. Rich folks like to sue and they have access to high-powered attorneys—the kind that throw around expressions like fraud and embezzlement—”
“Embezzlement? You sound stupid. How am I going to embezzle anybody? I don’t have access to that man’s money.”
“All right, well ‘embezzlement’ wasn’t the right word, so let me put it in terms that make more sense. Handicapped or not, that dude and his team of lawyers will put your ass underneath the jail if he finds out you’ve been taking him for a ride.”
“I’m trying to be optimistic about my life. Trying to move forward without feeling sorry for myself, and here you are, talking all this doom and gloom bullshit. Tell me, Brick, what do you prefer that I do—lie in this bed and watch TV all day or make myself useful?”
“I want the best for you, Misty, and you know it. The other day when you told me you could pay me much more than I earn on my job, well, the conversation brought back some unpleasant memories for me. If you think I’d ever allow you to pimp me in any way, you’re a lot crazier than you’re acting.”
“Ain’t nobody trying to pimp you, Brick,” Misty said with disgust. “Damn, I was young and wild back then. Give me some credit for maturing and changing my ways.”
Brick gawked at her. “You were pimping a whole stable of dudes right before you got hurt.”
“But after that tragedy, I saw the error of my ways. I would never use people like that again. From now on, I’m going to earn a living with my God-given talent.”
With a smirk on his face, Brick reached out and touched Misty’s hand. “Make me a believer. Give me a reading.”
“I’m coming up blank. I can’t get a reading on you.”
“I didn’t think so,” he said smugly, and walked out of the bedroom.
• • •
Sitting in the chair in the living room and using an empty box for a table, he watched The First 48 as he wolfed down pizza along with Misty’s cheese fries. With a slice from the second box in hand, Brick was suddenly snoring.
Brick dreamed of being in Trinidad. Anya was dancing in the moonlight; swinging her hips to the rhythm of an island song. Brick had no idea that Anya could dance like that. People were clapping, men were leering at her. Watching her move so seductively made Brick’s dick hard, and when she silently led him away from the crowd, taking him to a private area of the beach, Brick eagerly dropped his pants and lay on top of her glistening body that was sprawled out on the sand. Grunting, he made love to her, whispering her name over and over again. “I’m glad we’re back together, Anya.”
“Shh! Don’t talk! Fuck me!” she demanded.
Giving her what she wanted, Brick drove himself more deeply inside her.
Jolting awake, Brick cussed when he realized he’d had a wet dream and his inner left thigh was sticky with ejaculation.
CHAPTER 14
Sergio was a breast man; there was no doubt about that. The way he cupped Anya’s tits, almost worshipfully, was a turn-on. With his lips tugging on her nipples while his tongue swirled around the knotted flesh, hot moisture instantly accumulated between her legs. Something needed to be inserted inside her pussy, to take the edge off. Her hand drifted downward, her middle finger poised to penetrate.
Sergio’s strong hand grasped hers. “Leave that pussy alone.”
“But…” Anya squirmed with desire.
“I’m gonna take care of it in a minute. Be patient, ma-ma.”
Abiding by his wishes and surrendering to his skillful tongue, she looped her arms around his neck, her fingers combing through his silky hair. His lips returned to her breasts, and he nibbled and sucked until Anya was beseeching him to fill her with dick.
After an eternity of pitiful begging, Anya’s pleas turned into moans of gratitude when Sergio inched downward, positioning himself inside the space between her thighs. She was more than ready to get fucked, but would accept the rhythmic in and out strokes of a thick finger while a skillful, wet tongue twirled around her swelling clit.
But Sergio had other ideas. Using only the tip of his tongue, he licked at her sensitive bud, teasing her into slow madness. Making
growling sounds, she arched her back, lifted her butt off the bed, trying to make her pussy flush with his face, urging him to tongue her deeply. But Sergio continued the slow lick that had her thrashing, cursing, and pleading for mercy.
“It’s too soon, baby. You gotta keep making that honey for me,” he whispered in a soft Latino accent.
The honey he was referring to was pouring out of her pussy, and as far as she was concerned, there was more than enough to satisfy him. Anya had come to learn that Sergio loved sucking the sweetness out of her pussy, and he did it in a manner that was noisy, like he was slurping oysters. The way he ate pussy was super sexy, had her ass on fire and ready to turn him over, get on top, and ride him like a stallion.
“That’s enough, Sergio,” Anya whined, unable to endure any more of the sexual torture he was putting her through.
“Not yet,” he insisted, swiping a finger between the crevice of her pussy lips, checking the amount of moisture. “It’s nice and juicy in there, baby. Open your legs wide for me,” he instructed.
Unsure if she could handle a dizzying and drawn-out, pussy-eating performance, Anya did the opposite of Sergio’s request, and pressed her thighs together tightly.
“Come on, ma-ma,” he coaxed. “Let me taste that honey.”
Slowly, hesitantly, she widened the space between her thighs. She bit down on her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut, praying she didn’t pass out from sheer pleasure. Sergio was a master at cunnilingus, but surprisingly he’d never allowed her to suck his dick.
The first time she made the attempt, he scolded her. “No, I don’t want you to do that. It’s nasty. There’re plenty of dirty bitches out there who give blow jobs and whatnot. But you’re my woman, and I kiss you…I need the lips that I kiss to be pure.”
Anya didn’t understand Sergio’s aversion to fellatio; she figured it must have been a Dominican thing, and she didn’t probe him for an explanation.
Right now, she was fighting to stay conscious while he sucked and tongued her nearly to death. Finally, his appetite was satisfied and he grabbed her hand and aimed it toward his dick. Obligingly, she wrapped her palm around his hot flesh.
“You feel how hard you got me, ma-ma?”
“Yes, and I want you so bad,” she whimpered.
“How bad do you want this dick?”
“More than I want money. More than food. More than…” She paused as she tried to come up with more examples, but her mind went blank. It didn’t matter because Sergio wasn’t listening anymore. He was breathing hard and guiding his dick toward her heated center. Once he pushed inside her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, they both began groaning, speaking irrationally, and yelling nonsensically.
And when it was over, Anya rested her head on Sergio’s chest, he wrapped both arms around her and cooed to her in soft-spoken Spanish.
In the morning when Anya opened her eyes, Sergio was leaning over her with his lips brushing her cheek. “Go back to sleep; I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,” Anya murmured.
“Tomorrow night, I’m gonna take you somewhere fantastic. Okay, baby?”
She smiled and nodded, and watched as he sauntered out of the bedroom.
It was evident that Sergio genuinely cared for Anya. Each time they got together, he splurged on her, taking her to the finest restaurants and always surprising her with gifts. She asked him not to, but he ignored her wishes, showering her with lavish presents: expensive Dominican art, a rose gold bangle, embellished with brilliant diamonds, an ostrich Prada bag, exquisite Clive Christian perfume, and an Hermès vintage silk scarf. Whenever they were together, he treated her as if she were as delicate as fine china, opening doors for her, holding her hand as he helped her out of his enormous SUV. He was completely attentive to her, checking in daily and asking if she needed anything.
Most women would give anything to have a fine man like Sergio catering to their every whim, but Anya was terribly uncomfortable with the way he doted on her. She felt guilty because all she really wanted from him was sex. He was good in bed and she was using his body as a way to forget her troubles.
The investigator had yet to find her dad, which was deeply troubling, and not knowing whether Brick was incarcerated or not, weighed heavily on her heart. One night when the uncertainty became unbearable, she went online and did a search on the Pennsylvania Inmate Locator site. She was relieved when Brick’s name didn’t come up.
Where is he—back with his wife? Anya asked herself for the hundredth time. Thankfully, she could always rely on Sergio to ease her pain when her yearning desire for Brick caused her eyes to fill with tears.
It was surprising that a hustler and a known womanizer like Sergio had so much free time to spend with her. He was never too busy to wine and dine her, making Anya keenly aware that his feelings exceeded a mere sexual attraction. She wished she felt the same, but she didn’t. She liked Sergio a lot; their sexual chemistry was amazing, but she was still in love with Brick.
Maybe in time, she’d be able to give a little more of herself to Sergio, since it was obvious that he wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.
And neither was Natalie.
Anya had politely tried to ease out of her friendship with Natalie, ignoring her calls most of the time and when she did pick up the phone, she’d quickly tell Natalie she was busy and couldn’t talk. But Natalie wouldn’t take a hint and was relentless, leaving long-winded messages in which she bragged about her continued sexual adventures with Majid and several other men employed by Sergio. The sex acts Natalie described were disturbing, and Anya wondered if Natalie possessed all her mental faculties.
Feeling sorry for her friend and planning to offer her some advice about her wanton conduct, Anya agreed to meet Natalie for drinks during happy hour at a club called Skippy’s in downtown Indianapolis. According to Natalie, the venue was trendy and offered free appetizers and specialty martinis that only cost three dollars, which Natalie considered a big plus.
CHAPTER 15
At the club, Anya located Natalie at the buffet table, loading up a plate with hot wings and meatballs. She noticed immediately that Natalie still had a shabby look about her and her weave was as tacky as ever.
“Hey, girl,” Natalie greeted. “Get yourself a plate ’cause the food disappears quick.”
“I’m good.” Anya had heard stories about the germs that accumulated in food served buffet style. She followed behind Natalie until her friend’s plate was piled so high, Anya looked around in embarrassment.
Natalie pointed to an empty table with an empty martini glass. “I saved that table for us. This place is going to be packed in a few minutes.”
They meandered over to the table and a waitress stopped by and took their drink orders.
“I’ll have two more chocolate martinis. What do you want, Anya?”
“Um…chocolate martini sounds good. I’ll have the same, but only one.”
“Girl, you need to drink up. The drinks are cheap tonight; they usually cost ten dollars apiece. Besides, I’m paying the tab, so you don’t have to act like a miser.”
“Whoa. Check you out, big spender,” Anya teased. “Seriously, though, I only want one martini. I have to drive.”
Natalie shook her head as if Anya were a fool. The waitress trotted off and Natalie leaned in. She spoke in a low, conspiratorial tone. “I’m getting money, girl. I’m working for Majid.”
“Selling drugs?” Anya asked with a shocked expression on her face.
“No. He put me on the payroll to take care of him and his friends.”
“I already know that. You’ve left a lot of very descriptive messages, but I thought you were having fun being freaky. I didn’t know Majid was pimping you out.”
“He’s not pimping me out,” Natalie replied, offended. “We’re in a relationship that’s both business and pleasure.”
“So, you’re Majid’s girl, now?”
“Majid sees a lot of different women, but no one i
s wifey. That could be my spot if I let him groom me the way he wants to.”
“Groom you? What are you talking about?”
“He wants his main chick to be open-minded, sexually, and he’s trying to help me get over my hang-ups.”
“I didn’t think you had any sexual hang-ups.”
“I have a few that I need to work on.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not going to get into all that. That’s between me and my man. Like I said, Majid is teaching me quite a few things and he’s also making sure that my money is right.” Natalie smiled brightly. “I feel like I’ve finally found the man of my dreams.”
Majid seemed more like a nightmare, but Anya didn’t say anything. Not yet. She decided to wait until she had a little bit of liquor in her before she got the heart to tell Natalie it sounded like Majid was only using her.
“I think I proved myself last night,” Natalie said. She had such a ridiculous smile on her face, Anya wanted to smack her.
“How’d you prove yourself?” Anya braced herself to hear about more of Natalie’s deviant behavior.
Natalie took a deep breath and grinned, as if she was about to reveal a wonderful love story. “Last night, I let Majid’s friends fuck me with beer bottles. Those niggas couldn’t believe how deep my pussy is.”
Appalled, Anya gasped and recoiled. Anya attempted to speak, but could only cover her mouth in horror. Natalie was a hot, ratchet mess. The girl had no self-esteem whatsoever and was quite possibly, a lunatic. Finally finding her voice, Anya said sternly, “What you’re doing is dangerous, Natalie. And it’s unsanitary. Why would you allow those men to degrade you like that? There’s no amount of money worth your dignity. Something is seriously wrong with you, girl; you need to talk to a professional.”
Natalie sucked in her breath indignantly. She became so infuriated, her nostrils flared. “I hate when bitches judge me. People been judging me all my life and I’m sick of it. I invited you here to have a good time, not to listen to you criticize me. Who do you think you are, talking to me like you think you’re my mother?”
Misty Page 9
