Girls From Da Hood 5

by Keisha Ervin

  A Slap Back to Reality

  Parker said that we could go any place in the world I wanted, and since I had already taken those trips myself, I simply chose the Bahamas. I wanted to stay at the Atlantis Hotel, particularly the suite that cost $25,000 per night, overlooking the entire Bahamas and Paradise Island. Parker made that possible, and I had one of the best times of my life. We went sightseeing during the day, and had many romantic candle-lit dinners in the evenings. I wasn’t looking forward to returning home. I could stay in a place like this with Parker Rhodes forever. I fell asleep thinking about my feelings for him, unsure about what to do with my situation.

  I woke up around two o’clock in the morning, and noticed that Parker wasn’t there. I wasn’t sure where to look for him, but I put on my clothes to go find him. I searched nearly the entire hotel, from the swimming pools to the casino. I was sure I’d find him there, but there was no sign of him. Afraid that something had happened, I went to the front of the hotel and looked for him by some of the yachts and timeshares that were nearby. I had no luck, and decided to head back to the room, in case he had returned.

  Just as I made my way to the elevator, I heard loud giggling near an inside staircase. I walked over to it and got the shock of my life. Parker had one of the casino waitresses pinned against the wall, while lifting her short skirt and touching her all over her body. He pecked down her neck and tickled her waistline to make her laugh. Obviously, they’d known each other for a while. They both appeared to be tipsy and didn’t see me as I stared at them through the tiny glass. A few minutes later, they rushed up the stairs and I heard another door close. I followed behind them, only to see them making out in front of a hotel room they eventually entered. My chest heaved in and out. I wanted to storm through the door and confront Parker about what I’d seen. I wanted to kill him for continuously being the man he was. How dare I fall for his nonsense again? I should have known that a man of his caliber would never change, nor was I the woman who could make him do so. He was set in his ways, and like it or not, I had a choice to make.

  Instead of throwing a fit, I calmed myself and went back to our suite. I removed my clothes and got right back into bed. My stomach turned in knots as I waited for him to come in, which was almost forty-five minutes later.

  “Baby,” he said, sliding the cover off me. “Wake up, I got something for you.”

  I slowly cracked my eyes and stretched out my arms. “What time is it?” I yawned.

  “Early. I just got back from the casino and won some money. Look what I got for you.”

  I sat up in bed and Parker handed over a tiny black velvet box. When I opened it, there was a three-carat diamond ring inside. I was puzzled, but more so in disbelief by his actions.

  “What . . .”

  “Put it on,” he insisted. “As soon as my divorce is final, I want you to marry me. Will you marry me?”

  I was stunned by the man who sat on the bed with me, versus the one I’d just seen having a shindig on the stairs. What in the hell was his motive, and how could he turn himself on and off like this? Simply put, this motherfucker was crazy and the only thing I could do was continue to play his game with him. At this point, I wanted him wiped off the face of the earth, just as Vivica had mentioned.

  I touched the side of his face. “I . . . I don’t know what to say, Parker. I love you, but I’m not sure if I can agree to this with you still being married. Let’s wait until your divorce is final.”

  Parker took the ring from the box and held my finger. “I’ll wait, but in the meantime, I don’t see any harm in you wearing my ring. Just wear it for me, all right? It’ll give me hope that we’ll soon be together as husband and wife.”

  I looked into his eyes and couldn’t believe how he lied and played his games with such a straight face. He seemed so sincere, and if I hadn’t just seen him in action, I would have fallen for it. When he leaned forward to kiss me, I touched his chest to stop him.

  “Parker, I’m really tired. I’m starting to feel ill, and I hate to cut our vacation short, but I’m getting homesick. Can we go back home tomorrow?”

  He looked confused and did his best to show concern. “What’s the matter? How sick are you?”

  “I want my own bed, and for the last two days, I’ve been feeling nauseated. I don’t want to ruin our vacation, but I’m really ready to go.”

  “Okay, well, I have some unfinished business to take care of. I’ll make sure you get home tomorrow, but I won’t be leaving for at least another week.”

  I nodded, sure that Parker’s business had everything to do with the woman he had been with.

  The next day, I wasted no time packing my belonging and getting the hell out of the Bahamas. Parker went to the airport with me and pretended to be so disappointed that I was leaving. Again, with a straight face he told me how much he loved me, and said he’d hurry back. I wanted to throw up, and did just that when I made it home. I was so miserable, and the thought of seeing Parker with that woman and his ability to get me back in the palm of his hand made me ill. I had to quickly get myself together, and being without him for the next week gave me enough time to do it.

  The Thrill Is Gone

  A week away from Parker did me justice. I had time to focus on the real reason he was back in my life, and that was all about the money. I was ready to put this mess behind me and give Vivica all the evidence she needed to seek her revenge.

  Parker called and asked me to pick him up from the airport. Surely, I didn’t mind, and when I saw him, I didn’t have that spark in my eye like I used to. His presence didn’t make my pussy thump and that was a cue that I was already getting over him. He was casually dressed in blue jeans that hung over his leather sandals, and a black wife beater. A silver chain hung from his neck and his coal black waves shined. I saw one chick tap her friend to share how fine he was, and he, of course, loved the attention. He smiled and the woman walked up to him. They conversed, and when she squeezed his bicep, his pearly whites were on display. That is, until he saw me. I made my way to baggage claim so he could see me.

  “Hey, baby,” he said. “I’m glad you’re on time. As soon as I find my luggage, we can get the hell out of here, all right?”

  I smiled at him and at the woman who remained by his side.

  “Nice meeting you,” she said. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  All Parker did was nod. Once he found his luggage, he slipped two bags over his shoulder and grabbed another in his hand.

  “Would you like some help with that?” I asked, not intending to lift a finger.

  “Nah, I got it.”

  Good, I thought.

  Parker put his luggage in my trunk, and when I asked where he wanted me to drop him off, he suggested going straight to my house.

  “Why are you taking your things to my place? Wouldn’t you prefer to go home?”

  “I’m going home, but not until later tonight. I missed you and I want to spend some time with you before I go home and face the Grinch. I know she’ll be upset because I haven’t called her in two weeks, and I’m not up for arguing with her tonight.”

  We got in the car, but I didn’t respond to his comment until we made it to the highway.

  “Parker, does your relationship with your wife worry you? I mean, aren’t you afraid that she might do something to you?”

  “Do something like what? Kill me?”

  “Yes, kill you or kill me for that matter.”

  “I’m not worried about her doing anything like that. She might be stupid, but she ain’t that stupid. Besides, if anything happens to me, she’ll be one broke-ass woman—in jail.”

  “What about if you divorce her? Won’t you have to pay her alimony?”

  “I won’t have to pay her anything. She signed a prenuptial agreement and the only way she stands to gain any money is if she can prove infidelity on my part. That’s very difficult for her to do and I’m good at watching my back.”

  Parker’s cell phone rang and
he looked at it clipped to his jeans. “Damn,” he said. “Speak of the devil.”

  “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

  “Do you mind? I just want to let her know that I’m back in town.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “Hello,” he said, then paused. I could hear Vivica’s loud voice coming through the phone. Parker smiled as if he got a kick out of her being angry. “Are you finished?” he said. She went on and on, but he soon cut her off. “Listen, if you would shut your mouth for a minute, I’ll be happy to tell you where I was. Since you can’t stop yakking, fuck it, Viv, you don’t deserve to know. I gotta take care of some business and I may be able to see you tonight. If not tonight, then tomorrow. Gotta go.”

  Parker hung up at looked at me. “So, are you glad to see me?”

  “Delighted.”

  “Then why doesn’t it seem like it? You didn’t give me a kiss at the airport, nor did you give me a hug. I guess you’re going to make it up to me when we get to your place.”

  I provided him with a fake smile. “I didn’t mean any harm. I have a lot on my mind and we need to talk about some things.”

  He nodded. I tapped my fingertips on the steering wheel and thought, If he cares so much, he would ask about my nausea. Doesn’t want to know because he obviously doesn’t care.

  As soon as we got to my place, Parker took off his clothes and got into bed. He stressed how tired he was, but not tired enough to forgo sex. I had no intentions of letting him touch me, and decided to break my fabricated news to him while sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Parker I . . . I’ve been seeing someone else. The reason I can’t marry you is because I’m confused about what to do. I love you, but I’m in love with him, too. While we were on vacation, I really started to miss him. I wanted to get home and see him and now . . . since you proposed, I don’t know what to do.”

  Parker had a blank expression on his face. It was obvious that no woman had ever come to him with this kind of news, and how dare I tell him he was competing for my love?

  “I . . . I don’t know what to say, baby. I thought this was about me and you? I’ve been making preparations to leave my wife and I spent a fortune on the ring I gave you. Don’t you know how much I love you? Don’t you know I’ll do anything in the world for you? How can you sit there and tell me about your feelings for another man? You should have said something about this sooner. Why allow me to fall for you again when you’ve been involved with someone else?” He paused to catch his breath. “I . . . I feel like such a fool.”

  Parker threw the cover back to get out of bed.

  “Please, don’t go,” I said. “Just give me some time, okay? We don’t have to rush into anything right now, do we?”

  “So, I guess you want me to sit around and let you keep on fucking this other fool, huh? I can’t do that, Rochel, and you’re way out of line for thinking I would even consider it.”

  “Look how long I’ve shared you, Parker. This relationship has never been about us, and I’ve been very patient with your situation. All I’m asking is for you to do the same for me.”

  Parker looked disgusted. In an effort to get him to see things my way, I straddled his lap and placed my arms on his shoulders.

  “Come on, Parker. Work with me this time, okay? I know it won’t be easy, but who knows how this will all turn out.”

  He looked away, but I turned his head and kissed him. He accepted my kiss, and when I started to undo my blouse, he reached around my back and unsnapped my bra. My perky breasts aimed straight at him and he leaned in to kiss them.

  “Mmm,” he said. “There’s no way I’m going to share you. What will I have to do to get this other man out of your life?”

  “Just keep on being you. Thus far, you’ve been doing a good job at making me forget about him. Eventually, I will.”

  Parker wanted to know more about my other companion, but I wouldn’t give up anything. I quickly changed the subject and shared with him how much I wanted him to fuck me. He had no problem doing that. This time, though, I felt nothing for him and was thrilled that the fire burning between my legs was no longer there.

  Cold Busted

  Vivica had been ringing my phone like crazy. I didn’t like her tone, so I waited to call her back on my time. She seemed so anxious to stick it to Parker that I often wondered why she hadn’t just taken matters into her own hands. There was no doubt that I didn’t like the bitch, but since our goal was the same, I dealt with the situation as best as I could. I called her back and told her we could meet at Forest Park.

  While I sat on a bench, Vivica pulled her BMW in front of me and got out. There was no smile on her face as she immediately handed a letter-sized envelope to me.

  “You need to tell me what’s up with this shit right now!” she yelled.

  Vivica stood over me as I calmly opened the envelope. Inside were pictures of Parker and me on vacation. We looked so happy together, and I didn’t quite know how to defend myself after telling Vivica I wouldn’t be able to see him for two weeks.

  “Where did you get these from?”

  “That doesn’t matter!” she yelled. “What in the hell is going on with you and Parker?”

  I laid the pictures on my lap and laughed. “This is . . . crazy. Are you telling me that you’ve hired a private detective to watch another private detective? How desperate are you?”

  “I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. Obviously, my suspicions were correct. I should have known that Parker would persuade you to join his circle of love, but based on the high recommendation from Sharon, I seriously thought you’d be able to handle the job.”

  I stood up and refused to let her get the best of our conversation. “Look, calm down, all right? I know it looks as if I lied to you, but I don’t like to share my every move with my clients. At the last minute, Parker asked me to join him out of town. I did, and not only was he working me over in the Bahamas, but he also met another woman while there. I have evidence of that, if you’d like to have it. So, if you think I went to the Bahamas to have a funky good time with Parker, you’re wrong again. The next time you accuse me of not handling my business with your husband, this deal is over.”

  Vivica folded her arms and tapped her foot on the ground. “Jakki, you’re good, but you forgot one thing—pictures don’t lie. From the beginning, I knew there was something up with you and Parker. There was something so authentic about the two of you, and after searching a little deeper, I found it.”

  Vivica opened her purse and pulled out two pictures. She gave them to me. “Honestly, how long have you known Parker?”

  The pictures were of him and me back in the day. We were hugging in one picture and pecking lips in another.

  “There are more of those around, and I’d like to know why the hell you insisted on wasting my money and time.”

  I crumbled the pictures in my hand. “I didn’t want you to know that Parker and I had a previous relationship. Our time together was rough and it was very similar to yours. Thank God I never married him, but when I got your letter, I couldn’t resist an opportunity to seek revenge. So, yes, this is definitely about the money for me, but it’s also about seeking revenge. Bottom line, you’re not the only one who wants to see Parker get what he deserves.”

  Vivica laughed. “Do you really expect me to believe that? If anything, this gave you an opportunity, Rochel, not Jakki, to sink your claws into my husband once again. Well, for the record, you’ve been replaced. Your services are no longer needed, and if you ever come near me or Parker again, you’ll regret it.”

  Vivica got back in her car and left. She had my blood boiling and I wasn’t one to take threats lightly. Since I wasn’t going to get paid for all the work I’d done, I at least had to come up with a different plan. I didn’t think she would like it, but this wasn’t about Parker anymore; it was about her.

  Payback, then Layback

  Hanging out with Parker was . . . fun. According to me, I’d
ended my relationship with the other man and Parker now had me all to himself. He was extremely delighted about that—so delighted that divorce papers were on the way to being served to his wife.

  We sat at dinner and clinked our glasses together.

  “Here’s to our future,” he said.

  “I’ll drink to that. And then some.”

  We sipped our wine and gazed at each other from across the table. “I can’t believe this is finally happening,” Parker said. “After all these years, we are finally going to be together.”

  “I hope so, Parker. Do you think your wife is going to fight the divorce? If she does, that could mean trouble for our future.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. What you don’t know is I’ve offered to pay her off. The last time I spoke to her, she said she’d consider it.”

  “Was the price right?”

  “I offered her one million dollars and I couldn’t come any more correct than that. She’s all about the money, so I doubt that she’ll put up a fuss. Besides, her love for me ain’t that strong where she’ll say to hell with the money. Trust me.”

  Parker knew his wife better than I, so for his sake, I hoped he was right. We finished up dinner and headed for Parker’s Hummer so we could leave. As soon as he opened the door for me, Vivica appeared out of nowhere. She shook the papers in her hand and shoved Parker in his chest.

  “You couldn’t wait, could you?” she yelled. “I asked you to wait until I made my decision.”

  “I’m sorry, Viv, but I didn’t want to wait. Why don’t you just sign the papers so this fucked-up marriage can be over with?”

  She gritted her teeth. “Not a chance in hell, you bastard! A million dollars is not enough after what you put me through, and I will delay this shit for as long as I can.” She turned to me and we stood face to face. “I warned you, didn’t I? It’s on, bitch, I swear to you it’s on!”