A Taste of Honey

by Darren Coleman

  I didn’t like her tone. “Cheron, fuck you and now I see what I get for trying to help you out.”

  “Screw this guy. He’s paid you already and you’re about to cut that phone off anyway, right?”

  “I don’t get down like that. I’ve never cheated anyone out of their money. Fair exchange is no robbery and I sleep well behind that. Plus this guy is pretty well-connected; I wouldn’t want to make an enemy over twelve grand.”

  “For twelve grand, I’d make O.J. my enemy.”

  “Let me call him and see what I can do,” I said, hanging the phone up in her ear. Then I realized that I’d left my other cell phone in the car.

  I walked into the Bose store to price a new Wave system to surprise Khalil. It was expensive but it didn’t make any difference. The same thing applied when I grabbed him a pair of LeBrons, of Evisu jeans, and of Gucci shades. I was determined to cheer him up. In all, he’d be sporting a fifteen-hundred-dollar smile. He could act funky if he wanted to. He would find himself ducking from the stereo instead of listening to it.

  Climbing back into the car I went into the compartment in the trunk and grabbed the other cell to call the client. With Khalil gone I’d have time to return the money and show up at the house to help him get the floor cleaned up. “Hello, Brian. This is Honey.”

  “Hey, I can’t wait to see you. Are you available to come earlier than we discussed?”

  “Well there’s been a little problem and I’m going to need to return the money to you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Something has come up at the last minute and I won’t be able to entertain you tonight.”

  “You call and tell me this at the last minute. I have to tell you I really don’t appreciate this.”

  “Like I said, I’ll return the money to you personally, I can have it to you within the next couple of hours. You can call another ser vice…”

  “If I wanted another ser vice, I’d have gotten one from the jump. You were highly recommended. Miles called you the best and I settle for no less than that. What if I wait until tomorrow or later in the evening?”

  “Well actually, I’m stepping away from the business. Moving on to some other things.”

  “So you are saying that I won’t be able to indulge in your company at any time in the future either,” he huffed out.

  “I’m sorry, but like I said, I’ll bring the money to you right away. Just tell me where you are.”

  “My wife is going to be so disappointed. She has been so stressed lately and she was really open to trying something new. She’s been distant lately and I needed this spark. What would you say if I doubled that money, for the same three hours?”

  “I’d say thanks but no thanks.”

  He was silent, thinking. “I’m at the Bethesda Marriott Suites right by NIH. Room 1114. I want every penny of the money here in an hour.” He was angry and suddenly the nice-guy routine was out the window. All men reacted the same way when they didn’t get what they wanted. All except Khalil.

  I blasted my sister Mary’s CD as I sped home to get the money for him. I cursed Cheron the entire way but realized there was nothing that she could have done. Mother Nature was the queen bitch.

  I climbed the stairs and found the suitcase where I’d kept the envelope stashed. I yanked it out and counted it up. Forty fifties and one hundred hundred-dollar bills. He’d know that his money meant nothing to me as I hadn’t touched it. I thought about changing my clothes out of habit, but I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

  Back out the door I reasoned that my having to return this money personally was akin to my actually closing the door on this phase of my life myself. I needed to do it and as I sped toward the Capital Beltway my mind played pictures of the life I’d lived. I couldn’t really put my finger on the lesson that I’d learned from the things I’d done. The only thing that bothered me was that now I had a secret, a past that my man would be ashamed of.

  I wondered if that in fact was a lesson or just one of life’s laws. We all do things we’re ashamed of, some of us for a living.

  “Nice car ma’am,” the bellman said as he helped me out.

  “I won’t be but a moment. Can I leave it here?”

  “Unfortunately, no. They give out two-hundred-dollar tickets out here in the blink of an eye. Are you checking in?”

  “Just running upstairs to drop something off for a friend.”

  “Well, you leave the keys and as long as no one comes by I’ll leave it here. Worst case I’ll have the valet take it for you.”

  “Thanks,” I said, catching his eyes going up and down my body. I gave him a ten-dollar bill and hit the revolving door.

  I reached Brian’s door and knocked hard and deliberately. “Just a moment,” he called out from the other side.

  The door swung open and he stood there, surprisingly tall and handsome. He looked a little too earthy though to be a lawyer, with the short dreds and five-o’clock shadow. He reminded me of an older Eric Benet. “Hello. Again, I just want to apologize for the inconvenience. Here’s the money. I can wait here while you count it.”

  “Please, Honey, step inside for just a moment. I also want to apologize for the tone I took with you. Things happen and I had no right to get indignant with you.”

  I nodded and stepped in. He went on, “It’s just that I’ve been trying to get my wife to go along with this for a while and now that she finally agreed to it, you canceled on me.” He walked to the wet bar and emptied the envelope. “Can I offer you a drink?”

  “No thanks. I just wanted to return the money and be on my way.”

  He was counting. When he finished he pulled a second envelope from his pocket and asked, “Are you sure you won’t take this? It’s another twelve thousand.”

  “I’m leaving.” I turned to walk out the door.

  “How about just to watch she and I? You keep the twelve I gave you originally. All you have to do is watch me make love to my wife. That’s it.”

  He was desperate. For some reason I stopped and listened to him. I didn’t need the money, but I loved it. The part of me that lived to separate fools from their money had been stirred. “All you have to do is watch us. One time. Twenty, thirty minutes tops.”

  I paused for a minute and he sensed my indecision. “She just got in the shower. I’m going to join her. You could just wait until you hear us and then come into the room and take a seat. Like I said, if you don’t want to join in you don’t have to. But if you do, you can take all of that,” he pointed at the stack on the counter.

  His words, smooth and convincing, had me out there. In that second I recalled why I did this. It was for the power. It had never been about the sex. And while it had been how I made money, the only way I had been able to do it for all these years was because of the rush I got. “I’ll take the twelve I brought here. When you two are finished, I’m leaving.”

  “Fair enough.” He stood, dimmed the lights in the room where I was, and I watched him walk into the other room, which was illuminated only by candles, and shut the door.

  I waited for a moment and my heart began to beat from my indecisiveness. I should leave, I thought. Set the money down and leave.

  I grabbed one of the bottles from the counter and twisted the top. I chugged down the liquor without reading the label on the tiny bottle. I took a second and then I sat down in the chair. “This is the last time,” I whispered to myself.

  Time must have moved quickly because I heard movement in the room in no time flat. I got up and walked to the door. The room was dimly lit by only a single candle on the nightstand. It was enough light for me to see that Brian was on top of his wife, kissing her passionately. I leaned back against the wall and watched while trying to go unnoticed until it was over. He began to work his way down her body with his mouth, giving her small doses of pleasure the entire way.

  A minute passed and he was now tongue-deep in her pussy, causing her to moan like a woman possessed. Brian was se
xy, but I had no desire to touch him. I knew then that I was completely into Khalil. I might as well have been watching two robots.

  There were oooohhs and aaaahhs galore. They were excited at the idea of being watched. I had made a mistake in staying. I was over this. I had to admit though that when he began sawing in and out of her, I felt the twinges of moisture begin to form in between my legs.

  They changed positions and she was now on top of him with her back to me. He was staring around her trying to make eye contact with me. I stared at him, giving him what he wanted for the twelve grand he was spending. He then motioned for me to come closer to the bed where his woman was riding him.

  I obliged him. Now a foot away from the bed, he asked me to caress his wife’s breasts. I shook my head no. He then continued to push up and into her. I did run my fingers through her hair. She had shoulder-length locks that were surprisingly soft. She seemed to rise and fall higher onto her husband once I’d began running my fingers through her hair. Suddenly Brian yelled out, “Grab her breasts, make her come. Take all the money.”

  Without thinking, I reached forward and cupped her breast, flicking my finger over her nipples before pinching them. The second I touched her she seemed to go over the edge.

  “Oh gawd, yesss, babeeee. I’m about to…uhhhhhhggggghhhhh.” She erupted into a series of grunts and jerks as she had her orgasm.

  He began to moan, “I’m coming too. Yesssss, oh shit.”

  I stepped back as I watched her collapse onto her husband. I stood up off of the bed and he called my name. “Honey.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure you can’t stay with us?”

  “No…I can’t…” as I was speaking he flipped the light on. His wife and I made eye contact and I wanted to die.

  It took her a second to figure it out, but I knew instantly that his wife was Khalil’s therapist.

  I turned and raced for the door. I was so upset that I left the rest of the money on the counter—a first.

  26

  KHALIL

  I was walking out the door of Solbiato in Georgetown, after grabbing a couple pairs of Prada shoes and a couple of shirts, when my lawyer called me from Los Angeles. The first words out of her mouth were, “Are you ready for this?”

  My heart soared when I heard that. I could tell from her tone that there was nothing coming but good news. Aretha Towns was one of the most powerful black women in Hollywood and I was lucky to have her representing me. I loved her from the first day we sat down, and her enthusiasm was the reason why. She believed in my ability to become a great filmmaker at the start. Now here she was on the other end of the line, so excited for me that she couldn’t even get the words out.

  “I’m ready,” I responded, having only a guess at what she wanted to share.

  “An offer from Fox Searchlight came in today. They want to buy your movie and offer you a three-picture deal. I have a contract that they sent here for you.” I was speechless. I stopped in my tracks just as I reached my vehicle. “Khalil, you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Just not believing what I’m hearing. When?”

  “Well, I told you about the screening, but I didn’t mention that I’d pulled some strings to get a few more execs to view it, with the intent of creating a buzz. It just so happened that the people I pulled in turned out to be interested. Now, here you are with a dream deal in your lap.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” I went on uttering a few more statements expressing my disbelief at my good fortune.

  “You deserve it. You did a great job with your first shot and I’m sure you’ll make the most of this opportunity. I’ll look it over and have it out to you overnight.”

  “Hold up. I have a new address. Let me get it for you.” It felt strange saying that. “So what are the terms as far as dollars and cents?”

  “A million and a half for your movie, and the development deal is worth anywhere from six to ten. With the right movies and right budgeting you could walk away with at least a couple million in your pocket easily.”

  As I pulled onto P Street I digested her words. I couldn’t believe it. I’d made it. Nothing could stop me from this point. We talked as I cruised toward the house. Aretha outlined every detail to a T. “A lot of money and work are headed your way. Get ready for the bi-lifestyle.” She laughed.

  “Say what?”

  “Bi-coastal.” She giggled. “You’re gonna need a place out here in L.A. What did you think I meant?”

  “Hell, I didn’t think I heard you right.” I laughed.

  As I pulled onto 395 my line beeped from a call. Private Caller appeared on my screen. Against my better judgment I ended my call with Aretha, told her I’d be on the lookout for the contract, and clicked over.

  “Khalil?”

  “Who’s this?”

  “It’s Cameron.”

  “Hello.”

  “Hello to you. I haven’t heard from you and I just wanted to reach out to you…” she paused and then she added, “I wanted to apologize to you for what happened.”

  “Well it’s done and I don’t hold anything against you.”

  “That’s good.”

  Then we both went silent as if there were things to be said but neither of us knew what to say. After the silence continued for nearly half a minute she blurted out, “There’s something I need to tell you…”

  Sensing that she was about to confess her feelings I cut her off. “Listen, Cameron, I’m a man and I’ve realized that even though there are some things in my background that might cause me to blur the lines when it comes to boundaries, I can’t make excuses for myself or my actions. The situation that occurred, I should have handled it better. I’m in a relationship and I am happy for the first time. I don’t blame you, because I know that for you to come on to me like that, you would have had to be in a very vulnerable state.”

  “Khalil,” she tried to stop me but I continued on.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. I was actually flattered because I’ve always found you attractive and I still do, but…” Time stood still as I delivered the end of my sentence. “…I’m in love.”

  I heard sniffling coming through the phone then she said, “I have to go. I’ll have my secretary call you…about an appointment.”

  “Yeah, I was going to call this week because…” I got the feeling that we had gotten disconnected as the other line grew dead-silent. I looked at the screen and saw Call Ended. I wondered for a moment if she’d hung up on me.

  It didn’t matter. I was so excited about my deal that I felt instantly yanked from the funk that I’d been in all week. Ever since I’d screwed Rorrie I felt horrible for multiple reasons. Most serious of all was the guilt that had been sitting on my shoulders. I could barely face Honey and was fearful that the bad dreams would kick in again. Trying to handle it alone made me want to see Cameron for a one-on-one, but I feared an uncomfortable situation.

  I called Honey and got her on the first ring. “Hey sweetie, what you up to?” I asked.

  “Nothing, just surfing the Net, trying to find some info on vendors for my boutique.” She sounded really laid back, almost monotone. She’d been acting strange for the past few days. I didn’t know if she was acting on some intuition or if she was feeding off of my energy, which I knew had not been right since my encounter with Rorrie.

  “Sounds good, but I want you to get dressed and be ready for dinner when I get there. I have some news for you and we’re going out to celebrate.”

  “Oh really, tell me now.”

  “No, it’s gonna wait. I want to tell you in person. I have one more stop to make and then I’ll be there to spend the evening and all night holding my queen.”

  “Well you finally sound like my Khalil again, so it must be some great news. What do I need to wear?”

  “You know you’re always beautiful, so it doesn’t matter.”

  “I’ll be waiting on you,” she said and then she paused. Before she hung up to get pre
pared she said, “Khalil.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve missed you.”

  I knew exactly what she’d meant. We’d gotten off track for just a minute, but we both were mature enough to know that things like that happened sometimes. I said what I felt and responded, “I’ve missed you more.”

  It took me an hour to get in and out of the urologist’s office in Bowie. He’d run some tests and given me a quick checkup. I won’t deny having been freaked out after the conversation with Rorrie the other night. I had a flashback of her yelling ‘I haven’t been with anyone else.’ I was anxious to get the results of the fertility test. On one hand my sanity was on the line. If it turned out that I was sterile and that Honey was pregnant by someone else I don’t know what I would have done. On the other hand, if I was able to procreate, then I could possibly have two women with child.

  At a little after seven P.M., I pulled off of Route 50 and into my community. It was always strange driving down the street that I now lived on. A mix of emotions ran through my mind. Sometimes I felt as though I didn’t belong, I was here only because of Honey’s bank account. I knew in my mind that if I’d married Rorrie, it might take us years to get here. Between her student loans and my career being at its starting point, who knew how long it would take for us to live like this. Now in the blink of an eye my life and my plans had changed.

  As I hit the gate and pulled into the stone driveway I glanced up at the sky wondering what had caused God to rain down such blessing on me. I said a quick prayer, asking for forgiveness for what I’d done to Rorrie and headed for the front door.

  Hitting the steps, I had the strange feeling that I was being watched and when I turned around I caught the tail end of an automobile moving up the street. Could have been nothing, I reasoned and headed inside.

  “Honey, where are you?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

  The house was growing dim as the sun was preparing to set. There wasn’t a single light on and no sign of Honey. I moved toward the steps and then up toward the bedroom. Still not a trace. I reached the bed and saw a note,