BFF'S 3

by Brenda Hampton

  “I’ll be right back,” the waiter said. “We also serve food. Would you ladies like anything else?”

  “Yes,” Sasha said. “I want my friend to try the Strawberry Shrimp. The chicken is good too, so I’ll order chicken also.”

  The waiter left to place our order, and after he came back with our drinks, we delved into a conversation about Sasha and her girlfriend. Things seemed pretty rough, but when we turned the page to Keith and me, I had nothing but nice things to say. Jealousy was trapped in Sasha’s eyes, and it made me kind of skeptical about her, because I had seen a similar look in Lexi’s eyes whenever I spoke of Keith. Regardless, I told the truth and let her know that everything was good with us.

  “He’s the best,” I said. “I have no complaints about my man whatsoever, except that he doesn’t always put the toilet seat down. I can certainly live with that.”

  I laughed, but she didn’t. The expression on her face was serious.

  “Do you want to live with that? What I mean is, are you happy? Are you fully committed to him, and if so, why do I sense that you want to pursue something with me?”

  I sipped from my drink, then sat the glass on the table. “I am happy, but sometimes, I just want to see what else is out there. I don’t think that I’ve allowed myself an opportunity to figure out why I still find myself attracted to some women.”

  “It’s because you fit the definition of bisexual. It’s that simple, and your only problem is that you are trying to fight it. Embrace it and learn to accept it.”

  “Yeah, I guess. Been fighting it for too long, but I seriously thought that falling in love would make me swing one way or the other. I feel as if I’m in the middle.”

  “That’s because you are. Maybe one day you won’t be. But one thing I’m certain of is this. If you’re still in the middle, as you say, then Keith isn’t the one for you.”

  I disagreed, but I didn’t say it. I didn’t want to spend the evening defending my relationship with Keith, so I moved on to our plans for tomorrow. “What time are we supposed to meet tomorrow?” I asked.

  “They’ll be at my place around noon. I can’t pick you up, because I need to set up everything. I have some other displays that I want to show them, and I didn’t have time to lay everything out today.”

  “Just be sure to give me your address again. I’ll take a cab.”

  Sasha wrote her address on a napkin. We conversed some more and ordered a few more drinks to wash down our food. Rap music thumped in the background, and when a famous rapper came through the door, many people rushed over to get his autograph, as well as his attention. A few minutes later the black curtains on the stage opened, and out came two female strippers with nothing on but thongs. With us sitting front and center, I saw everything. One of the strippers blew Sasha a kiss, and she waved at her.

  “That’s Black Pearl,” Sasha said to me. “A good friend of mine. I’ve known her for years.”

  I felt uncomfortable sitting up close, and on a for-real tip, this wasn’t my cup of tea. I watched males and females have their way with the strippers, making money rain on them. There was no question that the ladies had it going on. My eyes were glued to them, and I even had some nasty thoughts swarming in my head. Still, I couldn’t get with this, especially when Black Pearl came over to us and Sasha started licking her nipples. I stood and told Sasha I was ready to go.

  “What’s wrong?” she said, looking shocked that I wanted to leave. “I brought you here to have some fun. Why is this setting bothering you?”

  “It just does.”

  I walked away from the table, and after Sasha said something to Black Pearl, she followed me out the door. When we got to her car, she seemed slightly upset with me.

  “Look, Trina. There was nothing wrong with us being in there. You just made me feel like shit. I had the whole night planned out for us, but now I guess you want to go back to the hotel, right?”

  All kinds of thoughts were running through my head. It would be hypocritical of me to think that I could kick it at a strip club but Keith couldn’t. I would have a fit if he did, and in addition to that, I was starting to feel bad about this whole thing.

  When I was in thought, Sasha leaned in and pecked my lips. She waited for me to reciprocate, but I didn’t. She softly kissed me again, and then she lifted her hand to my breast and squeezed it.

  “If we go back to the hotel, can I join you? I don’t want our night to end here, and it is my goal to make sure you have a wonderful time while you’re here.”

  I licked my lips, just to see what hers tasted like. They were sweet and very inviting. Without responding, I leaned forward to kiss her. I touched her breasts, though I knew I shouldn’t. Rubbed her soft legs, which I couldn’t resist. Invited her to slip her fingers into me, and when I opened my legs, she reached inside my panties and did just that. The moment was extremely intense, and I had to take a deep breath and back away from it.

  “Give me time to think about this, Sasha. I don’t want to be rushed into this, okay?”

  I was surprised that she didn’t push. “Sure, Trina. Whenever you’re ready, you know I’m here.”

  We climbed in the car, and she started it and then drove back to the hotel. We were there in no time. I thought she was going to go up to my room with me, but instead, she stayed in the car.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have your sales pitch prepared, and get ready for what may be a new start for you,” she said as I got out.

  That made me feel better. Changed my whole demeanor. I was looking forward to tomorrow so I could hurry back home to my man. While I was feeling Sasha and her touch had aroused me, there was something about her that stopped me from going any further with her. I saw what Keith had seen, and I really didn’t trust her.

  * * *

  The next day, I took a cab to the address Sasha had given me. The cabdriver parked in front of a brownstone that had an array of plants on the porch, and I paid the fare and climbed out. The small lawn in front was well manicured, and when I reached the porch and looked through the huge bay windows, I could see plenty of artwork covering the walls. I walked over to the tall door. I could see that it was open, but I still knocked. Nobody came to the door.

  “Sasha,” I called, then knocked again.

  I could hear loud music coming from inside, so maybe she didn’t know that I was at the door. I pushed the door open wider, and when I stepped inside, I saw my paintings, along with several others, propped up on easels. There were also a few folding chairs in front of a fireplace, and the smell of burning incense infused the air. Before going any farther, I called out to Sasha again but didn’t get a reply. Then I heard something coming from another room. It sounded as if she was hurt. As if she was crying and needed help.

  I rushed down a small, narrow hallway and then turned right. There was a room with an open door about ten steps in front of me. Didn’t know what I was getting myself into and was nervous as hell. I had managed to grab a knife from the breakfast buffet I’d eaten at earlier, just in case. It was in my purse, and I held it close to me as I approached the open door. When I looked inside the room, I saw that Sasha was getting it on with Black Pearl, one of the strippers from last night. They both were moaning and groaning while caressing each other. Sasha stopped for a second to address me, with a smile on her face.

  “What took you so long to get here?” she said while licking Black Pearl’s neck with her curled tongue. “You’re late, and we’ve been waiting on you.”

  I’d be lying if I said that seeing their near-perfect bodies in the bed, naked, didn’t turn me on. I would not be telling the truth if I said I hadn’t thought about being in a position like this with two other women. I couldn’t deny that there was something in me that wanted to jump in that bed and have at it. But, deep down, I had to admit that there was something inside of me that outweighed all my thoughts. This just didn’t feel right.

  “I’m not late. You told me to be here at noon. Are we meeting some po
tential buyers or not?”

  Sasha got off the bed in all her nakedness. She was as sexy as sexy could get. Lust was definitely in my eyes, and it made her smile when she noticed the attention I was giving her.

  “They’re going to be here, but not until later. We have plenty of time to explore each other, so why don’t you take off your clothes and join us? I already told Black Pearl all about you, and from the look on her face, you can already see how delighted she is that you’re here.”

  My eyes shifted to Black Pearl, who was kneeling on the bed, toying with her pussy. I was angry yet still slightly turned on. I attempted to be as nice as I could about the situation, since I didn’t want to disrespect Sasha in her house.

  “I didn’t come here to explore sex with you or anyone else. I came to meet the individuals you said could possibly help with my career and would maybe purchase some of my paintings from me. If that’s not going to happen, then I think I should leave.”

  Sasha stepped forward, leaving no breathing room between us. “I didn’t say it wasn’t going to happen. It just may not happen today, because, unfortunately, they called to cancel.”

  “Bullshit,” I said, not holding back. “All you wanted to do was get me here to do this. Go ahead and admit it, Sasha. All you wanted was for me to come here so we could fuck.”

  With a smirk on her face, she reached out to touch my breast. I slapped her hand away, then moved backward.

  “You do not have permission to touch me,” I said. “Now, back the hell up and go back over there, where you’re wanted.”

  Sasha turned to Black Pearl and pouted. “You hear that, baby? She doesn’t want me. She’s mad, and it looks as if I’m not good enough.”

  “If she doesn’t want you, I do. Come on back over here so we can finish what we started. Let that bitch go back to wherever she came from.”

  Sasha sashayed back to the bed and wasted no time getting back to her lover. I swallowed the oversize lump in my throat. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how stupid I was for coming here. I walked away, feeling awful. Didn’t even bother to grab my paintings on my way out—just left empty-handed. Went back to the hotel, only to lie on the bed and listen to a voice mail from Keith.

  “Hope you’re having a good time, baby. But it’s sad that a brotha can’t get a phone call or nothing. Be sweet, and when you get back, I have something magnificent waiting for you. Until then, love you like the teddy bear I couldn’t let go of until I was almost ten years old. I told you that story, but then again, I shouldn’t have.” He laughed, then ended the call.

  Stupid me, I thought. Stupid, fucking me. I could have kicked myself in the ass for being here, so I hurriedly packed and got out of there. I had to pay a little extra to change my flight, but no ifs, ands, or buts about it, I was on my way back to St. Louis.

  I sat at the airport for hours, waiting to get out of there. My phone kept ringing, and to no surprise, it was Sasha. My intention was to block her calls, but not until I told her how I was feeling.

  “I don’t know what you could possibly have to say to me after inviting me to come all the way to New York for this. You were wrong on so many different levels, and I do not want you to call me ever again.”

  “Trina, had I known you were so insecure, so stuck up, and were not willing to go there with me, I never would have asked you to come here. I guess I got the wrong impression of you from our conversations, and if so, I apologize. Now, why don’t you come back to my place so we can talk? Black Pearl is gone, and it will be just you and me.”

  “Do I look that fucking stupid to you? Hell, no, I’m not coming back. You are out of your mind. And in reference to our conversations, you also understood that my main purpose for coming here was to meet with the people you kept talking about. I seriously thought you would be able to help me, but you know it was all a lie.”

  “It wasn’t. I—I thought I’d be able to help you, but when I showed your paintings to a few people, they thought your stuff was basic. Basically, there was nothing really special about it, and the more I looked at it, the more I started to feel the same way too.”

  I hung up on that bitch, then blocked her number. Was she kidding me? Was she for real? I couldn’t wait to get my ass back home, but unfortunately for me, as soon as I got back to St. Louis and was heading for my car, I looked up and saw Keith leaning against it. His arms were folded, and I surely didn’t know that the look on his face could get that ugly. I smiled to play it off, but his face remained flat.

  The only thing he said to me was, “How was your trip to New York?”

  12

  Kayla

  I stood on the porch, with its five big columns and a wrought-iron, glass double door that offered a view of the interior of Cedric’s new house. He’d sold the property where we used to live, and this was what he called downsizing. I had been here only once before, but I knew it was ten times better than the place in which we used to live. I guessed he had decided to go all out now that he was a bachelor.

  I wasn’t here to discuss any of that, though. I wanted to break it all down to him about Jacoby and also find out how much he knew. He obviously knew something. The way he had looked at Jacoby that last time said so. Then there was the issue of Justin. Cedric needed to do something . . . anything about that situation, and I was going to make sure that he knew where we stood. He couldn’t come to my place anymore. I was done, and as far as I was concerned, I never had to deal with him again.

  I rang the doorbell and could see Cedric’s girlfriend, Joy, as she headed toward the door. There was a scowl on her face, and she had to be one of the saddest-looking women I had ever seen. I didn’t understand why until she opened the door and I saw her blue-and-black eye, which looked real nasty. Seeing it almost took the breath out of me, and before I could say anything, she gave me an explanation.

  “I know it looks bad, but I was in a car accident. I’m so thankful that I’m okay, but my car is completely totaled. Does Cedric know you were coming here today?”

  “No, he doesn’t, but is he here? Also, I’m sorry to hear about your accident, but I’m glad you are okay.”

  I had no problem with Joy, even though she had dated Cedric while we were married. I didn’t find out about her until I broke into his house that day and saw her letters. The way I saw it, he was her problem now. Not mine.

  After she let me inside and told me to have a seat in the living room, I saw Cedric coming down the hallway. He had on a blue silk robe and house shoes. A cigar dangled from his mouth, and as expected, there was no smile on his face. He evil eyed Joy, then cut his eyes at her. Without saying a word, she timidly walked away.

  “You should have called before you came,” he said.

  “Yeah. Just like you do when you come to my place. I’m sure you were expecting my visit, so don’t pretend that you weren’t.”

  I was still standing, and he invited me to have a seat, but I didn’t bother. I stood with my arms crossed, ready to let him have it.

  “I need for you to tell me what you know,” I said. “I do have some explaining to do, and I’m willing to do that, provided that you tell me why you’re still having sex with Evelyn and how you found out about Jacoby.”

  He played clueless. “Evelyn who? Your best friend, Evelyn? No, I’ve had enough of that pussy, but I will say that she has shared some important things with me over the past few weeks. Things that shocked me and made me want to watch my back more than I’d been doing.”

  “Stop beating around the bush, Cedric. Important things like what?”

  “I don’t know, Kayla. Why in the fuck don’t you tell me? I know you didn’t come all the way over here to stand there and look pretty while talking shit.”

  “Keep you freaking compliments and save them for your hoes. I asked you a question, and I want some answers.”

  Cedric took a seat, chewed on the tip of the cigar, and then he laid it on an ashtray. He invited me to have a seat again, but I stayed right whe
re I was at, all the while tapping my foot on the floor.

  “Fine. Then stand your crazy ass there and be mad all you want to. If anybody should be mad, it should be me. I’m the one who’s been lied to and plotted against. I’m the one who made sure you and Jacoby had everything y’all needed after our divorce, only to find out what the two of you had planned to do to me. I thought we could get along well as divorcés, and I am highly disappointed that I was wrong.”

  Lord knows, I was pissed. He had known and hadn’t said a word.

  “We were getting along well, until you started showing up at my place like you owned it. And what you did the other day was foul. You didn’t have to do that young man like that. I am still trying to convince him to press charges against you.”

  “What a good way to change the subject and ignore what I just said. I don’t give a damn about that fool coming to your place. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He caught me in one of my moods, and since I couldn’t beat yo’ ass like I wanted to, I settled for his.”

  “Beat my ass for what? I’ve done nothing to you. You’re the one who has done everything to me. I haven’t forgotten about all of it, Cedric. I may have forgiven you, but I have not forgotten how you treated me when I was married to you.”

  Cedric got up, then tied the belt on his robe tighter. He casually walked up to me and stood close. “Let’s get real here,” he said. “This has nothing to do with the way I treated you while we were married. The question is, do you really want me to stand here and explain to you what you did to me, or do you want me to pretend that I’ve been blind and can’t see?”

  “You have been blind if you—”

  When I was in mid-sentence, Cedric lifted his fist and punched me clean in my right eye. He caught me so off guard that I stumbled back in my high heels and then fell hard on my ass. My eye felt as if it had been knocked from the socket, and my head throbbed. I placed my hand over my face and squeezed my watery eyes shut. Cedric stood over me, with his finger pointed near my face.