Naughty by Nature

by Brenda Hampton

  Since she had the most knowledge in the business, I agreed to name Davenports after her, and we both decided that she would be the president, but me the CEO. I guess it wasn’t such a bad idea since she landed the majority of our accounts. She’d worked her charm on many men, and they were never able to resist. I, on the other hand, did resist her. After sleeping around with Jaylin, she proved to me what a slut she could be, and all of my feelings for her had vanished. Our partnership was cool just the way it was, and I respected her for keeping it as platonic as it could possibly be.

  Because she was “the boss lady” she straight up had her nose up her ass. There were times I had to put her in her place and remind her that even though I hadn’t brought in as many accounts as she had, I was the one who kept us in tune with one of the biggest investors we had. And that was my man Jaylin. He’d believed in our dream from day one and supported the idea simply because of me. When shit got rough, he encouraged me to keep my head up and sent more funds so that Felicia and I could make ends meet. Things didn’t really start to jump off for us until he hooked us up with one of his investors. They were looking for some designers and Felicia and I worked together to give them exactly what they wanted. Since then, more accounts rolled in. Every once in awhile, Jaylin hooks me up with new clients and I’m grateful. He’s not only a friend with millions, but also a friend with connections and power. Power that can make major deals happen for us overnight.

  As I sat at my designer’s table working on a project for the Mayor’s Group, a new account from Jaylin, I could hear Felicia on the phone in her office running her mouth. She was loud and obnoxious and I couldn’t believe some of the things I’d heard her say to people. Basically, she down talked everybody. And with all the money that we’d been making, she felt as if she was on top of the world.

  I listened to her ask the caller to hold, and soon after, she yelled my name.

  “What?” I yelled back. I looked at her behind the glass windows to her office. She held her hand over the phone and gritted her teeth.

  “Would you come in here, please?”

  I placed my drawing pad on the table and stood in her doorway. She placed the caller on speakerphone and plopped down in her seat.

  “Mrs. Carlson, are you still there?” she asked.

  “Yes, Felicia, I’m still here,” she announced.

  “I have Shane in my office now. What time would you like for him to meet your daughter for dinner?”

  My eyes widened. “Dinner?”

  “Hello, Shane,” Mrs. Carlson said. “Felicia told me that you wouldn’t mind taking Cassidy to dinner. She recently got divorced and I need someone who can help lift her spirits. Felicia and I thought—”

  I eased my hands into the pockets of my Levi’s 501 and shook my head. “Well, I’m sorry, but Felicia and you thought wrong. I don’t know if she shared this with you or not, but I’m already in a relationship—”

  Felicia cut me off. “Mrs. Carlson, he’ll pick her up around seven. Call me back with her address and I’ll be sure to pass it on.”

  “Shane, are you sure? I don’t want to—”

  “He’s sure,” Felicia said, beating me to the punch.

  My eyes shot her down quickly, “Mrs. Carlson, I apologize, but there’s no way that I can take your daughter to dinner. As I was saying, I’m in a committed relationship with someone and I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “But . . . but Felicia said it would be okay.”

  “I know what Felicia said, but I said I can’t do it.”

  Felicia was furious, as she placed her finger above the conference button. “Mrs. Carlson, we’ll call you back, okay?”

  “Okay, but—”

  “Give me ten minutes, and we’ll call you back.”

  “Alright. And, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Felicia said, and then punched her finger hard on the conference button. She stood up and folded her arms in front of her.

  “How dare you reject an offer from one of our major clients like that!”

  I walked further into her office and stood face-to-face with her. “And, how dare you treat this business like it’s some kind of escort service. I don’t need you making no damn dinner arrangements for me.”

  She sucked in her jaws and rolled her big round eyes. “It’s just dinner, Shane. You act as if I asked you to go somewhere and screw the bitch! I saw an opportunity to help out one of our clients and you have some nerve rejecting my offer. It ain’t like your relationship with Sam is all that tight anyway. The last thing you told me is that y’all were on the verge of breaking up. So, what’s up with that?”

  “Whether we’re breaking up or not, I determine who the fuck I date. Not you.” I turned and left Felicia standing there to argue with herself. She was so mad at me, and as soon as I exited, she slammed the door behind me.

  I continued on with my sketching and I saw her running her mouth on the phone again. I assumed she’d called to make other arrangements for Mrs. Carlson’s daughter because I sure as hell wasn’t the one. I’d met her daughter before and she was one ugly chick. Really, I didn’t care if she was fine or not, I just wasn’t going to put myself out there for nobody unless I wanted to.

  After Felicia ended her call, she opened her door and calmly walked out with her Chanel purse clutched underneath her arm. She wore a peach linen business suit that hugged every curve in her awesomely shaped body. Her braids were neatly wrapped into a bun, and for her to be such a bitch, she was still a very attractive woman. Attractive or not, I’d become accustomed to ignoring her.

  “I’m going to lunch. Would you like for me to bring you something back?”

  “Nope,” I said, still not looking up. She hated to be ignored, and today, I didn’t mind getting underneath her skin.

  “Are you sure? I’m going to one of your favorite places.”

  “I don’t have no favorite place.”

  “I thought you liked J. Bucks?”

  “I love J. Bucks.”

  “Then, what would you like for me to bring you back?”

  I put my drawing pencil down and looked up at her, “I said nothing. Now, go have your lunch and I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “What’s your problem? If it’s about Mrs. Carlson, don’t worry about it. I took care of it, okay?”

  “I’m sure you did.”

  “Look, Shane, I was just trying to help you out, too. You are too darn fine to be cooped up in this place all the time. That’s probably why things ain’t working out between you and Sam. I’m sure that poor woman is dying for some quality time.”

  “Felicia, you know nothing about my relationship with Sam. If I didn’t put so much time and effort into this business, Davenports wouldn’t be as successful as it is today. If the woman in my life doesn’t understand how important this is to me, then she doesn’t deserve to be my woman. It’s as simple as that.”

  Felicia moved her single braid that dangled in her face away from her eye. “All I’m saying is, you’re young, you’re gorgeous, and the last time you’ve had a good woman in your life is when you were with me. Unfortunately, I’m not available—”

  “Please, don’t flatter yourself. As a matter of fact, you were the worst woman I ever dated. You cheated on me and you fucked my friend. Sorry, but getting rid of you was one of the best things I ever did.”

  She smiled. “Well, you cheated on me, too.”

  “Are you crazy?” I yelled. “I never, ever cheated on you! I should have, but I didn’t.”

  “Well, I thought you did. Besides, that was a long time ago. I apologized, and I can’t help it if Jaylin put something on me that you hadn’t.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they all say,” I grinned. “Now, get your butt out of here so you can get back and do some work.”

  Felicia bent down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I get wrapped up in being the boss sometimes. I appreciate everything you do and I k
now Davenports wouldn’t be nothing without your partnership.”

  “I’m glad you recognize that. On another note, you never told me if you’ll be able to attend Friday’s meeting with the Mayor’s Group.”

  “Jaylin’s coming in town that day, right?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be here. Just to kind of introduce everybody and then he’s heading back out.”

  “Then, yes, I’ll be here. Even though he don’t give me the time of day, it’s always good to see him.”

  “He’s a changed man, Felicia. You gotta learn to respect that.”

  “I don’t give a hoot what anybody says; once a ho, always a ho. He might have y’all fooled, but I can see right through him. I bet any amount of money he’s had his share of women in Florida. Nokea probably down there pulling her damn hair out like she was when they lived in St. Louis.”

  “And, that’s your opinion. I know for a fact when I see a man that’s in love, and whether you want to believe it or not, he’s in love.”

  Felicia tooted her lips out of jealousy. She rolled her eyes and switched her way to the door. Before she walked out, she turned towards me. “Just in case you haven’t noticed, being in love ain’t never stopped no man, that I know of, from cheating.”

  I ignored Felicia because we could debate our differences forever. I knew she wished, as every other previous female in Jaylin’s life had wished, that his marriage to Nokea would fail. From what he told me, their marriage was strong and I truly believed him.

  By 2:00 P.M., Felicia still hadn’t made it back yet. My trash can was piled high with sketches I’d completed for the Mayor’s Group and I decided they wouldn’t work. My brain couldn’t even come up with any more ideas, so I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I placed my hands behind my head and hoped my creative mind would kick in soon. As I was in deep thought, I heard the door squeak open. It was Sam. She had a wide grin planted on her face and headed my way. I stood up to meet her halfway and held out my arms to greet her.

  “Hey, baby, what brings you by?”

  “I was in the neighborhood,” she said. We wrapped our arms around each other and she planted her lips on mine. “Mmmm,” she moaned, and then wiped her lipstick off my lips. “Were you busy?”

  “Sort of.” I slid my arms from around her tiny waistline and walked her over to my cluttered designer’s desk that sat in the middle of our 4,000 square-foot office. I picked up one of the sketches I’d been working on and showed it to Sam. “I can’t think of what else I want to incorporate into this design. Actually, my mind knows, but I can’t sketch it out on paper.”

  She took the paper from my hands and looked at it. “Baby, this is awesome. I mean, it looks fine to me. I don’t see what else you could be aiming for.”

  “Trust me, I can do better.”

  I sighed from frustration with the design and walked over to the tall glass windows that overlooked the entire city of Clayton. Davenports was on the twenty-first floor and showed an awesome view of St. Louis.

  Sam came up from behind and put her arms around my thirty-four-inch waist. Standing just as tall as me, she dropped her chin on my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

  “It’s gonna be okay. Just relax, clear your mind and I’m positive you’ll come up with something. You always do, so I don’t know what you’re so worried about.”

  I nodded. “I know. But, from what Jaylin said, these are some impressive people that are coming in on Friday. I just want to show them my best.”

  “And, you will,” Sam assured. “There’s no doubt that my man will win them over. You always do.”

  I stood quietly as Sam continued to hug my waist. She raised my loose fitting black V-neck shirt and swayed her hands across my rock solid abs. Trying to excite me, her hands touched my muscular chest and tickled my nipples. I knew what was on her mind when she lowered one of her hands down to my belt buckle. She then placed her warm lips on my earlobe.

  “You look amazingly good in your wide legged Levi’s, baby. I hope you don’t mind if I have a sudden desire to remove them.”

  I gave off a soft snicker and continued to look out of the window. My dick was already growing, so I reached for my belt buckle, even though Sam had no problem undoing it herself. She lowered her hand down inside my pants and massaged my sacks. My pipe had grown past my navel, and since we hadn’t had sex for a little over three weeks, I turned to face her. I held her thin face in my hands and moved her long dark brown hair away from her cheeks. I brought her sweet lips to mine and our tongues took a slow dance.

  The phone rang, but I ignored it. We broke our kiss and I reached for Sam’s silk blouse to unbutton it. It wasn’t the first time we’d made love in my office and we released our sexual appetite for each other anywhere we could get it done.

  Sam removed her hand from down inside my pants and worked on removing her skirt. I dropped her blouse to the floor and created a small pile that was right behind her. She stood in her pink Very Sexy bra and matching boy shorts I’d just purchased for her at Victoria’s Secret. She hadn’t much breasts or ass to fill the ensemble, but her tall model shaped legs and her bronze toned skin still made her look magnificent.

  My Levi’s were barely hanging onto my ass and I was anxious to dive into her. I crept my hand between Sam’s legs and massaged her hot spot. I could feel her wetness and rubbed my index finger between the creases of her shaved lips. Getting overly excited, she let out soft moans and placed her hands on my shoulders. She looked into my eyes and spoke with passion.

  “Let’s get married,” she suggested.

  My enthusiasm vanished. “What?” I said, as my rubbing between her legs came to a screeching halt. Now wasn’t the appropriate time to discuss marriage.

  She seductively rubbed her fingers on my twisties and traced the minimal baby hair on my forehead.

  “You heard me. I said, let’s get married.”

  I dropped my hands to my sides and tilted my head slightly to the side. “Let’s not go there right now, all right? Why do you wait until our intimate moments to question me about marriage?”

  “Because you never want to talk about it. If all you want to do is fuck, then just go ahead and fuck me. At least I know where things stand between us.”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Making love to you is not the only thing on my agenda. I would love for us to get married someday, but now ain’t the time to discuss it.”

  “Then when, Shane? We’ve been together for almost two years. I refuse to spend years with a man and nothing comes of it.”

  The phone rang again and saved me.

  “Hold that thought,” I said making my way over to it. “Davenports,” I answered.

  “Shane Alexander, please.”

  “Speaking.”

  “Hello, Shane. This is Scorpio.”

  An instant smile grew on my face and I was shocked to hear her voice. I quickly took a seat in my chair. “Scorpio Valentino?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hey, Lady. What’s up?”

  “A whole lot,” she laughed. “But the reason for my call is, I need to speak to you about something.”

  “Uh, sure. When . . . where would you like to meet?”

  “I’d like to meet soon. I know Davenports is in Clayton and Jay’s isn’t too far from it.”

  “Jay’s? What’s Jay’s?”

  “I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Can I come over within the hour?”

  I glanced at Sam, still standing partially naked by the window. Then, I thought about Felicia coming back. Since they’d had major issues with each other in the past, Felicia seeing Scorpio here would be a big mistake.

  “Say, why don’t I meet you for dinner this evening? I’m kind of in the middle of something right now and I can’t get away.”

  “Okay. That’s fine. What about six? Can you meet me at Cardwell’s around six?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks, Shane. I’ll see you then.”

  Scorp
io hung up and I held the phone in my hand for a few seconds. I hadn’t heard from her in quite some time. Since her and Jaylin’s breakup, she’d kind of disappeared.

  Sam cleared her throat. “Who was that?”

  “Aw, that was Jaylin’s ex-girlfriend. She said she wants to talk to me about something and asked if I would meet her for dinner. She wanted to come here, but we’re in the middle of something, right?” I walked back over to Sam.

  “Yeah, we were, but now, I’m feeling a li’l dry down below. Especially, since my man tends to avoid me.”

  Seeing that nothing was about to go down with us, I picked up my shirt from the floor and slid it over my head. I reached for her clothes and held them in my hand to give to her.

  “Here,” I said. “Why don’t we continue this conversation tonight? I got too much on my mind right now, baby, and I don’t need the additional pressure.”

  Sam took her clothes from my hand and slid back into them. Before leaving, she gave me a tiny peck on the lips and told me she’d see me later. I was relieved that she had left and quickly got back to work.

  Later that day, I’d come up with some ideas I thought the Mayor’s Group would like. Felicia hadn’t made it back yet and when I called her, she said that she’d gotten tied up. I figured she’d been literally tied up when I heard a brotha laughing in the background. I informed her of my suspicions, but she laughed and told me if she didn’t make it back by 5:00 P.M., then she wasn’t coming back until tomorrow.

  At a quarter to six, I tidied up and made my way to Cardwell’s to meet Scorpio. I was more than surprised to hear from her and wondered what she wanted to talk about. I was sure it had something to do with Jaylin, but I wasn’t sure to what extent it would be.

  I pulled in front of Cardwell’s and one of the valets came out to park my Lexus. I was underdressed for dining at such an exquisite place, but casual attire was something I simply loved. I didn’t wear suits that often and the last time I’d had one on was many, many years ago.

  I grabbed my black jacket from the backseat of my car, and handed my keys to the valet. As soon as I entered Cardwell’s, my cell phone vibrated and I reached for it clipped to my jeans.