by Yoshe
Kane’s ringing cell phone interrupted his thoughts. Finally! The call I’ve been waiting for!
“Hey, Brandi,” Kane said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. He really wanted to read her the riot act for not calling him. “How are you?”
“Hey, Kane,” Brandi said. “What are you up to this on this fine morning?” she asked, sounding very cheerful and acting as if she had spoken to him the night before.
Kane began biting his bottom lip to keep from cussing her out. “Ah, nothing much. I was just thinking about you. Wondering why I haven’t heard from you.”
Kane paced the living room while he listened to Brandi give him a myriad of excuses as to why she hadn’t called him after their late-night interlude. He could tell that Brandi was lying. Everything in that lie she told gave Kane every reason to treat women the way he did.
Kane waited for her to stop talking. “Wow. Sounds like you had a full day yesterday. The shopping, the grandson, the breakfast with an old friend . . . You’re a very busy woman, aren’t you?” he said, sarcastically.
“Yeah, I am. But I don’t have a problem with making some time for you, Kane,” Brandi said, as if she trying to soften him up. “It’s just that after we hooked up, things got a little crazy for me, that’s all.”
“Right, right,” Kane replied. “So when am I going to see you again? Or as a matter of fact, what are you doing this Saturday?”
“I’m not doing anything. What’s up?”
“I wanted to know if you would like attend a baby shower with me. It’s my boy’s baby shower,” Kane asked, with a smirk on his face. It was time for the big reveal. Kane knew that Sean would be there with his wife and the shower would be a perfect time to see if anything was going on between him and Brandi.
“A baby shower?” she repeated. “Ah, man, I haven’t been to one of those in a while! That sounds cool. Should I bring a gift?”
“Don’t worry about that. I got the gift thing covered. I just want your company.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet!” she said.
“I like you, Brandi,” Kane blurted out. He was surprised at his own words. “I’m looking to see where this goes with me and you, know what I mean?”
“I think I know what you mean,” Brandi hesitantly replied. “But, listen, Kane, I don’t want to jump the gun with you or anything. I want us to take our time. Trust me, I’ve done that a few times and that just didn’t work for me.”
Kane sighed. “I hear that,” he said, feeling like a jackass for sharing his feelings with Brandi. He quickly changed the subject. “In the meantime, put that date on your calendar, babe. I’ll speak to you later.”
“That’s cool, Kane. You have a great day,” she said, hanging up the phone.
After talking to Brandi, Kane walked over to his bar and poured himself a drink. “Damn!” he said to himself, as he guzzled down the glass of Hennessy. “How can I get this chick to fuck with me? She’s not biting.”
It was almost 11:00 a.m. Monday morning when Rasheed walked into Gordon’s Tire, his rim and tire shop, located on Atlantic Avenue. Atlantic Avenue was a busy Brooklyn thruway and also the same street that occupied the newly built Barclay Center. Because of this, Rasheed’s small business was definitely booming.
Rasheed turned on lights in the shop and immediately began checking the inventory for the store’s supplies. As he was about to walk into his office, a knock on the locked glass door surprised him. Rasheed looked at his watch and frowned. He wasn’t opening for another hour. When he opened the door, Sean was standing outside of the shop with a worried look on his face.
“What’s up, slime? Where are you coming from?” he asked, giving Sean a pound, as he walked into the shop. “I thought that you didn’t have to be at Rikers Island until three-thirty in the afternoon. Why you out so early?”
Sean shook his head and leaned on the glass counter. “I’m coming from Brandi’s house, man.”
Rasheed did a double take. “Did you just say that you were coming from Brandi’s house?” he repeated.
“I ain’t stutter, man! I just came from Brandi’s house.” Rasheed was silent. “Me and her got it on this past Saturday and we was back at it this morning before she went to work.”
“So you and Brandi are fucking each other again?”
Sean plopped down in a chair and held his head in his hands. “I don’t know what the hell we’re doing, son. It’s like I can’t shake this woman!”
Now it was Rasheed’s turn to shake his head. Two of his closest friends were involved with the same woman. Should he say something and possibly start a beef between the volatile Sean and quick-tempered Kane? Or should he keep what he knew to himself and risk losing the trust of both men?
Poor Brandi. The woman didn’t even realize that she was being played. With Sean being a married man and Kane being a certified womanizer, she wasn’t exactly in the best company.
“How did you end up sleeping with Brandi again, man?” Rasheed asked.
Sean looked at him strangely. “What do you mean, how did I end up sleeping with Brandi? Are you judging me, man? I know you ain’t talking!”
Rasheed laughed at what Sean said. “I ain’t judging you, homie, calm down! And you can’t put me in the same category as you. I ain’t the one who’s fucking married!” Sean waved him off. “So now what’s gonna happen with you and Brandi? And your marriage?”
“Hey, man,” Sean said, putting up his hands. “Truthfully, I’m not really thinking about my marriage right now. Everything is pretty much good there. I’ve been too busy with trying to figure out how to keep things going with Brandi.”
“Did you just say that everything is going pretty good in your marriage?” Rasheed laughed at that statement. “Not anymore, my man! Brandi ain’t trying to be your side chick! And it might not be a good idea to put her in that position. You know she’s probably still kind of bitter about you cutting her off.”
Sean sighed. “Yo, Rah, you don’t know what you talking about, man! I know Brandi very well and I’m telling you, that woman is in love with me! You saw how quick she was to hop back on the bandwagon again, right?” Rasheed stood there, looking at Sean in disbelief. “Now look at me. I’m in like Flynn and it looks like I’m going to be fucking that pussy anytime I want. And you know what she told me, bruh? She told me that she is always going to be with me, no matter what. What do you think that means?”
Rasheed continued doing his inventory. “That means that she is working on getting her some got damn revenge, man!”
“Damn, son! You don’t give me no credit! I know these broads like the back of my hand!”
Rasheed sighed and greeted one of his workers as soon as he walked into the shop. He told the employee to start preparing for the day then walked Sean outside.
As the sounds of the Long Island Railroad rattled on the tracks above them, Rasheed tried to talk some common sense into his friend. Judging from the conversation they were having, Rasheed knew that he probably would have to handle Sean with kid gloves when it came to Brandi.
Rasheed put his hand on Sean’s shoulder. “Look, man, I didn’t mean what I said about Brandi being bitter and trying to get revenge on you and whatnot. It’s just that you’re my peoples and I want you to be real careful. I don’t want you to lose focus, slime.”
Sean gave Rasheed a brotherly hug. “You’re my people, too, man. I appreciate you looking out for me.” He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost 11:30. “Shit! Yo, Rah, I’m gonna hit you up later, man. Milan should be walking in the house in a few.”
Rasheed gave Sean a head nod and watched as his friend disappeared from his sight.
When Rasheed walked back into his shop, he went in his office and closed the door. He sat at his desk, thinking about the situation with Brandi. As much as he didn’t want Kane and Sean to be at each other’s throats over the woman, he realized that he would have to take a step back; two male egos were at an all-time high. Keeping his mouth shut was som
ething that he had to do. He just hoped the outcome wouldn’t be a deadly one.
Chapter 13
Fresh off the flight from Atlanta, Milan walked through the door of her Brooklyn home, calling out Sean’s name.
“Sean, I’m home!” she yelled. But there was no reply. She looked at the diamond Michelle watch on her wrist. It was 11:36 a.m. She wondered why her husband wasn’t there to greet her. Where could he be?
Milan shrugged her shoulders and walked upstairs to the bedroom, leaving her bags downstairs near the front door. She was sort of glad that Sean wasn’t at home; it gave her some time to regroup after her eventful weekend. Milan walked into her bedroom and fell back onto the bed with her clothes still on. As she was lying across the king-sized bed, Tuki Charles came to mind.
Tuki Charles was the young socialite daughter of a well-to-do African American financier by the name of Rodney Charles. Her father was featured in magazines such as Black Enterprise and Ebony. He even made several television appearances, with the likes of Tavis Smiley and Roland Martin to discuss African American consumers and finances.
Because of her father’s connections, Tuki was well known in the most prominent circles of Atlanta’s rich, prosperous, and even famous. But it didn’t stop there. Tuki was a very beautiful woman with flawless honey-colored skin and exotic good looks, courtesy of her African American father and her mother’s Hawaiian and Sioux Indian heritage. She had men clamoring for her attention but Tuki always politely shooed them away. With the exception of an occasional male escort for special events, she had an affinity for the same sex and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
While Tuki made it perfectly clear that she was not interested in being with a man, she was definitely sure of what kind of women she was attracted to. They also talked about a few other things that made Milan quite uncomfortable.
“I want to ask you one question,” Tuki said to her, as they sat by the fireplace in her luxury loft in downtown Atlanta. “Are you bisexual?”
Milan took a big gulp of her wine and frowned. She wasn’t trying to give up an opportunity to be with someone like Tuki. The woman screamed money. “No,” she lied. “I’m not bisexual. Why do you ask?”
Tuki breathed a sigh of relief. “Because I have no desire to be with a bisexual woman.” She poured herself another glass of wine. “As a matter of fact, I am truly convinced that bisexual men and women are partly responsible for the spread of HIV. And I’m a strong advocate for AIDS awareness and finding a cure for the deadly disease. I can’t take part in that.”
To add to her disdain for bisexual women, Tuki went on to tell Milan about how her heart was broken while she was in college by her bisexual lover. The lover had suddenly broken off their relationship and got married to a man.
“Ever since then,” Tuki began, eyes gazing in the distance, “I made myself a promise to walk away from any woman who was confused about her sexuality. I refused to be a part of some fad or be someone’s personal experiment.
“I really like you, Milan,” Tuki added, after helping herself to another glass of Pinot Grigio. “Ever since we met at that GLAAD event last year, you’ve became like this important part of my life. I really enjoy our telephone conversations and I especially love being in your company. But honestly, sweetie, this long-distance thing is killing me! I find myself wanting to be with you all the time and I don’t understand why we can’t make this happen between us.”
Milan started blinking real fast as she sipped on her wine. She didn’t know what to say. Tuki just sat there, staring at her, patiently waiting for her reply.
“Well, um, Tuki, I feel the same way,” she said, using her words very carefully. “I guess it would be really great if I could move to Atlanta but that means that I would have to uproot my entire life in New York. Relocation takes time and I don’t want to move down here for a relationship alone.”
Tuki stood up. At five feet nine inches and 130 pounds, she looked more like a runway model than some Southern socialite. She put her hands on her hips. “You won’t be moving down here for just any old relationship, Milan,” she said with an attitude. “And if you’re worried about getting the career of your choice, that won’t be much a problem, either. After all, my name is Tuki Charles; I’m Rodney Charles’s daughter! My family has all of the necessary tools that you need to make it happen for you down here.”
Milan poured some more wine into her glass. The truth was that Tuki didn’t know that she was married. And after their heart-to-heart, Milan didn’t have the heart to tell her that. Tuki had said it herself: she absolutely despised bisexuality and there she was, a self-admitted bisexual, perpetrating a fraud. Milan realized that she was just as bad as some womanizing man.
“I have to really think long and hard about that, Tuki,” Milan replied. “Like I said, I absolutely love Atlanta but to live here permanently is a whole ’nother animal.”
A look of disappointment came over Tuki’s face. She plopped back down on the couch beside her. “So how about I come back to New York and stay with you for a week or two?” she said, giving Milan a soft kiss on the lips.
Milan kissed her back. “I wish you could, babe, but, um, I’m not going to be in New York for a few weeks myself. I have to go to Chicago in a few days to meet with a new recording artist for my label,” she lied.
“Aw, they’re working my poor baby to death,” Tuki said, as she slid off the couch and stuck her face between Milan’s golden brown thighs.
Without any hesitation, Tuki pulled Milan’s thong underwear to the side and began giving her an oral treat right on the living room sofa. Milan began to moan softly, as she gently ran her fingers through Tuki’s long hair. She was in heaven. Tuki’s expert tongue explored the inner walls of her wet vagina. She wrapped her tongue around Milan’s protruding clitoris, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. Milan’s eyes rolled in the back of her head and she began sliding down the couch onto the floor, as Tuki continued to lick, suck, and nibble on her. This went on until Milan exploded in the mouth of her female paramour.
Tuki stood up, face shining from Milan’s juices. Not even bothering to wipe her mouth, she helped Milan up from the floor and led her into the bedroom. There she went into a drawer and pulled out some sex toys to help them proceed with their session. Tuki put on a hot pink strap-on and ordered Milan to lie across the bed. She did as she was told and opened her legs, ready to receive Tuki. Tuki entered her slowly and began fucking her with the hard rubber contraption. Milan could feel something tickling their clitorises simultaneously and it didn’t take much time for her to have another orgasm.
They continued their freaky interludes until the very last night that Milan was in Atlanta. And every time she and Tuki made love to each other, it was always superb; the next time was even better than the last. Now that the fantasy was over, Milan’s grim truth was setting in. She was a married woman.
Just as Milan sat up and was about to get herself together, she heard the downstairs door close and Sean call out her name.
“Milan? Are you up there, babe?” he called out from the bottom of the stairs. “Is my baby home?”
Milan rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that once Sean came upstairs, he would want to have sex with her and she definitely wasn’t up for that. After the hot, steamy sex with Tuki, the thought of any man touching her was almost repulsive. Her lesbian side was in overdrive. But just like any wife or husband who was having an extramarital affair, she was going to have to pretend.
Sean walked into the bedroom and lifted Milan off her feet. He gave her a passionate kiss, only coming up for air to look at her. “I missed you so much, baby,” he whispered. He put her down. “Those few days that you were gone seemed like weeks!”
Milan smiled. “Oh, boy, stop exaggerating!” she said. “Anyway, don’t you have to get ready for work soon?” she asked.
Sean sighed. “Yeah, I do. But not before we have our fun,” he replied.
Milan turned away
from him and closed her eyes. She was in no mood to have Sean’s stiff dick inside of her. She just wasn’t feeling it. “Look, baby, I know that you want to roll around in the sack but I am seriously exhausted from that trip. I’m going to need like one day to recoup.”
Sean looked hurt but he held it down. “Oh, okay, sweetheart. I guess I’ll have to wait until you’re recharged. Anyway, I’m gonna bring your bags and stuff upstairs. You relax, babe.”
Milan kissed him on the lips. “You’re the best, my love,” she whispered.
She waited until Sean disappeared out of the bedroom to call Tuki.
“Hey, sweetie!” she said, when Tuki answered the phone. “I just wanted to tell you that I made it home safely and I’m going to get some rest now. After I relax, I will give you a call. Is that cool?”
“No problem, sexy,” Tuki said on the other end of the phone. “I’ll be looking forward to your call because we need to arrange the dates that I’m going to be coming to New York to see you.”
Milan began to get nervous. “Coming to New York?”
“Yes, silly! I don’t have a problem with traveling to New York, too! I have some friends and family up there I haven’t seen in a while anyway.”
Before Milan knew it, she was agreeing to the impossible. “Um, yeah, that sounds like a really good idea,” she said.
“Then it’s settled!” Tuki replied. “Anyway, you get you some rest and make sure you call me back when you get a moment.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you later, girl,” Milan said, before disconnecting the call.
Just as she was hanging up the phone, Sean appeared in the doorway with all of her bags. He dropped them on the floor and looked at her. “Who was that?” he asked.
“Oh, that was Bam,” Milan said, trying not to stumble over her words. “Remember my gay BMF from college? The one who came to our wedding?” Sean nodded his head. “Yeah, I hung out with him while I was in Atlanta. Just wanted to let him know that I had a safe trip home.”
