Constant Surprises (Wrong Numbers Series)

by Bergman, Jamallah

  “That sounds great, I’ll give you a call on Tuesday if that’s all right,” Amie said with a smile.

  “Wonderful, Tuesday is perfect. I’ll be hearing from you then,” Robin said hugging Amie before disappearing into the crowd of people.

  “I can’t believe this! Bon Appetit magazine, this is amazing,” Amie told Roy. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

  The game ended in overtime with Herington High victorious. Some of the Alumni congregated along the track, just like when they were in high school. Everybody got their hugs in, took pictures and reminisced about the good old days. From across the crowd, Amie smiled at Roy who was talking with some of his football buddies. Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned to face Susan who smelled as if she bathed in a whisky vat. “Susan, don’t tell me you’re drunk.”

  “Wow, we have a regular Einstein in our midst. You were always a smartass, Amie Brown. You get that from the Japanese side of your family, right?” Susan cackled like a sick hen.

  Amie started walking over to where the others stood. Susan shouted, “Don’t walk away from me you no account half and half slut. Just because you’re a fancy owner of some stupid restaurant you think you can come back to town and take my man. You’re so fucking wrong, girlfriend!”

  By this time a crowd of people gathered around observing the longtime rivals. Amie didn’t want it to come to a head, but she knew this would happen one day. She was hoping tonight in front of all of their classmates would not be the day.

  “What the hell is going on?” asked Sandy as Roy and Steven walked over to her.

  “Just leave her alone, she’s stinking drunk and wants to start shit. She’s got another thing coming if she thinks I’m going to play her game,” Amie said. Susan staggered towards her. “She can’t even stand up straight! Will somebody get the cops!”

  It seemed Susan was itching for a fight. She came at Amie charging and screaming like a wild banshee. Amie caught Susan by the arm and flipped her over her shoulder onto the hard ground with a loud thud. She then slipped her arm slowly around Susan’s neck and slowly began to squeeze in a chokehold.

  “Now listen here, while we are waiting for the cops, I’m going to let you in on something. You can say whatever the fuck you want about me, or about my race, or about what I do. I really don’t give a fuck what you say. You, as far as I’m concern, are so far underneath the scope you no longer even exist,” Amie railed.

  Her grip got tighter as Susan started writhing. Amie knew she was squeezing Susan’s vocal chords making it impossible for her to talk. She was grateful for the silence.

  “Now I’m going to give you an option this evening, Susan, I am going to let you walk away from here with either no broken bones, and the cops taking you away to sober your sorry ass up, or I can break your fucking arm in three places,” Amie seethed. She could see the scared look in Susan’s eyes.

  “You…wouldn’t…dare…break…my arm…you fucking bitch!” Susan muddled out between gasps of air.

  Amie moved her arm in such a manner Susan’s knees buckled and she slowly collapsed onto the ground. The onlookers gasped as Susan’s body folded onto itself.

  “Amie, stop…she’s had enough now!” shouted someone.

  A cop ran through the crowd and called for an ambulance on his walkie talkie. Lucky for her, she knew the cop who came to Susan’s rescue.

  “Hi there, Marcus, how are you?” Amie said with a smile. Marcus shook his head.

  “Hey, Amie, I see Susan is up to her tricks again. What did you do?”

  “She’s a drunken mess and tried to start shit with me. She came at me, so I grabbed hold of her and choked the attitude out of her. She’ll be fine. I do have plenty of witnesses that will tell you the same exact thing,” she said.

  Even though she knew she shouldn’t have laid a finger on her, Amie was also aware this was a long time coming. They had been at odds with each other for years. The bitch finally got what she deserved.

  The ambulance arrived and the paramedics carried Susan away as she moaned in pain.

  “I’m sorry, Amie, we’ve been having a problem with Susan forever with her drunkenness. I never thought she’d show up like that at the reunion. But I don’t think she’ll bother you again after what you did to her tonight. By the way, what in the hell did you do?” Marcus asked.

  “That’s what I want to know,” Roy said.

  “I have studied karate for years now. I’ve learned a thing or two about how to protect myself,” Amie said. Roy gave her a hug and kiss. “Do you need me to come and make a report because I can come on down right now?”

  “Yes, you need to come to the station.”

  “Why don’t I take you on down there?” Roy said.

  “Roy, you know we have to go over to Rick’s to go over some of the things for the party tomorrow. Steven can take her on over to the station,” Sandy interjected.

  “Good and you can stay with her at the house until I get back. It shouldn’t take us long,” Roy said patting his brother’s back.

  “Great, come on,” Marcus said.

  Roy kissed Amie passionately on the lips. Steven and Amie followed Marcus to the police station. Amie made her report, and after catching up with Marcus and some of the other policemen she knew from school, they headed back to Roy’s place.

  Steven had been watching the road, but also had been eyeing Amie. He couldn’t get her off his mind even though he knew how wrong it was for him to think such thoughts. This was his brother’s girl, the one he had been pining over for years. It was his wife’s best friend and now after accidentally walking in on one moment of passion she was all he could think about. He knew it was forbidden to watch, but couldn’t keep from looking. He was now smitten with Amie. Smitten, he thought. What an idiot I am to be thinking these thoughts.

  Deep down, he had been smitten with Amie for years. Steven watched her grow up from the rambunctious little girl who would come play to a beautiful young woman. He remembered when he would watch her from afar, she smiled or laughed and he would think what if he had gotten with her instead of Sandy. He knew the odds would have been against them since word had been out from the get go if any man dated her, they would have literally gotten their asses served to them on a platter.

  But there was something about her that intrigued him and it had nothing to do with her race. Amie was nothing like the other girls. She was ambitious. She wanted more out of life then to get married and have babies. She wanted so much more then Herington had to offer her.

  Steven and Amie often had long talks, just the two of them, while Sandy was busy putting the girls to bed, or when she called and Sandy was already asleep. He found her dreams of becoming a cook and owning her own restaurant fascinating. She had wanted to leave this town because she thought folks didn’t like her race. She had to leave to have a future. All they ever talked about was how much she hated the town and some of the folks in it. It disgusted and captivated him at the same time. He never could understand their attitudes. To him, hell, to most of the guys in school, she was glamorous. Her curly hair and almond eyes were unlike anything they ever saw. They all secretly wanted her; she was the forbidden fruit. No one wanted to risk the fallout. Steven moved on to Sandy. Hell, even Roy dated Susan when all he really wanted was Amie.

  Amie remained quiet as they drove through town until he asked, “Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah, can we get a burger at Wendy’s?” she asked.

  He pulled into the Wendy’s drive thru and ordered. Soon they were on their way to Roy’s house. She used her key to let them in, and Steven sat down on the couch with his food. Amie took off her jacket, sat down on the other side of the couch and turned on the television.

  They didn’t say much while they ate; it was too uncomfortable. He hoped his brother and wife would hurry up. Steven was getting aroused watching her drink. Her lips puckered around the straw and slowly she sucked the beverage through it. Damn, even that was sexy as fucking hell he thought biting i
nto his burger.

  I can’t have these thoughts, I can’t have these thoughts.

  Good Lord, all of the trouble he could cause for both of them. It would ruin his marriage; ruin his relationship with his brother, not to mention both his parents and in-laws. But when he looked over at her, all of that worry seemed to fade away. If he could at least get a kiss from her, Steven thought he might be able to cast aside his lustful thoughts for this woman.

  This beautiful creature came back into everybody’s life more captivating than before. He started thinking about the day at the feed store. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked wearing nothing more than a basic multicolored dress, her unruly curly hair pulled back with a simple flowery headband. When she saw it was him who knocked her down, instantly she smiled at him and they hugged. Even though he had been hugged so many times before, Steven had never felt a hug such as the one he got from her that day. It struck a nerve with him that at first he didn’t understand. Later on, when he really had time to think, Steven knew the reason why…he was in love with Amie Brown.

  Once the burgers were gone, Amie cleaned up the wrappers. She stretched for a moment and sat back down with a thud. Steven kept his eyes on the television. His whole body visibly shivered. His eyes closed for a moment and he bit his lip. Taking a deep breath he looked over at her. He could never tell anyone what he saw, even though he couldn’t stop picturing her beautiful body above Roy’s in an erotic dance.

  The phone broke the building sexual tension he was hoping Amie couldn’t feel. Amie bent over to get it behind her. “Hello?”

  “Hey, girl, listen, we are going to have to be here for another thirty or forty-five minutes. Tell Steven to stay there because Roy says he doesn’t feel comfortable with you being there by yourself,” Sandy said.

  Amie stared straight into Steven’s eyes. She replied, “Okay. I’ll let him know. Take care, sis.”

  “That was Sandy. It seems Roy wants you to stay. It’s going to be longer than they thought,” Amie told Steven. “If you will excuse me, I need to go and take a quick shower…umm you know where everything is right?”

  * * * *

  He nodded watching her go into the back. He grabbed the remote and started clicking it. Soon he heard the shower and his cock started throbbing. He was sure it would push itself right out of his pants. His curiosity was killing him. He had never been so hard in his life. Steven knew he was being led by his cock, but didn’t give a damn. He had to go back there and see her naked again.

  He deliberately got up from the couch, peering out the window to see if anyone was coming. No, he thought, no one is coming yet. He took his time walking from the living room, down the hallway and into his brother’s bedroom. The clothes she had worn minutes ago were now strewn on the floor. Steam was coming from the half-opened door leading to the bathroom. Steven could hear the water hitting the curtain and imagined the droplets running down that beautiful body of hers. He crept towards the door and made his way inside.

  Steven chuckled softy as he crept into the bathroom. He immediately wanted to stroke himself. He couldn’t help it and resisted the urge—barely. There in front of him was her gorgeous soapy wet body. He licked his own lips at what a vision she was. He yearned to suck on her full breasts with light brown nipples. She was a real woman with nice thick hips, thighs that curved and shaped an appealingly voluptuous ass. She continued washing herself as the water caressed her body. He was enthralled with how the rivulets ran over her curves.

  How can anything so exciting…so beautiful…be so wrong? He would move mountains to have Amie. Somehow, someway he was going to have a night of carnal pleasure with her. He knew he would be risking everything for such pleasure, but didn’t care. In the end it would be worth it. His only fear was one night would never be enough.

  * * * *

  God, the water felt good against her body. Dealing with Susan and putting that hold on her had taken more out of her than she thought. She couldn’t wait till Roy got home and gave her a rub down. She turned the showerhead to a single steady stream of water and stood underneath it letting it hit her shoulders. She continued washing herself with her bath sponge.

  She didn’t understand why she was so hesitant about saying yes to his marriage proposal or even just moving back here. Roy is her other half there was no doubt. So why can’t she say yes? Why wasn’t she happy about it? Herington had changed. She had changed. Roy had changed. Susan hadn’t changed. I would love to see her face when she finds out I am marrying ‘her’ man.

  If I say yes, she corrected herself. Sigh. What am I afraid of? The plan always was to someday settle down in Herington. Atlanta was where she envisioned raising a family and she wanted her kids to know her parents. What if today was someday?

  Reluctantly she turned off the water. She couldn’t leave Steven sitting out there all by himself for much longer. Just why was Steven here? Even though she didn’t need a babysitter, she should be a good hostess. If she stuck around that was something Roy would have to get used to—she was not the same girl who left ten years ago. She was now a strong independent woman perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She lived in the most populous city in the county. Atlanta is even bigger than New York City!

  Hey, maybe that is where I should open a second restaurant—New York. Then I would have really made the big time. Slow down, girl, you are really starting to think crazy thoughts now.

  Amie took a deep breath. Then she took another. Then one more. She missed Herington she truly did. No matter how hard she had it here as a child, it was still the place she considered home. She grabbed a T-shirt and pair of sweat pants without much thought and quickly got dressed.

  * * * *

  Steven sat down on the couch for a moment and rubbed his face. What had just happened? My God, I’m going to hell, he thought. He heard the water stop. A few minutes later, she came into the living room wearing a white shirt and sweat pants. She sat down next to him and braided sections of her hair.

  She sauntered to the kitchen, reached for two glasses, filled them with tap water and then brought them back to Steven. “You should know, Roy wants me to move back here with him, probably even get married.”

  “Well, hell, that’s great news! Are you going to do it?”

  “I’m going to think about it. He gave me that option. I have a lot of things I have to figure out,” Amie said.

  “How much longer before they come back?” Steven asked.

  Grabbing the remote, she checked the time. “Not much longer, why?”

  The phone rang before he could answer. He quickly grabbed the phone from her and answered. “Hello?”

  “Hey, bro, are you guys okay?” asked Roy.

  “We’re fine, just playing keep away,” Steven said. Amie was trying her best to grab the phone. Steven was laughing at her antics. “Your woman is crazy by the way; she thinks she can get the phone from me.”

  Roy laughed.

  “What are they doing?” Steven heard Sandy ask Roy.

  “Playing phone keep away…listen, you two, we are on our way back home. We should be there soon.”

  “Fine. Dang it, Amie, that’s my shoulder you hit.” Amie laughed. He kept holding the receiver away from her until she finally snatched the phone. “Hello, baby, is that you? Your brother is being mean to me.” Steven pulled her onto his lap and smacking her ass so loud she shouted, “And he just whooped me! Your brother just smacked my ass.”

  “And if you don’t stop, I’ll have him do it to you again, young lady. I’ll see you soon. Love you, baby.”

  “Love you too, bye,” Amie said.

  Steven started to smack her ass again. “Ow! What was that for?”

  Then he smacked her again even harder.

  “Ohhhhh.”

  All Steven could do was watch her body. How beautiful it looked shaking right in front of him as if she was coming. What did he do to make her feel that way? She liked being smacked?

  Before he could questio
n her, he heard the truck pulling up and they quickly separated. Steven opened the door and said his goodbyes to Amie. She nodded while he walked away. Roy came inside and sat down next to her. She cuddled into him. They fit together perfectly. “How are you feeling, darling?”

  “Rather tired, it’s been a long and crazy evening.” Amie smiled straddling Roy and resting her hands behind his neck.

  “That it has, sweetheart. I think we better get ready for bed. I have to get up early. Sandy and I have to head on back to the inn to help with decorating. You can just stay here or go visit or whatever you want to do. I’ll call you on your cell when I head on back home.” Pulling her up, they walked to the bedroom and sat back down on the bed.

  “Do you mind rubbing my shoulder? I think while I was giving Susan that hold, I hurt my shoulder.”

  “Come here, darling, let me know if I am hurting you.” Turning her around he started to knead her shoulder. At first it hurt her and she winced, but soon it started to feel much better.

  “That feels so good, baby, don’t stop,” Amie said. Her eyes remained closed, enjoying the massage.

  “Sounds like my baby is getting into my touch,” Roy said.

  “You just don’t know, baby. How can we remedy this?”

  Pulling her back into his arms and laying her beside him in bed. “I think I can figure something out.”

  Chapter Nine

  Amie’s hands moved along the bed to where Roy had been sleeping. She was surprised to find it empty. Then she remembered he had to leave early to do prep for the reunion. Looking over at the clock, her body said it was too early to be getting up, but her mind insisted she get up and start her day.