“Hi, this is Scorpio. Whenever you get a moment, call me, okay? I’m at home. Good-bye.”
I hung up and lowered myself underneath the covers. I lay my head on the pillow and looked over at Mackenzie beside me. She was sound asleep. I smiled at the thought of her always wanting to sleep in my bed when she had a big and beautiful room of her own. I kissed her cheek. I was so confused about all that had happened. When I couldn’t think about it anymore, I closed my eyes to go to sleep.
What seemed to be only a few minutes later, I was awakened by the ringing phone. Just so it wouldn’t wake Mackenzie, I reached over to my nightstand and quickly answered in a sleepy voice.
“Did I wake you?” he asked. I recognized his voice and sat up. It was Jaylin.
“I was slowly fading, but I’m up,” I said.
“I got your message. What’s up?”
His tone was on edge, so I was careful with my words. “I wanted to talk to you. The other day, Shane told me what happened between him and Nokea. I’m confused about how I feel and I wonder how you feel . . .”
“That’s a stupid ass question because you know how I feel. Is there anything else?”
“No. Nothing else. Again, I was just curious about your thoughts.”
“Well, again, you know me well and this shit ain’t sitting right with me. I gotta go, all right?”
Jaylin hung up and I sat in bed listening to the dial tone. Maybe I shouldn’t have called him because just that fast, he was capable of stirring up my feelings. I thought about what I could have said wrong, but knowing Jaylin, he was mad at the world and was looking for anybody to take his frustrations out on. During our troubled times together, he reacted the same way. But, the comfort of another woman always seemed to ease some of his pain. I thought about him for a while, and then eased back down in the sheets to go to bed.
I was in a deep and comfortable sleep, until I heard the phone. When I looked at the clock, it was past three o’clock in the morning. I reached for the phone and it fell on the floor. Still in a daze, when I bent over to get the phone, I tumbled on the floor.
“Hello,” I said angry with the caller.
“No, you didn’t,” Jaylin chuckled.
“Didn’t what?” I said, sitting on the floor beside the bed.
“Did you fall on the floor?”
“Maybe. But, I was dreaming and the phone awakened me and scared me.”
“Have you checked your head for any lumps?”
“Ha, ha, funny. But, uh, somebody sounds like he’s in a better mood. Earlier, you were ready to chop off my head.”
“I was tired earlier. You caught me at a bad time.”
“Uh, I know what that means. What was her name?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jaylin laughed. “Anyway, what makes you think I was with a female?”
“Come on now, Jaylin. You are highly pissed at Nokea, and if my memory serves me correctly, you always have the last word.”
“I’m a changed man, Scorpio. I don’t need pussy to calm my nerves, like I did in the past.”
“I don’t believe that, but if you say so, oh well.” There was silence and Jaylin hadn’t responded. “Jaylin?”
“What?”
“Are you going to sleep?”
“Nope. I haven’t slept in almost two days.”
“Where are you and why are you up so late? Lost sleep is no good for you, you know?”
“Shit, I can’t sleep. I’ve been thinking a lot and my thoughts won’t let me sleep.”
“I know how that is. Would you like to share your thoughts with me? I’m an excellent listener, you know? And besides, I am one person who can actually say I know what you’re going through because I’m experiencing the same thing.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk much about my thoughts because they’re not too good. I do feel if I would have taken action when the two of them kissed, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have trusted Shane and Nokea to put that incident behind them. I feel like such a fool for asking him to bring her home.”
“Wha . . . what incident and kiss are you talking about? I never knew about the two of them being involved in such a way.”
“Sorry. I thought Shane told you about it. He told me that he did and I wasn’t aware that you didn’t know.”
“Are you messing with my head, Jaylin?”
“No, but I wish you were messing with mine.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I’m, uh, serious about the kiss, though. Ask Shane. When Nokea came to St. Louis and called herself being there for me while I was in court, she went to Shane’s house and some lip action took place. It might have been more than that, but hell, I’ve been lied to so much that I don’t know what to believe.”
“Humph, I knew nothing about this. If Shane told you that he told me, he lied. How did you find out about it?”
“Nokea told me. As usual, it was my fault because I had caused her so much turmoil and she turned to another man. I should have put my foot in her ass then, but I swept the shit under the rug and blamed myself.”
“What did you . . . I mean, did you confront Shane?”
“Yeah, I did, but he played the victim. Said Nokea stepped to him and he was caught off guard. Maybe so, but, uh, this last incident done took the cake. Both of them lied to me. Nokea confirmed that they had forced sex for ten or fifteen minutes and said she enjoyed herself.”
“Did she really say that Jaylin? I think you’re exaggerating.”
“I know my wife, Scorpio, and even though those weren’t her exact words, her saying that it felt like ‘something different’ was enough for me.”
“Something different like what?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me? What’s different about how I make love to you, versus the way Shane does?”
“There’s a big difference, but I can’t speak for Nokea.”
“Then don’t speak for Nokea. Speak for yourself.”
“The difference is . . . Shane is a gentle lover, and during sex, he knows how to put a woman at ease. You, on the other hand, are aggressive and a woman has to be at her best when she’s with you. If not, your sex can be intimidating and a woman can feel easily let down by her performance.”
“And, what in the hell is so wrong with being aggressive and encouraging another person to be at their best? If I give you my best, I want the same in return.”
“I’ve never had a problem with that, but some women do.”
“Well, honestly, which do you prefer?”
“What I prefer, I haven’t had in quite some time. He’s been tied up for a while and I’ve become accustomed to the man I’ve grown to love.”
“So you’re settling?”
“To some extent, I guess you can say that. But, settling doesn’t mean I haven’t been satisfied. As a matter of fact, I’m very satisfied, but I’m disappointed in Shane for not only lying to me about this situation, but always making excuses for his mistakes. I definitely know where you’re coming from when you say Nokea does the same.”
Jaylin was quiet. I thought he’d gone to sleep until he spoke up. “Hey, I’m getting ready to go, all right? Thanks for listening to me. You know I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Jaylin. But, uh, you never told me where you are.”
“I didn’t tell you because I don’t want you showing up at my door.”
“What makes you think I’d show up at your door?”
“Because I’ve been thinking about showing up at yours.”
I smiled. Jaylin was the only man I’d ever be willing to travel back down memory lane with. “Well, right about now, you’re definitely welcome. My door is always open for you.”
“That’s good to know. Maybe I’ll see you soon, all right?”
“Maybe so,” I said.
Jaylin ended our call and I sat on the floor with the phone in my hand. I hadn’t smiled in days and the thoughts of what this could possibly turn into brought an enormous smile to my face.<
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Chapter 11
Jaylin
I’d been away from my family for almost a week. I didn’t think I could stay away from my kids for so long, but I was so angry with Nokea that I couldn’t stand to see her. She’d been leaving messages on my phone. She even had the nerve to have Nanny B call me. When LJ left a message for me to call him, I couldn’t help but return his call. Of course, Nokea answered.
“Where’s my son?” I asked.
“He and Jaylene are outside with Nanny B. When are you coming home?”
“When I get ready to. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a home right now. That’s your house, remember. Instead of half of my assets, you have it all.”
“I don’t want none of this without you. You’ve been gone long enough and it’s time for you to come home.”
“How am I supposed to come home and look at you? I can’t even make love to you without thinking about your lies and Shane. You remember how I felt when you had sex with my cousin Stephon and he lied to me about LJ being his child, don’t you? Now, I feel the same way again. Don’t try to convince me to do something I don’t want to do. How dare you force me into a situation I’m not ready for.”
“If it’s that bad for you, then divorce me. I’m not going to live like this. Not knowing where you are and who you’re with is driving me crazy.”
“I have no problem divorcing you Nokea. The only reason I haven’t taken action thus far is because of my kids. You’d better thank your lucky stars they’re still with you. Your tone is about to piss me off. Go get my damn son so I can speak to him.”
Nokea hung up on me, but I knew what she was trying to do. She wanted to make me angry so I’d come back to the house, but I wasn’t going anyhere. My neighbor had beach front property for sale. When I spoke to him about Nokea’s and my issues, he offered to let me stay there. The place was just as immaculate as my house. With all of the luxurious furniture inside, it was as close to home as I could get. The property was less than five miles from my house, but it felt like a million miles away. As comfortable as my surroundings were, I still had a difficult time sleeping.
Since I couldn’t sleep, I drove to the mall to look around. I hadn’t taken any clothes from the house, so I needed a few things to change in to. While I was there, I picked up three pair of silk pajama pants, some underclothes and a few pair of jeans and shirts. Dressed in my loose fitting faded jeans that hung over my leather sandals, I stood in line and waited. The royal blue button down shirt that I wore matched the blue tint in my glasses. I’ll be damned if nearly every woman in the place wasn’t staring at me. Everybody was smiling, and frankly, I was in no mood to smile back. The sales lady rushed the customer in front of me and hurried him on his way. I set my items on the counter. As soon as I reached for my wallet, this chick bumped me from behind.
“Excuse me,” she laughed while hanging on to my arm. “I must have tripped on something. Whatever it was, I’m glad it shoved me in your direction.”
Moving my arm, I opened my wallet and set my Black American Express Card on top of the clothes. The cashier picked up my card and rolled her eyes at the woman still standing close by me.
“What is that you’re wearing?” she asked.
“Clothes,” I responded.
The sales rep interrupted. “Mr. Rogers, do you mind if I see your ID?” I showed her my ID and she smiled. “Thank you.”
“I wasn’t talking about your clothes, Mr. Rogers. I was talking about your cologne.”
“Look, I know what you were talking about, but I’m real busy right now. Besides, no offense, but you’re not my type.”
She placed her hand on her hip and jerked her head back. “What? Are you gay or something?”
“No, but I’m just not turned on by your approach. Aside from that, you could really use a manicure. Your girlfriend is over there behind the clothes rack scoping you out. Unfortunately, whatever the plan was, it didn’t work.”
“Whatever,” she said. “Your arrogance stinks anyway.”
She walked away and the sales rep set my receipt on the counter. “Can you sign this for me, Mr. Rogers?”
I bent down and scribbled my signature. I gave the receipt back to the sales rep and she handed me a garment bag.
“Thank you for your business. I, uh, get off work around seven and my approach is the best I can do for now.”
She was somewhat pretty, so I smiled. I did, however, notice her weave extensions that didn’t quite match up and the darkness of her lips implied that she was a smoker. I looked at her name tag. “Chloe, I appreciate the offer, but I have plans around eight. Take care, all right?”
She nodded and I walked away. I tossed the garment bag over my shoulder and made my way to the door. As I approached the door, two black ladies walked in, nudging each other.
“Um, um, um,” I heard one of them say. “Now, that’s my kind of man. Girl, I bet he can tear something up!”
“Tell me about it,” the friend whispered. Of course, she couldn’t help but stop me. “Aren’t you . . . I mean, don’t you play in a soap opera or something? I know I’ve seen your face before, and it was on television.”
“No, I’ve never been on television,” I laughed.
“Well, can I just shake your hand for looking so darn good? My friend and I are pretty impressed. Go ahead and represent for the Black man. Baby, you got the game and gone with it.”
I held out my hand and she shook it. Her friend did too. As she shook my hand, she took her other hand and squeezed my biceps. “Nice,” she said. “Oh, so nice.”
Like always, I was flattered by the attention. “Thanks for the compliment, ladies. I gotta go, though. Have a good day.”
“You bet we will,” they said, standing and watching as I walked away.
I made my way to my Hummer. As soon as I got inside, my cell phone rang. I hung the garment bag in the back seat and reached for my phone clipped to my jeans. The number was from my house and I really wasn’t in the mood to talk to Nokea. I thought about LJ calling me back, so I opened my phone and answered. Thank God, it was him.
“What’s up?” I said, excited to hear his voice.
“Daddy, I wanna go outside and ride my motorbike. Mommie said I had to wait until you were here. When are you coming home?”
“You wanna what?”
“Ride my motorbike.”
“Get your language together. There’s no such word as wanna. It’s . . . Daddy, I would like to go outside and ride my motorbike.”
“Daddy, I would like to go outside and ride my motorbike. Can I?”
“You can ride it when I get there. Give me a few days, all right? Then, you can ride it all day long.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Daddy, how come you say wanna and I can’t say wanna?”
“Because I’m your daddy and I require that you speak the English language correctly.”
“But, you don’t. You always say wanna and I speak how you speak.”
“LJ, do you wanna get in trouble?”
“No. ”
“I didn’t think so. Stop challenging me and do like I tell you to, all right? I will never tell you to do anything that will steer you in the wrong direction. My advice will always help you, got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. In the meantime, I love you and I will see you soon. Give Jaylene a big kiss for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And?”
“And, I love you too Daddy.”
I smiled and hung up. Thinking for a moment, my thoughts were interrupted when I heard a horn blow. I looked in my side mirror and saw a white woman waiting on me to pull out. She had to be waiting for quite some time, but the sound of her horn was working me. I even put my truck in reverse. Although the reverse lights came on, I still hadn’t moved. The woman was pissed. I watched as she put her Mercedes in park and got out of the car. She boldly stepped up to my window and I lowered it.<
br />
“Is there a problem,” I said, gazing at her from behind my glasses. She was at a loss for words.
“Uh, I was just,” she paused and squinted. She then covered her mouth. “Oh my God! It’s you, isn’t it? You’re that . . . that movie star!” She happily jumped around and reached into her purse. Excited, she gave me a pen and piece of paper. “Would you mind autographing this paper for me? My friends and I love your show.”
I didn’t even bother to explain. I scribbled my name and handed the paper and pen back to her. “Thank you,” she excitedly said. “You are even more handsome in person, and my friends are not going to believe this!”
“I can’t either,” I said. “But, uh, I really need to get going. Can you back up your car so I can get out?”
“Sure,” she said. She snapped a picture of me with her cell phone and headed back to her car. When I pulled out, she blew the horn and waved at me.
I stopped to get a bite to eat before returning to my neighbor’s house. After I hung my new clothes in the closet, I removed my shirt and turned down all the lights. I turned on the radio and it played soothing jazz throughout the entire house. Only for a moment, I stood at the back of the house and viewed the ocean’s scenery through the tall glass windows. Just to take in the fresh air, I pushed a button that slid the glass windows over and opened up to the outside. I made a mental note to someway or somehow add this little accessory to my house.
Intending to get some kind of rest for the night, I went into the bathroom and turned on the waterfall faucets to the marble octagon shaped tub. The tub was not only deep, but extremely relaxing. I clicked on the forty inch plasma built into the marble wall and started to watch television. From the cool breeze stirring around the room, and the soothing water and music, I started to fade.
What seemed to be only minutes later, my vision blurred when I heard someone call my name.
“What?” I asked, not seeing who it was. Soon, Scorpio came into the bathroom with a pink towel wrapped around her naked body. Her long hair was full of bouncing curls and the sight of her not only shocked me, but it put a semi smile on my face.
Naughty No More Page 10
