Naughty No More

by Brenda Hampton

  Jaylin stood up and reached in his pocket. He lay a fifty dollar bill on the table and took a sip from the glass of Remy. “I don’t appreciate waiting this long in restaurants either, and you don’t have to tell me about Nokea because I already know. I know that she’d better not find out about Scorpio, and I know you better not have lied to me about your activities for the day. As long as everything checks out, Shane, I agree with you. We cool as a fan and I owe you for protecting Nokea at that motel.”

  Jaylin held out his hand and I gripped it. We patted each other’s back and headed for the door. His rental car was parked close by the door. My car was parked in the garage.

  “Where are you headed?” I asked. “Are you and Nokea going back home or are y’all staying in St. Louis?”

  “We got some serious making up to do, so after I go make this important stop, we’re heading back out tonight. The kids are staying with her parents for two weeks. I don’t know how in the hell her parents got me to agree to that shit.”

  “Well, be safe. If you need anything, holla.”

  “Same here,” he said, getting into his car. I went into the parking garage and Jaylin drove away.

  Chapter 18

  Jaylin

  Honestly, I didn’t know what to believe. My gut was telling me one thing, but Nokea and Shane had said the same thing about their delay with getting to court. Thing is, I wasn’t sure if it was my guilt that had gotten the best of me, or had something really gone down between them.

  While on the drive to her parents’ house earlier, Nokea assured me that no matter how bad things had gotten between us, turning to another man was not the answer for her. She admitted to doing that with Stephon and talked about how many problems her decision to kick it with him had brought to us. She did say that Shane provided her with some encouraging words, and whatever words he’d said to her, they seemed to give her hope for our marriage. No doubt, I was pleased about that.

  As for my dealings with Scorpio, there was no other way to put it, other than admit I was out of my mind! I had no justifiable excuse for all the sex I’d had with her. The only thing I could admit to was how much I enjoyed it. I don’t know why or how I’d gotten myself into this situation, but I was in too deep and couldn’t change a thing that had happened. I hated like hell to disappoint Scorpio, but there was no way in hell I’d leave Nokea for anybody. By any means necessary, we are going to work things out. I was sure it would take some time, but I planned to deal with her distance until she decided to come around. I understood her distance very well and I was upset with myself for saying some of the things I’d said to her. Not only that, but I’d definitely crossed the line. By having sex with Scorpio, I opened up old wounds and I prayed like hell that Nokea never, ever found out. I planned to take that secret to my grave. I wasn’t about to lose my wife and kids over this mistake. Before I went home, though, I had to set the record straight with Scorpio. I wanted to see her face to face, explain what I truly felt and tell her how I could not give her what she wanted.

  As expected for a Friday, Jay’s was crowded. I saw Scorpio’s Thunderbird out front. I had to park almost a block away. Before getting out of the car, I checked myself in the mirror, and adjusted my baby blue silk tie. My dark blue suit was already working for me. As I looked at the time on my Rolex, I realized that I didn’t have much time to discuss my decision with Scorpio. Yes, I could have called her, but as good as she’d been to me, it was only fair that it happened this way.

  As soon as I opened the door, I already knew what to expect. Every eye was on me and Jay’s got extremely quiet. That was until, Jamaica, a woman I’d met before, ran up to me. She threw her arms around me.

  “It was so nice of you to come back for me. Tell me, please tell me that you’re not here looking for that thing,” she joked.

  “Jaylin Rogers,” said a voice to my right. I looked over, and sitting in a chair was a chick I’d dated in college named Erin. Well, maybe not dated, but fucked a few times.

  Before I could say a word, Jamaica looked at Erin. “Do you know my man?”

  “Sorry,” she laughed and got out of her chair. “But your man has a wife.”

  I gave Erin a hug. “What’s up, Ms. Lady? I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

  “I haven’t seen you in a long time either, but I heard Nokea whisked you away.”

  “That was then and this is now,” Jamaica playfully said, attempting to get my attention. She continued. “Listen, Jaylin. Can I somehow get to know you like errrbody else has? I thought we had a connection?”

  “And we do, baby. Just, uh, go get the boss lady for me and you and I will chat later.”

  Jamaica kept flirting so the other stylist, Bernie, told me to go on back to Scorpio’s office. I gave Erin another hug, telling her to take care.

  Once I made my way back to Scorpio’s office, I stood in the doorway, looking in at her. She was focused on some papers on her desk and seemed occupied. Her hair was pulled back into a clip and a few strands dangled on her face. Always looking sexy, she wore a mustard, off–the-shoulder fitted sweater dress and was barefoot. Her shoes were on the floor beside her and her legs were crossed. When the intercom buzzed, she hit the button.

  “Yes, Bernie.”

  “Did you see who’s here?”

  “No, but I’m busy. If it’s somebody looking for me, take a message.”

  “Jaylin’s on his way back there.”

  Scorpio’s eyes widened. “Who?”

  “If you’re busy, I can always come back,” I said, leaning against the doorway.

  She looked up at me and stared. Of course, a smile followed. “I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d come so soon,” she said, lifting her finger from the intercom button.

  “I had a sense of urgency to see you,” I said, walking into her office. Scorpio stood up and walked around her desk. Her sweater dress fit every curve she had and she was working the hell out of her dress. I wasn’t sure how I was going to break my unfortunate news to her, especially since I was already turned on by her.

  “Before you come any closer, just do me a favor and turn around,” I said.

  She laughed and turned. Her back faced me and she slightly turned her head to the side. “Am I good,” she said.

  I walked up, standing close behind her. I moved a piece of her curled hair behind her ear and whispered in it. “Good, you are. But, don’t settle for good, when I consider you to be so much more than that. What’s the word I’m looking for?”

  “Spectacular?”

  “Oh, so much more than that, too.”

  She turned around. “Well, whatever it is, I don’t have time to think about it right now. How about just showing me how good/spectacular you think I am.”

  Shiiit, what was a man supposed to do! I had all of this in front of me and I intended to make good use of it. I wrapped my arms around Scorpio, touching the small of her back. My hands eased to another soft place and Scorpio put her arms on my shoulders. We looked at each other’s lips, and then, they met up.

  “Ummmm,” I said, after a lengthy kiss. “You are on point with that shit. Good kisser, good lover, good dick su—”

  Scorpio placed her hand over my mouth. “All of which I’m sure you came here for.”

  I smiled and walked over to the sofa in her office. After I took off my jacket and loosened my tie, I sat back, resting one of my legs on the sofa and one on the floor. I placed my right arm on top of the sofa and looked at Scorpio leaned against her desk.

  “Well, make yourself at home,” she said. “You look awfully comfortable.”

  “I am and why shouldn’t I feel at home whenever I come to Jay’s? This place has memories of me written all over it, doesn’t it?”

  “Maybe. But, right now, I want to know the purpose for your visit. Do you have good or bad news for me?”

  “I can’t tell you while you’re standing over there. I need for you to come over here so I can tell you.”

  Scorpio
came over by me and put her knee between my legs. She leaned over me, which caused me to lean further back.

  “My mind has been deluged with nothing but thoughts of you,” she admitted. “Help me understand this connection I have with you. Is it strictly sex for you or do you want—can we have more?”

  Scorpio’s pretty eyes were right there with mine. “Baby, I would love to offer you so much more, but I am in the most fucked up position that I’ve ever been in before. I . . .”

  Scorpio’s phone buzzed and saved me. I thought she was going to get up to see who the caller was but her eyes stayed glued to mine. “No matter what you’ve decided, I still love you. I’ll just have to live with your decision,” she said.

  Her words and the look in her eyes killed me inside. I held the sides of her face and went for her lips. She straddled herself wider on top of me and maneuvered her arms out of her dress. Once she lowered the top part of her dress, she sat up on me and removed her hair clip. She teased her hair with her fingers and I held the sides of her breasts with my hands. I softly touched her nipples and dreaded what I was about to say. “Baby, you don’t know how sorry I am . . . .”

  “Shhh,” she said. “Let me get up and close the door.”

  Before getting up, she leaned in for another kiss. That’s when someone behind us cleared their throat. Scorpio quickly turned, and I rose up to look over her shoulder.

  “You have two seconds to get off my trifling husband. As for you, Jaylin,” Nokea took a hard swallow and I swore I saw fire burning in her eyes. “Please explain to me what in the hell you’re doing here!”

  I slowly sat up, having very little to say. Scorpio pulled up the top of her dress and got off me. She folded her arms, and full of gloat, she turned to Nokea.

  “Who let you in here?” she asked.

  Nokea ignored Scorpio and continued to look at me. I stood up, reached for my suit jacket and lay it across my arm. “Let’s go,” I said. “I’m not getting ready to talk about this right here so let’s go.”

  “I can’t think of a better place to discuss this,” Nokea said. “If you won’t tell me, I’m sure Scorpio can enlighten me on what’s going on.”

  “What does it look like to you?” Scorpio snapped. “You have eyes and I hope you use them to see.”

  “Look,” I said. “I’m not going to stand here and do this! I said, let’s go!”

  Nokea pointed her finger at me, confirming every word she spoke. “Jaylin, let me tell you something . . . if you walk out of that door, and leave me to fight your battle, you’d better walk out for good. I want to know right here, and right now, what the hell is going on?”

  “Not a damn thing. I stopped by to say what’s up and that’s it.”

  “That’s it, huh? To me, and my eyes do provide twenty-twenty vision, it looked like a whole lot more to it than just that.”

  Scorpio dropped her arms and rolled her eyes. She spoke out, as she made her way over to her desk. “This is just so fucking stupid. I wish you’d be honest with her so she can step up out of here.”

  “By all means, somebody please be honest with me. If Jaylin isn’t man enough to do it, then you tell me what I should know. You sound very eager, and this would be the perfect opportunity for you to share.”

  I could see Scorpio’s anxiousness to tell Nokea something. Certainly, I couldn’t let that happen.

  I looked at Nokea. “Look, I came here because I made a mistake. I don’t want to stand here and talk about it right now, but if you’d let me explain, I promise to tell you everything when we get home.”

  “Have you had sex with her, and did you come here to have sex with her again?” Nokea asked.

  “I do . . . do not want to go into details right now.”

  Nokea turned to Scorpio. “During the course of our marriage, have you had sex with Jaylin?”

  Scorpio stood behind her desk, folded her arms again, and spoke with assurance. “Within the last two weeks, a total of eleven times. Today would have made twelve.”

  Wow.w.w, Scorpio’s response did not sit right with me or Nokea. I looked at Scorpio in disbelief. “Why?” I said. “Why you gotta go out like that? Let me handle this, all right?”

  “Eleven times,” Nokea said, shaking her head. She questioned Scorpio again. “Did you come to Florida to see Jaylin?”

  “Yes. I spent five eventful days and four long nights with him.”

  “I’m out of here,” I said. “Y’all can sit here and discuss this . . .”

  Nokea was enraged. “Are you going to defend your fucking self, Jaylin? Is what Scorpio telling me the truth? Must I hear the truth from another woman, and not my own husband! Since when did you become such a coward? Man up and lay your mess on the line!”

  “Don’t talk to me in that tone, Nokea! I’m trying to spare some fucking feelings up in here, but since y’all wanna get this shit out in the open, then let’s. I was angry and Scorpio was there for me. You were at home trying to work through your feelings for Shane and you didn’t understand the pain I was going through! I can’t sweep no shit like what happened between you and him under the rug. I needed time to heal. Unfortunately, my inability to cope caused me to consult with another woman.” I looked at Scorpio. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody, but the reason I stopped by here was to tell you that I could never give you the things you asked for. I hope that you find happiness with another man, other than Shane, and don’t miss out on your happiness because of me. I will never choose another woman over my family and it’s no secret how much Nokea means to me.” I looked back at Nokea. “Now, I hope you’re satisfied—can we please go?”

  “Oh, you don’t know what it takes to satisfy me,” Nokea said. “How dare you stand there so arrogant and full of yourself after putting me through this mess again! I’m far from being satisfied, Jaylin, and I hope you’ve carefully thought this through. I’m leaving and I will see you whenever you get home.”

  Nokea made her way to the door. She couldn’t quite make it out as so many people stood by the door listening. I turned to Scorpio and she had fury in her eyes.

  “I knew you were going to do this to me. All you wanted to do was break up Shane and me so you could have your way. Mission accomplished, Jaylin. Now, go take good care of your wife and leave me the hell alone.”

  I could still see people by the door, so I closed it. I looked back at Scorpio. “I might have assisted with breaking up you and Shane, but you helped with that too. You knew I was not going to leave—”

  “Like hell, Jaylin,” she screamed and darted her finger at me. “You misled me, again! You made love to me like you wanted to be with me forever. You expressed over and over how much you needed me! The connection that you have with me says that something is definitely there. But, you pretend that Nokea is the best thing that’s happened to you, and without her, you can hardly see straight! How do you do it, Jaylin? How can you be so fake like that? I wish like hell I could be fake too, but I don’t operate like that.”

  “You did so when you were with Shane, but I’m not going there. Listen, I got some deep-ass feelings for you and there’s no denying that. I just can’t walk out on my wife and kids for some good pussy. I love other things about you too, Scorpio, but our connection is very sexual. We can’t make it work on that. If I could, I would, but, I can’t.”

  “You keep saying that our connection is sexual, but that’s because you refuse to face reality. You cheated on your precious wife and risked losing your children out of your love for me and not for my pussy. You missed what we shared Jaylin. You couldn’t wait for Nokea to disrupt y’alls marriage so you could run right back to me. If it were all about a piece of ass, you could have gotten that anywhere. Many women would have opened their legs up to you, but you wanted me! That in itself accounts for some love buried deep inside of you. If what I’m saying don’t jive with what you feel, then walk your ass out of that door and never look back. Besides, I’m sure your wife is heartbroken and needs you. As for me, I sh
ould have known better, but you’d better believe that I’m going to be all right.”

  “I’m sure that Nokea needs me too. Even though part of what you’ve said might be true, I love no one like I love her. Losing her would make me a very miserable and unhappy man. That’s not the kind of person you deserve to have in your life. Now, unfortunately, I gotta go. Stay sweet and focus on the good times.”

  “To hell with the good times. What good does it do me to think about them? Why don’t you think about them, and while you’re thinking, think about getting the hell out of my office. Now!”

  I stood, giving Scorpio a long stare. I couldn’t blame her one bit for being angry, but for now, all I could do was turn and walk out the door.

  Chapter 19

  Scorpio

  After all that had happened, I was almost too embarrassed to leave my office. I knew everybody had heard what had gone down. Trying to maintain my composure, I put on my game face and headed up front. All eyes were on me, as everybody wanted to hear the scoop.

  “You have got to tell us what all of that was about!” Bernie said.

  “Didn’t everybody hear?” I responded.

  “Nope,” Jamaica said. “All we know is . . . you went to Florida, fucked Jaylin eleven times, he came here to fuck you again, and his wife showed up. We tried to call back there and warn you, but Nokea insisted that she knew where your office was.”

  “Well thanks. If she had come in here with a gun, I would have had so much to be thankful for, right? Y’all sent her right on back, knowing Jaylin was back there with me.”

  “Don’t be upset with us,” Jamaica added. “You shouldn’t be messing with that woman’s husband no way. He fine and all, but that dick done had you hooked for way too long. It couldn’t be all that.”