by Glenn, Roy
“How do you know you’ll regret it?” Peggy asked, following me to the door.
I stopped and faced her. I put my hands on her shoulders to stop her advance. “Look, Peggy, I like you. I had a good time with you tonight. And if I was in a different state of mind . . . I don’t know.” I paused and looked at Peggy again. “Yes I do, if I was in a different state of mind we’d be naked now.”
“I understand.” Peggy opened the door.
“Good night, Peggy. See you in the morning.”
“Tavarus, thanks. I know both of us would have regretted it in the morning. But when you’re in a different state of mind, call me, okay?”
“I just might.” I left the apartment and Peggy closed the door behind me. I walked quickly to my car, got in, and started the engine. I paused before pulling away to reflect. I can’t believe Peggy just set it out for me and I passed on it, I thought. However, as I drove home, I was sure I did the right thing.
Chapter Twenty-two
Zack
It’s been almost two weeks since my world came tumbling down around me. I’ve tried for some time, with little success, to make sense of the whole thing. Tried to attach some comic significance to why things happened the way they happened. One thing is for sure: my life is so uncomplicated now.
Uncomplicated to the point where it’s getting boring. I don’t do anything. I’ve tried to hook up with the fellows, but that hasn’t seemed to work out. They all seem to be off into their own thing. Chris said he was having problems with the contract he’s been working on. Once he gets it stabilized, we’d get together and talk about some options for me. “Super salesman like you couldn’t have any problem generating income for himself,” Chris said the last time we talked.
And I don’t know what’s up with Tee. Whatever he’s into is some big secret. I just hope he ain’t doing something dumb. So my days consist of driving Angelique to work, meeting Angelique for lunch, and picking Angelique up from work. In between, I watch a lot of ESPN and workout a lot. Which is cool ’cause I lost the little gut I was working on. Angelique’s happy about that, but she hates the beard I’ve grown.
I’ve always wanted to grow one; but Angelique says it tickles, so I guess it’s gotta go. What she’s not happy about is the no-job thing. She thinks I’m getting too comfortable and she’s right. Chris was right—this is the way to live. I’m not talking about chillin’ all day watching TV. I’m talking about control of my agenda. No boss to answer to, no longer tied to that paycheck. But then there’s money. I can’t stay out here without money. Right now it’s not an issue. Ben flew out to Bandexx and closed the deal I’d started. Actually, he made more money on the deal than I would have. He called and told me that he revised my figures and presented them with the same deal at a higher price. He told them that I had made a mistake.
“You know niggas don’t know nuttin’ ’bout no numbers,” Ben told them. So I got what they call separation pay. To me it was more like lease-don’t-call-your-lawyer-about-us-taking–you-off-an–account-because you’re-Black pay, but I ain’t mad at them, either. But I do have to give some serious thought to making money again.
There was one thing on my agenda that I haven’t been able to accomplish. I haven’t been able to hook up with Tyhedra. We talk just about every day, but much to my regret, Tyhedra is always busy. In the meantime, while I wait for Tyhedra to have time for me, I’ve hooked up with Lana. But to be honest with you, for reasons I can’t explain, Lana has lost some of her luster.
So it was looking like a day like all the rest of my days lately. After I dropped Angelique off at work, I came home and worked out. Once I was done, I took a long, hot shower, and settled in on the couch and flipped on ESPN. Then I heard my cell ringing. “Hello.”
“Hey, Zack, it’s Tyhedra.”
My dick started getting hard as it always does when she calls. “What’s up, Tyhedra?”
“Nothing much. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Nope. Just sitting around thinking about my tongue on your clit,” I said and stroked my crotch.
Tyhedra laughed. “Boy, you need to stop. What you need to be doing is deciding when and how you’re going to get back in the game.”
“As a matter of fact, I have been giving that some thought. I’ve been talking with a friend of mine that owns his own business. We’re gonna get together once he works through some issues he’s been having with a client.”
“You need to tell him about me. I may be able to help him.”
“I’ll be sure to do that, but don’t you have enough to do already?”
“Honey, there is never enough business.”
“True that. So what’s up today? I know you have fifty meetings to go to, as usual.”
“No. Today my day is relatively free.”
“We should get together then.”
“Sorry, I’m having lunch with a friend of mine.”
“Why don’t the three of us get together then?”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you join us for lunch? My treat.”
“I don’t think so, but you ladies have a good time and think about me.”
“Come on, Zack. You need to get out of the house. Do something other than playing chauffeur to your wife.”
She right about me getting out of the house and doing something. Besides, if she was relatively free, maybe we could get together for a few hours and be done in time for me to pick up Angelique.
We met at La Parrilla, a Mexican restaurant on South Marietta Parkway. I stood up when I saw Tyhedra coming toward me. She was looking so damn sexy, and her friend was kind of hot, too, with a set of titties that I’d love to see uncovered. I gave Tyhedra a hug and she kissed me on the cheek. “Maritza, this is my friend Zack,” Tyhedra said.
I gave Maritza a friendly hug. “It’s nice to meet you, Maritza. Please,” I said and extended my hand, “have a seat.”
Once the introductions were made, I reclaimed my seat and Maritza and Tyhedra sat next to each other. The waitress came around to take our order. “Bring us a big pitcher of Cuervo Margaritas,” Maritza said, and smiled at me.
When the waitress brought back our pitcher, the ladies ordered Vegi Fajitas for two.
“Vegi?” I questioned. “That takes all the fun out of it.”
“Maybe,” Tyhedra said. “But it’s so much better for you than all that red meat. It has grilled tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms served on a bed of bell peppers and onions. You should try it.”
“No thanks. I’m gonna have the Tilapia and Camarones.” We drank margaritas and the three of us got better acquainted.
“So, what do you do, Zack?” Maritza asked.
I glanced at Tyhedra. “I’m between jobs right now.”
“What did you used to do?”
“I was in sales.”
“Well, good luck finding a job in this economy,” Maritza said.
“Thank you. Luck is always a good thing to have on your side,” I added. “What about you, Maritza, what do you do?”
“I’m a therapist.”
“So you get into people’s heads?” I laughed.
“Getting into people’s heads is what I’m best at, honey,” Maritza said, and she and Tyhedra both laughed.
“That’s good to know,” Tyhedra said, and touched Maritza’s hand.
The chitchat continued in that manor while we ate, and then it took a turn that I didn’t expect. Somehow a jalapeño pepper led us to a discussion about sex. Since I had been thinking about it the whole time, I finally decided to ask. “So when are we gonna get together, Tyhedra?” I asked.
“Yeah, when are we gonna get together, Tyhedra?” Maritza surprised me by saying.
“I did say that I was relatively free today,” Tyhedra said and laughed.
We all laughed, but I got real serious, real quick. “Well, there’s a Days Inn on North Marietta Parkway, we can go there. My treat.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Tyhedra said, and Maritza lau
ghed.
Maritza looked at me. “Well, I’m relatively free today, too,” she said and smiled.
“Check, please,” I said, and they followed me to the Days Inn.
On the way to the hotel, there was still something in me that didn’t really believe that it was actually going to happen. Even when we were in the room, I still couldn’t believe it. But it wasn’t too long before Maritza accepted Tyhedra’s invitation to join me and her on the bed.
Maritza began to run her hand across my left leg. She took my face into her hands and kissed me. Maritza pulled her top over her head and dropped it on the floor. I ran my right hand along Tyhedra’s thighs and put the other arm behind Maritza’s back. I immediately unhooked Maritza’s bra. As soon as her twins were free, I did what I’d been thinking about since Maritza walked in La Parrilla. I eased away from Tyhedra and took one of Maritza nipples into my mouth. Maritza lay across the bed, held my head in place with one hand, and squeezed her breast with the other.
Tyhedra stood up and got undressed. She knelt in front of the bed quickly pulled off my pants and began to stroke me until I got hard. Once my dick was firm, Tyhedra took me into her mouth.
Maritza stood up, unzipped her skirt, and let it drop to the floor to reveal that she had nothing on under it. She got down on her knees and ran her hands over Tyhedra’s body. She started from her ankles, along her legs, and then joined Tyhedra between my legs.
This was a fantasy come true. Two beautiful women running their tongues along the sides of my dick. I took a deep breath and tried to relax so I could enjoy every second of it.
Maritza stood up and laid down on the bed next to me. I immediately attacked her nipples. Tyhedra got up and crawled between Maritza’s legs. Tyhedra reached between her thighs and fingered her clit with one hand while squeezing her breast with the other. Tyhedra very deliberately spread Maritza’s lips with her thumb and forefinger, while making small circles around her clit with the tip of her right forefinger.
Maritza stroked my dick until I moved up and put it in her mouth. I watched as Tyhedra slid her tongue inside Maritza and sucked her moist lips gently. I felt Maritza’s body quiver as Tyhedra licked her clit with the tip of her tongue. Tyhedra rubbed her clit until her thighs pressed together.
I looked down at Tyhedra’s ass up in the air and knew I had to fuck her. I fell in behind her, held onto her hips, and entered her slowly. While I slid in and out of Tyhedra, I watched Maritza squeezing her nipples and loving what Tyhedra was making her feel. I pulled out of Tyhedra, stroked my dick a few times, and then slowly entered her again. I smacked her ass. Not hard, but firm.
After a while, I laid down and Maritza lay next to me, gliding her hand up and down my erection. Tyhedra got up on the bed and lowered herself onto my face. I reached up and ran my hands across her breasts. I ran my tongue along her lips and proceeded to lick her clit.
Maritza kept running her hands up and down my dick. She got on top of me and eased herself down on it. She moaned her pleasure while continuing to slide up and down my shaft. Maritza rested her breasts gently on Tyhedra’s back. She cupped her hands under Tyhedra’s breasts and squeezed her nipples, while she kissed her neck and shoulders.
Tyhedra repositioned herself on my face, so she was facing Maritza. While I licked and sucked Tyhedra’s dipping wet pussy, she and Maritza explored each other’s bodies with their hands. I pushed myself as deep as I could inside Maritza. It was truly a dream come true. When it was over, the three of us were exhausted. We passed out on the bed, holding one another, with Tyhedra in the middle. I woke up and looked at the clock. “Shit!” I jumped up and got in the shower. When I got out, Maritza’s head was buried deep in between Tyhedra’s thighs. I stood there for a long while watching them and stroking my dick. I fought off the urge to join them and got dressed. I don’t even think that they knew or cared that I was gone. I got in my car and drove to pick up Angelique. I was twenty minutes late getting there.
“What took you so long?” Angelique asked when she got in the car.
“Something came up and I had to handle it,” I said.
“I hope it was worth it.”
It was worth it every minute. At least it was for me.
Chapter Twenty-three
Chris
Things couldn’t get any better than they are now. I have finally got Ivan DeVito and TMG moving in the direction I need them to. As she and I discussed, Tyhedra popped the tittie out of Ivan’s mouth. I could tell the day she did it, because he immediately started calling me. I simply told him that I was out of town and that he should address any concerns that he had with Kim. He whined for a while, as I expected, so I let him do so for a while, then I told him that Kim was capable of handling any situation that might arise. “However, in the unlikely event that she cannot handle it, CJ is on call and available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”
The next day Kim walked into Ivan’s office, not knowing how she’d be received. “You know he tried to give me some shit at first. You know, talking that CJ shit, but I shut that down quick.”
“How’d you do it?”
“I said, ‘Fine. But before I call CJ, I need to know what the issues are so she’ll be prepared when she gets here.’”
“What he say to that?”
“His ass turned beet red, trying to intimidate me like he do Tina. Then I stated the facts again. I said, ‘I understand all that; however, before I call CJ I still need to know what the issues are so she’ll be prepared when she gets here.’”
“I know he didn’t like that.”
“Nope, not all. But he went on and ran down his beef of the day. I said, ‘Well, if that’s all it is, I’m not going to call CJ.’ Then I spent the next thirty minutes breaking it down for him. Since then, we ain’t had no more problems.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you handled it.”
“Anyway, Chris, what are you doing tonight?” Kim asked.
“Nothing really. Why?”
“I talked to Tyhedra yesterday and she invited us to a reception at the Fox Theater. She said she was gonna go, but she has some other things I need to deal with. She said to tell you that some guy named Ted asked her to invite you. She said she thinks he’s ready to talk to you about doing some work for his other companies.”
“His name is Ted Keys and his number is in my rolodex. Why don’t you just arrange lunch or something?”
“I could do that, but come anyway?”
“I don’t know, Kim. I might come through there.”
“Come on, Chris. Tyhedra said this is a really big client.”
“I’ll meet you outside the Fox at five thirty,” I said, and hung up the phone. I was happy for the opportunity to bring in some new business, but the problem with that was Tyhedra. Since we had sex that night, she’s been avoiding me like I had the plague. All of my calls to her go unanswered, and when she’d call back, I seemed to always miss her call. Now she’s resorted to using Kim as a go between. I know we agreed that it was a mistake and it would never happen again—and it did—but I didn’t know it meant that I would never see or hear from her again.
At five fifteen, I drove around the Fox Theater looking for a place to park. I hate paying to park. After driving around for a while, I decided to take my chances and parked behind an office building a few blocks up from the theater. As I approached, I saw Kim standing outside awaiting my arrival. “Right on time,” she said.
“How you doing, Kim? You haven’t seen Tyhedra, have you?” I asked immediately.
“No, I haven’t seen her. But I just happened to run into Ted Keys. I introduced myself and told him that I was an associate of you and Tyhedra. He said he has some very exciting things to talk over with you.”
Once we were insid,e Kim led me straight toward Ted. I extended my hand and turned on my deal-with-the-white-man posture. “How have you been, Ted?”
“Good, Chris, very good in fact. Things are moving fast. Much faster than we anticipated. Let
’s find a quiet place to talk.” Ted led me up the stairs to the balcony. “Anybody up here?” Ted said, looking around. “Good, have a seat, Chris. Let’s talk business.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking a seat at the end of the aisle. Ted sat on the arm of a chair across from me. “So, tell me Ted, what can I do for you?”
“Well, Tyhedra tells me that you have quite a bit of experience with Tivoli Business Systems Manager?”
“I sure do,” I said confidently. “It’s my specialty.”
“Excellent. Here’s what we’re trying to do,.” Ted said.
For the next forty-five minutes, Ted talked about his business. Then he described in detail what he needed from me; I listened intently, making a few notes on the back of the program on how he wanted to proceed.
“That’s a pretty aggressive plan. What type of timeframe are you talking about?” I asked, trying not to let my excitement over being involved in a project of that magnitude show. This was the type of opportunity that I was looking for. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time. A project like that would require a lot of time. Depending on how deep their pockets were, I could bring CJ on full time and begin working on it.
“Frankly, Chris, phase one is complete. We should be ready to begin moving on phase two within the next couple of weeks.” Ted glanced at his watch. “Look at the time, they’re getting ready to start the program,” he said as he stood up and extended his hand. “I got to get downstairs so I can smile politely through the boring speeches. Then we’ll all try to eat and drink as much as we can before we have to sit through the commercials.”
“The commercials?”
“Oh, that’s the best part,” Ted said sarcastically. “All the spots we produced back to back—one thrilling commercial after another. I don’t know if my heart can stand all that excitement. But you give it some thought, and if it’s something that you think you might be interested in, give me a call.”
