I'VE GOT SO MUCH TO GIVE

by Will Brown

  Desiree and her girls went shopping all over the city. The weather was a scorching 96 degrees. Q’s driver attempted to make conversation.

  “Hey mon! How many of you gals are single back dere? As a matter of fact, who’s available tonight, huh? I’m going to a hot Reggae club this night, yeah, mon. Can I interest any of you into going to a real party with me?”

  Desiree leaned forward with an attitude. “Excuse me, but I think it would be a good idea if you just drive us where we need to go before I have to report you to Q. You know as well as I, that if I do and he finds out you’re trying to holla at my staff like that, this will be your last day on this job.”

  “Easy Desiree, we just might want to go out after all," Candice said.

  “Take it teasy lady. I’m not trying to lose my job now,” the driver said with a strong accent. “I was just trying to help out with letting you see the town dat’s all, okay?”

  Desiree cooled her temper.

  “Okay ladies, whatever. But remember one thing, you’re on your own. Just come back in one piece so we can go back home. That’s all I have to say. I don’t have time to be calling anybody’s family.”

  The driver was so pissed off with Desiree, he turned up the radio, not realizing how the music was stirring up her emotions. She practically melted in her seat, thinking about Q, and them being together later that night when she returned.

  The first stop they made was 7th Avenue and 30th Street. The girls tried on every outfit and shoe in their size in the shops. And as usual, there was a lot of attention, as men passing by stopped in their tracks to admire them as they paraded around the store. One brother wasn’t thinking about just looking through the window.

  Not lacking any courage, he walked right inside and up to Asia, holding his briefcase.

  “Excuse me, but are you ladies from overseas or something?” he asked. “I mean, I know you’re not from this city. Where are you from?”

  “No way honey. We’re from Atlanta, Georgia," Terri answered.

  “Wow, that’s what’s up,” the brother said. “So are you single?”

  “I don’t mean to be rude or anything but we have to go,” Terri said. “It was nice talking with you, but our boss is trying to get us in the car.” She gave him a friendly smile and rushed out the door.

  “Well Asia, if we weren’t in a hurry I guess you would have given that brother a little bit more conversation," Michelle said.

  “I sure would have. After all, he wasn’t bad looking.”

  When they arrived at the next stop, the store manager tried to offer her services, but the girls were too independent and kindly asked that they be left alone to shop on their own. When it was all said and done, they spent over $12,000, leaving the place in disarray with clothes everywhere. To say the least, the staff had to replace everything left back on the racks. One by one everyone came out with bags, piling them into the van.

  “Okay driver, take us back to New Jersey. A friend told me about a hair salon I need to visit called Shalimar. Here’s the address. You should know where this is.”

  :Yeah, I know where it is. Hold on,” the driver said.

  “Ladies, after we get makeovers, I hear there’s a nice restaurant we need to visit. It’s supposed to be better than the spot back home. Now you know we have to see for ourselves,” Desiree said.

  Meanwhile, as Q sat in his office, he took a minute to reevaluate his encounter with Desiree, recalling all the events with her. Although he invited her to visit the office, he was not willing to play any games. As he'd told T-Bird before, Desiree was a grown ass woman. The entire situation was too much to bare, trying to understand T-Bird’s concerns because it was her cousin. However, he wasn’t going to back down from Desiree’s challenge to get with him either. After all, Desiree was a flirt. She had already set the tone between them and now she’d attempted to entice him with foreplay. When she did arrive, it was going to be pay back. As the sun began to go down, he knew it was time call her.

  “So how is everything going?” he asked. “Was the car big enough?” he asked.

  “Baby, you gave us the hook-up. We’re back in town and should be done shortly. I was telling the ladies earlier that we would be together tonight.”

  “Really? I was thinking about that myself. I’m saying this upfront. I won’t be wining and dining you like some country boy. I like getting right to the point.”

  “Take it slow baby. I don’t want you trying handle something you may not be ready for. I already heard about you being a playboy. I just hope you’re ready for me.”

  “Um... I see you’re feisty too. Just the way I like it. As a matter of fact, I’m still thinking about those jeans you had on earlier.”

  “I tell you what, I’m going to let you see more than just the jeans I had on... But I think we better stop this conversation right here until we meet..."

  Hearing Desiree’s response, he knew it was going to be on, as he sat back in his chair planning his next move.

  Meanwhile, Desiree and the girls were just arriving at the salon. She wanted to get a new hairstyle that would make Q stop in his tracks when he saw her. Her hair was just as long as T-Bird's, but its length was camouflaged by the twists she wore.

  “Woo... girl, you are looking too fabulous.” Janice said.

  “Q is certainly going to be in store for a treat tonight. Excuse me ladies but will you look at Desiree. That hair is fabulous!”

  She had the stylist give her feather curls, with her baby fine hair tapered down the sides of her face. By the time they all were beautified, there was barely enough time to go to get something to eat.

  The moment they all piled back into the van, DJ Lock Down was playing T-bird’s new single "Baby Make Me Feel So Good," and afterwards "Lover Lover." The girls all seemed to catch a second wind, while relaxing in the limo listening to T-Bird's second release. Finally, they'd all had the privilege of meeting the cousin they’d heard so much about; Desiree and T-Bird were synonymous. Two first cousins. Perfectly identical. The only difference between them were their skin color. Desiree, bronze in complexion and T-Bird pure red-bone. After all they were from Louisiana and their backgrounds were both Cajun and Mulatto. You wouldn’t have believed it, until seen up close and personal. This was a trip they would never forget.

  “Well, since we’re back, why don’t we have a glass of wine before we call it quits for the night?” Candice asked all the girls while getting out of the car.

  “I can handle that,” Desiree said, “Let’s head for the lounge.”

  Sitting at the table Vita stood up holding her glass.

  “To Desiree, for being the perfect boss and especially for bringing us with you to your cousin’s party.” as she took a sip.

  “Aw. How sweet of y’all. It was nothing. I just thought it was a good idea for all of us to be together and show these city boys some southern style ladies. Now you know there couldn’t have been a party without us! Did you not see what happened when we walked into that club? It was like time stood still.”

  Everyone laughed, finished their drink and gave her a hug before departing to freshen up for the party the driver had invited them to.

  Finally, Desiree was back in her room to relax, as the radio continued to rotate her cousin’s song "Lover, Lover.” In and out of the shower she went, careful not to wet her new hairdo. It was all about calculation to know what she would wear from her shopping spree, to keep Q's eyes right where she wanted them. A one piece dress with thin shoulder straps that clung to her body like a fitted glove.

  Surely her visit wasn’t going to slow the influx of calls he was still receiving from other women. As a matter of fact, he was talking to the woman he’d had sex with on the beach, while at the party in Martha’s Vineyard with Trey and Carlotta. She was willing to drive over the bridge for another encounter. But as far as he was concerned, it was first come, first served and his night was already planned making Desiree his prey.

  Before she could even lea
ve the hotel, Q arrived. Talking about calculating. He was now at the front desk contemplating having them announce his arrival. Low and behold, he saw Lamar at the bar and asked for her room number, wanting to surprise her.

  While walking down the corridor, he noticed a staff member from room service making rounds to pick up the remaining trays left on the floor outside the rooms. In a clever move, he gave him $100.00 to knock on Desiree’s door.

  When she opened it, Q was standing there; cool, calm and collected, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. For a minute she was speechless as he looked at her, sending chills through her body.

  “Are you going to let me in or must I remain standing here? I mean, I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea with me standing outside your door.”

  “Sure lover boy come on in.”

  He entered the room while noticing her hair and admiring her from head to toe. There was no way he could deny how beautiful she looked. Still tingling with sensation, she could have chosen to allow him to take her dress right off and fuck her for the rest of the night. Instead, she kissed him, not willing to resist the pleasure of tasting his tongue in her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist and maneuvered his hands down to her ass, feeling her body tremble.

  “Um… Nice lips,” she said, still allowing Q to hold her close to him. The more he looked at her, the more it felt as if he were holding T-Bird. He looked into her eyes pulling her even closer.

  “Damn, I’m really feeling some kind of way right now. You remind me too much of your damn cuz.”

  As he waited for her response. Desiree was trying her best to lure Q into her web, but he backed off, making her desire him even more. He grabbed her by the hand.

  “Come on baby we’ve got a long night ahead of us,” he said, walking to the door. “By the time you get back, the only thing you’ll want to do is sleep.”

  Q and Desiree were the perfect match for each other; they both were players and cut from the same cloth. She had A-list clients and businessmen standing in line at a moment's notice, just as Q did with women. Her plan was to stay two steps ahead of Q, but somehow that didn’t seem to be working. By the time they arrived at his office, cars were coming in and out on assignments.

  “Come on, let’s go inside," he said, as he escorted her into the building.

  As soon as they walked by the dispatcher’s office, one of the men inside was on his way to the coffee machine and stopped in his tracks looking at Desiree in her dress. He looked at Q with his eyes about to pop out of his head.

  “Can we get back to work?” Q said, looking at his employee. Going back into the office, he summoned the rest of the guys so they could see Desiree, as Q escorted her through the bay and into his office.

  Q’s office was surrounded by stained glass allowing him to see everything, but no one could see him inside. He pointed out cars that were being serviced with oil changes and tire rotations, including the one she’d used on her first trip from Atlanta into New York and then grabbed her by the hand.

  “Come with me. I want to show you something.” He was actually taking her into the middle of the atrium and lounge area, to show her the prototype model of the complex in its development stages before it was completed.

  “Did you design all this yourself?” she asked.

  “I sure did, every detail.” There were seven planes, and a helicopter stationed near the runway. “Come on, I’m not done yet,” he said motioning for her to follow him outside.

  “Take a look at this,” guiding her into one of the planes.

  “This is one of my favorite planes. It was the first one I had renovated when I started three years ago. I put a little bit more detail in this plane than the others, because it was my first one. Look at the racks in the walls and the business stations and the quality of the leather. It has a pretty nice size section with a bar too. Do you remember this plane? It was the one you flew in from Atlanta. Looks very different now. Huh?”

  “Q, I have to admit, I don’t remember. They all start looking the same. The only thing on my mind was getting to my meeting. Please forgive me.”

  Q just shook his head and escorted her to the end of the building.

  “I thought I’d save the best for last. I know you’ll like this as much as I do.” They then walked over to his latest prize. It was a new plane just like the one he had just shown her, with all the bell and whistles.

  Q was proud of his accomplishments and this made an impression on Desiree.

  “Well, this is Corporate Jet and Limousine Services and what my company is all about. I’ve come a long way from dream to a reality," he said. “Are you ready to go back to my office?”

  “You’re the pilot baby. So are you handling the controls or what?” she answered.

  Q stopped in the middle of the corridor to look at Desiree once more before returning to his office. He needed to find a way to talk about Darnell, without blowing the chemistry they had already established.

  “Would you like a drink?" he offered, as they entered. Without hesitation, she sat in the chair at his desk while admiring his nameplate.

  “It’s funny you recognized my nameplate. It was a gift from your cousin. According to her, she wanted to add a woman’s touch to the office.”

  Desiree just smiled, while crossing her legs showing off her thighs.

  “Well, I guess that’s why we’re cousins. She knows what good taste is and by the way, since we are talking about gifts, I thought you would like to have something from me as well.”

  She then reached into her bag and pulled out a wrapped box with a set of 24-carat cuff links inside with his initials inscribed on them.

  “Do you like them?” she asked.

  “What can I say? You just never cease to amaze me.”

  Even though it was the right answer, Desiree could tell something else was on his mind. She got up and stood in front of him allowing him to smell the scent of her perfume. “Is there something wrong baby?”

  “No, it’s nothing really. I really appreciated the gift. Thank you.”

  However, Desiree was too smart for that kind of answer. She wasn’t going to allow him to evade her question until she found out exactly what on his mind.

  “I’ll accept that after you tell me the truth. Your thoughts aren’t with me right now. I can feel it.”

  He sat down.

  “Okay, I have two concerns I’d like to discuss with you. The first is Darnell. I had a meeting with the guys and there was a discussion about T-Bird, and Darnell regarding her attraction for him. JJ thinks it’s a bad time for her to get caught up emotionally with him and we don’t want her getting hurt. I mean she just came out of a divorce..."

  "..I’m sure you can understand. She’s not just your cousin, but she’s a jewel to us too and a part of our unit. We don’t know anything about Darnell and we want to protect her in any way possible. Can you understand everyone’s feelings?”

  Desiree listened patiently and didn’t say a word. She walked over and sat on his lap, before taking a deep breath.

  “Now baby, let me tell you something. I don’t know much about Darnell, other than he’s a damn good journalist. That’s why I hired him. Now other than that, I don’t know any more about Darnell than y’all do, other than the fact that, yes, he is a nice piece of cheese to have in any woman’s trap. And, let me be the first to say, after everything T-Bird has been through with Shaun, I thought her meeting someone like Darnell would be a nice treat. Now don’t y’all think she deserves that much? Now if he hurts her, not only will he be out of a job, but the whole state of Louisiana will be coming after him..." Desiree stopped so the meaning in her words could settle on Q.

  "..We have a big family and my male cousins ain’t gonna tolerate cuz getting sin hurt. Hell and they are always in and out of jail too. It won’t be no thang honey getting his ass kicked, if he messes up. Now concerning the second matter. What did you say it was?” she asked as she began to kiss him. Q then leaned his hea
d between her breasts held hostage by Desiree’s touch, as the temptation for her grew even stronger.

  “To answer your question, baby. I know you’re checking me and the feeling is mutual. As a matter of fact, come to me,” as he reached under her dress to feel her pussy. “Make no mistakes about it, we will be fucking. That landmark has already been established.” He touched her breast and slid down the strap of her dress, kissing her up and down her neck.

  He then lifted her on to the top of his desk and began licking her nipples as she pushed his head deeper her breast. Droplets of sweat were beginning to form on Desiree’s forehead. She’d already provoked his wrath; that was more than evident. Realizing workers were still in the building, she tried to push him away.

  “Wait, let’s stop. We can’t do this here,” she said, as she tried to catch her breath and regain her composure before it was too late.

  “Baby I want to fuck you so bad.” She continued. Her next breath was a sigh, being released as Q pulled her panties to the side and stuck his dick right inside her pussy. Immediately she stuck her nails into his back. There was nothing left to do but accept the fact, regardless of employees, she was getting her payback for trying to seduce him when they met at the hotel.

  In a moment of pleasure, they came at the same time. Her legs were still wrapped around his back, as her body continued to tremble.

  “You’re right..." He whispered.

  “That was just a little appetizer. After tonight you’ll be moving from Atlanta to get this dick..” Q began to wipe the sweat from his face while allowing Desiree to put herself back together. Once again his ego was top of his shoulders.

  She then caressed his face. “Baby, I’m trying to give you a tree and you’re settling for a limb." as she took out her lipstick. Taking a moment to straighten his tie and allow the sweat to absorb into his tee shirt, Q placed both hands against the wall. He leaned his body forward realizing he could not come up with a response that could challenge her statement, because she was right. However, he wasn’t interested in a tree either.