The Last Chance

by Darrien Lee

  The pair walked toward the gates and into the stadium to watch the football game.

  During the football game, Martez and his friends sat together while Ramsey sat on the bleachers directly behind them so he could have a bird’s-eye view of the crowd and any suspicious movement.

  After the ball game, Martez and his friends attended a victory party at a local nightclub. Ramsey wasn’t too excited about the setup because the nightclub had limited parking and dim light, and it was packed to capacity. The room was full of gyrating young adults and Ramsey found himself constantly getting propositioned by college-age females. A couple of them even stuffed their telephone numbers into the palm of his hand with the request that he call them later. Ramsey couldn’t do anything but laugh, but took pleasure in admiring their beauty and physical attributes.

  Hours later, Martez still seemed to be having a great time dancing with his friends. Ramsey had even found him getting up close and personal with a young woman who wasn’t in his original group of friends from the ball game. The young woman danced, rubbed, and ground her body repeatedly against Martez as they danced to the rhythm of the music. Ramsey frowned, walked over to Martez, and asked him to step away for a second so they could talk.

  “What’s up, Mr. Stone? You’re blocking my flow.”

  Ramsey leaned down to the young man’s ear and said, “It’s time for us to go.”

  Martez looked at his watch and said, “It’s only one A.M.”

  Ramsey frowned and said, “I know what time it is, and the deal was that I would have you home by two A.M., so let’s go.”

  Martez glared at Ramsey and then said, “Let me go tell that honey good-bye. I’ll be right back.”

  Ramsey held up his fingers up and said, “You have two minutes.”

  Martez pushed through the crowd and over to the young woman. Ramsey watched as Martez spoke into her ear. The woman smiled, took his cell phone out of his hand, and appeared to be keying her telephone number into it. Martez kissed her on the cheek and made his way back over to Ramsey. “OK, Rambo, I’m ready.”

  Ramsey didn’t find Martez’s comment regarding Rambo funny. He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him through the crowd and out the door. Once outside, he looked at Martez and said, “I see you have a sense of humor.”

  Martez laughed as they turned the corner and walked across the street to Ramsey’s car. “I’m just trying to get you to lighten up, Mr. Stone.”

  “I’m working, Martez. I lighten up when I’m off duty,” Ramsey pointed out to him.

  Ramsey deactivated the alarm on his car as they approached it. It was at that time that two men stepped out of the shadows. One had a gun, the other a knife. The man with the gun said, “Give up the money.”

  Martez put his hands up and said, “We don’t have any money.”

  The second guy said, “Don’t make me cut you. Now give me your money.”

  Ramsey eyed the two men and then quickly reached into his back waistband and pulled out his gun, shooting the man with the gun in the shoulder. The gunman fell to the ground in agony as the man with the knife lunged at Martez and screamed, “This is from Jazz!”

  Ramsey pushed Martez out of the way and grabbed the man’s wrist. He twisted his arm, causing him to scream out in pain until he dropped the knife on the ground. Ramsey looked down at Martez and yelled, “Go back into the club!”

  By that time, a group of people coming out of the club saw Martez running frantically toward them screaming, “Call 911!”

  Ramsey kicked the man in the face, knocking him over the hood of a car. He glanced back over the man he’d shot and saw that he was still squirming around on the ground.

  Ramsey picked the guy up who originally had the knife and slammed him head first into the driver side windshield of a car, shattering it, which knocked him unconscious. Ramsey then turned his attention to the man he’d shot and grabbed him by the foot. He dragged him around to the front of his car and said, “Next time, tell your boy to send more people.”

  Someone from the group of people who heard the commotion called the police and within seconds, D.C. police were on the scene taking a report.

  Keilah met Michael for dinner later that night. She wore a lavender suit with matching shoes, and as soon as she walked into the restaurant, Michael stood and greeted her with a tender kiss on the cheek. “Keilah, you look beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” she replied as he held out her chair for her. Michael was dressed in full uniform, and he looked so handsome.

  He sat down across from her and said, “Keilah, I’m so sorry I couldn’t pick you up for dinner. My meeting ran over longer than I thought it would, and our reservations were for seven.”

  She placed a napkin in her lap and said, “Stop apologizing, Michael, it’s OK.”

  The waiter approached their table and showed Michael a bottle of champagne. Michael looked over at Keilah and asked, “Do you approve?”

  Keilah nodded in agreement. The waiter turned over their glasses and proceeded to pour two glasses of champagne. Before walking away, he handed both of them menus and said, “I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu, and as soon as you’re ready, I’ll be happy to take your order.”

  Michael smiled at the waiter and said, “Thank you.” Once the waiter was gone, Michael held his glass up to Keilah and said, “To new beginnings.”

  “To new beginnings,” Keilah repeated.

  The pair sipped their champagne. Keilah took a longer sip before setting her glass down. She felt a little nervous. Michael was staring at her so much that she could see the candlelight flickering in his eyes. “Keilah, you have a unique name.”

  She smiled and said, “Yes, my mother got it from the Bible.”

  “Keilah is a city in Judah, right?”

  Impressed, Keilah smiled and said, “That’s right. How did you know?”

  He took another sip of champagne and said, “I was born and raised in the church so I picked up on a few things.”

  Keilah blushed. “So I notice. Actually, my mother gave all of us names from the Bible.”

  “Really? How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Michael asked.

  I have four older brothers. Luke, Roman, Malachi, and Genesis.”

  Michael smiled and said, “I see what you mean. Your parents gave all of you some strong biblical names.”

  “Thank you, Michael.”

  He picked up the champagne bottle and refilled Keilah’s glass before refilling his own. “So you’re the baby of the family and the only girl?”

  “Unfortunately, I am. It has it rewards, but my brothers are terribly overprotective of me.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any less. If I had a sister, I would be the same way.”

  She laughed and said, “I understand, but you don’t know my brothers. They can be quite extreme.”

  He frowned and asked, “Why?”

  Keilah smiled and said, “My brothers are ten-plus years older than I am. They basically raised me, so I think they look at me as not only their sister but their child as well.”

  “I see,” Michael replied.

  The waiter returned to the table interrupting them. “Sir, are you ready for me to take your order?”

  Michael nodded at Keilah and she recited her order to the waiter. Michael gave the waiter his order as well before returning to his conversation with Keilah.

  “Having older siblings can be difficult, and in your case I can see how it can be a little overwhelming. Are your parents able to make them ease up on you a little bit?”

  Keilah lowered her head in silence. Michael immediately noticed her withdrawal from the conversation. “Keilah, are you OK? Did I say something wrong?”

  She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She waved him off and said, “It’s not you, Michael, I’m sorry. You see, my mother died of breast cancer when I was ten years old and I never knew my father. He was murdered before I was born.”

  Michael reached across the table an
d held Keilah’s hand to comfort her. “I’m so sorry, Keilah. I didn’t mean to pry or upset you.”

  “I’m fine, Michael. Enough about me, tell me something about you.”

  “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  “How old are you, Michael?”

  “Thirty-five. What else do you want to know?”

  “Have you ever been married or had any children?”

  He sipped his wine and said, “No on both questions, Miss Chance. Now answer a question for me?”

  “OK,” she replied.

  With a gleam in his eyes, he asked, “Do you want children?”

  “Of course I do, and since I was raised in a house full of men, I want at least two girls.”

  “How many children do you want to have?”

  Keilah blushed. “I don’t know. I guess at least three. Now it’s my turn. Do you want children?”

  Michael smiled and softly said, “Yes, and as soon as possible. Whoever I choose as the mother of my children would have to start right away.”

  Keilah frowned and said, “I see you’re on a mission.”

  He took a sip of champagne and said, “Most definitely. My mate would also have to be beautiful, intelligent, educated, and in excellent health.”

  Keilah didn’t know what to think of Michael’s requirements. He actually spoke as though he was looking for a baby machine instead of a wife, so she decided to ask him.

  “What about a wife, Michael? Aren’t you looking for a wife too?”

  He shifted his position in his chair and took a long sip of champagne. He sat his glass down and smiled. “Of course. Now, do you have other questions?”

  Keilah giggled. “As a matter of fact, I do. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  He raised his glass to her and said, “Luckily for me, I’m an only child.”

  “It’s not so bad having several siblings. I loved growing up in a big family. What about your parents? Are they still alive?”

  “My father’s deceased, but I still have my mother. She’s in an assisted-living facility in Virginia. My mother and Aunt Teresa are sisters, but my mother is much older. Her health is not so good right now, but she’s a tough old lady.”

  Keilah played with the bouquet of roses in the center of the table. “Were you close to your father?”

  “I was. He was a career military man as well.”

  “Like father, like son,” Keilah said.

  “I do. Losing someone you love is never easy, Keilah. Now, let’s change the subject. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Agreed?”

  Keilah smiled. “Agreed.”

  Michael and Keilah went on to enjoy a wonderful dinner and livelier conversation. Michael filled her in on his family, education, and military background. They didn’t discuss past relationships, but the couple did share with each other their interests and hobbies before bidding each other good-night.

  That was the first of many dates between Michael and Keilah and with each date, they grew a little closer together—much to the approval of

  Teresa Randolph and the disapproval of Ramsey. He was still skeptical of the relationship between Keilah and Michael, but he kept his opinion to himself. He missed Keilah terribly. Even though he was actively dating two other women, they could never measure up to the woman Keilah Chance was.

  Three weeks into Keilah’s relationship with Michael, she had to cancel a date with Michael to work late with Ramsey. Michael was disappointed but understood her responsibilities.

  Ramsey met Keilah at her house after picking up dinner on the way. He handed her a container of food and tried to set things up in her kitchen, but before he could get everything out of the bag, Keilah said, “Bring everything into the living room. I have the files in there.”

  “Slow down, Keilah, before you choke,” Ramsey joked as he followed her into the living room.

  She looked over at him and smiled. “You don’t understand. I am starving.”

  He sat down on the sofa and opened his plate. His eyes widened as he viewed the baked chicken, macaroni and cheese and green beans. When he looked over at Keilah, her plate was nearly empty.

  “Why didn’t you eat lunch?” he asked. “You know you get a little crazy if you go too long without eating.”

  She wiped her mouth and said, “I know, Ramsey, but I didn’t get hungry until around two o’clock, so I just ate a breakfast bar. Besides, I thought I was going to be eating dinner by six o’clock, remember?”

  He shook his head and said, “Poor baby. Listen, I have to go to court next week for that shooting incident at that club.”

  She giggled as she got up to throw her empty container in the garbage. “Did that kid really call you Rambo?”

  “Yes, he did. I wanted to smack him,” Ramsey replied as he admired her heavenly figure. She was dressed in a short, navy blue skirt with a light blue silk blouse. When she returned to the room she caught him staring at her. She smiled as she sat down next to him and opened her laptop.

  “What are you staring at, Stone?”

  “You,” he answered casually as he took a bite of his food. “You look good ... I mean happy.”

  She opened a folder and without making eye contact, she said, “Thanks, and good luck in court.”

  “So, Miss Chance?”

  She looked over at him again. “So what, Mr. Stone?”

  “Are you happy?”

  She thought to herself for a moment. “I’m good.”

  He frowned and sat his fork down. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I like Michael very much.”

  Still frowning he asked, “That’s it?”

  Keilah tilted her head and look at Ramsey. “What do you really want to know, Ramsey?”

  Ramsey had the weirdest expression on his face, which was a cross between angry and confused. He stood up, removed his tie, and unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, then looked down at her. “I want to know if you’re happy with this guy. Is he treating you good? Taking care of you?”

  Keilah blushed. “Michael is a gentleman, Ramsey. He’s tender, attentive, loving, and compassionate. What can I say? I guess you can say I am happy.”

  “You guess? Either you are or you’re not, Keilah.”

  She reached over, took his hand, and caressed it. “What’s really on your mind, Ramsey?”

  At that moment, Ramsey realized that Keilah could see right through him, but he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of confirmation. He pulled his hand away. “Never mind, Keilah. Forget I asked.”

  “Are you upset with me about something, Ramsey?”

  He stood up and took his food into the kitchen without responding. When he returned, Keilah was standing with her hands on her hips. “Talk to me, Stone.”

  He ignored her, sat down on the sofa, and picked up a folder. She sat down next to him, snatched the folder out of his hand, and laid it on the coffee table. “I said talk to me.”

  Keilah’s perfume caressed his nostrils, and his skin was starting to heat up. He tried his best to ignore her, but she continued to try and force him to open up to her. Ramsey was winning his battle until Keilah cupped his face and made him look her directly in the eyes. The warmth and softness of her hands on his face made his body heat up several degrees. Keilah caressed his cheeks and then tenderly kissed him on the lips. In that instant, Ramsey’s hands were everywhere on Keilah’s body.

  “Ramsey,” she panted as she clung to his body.

  His kisses were electrifying her as he tore open the front of her blouse and unhooked her bra. Ramsey only stopped kissing her so he could consume her nipples. Keilah cried out louder as he licked and kissed her rigid peaks before moving lower. Keilah sat up momentarily only to rip Ramsey’s shirt off his chest so she could have access to his toned abs. The minute her lips came in contact with his skin, he trembled with anticipation. The couple worked so feverishly with each other they didn’t realize they were about to roll off the sofa. The moment they hit the floor,
Ramsey pulled off her skirt and tossed it across the room. All that was left was her navy thong, which was no match for his muscular hands.

  “Wait,” she begged. “I want to undress you.”

  Ramsey swallowed hard as Keilah unbuckled his belt and lowered his pants and briefs. The moment his clothes were free he parted her legs and dipped his face between her thighs. Ripples of heat and desire radiated throughout her body. She writhed and moaned, knocking the mounds of folders and her laptop off the coffee table and onto the floor. Ramsey devoured her until her body quivered and she begged for mercy. “Ramsey ... my God ... please.”

  He towered over her and whispered into her ear. “I’m trying to, sweetheart.”

  Keilah’s eyes fluttered as she wrapped her arms and legs around Ramsey’s powerful frame. He was inside her in one swift motion and their bodies went up in flames. The rhythm of their hips was full of vigorous and searing passion as Ramsey plunged deeper into her abyss. She ran her tongue across his neck and kissed his ample lips until she felt his body stiffen. Keilah could see the veins in his neck as he struggled to hold his composure, but the moment she stuck her tongue in his ear, he lost it. The instant she felt him release his essence, she climaxed and screamed out his name like she’d never screamed it before.

  Chapter Eight

  In Dennison, Luke walked into their casino office and found Genesis working hard on the computer. Luke looked suave and debonair in his gray designer suit.

  “Hey, bro.”

  Genesis glanced up and said, “Hey, Luke. Why are you so dressed up today?”

  “I have a meeting with some potential vendors. How has everything been going today?” he asked as he took his jacket off and hung it in the closet.

  Genesis rubbed his eyes and said, “Fine. I’ve just been going over the payroll.”

  Luke opened the small refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of apple juice, and took a sip. “Have you talked to Keilah any more about coming out here?”

  “She said she couldn’t come home until after the holidays.”

  Luke frowned and said, “That’s some bull.”