Authors: Brenda Hampton
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #African American, #Urban
Naughty by Nature (2 page)
“You'd rip off his damn clothes and fuck him to death. Ain't no need to pretend with me, Scorpio. There's no need to ask me nothing when you already know how you feel.”
I stood up and so did Bernie. “Can we go workout now? I don't want to talk about Jaylin anymore,” I said. My thoughts of him were making me crazy.
Bernie smiled and gave me a hug. We headed to the gym on the lower level and changed into our workout clothes. Afterwards, we waited for our instructor, Calvin, who I'd had a previous relationship with, but cut it short. Since I'd played him off by not returning his phone calls, he was upset with me and did his best to ignore me
“All right, ladies,” he yelled. “Get your fist up and let's get ready for boot camp.”
Bernie and I were always ready. She had an immaculate figure like mine, but my heart shaped butt couldn't be duplicated. I can't say that she was as attractive as me, but she knew how to get a man's attention. Not only that, she was a smart woman. She was classy, sweet as pie, and looked out for me and the other stylists in the shop as if we were her daughters. She grilled me a lot about sleeping around with different men. Said that even though Mackenzie was eight years old, I was teaching her some bad habits. I reminded her that everything I did was done on the downlow and it was done outside of my home. Mackenzie hadn't met any man I'd been with, and as far as I was concerned, she never would. Jaylin had become only a memory to her, and after the first year of him being away, she never really asked about him anymore. I couldn't believe my own child was stronger than me, but something inside of me yearned to know his whereabouts. There was still that unknown about him and I needed closure. Once I found out what I needed to know, maybe I'd get it.
Bernie and I finished our workout. I headed for the showers and she headed for the locker room. Her short layered hair laid flat on her head and both of our abs dripped with sweat.
“I'm outtie,” she yelled into the shower stalls. “I'm gonna shower at home and come back in a few. Will you be here to let my nine o'clock appointment in?”
“Yes,” I yelled back. “I'm sure some of the others are already here, so go ahead. I'll see you in a bit.”
I heard the door slam and continued on with my shower. I closed my eyes, and routinely, thoughts about the many showers I'd taken with Mr. You Know Who swam in my head. I had come to the conclusion that my time was either now or never. Now, I had to know what was up with Jaylin. Davenports, Shane, and Felicia's Architectural Firm, was located in Clayton as well. I had a good feeling that if anybody knew what was up with Jaylin, Shane would. I prepared myself to place a phone call to Davenports by the end of the day.
SHANE
2
T
he last few years had been all about business. Everything had been going cool with Davenports, but when things got good for a brotha, there were some things I had to leave behind. My boy, Stephon, was one of them. Even though he was Jaylin's cousin, and they'd fallen out over Scorpio and Stephon's obsession with drugs, I still tried to be there for him. For whatever reason, he couldn't seem to get himself together. And when he started demanding money from me to support his habit, I had to cut that fool loose. Last I heard, he was in rehabilitation. I hoped it all worked out for him because there was basically nothing else I could do.
he last few years had been all about business. Everything had been going cool with Davenports, but when things got good for a brotha, there were some things I had to leave behind. My boy, Stephon, was one of them. Even though he was Jaylin's cousin, and they'd fallen out over Scorpio and Stephon's obsession with drugs, I still tried to be there for him. For whatever reason, he couldn't seem to get himself together. And when he started demanding money from me to support his habit, I had to cut that fool loose. Last I heard, he was in rehabilitation. I hoped it all worked out for him because there was basically nothing else I could do.
Felicia, as always, had been bugging the shit out of me. Sometimes I felt as if this partnership was a big mistake. Then, there were times we'd land a big account and all we could do was celebrate.
Since she had the most knowledge in the business, I agreed to name Davenports after her, and we both decided that she would be the president, but me the CEO. I guess it wasn't such a bad idea since she landed the majority of our accounts. She'd worked her charm on many men, and they were never able to resist. I, on the other hand, did resist her. After sleeping around with Jaylin, she proved to me what a slut she could be, and all of my feelings for her had vanished. Our partnership was cool just the way it was, and I respected her for keeping it as platonic as it could possibly be.
Because she was “the boss lady” she straight up had her nose up her ass. There were times I had to put her in her place and remind her that even though I hadn't brought in as many accounts as she had, I was the one who kept us in tune with one of the biggest investors we had. And that was my man Jaylin. He'd believed in our dream from day one and supported the idea simply because of me. When shit got rough, he encouraged me to keep my head up and sent more funds so that Felicia and I could make ends meet. Things didn't really start to jump off for us until he hooked us up with one of his investors. They were looking for some designers and Felicia and I worked together to give them exactly what they wanted. Since then, more accounts rolled in. Every once in awhile, Jaylin hooks me up with new clients and I'm grateful. He's not only a friend with millions, but also a friend with connections and power. Power that can make major deals happen for us overnight.
As I sat at my designer's table working on a project for the Mayor's Group, a new account from Jaylin, I could hear Felicia on the phone in her office running her mouth. She was loud and obnoxious and I couldn't believe some of the things I'd heard her say to people. Basically, she down talked everybody. And with all the money that we'd been making, she felt as if she was on top of the world.
I listened to her ask the caller to hold, and soon after, she yelled my name.
“What?” I yelled back. I looked at her behind the glass windows to her office. She held her hand over the phone and gritted her teeth.
“Would you come in here, please?”
I placed my drawing pad on the table and stood in her doorway. She placed the caller on speakerphone and plopped down in her seat.
“Mrs. Carlson, are you still there?” she asked.
“Yes, Felicia, I'm still here,” she announced.
“I have Shane in my office now. What time would you like for him to meet your daughter for dinner?”
My eyes widened. “Dinner?”
“Hello, Shane,” Mrs. Carlson said. “Felicia told me that you wouldn't mind taking Cassidy to dinner. She recently got divorced and I need someone who can help lift her spirits. Felicia and I thoughtâ”
I eased my hands into the pockets of my Levi's 501 and shook my head. “Well, I'm sorry, but Felicia and you thought wrong. I don't know if she shared this with you or not, but I'm already in a relationshipâ”
Felicia cut me off. “Mrs. Carlson, he'll pick her up around seven. Call me back with her address and I'll be sure to pass it on.”
“Shane, are you sure? I don't want toâ”
“He's sure,” Felicia said, beating me to the punch.
My eyes shot her down quickly, “Mrs. Carlson, I apologize, but there's no way that I can take your daughter to dinner. As I was saying, I'm in a committed relationship with someone and I don't think that would be a good idea.”
“But . . . but Felicia said it would be okay.”
“I know what Felicia said, but I said I can't do it.”
Felicia was furious, as she placed her finger above the conference button. “Mrs. Carlson, we'll call you back, okay?”
“Okay, butâ”
“Give me ten minutes, and we'll call you back.”
“Alright. And, thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Felicia said, and then punched her finger hard on the conference button. She stood up and folded her arms in front of her.
“How dare you reject an offer from one of our major clients like that!”
I walked further into her office and stood face-to-face with her. “And, how dare you treat this business like it's some kind of escort service. I don't need you making no damn dinner arrangements for me.”
She sucked in her jaws and rolled her big round eyes. “It's just dinner, Shane. You act as if I asked you to go somewhere and screw the bitch! I saw an opportunity to help out one of our clients and you have some nerve rejecting my offer. It ain't like your relationship with Sam is all that tight anyway. The last thing you told me is that y'all were on the verge of breaking up. So, what's up with that?”
“Whether we're breaking up or not, I determine who the fuck I date. Not you.” I turned and left Felicia standing there to argue with herself. She was so mad at me, and as soon as I exited, she slammed the door behind me.
I continued on with my sketching and I saw her running her mouth on the phone again. I assumed she'd called to make other arrangements for Mrs. Carlson's daughter because I sure as hell wasn't the one. I'd met her daughter before and she was one ugly chick. Really, I didn't care if she was fine or not, I just wasn't going to put myself out there for nobody unless I wanted to.
After Felicia ended her call, she opened her door and calmly walked out with her Chanel purse clutched underneath her arm. She wore a peach linen business suit that hugged every curve in her awesomely shaped body. Her braids were neatly wrapped into a bun, and for her to be such a bitch, she was still a very attractive woman. Attractive or not, I'd become accustomed to ignoring her.
“I'm going to lunch. Would you like for me to bring you something back?”
“Nope,” I said, still not looking up. She hated to be ignored, and today, I didn't mind getting underneath her skin.
“Are you sure? I'm going to one of your favorite places.”
“I don't have no favorite place.”
“I thought you liked J. Bucks?”
“I love J. Bucks.”
“Then, what would you like for me to bring you back?”
I put my drawing pencil down and looked up at her, “I said nothing. Now, go have your lunch and I'll see you when you get back.”
“What's your problem? If it's about Mrs. Carlson, don't worry about it. I took care of it, okay?”
“I'm sure you did.”
“Look, Shane, I was just trying to help you out, too. You are too darn fine to be cooped up in this place all the time. That's probably why things ain't working out between you and Sam. I'm sure that poor woman is dying for some quality time.”
“Felicia, you know nothing about my relationship with Sam. If I didn't put so much time and effort into this business, Davenports wouldn't be as successful as it is today. If the woman in my life doesn't understand how important this is to me, then she doesn't deserve to be my woman. It's as simple as that.”
Felicia moved her single braid that dangled in her face away from her eye. “All I'm saying is, you're young, you're gorgeous, and the last time you've had a good woman in your life is when you were with me. Unfortunately, I'm not availableâ”
“Please, don't flatter yourself. As a matter of fact, you were the worst woman I ever dated. You cheated on me and you fucked my friend. Sorry, but getting rid of you was one of the best things I ever did.”
She smiled. “Well, you cheated on me, too.”
“Are you crazy?” I yelled. “I never, ever cheated on you! I should have, but I didn't.”
“Well, I thought you did. Besides, that was a long time ago. I apologized, and I can't help it if Jaylin put something on me that you hadn't.”
“Yeah, that's what they all say,” I grinned. “Now, get your butt out of here so you can get back and do some work.”
Felicia bent down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I get wrapped up in being the boss sometimes. I appreciate everything you do and I know Davenports wouldn't be nothing without your partnership.”
“I'm glad you recognize that. On another note, you never told me if you'll be able to attend Friday's meeting with the Mayor's Group.”
“Jaylin's coming in town that day, right?”
“Yeah, he'll be here. Just to kind of introduce everybody and then he's heading back out.”
“Then, yes, I'll be here. Even though he don't give me the time of day, it's always good to see him.”
“He's a changed man, Felicia. You gotta learn to respect that.”
“I don't give a hoot what anybody says; once a ho, always a ho. He might have y'all fooled, but I can see right through him. I bet any amount of money he's had his share of women in Florida. Nokea probably down there pulling her damn hair out like she was when they lived in St. Louis.”
“And, that's your opinion. I know for a fact when I see a man that's in love, and whether you want to believe it or not, he's in love.”
Felicia tooted her lips out of jealousy. She rolled her eyes and switched her way to the door. Before she walked out, she turned towards me. “Just in case you haven't noticed, being in love ain't never stopped no man, that I know of, from cheating.”
I ignored Felicia because we could debate our differences forever. I knew she wished, as every other previous female in Jaylin's life had wished, that his marriage to Nokea would fail. From what he told me, their marriage was strong and I truly believed him.
By 2:00
P.M.
, Felicia still hadn't made it back yet. My trash can was piled high with sketches I'd completed for the Mayor's Group and I decided they wouldn't work. My brain couldn't even come up with any more ideas, so I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I placed my hands behind my head and hoped my creative mind would kick in soon. As I was in deep thought, I heard the door squeak open. It was Sam. She had a wide grin planted on her face and headed my way. I stood up to meet her halfway and held out my arms to greet her.
P.M.
, Felicia still hadn't made it back yet. My trash can was piled high with sketches I'd completed for the Mayor's Group and I decided they wouldn't work. My brain couldn't even come up with any more ideas, so I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I placed my hands behind my head and hoped my creative mind would kick in soon. As I was in deep thought, I heard the door squeak open. It was Sam. She had a wide grin planted on her face and headed my way. I stood up to meet her halfway and held out my arms to greet her.
“Hey, baby, what brings you by?”
“I was in the neighborhood,” she said. We wrapped our arms around each other and she planted her lips on mine. “Mmmm,” she moaned, and then wiped her lipstick off my lips. “Were you busy?”
“Sort of.” I slid my arms from around her tiny waistline and walked her over to my cluttered designer's desk that sat in the middle of our 4,000 square-foot office. I picked up one of the sketches I'd been working on and showed it to Sam. “I can't think of what else I want to incorporate into this design. Actually, my mind knows, but I can't sketch it out on paper.”
She took the paper from my hands and looked at it. “Baby, this is awesome. I mean, it looks fine to me. I don't see what else you could be aiming for.”
“Trust me, I can do better.”
I sighed from frustration with the design and walked over to the tall glass windows that overlooked the entire city of Clayton. Davenports was on the twenty-first floor and showed an awesome view of St. Louis.
Sam came up from behind and put her arms around my thirty-four-inch waist. Standing just as tall as me, she dropped her chin on my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
“It's gonna be okay. Just relax, clear your mind and I'm positive you'll come up with something. You always do, so I don't know what you're so worried about.”
I nodded. “I know. But, from what Jaylin said, these are some impressive people that are coming in on Friday. I just want to show them my best.”
“And, you will,” Sam assured. “There's no doubt that my man will win them over. You always do.”
I stood quietly as Sam continued to hug my waist. She raised my loose fitting black V-neck shirt and swayed her hands across my rock solid abs. Trying to excite me, her hands touched my muscular chest and tickled my nipples. I knew what was on her mind when she lowered one of her hands down to my belt buckle. She then placed her warm lips on my earlobe.
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