New Title 1 (15 page)

Jordin swallowed hard, her heart running a marathon. She sighed and then she pressed her lips together before she turned around and headed up the stairs. No answer. She couldn’t listen to Julez right now. Wrong choices, right choices, whatever they were, they were their choices. And none of them could be undone. Everything was exactly how it was supposed to be. And Jordin tried to convince herself of that as she headed to bed that night.

Too Much For Daytime TV

Noelle tapped her foot to an irritated rhythm as she stood in the doorway of Freckles’ tight ass apartment.

“
Oh my god, c’mon! It’s hot as hell in here!” She huffed. For a day in the middle of April, it was a sweltering 85 degrees. And Freckles’ cheap ass didn’t even have the air on, just a few fans going.

“
She coming, just chill the fuck out. Have a seat.”

Noelle rolled her eyes at him and his dusty couch as she remained standing. She was tired ass hell, she had a night class starting soon, and definitely wasn’t trying to sit down on his worn out sofa.

“
I’m good.”

Freckles chuckled as if something were funny as he flipped through the channels on his flat screen TV. Freckles was a dumb hood nigga. Everything about him was backwards. Piece of shit apartment, flat screen TV. Piece of shit car, rims worth three times as much. It was like he did shit just to say he did it, bought shit just to say he bought it and Noelle was glad that she had done a major upgrade.

“
What the fuck is so funny?” She asked when she saw that he was still chuckling and the only thing on the television was a Geico commercial. She knew that little green mothafucka on the TV wasn’t
that
amusing to him.

Freckles shook his head from side to side.

“
I’m laughing at yo’ simple ass,” he started. “You coming around here wit’ ya nose in the air and shit, like you better than a nigga. Bitch, you used to be in this same apartment, eating oodles of noodles by the caseload, and now you acting like you can’t even step inside or sit down.” Freckles laughed some more. “What, your ass too precious for this couch? What kinda couches you sitting on now? What, they platinum couches or something? I used to dig your sloppy pussy out on this couch daily. Don’t act like you too good for it, Noe.” He looked up at her and she could see all of the venom, hate, and anger in his eyes. She had broken his heart when she left him for Julez and he still, after all of these years, was bitter. Noelle saw something else too, and it caused her to bust out laughing.

“
Oh shit, you still don’t got no teeth, yo?” Noelle laughed harder. “Julez knocked them shits out like what, over a week ago? Nice ass rims, new kicks on ya feet, and no teeth. Classic. How you talking shit to me with them blocks missing out ya grill like that though?” Noelle’s taunting was like fuel to Freckles’ already brewing fire. He jumped up swiftly with his fist balled.

“
Bitch shut the fuck up before I bust ya whole shit up!” Freckles’ light skin was turning beet red, and Noelle knew that he used to beat her ass like crazy when they were together, he could do damage and she should be scared. But, she wasn’t. Things had changed and there were new variables, one huge variable, named Julez.

“
I wish you would, Freddy! Just give me a reason to have Julez put ya ass to sleep.” Noelle stepped closer to him, almost toe to toe. “C’mon, do it. Please, do it. Bust my shit.” Noelle knew how to push buttons like she was paid to do it. “Do it,
pendejo!
”

Freckles wanted to hit Noelle so bad, he was trembling. He didn’t understand how all of his love for this beautiful woman had transformed into hate.

“
Yo, you think I’m scared of that nigga, Noelle? Fuck Julez! You think that nigga God or something! I aint one of these niggas in the streets that worship that mothafucka! That nigga aint the king, he can be touched, just like anybody else!”

Noelle rolled her eyes hard and sucked her teeth.

“
Nigga, you best believe he is most definitely
still
the king! And I’m the mothafuckin’ queen. Kiss the ring, ha!” She held up her six carat flawless yellow diamond and flashed it in his face. Freckles swatted her hand away.

“
Fuck you, bitch. I got you. Don’t worry about that! I got you, bitch!”

“
Hey, hey, hey!” Freckles’ mom yelled, coming through the front door with McKenzie by her side, ice cream in her hand. “Bitch this, bitch that, boy that aint how I raised you! Now both of y'all cut it the fuck out!”

Noelle rushed over and grabbed McKenzie’s hand roughly, ready to blow the dump of a place.

“
C’mon Kenzie, you ready to go see
daddy
? Let’s go home to daddy.” Noelle was just trying to hit Freckles where it hurt, and she had. His mother shook her head and frowned.

“
Now you know you aint even right, Noelle. That little girl got one father, and she knows exactly who it is.”

“
Oh, shut up!” Noelle screamed, never having gotten along with Freckles’ ghetto ass family. “What kinda father is
he
? Anytime I let McKenzie come over here, she always ends up with
you
! That’s why I don’t like bringing her here. She don’t need to be around y'all!” Noelle had tried to listen to Julez and Jordin and let Freckles and his family have a relationship with McKenzie, but she couldn’t take this bullshit every other week or whenever. McKenzie stood there with tears in her eyes, hating whenever this happened. That’s why she hated coming to her father’s, because she hated when Noelle came to get her and they fought. Freckles knelt down to his daughter, trying to ignore Noelle.

“
Bye pinky fat-fat,” he told her, using the nickname he had given her when she was just a chubby, pink baby.

“
Bye,” she spoke lowly.

“
Yeah, tell him bye, ‘cause we don’t know when you gonna see him again,” Noelle spat nastily.

Freckles narrowed his eyes at her.

“
I got you, bitch.” He watched as she smirked and walked off with McKenzie toward her pretty red Benz, waving her left hand as her ring shined brightly. She was taking his only child home to a house that he could never afford; to a man that McKenzie probably did look at as a father more than him, and it hurt.

“
I got you,” he whispered again, as he watched her climb in and speed off.

***

“
I can’t believe we’re almost done,” Kira said with a sigh of relief. “Two boxes of papers, and we got it all in order.”

“
Ah sheeeitttt,” Julez responded, standing up and stretching. “All those fucking contracts. Next time I’m paying somebody to go over that shit.”

Kira looked up at him as she sat on her legs down on the floor. Boxes of Chinese food were scattered around her.

“
No, you won’t,” she giggled. “You don’t trust anybody…at least not with your business anyway.”

Julez chuckled because he knew she was right. He walked over to the large window and looked out into the dark night. He could see the parking lot, which was basically empty, and as he looked out at the stillness, he could see Kira’s reflection stand up and start to approach him.

“
Everything all right?” She asked as she walked up next to him.

Julez looked over at her, her dress was a size smaller than it should have been and all of her goodies were on display. He turned to head back to his desk.

“
Yeah…yeah, I’m good.” As he took his seat, she bent over and slid her shoes back on. Julez couldn’t help but to steal a peek at her ass as she strapped her stiletto sandals.

“
You know,” she started, still completing her task. “Your friend Jordin, she was really nice.”

Julez instantly looked away from her ass and picked up his bottle of water, taking a long sip.

“
Yeah, Jordin is cool.” Kira turned around and walked toward him, resting against his desk like she always did.

“
How long have her and her husband been together?”

“
He’s not her husband,” Julez shot back, and Kira nodded.

“
Oh yeah, that’s right. She
did
say they weren’t married…yet.” Julez took another sip as she probed.

“
But how long have they been together?”

“
I don’t know. A while…longer than me and Noe.”

Kira pursed her lips.

“
Wow, they must really love each other.”

“
Why you say that?” Julez’s responses were quick and Kira found it amusing. She was a woman, and she could assess certain things that men couldn’t comprehend.

“
I’m just saying…long time. Must be a lot of love there.” Kira thought of how hurt Jordin would be if she knew about what Noelle was doing. Probably more hurt than Julez would. Julez only shrugged at her opinion that Jordin and Slim were so in love.

“
Anybody ever tell you that you talk too much?” Julez asked playfully. Kira giggled thinking of how he had no idea. She wanted to tell him that if she did talk too much, then he would know about his precious wife. Instead she said…. “You tell me all the time.”

He chuckled.

“
Yeah, they need to put your mouth in time-out.”

Kira giggled.

“
Now why would anyone do that…when I’m so good with it?” She licked her lips and Julez scratched behind his ear, slightly thrown off.

“
Kira…”

“
What?” She asked. “Don’t act like you don’t know how I feel about you, Julez. Everyday I come to work…I…I have to concentrate a little harder on not jumping on you. Look, I know what the situation is and I know what it could never be, but that don’t stop me from thinking about you at night.”

Julez felt like he was in the Twilight Zone as Kira scooted up on his desk and crossed her legs, revealing her thick thighs. Everything in Julez wanted to fuck her, and not because he felt anything for her. But Julez was a nigga who at one time used to fuck two, three times and day, maybe two, three women a day, bitches thirsted for him. Now he would be lucky if he got pussy once a month. It was frustrating. But he just…couldn’t.

“
Aw, man,” he started, running his hand over his face. “Kira…you…you know you’re sexy as hell. But I’m married. I got a wife. You got your dude. And more than everything…you work for me.”

Kira hopped off of the desk and stood in front of Julez.

“
You’re right,” she told him. “You
are
married.”

She lowered herself to her knees and knelt in front of him, looking him in the eyes seriously.

“
You have a wife…and I have a man.” She ran her hand up his leg and brought it slowly to his lap.

“
I do work for you…you’re my boss,” she reiterated as she brushed her fingertips across his belt buckle. Julez just looked on coolly. “But you’re forgetting one thing…” Kira licked her lips and then broke the suspense, speaking slowly.

“
I can give you the best head you’ve e v e r had in your e n t i r e life.” Julez swallowed hard and she leaned forward and brought her lips to his ear. “Satisfaction guaranteed, Mr. Payne.”