The Roof is on Fire (13 page)

“This startin' to sound like some Inspector Gadget or James Bond bullshit. How am I supposed to get photos when we don't have cameras, phones, or nothin'?”

“Oh, yes, we do. Jeff provided those things for me, but you can't let Jaylin or Roc see them. I really need to know that I can trust you on this, Jada. I can't afford to have none of that backstabbing mess that Sylvia was doing going on. If you truly want this money, all I'm saying is that I can hand half of it over to you on a silver platter, guaranteed. All you have to do is follow my lead.”

Chase looked over my shoulder and whispered that Jaylin and Roc were coming.

“We'll continue our talk later,” she whispered.

I nodded and couldn't help but to think more about the money. I could almost taste it. If she had a way to make us winners, I was all for it. Plus, I would get the money that Jaylin had promised me. I wasn't going to tell Chase about that money. It was none of her business. She seemed to have this all planned out. Either she was clever or awfully stupid, especially with trusting Jeff to stay quiet. I was going with the flow, in hopes that trusting her wouldn't get me tossed out of Hell House on my ass.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, I had some serious planning to do. I felt as if Jada would have my back; after all, it was all about the money for her. For me, it was about that too, but it was also about being able to leave this house with my head held up high. I wasn't going out like Pooky and them. Or should I say like Sylvia, who left here dissed. No way would I let the men have that kind of bragging rights.

For the next several days, I did everything in my power to get closer to Roc and Jaylin. After my oral performance the other night, Jaylin had been riding me too. I must say that the feel of his dick in my mouth felt good. I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of his semen, but it was time for me to get mine too.

Until then, I cooked healthy meals for Jaylin and made sure the house was spotless. Roc didn't have many gripes, but when he complained about his back one night, I massaged it for him. They were always looking for competitive things to do, so I apologized to Roc for my lack of effort on the tennis court and teamed up with him during another game of volleyball in the pool. Needless to say, we won. I played video games with them, and Jaylin and I finished the puzzle.

There was no doubt that the house had become drama free, even though Jada had something smart to say every once in a while. Roc
seemed more relaxed, but more than anything, I think the weed he'd been smoking was helping him cope with what was bugging him. Jaylin's source of comfort for whatever he was dealing with was alcohol and conversation. I noticed him picking up the bottle more often, but I guess everybody had their way of coping with being here.

As for me, I didn't need any source of drugs or alcohol to get me through. That kind of stuff made people lose focus and take their eyes off the prize. So while all of them had been getting it in with their drugs and alcohol, I was watching and paying attention. I eavesdropped on a conversation that I heard Jaylin and Roc having while in the workout room. Jaylin was holding the punching bag for Roc while he let out his frustrations. They didn't know I was right outside the door, but it was apparent that Roc had some trust issues with Desa Rae.

“I don't like the way this shit got me feelin',” Roc grunted while punching the bag. “I find it odd that the nigga hadn't shown up once while I was there. Now all of a sudden, he over there lolly gaggin' with Desa Rae. Somethin' don't add up for me.”

“You're going back and forth. One minute, you say you trust her. The next minute, you're saying something else. In order for you to be at ease about the situation, you gotta go with what you firmly believe. Do you honestly believe that she over there fucking her ex-husband?”

Roc hesitated to answer, then punched the bag again. “On a for real tip, I don't know what to believe. I have a hard time trusting women, only because I know how sneaky their asses can be. They'll have you believin' things are all good, and then you find out another story when the next brotha shows up.”

“I must say that I agree with you on that. I stopped trusting women a long time ago. There were way too many of them playing games and keeping secrets. That's what gets me. They are so
good at keeping secrets. You can lay your shit on the line and they'll still keep those skeletons locked up in the closet. So, I definitely understand how you're feeling about Desa Rae. If you're that concerned about the situation at home, why don't you wrap this up and check out of here?”

Roc stopped punching the bag and took deep breaths. “You couldn't be serious. Leave so you can jet with the cash and braggin' rights? It ain't goin' down like that, so my issues with Desa Rae will be left for another day. When all is said and done, I'm goin' to be the last person in this house.”

Jaylin didn't respond. He squinted while looking at the door. I suspected that he saw me. I quickly widened the door as if I hadn't been standing there all along.

“Hello, fellas,” I said, making my way over to the elliptical machine.

They spoke. Lust filled their eyes, as I put in a little something extra today to get their attention. My hair was in a sleek ponytail, showing the true beauty of my makeup-free face.

The spandex that I wore was all black. It hugged every curve in my well-defined body. The zipper in the front stopped right at my firm breasts that sat up high. My ass appeared more plump than usual, and the way they stared at me, I knew it looked good. I had on no panties whatsoever. The spandex slipped right between my coochie lips, showing a lip-licking camel toe that I was sure they appreciated.

Before I got on the elliptical machine, I stretched on a floor mat, showing how flexible I was. I noticed Jaylin and Roc taking peeks at me and then at each other. When I bent over to touch my toes, I heard Roc clear his throat. I then lifted my leg ballerina style, and that was when I caught Jaylin licking his lips. This was very much turning out as I had planned.

I was done stretching, so I stepped on the elliptical machine and
got to work. The one thing that I knew for a fact was that men loved to see, and or watch, a woman sweat. I also knew that when you backed off from showing them attention, they'd surely give it to you in return.

I put the machine on the highest level, and within five to ten minutes, sweat started to trickle down my body. The faster I went, the more I sweated. The more I sweated, the louder my grunts became.

“Uhhh, umm, ahhh.” I sounded as if I were having an orgasm.

“Don't hurt yourself over there, baby,” Jaylin advised.

“Right. Damn sure sounds like you gettin' it in, ma.”

“A girl's gotta do what she must to stay in shape,” I said. “Especially when she's preparing herself to get into shape for all of the right reasons.”

They didn't dare touch that comment, so I kept it moving. I didn't even stop when Jada came into the room complaining.

“Bitch, you makin' me look real bad,” she shouted to me. “I may as well get the hell out of here before I embarrass myself.”

Jada headed for the door, but Roc and Jaylin teased her, encouraging her to stay.

“Don't be walking out of here because Chase looking sexier than a mutha on that elliptical,” Jaylin said. “Even though you can't pull that off, you still need to stay and try something.”

Roc laughed and cosigned. “Right, ma, stay. But don't get on the treadmill today. Please. Why not lift some weights instead?”

Jada slapped her leg and fake laughed with them. “Hee-haw. I see you fools got jokes today, right? We'll soon see who gon' have the last laugh. All I can say is it won't be you two crooked-dick niggas.”

Jada rolled her eyes. She looked real upset when she left, but they shrugged it off.

“That's the second time she's gone there with that crooked dick shit.” Jaylin shook his head. “What in the hell is she talking about?”

“Don't know, don't care. As long as my shit is, it bends a little bit, but only when it has to curve into somethin'.”

Jaylin slapped his hand against Roc's. They got back to working out.

Nearly an hour later, I finished up and wiped down my face with a fluffy white towel. I was breathing hard, so I bent over to get some water from the fountain. Saying nothing else, I headed for the door.

“Chase,” Jaylin called out to me. I turned around to see what he wanted. He winked. “Looking good, baby. Keep up the good work.”

I nodded and heard Roc say “umph” as I walked out the door.
Got'em,
I thought. This was the turning point I had hoped for.

After leaving the workout room, I headed for the bedroom to gather clean clothes and take a shower. Outside of the bedroom door, I could hear Jada speaking to someone. Since I had given her one of the cell phones Jeff gave me, I hurried to open the door. Sure enough, she was sitting on the bed laughing and talking to someone.

“What are you doing?” I shouted.

“Girl, let me call you back. Okay,” she said, laughing again before ending the call. She put the phone beside her and shot me an evil stare.

“What was that all about?” I asked. “I told you to be careful about that phone, Jada. Are you trying to get us busted or what?”

“I haven't spoken to my girl in a while, so I figured I'd give her a quick call. Regardless, you don't have to shout at me like I'm some little kid or somethin', do you?”

Yes, this bitch was working my nerves, but the truth of the matter was I needed her in order to pull this off. I needed for her to fall in line so we could hurry up and get this over with. “I apologize
for raising my voice, but come on, Jada. I thought I could trust you. What if Roc or Jaylin would've walked in here and saw you with that cell phone? All they had to do was tell Jeff and he'd be walking you out of here.”

“I thought you had the hook up with Jeff? If you do, then you should be able to make sure I stay in this house, no matter what I do.”

My face fell flat. No she wasn't trying to go there, especially when I was the one giving up the coochie to keep Jeff on my team. “That sounds like you're taking advantage of the situation. I'm sure Jeff is going to question me about you being on the phone. It's going to put me in a bad position. Just do both of us a huge favor and stay off the phone. This is almost over with. I don't want you doing anything to mess up our money.”

Jada stood and stretched. “Sure, Chase. I won't call my friend again, but you gon' need to hurry this up, because I'm gettin' a li'l frustrated with Jaylin and Roc. They always sayin' stupid stuff. I don't think they realize how much that stuff hurts.”

“Don't go getting all sensitive on me, and to hell with both of them. Who cares what they say? I'm going to need for you to come through for us. You'll feel so much better in another day or two. You can trust me on that.”

“I hope so.”

Jada walked toward the door. She smiled, making me feel a little bit better than I did after I came into the room. I grabbed several pieces of clothing from the closet and headed for the bathroom. Before showering, I leaned against the counter to call Jeff.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “What's cooking?”

“Nothing much. I'm sure you saw Jada using the phone. I told her to knock it off before she got caught. She's very hardheaded, but I know for a fact that she wants this money more than I do.”

“I hope she listens to you. I've seen her on the phone more than
once. Roc almost caught her earlier, but she walked away and went outside. I don't know if it was a good idea for you to involve her.”

I bit my nail, feeling the same way. “I'm with you on this, but I don't have a choice. She knows what's up with us, and I had to let her in on this so she wouldn't say anything. It's a done deal now, so I have to go with the flow.”

“You don't have to do anything. Are you sure you don't want her kicked out of the house? She could be kicked out for breaking the rules, you know?”

“Yeah, but then Jaylin and Roc will question where she got the phone. I'm sure she'll tell them and point the finger at me. That wouldn't be smart on our part, so let it ride for now. Besides, Jaylin is already hanging on by a thread and he doesn't even know it. I guess you'll be paying him a visit real soon.”

“Yes, soon. He is so done. As for you, my dear, you have me craving for you again.”

I rolled my eyes, glad that he couldn't see me. The one thing I hated was clingy men who didn't know when they were being used. “Like I told Jada, we're getting so close to ending this. I don't want any fuck ups, especially since I noticed Jaylin and Roc paying more attention to me. Once this is done, you can have me when, where, or however you want me. Let's work on crossing the finish line first.”

“Sounds good, babe. I'll see you soon.”