Close Quarters: A Novel (Zane Presents) (18 page)

She was leafing through her mail when I entered. “Can you set it up in the stand over in the corner?”

This time I was the one to silently nod. I set the tree in the stand and removed the cord that bound the branches.

Kai had a box full of ornaments on top of the coffee table. She started rifling through the box, not acknowledging my presence.

I clapped my hands together. “All right, Kai, I’m gonna get out of here and let you decorate your tree.”

She looked up at me. “Don’t leave, Malik.” I stood in place. She came over to me and pulled me toward the couch. “Please.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Really?”

Kai unwrapped my scarf, slinging it over her arm. “I haven’t said much since we picked the tree, but I’m cool. Have a seat. Do you want a beer?”

And so it begins
, I thought. I sat down on the couch, eyeing her wearily. “Okay. I’ll have one.”

Kai returned with my beer and a better attitude. She chatted easily while she strung lights on the tree. I spent the rest of the day slouched on her sofa, drinking Heineken and suffering through her decorating the damn thing. Kai cooed over each ornament and then dangled it in front of me before she put it on the tree. I thought my lack of response made it obvious I didn’t share her enthusiasm for Christmas bulbs, but she kept showing me anyway.

I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes, Kai was on her knees in front of me, undoing my belt. She had candles burning in the living room and Ledisi playing softly through her Bose system. Through partially opened eyelids, I could still appreciate what I saw. Kai wore a pair of stilettos and nothing else. I let her remove my clothes and lead me into her bedroom. More candles were burning, illuminating her sexy sanctuary. She crawled onto the bed, pulling me with her. She reached over to the night table and retrieved a pair of handcuffs.

I asked, “Are those for you?”

She smiled at me, pressed her fingers to my lips, requesting my silence, and then gently pushed me back against the pillows. She slipped a silk scarf from behind the pillows and blindfolded me. I was in total darkness, dick standing at attention, impatiently waiting for the action to jump off.

Kai leaned over me, her breasts touching my chest. She raised my right arm over my head. I felt the handcuff enclose my wrist, then heard it click closed. She roughly yanked my left wrist, raising my hand toward the other. She handcuffed me to the wrought-iron headboard.

“Somebody’s feeling freaky tonight,” I said.

She didn’t answer me. I felt her move off the bed. I heard her footsteps cross the carpet toward the bedroom door. I called out, “Kai?”

Ledisi’s mellow voice filled the room. Kai must have turned on the speakers near her bed. The deep bass line vibrated through the headboard. I felt movement on the mattress. I sensed Kai hovering close to me.

A warm, thick substance trickled down my chest to my stomach. The sudden sensation made me shiver. Kai straddled me. She licked my earlobe, down my neck, then slowly licked my chest. She moaned as she traced her tongue in what she drizzled on me. She slid her breasts against my chest and then rubbed one of them against my lips. I sucked her nipple into my mouth. Warm honey. I sucked hard, licking all of the sweetness from her flesh. Kai drew her nipple out of my mouth. She resumed her exploration downward . . .mouth on my stomach . . .tongue in my bellybutton. She grabbed my stiff dick and sucked its length into her mouth. She worked her mouth and hands like a professional, moaning at the same time. I wanted to see her at work, wanted to grab the back of her head to control her flow. I tugged at the handcuffs,
but they were secure. Kai licked and sucked me until I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I exploded in her mouth.

Kai removed the blindfold. I squinted at her and she smiled at me. The same smile she gave me earlier in the car.

I tugged my arms. The handcuffs clanked on the headboard. Trapped just like a fly. “Can you unlock these, please?”

She went over to her dresser to retrieve the key, then released me from my bondage. I rubbed my wrists. My arms were beginning to tingle from being suspended in one position for so long.

Kai went into her adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower. I lay on the bed with Ledisi lulling me into a state of complete relaxation. When Kai finally returned, she was fresh and clean, wearing a silky pajama shirt. I got up and went into the bathroom to wash the sticky honey residue from my body. I stood under the hot, streaming water, realizing that Kai had just freaked me. No words. No kisses. No control. Just sex. Kai wanted to make a statement.

I dried off and wrapped the towel around my waist. I stepped back into the bedroom and Kai was under the sheets. I lay on top of the blanket and folded my hands across my chest. I looked over at Kai, sound asleep. She just had me how she wanted me—on her own terms.

I
hung up the phone with Terrence and threw on my clothes. He was stopping by to pick up a pair of football tickets. I was supposed to drop them off to him the day before, but I didn’t leave Kai’s until the wee hours. I left there aggravated with myself for getting sucked into her holiday hustle and freaky shuffle.

I checked the fridge for beer. Three bottles. I couldn’t have my boy over without a case of Heineken in the house. I had to make a quick run to the store. I knocked on Melina’s bedroom door. She answered me through the closed door. I told her I was going out for a few minutes and asked her to listen out for Terrence.

I walked four blocks to the corner bodega. I heard muffled salsa music as I approached the store. I stepped through the doorway and bumped into Cinnamon, almost sending her bag toppling to the floor.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Hey, stranger.”

I kissed her on the cheek. “How you doin’, Cinnamon?”

“I’ve been doing fine. Just wondering why you haven’t called me.”

I led her away from the door, away from the path of traffic. “I’ve called. A few times. You never answer your phone.”

Cinnamon twisted her lips. “We both know that isn’t true.”

“The truth is,” I took Cinnamon’s hand in mine, “I’ve been wondering why you haven’t hollered at me.”

“I left a message with your roommate last week.”

“See there. You can’t blame me for not returning your call when I never received the message. Mel is funny about telling me who called and when.”

“You need to tell your roommate to learn how to deliver messages.”

“I’ll speak to her about it.” Situation successfully flipped.

Cinnamon’s eyes softened. She reached up and stroked my chin. “I expect to hear from you soon.”

“You will.”

“I’d like to believe you, but for some reason, I just don’t.” She kissed my lips and then turned to leave the store.

I pulled her back to me and kissed her for real. Deep. Intense. The kind of kiss that she would feel from her head to her toes. I knew I wasn’t planning on seeing Cinnamon anytime soon, if ever again, and I wanted her last impression of me to be better than what I had given.

Cinnamon drew away from me with a dreamy look in her eyes, lips parted. She blinked a couple of times, then cleared her throat. “If only you meant that. See you around, Malik.”

Cinnamon left me in the store, my mouth agape. A part of me wanted to follow her out of the bodega and back to her place, but I knew that was a bad idea. That was my ego thinking for me. My pride trying to take over. I understood what had just happened with Cinnamon, and even though I didn’t want to be involved with her anymore, I wasn’t prepared for her to not want to be with me.

I laughed to myself—I was trippin’. I was through with Cinnamon, not the other way around. I grabbed two six-packs from the refrigerator, paid up front at the register, and then hurried back down the street.

I learned a long time ago, when it comes to relationships, keep
it casual and no one gets hurt. I don’t allow myself to be in a position to be dumped by anyone. Immediately after my breakup with Angelique, I thought we’d get back together. I waited for weeks for her to call me, and when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I broke down and called her. I waited for weeks for her to return my call. I spent many sleepless nights waiting for the phone to ring. Waiting to hear her voice. Just waiting. Always waiting.

There were a lot of women that paid for the heartache and despair I was left with after Angelique. I still feel bad about the things I did to those women; it wasn’t right. But that was before I had a chance to work past the anger, to get over the hurt. It was before I realized that I needed to tell them relationships weren’t for me. I started to be honest from the beginning. Those that could hang, would hang. Those that couldn’t, wouldn’t. No one could accuse me of being a dog or unfaithful because I didn’t make commitments. I liked it that way, and so far, I was doing a damn good job of keeping it that way.

• • •

Melina was in the living room fluffing the pillows on the couch when I entered the apartment. She was wearing a pair of cut-off shorts, a tank top and had a scarf tied around her head. She bent over to pick up a pillow that had fallen to the floor.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the view, but maybe you shouldn’t bend over like that.”

“You see plenty of ass on a regular. I’m sure the bit of cheek I’m flashing isn’t doing anything for you,” she said with her back to me, not bothering to look up from her task.

“What if it was?”

Melina stood up straight and turned around. “I’d say you better call Kai.”

I cracked a smile and changed the subject. “Terrence will be here in a minute. Do you want to be seen walking around here resembling the maid or are you getting dressed?”

She brushed past me and went into her room. I followed her down the hall. Her clothes were laid out on the bed.

“You going out?” I asked.

“I thought I would give you and your company some privacy.”

I laughed. “Terrence and I don’t need privacy. He’s picking up some tickets and probably staying for a beer or two. You should stick around. Have a beer with us.”

“No, that’s okay. You guys enjoy yourselves.”

“One beer won’t kill you. Do you have plans?”

“Not really.”

“So chill with us. But please don’t wear those shorts.”

“All right, let me get dressed.” She pushed me out of her room. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Melina wandered into the living room an hour later. What she was doing in her room for that long I couldn’t imagine. She was wearing a pair of fitted sweats, with a hole in the knee, and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, curls bouncing at the ends. She came in sporting a bright smile that widened when she saw Dru sitting on the couch next to Terrence.

Dru stood up and the two women hugged as if they were old friends. The gabbing commenced at the speed of light. I caught every other word as they covered multiple subjects within seconds.

Terrence cleared his throat with a dramatic flair, interrupting their chatter. “Hey, Melina.”

“I’m sorry, Terrence. It’s good to see you,” Melina said, barely pausing her conversation with Dru. She went over to him, kissed his cheek and then led Dru to the kitchen.

I shrugged at my boy. “You know how women are. Either they
love or hate each other from the very beginning. Apparently these two hit it off at your engagement party, which is surprising. Mel can be standoffish.”

“I heard that,” Melina said, entering the room, holding a beer.

She propped herself on the couch next to me. Dru came in with a bowl of potato chips and placed them in front of us on the coffee table.

“Terrence, I know Malik has probably made you think I’m some sort of anti-social tyrant, but that isn’t true. I’ll admit I’m not as outgoing as he is, but I’m far from introverted.”

“So the tyrant part is true?” I said, jokingly.

Melina was about to respond, but Terrence cut her off. “I know better than to believe anything Malik says, but for the record, he has nothing but good things to say about you.”

Melina nodded and sipped her beer from the bottle. I eyed her for a moment, perplexed. Extremely casual clothes—for her—with company in the house, drinking beer without a glass, and chatting it up with a woman she hardly knew. Yet she seemed so comfortable. Not the usual uptight version of the woman I was used to having around. She motioned to me with a wide-eyed expression.

I looked over at Terrence and Dru; they were staring at me, too. “Did you say something to me?” I asked.

The three of them burst into laughter.

It was Terrence who enlightened me. “Yeah, man, I said can I get another beer or do you plan to stare at—”

“Coming right up.” I cut him off before he could finish. “Dru, are you set? Can I get you something else?”

Dru looked quizzically at me and then glanced at Melina. “No, thank you,” she said, smiling. “Melina, we really need to get together for lunch and some girl talk real soon. I’ll call you this week to set it up.”

Dru gave me a playful wink as I got up to get Terrence his beer. I didn’t know what it meant, but I smiled just the same.

• • •

I hadn’t seen or spoken to Kai since the night she’d cuffed and sucked me. The joke I made while we shopped for her Christmas tree triggered an interesting response. She tried to prove a point. On Monday, I was glad we managed to stay out of each other’s way. I had a lot of work anyway. Tuesday, I thought she’d pop into my office to play a little cat and mouse, but that never happened. By Wednesday, when I heard her having a conversation with a colleague right outside of my office door, I started to get annoyed. I was going to wait and see how far she’d take things. I’d been accused of having a one-track mind many times—that didn’t bother me—but hearing it from Kai, rubbed me the wrong way. Kai wielded her sex appeal with authority and used it however and whenever she pleased. I thought that was the one area I wouldn’t need to be concerned about with her. If anyone could identify with how I felt about sex and relationships, it should’ve been Kai. I was surprised when she alluded to wanting something more, especially her roundabout way of doing it.