Flirt (26 page)

Chris walked close to Marley’s side with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she searched the home-improvement store for tile and blinds for the Palmers’ new home. She explained the layout and colors to Chris, and he listened intently, staring into her eyes as she spoke. He was enamored by her beauty, and every chance he had to tell her so, he did.

“You are still amazing,” he interrupted. “You make shopping for tiles and blinds sexy,” Chris said. He pulled Marley into his body and playfully kissed her neck.

“Stop it. This is serious stuff. I have to find the perfect match. You don’t understand how picky Mrs. Palmer is,” she said, pulling away.

They walked the entire store twice before Marley found exactly what pattern and color she was looking for. Marley handed the cashier her credit card and turned toward Chris while she swiped it.

“So, where am I going again?” Marley asked.

“I thought I told you all of this already,” he said. “It’s a family get-together. I want people to see me with someone like you. I’m tired of my people riding me about getting married and
having kids. My cousin had the nerve to ask me if I was gay. I almost knocked the fuck out of him.”

Marley nearly choked on the gum she was chewing, trying to keep from laughing. “So, you’re taking me to this family get-together to prove that you are not gay?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Chris smiled at Marley, and when she smiled back, that old feeling came rushing over her. This feeling was not going to go away. Chris had taken the first step to getting Marley back into his life.

He’d been taking real-estate classes and finally received his license. Chris had taken his dirty money and invested it in properties and remodeling the homes in the hood. Business was good. Chris’s plan was to eventually ask Marley to join the team as the interior designer.

Chris wanted to do everything in his power to show Marley that his life had changed. He wanted to be with her, and he needed to be careful, because the one thing that he couldn’t do was let Marley know the secret he was carrying. If he did, Chris would lose her forever. No questions asked.

“Why are you canceling on me?” Jay asked.

“You know, I still haven’t finished Dr. Mason’s office,” Marley lied. “I have been putting it off for too long. I still have to get paint, tiles . . . everything. I have to get my priorities in order before no one wants to hire me. Don’t get me wrong, I want to meet your friends and everything, but this weekend is just not good.”

“Okay, I understand. It’s just that I’ve been talking about you for so long, everyone wants to meet you. They have never been excited about meeting any of my girlfriends,” Jay explained.

“Maybe we can all go out to dinner next weekend or something. I promise you, I will make this up to you, Jay,” Marley said.

Marley and Chris decided to meet at the house in Kensington Estates and get dressed there since it was closer to where they were going. Marley paced back and forth from the closet to the bed with a different outfit in her hand each time.

“I don’t know what to wear, Chris. I don’t want to be too sexy around your people. But I don’t want to look too old-fashioned either. What should I put on?” Marley whined.

Chris wrapped his towel around his waist and walked toward the bed, brushing his teeth. He looked down at each of the outfits Marley chose and shook his head. “I don’t like any of those,” he said. “Just be yourself. They are going to love you,” he said. “Wear whatever you want, Marley. It’s not that big of a deal.” Chris walked back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth. When he finished, he stood in the doorway and watched Marley’s theatrics.

Marley fell backwards onto the bed, folded her arms across her chest, and pouted. Chris adjusted his towel and walked toward the bed. He covered Marley’s body with his and laughed. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and smoothed the loose strands of hair away from her face, and Marley smiled.

“You are still funny,” he laughed.

“What!” Marley screamed, fighting to free her body from Chris’s weight.

He playfully grabbed her arms and opened her legs with his body. He pinned her arms behind her head. “I have my own business now,” he said. He looked into her eyes and relished in her confusion.

“I know that already,” Marley said sarcastically.

“For real, girl, a brother is into real estate and shit now, me and Big Papi.”

“For real?”

“Yes, for real. I had to leave all that craziness alone. When they busted into the apartment in Riverton and shot my dude, that was the last straw.”

Marley lifted her head toward Chris and kissed him deeply. The feeling was still there. It never left. Back then, she just wanted Chris to get his life together, and he wasn’t ready. Marley refused to fall victim to the game, and that the
only
thing that destroyed their bond.

As the old connection ignited again, they kissed. Marley slowly wrapped her legs around Chris’s waist and allowed him to enter her. While she moaned softly, Chris slowly stroked her body inside. She closed her eyes and finally allowed the words to leak from her lips. “I love you, Chris,” she whispered. As soon as the words left her mouth, her entire body shivered. Marley didn’t try to explain herself, nor did she try to recant her statement. Instead she whispered the words again and allowed herself to let go with Chris.

_______

Marley stared out of the window in silence while they drove to Chris’s friend’s house. He explained the escapade of finding the perfect home, how long the renovation took, and how he’d purchased a home that was now worth over $1.5 million for less than two hundred grand.

After driving for thirty minutes, Marley and Chris drove up the driveway as Marley admired the beautiful landscape. The grass was the perfect shade of green, and beautifully sculpted palm trees lined each side of the concrete driveway outlined in brick. A six-foot black gate surrounded the home. As they drove closer to the house, Marley could see the huge white tent placed in the yard. Tahitian torches with flames blowing in the breeze surrounded the event area. Old-school tunes blared from oversized speakers, and a few guests from the older generation danced on the portable dance floor.

Chris parked his truck in the designated parking area and walked to the passenger side to open Marley’s door. He reached for her hand, and she stepped out. He stared at her with wide eyes. Even though he’d watched her get dressed and driven for thirty minutes with her sitting next to him, it was something about the way that she stood with the sun setting behind her that enhanced her beauty tonight. She’d chosen a simple floor-length white linen dress with Egyptian sandals, which remained hidden underneath the dress. She’d pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and pinned the ends into a bun. Her skin was tanned, her makeup was natural, and her gold hoops complemented
the effortless ensemble perfectly. He stared at her small hands with their perfectly manicured fingernails and prayed for the day that he could place a ring on her finger.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“You look like an angel . . . just like an angel,” he said.

Marley opened the back door and grabbed the bottle of wine she’d picked up for Chris’s friend, and then they walked hand in hand toward the party tent.

When they walked inside the tent, Marley gasped. The decorating was absolutely beautiful. Guest tables were covered with white cloth, and small candles in votive holders were placed in the center with gorgeous white lilies surrounding them. Waiters suited in black walked back and forth quickly, serving the guests.

The old-school jams had turned into jazz, and the atmosphere was calm and mellow. They moved to their table and sat next to Chris’s friend and his date. The server placed a champagne flute in front of Marley, and she sipped slowly at first, but when her eyes caught Chris’s stare, she set her glass down and reached for his hand.

“Thank you for bringing me,” she whispered into Chris’s ear.

Chris smiled and tightened his grip around Marley’s tiny hand. They held hands and exchanged seductive glances while the servers placed the evening meal in front of them. Chris and Anthony talked sports while they chewed their food as their dates listened. They dined on roasted chicken with garlic potatoes, steamed vegetables, and bread until it was time to get loose
on the dance floor. Before they walked toward the dance floor, Chris stood in front of his chair and held his glass high in the air.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt. “I have something that I need to say,” he said. Marley sat straight up with her back against the chair and waited for Chris to speak.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight, Marley,” he said. Chris knelt in front of Marley and prepared to pour his heart out to her. She reached for his hand and softly ran her fingers back and forth against his skin while he continued his speech.

“You only find true love once in a lifetime,
maybe
twice,” he joked. “When you find it, you can’t let it slip away. I know we have been through some shit, Marl, but through it all, I don’t think that I have ever stopped loving you. You have always been right here.” Chris pounded his fist against his chest right over his heart. “I want you to be in my life, Marley . . . for good . . . forever, and I just wanted you to know that.”

Marley struggled to catch her breath and fight back tears. She didn’t know what to say. She gently cupped Chris’s face into her hands and kissed him softly. Her feelings for Chris had never changed, but it shocked her, that he still felt the same way about her.

“I will be in your life, Chris—forever, if that is what you want,” she whispered. “My feelings have never really changed.”

Chris lifted Marley from her seat with her arms still wrapped around his neck and spun around in a small circle. Anthony and his date stood in front of their seats and applauded. Marley was so caught up in her moment, she never noticed Jay standing in
the background, watching. After the entire scene, he silently excused himself from the celebration. His heart ached as he drove home. He couldn’t believe that Marley played him, but he believed that it was only a matter of time before the whole situation blew up in their faces.

“Marley,” Jay said when Marley picked up on the other end of the line.

“Hey,
papi
, I was going to call you, but I got sidetracked. You know how busy I am,” Marley said.

“Yeah, I know. I kinda figured you were staying away on purpose, since you are kicking it with Chris and everything.”

Marley stared at the phone and then placed it back to her ear. “What?”

“I know about Chris. He’s my business partner, so I know everything. I was also at the party,” he said.

“What?”

“Yeah . . . I was there. So, I just wanted to wish you luck with that, baby girl. I hope that dude makes you happy.”

“Jay . . . let me explain.”

“No explanation needed, ma. No hard feelings. I want you to do one thing for me, though. Ask Chris about his father.”

“What?”

“Just ask him about his dad. See what he tells you. Talk to you later, baby girl. Be easy.”

Marley stared at the phone before she hit the end button. She had no idea what Jay was talking about. She felt sick to her
stomach. She hadn’t known that Jay was at the party or that he knew Chris. As usual her relationship drama was extreme.

After the party, Chris and Marley rekindled their relationship and eventually moved into Chris’s new home together. Marley became a part of their team as the interior designer. She redecorated the refurbished homes once the construction was finished. In the beginning, it was awkward working with Jay, but after a few months, the shock was gone, and they were focused on the business and the business only.

Marley and Chris even talked about getting married. They were happy together. It finally seemed like the pieces of Marley’s love life were coming together.

“Chris, Jay keeps asking me to ask you about your father. What is all that about?” Marley asked while she and Chris had dinner at Mr. Chow’s.

“What did he say? When did he say it?”

“He’s been telling me that ever since he found out about us. Today he asked me if I’d met your dad yet. It’s weird,” she said.

“I don’t know what that dude is going through,” Chris said. “I’ll ask him about it.”

Chris didn’t know what to think at that moment. Was Jay trying to expose his secret? He knew that he should have never confided in him. Chris felt the vomit rise. If Jay spoke, it would ruin his relationship with Marley. He couldn’t let that happen, but he wasn’t sure how to stop it either.

_______

When Chris arrived at the office, he threw his car keys on the desk and stormed over to Jay.

“What’s all this about you telling Marley that she needs to ask me about my father? What the fuck are you trying to do, nigga?” Chris poked his chest out and balled his fist at his waist. He wanted Jay to get flip so that he could knock him the fuck out.

“Come on, dude. You need to tell that girl, before things get out of hand. That’s all I’m saying. Calm down, dude. You ’bout to buck with me over this shit? You are wrong, nigga. But you know that shit already.”

“There isn’t shit to tell. She won’t ever find out, so just keep your mouth shut, dude . . . please. I don’t want no shit.”

Jay turned back to his computer and pecked at the keys. He was just waiting until the happy couple’s whole world came crashing down. It was only a matter of time.

“Let me handle this my way, man, I don’t need any help, a’ight?”

Jay didn’t respond. He glanced at the clock on the computer and continued to peck at the keys.
Just a matter of time.

By twelve o’clock, Marley walked into the office, looking beautiful as usual. Chris was out checking on a property, and Jay was sitting at his desk, listening to his iPod. Marley walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“What’s up, Jay?”

Jay turned in his seat and waved without removing the ear-plugs from his ear. He glanced at the clock again and smiled.