Going Down (20 page)

“She was laying there talkin’ ’bout, ‘Hey, Zack.’ ”

“What you say to her, Zack?” Chris asked.

“I didn’t say shit. I just got undressed and went to work on that ass.”

While the poker game continued, I thought back to the night before me and Angelique got married. After rehearsal, me Tee drove to Chris’s house. Since we had the bachelor’s party the week before, I thought the three of us would just get drunk and pass out. They had other plans for my night. When we got to the house, Tee honked the horn before he got out the car. “What’s that, some kind of signal?” I asked.

“Yeah, man. We got a little surprise for you, Zack.”

“What’s that?” I asked as we approached the house.

Tee stopped in his tracks and waved for me to come closer. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Besides, you’re gonna die tomorrow, anyway.” We laughed our way toward the door. Tee rang the bell.

Chris swung the door open. “. . . Took y’all so long?”

I held up the blunt and Tee held up the Martel.

“I didn’t even have to ask.”

Tee handed him the bottle. “Then why did you?” I said and handed him the blunt.

“What’d y’all do, stop and get high on the way?”

“You know Tee drives slow when he smokes,” I replied, looking around the room. “So what’s the big surprise?”

“Sit down and relax, Zack. You aren’t getting married until four o’clock tomorrow. Unless you
got
someplace to go,” Chris said, and then he handed me a champagne glass.

“That’s right, Zack. This is your last night as a single man. So as long we have you dressed and sober by then, relax and enjoy the night,” Tavarus said, while he filled everyone’s glass with Moet.

“So like, Zack, is there anything or anybody, for that matter, you wanna do on your last night?”

I thought about it for a second or two, and spit out the first person that came to mind: “Carolyn Nelson. I damn sure wouldn’t mine fuckin’ her fine ass. But other than that, I’ll be cool just hangin’ out here with you guys.”

“Don’t worry, Zack. We’re gonna make this a night you ain’t ever gonna forget.” Chris held up his glass. “Good luck, Zack. I hope it all turns out good for you and Angelique.” Each of us turned up the glass and Chris quickly refilled them.

“Both of you are good people. You deserve to be happy,” Tavarus said.

Chris held up his glass. “I’m sure Tavarus already asked whether you’re sure about this, so I won’t even go there. You’re a good brother, one of the only good brothers I know.” We drank to that; the glasses were refilled and another bottle Moet was popped.

“You got you a good girl, take care of her. There aren’t many like her.”

 
“We’ve fooled around long enough,” Chris said, pouring the last of the Martel in my glass. “We all kicked in and got something we knew you’d appreciate. It’s in the bedroom. I hope it fits, Zack.”

“Y’all didn’t buy me a sweater, did you?” I asked on the way to the bedroom.

“No! It cost us a hell of a lot more than some damn sweater!” Tavarus yelled.

“Shut up, Tavarus,” Chris said. As I entered the bedroom, I heard Chris say, “Let Zack enjoy it.” I walked in the dimly lit room and stopped when I heard a female’s voice.
“Hey, Zack.”

I leaned forward and tipped my head to one side. “Carolyn?” I couldn’t believe my eyes. There before me seated on the bed was Carolyn Nelson. I looked at her and then started for the door, thinking I’d walked in the wrong room. But I stopped and turned around. “What are you doin’ here?” I asked her as I approached the bed.

Carolyn got up from the bed and walked toward me. “I’m your surprise,” she said stopping in front of me. “Surprise.”

“What do you mean, ‘you’re my surprise’?” A number of things crossed my mind in that second. She kissed me on the cheek as she passed by me on her way toward the bathroom. “I had something planned but you took so long gettin’ here,” she said, walking away from me wearing Chris’s Miami Dolphin sweatshirt and little else, if anything. “What were y’all doin’ out there anyway?”

“Congrats, you know. We drained two bottles of Moet.”

“Well, come with me,” Carolyn said, and went into the bathroom.

The bathroom was lit with candles and the Jacuzzi-style bathtub was filled. Carolyn had found a bottle of Lagerfeld and poured some in, so the water had a scent. She stuck her foot in to test the temperature. “It’s a little cold,” she said, turning on the hot water. I looked at Carolyn; she smiled at me and put her arms around my neck. “I want you to understand something: this is the only time this will ever happen between us.”

“I don’t mean to sound dumb, but—”

She kissed me.

“Did that answer your question?” she said, unbuttoning my shirt.

“Everything but the why.” At that point, as she slid the shirt off my shoulders, I really didn’t care why. But I knew I’d want to know later. “So why?”

“Zack, I’ve wanted to get with you since the first time Tavarus introduced us. Do you remember the day I came over there and Angelique came right after I did?” She unbuttoned my pants and took them off. “And then the three of us went to eat, and then to the movies?”

“Yeah. I remember,” I said, as Carolyn turned off the water and stuck her foot in again. “That’s perfect.” She stepped in and removed the sweatshirt. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. Carolyn had more body than her baggy wardrobe let on. I took off my underwear and quickly joined her in the tub.

“Now, Zack, just relax. We have plenty of time.” I sat down and leaned back in the Jacuzzi as Carolyn began to bathe me. “Anyway, I was on a mission that day. I had made up my mind, you were gonna be mine. So I made up some excuse—boom, I was in there. Then Angelique shows up. I was gonna wait her out. But you seemed like you were so into her. I just let it go.”

“I never knew that.” But I did suspect it. When me and Angelique dropped Carolyn off after the movie, I remembered what she’d told me.
That bitch wants you. That’s why I invited her to go with us. Make sure she knows that you’re mine.
At the time I didn’t make much of it.
You’re just paranoid, Angelique. The only one that wants me is you.
I knew the real problem was that I wanted her. “I’ve wanted you since that day, too.”

“Did you really?” she said with a curious smile. “It doesn’t matter now. She knew I was on you. That’s why she dragged me along with y’all. So she could get all up in my face with it. Her attitude all night was, yeah bitch, I know you want him”—she spat while
rockin
’ her head—“but he’s mine. So this is my revenge. I’ll be the smile on your face in Cancun that Angelique just won’t understand.”

Once she finished bathing me, Carolyn dried me off and led me back into the bedroom. Carolyn rolled on her back and I sat on the bed. Without a word, I spread Carolyn’s legs and moved in between her thighs. Once I was inside her, Carolyn quickly wrapped her arms and legs around me.

I fucked her slow, sliding my dick in and out of her. I wanted to feel every sensation, every nuisance that Carolyn’s warmth had to offer. As I moved in and out of her, Carolyn planted kisses across my neck and chest. I could tell she was loving the way I felt inside her. It was either that or the feeling that she was getting her revenge. Either way, I didn’t care. I was just glad to be fucking her.

Carolyn began to move faster. I could feel myself expanding inside. My eyes and mouth opened wide, and my body became rigid. Carolyn began rocking her hips furiously, pounding her body into mine until she had taken it all from me.

I rolled off of her and laid flat on my back spent, out of breath, and smiling. Carolyn sat up in the bed quickly and took me into her mouth. She teased my head with her tongue, and then slowly worked her way down. Carolyn’s lips and tongue were soft and wet. I felt myself getting hard again, Carolyn relaxed the muscles in her throat so she could take more of me into her mouth.

When I was hard again, Carolyn straddled me and lowered herself onto me. She slowly began to move her hips from side to side. I was in ecstasy as Carolyn sucked my nipples while she moved up and down on my dick.

“I like how you feel inside me!” Carolyn moaned and ran her fingers through her hair.

I arched my back and pushed myself as deep and as hard into her as I could. Carolyn’s
 
head drifted back, her mouth and eyes were wide open, but no words came out.

She rolled off me and smiled. “Payback is a bitch.”

Traffic was decent for a change and I arrived in plenty of time to make the morning meeting. I stopped and picked up Kim and headed for the meeting. Ivan didn’t like the idea of her coming to the meeting with me, but he’ll have to get used to it. It’s been two weeks now since she’s been going, and on a couple of those days, she went by herself. Kim said that since I wasn’t there, that he wouldn’t address any of our issues with her. When I got in, there was a voice mail from him saying, “Chris, I missed you at the meeting this morning. If you have a minute, please stop by my office. I have some issues to discuss with you.”

When I talked to Ivan, as usual it was nothing major. Nothing that he couldn’t have covered with Kim. But when I
explaind
to Ivan that he could have addressed the issue with Kim, he laughed that stupid laugh of his and said, “I’m just an old fashion guy.”

My natural reaction to that was, he didn’t like dealing with too many Black people. I was his house nigger and that was enough for him. But I’ve watched him interact with the women that work for him. I saw how he went off on Yvonne. She’s one of his floor supervisors, very nice white woman, in her forties I guess. He started tearing her down so bad that she left the building crying. I think he’s just one of those old men that believe that a woman has no place in the workplace, and should be at home, bare foot and pregnant.

Except CJ.

Ivan just loves him some CJ.

“Well, what does CJ think?” Is one of his favorite questions.

I’ve been spending a lot of time getting Kim up to speed on the system and the reporting functions, and she’s becoming quite capable. I’m giving very serious consideration to paying for her take some computer classes. In the long run, she could become a very valuable member of the team.

Once the morning madness was over, I returned to my office and walked right into— “CJ.”

“Good morning, Chris.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, happier to see her than I let on.

“If you would’ve returned my call last night, you’d know why I’m here. I think I have a fix for the problem we’ve been having with the interface.”

I sat for the next hour or so, watching CJ stare at the monitor, banging away at the keyboard. I listened without listening to CJ talk about how unhappy she was at home. I know it must be hard on her, married to a man who is underemployed, drinks too much, and is verbally and physically abusive. She’s the victim.

When CJ successfully finished her task, I walked her to her car. I walked alongside her, admiring her form, and I allowed myself the luxury of imagining what it would be like if I had pursued CJ when I had the chance.

“It’s too bad that you have to go. Miss Crawford is coming this afternoon to do a review of our procedures,” I said, and I could have sworn that I saw CJ roll her eyes.

“I know,” CJ said and got in her car.

“I thought it would be a good idea for you to hear what she has to say.”

“And if I didn’t have to work today, I would stay. I’m sure that you’ll take good care of her,” CJ said and started her car.