Read Love, Lies and Scandal Online
Authors: Earl Sewell
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #General
"Okay, baby. I'll catch you later," JoAnn said as she stepped away from the crowd. She watched as Jesse disappeared in the sea of runners.
As she made her way back to the hotel, the palm of her hand began to itch again.
"Damn," she said as she scratched. "It's a sign. I can feel it. Luck is with me, I know it is." When she returned to the hotel room, she unlocked the safe with the key Jesse had given her. She pulled out the cash and held it firmly in her grasp. JoAnn began to feel the need to gamble. She was quite familiar with the symptoms. Years ago, gambling had been a problem for her, but she had learned to quell that compulsion. Now those old familiar pangs lured her back. Itching palms, feeling lucky and having cash in her hand excited her. She knew she should resist.
"Damn, girl. Do the right thing," she muttered to herself.
JESSE
A
t the mile ten water station, Jesse was feeling strong and was still on track to finish the race in three hours and forty-five minutes. He looked on both sides of the street and scanned the cheering crowd in search of JoAnn, but she was nowhere to be found. He didn't think much of her absence, assuming that it had been too difficult for her to get back to that location at the exact time he'd be there. He knew for certain she'd be at the end of the race waiting for him. He adjusted his white running cap to keep the blazing sun out of his eyes and began to think about how blessed he was to be healthy. This was his twelfth consecutive marathon and he had no intentions of stopping anytime soon. His body type wasn't that of a marathoner. He was two hundred and ten pounds of solid muscle as opposed to a lean and wiry elite runner. He had no desire to compete with the elite runners for the half-million-dollar purse because there was no way in hell he'd be able to run 26.2 miles in under two hours. As Jesse approached the fifteen-mile water station, he decided that it was time to turn on his iPod for a bit of extra energy and motivation. The song "Just Fine" by Mary J. Blige blared through his headphones as he pressed on, still feeling strong. By the time Jesse reached the twenty-mile water station, he was feeling completely different. The blazing Nevada sun had taken its toll on him. Sweat was cascading off his body as if he were a walking waterfall. He feared that he was well on his way toward dehydration.
Between miles fifteen and twenty, he'd seen a significant number of runners collapse from exhaustion. Jesse's legs felt as if someone had poured quick-drying cement in them. He'd fallen slightly behind the pace group by fifty meters and, in spite of his pain, willed himself to pick up his feet and catch up. Once he did, he settled into his stride once again. At the twenty-two-mile water station, Jesse had to stop running. Heat exhaustion was trying to steal away his glory and was doing a damn good job of it. He asked one of the aides to pour water on his head. The cold water felt good and it cooled his skin down. Jesse continued to walk to the next mile marker. At mile twenty-five, he found himself shuffling along on fumes.
"Come on, you can't stop now," a woman said as she approached him. "You've got to keep moving." She smiled and sprinted past him. He glanced up briefly and noticed that Lisa and Monique, his customers from yesterday, were jogging next to him.
"That's right," Jesse muttered, "I can't stop now."
For the remainder of the race, the three of them ran together in silence. When they crossed the finish line, they hugged each other and thanked one other for the encouragement to continue.
Jesse finished the race in four hours and thirty minutes, which was slower than he'd have liked, but he wasn't about to complain about it. After he picked up his completion medal and draped it around his neck, he searched the crowd for JoAnn. When he couldn't locate her, he decided to have a seat beneath a tree to get out of the hot sun. He remained there for an hour resting and talking to other runners about how tough the race had been and how gratifying it was to complete it. Jesse was hoping JoAnn would come along so that they could head back to the hotel and she could give him a massage that would relax him into a deep sleep. But JoAnn never surfaced.
He finally decided he'd go back to the hotel alone. He walked over to the gear tent, collected his belongings and caught a cab. Walking through the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel, Jesse had only two things in mind--a hot shower and a soft bed. When he entered his hotel room, JoAnn was nowhere in sight. He removed his clothes, went into the bathroom and took a shower. Fifteen minutes later, Jesse exited the bathroom feeling moderately refreshed. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard JoAnn come into the room. She gasped the moment she realized she wasn't in the room alone.
"Damn, you scared the hell out of me," JoAnn said, as she placed her hand over her heart and closed the door. Jesse only glared and waited for an explanation.
"Is your race over already?" JoAnn asked.
"You didn't come at all, did you?" he asked.
"Baby, I'm sorry. I was walking around sightseeing. You know how big these casinos are. I didn't realize how quickly the time went by."
"You should've looked at your watch, JoAnn." Jesse's aggravation was obvious.
"You're right. You are so right and I am wrong. I'm sorry for not being there for you. Let me help you get in bed." JoAnn approached the bed and pulled back the covers for him. "How do you feel?"
"I'm a little stiff and achy but I'll be okay," Jesse answered.
"You know what, let me rub you down. Hang on and I'll get the baby oil," JoAnn said as she went to the bathroom to retrieve the lubricant.
"Aren't you going to ask me how I did?"
"Knowing you, baby, you probably finished in record time," JoAnn said as she exited the bathroom.
"Well, not exactly, but it was still a decent time," Jesse stated.
"Sit up and take off your robe so that I can give you a good massage." JoAnn smiled and poured oil into her palm. Once Jesse was completely naked, JoAnn kneaded his muscular caramel-colored legs and his feet.
"Oooh, you don't know how good that feels." Jesse sighed.
"Shhh, just relax," JoAnn said as she massaged his thighs and his manhood, which had become erect from all of her caressing.
"How can you get hard after running all of those miles?" JoAnn asked.
"I got it like that," Jesse boasted.
"I see," JoAnn murmured as she wrapped her hand around him to see how strong his erection was. "Solid as a rock," she stated.
"I told you, I got it like that."
"It seems to me like you have a little energy left to do something," JoAnn said without enthusiasm.
"Suck on it. Put it in your mouth."
JoAnn glared at him. "Are you serious?" she asked.
"Do I feel like I'm serious? You're the one holding my dick in your hand." JoAnn turned her head away from him.
"Come on, baby, do me," Jesse begged. "I'll just lay here and let you work me over."
"And then you'll go to sleep?" JoAnn asked.
"Honey, the minute I pop a nut, I will be out like some busted headlight."
"Fine," JoAnn agreed. She got on her knees and placed his dick in her mouth. She used both of her hands and sucked on him as only she could. She made sure his shaft was slick with her saliva as she stroked him with one hand and caressed his thighs with the other.
She circled her tongue around the mushroom head and took him deeper into her mouth, pushing down until the tip of his dick was at the back of her throat. She then suctioned her lips down on his glistening shaft and slowly pulled up while simultaneously sucking.
"Oh, shit." Jesse sighed. She repeated her signature move several times until he had an orgasm. Within seconds of his release, Jesse was fast asleep. She went into the bathroom and cleaned herself up. She brushed her teeth and gargled with mouthwash, then washed her face. She looked at herself for a moment in the mirror and, before she could stop them, tears began falling.
"Damn, JoAnn, why did you do that?" she whispered directly at her reflection. "You've gambled away half of the cash. Girl, you're a better gambler. You've got to bring your A game in order to win. Get yourself together, get the rest of that money and go triple it. You can do it. Just take your time and pay attention to what you're doing. And stop crying. Jesse doesn't know yet and what he doesn't know will not hurt him. Just go win the money back and everything will be fine." JoAnn smeared away another teardrop and began to scratch her palm.
"It's a sign," she said to her reflection. "Mama always said that if the palms of your hands itch, it means that you've got unexpected money coming to you." JoAnn teased her hair with her comb and then stepped out of the bathroom. When she looked down at Jesse, he was snoring loud enough to cause a person to go deaf.
"You're not going to wake up anytime soon." She went to the safe, opened it up and took the remaining cash and headed for the blackjack table.
WILL
W
ill was disturbed out of his sleep by the stewardess asking that he bring his seat back into the upright position in preparation for landing. As she moved forward, he glanced at her pear-shaped ass as it ballooned against the fabric of her skirt. The stewardess was now several rows ahead of him, leaning forward, relaying the same message to another passenger.
She doesn't have on any underwear,
Will surmised. He could tell by the way the fabric of her skirt folded into the crease of her ass. The visual beauty of her behind and the knowledge of her secret turned him on. He fantasized about standing in the aisle with his pants around his ankles, pulling her hair and penetrating her from behind. In his mind, he could hear her primal moans, her heavy breathing and the sound of her ass slapping against his thighs.
Damn, I wish I could have her right now,
he thought as he scanned his surroundings.
The airplane was practically empty, thirty passengers at best. He reached over DaNikka, who was still asleep, and opened up the window shade. He noticed the sun was beginning to peek from beneath the horizon but hadn't fully risen yet. Off in the distance, he saw the red steel arches of the Golden Gate Bridge knifing through a few clouds. He closed the window shade and focused his attention on DaNikka. She had a copy of Kim Catrell's book
Sexual Intelligence
resting on her lap. He'd picked up the book for her before their trip to Philadelphia. The book explored sexual intelligence, the mystery of sexual fantasies and the power of arousal. He'd gotten it for DaNikka so that she'd understand not only herself but him, as well.
"Good lovers are taught, not born," he had said to her when he gave her the book. He was hell-bent on making damn sure she was a highly skilled and a well-trained lover. She'd been reading the book at the beginning of their flight back home. Will studied her body language as she read and saw that she'd become aroused. It was the way she crossed one leg over the other and bounced it, signaling that an erotic impulse was stirring around the folds of her paradise.
"Are you getting hot? Are you getting wet?" He had to know.
DaNikka stopped reading and met his gaze. "Yes. I seem to stay wet whenever I'm around you." Will smiled, then glanced down at the swell of her breasts. Her thirty-four double-Ds were a constant source of pleasure. Will tossed one of the small blue blankets that had been given out at the start of the flight over her legs.
"Let me feel how wet you are. Spread your legs for me."
DaNikka looked around. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. No one is near us. I just want to feel it. I want to put my fingers on it and play with you a little."
"You are going to make me scream," she muttered as she unbuckled her belt, unzipped her jeans, slumped forward and spread her legs slightly.
"I'll try not to make you moan too much," Will assured her, skillfully gliding his fingers through the triangle of hair on her mound. She cleared her throat as she checked to make sure no one was coming down the aisle before spreading her thighs a little wider. DaNikka guided his hand around the rim of her lips as Will's middle finger dipped inside her. DaNikka moaned and then clutched his hand. She cradled the back of his head, pulled his ear to her lips and allowed him to hear her sensual moans. The wave of passion swelled up within her and she quickly crossed her legs to contain it before she informed the entire plane that Will's finger was deep inside her.
Will could feel the walls of her paradise pulsing against his finger.
"My very touch sets you off, doesn't it?"
"Yes," DaNikka whispered. Will was about to place a second finger inside of her when DaNikka stopped him.
"The stewardess is coming," she whispered, hastily removing his fingers, clapping her thighs shut and fastening her loose clothing.
"Are you two okay?" The stewardess stopped at their seat. Will placed his glistening finger between his lips and circled his tongue around it.
"Everything is delicious," he'd finally answered with a devilish smile.
Will now squeezed and coaxed his erect manhood--which he had fondly named Homicide--in an effort to satisfy Homicide's unyielding and perpetual thirst for sex.
She's so young and she's all yours to teach and train to be loyal only to you and your most titillating fantasies.
He considered DaNikka to be the perfect mistress for a man in his circumstances. She hailed from Pittsburg, California, an economically depressed community filled with scores of poorly educated black people. DaNikka's mind wasn't strong like Angela's, and was therefore ripe for molding. DaNikka was the youngest in her family and by far the most beautiful. And what man wouldn't want a woman around who idolized, adored and worshipped him no matter how he treated her?
"DaNikka." Will tapped her leg to wake her up. "We're making our final descent into Oakland," he whispered to her and then kissed her on the cheek.
"Tell me you love me," DaNikka mumbled as she looped her arm around his and nuzzled her face against his shoulder. "I want to hear you say it."
"You know I do." His words held absolutely no truth.
"We should just run away and leave California behind. We could buy a new house and start a new life together. I could have a son for you and a girl for me. The four of us would be so happy together. I just know we would. Don't you think it would be nice for us to be together all of the time?" she rambled.
"Get your mind right, DaNikka." Will unlatched her from his arm. "Remember your place. Remember our agreement."
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking--" she quickly apologized.
"Don't think. Just do what I ask you to and you'll benefit from it. Who is the man who buys you nice clothes?"
"You."
"Who is the man who makes sure you have money in your pocket?"
"You."
"And who is the man who has been helping out your mother?"
"You."
"Now why do you want to mess up this perfect arrangement?"
"I don't want to mess it up, baby. I just--" DaNikka stopped talking out of fear she'd say something wrong.
He stared coldly at her so there would be no mistake. "Make sure you don't start thinking like that again or I'll cut you completely off."
"I'm sorry, okay?" She tried to give Will a kiss, but he refused her affections. DaNikka sat completely upright and remained silent as the plane landed at the Oakland airport. Will turned his cell phone back on and checked his messages.
"I've ordered a car for you," Will said as the aircraft taxied toward the gate. "The driver is at the luggage carousel waiting for you."
"You're not riding back with me?" DaNikka pouted.
"No. Angela is picking me up." DaNikka remained silent. Will knew that made her unhappy, but she'd get over it. They exited the aircraft and began walking through the airport.
Will directed her to step over to the side away from the flow of traffic. "Here, this is for you." He handed her an envelope filled with one thousand dollars in cash. It was the largest amount of money he'd ever given her. "Do something nice for yourself."
The money changed DaNikka's attitude. "You know that you're my boo, right?" DaNikka smiled slightly as she tucked the money inside her purse.
"I'll call you when I can, most likely after my committee meetings."
"Okay." DaNikka closed up her purse and tried to kiss him once again.
"We're back home and in public, DaNikka. This is the part where Mr. Rourke and Tattou appear out of nowhere wearing white suits and say your fantasy has come to its end."
"Who?" DaNikka was confused.
"I forgot you're too young to remember that television show. Just make sure you don't get too caught up in our fantasy getaways."
"I'm sorry. I just want to say thank you," she explained. "My mom and I can really use the money."
"Well, you have what you need, so go pick up your luggage. Your driver is waiting for you."
Will watched DaNikka as she sucked up her emotions and was swallowed into the massive herd of people moving forward toward their destination. Will then walked over to Starbucks and ordered himself a cup of coffee. As he took his first sip, his cell phone rang.
"Hello," he answered.
"Hey, baby. Where are you?" It was Angela.
"I just got off of the airplane."
"Okay, I'm down at the baggage carousel waiting for you."
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Did you miss me?" Angela asked.
"Of course I did. I thought about you every day."
"I thought about you, too. I missed you."
"Well, you won't have to wait much longer. I'm on my way," Will said as he completed their call. He went to the bathroom to freshen up.
"The last thing I want is for Angela to get a hint of DaNikka's scent on me," Will whispered to himself. After he'd washed his hands thoroughly, he decided to visit a few airport stores to give DaNikka enough time to get her luggage and exit. As he came down the escalator near the luggage carousel, he noticed that there appeared to be some type of delay. Their luggage hadn't been removed from the aircraft yet. He also noticed that DaNikka was standing behind Angela, glaring at her with contempt.
"There you are. Hey, baby." Angela walked over to Will and stepped into his embrace. As he hugged Angela, DaNikka trapped his gaze, her eyes swelling with hell's fire. At that moment, the luggage carousel began moving.
"It looks like the luggage is finally here. Why don't you go pull the car around?"
"Do you need any help?" Angela asked.
"No. I'll be outside in a moment." Angela left and Will waited for his luggage. When his luggage arrived, he grabbed it and stood before DaNikka. He looked into her tear-filled eyes and quickly kissed her on the cheek.
"Keep it tight and wet for me," he whispered and then continued onward.