Frick tapped my shoulder and I lowered my head so he could whisper in my ear.
“She's good,” he whispered.
“Tell me about it,” I said, not referring to her testimony. “Very, very good.”
Finally, the trial wrapped up for the day. Or at least, my and Nokea's jobs were finished. Jaylin and Nokea stood up to leave and so did Frick and I. We actually made our way to the exit doors before Jaylin and Nokea did.
Frick walked up to Jaylin and shook his hand. “I had no idea you would be here,” Frick said.
“I gotta be here to support my wife, don't I?” Jaylin replied.
“Yes. And, that was a courageous thing Shane did for himself and Nokea. Things could have turned out a lot worse, you know?”
“Maybe,” Jaylin shrugged, turning to me. He held out his hand. “What's up, brotha can't get no love?”
I reached out for his hand. “I wasn't sure how you felt, Jay. Just trying to give you some time to sort things out.”
His grip got a little bit tighter, so I pulled away. “Hey, you, uh, got time for a drink later?” he asked.
“I might. Give me a holla on my cell.”
“Will do. Definitely will do.”
Not knowing if I'd see Nokea anytime soon, I carefully wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug.
“Take care, all right?” I said.
“You too, Shane.”
We held each other for a few more seconds, then broke our embrace. Afterward, I left. Frick stayed around and chatted with Jaylin.
Â
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As expected, when I received a phone call from Jaylin, it was less than an hour later. I hadn't even made it home yet, but I could tell he was anxious to talk. We agreed to meet at CJ's in Clayton. I told him I was on my way and we both hung up.
Traffic was a bit crammed. When I got to CJ's, Jaylin was already there. He was sitting at a small table for two, talking on his cell phone. Suited up in his dark pin-striped suit, I noticed two women sitting behind him going crazy. When I walked up, they smiled at me and I took a seat. Jaylin ended his call and the lady behind him tapped his shoulder.
“Excuse me, but my girlfriend would really like toâ”
“Not right now, all right? I'm in the middle of something,” Jaylin arrogantly said.
She looked at me, sort of rolled her eyes and turned around.
Jaylin picked up the menu, looking it over.
“I thought you only wanted to have a drink,” I said. “Have we changed our plans?”
“If I took a seat at the table, instead of the bar, then I guess our plans must have changed. Besides, I'm hungry. How about you?”
“I'm all right. I ate very well earlier and I'm still a little full.”
Jaylin looked at me and chuckled. “Now, why did I read a little bit more into that comment, Shane? I got the impression that you weren't talking about being full from food.”
“Maybe, it's just your mind playing tricks on you. I was definitely speaking of getting full from my breakfast this morning. Besides, what I liked to
eat
was recently served to you. After nearly five long days with you, I know you're very full, aren't you?”
“Yeah, Shane, but there's always room in my body for more. I assume you're talking about my time with Scorpio, right?”
“Hey, let's not beat around the bush. You know that's what I'm talking about. I can't seem to understand how a man like you can live with himself. How can you look in the mirror and be satisfied with who you are?”
Jaylin gave me a serious look, making himself clear. “Shane, I'm more than satisfied with who I am. But, uh, I didn't ask you to come here so we could discuss Scorpio. Since you brought her up, though, what can I say? As usual, the pussy was finger licking good, and the excellent head she gave me hasn't been accomplished by any woman I know. I've told you, for a very long time, that Scorpio will never love another man the way she loves me. Always, at the snap of my finger, she'll be there for me. Don't blame me if you failed to face reality and got caught up. You shouldn't have ever tampered with my leftovers. Backstabbing me has never paid off for anyone. Now, I'm sorry if your feelings got bruised, but you set yourself up for the downfall, my brotha.”
I wanted so badly to tell him about me and Nokea, but I couldn't even play her like that. I quickly brushed his remarks off and decided to take the high road. “Whatever, Jaylin. Maybe I did set myself up, but hey, it was fun while it lasted. We live and learn, don't we?”
The waiter interrupted us to take our orders. Keeping it simple, I ordered hot wings and a beer. Jaylin ordered a steak burger with fries, and was working on his second glass of Remy.
After taking a sip, he put the glass on the table. “Yes, Shane, we do live and learn. More than anyone, I'm ecstatic about the outcome of your relationship with Scorpio. But I am saddened by what I saw today. I saw with my own eyes, that my wife seriously got some feelings for you. In addition to that, the late appearance in court really shook me up.”
“Why's that? We got lost trying to find the place, and the rain delayed us.”
“Maybe so, 'cause I got lost too, but let me tell you something that I know about my wife. Nokea is very particular about how she looks. Her hair is always in order, her clothes are neat and the time she spends on her makeup drives me crazy. There are not too many places she goes looking as she did in the courtroom today. Can . . . can I tell you where I'm going with this, or do you already have an idea?”
“No, I don't know, but like I said, guilt can be a muthafucka, you know?”
Jaylin hopped out of his seat and grabbed my collar. “Don't bullshit me, nigga! Did you fuck my wife today?”
Several people turned to look in our direction, but once Jaylin let loose of my collar, they looked away. I calmly dropped back in my seat, and so did he. I straightened my collar and gave him a stern look. “You need to calm the fuck down. Now, if you want to shake something up in here, we can. I'm damn mad about you and Scorpio. Even though I want to put my foot in your ass, she was the one who messed up a good thing. So, no, I did not fuck your wife today. Nor have I ever, or intended to, go inside of Nokea. When she came to my house today, we stayed there five minutes and left. During those five minutes, she briefly shared with me her feelings from your actions and was really shaken up. She cried so much that she washed the makeup from her face, and as for her hair, the rain must have wrestled with it. I encouraged her to be strong and told her everything would work itself out. Even though I knew Scorpio had gone to see you, I didn't say a word to Nokea about it. She's been through enough already. I have no desire to continuously inflict pain on her like that. I'll leave that up to you, as you seem to be doing a damn good job of it already. I just don't understand how you can risk losing a woman like her, for a woman like Scorpio.”
“You are so full of shit, Shane. Months ago, Scorpio was the best damn thing that happened to you. Now, Nokea is the prize winner. For the record, my dick took a risk. When my wife lied to me about her encounter with you, my dick suspected something was up. It went on a search for the only woman who was capable of making it heal. It had fun, and fucking was the only way to calm my ass down. When
it
needed a little love and tender care,
it
went home.”
“So, let me get this straight. Are you implying that Nokea is not capable of fucking you like Scorpio does? If so, I think you're out of your mind.”
“Unless you've seriously got it on with Nokea, then how in the hell would you know how the two of them compare?”
“I . . . I'm only assuming. From what you've told me about Nokea, I knew she was capable of doing something right, especially if you married her. Therefore, I can assume that she's a better lover than Scorpio. Not from my experience, but rather from what you yourself told me.”
“That's right, clean your shit up. Nokea is a better lover, but when I'm angry to the extent that I was, I need to fuck. Scorpio worked out just fine, and if anybody knows that to be true, I'm sure it's you.”
“So . . . I'm still unclear. You got with Scorpio because?”
He snapped. “Because every chance I get, I make love to my wife. During the process, all I think about is how much I love her and how precious she is to me. On the other hand, when I fall on hard times, I can fuck Scorpio, whenever, wherever or however I want to! During those times, I'm thinking just that. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, then that's too damn bad.”
“Oh, I understand. I understand very well, Jay. You use people to get what you want from them, and you have no consideration for their feelings. You know the thought of that shit really bothers me, but, uh, ain't nothing I can do about it now.”
“I apologize for shaking up your feelings, but it's obvious that no one considered mine. Scorpio, she knows what it is that I feel for her. I don't have to explain myself to you or to anyone. Now, getting back to today, my gut thinks something happened between you and Nokea. I'm really not sure what, but because I don't believe Nokea would give away what belongs to me, that's why I'm not gon' trip. But, let me say this . . . if I ever find out anything differently, you'd better have a safe and secure place for her at your place. She knows how precious she is to me and you know how I feel about her as well. I've accepted this incident between the two of you, but the idea of y'all having feelings for each other is way, way out there. As my friend, once again, I need for you to pack up your feelings and lay them elsewhere. Nokea is off limits.”
“Scorpio too, right?”
“Exactly. It's nice to know we're finally on the same page.”
“Well, damn, Jay. I'd say you really have this thing under control. Like you've always wanted, you have both of your women back in your possession. I hope you'll somehow manage to work out the mess you've created. All I can say is good luck and I wish the three of you well.”
I stood up, and before I left, I stepped over to Jaylin's side of the table. I leaned down and spoke to him. “They're taking too long with my food and drink, so I gotta go. Until we chat again, do me a favor.” Jaylin looked up at me. “Don't underestimate Nokea. She's a very smart woman. She's not as stupid as you think she is. Scorpio gon' always be Scorpio and your dick will continue to make her turn flips. Just maybe Nokea too, but whether you realize it or not, she's got more power than you think she has. I'd hate to see you blow a good thing. If you do, there are plenty of men waiting or hoping that you'll fuck up. I being one of them. Good friend or not, pretty-ass women with spectacular pussies seem to fuck us up every time. For now, let the past stay in the past. I hope like hell we don't continue to let these women come between our friendship.”
Jaylin stood up and reached in his pocket. He lay a fifty dollar bill on the table and took a sip from the glass of Remy. “I don't appreciate waiting this long in restaurants either, and you don't have to tell me about Nokea because I already know. I know that she'd better not find out about Scorpio, and I know you better not have lied to me about your activities for the day. As long as everything checks out, Shane, I agree with you. We cool as a fan and I owe you for
protecting
Nokea at that motel.”
Jaylin held out his hand and I gripped it. We patted each other's back and headed for the door. His rental car was parked close by the door. My car was parked in the garage.
“Where are you headed?” I asked. “Are you and Nokea going back home or are y'all staying in St. Louis?”
“We got some serious making up to do, so after I go make this important stop, we're heading back out tonight. The kids are staying with her parents for two weeks. I don't know how in the hell her parents got me to agree to that shit.”
“Well, be safe. If you need anything, holla.”
“Same here,” he said, getting into his car. I went into the parking garage and Jaylin drove away.
Chapter 18
Jaylin
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Honestly, I didn't know what to believe. My gut was telling me one thing, but Nokea and Shane had said the same thing about their delay with getting to court. Thing is, I wasn't sure if it was my guilt that had gotten the best of me, or had something really gone down between them.
While on the drive to her parents' house earlier, Nokea assured me that no matter how bad things had gotten between us, turning to another man was not the answer for her. She admitted to doing that with Stephon and talked about how many problems her decision to kick it with him had brought to us. She did say that Shane provided her with some encouraging words, and whatever words he'd said to her, they seemed to give her hope for our marriage. No doubt, I was pleased about that.
As for my dealings with Scorpio, there was no other way to put it, other than admit I was out of my mind! I had no justifiable excuse for all the sex I'd had with her. The only thing I could admit to was how much I enjoyed it. I don't know why or how I'd gotten myself into this situation, but I was in too deep and couldn't change a thing that had happened. I hated like hell to disappoint Scorpio, but there was no way in hell I'd leave Nokea for anybody. By any means necessary, we are going to work things out. I was sure it would take some time, but I planned to deal with her distance until she decided to come around. I understood her distance very well and I was upset with myself for saying some of the things I'd said to her. Not only that, but I'd definitely crossed the line. By having sex with Scorpio, I opened up old wounds and I prayed like hell that Nokea never, ever found out. I planned to take that secret to my grave. I wasn't about to lose my wife and kids over this mistake. Before I went home, though, I had to set the record straight with Scorpio. I wanted to see her face to face, explain what I truly felt and tell her how I could not give her what she wanted.
As expected for a Friday, Jay's was crowded. I saw Scorpio's Thunderbird out front. I had to park almost a block away. Before getting out of the car, I checked myself in the mirror, and adjusted my baby blue silk tie. My dark blue suit was already working for me. As I looked at the time on my Rolex, I realized that I didn't have much time to discuss my decision with Scorpio. Yes, I could have called her, but as good as she'd been to me, it was only fair that it happened this way.
As soon as I opened the door, I already knew what to expect. Every eye was on me and Jay's got extremely quiet. That was until, Jamaica, a woman I'd met before, ran up to me. She threw her arms around me.
“It was so nice of you to come back for me. Tell me, please tell me that you're not here looking for
that thing
,” she joked.
“Jaylin Rogers,” said a voice to my right. I looked over, and sitting in a chair was a chick I'd dated in college named Erin. Well, maybe not dated, but fucked a few times.
Before I could say a word, Jamaica looked at Erin. “Do you know my man?”
“Sorry,” she laughed and got out of her chair. “But your man has a wife.”
I gave Erin a hug. “What's up, Ms. Lady? I haven't seen you in a long time.”
“I haven't seen you in a long time either, but I heard Nokea whisked you away.”
“That was then and this is now,” Jamaica playfully said, attempting to get my attention. She continued. “Listen, Jaylin. Can I somehow get to know you like errrbody else has? I thought we had a connection?”
“And we do, baby. Just, uh, go get the boss lady for me and you and I will chat later.”
Jamaica kept flirting so the other stylist, Bernie, told me to go on back to Scorpio's office. I gave Erin another hug, telling her to take care.
Once I made my way back to Scorpio's office, I stood in the doorway, looking in at her. She was focused on some papers on her desk and seemed occupied. Her hair was pulled back into a clip and a few strands dangled on her face. Always looking sexy, she wore a mustard, offâthe-shoulder fitted sweater dress and was barefoot. Her shoes were on the floor beside her and her legs were crossed. When the intercom buzzed, she hit the button.
“Yes, Bernie.”
“Did you see who's here?”
“No, but I'm busy. If it's somebody looking for me, take a message.”
“Jaylin's on his way back there.”
Scorpio's eyes widened. “Who?”
“If you're busy, I can always come back,” I said, leaning against the doorway.
She looked up at me and stared. Of course, a smile followed. “I underestimated you. I didn't think you'd come so soon,” she said, lifting her finger from the intercom button.
“I had a sense of urgency to see you,” I said, walking into her office. Scorpio stood up and walked around her desk. Her sweater dress fit every curve she had and she was working the hell out of her dress. I wasn't sure how I was going to break my unfortunate news to her, especially since I was already turned on by her.
“Before you come any closer, just do me a favor and turn around,” I said.
She laughed and turned. Her back faced me and she slightly turned her head to the side. “Am I good,” she said.
I walked up, standing close behind her. I moved a piece of her curled hair behind her ear and whispered in it. “Good, you are. But, don't settle for good, when I consider you to be so much more than that. What's the word I'm looking for?”
“Spectacular?”
“Oh, so much more than that, too.”
She turned around. “Well, whatever it is, I don't have time to think about it right now. How about just showing me how good/spectacular you think I am.”
Shiiit, what was a man supposed to do! I had all of this in front of me and I intended to make good use of it. I wrapped my arms around Scorpio, touching the small of her back. My hands eased to another soft place and Scorpio put her arms on my shoulders. We looked at each other's lips, and then, they met up.
“Ummmm,” I said, after a lengthy kiss. “You are on point with that shit. Good kisser, good lover, good dick suâ”
Scorpio placed her hand over my mouth. “All of which I'm sure you came here for.”
I smiled and walked over to the sofa in her office. After I took off my jacket and loosened my tie, I sat back, resting one of my legs on the sofa and one on the floor. I placed my right arm on top of the sofa and looked at Scorpio leaned against her desk.
“Well, make yourself at home,” she said. “You look awfully comfortable.”
“I am and why shouldn't I feel at home whenever I come to Jay's? This place has memories of me written all over it, doesn't it?”
“Maybe. But, right now, I want to know the purpose for your visit. Do you have good or bad news for me?”
“I can't tell you while you're standing over there. I need for you to come over here so I can tell you.”
Scorpio came over by me and put her knee between my legs. She leaned over me, which caused me to lean further back.
“My mind has been deluged with nothing but thoughts of you,” she admitted. “Help me understand this connection I have with you. Is it strictly sex for you or do you wantâcan we have more?”
Scorpio's pretty eyes were right there with mine. “Baby, I would love to offer you so much more, but I am in the most fucked up position that I've ever been in before. I . . .”
Scorpio's phone buzzed and saved me. I thought she was going to get up to see who the caller was but her eyes stayed glued to mine. “No matter what you've decided, I still love you. I'll just have to live with your decision,” she said.
Her words and the look in her eyes killed me inside. I held the sides of her face and went for her lips. She straddled herself wider on top of me and maneuvered her arms out of her dress. Once she lowered the top part of her dress, she sat up on me and removed her hair clip. She teased her hair with her fingers and I held the sides of her breasts with my hands. I softly touched her nipples and dreaded what I was about to say. “Baby, you don't know how sorry I am . . . .”
“Shhh,” she said. “Let me get up and close the door.”
Before getting up, she leaned in for another kiss. That's when someone behind us cleared their throat. Scorpio quickly turned, and I rose up to look over her shoulder.
“You have two seconds to get off my trifling husband. As for you, Jaylin,” Nokea took a hard swallow and I swore I saw fire burning in her eyes. “Please explain to me what in the hell you're doing here!”
I slowly sat up, having very little to say. Scorpio pulled up the top of her dress and got off me. She folded her arms, and full of gloat, she turned to Nokea.
“Who let you in here?” she asked.
Nokea ignored Scorpio and continued to look at me. I stood up, reached for my suit jacket and lay it across my arm. “Let's go,” I said. “I'm not getting ready to talk about this right here so let's go.”
“I can't think of a better place to discuss this,” Nokea said. “If you won't tell me, I'm sure Scorpio can enlighten me on what's going on.”
“What does it look like to you?” Scorpio snapped. “You have eyes and I hope you use them to see.”
“Look,” I said. “I'm not going to stand here and do this! I said, let's go!”
Nokea pointed her finger at me, confirming every word she spoke. “Jaylin, let me tell you something . . . if you walk out of that door, and leave me to fight your battle, you'd better walk out for good. I want to know right here, and right now, what the hell is going on?”
“Not a damn thing. I stopped by to say what's up and that's it.”
“That's it, huh? To me, and my eyes do provide twenty-twenty vision, it looked like a whole lot more to it than just that.”
Scorpio dropped her arms and rolled her eyes. She spoke out, as she made her way over to her desk. “This is just so fucking stupid. I wish you'd be honest with her so she can step up out of here.”
“By all means, somebody please be honest with me. If Jaylin isn't man enough to do it, then you tell me what I should know. You sound very eager, and this would be the perfect opportunity for you to share.”
I could see Scorpio's anxiousness to tell Nokea something. Certainly, I couldn't let that happen.
I looked at Nokea. “Look, I came here because I made a mistake. I don't want to stand here and talk about it right now, but if you'd let me explain, I promise to tell you everything when we get home.”
“Have you had sex with her, and did you come here to have sex with her again?” Nokea asked.
“I do . . . do not want to go into details right now.”
Nokea turned to Scorpio. “During the course of our marriage, have you had sex with Jaylin?”
Scorpio stood behind her desk, folded her arms again, and spoke with assurance. “Within the last two weeks, a total of eleven times. Today would have made twelve.”
Wow.w.w, Scorpio's response did not sit right with me or Nokea. I looked at Scorpio in disbelief. “Why?” I said. “Why you gotta go out like that? Let me handle this, all right?”
“Eleven times,” Nokea said, shaking her head. She questioned Scorpio again. “Did you come to Florida to see Jaylin?”
“Yes. I spent five eventful days and four long nights with him.”
“I'm out of here,” I said. “Y'all can sit here and discuss this . . .”
Nokea was enraged. “Are you going to defend your fucking self, Jaylin? Is what Scorpio telling me the truth? Must I hear the truth from another woman, and not my own husband! Since when did you become such a coward? Man up and lay your mess on the line!”
“Don't talk to me in that tone, Nokea! I'm trying to spare some fucking feelings up in here, but since y'all wanna get this shit out in the open, then let's. I was angry and Scorpio was there for me. You were at home trying to work through your feelings for Shane and you didn't understand the pain I was going through! I can't sweep no shit like what happened between you and him under the rug. I needed time to heal. Unfortunately, my inability to cope caused me to consult with another woman.” I looked at Scorpio. “I wasn't trying to hurt anybody, but the reason I stopped by here was to tell you that I could never give you the things you asked for. I hope that you find happiness with another man, other than Shane, and don't miss out on your happiness because of me. I will never choose another woman over my family and it's no secret how much Nokea means to me.” I looked back at Nokea. “Now, I hope you're satisfiedâcan we please go?”
“Oh, you don't know what it takes to satisfy me,” Nokea said. “How dare you stand there so arrogant and full of yourself after putting me through this mess again! I'm far from being satisfied, Jaylin, and I hope you've carefully thought this through. I'm leaving and I will see you whenever you get home.”