Vaughn was the best person to come along and distract her, but that was because he was charming as well as a man with means. Part of her told her that Vaughn was just a rebound. After all, he was the first real relationship that she had had since Darren. Maybe Darren was right. Maybe Vaughn was too old for her. Maybe their relationship was doomed to fail. In many ways, Vaughn simply reminded Korie of an older version of Darren.
Korie sipped her coffee. She thought about what could have been. She thought about how much she longed for him over these past few years and here he was in her living room. He was right there, but he seemed thousands of miles away.
“The place hasn't changed much.”
That snapped Korie out of her trance.
“What?”
“The apartment. It hasn't changed much.”
“There wasn't a lot around here that needed to be changed.” She cut her eyes at him.
Her tongue was still sharp. She was still mad. But Darren decided if he had to crawl over hot broken glass to get her back, that's what he would do.
“I miss you.”
“You said that.”
“Yeah, and if I have to, I'll say it a million times more.”
Korie let out a sigh.
“Did you buy Karen's implants?”
“What? No.” Darren said, laughing.
“How did you meet her?”
“I, um . . . met her at the barbershop. Her son was referred to the agency I work for.”
“There's no ethical breach there.”
“No. I don't see her like that. She's not my client.”
“Hmm.”
“How did you meet Vaughn?”
“Jogging. Jayna and I were jogging and he saw me and asked me out.”
“Ah, yes . . . Jayna.”
Darren never liked her. She was a venomous, hateful, and spiteful woman in his eyes. Jayna was promiscuous, she could never keep a man, and Darren always felt that she monopolized too much of Korie's time. She was a beautiful woman, but she was needy as hell in Darren's eyes.
“Don't start. She was there to pick up the pieces when you left.”
“Hmm.”
Darren hated Jayna. She was a nice-looking woman with an incredible body but in Darren's mind she was trouble. She always came to Korie crying about some man. She always wondered what it was that she did wrong and why no man would ever fall in love with her.
It was because of how quickly she gave away her goods. She had a problem, a serious mental problem, as far as Darren was concerned. Always she cried to Korie about men and always it was because they slept with her and then dumped her. To be such a smart and business-savvy woman, Darren had no respect for her. He also knew she was trouble because of how provocatively she dressed.
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Back when Darren and Korie were together, Jayna would dress in jeans, skirts or shorts that were always too tight. Her cleavage was always too revealing. She wore white pants on the weekends with red thongs or low riding pants with her behind out. She was a very attractive woman. She was dangerous and a temptation for him. That was part of the reason that he didn't like her. Korie never said anything to Jayna about the way she dressed around her man. She never said anything and she never thought twice about leaving Jayna around Darren.
Of course, she should have been able to leave the two of them alone. Jayna was her best friend and Darren was her man. The two people that she trusted most in the world should be able to keep their hands to themselves. Shouldn't they?
Although Darren found Jayna to be attractive, his love for Korie was stronger than his lust. Jayna and Korie were like night and day and for Darren, there was a time that he could have had the best of both worlds. Jayna dressed provocatively and had a reputation for her skills in the bedroom. Everything she wore was revealing, everything about her reeked sexuality.
Korie was just the opposite. She had a nice body, but she remained clothed. Korie always dressed so you would have to imagine what she looked like. She was the type of woman who dressed conservatively on the surface but would have on something naughty and sexy underneath. Darren used to remark how at the end of the day when he would undress her, it was like unwrapping a Christmas present. It was always a surprise. With Jayna, what you see was what you could get.
Darren had his opportunity to get it.
Because he loved Korie, he declined.
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It was a hot summer night six years ago that Darren's love for Korie was truly tested. He had the day off and Korie and Jayna were scheduled to go out. Jayna had just broken up with some married executive, and she and Korie were going out for drinks at a nightclub in Dolton, Illinois.
Korie got tied up at work. She couldn't get home until 10:00. She called Jayna and told her. Jayna said she was running late as well. She said she would meet Korie at her place at 10:00. It wasn't uncommon for Jayna to get dressed at Darren and Korie's place. There were many times that Jayna would come over and Darren would go out into the living room, or leave altogether as the two women went out for girls' night. They used to dress up at their place and then go pick up their girlfriend Eula. The three women would often stay out until 2:00
A.M.
If they were too tipsy, Korie would let them both sleep over and take them home in the morning.
This particular evening, Jayna got to their place at 8:00. Two hours too early. Two hours way too early. Darren heard a knock at the door. He opened it, thinking it might have been one of his boys, but it was Jayna. Back then, they were cool. The hate hadn't started yet. The hate wasn't warranted yet. Darren opened the door with a confused look.
“Hey Jayna, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I was going to be late, but I got out of work early.”
“Oh, well, Korie won't get home until ten.”
“Should I leave?”
“Uh, you don't have to. I guess you can just chill here until she gets off.”
First mistake.
“Okay, Cool. Can I put my clothes and things in the bathroom?”
“Sure.”
She walked by him and headed to the bathroom. She smiled at him. It was a smile that almost made him feel uncomfortable. He could smell her perfume as she walked by. She fumbled around in the bathroom and then called out to him.
“I just bought a new outfit that I'm not so sure about. Do you mind if I try it on?”
“Uh, that's cool, I guess.”
Mistake number two.
Darren went back to playing his video game. He was throwing back a few rum and Cokes and playing video games. Jayna went into the bathroom and was back there for a while. Darren kept throwing back rum and Cokes and kept playing the game. Minutes later the phone rang. It was Korie.
“Hey babe, what's up?”
“Jayna will be over close to ten o'clock. I'm going to try and get over there before her. If you're home, will you let her in?”
Darren was on the cordless phone. He got up to walk to the kitchen when Jayna walked from the bathroom across the hall to the bedroom where she laid out her clothes. Darren saw her in the hallway. She walked across the hall to the bedroom with her dress in her hand.
She had on nothing but blue-lace boy shorts, heels, and a matching bra. The side view that Darren saw was perfect. Her stomach wasn't ripped, but it was flat. And that ass, her ass was just . . . perfect. He saw Jayna's perfectly sculpted frame. His mouth dropped as she stepped into the hallway. Her long, flowing black hair was down and full of body. As he saw her, he was simply speechless.
This was trouble, major trouble. She stopped in the hallway and saw that he saw her. She turned as she saw him and put her dress in front of her, but not quickly. Not like a woman who was ashamed to be seen, not like a woman who was in front of her best friend's man.
“Oops. My bad,” she whispered.
She smiled a little.
Just a little.
She then kept the dress in front of her but turned to the side where Darren could see the shape and curve of her perfect and voluptuous backside again. She whispered to him.
“I'll just change in the bedroom.”
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She pointed toward the bedroom and slowly walked in. Her ass bounced as she walked. She sashayed as she walked. Darren was in a trance. He almost forgot Korie was on the phone.
“Let Jayna in? Right, sure. I'll let her in when she gets here.”
He didn't mention that she was there. He didn't mention that she was there and practically nude in front of him. Darren took in a gulp of air as he tried to compose what he just saw.
“Thanks, babe. I'll try and get there before ten.”
“Okay. Cool.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah I'm cool. I'm just playing video games and tossing back these rum and Cokes.”
“Well, don't toss back too many.”
“Oh, I won't. I think I'm done.”
“Okay, see you later. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Jayna came back out. This time she had the dress on. She modeled it for Darren.
“So, what do you think?”
“I, um, think it's a bit tight, and a bit too revealing.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, I respect your opinion. I'll go and take it off. By the way, can you fix me one of those?”
“Fix you what?”
“A drink.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Darren fixed her a drink. He placed it on the counter in the kitchen. He sat back down to play his video game. Jayna surfaced again. This time in boots, low rider jeans, and a short top.
“How about this?”
The jeans fit her like a second skin and admittedly looked good on her.
“Better,” he said.
“How about that drink?”
“It's on the counter.”
She turned to the kitchen and the low rider jeans were low, very low. You could see Jayna's crack and the tops of her butt cheeks. Darren let out a sigh.
Trouble. This is serious trouble, he thought.
He continued to play the game.
“So, this is cool for the club tonight? Do you think this will help me catch a man?”
Or make some nigga catch a case, he thought.
“I think that you will catch a man with that outfit on, yes,” he responded.
“Here's a question. How do I catch a man like you? You and my girl seem really happy.”
“We are happy.” Darren stated it with confidence, as if reminding himself.
“I'll go back and change into my original clothes.”
“Okay.”
At that point Darren was sweating bullets.
The next time that Jayna came out she didn't have on her original outfit. She came out in a form-fitting black dress with nothing on underneath. The dress wasn't as tight as the first one she put on and was most appropriate for the club. She sat across from Darren bare-legged with her legs apart just enough for him to see her goods.
She was testing him.
Or teasing him.
He didn't approach or proposition her.
He didn't tell her to close her legs, either. He simply enjoyed the view. She knew what she was doing and he knew that she knew. He also knew that his silence said that he was indeed tempted. She knew he wanted her. She knew he thought about it by the bulge in his pants. In her mind she decided she wouldn't cross the line, but she would walk to the line. All he simply needed to do was take one step to the line and he could have her, all of her.
He enjoyed the view.
But he didn't walk to the line.
He stayed where he was.
He felt guilty, however, for not telling her to close her legs.
They talked the next few hours. They talked about relationships, what men liked in bed, her skills in bed, and she later asked him why men only wanted to sleep with her and none of them wanted to make her their woman.
They talked. That was it. Nothing more.
They talked until Korie got home. Korie came home and asked Jayna how long she had been there. Jayna said that she had only been there several minutes. She had been there two full hours. She lied. Because Darren said nothing, he might as well have lied.
Nothing happened. But Darren felt damned guilty. Korie went to get dressed and Jayna went to help her.