Too Close for Comfort (15 page)

He took her by the hand and led her up the steps. “Come on.”

When they entered her bedroom, he removed his shirt.

She kissed his shoulder, licking his collarbone, her arms clasped around his waist.

He pulled her toward the bathroom and turned on the shower. Steam instantly surrounded them.

She reached and unfastened his pants as he sucked her neck. Yaya didn't care about her hair or make-up as they stepped inside the shower. She welcomed the hot water on her body, standing directly under the cascade.

Jason reached and grabbed the bottle of Jamaican Punch and poured a small amount onto the loofah. He proceeded to gently bathe her, taking time to stimulate her most sensual areas. Her knees felt weak as he kneeled between her legs and teased her with his tongue.

She grabbed his head with one hand and the rail of the shower with the other, to brace herself. “Jason,” she moaned, “you've gotta stop.”

He looked up at her and smiled.

She reached and took the sponge from him, now taking her turn to bathe him. She turned his back to her, sensually kissing his back as she bathed it.

When she was done, he turned to face her.

She ran the textured object along his torso, pausing right above his navel. Then she kneeled before him and took him into her mouth, teasing him with her tongue, pleasuring him.

He grabbed her wet hair and pulled it.

The pain aroused her even more, and when she heard her name escape from his mouth, she knew he could take no more.

She stood, and he kissed her again.

He stopped the water, and they stepped out. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist then lifted her wet body into his arms and carried her to her bed.

“Jason, I'm still wet.”

“I know. I want you to stay that way.” He removed his towel and then climbed onto the bed.

She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the lovemaking she knew he had in store for her.

He entered her, gently at first, then faster and harder.

She wrapped her legs around his body, wanting to feel all of him. She wanted him to feel how much she wanted him, how much she loved and needed him. Her hips rotated, and she thrust faster and faster each time he penetrated. She couldn't get enough of him.

“Yaya,” he cried out.

“Yes, baby,” she whispered, biting his neck.

He tried to answer but couldn't.

She arched her back and tightened herself, making sure he felt every ounce of her climax. She panted and fell back on the bed. The smell of sweat and the scented bath oil filled her nose.

“Oh, God!” Jason rolled off her.

“What?”

“That was the best sex I've ever had in my life.” He laughed.

“It was all right.” She smiled, knowing that she had outdone herself.

He went back into the bathroom.

She climbed under the covers.

He climbed back into bed with her, and she snuggled next to his warm body.

Feeling better than she had in months, Yaya fell into a deep slumber.

Hours later, she rolled over to find that she was all alone.

Paige slowly got out of her car and walked up to Meeko's door. It had taken everything within her to make it over here. She and Quincy had only been apart three days, but it felt like a lifetime. Having brunch with her mother, aunts, and cousins was the last thing she felt like doing. She knew there was no way she could get out of attending, though. Camille and Myla had already arrived thirty minutes earlier, and her mother had called twice, asking where she was.

“About time,” Meeko said, opening the door. She leaned over and gave Paige a kiss on the cheek. Paige frowned when she noticed Meeko's apron. “What in the world?—I know you aren't cooking.”

“Girl, naw. It's cute though, huh? And it matches my outfit.” Meeko struck a model pose, causing Paige to laugh. “I noticed that Oprah wears an apron when she entertains, for an added effect, even though we all know she doesn't cook.”

“Okay, Oprah.”

“Wait, wait, wait. I gotta go outside and check out the new ride. I just knew you would've driven over here; now I can see it.”

Meeko brushed past her, and they walked into the circular driveway in front of the house, where Paige had parked her new car behind what was now Camille's jeep.

“This is the bomb, girl. I am so happy for you. I love this color. It's fly!” Meeko said, admiring the car.

The excitement Paige once held for her new vehicle was diminished by the sadness she was feeling.

It didn't take Meeko long to notice. “What's wrong?”

“Everything—I called myself making a wise decision, and it turned out to be a bad one.” Paige sighed. She leaned against the car and told Meeko what happened between her and Quincy days before.

“So have you spoken to him at all?” Meeko put her arms around Paige. “Why are you just now telling me all of this? Why didn't you call when this all happened?”

“I don't know. I know you're busy with Isaiah and Stanley, besides you were hosting this brunch.”

“Girl, please . . . you're the closest thing I have to a sister, and you know anything you're going through, I'm going through with you. I can't believe this. I still don't know where the picture could've come from.” Meeko shook her head.

“I don't know. He never even told me, and I tried to find where it originated from.”

“Have you talked to Marlon? Did he see the picture?”

“‘Marlon'? No. I haven't seen or heard from him since that day. If someone did send him the picture, he hasn't said anything to me about it.”

“This is crazy. Look, don't worry. This will all blow over, and you and Quincy will be back together in no time, you two are meant to be.”

“I don't even know if I want to be with him, Meeko. Not after this. He didn't even give me a chance to explain what happened. He even had the nerve to tell me that maybe Kasey was right when she said Marlon and I had been creeping out together.”

“That was just him talking in anger, you know how that is. Come on, let's go inside. Everyone else is already here.”

“Don't tell me Celeste is here.” Paige groaned.

“Girl, and she is in such a good mood, you'd think she finally got a man or something.” Meeko put her arm around Paige as they walked back to the house.

From the looks of the spread, Meeko had learned a lot from Oprah. Her Southern-style seafood brunch was to die for. She hadn't forgotten anything, from the fried catfish and stewed tomatoes to the seafood omelets and Belgian waffles. The food was delicious, right down to the fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Paige made it a point to stay clear of Celeste and her mother, and was fairly quiet, speaking and commenting only when spoken directly to.

“So, did Celeste tell you about her new part-time job?” Aunt Gayle volunteered. “She's working as an image consultant.”

“‘Image consultant'?” Meeko, Paige, and Nina all said at the same time.

Camille began laughing so hard, she nearly choked.

“Yes, she is,” Aunt Gayle snapped at them. “You three aren't the only ones who can have nice job titles.”

“That's wonderful, Celeste,” Paige's mother said. “Where are you working?”

Celeste looked like she wanted to run away. “It's just a part-time job, Mama. It's not that great.”

“Don't be embarrassed, Celeste. Tell them about your job,” Aunt Gayle said. “I'm proud of you.”

Celeste looked over at her mother and then excused herself.

They all remained quiet, and a familiar tension filled the room.

Aunt Gayle looked over at Paige. “Why do you all do that to her?”

“I didn't do anything to her,” Paige quickly said.

“Gayle, no one said anything to Celeste. Don't start in on Paige; she didn't do anything,” Meeko's mother said.

“You all always go out of your way to make her feel uncomfortable. You've done that your entire lives. You think you're better than she is, and that's not right. She's never been anything but nice to you, and you've always teased her and made her feel bad. It's a wonder she still attends these so-called family functions.” Aunt Gayle began to sniffle. “I tell her, Celeste, that's our family, and we're all we got. Tomorrow ain't promised to nobody. Now, I wasn't gonna bring this up today, but since we all here together, I'm just gonna let you know that the doctors have told me I'm gonna have to go on a dialysis machine because my kidneys ain't been working right—I go in the morning.”

“Aw, Gayle.” Meeko's mother pulled her chair closer to her sister. “Why haven't you said anything until now?”

“Because I was waiting for the right time. It ain't gonna be easy, but me and Celeste gonna be all right.”

“Yes, you will,” Paige's mother told her, “and we're gonna be right there with you, isn't that right?”

Neither Paige, Meeko, Camille, nor Nina moved. The girls just sat and stared at the three older women, who were comforting each other.

Celeste returned to find her mother and aunts crying, while they sat staring. “Mama, you told them, didn't you? You said something about your dialysis?”

“They're our family, Celeste, they need to know,” she said, wiping her eyes.

Celeste turned and stared right at Paige. “It's not as if they care anyway, Mama. Some people are so involved with trying to be the whole thing that they don't care about anyone or anything else, family or not.”

“And some people are so caught up in being the victim that they don't care how crazy they look.” Paige sighed.

“You think you are so much better than I am, don't you? You think that because you're pretty, and you have nice hair, and you have your master's that everyone looks at you and thinks you're all that. Well, you know what, Paige, you're not perfect, and not everyone looks at you through rose-colored glasses. Your world is slowly crumbling down around you. Look at it—you had a man for seven years and he still ain't marry you, he married the woman across the street that treated him like a man. Now, she's carrying his son—Another man you had but couldn't keep.”

Paige flinched from the sting of Celeste's hateful words.

“Celeste,” Meeko said in a warning voice.

“Then you got with Quincy and thought you had hit the cream of the crop, until he saw you for himself, who you really were, and now, once again, you're back to square one. I guess you're no different than me, huh, Paige? Because right now, you ain't got a man either.” Celeste laughed cynically.

Paige thought she was dreaming. She had never hit someone so hard and so fast in her life. Her fist connected to Celeste's mouth, and blood came pouring out. She reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her to the ground, taking all the frustration, hurt, and anger out on her cousin.

She could hear her mother screaming her name. The room came to utter chaos.

She closed her eyes and continued punching Celeste, thinking that somehow, just maybe, she could knock some sense into her.

It was Camille who was finally able to get a grip on Paige and pull her off.

Paige huffed and puffed as she fixed her shirt, which was now twisted.

Camille led her out the front door and held her tight.

Now, an emotional wreck, Paige cried in her arms.

Nina came out and joined them, and the three embraced in a group hug.

When she got herself together enough to look up, Paige saw that they were crying also. “What the hell is wrong with y'all?” She wiped the tears from her face.

Camille looked over at Nina and smiled. “We're sad because you got to beat her up and we didn't.”

As hard as she had just cried, Paige now laughed even harder.

Nina said, “You know you're in big trouble, right?”

“
Big
ain't even the word,” Paige said.

“I can't believe this is the second fight I've had to break up that involved you,” Camille reminded her. “First, you kick Lucille's ass, and now Celeste's. You catch Kasey on the right day, and you'll be three for three.”

The door opened and Meeko walked out. “I know like hell you wenches ain't out here giggling about this. Paige, you broke that girl's glasses. She's in there moaning and groaning so bad, we may have to take her to the hospital, and you're out here laughing like it's a joke.”

They looked at each other and began laughing even harder than before.

Meeko could no longer hold a straight face. “You shoulda seen the look on her face, when you bust her in the mouth.” She giggled. “Her eyes liked to have jumped out her head!”

“I'm just glad the kids were upstairs in the theater room. That would've been awful for them to see.” Paige sighed. “I feel bad.”

Laughter erupted again.

“Seriously, I've got to go back in and apologize to my mother.”

“I don't think now is the right time,” Meeko said. “They are in there fanning all over Celeste. She needs someone to ‘consult her image' right about now.”

“I can't believe her,” Nina commented.

“How did she know that you and Quincy broke up?” Camille asked. “I guess your mom told her.”

“My mother doesn't even know we broke up. I didn't mention anything to her about it. I was gonna wait and see how everything played itself out and then tell her once I knew for sure we were over.”

Celeste's words began to replay in Paige's head. “
He saw for himself how you really are
.” Paige knew that she had something to do with Quincy getting that picture. “She set me up.”

“You think she's the one?” Meeko asked.

“I think she and Kasey probably schemed together,” Nina added.

“I say you go in there and ask her,” Camille said.

“No, I'm leaving, but you'd better believe—payback is a mutha, and Celeste is gonna get hers.”