JAYLIN
11
“Bullshit,” I yelled at Frick as he waited to speak with the judge about releasing me. “This is bullshit, and you know it! You stood there and didn't say shit! What in the hell isâ”
“Jaylin, we are not going to get through this unless you calm down. If you let me do my job, I promise to get you out of this mess. Felicia's attorney and I are very good friends. I assure you that we will work this where everybody is going to be happy. In the meantime, you need to sit tight until I have a chance to speak with the judge. If she asks to speak with you, you'd better buckle down and change your attitudeâfast. Right about now, a bit of ass kissing might not hurt.”
I didn't say nothing else to Frick, because he knew I wasn't about to kiss anybody's ass. Now, if an apology was needed, I didn't have a problem with that, and the only reason I didn't mind was that I was anxious to get to Nokea.
When I saw her, damn, something just went all through me. I wanted to hold her so badly, just to let her know everything would be okay. I guess I fucked that up, but as soon as they released me, I planned to find my way to her.
By the time Frick made his way back to me, it was almost 6:00
P.M.
I'd been released again, but Frick said the judge wouldn't accept an apology. All she wanted was to hear the case on Thursday, then decide what needed to be done. He made it clear that she was highly upset with me, and Frick recommended trying to settle the issue out of court, especially the assault charge against Felicia. Frick felt that if the prosecutor charged me with carrying a loaded weapon, maybe I could get probation. But with both charges on the line, he was sure that the judge would stick it to me good. I told Frick to do whatever he felt was necessary and to not make any decisions without speaking to me first. He agreed. I went my way, and he went his.
No sooner had I got in the car than I called Nokea's cell phone. She didn't answer, so I called it again. Still no answer, so I called Shane's house. He picked up and quickly tore into me.
“I can't believe how incredibly stupid you are. You had a chance to be back at home with your wife and children, but you blew it!”
“Man, I was doomed the moment I stepped into that bitch's courtroom. Her attitude was messed up, and I wasn't about to kiss her ass.”
“If it meant being with my family, I sure in the hell would have.”
“That's the difference between you and me, Shane. You's a fake nigga, and I'm a real nigga. Now, forget all this shit. Is there any chance that my wife is there with you?”
“Nope. She was with me earlier, but she went to a hotel to get some rest. If you'd wait a minute, I'll tell you which hotel she's at.”
Shane placed me on hold for a minute and then came back to the phone. “She's at the downtown Marriott. I can't quite make out the room number, but it's forty-two something.”
“Thanks. I'll call you later.”
I hung up and headed to the Marriott.
A while later, I pulled up to valet parking in my rented Mercedes, and the valet gave me a ticket. I rushed into the hotel and went to the counter. The desk clerk looked at me and smiled.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Yes. I was hoping that you could tell me what room number my wife is in. Her name is Nokea Rogers.”
The desk clerk typed Nokea's name into the computer and came up empty.
“Then check Nokea Brooks. That's her maiden name.”
She checked again but then said that she couldn't provide me with any information.
“What do you mean, you can't provide me with any information?”
“What I mean, sir, is she requested not to be disturbed.”
I let out a deep sigh and stroked my goatee. “Listen, I'm having a bad motherfuckin' day. Would you please tell me what room number my wife is in so I can see her?”
“Sir, I'm sorry. It is our policyâ”
“Fuck your policy! Get me a manager, now!”
“I'm afraid that he's going to tell you the same thing.”
“We'll see about that,” I said, seething with anger. This day was just unbelievable! How many fools was I gon' have to disrespect today? Damn!
As I waited for the manager, I called Nokea's cell phone again. She didn't answer, but I told her I was in the lobby. I begged her to stop tripping and to call me back.
When the manager came to the counter, thank God, he was a brotha. I pulled him aside and briefly explained my situation to him.
“Mr. Rogers, if your wife hadn't requested her privacy, there would be no problem giving you her room number. Unfortunatelyâ”
“Tell me how much it'll cost me. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you.”
The manager hesitated, but when I heard Nokea call my name, I turned around. She didn't say anything, just walked away, and I followed behind her. We walked in silence to the elevator, and when we made it to her room, she still wouldn't say anything to me.
“I guess silence is golden, huh?” I said as we went inside. Ignoring me, she stepped out of her high heels and took a seat at the round table. She crossed her legs and stared at me from across the room. She was looking awfully beautiful, and I felt as if now was the perfect time to kiss a little assâliterally.
I stepped out of my shoes and walked over to her. I kneeled in front of her, rubbing her hands with mine.
“Aren't you as happy to see me as I am to see you?” I asked.
She held a blank stare on her face. “Why does Scorpio have a salon named Jay's? And are you living a double life that I don't know about?”
I let out a deep sigh. “Baby, I... . Who gives a fuck what Scorpio has? I am just glad to be here with you at this moment, this day and this time.”
“So, you knew about Jay's, didn't you? Or did you purchase the place for her? It's kind of obvious because I know she can't afford to run an establishment like that unless somebody with your moneyâexcuse me, with
our
moneyâprovided it for her.”
Again, I was taken aback by Nokea's tone and demeanor. Not only that, but her referencing
our
money kind of pissed me off. Don't get it twisted, what's mine is hers, but if she ever decided to trip with me, well ... let's just say that she very well could be left without.
This time, I was the one who ignored her. I stood up and pulled my suit jacket away from my chest. She reached for my tie and yanked it to pull me to her.
“Answer me, Jaylin. I want to know right now about this lie you've been living.”
I pulled my tie away from her hands, placed my hands on the arms of the chair, and spoke calmly to her. “How in the hell have I been living a double life when I've been in Florida with you for the last two years? I visited St. Louis three times, Nokea, and unfortunately, one of those visits didn't go too well. I only learned of Jay's a few months ago, and if you would like to know where Scorpio got the money from, then maybe you should ask her. Now, are you planning on allowing her to ruin what we have, or can I count on you to see things for what they really are?”
“You want me to see things for what they really are, or would you like for me to see things for what you tell me they are? If anything, you are dead wrong to expect me not to question you about this ... this messed-up situation.”
I searched deep into Nokea's eyes, and her voice started to crack. “I saw with my own eyes, Jaylin, a CD that showed how hungry you were for her. You couldn't resist her, or her lips when she kissed you. Don't expect me to forget when she went down on you, and you didn't even ask her to stop. You didn't come home until midnight the next day, and the look of shame was written all over your face. Then, yesterday... . Let's not even go there. You place yourself in a house, alone, with her. And you expect me not to trip?” Nokea closed her eyes and dropped her face into her hands. She started to cry. “How can you keep doing this? How could you?”
After seeing her cry, I was crushed and my heart ached. Since we'd been married, I promised myself that I would never, ever cause her hurt again. I inched backward and sat on the edge of the bed. I massaged my hands together and shamefully lowered my head.
“Baby, where did I go wrong? That's all I want to know,” I said, swallowing hard. “Since we've been married, I have never cheated on you. Have I thought about it? I ... I would be lying to you if I said that I hadn't. Just because I've thought about another woman, it doesn't mean that I love you any less. And it for damn sure doesn't make you any less of a woman. It's a man thing, and even I, myself, don't sometimes understand why we do some of the things that we do. But I assure you that I will never act upon those feelings. Those feelings are only momentary, and they are never worth losing what I have. Trust me, I'm no fool, Nokea, and neither are you. I know your gut is telling you the truth about us, isn't it?”
She didn't answer. She wiped her teary eyes and continued to look down at the floor. I kneeled in front of her and lifted her chin.
“Tell me, Nokea. What is your gut feeling about trusting me? I know you do. You've got to. We wouldn't have made it this far without trust.” I slowly stood up.
She moved her head from side to side. “I don't like the idea of you thinking about sex with another woman. That frightens me, because I never think about having sex with other men.”
“Baby, but men and women, we are so different. Like I said, I can't explain it, but you have nothing to worry about. Come here,” I said and then pulled her up from the chair. I held her tightly in my arms, and like always, her body next to mine felt good. She eased her arms around my waist, and I placed my hands on the sides of her face. I kissed her tears and then placed my mouth on her sweet, quivering lips. Soon, my tongue left my mouth and entered hers. That alone excited both of us, and it was a rush to the finish line as we quickly removed our clothes.
As Nokea stood naked, I picked her up and straddled her on my hips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rubbed the back of my head.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too. That's why I say to hell with them doctors. Every opportunity we get, we gon' try to make another baby, all right?”
Nokea nodded.
I backed up to the table and placed her on top of it. As she continued to rub the back of my head, I lowered it and circled my tongue around her chocolate, severely hard right nipple. After I worked the right one, I made my way to the left. Nokea's arms left my shoulders, and she dropped her hand down below. She held my dick in her hand and started to massage it. She stroked it so good that it instantly grew long and navigated its way between her legs. We both held it in place, but before I went inside, I had a dying need to taste her. I took a few steps back, turned her on her stomach, and separated her legs. She bent over, and I squatted down behind her. I kissed all over her ass and gazed between her legs. It was a pretty-ass sight, and all I could do was smile.
“You are in major trouble,” I said as my curled tongue entered her from the back side. I leaned in and licked her slit wide open. I tasted her from every angle that I could and used the tips of my thick fingers to massage her clit. On fire, she started to breathe heavily, and her legs weakened.
“Do ... do you know how anxious I've been for you?” she moaned in a passionate, oh-I'm-getting-ready-to-cum voice.
I slowed my licks, used more of my fingers to bring down her juices, and held my dick to get it ready. “Don't tell me how anxious you are. Show me.”
As I felt her insides tighten, I stood up and slid myself right in. Nokea reached around my ass and dug her fingernails deeply into it. I pumped hard, and the faster I pumped, the more she came. She pressed her ass against me and called my name like I rarely heard her call it before.
“Yes, Mrs. Rogers,” I said, holding her waist. “Are you all right?”
“I'm more than all right,” she said, backing me up to the bed. I lay back, and she crawled backward to straddle my face. She fell forward to go down on me, but I stopped her.
“Head is good. But Daddy would like to feel the insides of his pussy again.”
Nokea smiled and scooted down. “Whatever it is that Daddy wants, Daddy gets.”
Nokea for damn sure didn't lie. She put an arch in her back and did overtime work on me. Her insides were filled with juices, and the sounds that it made every time she jolted down on me turned me on. I couldn't stop coming, and sex between me and my wife had been long overdue. By the time we finished, I was one happy man and she was a sore, completely satisfied woman. Hopefully, I'd keep her that way.
NOKEA
12
Making love to my husband was the best, but it still didn't cause my insecurities to go away. There was no doubt he loved me, but there was still something about Scorpio that was bugging the hell out of me. When I talked to Shane, yes, he told me about his relationship with her. He explained why she and Jaylin were at his house alone; and even though he told me what was up, he still seemed unsure about the whole thing, too. When I asked what Scorpio was doing with herself these days, that was when he told me about Jay's. I couldn't believe it. She had the nerve to name an establishment after my husband? What was wrong with this chick? Didn't she realize what they had was over? To me, for a woman to hold on to a man for as long as Scorpio had, either he was telling her what she wanted to hear or she was crazy.
By morning, I was worn out. My insides felt good when Jaylin was inside of me, but after going at it for so many hours, I surely felt exhausted. While at home, I missed his touch, his kiss, and his loving. I hadn't planned on coming to St. Louis, but when Scorpio answered Shane's phone, something told me to get up and get packing. Of course, I wanted to show him some support, too, but I really felt as if he needed to learn a valuable lesson from his mistake. Yes, I was upset about him putting his hands on a woman, but I was more upset with Felicia for continuously poking her nose where it didn't belong. She and Scorpio both needed to get some serious business and move on with their lives.
Jaylin was sound asleep. I eased out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Once I finished, I planned to pay Ms. Valentino a visit at Jay's. Jaylin told me if I wanted answers to ask her, and that was what I intended to do. For whatever reason, I wanted to know from her if she was really over Jaylin. Even though Shane and Jaylin said she was, the CD revealed otherwise.
As I was in deep thought about meeting with her, Jaylin startled me when he stepped into the shower behind me. He wrapped his strong arms around my petite frame and kissed my cheek.
“Good morning,” he said. “Why didn't you wake me so that I could join you?”
“Because you were looking so peaceful and I knew you needed your rest.”
“I do, but I thought we were going to stay here all day and rest together? I saw your clothes laid out on the bed. Where are you going?”
“Nowhere special. I haven't seen my best friend, Pat, since Lord knows when, so I'm having dinner with her today. Before that, I'd like to stop by my old job and visit some of my ex-coworkers. And when I leave here, I'm going to my parents' house.”
“You hadn't planned on taking me with you?”
“Of course, but ... but I thought you might want to get some rest. Being in jail so much might have tired you out.”
Jaylin laughed and turned me around to face him. He pecked my lips and lowered his hands to my butt. I felt his goodness press against me and backed away.
“You can't be serious,” I said. “After all I gave to you hours ago, you have the nerve to get hard?”
“I'm not hard, Nokea, but I'm getting there. Besides, what's so wrong with me getting turned on after seeing my wife in the shower, naked? If I wasn't hard, you'd be complaining.”
I rubbed the side of his handsome face and sucked his wet lips with mine. “Okay, listen,” I said. “We need to cut a deal right here and right now.”
“What's the deal?”
“On Thursday, if you promise not to show your butt like you did yesterday in the courtroom, and to respect the judge when she speaks to you, I'll promise that when I get back, we'll make love as much as you want to.”
“We gon' do that, anyway, but only because I love you will I make such a deal. I know I be tripping, but I just get so angry when anybody try to talk down on me. I had enough of that when I was a kid andâ”
“And you miss your children so much that you'll do whatever it takes to get back to themâsoon.”
“And that, too,” he said, kissing me.
After we washed and dried each other off, Jaylin got back in bed and I got dressed. He said that he wanted to stay and talk to Frick, so that relieved me from not being honest about my traveling plans today. I wasn't sure how he'd feel about me going to see Scorpio, but I knew he wanted me to get over what had happened. That was easier said than done. All I wanted to do was protect what was mine and what surely belonged to me.
Dressed to impress, I wore my Dolce & Gabbana red linen strapless dress, which hugged my curves. My hair was neatly layered, and my already long lashes required little mascara. My lips were glossed with Mâ¢Aâ¢C, and my sweet smell had Jaylin shaking his head.
“Where did you say you were going?” he asked.
“I already told you,” I said, grabbing my D&G red and black handbag, which matched my ribbon-tied stilettos. “I shouldn't be that long, but I'll call to check in on you from time to time.”
“Yeah, you do that. Every hour on the hour,” he joked.
I snickered and kissed my husband good-bye.
Since Shane told me where Jay's was, I went straight to it. I sat for a moment in the rented BMW and looked at the fancy letters of JAY'S painted on the glass windows.
How dare she?
I thought. And seeing Jay's for myself made me madder. I got out of the car and headed inside. When I pushed on the door, it chimed. I was immediately stared down by four pretty decent black women and an Asian woman who was giving a pedicure. Everybody had a customer, so the one who appeared to be the oldest invited me to have a seat.
“Thanks, but I'm not here to get my hair done. I'm looking for Scorpio Valentino. Is she around?”
“Who shall I say is here to see her?” the woman asked.
“Nokea. Nokea Rogers.”
The woman who questioned me took a quick glance at another woman beside her. “Jamaica, would you buzz Scorpio and tell her Nokea is here to see her?”
Jamaica touched an intercom button and talked into it.
“Miss Boss Lady, are you there?”
“Yeah, I'm here, Jamaica. What's up?”
“There's a Nokea out here to see you. Shall I send her back or send her away?”
“Who?”
“Nokea
Rogers
. She said her name with emphasis, so maybe it means something to you and not to me.”
Scorpio didn't respond, and within seconds, she appeared near the back of the shop. Always trying to show off her body, she had on a pair of tight, hip-hugging jeans. Her leopard-print blouse was sleeveless, and the middle of it draped down to show her cleavage. She was braless and, as low as her jeans were, probably pantyless, too. Since the last time I'd seen her, her curly, bouncing hair had grown even longer. And just by looking at herâhell noâI didn't trust Jaylin alone with her! Something had to have happened.
“May I help you?” she said, walking toward me in her high stilettos.
“Do you mind if we go somewhere private and talk?”
Without saying a word, she turned around, and I followed behind her. I checked out her place and was getting angrier by the minute. It was put together rather nicely, but I had a feeling that my husband's money had paid for the entire place.
Scorpio opened the door to her office, and it was laid outâleather couch and chairs, plasma television on the wall, silver and glass desk, flat-screen monitor, and a Jacuzzi room in the corner. I was at a loss for words and took a seat on the couch, as she'd already asked me to. She got comfortable in a chair across from me.
“Nokea, as you can see, I don't have a lot of time on my handsâso make this quick.”
“What is going on between you and Jaylin, Scorpio? Why is it that you continue to interfere with what we have? Once you answer both of those questions for me, I'll be out of here.”
“Memories are all that I have of
your
husband. I'm not trying to turn back the hands of time, because I've found true love elsewhere. As for interfering, you'll have to explain that one to me. How is it that I'm interfering with your marriage?”
I sighed and figured she would BS around. “Scorpio, look. By now, I'm sure you know I've seen the CD. If that wasn't your attempt to interfere, I don't know what was. You knew Jaylin and I were married, yet you tried to seduce him and went down on him. What kind of woman are you? After that night, I don't know what transpired between the two of you. I need clarification, from you, that nothing happened.”
“Jaylin is known for being an honest man. Have you asked
him
what transpired between us after that night?”
“I'd rather hear it from you. That's provided you don't mind being honest about it.”
Scorpio leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. “Nothing happened between us, Nokea. It was supposed to, and you'd better believe I intended to give myself to Jaylin that night. After he left Jay's, I thought I could make things as good as they used to be. I prepared myself for one hell of a night, and so did he. However, for whatever reason, we got cold feet. For one thing, I wanted a future with him, but all he wanted was sex. One night with him wasn't good enough for me, so I guess that's why I changed my mind. The next thing I knew, Shane brought me a letter from Jaylin that basically said, âSorry. Maybe some other time.' Yet again, he hurt me. But that was then and this is now. Now I'm happy, and that's what's important to me.”
“So, are you saying you're over Jaylin? And since you're being so honest, how did it feel being alone with him the other day? You can't expect me to believe old feelings weren't rekindled.”
“I'll never be over Jaylin, Nokea.” She placed her hand on her chest. “He's in my heart, and that's where he will forever stay. And every time I see him, yes, a part of me yearns for him. It's hard not to think about what we once shared, but I've made up my mind that we could never go back. Shane has shown meâ”
“What if there was no Shane? What if Shane didn't exist? Pursuing Jaylin wouldn't be a done deal for you, would it?”
“If there was no Shane, then I'd say you'd have a big problem on your hands. Remember, though, I can pursue Jaylin all I want. You'd just better make sure he can't be persuaded. And from my experience just within the last few days, that might not be as difficult as I thought it might be.”
Now it was clear that she was screwing around with my head. “What is that supposed to mean? How close did you and Jaylin get at Shane's place?”
She got up from her chair, leaning in close to my face. The tip of her nose touched mine. “This close,” she whispered. She moved back and stood up. “Now, your two questions have turned into ten. I'd like to get back to work, if you don't mind.”
I grabbed my purse and slid the straps on my shoulder. “Speaking of work, would it be too much to ask why this place is not named after your current lover instead of your past lover? I'm sure that might cause trouble in your current relationship, especially since you've claimed to have moved on.”
“Jay's is here to stay, Nokea. He's not ... This place isn't going anywhere. Besides, why would I change the name after
all
Jaylin has done for me? It's the least I could do for a man who has given me so, so much.”
I snickered and headed for the door. Having just one more thought, I quickly turned and raised my finger. She couldn't help but notice the pink-tinted-princess cut diamond ring on my finger. “Before I go, Scorpio, I want to make one thing clear. I might appear to be a bit insecure about my marriage, but I trust Jaylin with everything that I have. It's women like you who I don't trust, and if you were looking for me to come up in here and clown, sorry, but clowning is only for a woman who is afraid of losing her man. I fear nothing, especially when I know, as I've always known, that it takes more than a woman opening her legs to remove Jaylin from where he belongs.
“If he can ever be persuaded by your advances toward him, then I'd consider him one big fool. A fool is a person I refuse to be married to, and if he ever falls into that category, I'd be more than happy to sign him away to you. For the record, that's never going to happen. So, for your sake, I hope things truly work out for you and Shane. To me, he can do better, but that's just my opinion, of course.”
She gave me a fake smile. “And your opinion doesn't mean a damn thing to me. And for your records, don't be so sure of yourself. I took Jaylin away from you once, and if I wanted to, I very well could do it again.”
I smiled and stepped into the hallway. “All you did was take his dick away from me, and I refused to make use of it while it was in your and other women's possession. You never took his heart away from me, Scorpio, and if you did, you'd be his wife, not me.”
Not saying another word, Scorpio reached for the door and was about to slam it in my face. I pushed it open and couldn't help but slap her across the face. Her head snapped to the side, and stunned, she held her cheek with an annoying grin on her face.