“That's for causing me to lose my child. I owe you way more than that, but in the meantime, a slap will have to do.” I walked away from the door and headed out.
When I made it back to the car, I sat inside for a moment and leaned my head back on the headrest. I felt good about my
chat
with Scorpio, but her description of being “this close” to Jaylin had me thinking. The thoughts of him touching her and continuously being around her kept stirring in my head. I tightly closed my eyes, trying desperately to erase my thoughts. I pulled off, and almost immediately, my cell phone rang. I looked to see who it was, and it was Jaylin calling from the hotel.
“Hey,” I said in a soft voice.
“Didn't I tell you to call me every hour on the hour?”
“I didn't think you were serious.”
“That's because I wasn't. I just called to see what you were up to. I miss you.”
“Well, I just left my parents' house. I'm on my way to my ex-employer. Then I'm going to have an early dinner with Pat at Café Lapadero. I'll call you after I leave there.”
“Okay. But are you all right? You sound as if something is wrong.”
I placed my hand on my forehead. “I'm fine, Jaylin. I'm just a bit tired, that's all.”
“Then hurry back so I can rock you to sleep.”
“I will,” I said and then hung up.
My throat ached, because even though I hated to admit it, some of the things Scorpio said made me sick to my stomach. I tried hard to gather myself and waited patiently for the light to turn green. After it did, I drove for about a half a mile and then parked beside a parking meter. I looked at the name on the building to my right, and it was Jefferson & Associates. It had been two years since I walked away from Collins. My marriage to him was a huge mistake. I knew I loved Jaylin, but I thought marrying Collins would make the feelings I had for Jaylin go away. What nerve did I have to show up at his doorstep? He was devastated by my decision to divorce him, and his final words to me were, “As long as you're happy.”
I got out of the car, dropped some change in the parking meter, and headed inside. I waited until the receptionist ended her call and then approached her.
“Is Collins Jefferson available?” I asked.
“I think he's still in a meeting, but let me check. If he's not, who shall I say is here to see him?”
“Nokea. He'll know who I am.”
She dialed Collins's office and told him I was there to see him. After she hung up, she looked up at me.
“He said he'll be right up.”
“Thank you,” I said with a queasy feeling in my stomach. I continued to stand by the receptionist and could see Collins making his way down the hall.
What a man
, I thought. Almost two years had gone by, and he still looked the same. He and Denzel Washington could pass for twins, and the way he walked with so much confidence was admirable.
When he saw me, his face lit up, and he gave me the biggest smile ever. I smiled back, even harder when he wrapped his arms tightly around me.
“You just made my day,” he whispered and rocked my body with his.
I let go of our embrace and looked up at him. “And how's that? Were you having a bad day?”
“Let's just say that it's been chaotic.” He took my hand. “Come on. Let's go back to my office.”
The hand-holding gesture was a bit much, but I went with the flow. We walked into Collins's office, and he closed the door behind us. He told me to have a seat, and I sat in the chair in front of his desk.
“What did I do to deserve this blessing today?” he asked, taking a seat across from me.
“I was in town, so I stopped by to see you. I often wonder about how you're doing. Wasn't sure if you moved back to Detroit or not.”
“Naw, we wound up closing the office in Detroit. After you left, I was having some personal as well as financial problems. In the last year or so, I jumped back on my feet, and things are good, Nokea.”
“I'm glad to hear that. I know our divorce was hard on you, but it was hard on me, too. More than anything, I regretted hurting you so much.”
Collins clenched his hands together and stared at me. “Is that so-called husband of yours treating you right?”
“Yes, Collins, Jaylin and I are doing well.”
“Your eyes tell me a different story. You know darn well that you don't have to front for me.”
“No, honestly, we are fine. I'm here because I wanted to stop in to say hello. I often said that if I ever came back to St. Louis, I'd have to stop in and check on you.”
Collins shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, if you insist. But why are you here? On business? To see your parents? What?”
“Business. Jaylin has some business to tend to, and I came along with him.”
“So, how's ole Pretty Boy doing these days? I hope and pray that he realizes how lucky he is.”
“Like I said, Jaylin is doing well. We have another child, a girl, and her name is Jaylene. I would love to show you her picture, but it's inside of my other purse.”
Collins was quiet for a few seconds, then cleared his throat. “So, you all have two children now?”
“Yes. It would've been three, but I ... I lost the third one.”
“Say it ain't so.” He was really trying to feel me out, and when he sat up straight and rubbed his waves, he pushed more. “How'd you lose the baby?”
I was barely able to look at him. “I had an accident. I fell down the stairs and injured myself and the baby.”
“I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure the loss was devastating for the both of you.”
“You couldn't even imagine.”
Collins pushed his chair back and stood up. He walked around his desk and sat on the edge of it in front of me. He folded his arms, looking down at me. “Something is not right with you, Nokea. Just in case you forgot, I used to be your husband. I won't pressure you into telling me, but I want you to know that if you ever need me, and I do mean ever, I'm here. I know you don't want to hear this, but I have to say it. I think when you ended our marriage, that was the biggest mistake of your life. Pretty Boy can't love you like I do, because he doesn't know how to. Most likely, he's still in the process of trying to figure it out, but in the meantime, if a real man is what you need ...” Collins snapped his fingers. “I'd be there in a snap.”
I stood up and reached out to Collins. We wrapped our arms around each other, and then I let go. “Thanks for the talk. I have to go,” I said, making my way to the door. “It was really good seeing you, Collins.”
As I placed my hand on the doorknob, he rushed up behind me. He reached up and held the door closed with his hand.
“Before you leave, can I take you to dinner? I might not ever get this opportunity again, and I still have so much I need to tell you.”
“Then tell me now. I'm not sure about dinnerâ”
Collins leaned in farther and placed his lips on the side of my neck. I inched over to stop him.
“Please don't do that,” I said.
“I can't help it. I swear to GodâJaylin doesn't deserve you. What I want to tell you is that I still love you. I want to make love to you and never let you out of my sight. My relationships have not been right, because I find myself comparing every woman to you. I've tried hard to get over you, but the way you left me still hurts... .”
I turned around to face Collins. “I'm sorry, but I'm a different womanâ”
“Dinner. Just have dinner with me. That's all I ask. After that, you can go home to your husband and live happily ever after.”
“I'll call you later, Collins. I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.”
He dropped his hand from the door and pulled the knob. “Dinner, Nokea. It would truly mean a lot to me.”
I walked out; and on that note, I left. I headed back to my car and was pissed off when I saw I'd gotten a ticket. I snatched it from the windshield, putting it inside of my purse. I wasn't sure about having dinner with Collins, but I suspected that it wouldn't hurt a thing.
FELICIA
13
My face might have been jacked up from Jaylin, but it surely didn't affect me in any way down below. After I told Stephon about what had happened in court, we got a good laugh and wound up in my bedroom, tearing it up. He was so supportive of the whole situation, and once all of this mess was taken care of, I was going to make sure that, financially, he got what he deserved.
Since my attorney called and told me that we needed to meet, I made Stephon stay in my bedroom and I put on my game face as a devastated, I'm-for-damn-sure-damaged-for-life victim. As soon as he rang the doorbell, I stalled before answering. I gathered my pink cotton robe in the front and slowly walked to the door with a cup of hot tea in my hand.
“Hello, Mr. Glasgow. Please come in.”
He smiled and walked inside. He followed me to the kitchen, and I offered him a seat.
“I know you said that everything went okay yesterday, but where do we go from here?” I asked.
“Well, how you want to move forward will determine the outcome. If you decide to drop the case against Jaylin, Frick and I can settle this matter out of court. Or, you can take it to trial with his other case and hope that the jury finds him guilty. That could turn into a long process. However, if you would like to see him go to jail for what he did, then I'd suggest you pursue this case to the fullest.”
“But what if the jury doesn't convict him? Is there another way?”
“Felicia, honestly, I'd hate to see you waste the court's time.”
My voice switched to a higher pitch. “How would I be wasting the court's time? This man tried to kill me. As a citizen, I thought the courts were put in place to protectâ”
Glasgow touched my hand. “Calm down, Felicia. My only concern is Mr. Frick. He's got a way of twisting things around, and when I spoke with him earlier, he said he's prepared to get Jaylin out of this mess. I think it would be in your best interest to settle this matter out of court. From what Frick said, you could stand to gain a lot of money by going that route.”
Finally, he was saying what I wanted to hear. “Well, how much money are we talking?”
“Apparently, Jaylin is anxious to get this over with. I'll go in with a high amount and let him negotiate from there.”
“High end? What do you consider the high end?”
“One hundred thousand dollars.”
My mouth hung open. “Are you serious? Do I look like I'm prepared to accept one hundred thousand dollars! Look, I am a successful businesswoman, Mr. Glasgow. Davenports earns one hundred thousand dollars plus in a year's time. The money you're offering is chump change for what I've been through. In case Frick hasn't informed you, Jaylin Rogers is worth
millions
. He's got plenty of money, and I want a piece of it.”
“Felicia, maybe there's some kind of mix-up here. Frick informed me about Jaylin's financial status, but he never classified him as being a millionaire. Maybe you'reâ”
I snapped, Frick was playing Glasgow. “Frick is playing you for a fool. I, on the other hand, know better. I've known Jaylin for a very long time, and trust me when I tell you that he is loaded with money. Now, why don't you and Frick collaborate on this again? One hundred thousand, minus your fees, will not suffice.”
Glasgow scooted the chair back and picked up his briefcase. “Give me another day or two, Felicia. I'll be in touch.”
I didn't say another word. I walked him to the door, and he left.
Surely, I was about to cancel his ass and get me another attorney that I could trust. I'd already considered suing Frick for how badly he dissed me, and once all of this settled, I sure in the hell planned to. What he did to me was low. I didn't care how much money Jaylin paid him. Frick should have stepped away from the entire case and been done with it.
After Glasgow left, I headed back into the bedroom where Stephon was. After he gave up the drugs, cigarettes became his alternative. Not only did I hate the smoke, but I hated the smell even more.
“How did it go?” he asked while sitting up in bed. I pulled the covers back and eased in next to him.
“It didn't go so well, Stephon. He wants me to settle out of court, and if I do, the money he's proposing wouldn't be enough to satisfy my addiction to Saks Fifth Avenue for a year.”
“How much was it?”
“One hundred thousand dollars.”
Stephon smashed the cigarette in an ashtray and pulled his head back in disbelief. “You wouldn't settle for a hundred thousand? That's a lot of money, Felicia.”
“Stephon, don't play yourself, all right? If I settle for a hundred Gs, I have to pay Glasgow twenty percent of that. Then the rest will be split between us. Forty thousand dollars ain't no money. You tell me. How quickly can you blow forty Gs?”
“If I was thinking about remodeling the barbershop, then I can forget it. And I've had that BMW for quite some time. Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, I'm sure that Jaylin can do much better than that.”
I nodded. “Ya see. Now, that's what I'm saying. He can do a whole lot better than that.”
The phone rang, and I reached over to answer.
“Felicia,” Glasgow said.
“Yes?”
“Are you up to meeting with Frick, Jaylin, and myself tomorrow?”
“I thought you could handle this without me?”
“I thought so, too, but Frick and I agreed that a meeting between all parties involved would be better.”
“I guess. But I surely hope you get a backbone before our meeting tomorrow. Frick seems to have Jaylin's back pretty well, and I need you to have mines even better.”
“That's what you're paying me for, Felicia. I'll see you at Frick's office at ten o'clock sharp.”
I hung up and turned to Stephon. “Are you busy tomorrow?”
“Nope. Why?”
“Because I want you to go with me tomorrow. You haven't seen Jaylin in a long time, and I think it's about time that the two of you got reacquainted.”
Stephon nodded and displayed a devilish grin.