Careful of the Company You Keep Read online

  That top twenty shit they was playing was loud as hell, so I moved to the chair beside Nadine so I wouldn’t miss one word. “Okay, girl, go ahead and spill the beans about this man.”

  “Well,” she began between chews, “the funny thing is I never think about being with a man. But ever since we . . . I can’t seem to get him off my mind.”

  I took a sip. This was better than a movie. “Are you craving dick now?”

  She dropped her head and took a deep breath before answering. “I already had it.”

  “What! Ooh, you need to back up and explain, because inquiring minds want to know.”

  Nadine then started confessing more shit than I needed to know. A ménage with her, Jordan, and the sperm donor. I almost fell out of my seat. “I didn’t plan on participating, but Jordan wanted me in the room. Watching them turned me on, and the next thing I knew I was taking off my clothes and Jordan invited me over to join them. I wanted everything he was giving her.” Nadine had to take a deep breath as she reminisced.

  “Damn.” I sat there chewing on chips, hanging on her every word. This was some freaky, deaky shit, and I was the queen of freaky so you know this shit had me turned on. “Shit, what’s the brotha working with?”

  Her eyes practically rolled inside her head. “Danny girl, that man is huuung! Ooh! And he can work it. He had me cumming all over the place.”

  “Hell nah!” Now why couldn’t I meet someone like that?

  “Renee, I can’t stop thinking about him. Even when I’m with Jordan I’m thinking about him. I feel guilty as hell.”

  “Have you done anything to feel guilty about?”

  “Yes. He and I met and had sex without Jordan.”

  My jaw dropped. “You’re lying.”

  “No,” she began. She placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her fist. Nadine looked like she was going to cry. “We’ve met at a hotel at least three times since that night with Jordan.”

  “Shit.” I paused, raising an eyebrow before responding. “Maybe you aren’t ready to commit yourself to a woman.”

  “Maybe,” she said with uncertainty.

  “Do what feels right.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this shit. “Life’s too short to do otherwise. I like Jordan . . . but if you’re thinking about getting dick on occasion, maybe the two of you need to talk. Maybe adding a little dick every now and then might be good for your relationship.”

  She frowned. “Jordan’s not going for it. She was not at all happy about a man touching her. If she doesn’t get pregnant this time, I don’t think she’ll go through it again.” Nadine took a sip and shook her head like she was trying to rid herself of the thoughts. “Listen, I love Jordan. We are planning to start a family. I didn’t exchange vows with her during the holidays for nothing.”

  “Then leave that fine-ass mothafucka alone.”

  Nadine took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

  Damn, this was more serious than I thought. “Then follow your heart. In your case, listen to your kitty-cat, ’cause the kitty don’t lie.”

  “I thought it was the hips?”

  I tossed a chip at her. “Bitch, you know what I mean.” We both laughed and then Nadine changed the subject and started talking about nothing in particular. I think it was just to take her mind off of her sudden desire for dick.

  “How’s the driving lessons going?” she asked between sips.

  “Much better. I need to find a little cheap car for Tamara.”

  “I’m selling that Honda I bought for Jay.” Her son went off to school and ended up buying himself a new car.

  “I thought it wasn’t running?”

  “It runs. It just won’t stay started for some reason.”

  “So what the hell am I going to do with it?” I said with attitude. Why she trying to push her junk off on me?

  “Hondas are good cars. I could get my boy Kenny to look at it.”

  I shrugged. “Depends on how much he’s going to charge.”

  She pursed her lips and leaned closer. “Girl, he does really good work. But for Kenny all you got to do is let him rub your leg and he’ll give you a discount.”

  “What?” I laughed.

  Laughter shone in Nadine’s eyes. “I’m serious. He’s been trying to get me to go out with him for years.”

  “Is he cute?”

  “Ugh! Not at all.”

  “Shit, for some free repairs he can be my type, for the day.”

  “Yuck! Glasses, goofy laugh. I’m sure you’ve seen him before. I think he’s Kayla’s cousin.”

  My eyes searched her face. “He got a woman?”

  She nodded. “He lives in Boonville with her. They’ve been together a long time. Her name is Reese.”

  Reese? Reese? I shook my head. “I don’t know her.” Which was a good thing because already the wheels were turning. “What she look like?”

  “Homely. He used to pop that head.”

  “What! You trying to hook me up with a woman beater?”

  “That’s what I heard. I don’t know how true it is. He’s got a daughter with Robin Hathaway.”

  The name sounded familiar but I really didn’t have a clue. “I don’t think I know her.”

  “Yes, you do. Robin rides around in the 700 series BMW and always has the blond weave in her hair.”

  “Oh yeah, she used to fuck with my cousin Neal. Straight gold digger.”

  She nodded. “Yep, that’s her.”

  “Hook it up,” I replied between sips. “Tell Kenny I’ll take him to lunch if he gives me a good deal. Hell, if it’s free I’ll even let him lick my kitty.” We cracked up laughing. “How much you want for the car?”

  “Five hundred dollars?”

  “Sold.” I reached for my checkbook.

  Monday afternoon, I left the veterinarian’s office and started bawling. Nikki has diabetes. My first question was how in the world does a dog get diabetes? But just like people, it’s all about diet. I started blaming myself. Nikki had already lost part of her eyesight for the disease going untreated for so long and would have to take insulin for the rest of her life. I was sitting in the examination room crying like a damn fool while Nikki lay across my lap wagging her tail and looking at me as if to say, “Bitch, what the hell’s wrong with you?” The next thing out of the veterinarian’s mouth was, “We can put her to sleep.” I cussed his ass out then asked him would he kill one of his kids if they were diagnosed with diabetes? He grew red and knew he had hit a nerve with me. I guess he thought I couldn’t afford it. Whatever! He quickly wrote me a prescription for insulin and needles and instructed me how to check her urine, then sent me on my way. I took my baby home, kissed and hugged and promised to take better care of her. I kept crying and blaming myself and promised to be a better mother.

  I put Nikki in the kitchen and put up a baby gate, then rushed off to the pharmacy to fill her prescription. The doctor assured me that as soon as I started her insulin the frequent urinating would stop. I was waiting in the checkout line when I received a text from Nadine.

  CALL 857-3212

  Wondering where she was calling me from, I went ahead and called while I waited for the woman in front of me to make up her damn mind. I expected to hear Nadine’s voice on the other end. It was a man instead.

  “Hello?” I asked, wondering who I was speaking to.

  “Hey, whassup? This is Ken.”

  Damn, Nadine moved fast. “Hey.”

  “Nadine told me you had a car you wanted me to look at.”

  His voice was country as hell. “Yeah, it’s a 1990 Honda she’s selling. I’m going to go by and look at it later. Nadine said it won’t stay started.”

  “I’ll tow it to Boonville this weekend and take a look at it. Hondas are good cars. It’s probably not too much.”

  “You gonna give me a good price?”

  He chuckled. “Depends if I get to lick it.”

  No, she didn’t tell him that.

  “B
oo, I don’t let everybody lick it.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. I reserve that for special people.” I thought I was talking low but a tall man standing beside me turned and winked at me.

  “So what’s it going to take to be special?” he asked with laughter in his voice.

  “I’ll have to think about that one.”

  “You do that.” There was a pause. “You married?”

  “Well . . .” How do you tell someone you’re still married to a fag?

  “Be honest. I’m going to be straight up with you. My girl lives with me. We’ve been together for twelve years and we’re getting married in May.”

  “Oh, okay, well, I’m going through a divorce. So you’re committed and I’m not.”

  “I’m a man,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve always had another woman on the side.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, I don’t know why or if I’ll ever change, but I always take care of my women.”

  “Really? You got it like that?”

  “I work at FedEx in the evening and my body shop during the day. I own a small farm in Boonville that’s paid for.”

  I was already adding the money I’d be saving in my head.

  “Can you meet me for dinner tonight?” he asked, getting directly to the point.

  I glanced down at my watch. It was almost three. “What time?”

  “I take my dinner break around ten o’clock.”

  I pretended I was giving it some thought before I agreed. I hung up and reached for my wallet to pay for Nikki’s prescriptions. Tonight, I had a seduction to plan. I chuckled. By the time I’m done with him, Kenny Johnson is going to not only fix my car for free, but have it purring like a kitty-cat.

  21

  Danielle

  I walked into the house and released a heavy sigh of relief. The unit had been extremely busy all afternoon. Everybody wanted to have their babies. And as soon as we got one delivered, it was time for the next patient to start pushing. I barely had time to do charting into the computer when it was time for my three-thirty shift change.

  After tossing my purse on the coffee table, I moved into the kitchen and removed from the refrigerator a meatloaf I had prepared before leaving for work. I turned the oven on and slid the glass pan inside. By the time I took a hot shower and changed into something comfortable, dinner should be ready.

  I climbed the flight of stairs to my bedroom and quickly removed my clothes. I was sweaty and hot and feignin’ for a shower. Damn! I should have known the phone would ring. I moved over toward the nightstand and glanced down at the Caller ID.

  Double damn! It was my mother, Victoria.

  “Hello, Mama, I was just getting ready to get in the shower.”

  “Guess what?” she said as if she didn’t hear a word I had said, which was typical of my mother.

  “What?”

  “Portia’s having a girl.”

  Despite everything my daughter has put me through, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of excitement. I was going to have a granddaughter.

  “That’s nice,” I replied, although the words stuck in my throat. Now what? If my mama even thought for a second I was excited about the news, there was no telling what she would do.

  “Aren’t you excited? Portia made it clear that she didn’t want to know what the sex of the baby was, but last night she was having labor pains and her father rushed her to the hospital.”

  “Is she okay?”

  Her mother chuckled. “Why don’t you call and ask her yourself?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Quit acting like you don’t care,” she scolded, then continued in a softer tone. “Yes, she’s fine, but during all the excitement the nurse blurted out that her little girl was doing just fine. Portia called me the minute she got back in the house.”

  I pursed my lips and couldn’t help to feel a bit of envy. My daughter was sharing her pregnancy with everyone but me.

  Why do you even care?

  “I think she would love to share her news with you, too.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  She breathed heavily in the phone. “When are you going to stop acting this way?”

  “I’m not acting any kind of way. Just because she’s having a little girl doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to have anything to do with my daughter.”

  “Danielle, six months is long enough.”

  “Long enough for what? To forgive and forget? Mama, puh-leeze! I’ll never forgive my daughter for what she has done to me.”

  “So what? Your man left you. Get over it. Men will come and go, but your children are forever.”

  I couldn’t believe my mother had said that. I groaned. “Mama, can we talk about this later?”

  “No, we cannot. We have put this off long enough.”

  So much for a shower. “Mama, I’ve said all I am going to say on the subject of my daughter and her accusing my man of sleeping with her.”

  “If you hadn’t been dating a man younger than you, none of this would have ever happened.”

  “So it’s my fault?” I was livid.

  “Partially you are to blame. Your daughter is only sixteen. She’s too young to consent.”

  Oh brother, here we go again. I’ve been hearing the same thing from Mama since she first discovered Portia was pregnant. “Her hot tail has been consenting for the last two years.”

  Victoria gave an impatient sigh. “Listen, let’s leave the past in the past. What we need to worry about is my granddaughter’s future.”

  “She’s fine. Alvin has everything under control.” Let him handle it. Now that my uptight and high-siddity ex-husband was married to a doctor, he thought he was better than everyone else.

  Her mother snorted at the mention of her former son-in-law’s name. “That man is so strict. Portia can’t fart without asking for permission first.”

  “Good, that’s exactly what her hot tail needs. She’s pregnant, what the hell does she need to be running the streets for anyway? She needs to go sit down somewhere.”

  “Well, she only has nine weeks left, and then what?”

  “Like I said, that’s her father’s problem, not mine.”

  “Don’t you want to be a part of your granddaughter’s life?”

  “Yep. I’m just not interested in associating with her mother.”

  “Danielle, you really need to start going back to church. Would you like for me to have Reverend Jackson give you a call?”

  Hell no. After that episode with Reverend Brown and all the sinning he had been doing, the last thing I needed was to put my faith in a minister. I believed in God and Jesus Christ, but anyone on earth was questionable. “No, Mama, I don’t want to talk to him. I am fine. Really. Just not in the mood to deal with my daughter. I tell you what. If Portia decides she’s ready to apologize for ruining my life, then I’ll listen to what she has to say.”

  Mama was quiet. Good. She knew good and damn well Portia didn’t think she had anything to apologize for, which was fine with her. The less I had to deal with her hot ass, the better.

  “Mama, I got to go. I was just getting ready to get in the shower.”

  “Let’s talk this weekend.”

  “Sure thing.” I hung up before my mother could question me further, moved into the shower, and turned the water on full blast. Just like Mama to ruin my evening. All I had wanted to do was relax and enjoy a good meal while reading a mystery I had been dying to read. Now I would spend the rest of the evening thinking about Portia and the baby.

  I climbed into the shower and pulled the curtain back and closed my eyes. Yes, I know Portia’s a child and yes, I needed to be the bigger of the two, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This was one time when sorry just wasn’t enough. I had loved Ron with everything that I had, and now that relationship was over.

  I ran a hand through my hair. I was having a bad day. That’s all it was. Calvin had shown up on my job with flowers begging
me to forgive him. I jumped into bitch mode and sent him stepping.

  I know I broke his heart the other day, and I feel bad about it. Maybe I should have just asked him for some space instead of playing games with him, but after that stunt with him and Renee, I wasn’t so sure anymore if he had ever really cared about me at all.

  And Renee’s trifling ass . . . I could just hit her in her mouth. I don’t even know why I was surprised. She had always had a way of making things about her. She had fucked Kayla’s man while they were in Jamaica, so I don’t know why I even thought for a moment that this time things would have been different. Renee was all about herself. I asked her to do me one favor and she had to make it all about her.

  I pushed the whole episode out of my mind before I was tempted to pick up the phone and cuss Renee’s ass out. The only reason I haven’t is that I have a new man in my life. Chance.

  22

  Renee

  I purposely showed up five minutes late because I wanted to make an entrance. I parked on the side of the building so I’d have to walk across the parking lot. If Kenny was sitting anywhere near the window watching, he was definitely about to get an eyeful. I checked my makeup and cocked my black pageboy hat to the side and smiled at my reflection.

  Damn, your ass is cute.

  I chuckled and shut off my car. My cell phone rang before I could get out. Damn, I’m already late. I saw it was Kayla. Oh hell, Kenny could wait a few minutes more.

  “Hey, want to go to the Martini Bar on Friday? Kim Massey’s playing.”