Careful of the Company You Keep Read online

  “Okay.”

  “Did I tell you how fine you was looking today?”

  Seductively, I replied, “Yeah, but go ’head and tell me again.”

  We laughed, then talked a bit more before I hung up and danced over to the drawer to retrieve the yellow pages. As soon as I had the order placed, I dashed off to the bathroom to brush my teeth and gargle.

  “My man is coming over,” I sang as I danced to my bedroom. I reached for my mango peach spray and pulled the elastic on my sweatpants and sprayed my freshly trimmed pussy. “I can’t wait for Chance to taste my mango-scented kitty.” I pulled my hair up in a ponytail because Chance loves when I wear my hair up. He says it makes me look young and so damn sexy. I brushed on cinnamon-flavored lip gloss and a little eyeliner and mascara. I’ve never been big on makeup. All I needed was enough to emphasize and draw attention to my slanted little eyes. I’ve been told I have the kind of eyes that make a man want to take me straight to bed. Ha-ha! And that is exactly where I want to be.

  I moved downstairs, tossed a log in the fireplace, and started a fire. I needed the mood to be just right.

  “Wine! We need wine!” I screamed, then hurried into the refrigerator and released a sigh of relief when I found a bottle of white Zinfandel I had bought weeks ago and never gotten around to drinking. “We will be drinking it tonight.” I removed it, stuck it in a bucket and filled it with ice, reached for two flutes, and headed into the living room.

  When the doorbell finally rang, I practically ran to the door. “Girl, quit it!” I scolded, then took a deep breath before opening.

  “Hey.” Chance kissed me. “Damn, baby girl, you smell good.”

  Uh-huh, wait until he smells my kitty. I grinned in response, then moved aside so he could enter. He put the bag of Chinese food on the coffee table, removed his coat and tossed it on my recliner, then wrapped his arms around me and tackled me onto the couch. “Damn, I missed you, girl. It’s only been a couple of hours and I miss you.” He pressed his lips to mine, then stared down into my eyes. “You’re my baby girl, right?”

  My heart was pounding like crazy. “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Good. Because now that I’ve got you, I ain’t letting you go.”

  I kissed him. “Good, ’cause I ain’t going nowhere.” He rose with me hanging on with my legs wrapped around his waist. Chance kissed me once more, then patted me playfully on the butt, and I dropped my legs to the floor and released him.

  “I’m starving.”

  I winked. “So am I, but it’s not for food.”

  “Don’t you worry. Ima take care of you. Now give yo man another kiss.”

  I loved the way that sounded. My man. Yes, he is.

  I grabbed two plastic plates and we dug in. Chance was an expert at removing the cork from the bottle, which was good because I always made a mess and had pieces floating in my wine. Chance talked about his ten years with the National Guard. And his failed marriage.

  I reached for an egg roll. “How did you find out?”

  “She told me.”

  I choked. “What? She told you?”

  He chewed his orange chicken before answering. “Yep. I called home to check on her and she had the nerve to tell me she had a new man and not to come home.”

  My eyes grew large. “That is fucked up. She could have at least waited until you got home.”

  “Exactly. I was going crazy. Here I was out protecting our country, can’t do shit but sit around and think about my wife fucking another nigga in my house.”

  “Damn.” That’s all I could manage with a mouthful of rice.

  “Yeah. It was fucked up.”

  I pulled a knee to my chest and leaned back against the couch. I suddenly felt like a fat pig. “What happened when you got home?”

  “What you think happened? I put her ass out!” We laughed and then he continued. “Don’t you know she had the nerve to tell me they had broken up and she wanted to give our marriage a second chance.”

  I shook my head. Some women are so stupid.

  “Anyway, the next woman I commit to, it’s forever. My parents are still together, so I want the same. Come here.” As soon as I was on his lap, he wrapped an arm around me and continued. “I don’t share. If you’re not interested in something serious then you need to let me know now, ’cause I’m really feeling you, girl.”

  Nodding, I said, “I’m feeling you, too, Chance.”

  “That’s what I needed to hear.”

  He kissed me and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I had a man who actually wanted a commitment. I wanted to freeze this feeling for as long as I could.

  Chance carried me over near the fire and lowered me down onto the carpet. He pulled my sweatshirt over my head, removed my bra and sucked one nipple and then the other. Oh yeah. By the time he reached my navel, I was sliding my pants down over my hips along with my panties.

  “Slow down, baby girl.” He chuckled. “We got all night.”

  “I can’t help myself when I’m wit you.”

  He rose and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Baby, we’ve got plenty of time because I’m not going anywhere.”

  I watched him undress, admiring him. He spent hours in the gym and his body was proof of that. He slipped off his boxers and his big black snake sprang forward. “Damn, I’m a lucky woman.”

  “It’s all you, baby girl.”

  “And don’t you forget it.” I spread my legs wide. He lowered on top of me and I kissed his lips while he positioned himself and entered me with one push. “Yesss!” I rocked my hips back and forth and met each of his deep, penetrating strokes. I can’t believe we were fucking in front of the fireplace. How romantic is that?

  “Damn, yo pussy is good,” he panted. “With that heat on my ass I’m going to come fast, but I promise to take you up to your room for round two.”

  “You promise?”

  “Yeah, baby,” he moaned. “Tell me whose pussy it is.”

  “Yours, Chance. All yours.” I moved fast and pleaded for him to take all of it, deeper and deeper still. “It’s yours, baby.”

  “And don’t you forget it.” He wrapped his hand around my neck and squeezed. “You promise not to give my pussy up?”

  I clawed at his hand and struggled for a breath, but he pounded harder while repeatedly asking me to promise not to share his shit. His hands tightened around my neck. I was feeling a combination of pleasure and pain that I’d never felt before. I was dangling on the edge. And just as I thought I was going to pass out from a lack of oxygen to the brain, Chance came hard. He loosened his grip and I came right along with him just as air entered my lungs. Oooh, it was an exciting feeling. I had never experienced anything like that before in my life. And wasn’t sure if I wanted to again.

  25

  Renee

  I moved into the bathroom and decided a long, hot bubble bath was in order. I turned on the water, not too hot, then pulled off my work clothes and tossed them onto the floor. As soon as the tub filled, I climbed in and leaned my head back against the pillow.

  Kenny asked me to join him for dinner at nine. I went over and we drove up the street to Sonic and sat in my car, talking and chomping on cheeseburgers and fries. He never lets me pay for anything, and I was so attracted to that quality about him. Even before it was time for him to return to work, he slipped off a fifty and told me to put it in my tank for my time. A smile curled my lips. I couldn’t wait until morning so I could see his goofy smile. Can you believe that shit?

  My cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the phone number and thought it might have been John’s worrisome ass if it hadn’t been a St. Louis number.

  “Hello?”

  “Nae-Nae, it’s me.”

  I groaned inwardly at the sound of my brother Andre’s voice. “Hey, whassup?”

  He gave a nervous laugh. “I should be asking you that. I haven’t heard from you in . . . in a long time.”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “I was
hoping you could come to my house for Dad’s birthday. Jorja is making dinner.”

  My stepfather’s birthday was next month. “I don’t know. I’ll have to check my schedule.”

  “Come on. Make time.”

  “I don’t know. I’ve got a book due and I’m not sure I’m going to make my May deadline.”

  “You said that last year.”

  He was right. Andre had invited me to spend Christmas with him and his family along with Paul and his new wife. I had planned to come, then changed my mind at the last minute, deciding I just wasn’t up to being fake all evening.

  “I’ll try, but I won’t promise you anything.”

  There was a long pause. “Nae-Nae . . . he’s sick.”

  “So?” I tried to sound like I didn’t care. And wish in my heart I didn’t. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He has colon cancer.”

  I felt a lump rise to my throat. Not another. My sister had died almost three years ago from complications only hours after having surgery for her ovarian cancer. My life hadn’t been the same since. Lisa and I had always been close even though she stayed in my ass. I couldn’t stand it then. Now I would do anything in the world to hear her nagging one more time.

  “It’s spread. He’s going to have surgery next month but would like to spend some time with us before then. Please, Renee, he wants a chance for the two of you to talk.”

  Shit, he never cared about talking to me before. “I’ll get back with you. How’s my niece and nephew?”

  “They’re doing good. Why don’t you come down for yourself and see?”

  “I will. I promise. Look, I got to go. I’ll call you in a few days.”

  “You do that. Otherwise, I’m calling you.”

  I ended the call, then sank lower in the tub and closed my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was to think about Paul. I hated him and that’s the way I wanted it to stay. Ever since Lisa passed, Paul had been trying to get Andre to talk to me about giving him a chance to make things right between us. I wasn’t hearing it and ignored every effort. The last time I spoke to Paul was the afternoon I caught John in bed with Shemar. He had called to invite me to his home for Thanksgiving.

  When Paul pissed me off, I always called Danielle. One thing I could say about my girl is that no matter what, she was always there for me when I needed her. This last week with her not talking to me has been hard. I pulled an angry leg to my chest. Danielle needs to quit trippin’ and call me. Hell, I called her several times and she ignored every last one of my attempts. Shit, I’m not about to beg. I’ll admit I was wrong for letting Calvin lick it. But what’s done is done. We’ve been through worse. So it was time to get past the dumb shit and move on.

  My cell phone rang. I looked down and it was a Philadelphia pay phone. I frowned because I don’t know anyone who lived in Philadelphia.

  “Hello?”

  “Renee, please don’t hang up!”

  “John, what the hell you doing calling me from Philadelphia?”

  “It was the only way I could get you to answer.”

  That fool drove an hour just to make a phone call. “I don’t have shit to say to you.” Before he could say anything further, I ended the call. I had enough problems. The last thing I wanted to do was to talk to his faggot ass. But even as I said that, a part of me couldn’t help but wonder what was so important he drove all the way to Philadelphia to call me about it.

  “Call his cell phone and find out,” I said out loud.

  Nah, I’ll pass. If it’s that important he’ll call me again. And even then, maybe I’ll answer. Maybe I won’t.

  26

  Danielle

  Wednesday was the day from hell. One bitchy mother after another, whining and complaining. I was so sick of cleaning bedpans and checking incisions I was ready to scream. Luckily, the day was almost over.

  “Danielle, you have a call on line one!”

  “Thanks, Jennifer,” I replied to the girl behind the reception desk as I moved away from the medicine drawer and over to the nurses’ triage station to take the call. “Hello, this is Danielle.”

  “Hello, this is Ms. Evans at Hickman High School.”

  My eyes immediately rolled to the top of my head. The last thing I wanted to deal with today was my daughter. “I’m sorry, but you need to call Portia’s father at—”

  She cut me off. “I’m not calling about Portia. I’m calling about Tamara Martin.”

  “Tamara? What’s wrong with Tamara?” And why were they calling me about Renee’s daughter?

  “There was an incident in the cafeteria at lunchtime, and as you know the school strictly enforces no fighting.”

  “Fighting?” My brow rose with skepticism. Tamara was one of the sweetest kids I knew. So many times I wished my daughter was more like her.

  “Yes, she was in a fight, and unfortunately we have to suspend her for the rest of the week. We tried reaching her mother and didn’t have any luck. Your name was listed as an emergency contact.”

  I glanced over at the clock on the wall. I was getting off in thirty minutes anyway. “All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can to pick her up.”

  I hung up and was thinking about Tamara as I moved back to the medicine cart. Renee was always available on either one of her phones. I frowned. There was no telling what she was doing. Probably meeting Calvin at her house. I knew that I was bitter, but damn, what she did was inexcusable.

  I went down the hall to give one of my patients their afternoon medicine and spotted Chance at the end of the hall, talking to this narrow-behind nursing student. By the way she was smiling up at him, he was either flirting or saying something that was so good it had her hanging on to every word. I have straight attitude. Jealousy bubbled up inside of me that I tried to keep at bay, but Chance did say he was supposed to be my man. At least that’s what I thought he had said, although since Chinese at my house, I hadn’t seen him and all my calls gone unanswered. Now seeing him on our floor pissed me off. He’d been here all day yet he hadn’t bothered to contact me. Before I left today, I was going to find out why.

  I stood there pretending to be looking for clean linens on the cart at the end of the hall, but the whole time I was watching them. He tossed his head back at something funny she said and she placed a hand on his arm. Hell to the no. I was not going to let him get away with dissing me like that. After all, I was supposed to be his woman. I had given up Calvin for a chance with him. Uh-uh. He wasn’t about to play me, especially not with that snaggletooth heifer he was talking to.

  To make sure he saw me standing there, I moved to the center of the hall with my hand propped at my hip, and as soon as Chance noticed me, he ended the conversation and headed my way.

  “Hey, baby girl. Damn, you look sexy. Whassup?” He smiled flirtatiously.

  I rolled my eyes. “I should be asking you that. What were the two of you talking about?” I know I sounded jealous, but so what.

  “Business, baby,” Chance said with that sexy gold-tooth smile and almost made me forget I was supposed to be angry with him. He reached up and caressed my cheek. “It’s about the business of making money.”

  I didn’t believe a word of it. “What kind of money?”

  “Damn, baby girl, give your man a break,” he replied angrily.

  Boy, that had a wonderful ring to it. “My man? How you my man and I haven’t seen you since Friday? It’s now Wednesday. Usually I at least run into you at work, but that hasn’t happened either. So where you been?”

  “Damn, baby, get off these nuts! The less you know the better. Just be assured yo man is holding it down in these streets.”

  I didn’t have to have a college degree to know what holding it down means. He was hustling. I wasn’t even surprised. In fact, I expected as much. On a technician’s salary, the Navigator, expensive clothes, and pocket full of money should have spoken words all on their own. But instead of being turned off by the idea, I was more attracted to Chance than ever. He
was a true soldier and I was proud to know he was mine. Bitches, stand back!

  My mind was already working. “What are you doing tonight? I could fix us some steaks.” It would mean going to the store, but I had a strong feeling that Chance was definitely worth it.

  “You ain’t said nothing but the word. What time you want me over?”

  “How’s six?”

  He hesitated. “I got to go to court this evening.”

  “For what?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Try me.” I was indignant.

  “My license is suspended, so I ain’t supposed to be driving except to work and home.”

  “How did you get your license suspended?”

  “Long story ain’t even worth getting into, but the skinny of it is that the reason you haven’t heard from me is because I got arrested for driving. A while back I let my insurance lapse and had a car accident and had my license revoked. Anyway, my boy Dre, who’s always got my back, came and bailed me this morning.”

  I laced my fingers with his and breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there, I had thought he was lying. “Next time, call me. If I’m your girl, then that’s what girls do.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about! Having a damn good woman in my corner.” He was grinning and seemed pleased I considered us a couple. He would soon learn that there ain’t nothing I won’t do for my man. Renee calls it being stupid. I consider it having my man’s back. But what does she know? That’s why she can’t keep a man.

  “I better go and clock out. I’ll see you tonight.” He moved down the hall and I watched him move, shaking my head. Damn, my baby is fine!

  I was moving to my patient’s room when I noticed that nursing student staring as well. I moved up to her and glared down at her. “That’s my man and I play for keeps.”

  She had the nerve to roll her eyes and toss her long acrylic nails in my face. “Whatever.”

  No, she didn’t. Oh, I got her whatever. “Since you seem to have a lot of free time on your hands, Mrs. Carson in 713 needs an enema.” Her smirk turned into a frown and it took everything I had not to laugh. She was a student nurse, so she had no choice but to do as I said.