Illusions

A sister’s love knows no end. It’s Blood vs. Love as Layla’s budding romance is threatened by the return of her twin.

Starring…

Layla Michaels

Nicolas Hayes

Kayla Michaels

Rachael Wallace

Alonzo Banks

TaMeeka “Meeka” James

Charles “Chico” Banks

Rated R: Strong language, nudity, violence, and strong sexual content

Layla

“I swear if it wasn’t attached to my shoulders, I’d lose my head!”

Running late as usual, I checked my purse and briefcase to make sure I had everything before I set foot outside the door.

“Come on, Layla. You have to be on time today.”

Once I was sure I had everything I needed for the day, I headed toward the front hall mirror to check my appearance. Taking advantage of a rare Indian Summer day in mid-November, I wore a peach blazer and skirt with matching pumps.

While working on my final year toward a Marketing degree at Harris-Stowe State College, I was headed out into the Real World. Today was my first day working as the personal assistant to Rachael Wallace, Director of Public Relations at Forté Inc.

Meoooowww…

I looked down at my ankles. My black kitten, Felix, was curled up in a ball at my feet. As I knelt down to give my furry friend a love pat, I remembered that I hadn’t fed him this morning!

“God, I hope You have a good reason for all of these delays! And I hope he’s tall, light, and gorgeous!” I smiled to myself as I envisioned Shemar Moore while I walked into the kitchen to feed my starving kitten.

Just as I took the 7th Street exit off I-55, only minutes away from Forté Inc. BAM! My driver’s side front tire blows out on me! Although the loud noise immediately startled me, I managed to keep calm and maneuvered my car to keep from crashing into anyone else before I safely pulled over.

“DAMMIT! As if I didn’t have enough going on, now I’ve got a flat tire!!! I just got brand new tires a month ago! Oh, God… HELP ME!!!” I lamented aloud as I stepped out of and stood next to my silver 2000 Chrysler Sebring LXi. The car, a high school graduation gift from my father, had the nerve to have a deflated driver’s side front tire on my first day of work!

“Need some help?”

I nearly jumped at the question because the deep bass voice came out of nowhere. I looked up at my Good Samaritan. Dressed in a crisp charcoal grey business suit with matching shoes, short of calling for a tow service, I wasn’t sure how much he could help me.

“Yes, I could use a little help. I just caught a flat and I have no clue how to change it,” I smiled.

OK, so I did know how to change the tire. Elliott Michaels wasn’t about to let his baby girl go out in the world totally defenseless. But I can’t flirt if I don’t have anything for Mr. Brooks Brothers to do, ya know?

The gentleman took off his jacket and laid it on the roof of my car. “Do you have a spare and a jack?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said as I opened the door and reached into the car to retrieve the keys from the ignition. Normally, I would just lean inside the car window. But, considering the shortness of my skirt added with my long legs, I wouldn’t have left anything to his imagination!

When I walked to the trunk, the young man followed me to get the tools necessary for him to carry out his good deed. I could feel his eyes scanning me. As he rolled up his sleeves to change my tire, I pulled my purse out of the car to get my cell phone and Ms. Wallace’s business card.

“Please excuse me. I have to make an important phone call.”

“Go right ahead,” said the young man as he deftly took off the flat tire and put on the spare.

Shortly after dialing the number to Ms. Wallace’s office, I was immediately connected to her voicemail. After sighing in disappointment, I left a message explaining my situation.

“Hi, Ms. Wallace. This is Layla Michaels. I’m calling to let you know that I caught a flat on the way in to work. It’s getting fixed now, but I don’t know how long it will take. I will be in as soon as possible.” I flipped my phone closed after leaving my cell phone number in case Ms. Wallace needed to reach me before I made it into the office. Turning to see how Mr. Brooks Brothers was doing, I said, “Excuse me?”

“Yes,” replied the gentleman with an inviting smile.

Not exactly in a rush to hurry him on his way, I watched the young man a moment longer as he worked on my tire.

“Do you know how long it’ll be before the tire is changed? Today is my first day at my new job and, thanks to this,” I said gesturing toward the now worthless tire laying inside my trunk, “I’m late.”

As he stood up, he said, “I’m finished.” Although he had just changed a flat tire, his suit was still spotless.

Smiling at his job well done, I opened my purse. “How much do I owe you?”

“Dinner with me would be nice.” His beautiful grey eyes were accented by his warm smile.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have dinner with strangers,” I flirted.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he extended his hand. “I’m Nicolas Hayes.”

As I shook his strong hand, I replied, “Layla Michaels.”

“Well, Ms. Michaels, may I invite you to dinner and a movie?”

I looked Nicolas up and down. At six foot two, a shade darker than my caramel complexion and exceptionally attractive, he was two out of three in the tall, light and gorgeous department. “Where did you want to go?”

“My place,” replied Nicolas. When he saw the shocked look on my face, he added, “I have a three-year-old daughter and no babysitter.”

Relieved, I said, “Well, if your daughter will be there, I suppose it will be alright. But I thought you said dinner and a movie.”

“I’ll cook dinner. You can bring the movie,” Nicolas explained. “Do you like lasagna?” he asked.

My eyes lit up. “Almost as much as Garfield does!” I said enthusiastically. “I suppose I could stop by Blockbuster on the way over. What kind of movie?”

“Pretty much anything is fine with me. A comedy would be good,” Nicolas said smiling. “Judging by your beautiful smile, I bet you have a great laugh.”

A small smile escaped from my lips at the compliment. “What time shall I meet you at your place?”

“Is 7 o’clock OK?” asked Nicolas.

“That’s fine,” I agreed. “Want me to bring anything besides the movie?”

“Just that pretty smile,” Nicolas flirted. This time, I blushed.

“And I know you should be able to make it because your flat has been fixed,” Nicolas added.

“This is true,” I blushed again. “OK, dinner at seven.”

“Well Layla, let me give you my home phone number and address,” said Nicolas as I followed him over to his midnight blue 2003 Ford Explorer. After he reached inside and pulled out a pen and business card, he said, “If you get lost along the way, just give me a call and I can help you out.”

“Just fixing the tire was already a big help, Nicolas,” I said as I reached for the card. When our hands touched briefly, there was a definite spark. “I’ve got to get to work, but I’ll see you tonight.”

“Tonight at seven,” smiled Nicolas. “It’s a date.”

Nicolas walked me back to my car and opened my door for me. “Get to work safely, Miss. Don’t want you to have any more bad luck on your first day at work.”

“I wouldn’t say it was all bad luck,” I smiled. “I did get to meet you, right?”

It was Nicolas’ turn to blush.

“I’ll see you tonight.” Before starting my engine, I looked in my rearview mirror. I watched Nicolas’ slender frame climb into his Explorer. As I began to pull away, I looked back to get another glimpse of Nicolas, but he was already gone.

Rachael

“I just checked my messages and Layla will be a bit late,” I announced to Alonzo and Chico. My fiancé and future brother-in-law each sat in the leather chairs directly across from my desk. “I really think you guys will like my new assistant.”

“Baby Girl, as long as you like her, we like her,” said Chico.

Alonzo stood up and walked around my desk to stand behind my chair. “Rachael, I’m sure we’ll like her. I just hope she will be on top of things in time for our honeymoon. If she’s as great as you say she is, I’m sure she and Chico will have no problem handling things for a month or two.”

“Two months?!?” cried Chico as he stood up. “If you two are gonna be gone that long, y’all better come back with a niece or nephew in the oven.”

“Ya know that’s right, bruh!” said Alonzo as he and his brother exchanged daps over my head.

“Alonzo, I don’t think we can take off for two months,” I pointed out as I looked up at my husband-to-be. “The wedding is right around the corner. I can’t bring Layla up to speed in time for us to be gone that long.”

“You’re right, Baby,” agreed Alonzo as he winked at Chico. “We can postpone the wedding.”

“Oh, no, Alonzo!” I exclaimed. Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t want to postpone anything!”

Alonzo chuckled before he kissed my cheek as he rubbed my shoulders. “Baby, I was just teasing. Besides I’m positive that Layla will be more than ready to be on top of things in time for us to leave on our honeymoon. And if she needs any help, Chico is here.”

“Yeah,” said Chico. “But that won’t happen until she gets here.”

I stood and walked over to my picture window to look down at the parking lot. A silver Chrysler Sebring pulling into the lot caught my attention.

“Alonzo, do you think your family will be upset about us missing the family reunion in San Antonio this year?”

Alonzo joined me at the window. As he slipped his arms around my waist, he said, “I talked to my Uncle Tito and they said that the family sends their congratulations and well wishes.”

Moments later, our receptionist, Lisa, buzzed us on the intercom. “Ms. Wallace? Ms. Michaels is here,”

“Thanks, Lisa. Please send her in,” I replied.

Hesitantly, Layla entered my office. “Good morning, Ms. Wallace.”

I walked over to the door and extended my hand to greet my new personal assistant. “Morning, Layla. And please call me Rachael.”

“Besides, after the wedding, she’ll be Mrs. Banks,” announced Alonzo proudly.

As I walked back to my desk, I said, “Layla, allow me to introduce part owner of Forté Inc. and my fiancé, Alonzo Banks.”

Alonzo walked over to greet Layla. Shaking his hand, Layla said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Banks.”

“If I can call you Layla, you can call me Alonzo,” said Alonzo.

“Alonzo it is,” said Layla with a smile.

Chico popped up out of his chair and joined us in greeting Layla. “I’m Charles Banks, Jr., but everyone calls me Chico.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Layla as Chico shook her hand.

“Now that you’ve met the owners, you’ll know when the big boys are in the room,” Alonzo joked. We all chuckled at the comment.

“If you two will excuse us,” I said as I opened my office door. “I need to get Layla acquainted with how I run things around here.”

“Yes, ma’am!” said Alonzo and Chico in unison. They both gave me a mock salute gesture before they left my office.

Turning to Layla, I said, “I have to warn you. They’re usually that silly.”

“That’s fine,” said Layla. “I couldn’t stand to work somewhere where no one had a sense of humor.”

“Trust me. We’ve got plenty of that!” I said with a giggle. “Well, I pretty much showed you around during your second interview. Do you have any questions before I make you do some real work?”

“I probably shouldn’t ask, especially since it’s personal, but…” Layla began.

I looked at my new assistant with curiosity. “What is it, Layla? You’ll find that you can come to me for anything so ask away.”

Nodding toward the closed door, Layla asked, “How did he propose?”

“Oh, girl!” I said as I walked over to my leather sofa. After I sat down, I motioned Layla to join me. “It was beautiful. Alonzo, Chico, and Meeka were all in on it.”

“Meeka?” asked Layla.

“That’s TaMeeka James, Chico’s girlfriend and my best friend. You’ll meet her sooner or later because if she’s not visiting Chico, she and I are going out to lunch,” I explained. “Anyway, back to the story. Chico, Alonzo and I were supposed to go up to Chicago to listen to a jazz band that wanted Forté to do their PR. Well, Meeka called me to tell us that Chico was sick with the flu and that we should go without him. I should’ve known something was up when Alonzo didn’t seem too concerned about his brother’s health. Alonzo and I drove up to Chi-town as planned. While Alonzo took me on a mini tour of downtown Chicago, we stopped in front of Buckingham Fountain.”

“Isn’t that in London?” asked Layla.

“You’re thinking of Buckingham Palace,” I corrected. “Buckingham Fountain is the fountain you see in the opening credits of Married… With Children.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Layla. “Oooo, I bet that was romantic!”

“Yes, it was,” I said reminiscing. “He did the whole getting down on one knee proposal. I barely waited for him to finish before I screamed yes!”

Smiling, Layla asked, “So when’s the wedding?”

“This Christmas Eve. We wanted to do it around the holidays and as soon as possible,” I said. “Plus Alonzo figured that we could shut down Forté for a week and take a yearly vacation on our anniversary. That way everyone gets some time off.”

“That’s nice.” Layla said. “Are you hoping for a White Christmas?”

“Honestly, that has me a bit concerned,” I said as I stood and walked back to my picture window. I looked down from my seventh floor office onto the traffic below. “I’m afraid that if it snows, we’ll get stuck here for our honeymoon.”

“Would that be so bad?” asked Layla as she joined me at the window. “Just imagine you and your new husband curled up in front of a roaring fire as the snow blankets the city.”

Layla’s description reminded me of another snowy night. A night that I shared a candlelit dinner and dance with my first love, Aaron Jones. As the memory almost brought tears to my eyes, I ran my fingers across the hearts on the charm bracelet that Aaron had given me. “Let’s just pray that the snow falls after our plane is safely out of St. Louis,” I stated. “You can keep the snow for your own romantic evening with your special someone.” Layla blushed at my comment. “I assume you already have someone in mind.”

“Actually, when I caught that flat this morning, a nice young gentleman helped me change my tire,” said Layla. “I’m having dinner with him tonight to repay him for his chivalry.”

My curiosity was piqued. “And what is the name of this knight in shining armor?”

“Nicolas Hayes,” replied Layla.

With a puzzled look, I stated, “That name sounds familiar.” I walked over to my desk and sat in front of my computer. Pulling up my address book on Outlook, I scrolled through the “H” section. No Nicolas Hayes. I called Alonzo’s extension and put him on speakerphone. “Baby, do you know someone named Nicolas Hayes?”

“Yeah, that’s Chico’s boy,” said Alonzo. “Why?”

“No reason.” I cut off the speakerphone before Alonzo had a chance to interrogate me. “I never knew his last name but I’ve seen Mr. Hayes here at the office. Isn’t he tall, dark and handsome?”

Once again, Layla blushed. “Actually, that describes him perfectly.”

“I think you may be seeing Mr. Hayes a lot, Layla,” I said with a sly grin. “Chico and Nick are college buddies and the best of friends. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, they always play basketball on Friday afternoons with Alonzo and Jay. Those boys have got some nice abs and legs on them!” I nibbled on my thumbnail as the vision of the guys running up and down the court danced in my head. Shaking my head to get the thought out of my mind, I continued, “Luckily for Alonzo and Chico, they’re already spoken for.”

“Nicolas doesn’t have a girlfriend?” Layla asked with interest.

“Not that I’ve seen,” I replied. “The only special lady that I know of is his daughter, Kya.”

“Nicolas mentioned her,” said Layla. “She’ll be joining us for dinner tonight.”

“Really?” I said in surprise. “But this is your first date and he’s involving his daughter?”

“Yeah, and that’s cool with me because I love kids,” stated Layla.

“I see.” As I tapped my pen on my desktop, I pictured Layla and Nicolas together. “I truly hope you enjoy your date. But in order for you to get to tonight, you have to finish today’s work. So let’s get to it.”

Nicolas

“Nick, you shoulda seen the legs on this girl. Man, they went on for forever! She almost looked like Baby Girl’s twin!” said Chico as he looked over the menu. Every Monday, Chico and I met for lunch at TGI Friday’s to recap our weekends. “If I wasn’t with Meeka and if that girl wasn’t an employee, I woulda tried to hook up with her myself.”

“She sounds nice,” I replied. I was only half listening to my boy because I was still thinking of Layla. Chico’s comment about long legs made me think back to Layla’s pretty caramel stems. I couldn’t wait to see her again at our dinner date tonight. I was so lost in thought I barely heard him calling my name.

“Earth to Nick. You gon’ order or what?” my friend asked urgently.

Our previously nonexistent waitress stood by the table impatiently. Popping her gum, she asked, “Did you need more time, sir?”

“Nah, I know what I want,” I replied. “Just bring me a large Coke, please.”

As the waitress walked away to put in our orders, I noticed the look Chico shot my way. “Is that all you want, man?” he asked.

“I’m saving my appetite for my date tonight,” I grinned.

“Date?” Chico sat back in disbelief. “Mr. Celibate-Til-Marriage is going on a date?”

“Are you saying that I can’t go out with a beautiful lady?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nah, man,” said Chico in his defense. “It’s just that I’ve been trying to hook you up with somebody… anybody for the longest. Then the one time I leave you alone, you go off and find someone on your own! So when do I get to meet this young lady?”

“Can I get past the first date, please?” I said with a smile.

“Sure. And if things don’t work out, I can try to hook you up with our new girl, Layla,” Chico suggested.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Layla? Layla Michaels?”

Chico looked at me in surprise. “Yeah. How did you know her last name?”

“That’s the name of the young lady that I’m meeting tonight. Well, we’ve already met. I fixed her flat tire this morning. She said she was late for her first day at work.”

“Yeah, she was late,” said Chico with a chuckle. “Man, as big as St. Louis is, sometimes it seems just like a small town.”

“I feel ya, bruh,” I said as our waitress returned with our drinks.

After the waitress walked away, Chico said, “So, you two are going out tonight?”

“Actually, she’s coming over for dinner with me and Kya,” I said before sipping on my Coke.

“How is my little goddaughter doing?” asked Chico. “I’ve been meaning to come and take her off your hands so she can spend some time with Meeka, Meechie and me.”

“She’s good,” I said before gulping my drink down to the ice. “Growing like a weed. Looking more like her mother every day.” A melancholy smile briefly touched my lips as I thought of Kya’s mother, Malia, who died shortly after giving birth.

“Why don’t Meeka and I keep her tonight?” Chico offered. “That way you and Layla could have a nice quiet evening together to get to know each other without interruption. Besides, are you sure Kya’s ready to see you with a woman?”

“You’re right, man. I was so excited about seeing Layla again that I didn’t stop to think of how Kya would react,” I admitted. “Thanks for the offer, Chico. I just wish I had Layla’s number so that I could call her and tell her about the changes.”

“Call the office. Leave a message with Lisa for Layla to call you,” suggested Chico.

“Won’t she think I’m stalking her?” I said with concern. “How would I know where she worked if she never told me?”

“Good point.” Chico rubbed his chin while he thought for a moment. “Let me see your phone.”

I held up my phone and waved my hand over it. In a high-pitched imitation of a spokesmodel’s voice, I said, “See. It has buttons with numbers on them. And if you push them in the right sequence, you can call somebody.”

“Ha ha, Mr. Funny Man. Give me the phone,” Chico said as he held out his hand.

After I slid my phone across the table, Chico picked it up and made a couple of calls. The first one was to his girlfriend, Meeka. As he pushed END, Chico said, “Meeka said she’s cool with Kya coming over tonight. Now let’s see if Layla is at the office.”

While Chico was on the phone, our waitress arrived with his food. Before she walked away, I touched her arm and said, “I’m sorry about earlier. I realize you are very busy and didn’t need me taking up your time.”

Her face softened. “That’s ok. It wasn’t that big a deal. I figured you’d want your usual order but I didn’t want to assume.”

I raised an eyebrow. “My usual order?”

“Yeah,” she said blushing. “I serve you guys every Monday. You usually get a bacon double cheeseburger, no onions, no pickles, large fries, large Coke.”

“That’s me alright.” I took a good look at her. She was petite. Maybe five foot three. Slim, athletic build. Very attractive. Why did I never notice her before? I looked at her nametag: Selena.

“I always see just you two,” said Selena. “Never anyone else. No other guys. Or lady friends…”

Catching on, gesturing toward Chico, I said, “Before you ask, he has a girlfriend.”

“And you?” Selena asked with a grin.

If I wasn’t so dark, Selena could’ve seen me blushing. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Well,” said Selena as she wrote on her order pad. “Maybe we can change that. That’s my cell number. You can catch me after nine.” Selena winked before she walked away.

“What was that about?” asked Chico after he got off the phone.

“She gave me her number.” I showed Chico the paper Selena handed to me.

“Man, please. That’s a cell number,” said Chico. “One of the oldest playa moves. If she were single, she would’ve given you her home number. When did she say you could call her?”

“After nine,” I replied.

“A broke playa. She probably has unlimited minutes after nine,” Chico quipped.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” I said. “I never even noticed her before today.”

“Plus you’ve got a date with Layla tonight,” said Chico. “And she said that you can call her at the office. I talked to Rachael and she told me that Layla told her about you. They got to talking and Rachael put it together that the Nicolas Hayes that Layla was talking about was you.”

So, I was on her mind. Maybe this will work out.

Just then, Selena returned to our table. “Can I get anything else for you, gentlemen?”

“Yeah. Get me a bacon double cheeseburger, no onions, no pickles, large fries, and another large Coke,” I said as I held up my empty glass. “I’ve got my appetite back!

As Selena left to put in my order, Chico and I couldn’t help watching her round apple bottom sashay away from the table.

“Speaking of appetites, what are you making for dinner?” asked Chico.

“Lasagna,” I replied. “From the reaction that I got, I’d say it’s her favorite.”

“Not bad, not bad. First date and you’re making her favorite dish,” Chico commented. “Next thing you know, you’ll be rubbing her feet after a long day at work and she’ll be begging to marry you!”

I thought back to Layla’s sweet smile. “If I can just get a kiss tonight, I’ll be fine. I’ll have to work up to the feet rubbin’ thing. Remember Lela Rochon’s feet in Boomerang?”

“Eww!” Chico cried. “Don’t remind me! For a while there, I thought all pretty sistas had jacked up feet so I never even let them kick off their shoes at my place. If I didn’t take Meeka to the nail shop myself and saw the end result, I woulda thought the same about her!”

Selena returned with my order. Suddenly, I had an urge to go grocery shopping for my date with Layla. Before she turned away, I caught Selena’s arm. “Could you be a sweetheart and put this in a To-Go box?”

“Only if you promise to call me later,” she said with a wink.

My only response was a smile as I handed the plate back to her. When I looked back at Chico, he was shaking his head. “What?” I asked innocently.

“Great, Nick! Now we’re gonna have to find someplace else to hang out cuz you won’t call Selena, the psycho-cell-phone-number-giving waitress.”

“I’ll call her right after we leave. When I get her voice mail, I’ll leave a message to let her know that I called. That way I won’t be lying. Besides, she doesn’t even know my name.”

“For someone who’s been outta the game for a minute, you still have some playa moves of your own,” chuckled Chico.

When Selena arrived with my food wrapped and in a bag in one hand and my Coke in a large To Go cup in the other, Chico and I stood up. As he paid the tab, I retrieved my food. “Thanks, Selena.”

“Anytime,” she replied with a wink. I was beginning to think she had something stuck in her eye or her contact was slipping out.

As Chico and I walked toward the door, I could hear Selena behind us. “Hey! I don’t even know your name!”

We continued to walk on, pretending not to hear Selena over the roar of the lunch customers and the music.

Layla

By that evening, I was giddy with anticipation at the thought of seeing Nicolas again. It had been quite some time since I had been in a steady relationship, let alone on a date. However, I’m sure my kitten, Felix, wasn’t too happy to see me preparing to leave the house! Rachael told me all she knew about Nicolas, which helped me prepare for our date. Normally, I wouldn’t accept a date from a man that I had just met, but Nicolas’ grey eyes mesmerized me. Not to mention that I felt so at ease in his presence. Most men I meet are trying to give me everything they’ve got in the first meeting in the event that we’ll never meet again. Little do they know, it’s that impatience and excessive amount of personal information that turns me off. In the short amount of time that I was with Nicolas this morning, I was soooo comfortable! In fact, I was so eager to spend more time with him that I damn near hugged him when he asked me out!

I checked myself out in my full-length bedroom mirror. After going through five outfits, I settled on a denim dress with spaghetti straps. “Not too much but just enough to leave him something to remember me by,” I said as I winked at my reflection.

Before he reminded me, I checked to make sure Felix had enough food to last until I returned. “I hope you enjoy your night alone, Felix. Mama’s got a date!”

Meoooowww…

Just before I stepped out of my apartment, I picked up the videos that I’d rented and put on my denim Baby Phat jacket. As I closed and locked my door, I was pleasantly surprised. Although the weather report called for a dip in the temperature, it was still relatively warm for a November evening.

With the directions to Nicolas’ house in my hands, I practically skipped to my Sebring. Before I put the key into the ignition, I picked up my cell phone and dialed Nicolas’ number.

“Hello?”

My cheeks felt warm at the sound of his voice. “Nicolas? Hi, it’s Layla.”

“Hey, Pretty Lady,” said Nicolas.

I smiled at Nicolas’ pet name for me. “I was just calling to let you know that I’m on my way over. As requested, I picked up a couple of comedies. I hope you like Martin Lawrence. I got Black Knight and RunTelDat. If you don’t like those, I can get something else.”

“Those are fine,” said Nicolas. “The lasagna is in the oven and the VCR is ready and waiting.”

“I’ll be there soon,” I assured him.

I flipped my phone closed and tossed it onto my passenger side seat. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up in front of Nicolas’ two-story home. I knew I had the right house because Nicolas was sitting on the front steps. As I pulled in behind his Ford Explorer, he stood and walked over to me.

“Hi, Beautiful,” said Nicolas as he opened my door.

“Hello,” I said with a blush. Before I stepped out of my car, I reached over to the passenger side seat and retrieved my cell phone and the bag of videos. As I reached further to get a tape that fell to the floor, the hem of my dress rose up to the middle of my thigh.

“Mm-mm-MMM…” commented Nicolas. Realizing that I was practically showing Nicolas all of my goods, I quickly got the tapes and stepped out of the car. Clearing my throat, I said, “Your tapes, sir.”

Embarrassed, Nicolas took the tapes and offered his hand. “Dinner is waiting… and so am I.” Nicolas gave me a soft peck on my cheek as we walked to the house.

“Be gentle. This is my first time,” said Nicolas as he fixed our plates with steaming hot lasagna, garlic bread and Caesar salad.

Remarkably, the meal was delicious. Nicolas used Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, thick tomato sauce, ground beef and Italian sausage in his lasagna. If I didn’t know better, I could swear that Nicolas got the entire meal from Olive Garden. “You say this is your first time? What? Cooking lasagna or cooking anything?”

“Cooking lasagna. I don’t know what possessed me to offer it, but when your face lit up at the suggestion, I couldn’t take it back. I called my dad for the recipe. He walked me through and ta da! Dinner is served.”

During dinner, Nicolas and I filled each other in on our lives. Nicolas came from a small family. He was the only child of Ronald and Andréa Hayes. His own little family consisted of his daughter and himself. “Malia died after giving birth to Kya,” Nicolas explained. “Since Malia and I weren’t married when Kya was born, I had to go through the court system to get full custody. Malia’s family wanted to keep the baby and move out to California, but as much as I loved Malia and my baby girl, there was no way I was gonna let that happen. Kya and I have been on our own ever since. What about you? Do you have any family here in St. Louis?”

“It’s just me and Daddy here,” I replied. “My twin sister, Kayla, lives in New York. She went there after she got a dance scholarship to Juilliard.”

Tentatively, Nicolas asked, “And your mom?”

“She ran off to join the circus,” I said with a straight face. Nicolas looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or say he was sorry. I finally let him off the hook. “She and my dad divorced when Kayla and I were ten years old. She left us with him and went back to her career as a dancer. That’s probably where Kayla gets her skills from.”

“I’m sorry to hear that about your mom,” said Nicolas as he took our plates to the sink.

“Please, don’t be sorry. My dad raised us just fine and he did it all by himself just like you’re doing with Kya,” I explained as I brought our glasses to the sink. “Actually, I credit my independent spirit to him.”

“So, you’re one of those independent women, huh?” Nicolas smiled as he filled the sink with sudsy water to wash the dishes. “I suppose you want a man that’ll cook and clean and rub your feet at the end of a long hard day, too?”

“That would be nice but unrealistic,” I said as I picked up a towel to dry the dishes. “I want a man that will do his share. I’m so used to doing everything for myself that I wouldn’t know what to do if I had help, but I’ll be damned if I turn it down.”

“Well, I’m used to pampering my lady,” Nicolas said as he turned off the water. Taking the towel from my hands and tossing it onto the kitchen counter, Nicolas led me to the living room. “Besides, you are a guest and guests rest while the host does the work. I’ll be done in a sec and we can sit back and watch Martin. Feel free to look around the joint if you like.”

“You sure about that?” I asked. “I may find out that you’re a neat freak to the public and a sloppy mess in the bedroom.”

Why did I mention the bedroom?

“With a three-year-old, I have to keep the place as neat as possible,” Nicolas said as he went back into the kitchen. “But even that’s not always possible. So if you see a pile of toys or clothes in the closet, don’t be alarmed.”

Since I had permission, I looked around Nicolas’ house, confining my tour to the first floor. The walls in the hallway were covered with family pictures. Several pictures showed Nicolas with Malia or Nicolas with Kya. Kya was the spitting image of her mother.

At the end of the hallway was the living room to the right and the stairs leading to the second floor on the left. I made a right turn into the living room, which was certainly a man’s paradise. The focal point was the 42” flat screen plasma TV mounted on the wall with surround sound speakers on each side. There was also a subwoofer, a four-head VCR and a five-disc DVD player. The furniture consisted of a Country Blue sectional couch and a matching large recliner rocker. A room sized area rug pulled the room’s look together.

It was obvious that Kya had some effect on her daddy’s decorating ideas. Various crayon drawings were on the walls near the entryway and sectional couch. Nicolas went so far as to frame each drawing with construction paper frames. “I really like Kya’s pictures, Nicolas,” I shouted toward the kitchen.

“Which ones? The ones she took with me or the ones she put on the walls?” he inquired.

I giggled at the question. “All of them.”

Nicolas walked up behind me as I admired a crayon drawing of what looked like a man and a girl holding hands and looking up. “Kya says that’s me and her looking up at Mommy in heaven,” Nicolas said as a single tear fell from his eye.

At first, I wanted to hold back, but something told me to wipe the tear away. “You miss her, don’t you?”

“I do, but I thank God that she left Kya with me,” said Nicolas as he took my hand. “Come on. I could use a laugh right about now. Let’s see some Martin.”

We agreed to watch RunTelDat first. During dinner, we discovered that we both enjoyed Martin Lawrence’s television show as well as his first concert film, You So Crazy. I had already seen RunTelDat in the theatre but I enjoyed the movie so much that I didn’t mind seeing it again. “I didn’t know if you had a VCR or a DVD player so I took a chance and got tapes,” I said as I sat down in the center of the couch. Nicolas walked over to the entertainment center and put the tape into the VCR.

“Well, as you can see, I have both. Next time, you can get DVD movies,” Nicolas hinted.

“Next time?” I teased.

“Well, assuming you liked the dinner and the company, of course,” commented Nicolas as he joined me on the couch. Without thinking, I picked up the remote control and fast-forwarded through the previews. Nicolas cleared his throat. “Excuse you.”

Realizing what I was doing, I apologized. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to get to the movie.”

“No rush, Layla. We have all night,” Nicolas said as he put his hand over mine.

I stopped the tape from fast forwarding just as the movie’s opening credits came onto the screen.

Halfway through the movie, I kicked off my shoes and snuggled closer to Nicolas. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was with him. He didn’t seem to mind either because he squeezed me closer to him. The only time Nicolas and I spent apart was when we both were doubled over in hysterics at Martin’s comedy act.

I was yawning by the time the movie was finished. No wonder! It was nearly 11 o’clock! “Oh, my God! Nicolas, I’m sorry but I’ve got to go.”

Nicolas glanced at the clock. “Aww, man! I didn’t realize how late it was. I was supposed to pick Kya up from Chico’s over an hour ago.”

Just then, the phone rang. Nicolas excused himself from the couch to answer the phone. “Hello? … Hey, Chico, man. We just finished watching … Oh, really? You sure? … Ah’ight, man. Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow. … Later.” Turning to me, Nicolas turned off the cordless phone and set it down on the edge of the couch. “Chico said that Kya is already asleep and they’re gonna keep her overnight.”

“Well, I’ll get out of here so you can get some rest,” I offered as I stood up from the couch.

“Do you really have to go?” Nicolas asked as he walked over to me and took my hands into his. “I was really enjoying our evening.”

“I had a great time, too, Nicolas,” I said with a smile. “But my boss knows where I am and I don’t think I can get away with calling in sick on my second day.”

“I guess you’re right,” Nicolas replied with downcast eyes. “So, when can I see you again?”

“Give me a call sometime this week and we’ll see,” I replied.

Don’t want to seem too available, I thought to myself.

“Or I can call you tomorrow for lunch,” Nicolas suggested with a dimpled grin. So much for being unavailable! How could I resist that smile?

“Lunch sounds great,” I agreed as I walked toward the door.

Nicolas took my jacket out of the hallway closet and held it open for me.

“Thank you,” I said as I slipped my arms inside.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “Oh! I almost forgot something!” Nicolas sprinted to the kitchen. Seconds later, he returned with a single red rose. “I meant to give this to you when you got here, but when I saw you again, I completely forgot about it.”

“That was sweet!” Instinctively, I sniffed the blooming bud. It smelled as beautiful as it looked. “Nicolas, you shouldn’t have.”

“Yes, I should,” said Nicolas as he opened his front door. “I told you I’m used to pampering my lady. I just hope you can handle all the attention, Ms. Michaels.” “I think I’ll manage, Mr. Hayes,” I said as I walked out to my car.

Just as predicted, the temperature had dropped. I pulled my jacket closer to my body but it was no use. Sensing my chill, Nicolas slipped his arm around my waist as we walked to my car. Before I reached the car, I pulled my keys out of my purse. Once I had the door key in my hand, Nicolas gently took the keys from my hand and opened my door for me. Once I was safely inside, he closed the door behind me. I started the car and rolled down my window. When I put my purse down on the passenger seat, I realized that I didn’t have the videotapes. “Nicolas, I forgot the tapes.”

“Look at you. You’re already leaving stuff at my place,” Nicolas teased. “I suppose you want me to go back in and get them.”

“You can bring the tapes with you when we meet for lunch,” I suggested. “Or you could come over tomorrow night for dinner instead and bring them then.”

“Layla…” he began.

Realizing that I had pushed too far, I countered, “Look, that’s ok. Forget I asked.”

I started to put the car in reverse when Nicolas squeezed my wrist. “Layla, it’s not that I don’t want to go out with you again. It’s just that…”

I looked Nicolas directly into his sexy grey eyes. I figured that if he was gonna lie, he’d have to look at me to do it. “What is it, Nicolas?”

“It’s Kya. You and I just met and I don’t want her to get too attached in case things don’t work out between us.”

“Oh…” I felt like shit. I thought he was going to tell me that he didn’t want to see me anymore. “Nicolas, I didn’t even think about that. I’m sorry.”

“Layla, I want to see you again,” Nicolas began. “Let me see if I can get a sitter and we can still have that dinner at your place tomorrow. OK?”

I perked up at Nicolas’ suggestion. “OK. Call me and let me know what’s up.”

“I will do that, Pretty Lady,” said Nicolas. “Good night.”

“Good night, Nicolas.” As he walked away, my eyes were drawn downward toward his butt. The way his ass looked in his South Pole jeans brought a smile to my lips. “Nicolas!”

He turned to see what I wanted. “Yes?”

I wagged my finger to let him know that I wanted him to come back. “I’ve got something for you.”

Nicolas knelt down beside my car. “And that would be?”

Without a word, I leaned toward Nicolas to kiss him. The spark I felt at that moment was like pure electricity running through our lips. “I’ll call you when I get home to let you know that I made it safely.”

“You do that,” said Nicolas as he licked his lips. “I’ll be waiting. Don’t make me come out with a search party because you forgot to call.”

“I won’t forget,” I said as I backed out of his driveway.

Moments later, I pulled up in front of my duplex. Felix was sitting in the window awaiting my return. Before I stepped inside the door, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Nicolas’ number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Nicolas, it’s me. I’m home,” I said breathlessly as I opened my door. I flipped off the front porch light and turned on the lamp on my entry hall table. Felix jumped down from his window perch and purred around my ankles as I closed the door.

“That was quick!” Nicolas noted.

“Well, someone must have really wanted me to get home because the lights were green all the way home,” I smiled.

OK, so I ran a couple of red lights and one stop sign… I couldn’t wait to hear Nicolas’ seductive voice in my ears.

“Well, I’m glad you made it home safely,” said Nicolas after a sigh of relief. “Do you think you could stay up a minute and talk?”

“I wish I could but I really should get to bed,” I said regretfully. “Call me tomorrow to let me know whether it’ll be lunch or dinner.”

“Lunch or dinner? How about lunch and dinner? Or can you handle seeing so much of me in one day?” I could picture the smile on Nicolas’ face.

“Nicolas, stop teasing me!” I said with a giggle. “OK, fine. We can skip lunch and wait ‘til tomorrow night to see each other again.”

“Assuming I can find a sitter for Kya,” Nicolas reminded me.

“Even if you can’t find a sitter, she’s more than welcome to join us. But I understand your reasons,” I said. “Well, I’m going to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night, Nicolas.”

“Good night, Pretty Lady,” said Nicolas. Just as I pressed END on my cell phone, there was a knock at my front door. I checked the time on my cell phone. 11:49 P.M.

Who could be at my door at this time of night?

I looked out of the peephole and couldn’t believe my eyes! Flinging the door open, I exclaimed, “Sis?!?”

Tryouts and Turn-ons

“Come on, Lay Lay! You’re gonna be late!”

My twin sister urged me to get a move on when the bell rang since tryouts to replace the cheerleading captain were immediately after school. For my Senior year extracurricular after school activity, I had a choice between replacing the cheerleading captain (trying out was a formality) and my new interest, aggressively pursuing my romantic crush. Knowing how much Kayla wanted to be around me no matter what I did, I went with my initial choice. While she would be stuck inside the theatre practicing lines in drama club, I could practice routines outside in fresh air with eye candy within view. Thinking for sure that he couldn’t miss me as a cheerleader captain, I was determined to get David Abernathy’s attention this year. For years, our across-the-street neighbor David claimed that he couldn’t tell me apart from my sister. Trust and believe he’ll recognize me from now on!

“Hey Twins!” David smiled as Kayla and I walked up to his locker. “Going out for cheerleading captain? Damn shame how Kelly broke her leg.”

Smiling exuberantly at David, I exclaimed, “I’m trying out! Kayla is…”

“Too! David, I’m trying out for cheerleading captain, too!” Kayla gushed, pissing me off with her sudden change in extracurricular activities.

“Awesome! Good luck you two!” David said before his track buddies whisked him away to practice.

Whirling around to face my sister, I snapped, “Really Kayla?! Since when do you like cheerleading?!”

“Ever since I saw who we’re cheering for! Derrick, Trevor, James, not to mention David…”

“So DON’T!! Kayla, you know I like David! Why do you keep getting in my way?!” I snapped. “You never let me have anything to myself. We don’t have to share EVERYTHING!!”

“Damn Lay Lay! Look, you’re a great dancer and practically a shoo in for captain so quit worrying ‘cause we’re about to be the hottest twin cheerleaders this school has ever seen!” Kayla cheered as she skipped down the hallway toward tryouts.

Unexpectedly, Kayla’s routine was nearly flawless. She mixed hip hop moves into the routine, causing the judges to cheer in response. Needless to say, my rhythm was so off from my sister’s betrayal that I bombed my cheerleading tryout, in front of David, much to my dismay.

Catching up to me on my way home, David walked beside me. “Hey Shorty, what happened? I’ve seen you dance so I know you’ve got moves!”

“I had something on my mind,” I replied quietly. Increasing my pace was useless as David’s 6’ 3” frame quickly caught up and matched my steps.

Stopping me to lift my chin, David asked, “Wanna tell me about it?”

“Which twin am I?” I asked, crossing my arms under my chest. As the thicker twin, most people easily could tell us apart but David always mixed me up with my sister when she and I were together. Before I revealed any of my misery, I had to know if he knew which twin he was talking to and this time he was alone with…

“Layla.”

Looking up at him, I smiled.

“You know I just be messin’ with you when I say I can’t tell y’all apart, right?” David said, pinching my cheek.

“For five years?” I giggled.

“Look, I run laps around the high school track at six every morning. Wanna come and run with me to help keep me in shape?” David suggested, putting an arm around my shoulder.

“Run? No. Sit in the bleachers and cheer you on, I’m there.”

“As my girlfriend?” David asked to my surprise.

You would’ve thought he had proposed marriage with the way I responded!

“Yes! Yes, David Abernathy, I’ll be your girlfriend!” I gushed before David kissed me again.

After taking off his letterman’s jacket and draping it across my shoulders, David took my hand and walked me to his house. After we had a brief discussion with his parents, my boyfriend walked me home. The look on Kayla’s face when I walked into the house with David’s jacket was more than enough to make up for her betrayal earlier that afternoon.

“He’s all mine now!” I thought to myself as I walked past my sister.

Later that year, I switched from cheerleading to watching track meets just to get away from my treacherous twin sister. And to stay closer to my first boyfriend.

The Lea Mishell Collection

Excerpt from Livin’ Just Enough

They both treated her like a princess but only one of them made her his Queen. Alonzo is a gentleman but that won’t stop him from doing everything he can to keep Rachael’s ex and childhood sweetheart Aaron away from their love! If the only difference is Love vs. Money, when you love two men, who do you choose?!

The day after my birthday was the day that Aaron had requested to see me. However, I didn’t intend to see him when I arrived at Big Mama’s house. Just as I had promised Alonzo, I went to Big Mama’s to return Aaron’s money. That was my only intention of going there.

Unfortunately, someone else had other plans for me.

When I arrived, there were several cars in front of the house. I assumed the house would be full of Aaron’s family and friends celebrating his homecoming but when I went inside the house, the mood was far from cheerful. There were enough members of the Jones family in Big Mama’s house to have a mini family reunion, but from the looks on everyone’s faces, you would’ve thought they were gathered for a wake.

You don’t know how close to the truth I was with that thought.

I looked around to see if Big Mama was available so that I could drop off the money and be on my way. I went up to Aaron’s Aunt Erica and asked where Big Mama was. My question brought her to tears! As I apologized for upsetting her, she stammered out, “Sh-sh-she’s in h-h-her ro-oo-oo-oom…”

Big Mama’s bedroom was toward the back of the house, which meant that I had to wade through a hallway full of family members. Some of them hugged me and kissed me, saying how good I looked and how Aaron always talked about me. I, in turn, hugged and kissed my way to Big Mama.

When I reached the door, it was ajar. Aaron was having a private conversation with his grandmother. Although I tried not to eavesdrop, I couldn’t help hearing what was said.

“Aaron, you know you love that girl. You should’ve helped her out while you were in that awful place!” I heard Big Mama say.

“I know, Big Mama, but I didn’t think she’d wait for me to get out,” said Aaron. The sound of his voice sent unexpected tingles through my body. I couldn’t believe that he still had that effect on me!

“You didn’t believe she loved you enough to wait for you?” Big Mama coughed harshly.

“No, not really,” Aaron replied softly.

With a raspy voice, Big Mama asked, “Why not, Aaron?”

“Big Mama… ever since my Mama died, you’re the only one I’ve ever depended on for anything,” he explained.

“Has Rachael ever let you down before?” Big Mama asked.

There was a pause before Aaron responded. “No.”

“So what made you think she wouldn’t be there for you while you were in jail?” Big Mama coughed again making me almost enter the room to give her a glass of water.

“Honestly, I didn’t want Rachael to get tied down to me,” Aaron said, barely above a whisper. “I’m no good for her. She deserves better.”

What?! Aaron, I loved you! Why would you think you weren’t good enough for me???

“While I was out here, I took care of everything for her. I loved her and protected her, Big Mama! How in the hell could I do that from behind bars?!” As quickly as Aaron’s voice rose, it dropped almost to a whisper. “I just hope she doesn’t think she found someone better.”

“No one is better for her than my grandbaby!” coughed Big Mama, more violently than before. It was a rough smoker’s cough. Sounded like she was hocking up a lung.

I peeked in the doorway and saw Big Mama and Aaron’s reflections in her dresser mirror. Aaron reached over to Big Mama’s nightstand and poured her a glass of water. After he helped her sit up, she took a few sips.

Damn, he still looks good!

It had been a week since I’d last seen Big Mama, but I didn’t think she was this sick. I didn’t want to interrupt but if she was in her final moments, I wanted to say my last good-byes. I knocked lightly on the door.

“Who is it?” Big Mama asked weakly.

Timidly, I replied, “Rachael.”

What am I scared of? It’s just Aaron on the other side of this door.

“Come in, Rachael!” said Big Mama enthusiastically.

I opened the door enough to get a full view of Big Mama lying on her bed under the covers with Aaron sitting beside her. Aaron smiled and stood up when he saw me.

“Hi, Rachael. I see you got my letter.”

“Kris caught up with me last night,” I said while smiling at Big Mama.

“Belated Happy Birthday, Rachael,” said Big Mama with all the strength she had. “Come here and give me a hug.”

Barely acknowledging Aaron’s presence, I walked over to Big Mama and did as she asked. She patted the space beside her. “Sit down, child. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Big Mama and I shared a laugh because she said that every week when I came to visit her.

Before I sat down, I opened my purse and handed Aaron the envelope with the $3,000 still in it. As I expected, Aaron looked puzzled.

“What’s this?”

“There’s a note inside that explains everything,” I replied politely. “I just want a moment with Big Mama, if you don’t mind.”

“Actually, Rachael, I want to talk to the both of you,” said Big Mama. Once again, she patted the bed. “Sit down, please.”

Slowly, I sat down beside Big Mama. Aaron put the envelope in the nightstand drawer before he sat behind me and slid his arms around my waist. Not one to put on a show for anyone, I immediately removed his hands before shooting him a dirty look.

“Aaron, please! You dropped me when you were locked up, remember?” I said to refresh his memory. “Don’t even try to act like you can just pick up where you left off!”

“Rachael… Aaron…”

Immediately, we focused our attention on Big Mama. “I wanted to make a last request of the two of you.”

“Whatever you want, Big Mama, it’s yours,” said Aaron as he once again eased his arms around my waist. I tactfully pinched his left arm to remind him to stop. He didn’t move, flinch or scream. He just kept his arms around my waist. He went so far as to put his head on my shoulder while Big Mama continued talking.

“Babies, I know how much you two love each other. You’ve known each other since you were kids. Grew up together. Fell in love…” Big Mama’s coughs were getting harder and rougher. “Babies… I wanted to see you two get married.”

MARRIED?!

“MARRIED?!” I exclaimed. “Big Mama… You want us to get married?!”

“We’ll do it,” replied Aaron.

I whipped around to look him in the face. “I know I didn’t just hear you tell your grandmother that we’d get married!”

“Yes, you did. Baby, I promised you that the next time I gave you a ring box, it will be what you’re expecting.” Aaron reached inside his pants pocket, knelt down to the floor and pulled out a burgundy ring box. “Rachael, will you…”

Before he finished, I jumped up and shouted, “Aww, HELL NAW!!!” Realizing that I’d said that in front of Big Mama, I quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Big Mama, but I can’t marry Aaron!”

She simply said, “You still love him, don’t you?”

I looked at Aaron before responding. “Yes, Big Mama, I still love Aaron, but not enough to forgive him, let alone marry him.”

Big Mama reached for my hand. As she gently squeezed it, she said, “But you still love him, right?”

I hesitated before responding. I looked from Aaron to Big Mama. From his baby face to her grandmotherly grin. From his beautiful hazel eyes to hers.

“I do.”

“Then you can do this for me, right?” Big Mama reached up for my hand. I took hers and sat back down beside her. “There is nothing you two can’t get through as long as you love each other.”

My mind raced with thoughts of a wedding. Me coming down the aisle with a mile long train. My groom standing at the altar with his back to me. I step up to the altar. The minister asks that the bride and groom face each other but, instead of Aaron, I see Alonzo.

“Big Mama, I’m sorry, but I can’t marry Aaron,” I apologized. “I love someone else.”

Aaron dropped the ring box. “You love him? You barely know him!”

Big Mama squeezed my hand. “Rachael… please. I just want to see my grandbaby happy. You make him happy. You are the best thing to ever happen in his life. He loves you!”

I looked directly at Aaron. “Love doesn’t make you fend for yourself. Love doesn’t say ‘Your problem, not mine.’ Love stands behind you no matter what!” I looked back at Big Mama. “I was willing to do anything for Aaron until he showed me that I wasn’t shit!”

Aaron picked up the ring box and started to walk out of the room. Before his hand could reach the doorknob, Big Mama clutched at her chest, gasping for air!

“Aaron!”

“Big Mama!” Aaron exclaimed in horror. Immediately, Aaron was at her side while I checked to see if she was breathing. She was… Barely.

With her last breath, she said, “He loves you, Rachael. Marry him.”

---

Just hours after my meeting with Aaron and Big Mama, I was sitting at my dining room table with Alonzo, Chico and Meeka.

“You what?!” Alonzo looked like he could spit nails!

“I told Aaron’s grandmother that I would marry him,” I said as I dabbed a tissue at my eyes.

“WHY?!” Alonzo asked.

I couldn’t face Alonzo. Instead, I stared at my hand that wore the engagement ring Aaron had given me before Big Mama passed away. I was remembering the smile on Big Mama’s beautiful face as Aaron slipped the ring on my finger. Her late husband had given the same engagement ring to her.

“It was her dying wish,” I said in explanation.

“Is she dead?” my boyfriend asked seriously.

How could you be so insensitive?!

“Alonzo!” cried Meeka.

After a brief pause, Alonzo asked in all seriousness, “Well, is she?”

“She died at the hospital about an hour ago,” I said as tears streamed down my face. “I left her house after the ambulance took her away but Aaron called just before y’all got here to tell me she was gone.”

“Aww, girl,” said Meeka as she took me into her arms. “I know how much you loved her and I know you’ll miss her, but we’re here for you.”

Alonzo stood up from the table. “I don’t believe this shit!”

He walked over to my patio doors and slammed his fist against the glass. Chico got up to settle him down, but Alonzo pushed him away.

“How the fuck she supposed to be my girl when she accepted his marriage proposal?!”

“Zo, man, she ain’t gotta marry him,” Chico reasoned. “Baby Girl only promised the old bird that she’d do it so she could die peacefully.”

Alonzo’s face brightened. “Yeah… Chico, you’re right. Ain’t nuthin to worry about.” My now calmer boyfriend walked over to me and knelt in front of me. “Baby, let’s go take him his ring back.”

“Zo,” said Meeka. “Ron just lost his grandmother. You want to break his heart further by making him take the ring back?”

Alonzo stood up and looked at my friend. “I don’t give a fuck about his feelings, Meeka,” he said seriously. “He used his dying grandmother to propose to my lady!”

“Boo, she’s right,” I reminded Alonzo as I stood in front of him. “This can wait until later. At least until after the funeral.”

“So you’re gonna wear the ring until then?!” Alonzo asked in disbelief.

Not seeing any reason why I should wear the ring right then, I slipped it off my finger before putting it in my jewelry box in my bedroom.

“I’ll put it away until the funeral. I’ll give it back to him at the repast.”

“Speaking of the funeral,” said Alonzo as he took my hands in his. “I’m going with you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Boo,” I stated.

Alonzo’s hands tensed up. “Why not?”

“The last thing that family needs is a confrontation between you and Aaron at the funeral,” I explained. “I’ll take Meeka with me for support. Besides, how would it look with me walking in there with you on my arm?”

“It’ll look like you came with your man,” Alonzo said matter-of-factly.

“But Zo, she’s supposed to be engaged to Ron,” said Meeka. “His family would find it a bit suspicious that Ron’s fiancée is at the funeral all lovey dovey with you.”

“I’ll come straight home after the funeral and you will have me for the rest of… well, you’ll have me all to yourself.” I didn’t want to assume that Alonzo was ready for a serious commitment. Although I was, I also didn’t want to scare him away.

Alonzo must have noticed my hesitation. “I want you for the rest of my life, Rachael. And when the time is right, I’ll give you a proper proposal.” He sealed his promise with a kiss.

“Oooo, Girl. We gotta hurry if we want to get to the mall before it closes!” squealed Meeka.

“The mall?” asked Chico. “You always at the mall, Meeka. Whatchu need now?!”

“Me and Baby Girl gotta find some fly gear to wear to the funeral,” explained Meeka. “I want Ron to know what a good woman he gave up and she gon’ look so tight he’ll wish he was Zo!”

“I like that idea, Meeka,” said Alonzo as he pulled me closer to him. “I’m sure you’ve got plenty of stuff to wear but Meeka’s right. You can go get something new for the funeral. Get something you don’t want to wear again cuz it’s going to Goodwill after this shit is over.”

I gave Alonzo a sideways glance. “Why would I get something that I wouldn’t want to wear again?”

“It’s not that you wouldn’t want to wear it,” said Alonzo. “I know I won’t want to see it on you because at some point during the funeral, he’s gonna touch you while he’s fronting like you’re his woman.”

“I’ll be keeping that to a minimum, trust me,” I assured Alonzo.

“That’s my Baby.” Alonzo kissed me on my neck.

“You ready to go, Baby Girl?” said Meeka anxiously.

“Yeah. I just need to get my purse and keys,” I said as I began looking for them.

“Here…” Alonzo handed me his Platinum Visa card and the keys to the Escalade. I looked at the card and keys then up at Alonzo. Before I could say anything, Alonzo said, “Nothing but the best for my Baby. Have fun. Dinner will be ready when you get back.”

Meeka looked from Alonzo to Chico. “How come you don’t do stuff like that for me?”

“Cuz I ain’t rollin’ like dat!” Chico smiled.

Meeka gave Chico a teasing punch before we grabbed our coats and walked out of the apartment. The elevator doors were barely closed before she started dishing dirt.

“Girrrrl, remember when I told you that I had some shit to tell you?” she gushed.

“Mm-hmm,” I replied as I put Alonzo’s credit card into my wallet.

“Baby Girl, I knew about Ron getting out but since we both started working, I hardly had any time to just chill and talk with you,” Meeka explained. “I wanted to warn you that Ron was coming back early but whenever I saw you, we were with our men. I thought Ron was going down for some years but apparently the police illegally stopped and searched him so the judge threw the case out. Ron and Kris called me a few times trying to find you but you had moved out and didn’t give me your new number or tell me where you moved to. And I fa damn sho wasn’t gonna give him Zo’s number. I did tell him that you had a new man but Ron wasn’t trying to hear that!”

The elevator hit the first floor. As the doors opened, we were blinded by the glare of the sun off the glossy lobby floor. Immediately, we put on our sunglasses and headed for the Escalade.

“Thanks for looking out, Meeka,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you my new number, but…”

“Girl, don’t apologize. I wouldn’t give you my new number either if I was trying to hide from my ex,” Meeka stated.

“I wasn’t hiding, Meeka,” I said defensively.

“Nah, Girl. I mean I understand why you didn’t tell me. I know I gossip too much and I probably would’ve told Ron your number, address and the security code if I knew the information.” Meeka laughed nervously.

Her laugh made me uneasy, but I quickly brushed off my doubt. We hopped into the Escalade and headed for the Saint Louis Galleria for some serious shopping.

Minutes later, we pulled into the mall’s parking garage. We were barely inside when three youngens walked up to us trying to mack. The oldest one looked like he might be seventeen.

“Excuse me, but can I talk to you?” asked the shortest of the group. I would guess he was the spokesperson. Unfortunately, he spoke to the wrong person: Meeka. And she didn’t waste any time cutting them all down.

“Look, little boy,” she said damn near pushing her 38D’s into his mouth. “I don’t have time to babysit right now so why don’t you and your little friends run along and find the game store so you can play with the new video games.”

“Oooo, Shorty, man, she got you!” said the tallest one.

“Dayum! Cutie got chu, man!” said the oldest looking one.

Meeka looked at the other two boys. “I was talking about all of y’all. Now step before I call ya mama to come and pick you up.”

“Whateva, man. Come on, y’all,” said Shorty. “We don’t want yo old ass pussy no way!”

“Boy, I’ll…” I had to grab Meeka who was in the process of preparing to beat those boys as they ran away, laughing and joking with each other.

“Meeka, let them go. They’re just kids,” I said, suppressing a giggle.

“Disrespectful little bastards. Ain’t got no home training!” she shouted at the now absent teenagers.

“Meeka?!”

“I know…” Meeka took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “That’s not what we’re here for. Ah’ight. Forget them. Let’s shop!”

Meeka tried to get me to buy some hoochie wear but I reminded her that we were going to a funeral, not the club. Finally, we compromised and settled on two simple yet slightly revealing black dresses.

As we walked out of the clothing store after purchasing our dresses, Meeka lamented, “I wish we wore the same size, Baby Girl, cuz then I could have your dress before Zo throws it away.”

“Now why would anyone throw away such a beautiful dress for such a beautiful lady?” came a mellow voice from behind us.

I shook my head praying that it was not who I thought it was. When I turned around, I found myself face to face with Aaron and his boys. Kris, Devin and Jay said a collective “Hi”.

“Hey, Baby Girl.” Aaron said with a seductive grin.

Usually, I addressed Aaron by his given name in return. This time, I just looked at him.

“Don’t my fiancée look beautiful, y’all. She’s so happy, she’s glowing!” Aaron took my hands in his. I kept my eyes locked on his, waiting for his expression to change when he realized that I wasn’t wearing his ring. I was disappointed that he didn’t react in front of our audience. “Excuse us, for a second, Meeka. I need to speak to Baby Girl in private.”

“Girl?” Meeka asked, looking at me.

“I’ll be alright. Just give me a minute,” I assured her as Aaron took my hand and led me away from our friends.

Aaron stopped at a bench and asked me to have a seat. Not wanting to cause a scene, I sat down. Aaron sat close and held up my hands. After he kissed each one, he looked into my eyes. “Rachael, where’s your ring?”

“At home, Aaron,” I replied simply.

“Baby, how’s everybody gonna know we’re engaged if you don’t wear my ring?” he asked, smiling at me.

“Aaron, we’re not engaged. I told Big Mama that I would marry you so she could rest in peace.”

“No, you didn’t. You said yes because you love me.” He attempted to kiss me, but I leaned back. “Don’t do that. They’re watching,” he warned.

I took a sideways glance at Meeka and Aaron’s boys. Sure enough, they were all up in our grills. Reluctantly, I let Aaron kiss me. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve kissed me until the mall closed.

Butterflies… I still feel butterflies…

As our lips parted, Aaron said, “You told Big Mama you still love me, Rachael.”

“Your point?”

“My point is that we can make this work,” he replied.

I tried to scoot away from Aaron but that just made him pull me closer to him. “This can’t work because I already have someone else in my life,” I pointed out.

“He’s the rebound man, Sweetheart. It won’t last. Besides…” Aaron leaned close to my ear. “I’m your first. You never get over your first.”

“I’m not marrying you, Aaron.” I attempted to get up but Aaron pulled me down onto his lap.

“I don’t want to fight although I wouldn’t mind making up.” Aaron went straight for my tickle spots. I couldn’t help laughing. To the outside eye, it may have looked like Aaron and I were your typical happy couple proudly displaying their affection for each other.

Realizing who was making me smile, I quickly got off Aaron’s lap and changed the subject.

“Why did you send the money, Aaron?”

“I thought the letter was self-explanatory,” he said as he stood, quickly tugging me into a bear hug.

“You mentioned that you were looking for an apartment,” I stated, failing at pushing him away from me. “Why didn’t you go back to your good buddy, Mr. Napoli?”

“He found somebody to take our apartment and his wife prefers the money over the favors,” said Aaron with a chuckle. “He said that if something comes up that we’re more than welcome to come back.”

“There is no we, Aaron,” I reminded him.

Halting his hug, he held my chin in his hand. “You will be mine again, Rachael.”

Just then, Meeka’s nervous laughter came to my mind.

Suspiciously, I asked, “Aaron, why are you in the mall? Big Mama just died today and you’re out shopping? Did Meeka tell you where we were going?”

“Meeka and I don’t hang like that. I see her occasionally but unless you’re there, I don’t speak to her. Besides, I could say the same about you being up in the mall.” Aaron grinned revealing the little dimple in his right cheek.

Not as deep as Alonzo’s.

“I had to find something to wear for Big Mama’s funeral,” I explained.

Looking puzzled, Aaron asked, “Out of all the clothes I bought you, you didn’t have anything to wear?”

“I don’t have those clothes. I bought a whole new wardrobe,” I replied proudly, thinking back to the day that Alonzo and I packed up everything Aaron bought for me and dropped them off at Goodwill. Never one to turn down a good hand-me-down, it felt great to give something back to the community.

“Mmm…,” Aaron purred while licking his lips. “You rollin’ like that now?”

“Yes. Now if you’ll excuse me,” I said as I turned to leave.

Aaron grabbed me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Rachael, I love you. You love me. We’ll be happy. I promise.”

“Why are you here, Aaron?” I asked as I pushed him away.

“I couldn’t stand to be away from you another minute,” said Aaron as he pulled me back into his arms. “No sense in waiting until after the funeral. Why don’t you come home tonight?”

“Home? I have a place of my own, thank you,” I said as I pushed myself away again. “Why can’t you understand that it is over between us? Or did you forget that that was your decision?”

Aaron put a finger to my lips. “Shh, someone might hear you and think you’re serious.”

“I am serious, Aaron!” Shaking my head, I looked over at Meeka who was tapping her watch. “Did Meeka call you and tell you we’d be here?”

“NO!” Pulling me back to him, Aaron nodded his head at his boys. “Look, a couple weeks back, Devin saw you riding down Delmar in a silver Escalade. I told him that you didn’t have a car but when we rolled past an apartment building earlier today and saw you and Meeka get in it, we decided to follow you. Now here we are. Lovers reunited.” Aaron leaned in for a kiss, but I turned my head sideways. “That’s cool. We’ll have plenty of time to pick up where we left off when you come back home.”

Tired of arguing my point with Aaron, I broke free from his hold and stalked past Meeka. “Let’s go!” I snapped in her direction.

“O-OK?” Meeka had to run to keep up with me. “Is everything alright, Baby Girl?”

“It will be when I get back home to Alonzo.”

“I LOVE YOU, RACHAEL!” Aaron was at the opposite end of the tunnel that Meeka and I were taking to get to the truck. His words echoed off the walls. “I’LL SEE YOU TONIGHT! YOUR PLACE AT EIGHT! AH’IGHT!”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Bravely, I turned around and said, “That’ll be a bit impossible since you don’t know where I live, Aaron.” As I continued walking, I stopped suddenly when Aaron said my building’s address. The only thing he didn’t say was the apartment number. I looked at Meeka in horror.

“I don’t know the exact apartment number but if I have to go to each and every door until I find you, I will!” Aaron said as he walked down the tunnel toward us.

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” I screamed. Just as I reached the door to the garage, I heard Aaron’s parting words:

“TIL DEATH DO US PART, RACHAEL. TIL DEATH DO US PART!”

I won’t front and act like I’m a perfect angel because I’m far from that, but I would do anything to make my Baby Girl happy. Rachael never asked me for much, which made it easier to give her anything she asked for. And if she couldn’t give me what I needed, I didn’t hold it against her. Instead, I made myself happy when she couldn’t. Although I was her first lover, Rachael wasn’t mine. And rather than admit that I was cheating on her, I let her think that I sold drugs to explain why I couldn’t see her. The closest I came to drugs was smokin’ blunts with my boys. Partly out of guilt from cheating on her, I bought gifts for my Baby Girl to make it seem like I was ballin’. In fact, I was living off the allowance I was getting from my grandmother and tips from working at my boy’s barbershop.

After my mom died, when I wasn’t at school, hustling out in the streets or spending time with Rachael, I was messing around with my girl Angela DeVille. She and I kept it on the low because she was dating my boy Devin Lawson. I didn’t want to lose Rachael but my Baby Girl wasn’t ready to lose her virginity and I was ready to fuck. Luckily for me, Angela was having issues with Devin so we were able to help each other out. I didn’t care that Angela was using me to get back at Devin and until Rachael was ready, I had no problem getting my needs met by Angela.

On her 16th birthday, Rachael and I made love for the first time. From that point forward, I was hooked on her love and I decided to end my affair with Angela. I couldn’t risk losing Rachael over a piece of ass! Once I got all the lovin’ I needed from my Baby Girl, I had no need to go back to Angela. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want me. Givin’ it up anytime Rachael wouldn’t or couldn’t, Angela was the perfect side chick. Unfortunately for my lover, my heart wanted Rachael and it was about time I became the man she needed.

“So that’s it?! We just stop cuz she’s fucking you now?!” Angela snapped when I told her we were over.

“You’ve got Devin! If you put this much effort into fucking him, you wouldn’t need me!” I exclaimed as I nervously looked out of my living room window, anticipating Rachael’s arrival.

“And you KNOW Devin is fucking around on me!” Angela exclaimed loudly, causing me to look in her direction.

“Will you just shut the fuck up?! Damn girl! You TRYNNA make sure the neighbors know you’re here?!” I exclaimed before I went back to looking out of the window. “Look Angela. You and I are done. I told you what this was and I never lied to you. Now that Baby Girl is givin’ it up, I don’t need you anymore.”

“What about our baby?” Angela asked quietly.

Thinking that I hadn’t heard her correctly, I looked at Angela. “What the fuck did you just say?!”

“Aaron, I’m pregnant,” Angela said, looking directly into my eyes.

Smirking, I laughed at Angela. “Bitch, please! If you ARE pregnant, it ain’t mine cuz I strapped up EVERY time I fucked you! You sure it ain’t Devin’s?!”

Dropping her head, she replied, “No, I’m not sure.”

“Well, Sweetheart, until you prove it’s mine, don’t say it’s mine!” I said as I spotted Rachael walking down the street toward my apartment building. “FUCK! She’s here! You gotta go!”

Reluctantly, Angela prepared to leave. “Aaron, I won’t be a problem for you anymore. I’m moving to New York to go to school there. You don’t want me. Devin doesn’t want me. And if she finds out about you and me, Baby Girl will kill me!”

“Yeah, New York. Good idea. Gon’ and start over. Best of luck,” I said as I ushered Angela out of my apartment, praying that Rachael wouldn’t see Angela on her way in.

Coming so close to losing Rachael was too close for comfort! I had already practically begged Rachael to move in every day after I moved into my apartment. I never fucked Angela there because I wanted to christen every inch of my apartment with Rachael’s and my love. That night, I convinced Rachael to move in with me to put an end to my extracurricular activities with Angela.

---

People like to mistake my confidence with cockiness. If I want something, I go after it. It’s not my fault I usually get what I want! I’ve been blessed to work smarter not harder and getting Rachael Wallace was no exception.

As fine as she was, standing in my club line looking sexy as hell, I didn’t assume it would be easy to get Rachael to be mine. Once she told me how lame her ex-boyfriend was, I knew I didn’t have any competition. I simply did what I do best: make my lady know she’s the ONLY one in my world. Rachael was mine from the minute our eyes met and I wasn’t letting anyone or anything tear us apart.

My plan was to focus our time together outside the bedroom but, for real, that was a challenge for me considering how sexy Rachael is. First, she caught my attention with her smile, then those beautiful legs and sexy eyes hooked me in but I soon started to love everything about Rachael. Her gentle voice and ladylike demeanor were a welcome change from all of the hoochies that ran in and out of my clubs. I finally found a decent woman I could bring home to my family.

Growing up bouncing from one foster home to the next, it was hard for me to get attached to a family just to be pulled away to be placed with another one. It wasn’t until I discovered my father and his family did I allow myself to love someone. And I gave in just in time to meet the love of my life, Rachael Lee Wallace.

Had I taken the time to learn more about Rachael’s history with Aaron, I would’ve handled things differently. It’s hard to forget your first love and for me to expect Rachael to simply erase the memory of Aaron was a bit much to ask. Instead, I allowed her to dissolve their relationship on her own to give her the closure she needed. Unfortunately, Aaron mistook Rachael’s kindness for love and he thought he could worm his way back into her life.

Not with me around, he wasn’t!

Excerpt from Neva Saw It Comin’

What happened to Rachael’s mother? Will Kayla come back and stir up more trouble? Will Raven and Imani find luck in their love lives? Read NEVA SAW IT COMIN’ to find out what happens next to the SistaGirlz!

“I wish I could find one faithful man!” my sister Imani lamented as she sulked in the passenger seat of my 2008 Chevy TrailBlazer. Just moments before, she and I caught her boyfriend, Vincent Wheeler, at his apartment with another woman between his legs.

“Damn that!” I nearly screamed as I started the ignition. “No woman should go through this hell! I wish any man that cheats on me drops dead in the other woman’s pussy!”

I smirked as I saw Vincent’s half naked body in my rearview mirror as he shouted Imani’s name. Just as Vincent was joined by his female companion, I yelled out the window as I peeled out of the parking lot.

“Watch your back cuz if I ever see you around my sister, I’ll fuck you up!”

“RAVEN!” Imani exclaimed as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Sudden weather changes in St. Louis didn’t faze me or my driving skills. Instead, I braced myself for the thunder. Not from the storm but from Imani! “How could you say such a thing?!?”

“Because this isn’t the first time this has happened to either one of us not to mention countless others, both male and female. I mean REALLY?!? Is it that hard to be faithful to one person these days?” I inquired as a roll of thunder echoed over us. It was at least a decibel lower than my sister!

“That doesn’t mean you should wish harm on someone,” Imani stated as she turned on my car stereo. “Remember what goes around…”

“Comes around,” I finished, gently swatting Imani’s hand as I turned the radio to Foxy 95.5FM to listen to The Michael Baisden Show. With a raised eyebrow and instantly piqued interest in what my sister was implying, I asked, “So are you saying that you cheated on Vincent?”

“No!” Imani blushed as much as a mocha skinned sista could. “I mean that what you put out comes back to you and because I was faithful in my relationships, including with Vincent, the Lord will send me the man that’s right for me.”

Holding back a giggle at Imani’s Pollyanna attitude, I couldn’t help saying, “But I thought Vincent was your ‘man sent from God’. Are you telling me you were supposed to be cheated on?”

“Raven, you’re twisting my words,” Imani huffed.

Seeing that I was upsetting my sister, I dropped the subject and instead focused on the radio show. And wouldn’t you know that today’s topic was about cheating mates!

I still wish a man would dare to cheat on me and think he’ll get away with it!

Lightning flashed simultaneously as thunder rolled overhead. Deftly, I navigated the chaotic St. Louis traffic to guide us safely to my favorite Steak ‘n Shake location.

“It’s my own fault,” Imani said quietly, looking out of the passenger side window.

I didn’t respond until seconds later when we paused at a red light. “How is it your fault, Imani? Did you make him put that skank between his legs with her head all buried up in his lap?!”

My sister looked at me and rolled her eyes, no doubt at my crass choice of words. “I shouldn’t have shown up unannounced.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!?” I shrieked as my anger resurfaced. I nearly peeled out of the intersection the moment the light changed to green.

“Raven! Do you have to use profanity?!?” Imani exclaimed in disdain.

“Look, you are only a few minutes older than me so quit trying to be Mother!” I snapped back. “And all this hostility you’re throwing at me needs to be directed at Vincent’s cheatin’ ass!”

After a deep breath, Imani apologized. “I know my feelings are misdirected. It’s not your fault that Vincent had another woman at his place today. Forgive me?”

Pulling into the Steak ‘n Shake lot, I accepted my sister’s apology. “All I can say is Vincent is damn lucky to have had you because his tires would’ve been hella flat not to mention he’d have a few busted windows by now if he was my man!” I said before humming Jazmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows” while pretending to bust the windows on my windshield.

Imani smiled sweetly. “I’ll be sure to keep you at the top of my prayer list, Sis.”

As we entered the restaurant, you would’ve thought it was a scene from Cheers when the whole bar shouts out “Norm!” except we heard “Raven!” Whenever my office did a lunch run, whoever had the best coupons won and most of those times it was my best friend Monique Clifton with her ever present Steak ‘n Shake coupons. She and I used the absence from the office not only as an opportunity to get away from our desks, but also to get some midday flirting in. Who knew fry cooks could be so damn sexy!

Moments after Imani and I sat ourselves in my favorite booth, our waitress came to take our orders.

“Welcome to Steak ‘n Shake. I’m Aisha and I’ll be your server this afternoon,” she said to Imani.

Looking up from her menu, Imani replied, “I need a few minutes but in the meantime, I’ll take a cherry Coke, no ice.”

“Sure thing,” Aisha said before turning to me. “Your usual, Raven?”

“Put my food order in with hers but I’ll take my shake now,” I smiled. “Thanks Eesh.”

“No prob, Ray,” she smiled back.

Looking dumbfounded, Imani watched as Aisha walked away. “She didn’t even wait for you to tell her what kind of shake you wanted!”

Chuckling, I stated, “Imani, as much as I eat here, I wouldn’t be surprised if they started preparing my meal the minute we walked in and had it finished before we sat down in this booth!”

“Oh!” Imani blushed as Aisha returned with our drinks.

“Ready to order?” Aisha smiled attentively at Imani after placing her drink in front of her.

As my sister ordered her lunch, her cell phone rang. Imani sighed in exasperation after looking at the caller ID display.

“Vincent?” I asked without looking up from my banana mocha side by side shake.

“Yes,” she replied flatly. Imani’s phone chirped to let her know that she had a voicemail message. “I’m not in the mood to deal with him right now. Ray, since my car is going to be in the shop for another week, I’ll need you to go back with me to get my things.”

“Of course, Sis,” I said patting her hand.

We ate our late Sunday afternoon lunch and chatted about work, men and our mom, all in between Vincent’s phone calls, voicemails and text messages. Eventually, I reached across the table and turned off Imani’s phone.

“Raven, what am I doing wrong?” asked my sister as she pushed away her half empty plate.

“The only thing you’re doing wrong is thinking that you are doing something wrong!” I replied. “Up to this point, has Vincent done or said anything to make you think he would cheat on you?”

“No,” Imani said, frowning as she looked out the window just as the sun’s rays broke through the grey clouds above.

“So why would he suddenly do this? Knowing you have access to his apartment and can walk in at any moment, why would Vincent cheat on you at his place?” I asked, against my better judgment, considering that I had no idea why Vincent would be so foolish!

“I don’t really know why, Ray,” Imani said turning her gaze toward me. The pain in her eyes made me want to go back to Vincent’s and make him hurt as bad as my sister was feeling right now. I tried to keep the rest of our conversation on lighter fare but Imani’s thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

In an effort to change the subject, I inquired about my sister’s writing.

“Are you still doing spoken word at Legacy?” I asked.

“Not lately,” Imani half smiled. “With everything being so crazy at work, it’s been hard to settle down long enough to write but I keep my notebook and pen nearby at all times.”

“Sounds like me,” I said as I reached into my purse for my writing essentials: a pen and a mini-notebook. As I flashed them for Imani, I imitated the credit card commercial. “I never leave home without them!”

It was nice to hear my sister’s laugh.

Later that evening as I prepared for bed, I received a text message from an unexpected source.

BSTJ87: Hey Beautiful. Whatcha doin?

“What the hell?” I said, looking at the cell phone.

BLACKBIRD: Nuthin. Goin 2 bed.

BSTJ87: Can I be your pillow?

Sighing in annoyance, I waited a minute before replying as I thought back to the last time I’d seen Brian St. James. While he seemed to be happy with our Booty Call arrangement, I was at a point in my life where I needed more than the occasional touch of a man and instead desired the security of a stable and faithful relationship. Brian didn’t act like he wanted a full time girlfriend so we parted ways.

BLACKBIRD: No time 4 games. U know what I want. U’re not ready.

BSTJ87: Who says I’m not?

I couldn’t believe I actually got excited from his response!!

BLACKBIRD: Don’t play Brian

I’d been messing around with Brian for the past couple of years. Since he didn’t act like he wanted a serious relationship, he was the ideal Maintenance Man for me while I was in between boyfriends. Brian was respectful of any situation I was in but no sooner than I’d broken up with my l’amour du jour, any time I got that itch, Brian was there to scratch it! Eventually, I wanted more than just casual sex and, compared to the ones before him, I knew that Brian was the right man for me. But, being the intelligent sista that I am, I wasn’t about to waste my time convincing Brian if he wasn’t already on the same page!

Been there, done that. Not playing that game anymore just to get hurt again.

BSTJ87: Raven, I need you

“You need me?” I said quietly aloud. I got warm shivers from reading those words!!

Could Brian be just as ready as I am to be in a committed relationship?

BSTJ87: You still there?

BLACKBIRD: Yes

BSTJ87: Can I come over tonight?

BLACKBIRD: 2moro’s betta

BSTJ87: After work?

BLACKBIRD: Yes

BSTJ87: See you tomorrow Beautiful

Grinning, I slipped into my queen sized bed with thoughts of a real relationship with Brian.

“I wonder if Brian is as good outside the bedroom as he is in it,” I said to myself as I settled into bed, preparing to let the TV lull me to sleep as ideas for our first date popped into my brain.

“He said ‘Raven I need you’,” I said as I re-read our text conversation. Finally, I had hope for Brian and me.

Shaking my head, making my locs swing back and forth, I came back to reality.

Just because he said he needs you doesn’t mean he’s not talking about sex. That was Randy’s line, too, remember?

Damn! It’s a good thing my conscience kicked in! I was liable to do the same thing with Brian that I did with my ex-lover, Randy Boorman.

No more half-assed relationships, Raven. Either you’re the only woman or you’re nobody’s woman!

Smiling to myself, I said, “Amen to that!”

Excerpt from Unexpected Detours

As if her deadbeat jailbird baby daddy coming back isn’t bad enough but someone holding her darkest secret has also resurfaced. Can Meeka James keep her marriage to Chico Banks intact with the constant pursuit of her ex-boyfriend Darius Price interfering with their happiness?

June 2002

It’s amazing what made me fall for Darius Price: hope. He always gave me “hope” that things would work out for us. When he stopped cheating with me and broke up with his girlfriend to be with me, he gave me the hope of having a man of my own. Once I found out that he cheated on me, Darius thought that giving me a baby would convince me he wanted me. With the hope of having a family, I lost the baby. After my miscarriage, Darius was so gung-ho on having kids that we were fucking night and day, except when he was out hustlin’ with his boy Aaron Jones. Just when the money was flowing good and Darius was acting like he had some sense, he gets arrested! That was the end of me hoping Darius would do right by me and our child. With Baby Daddy’s dumbass locked up in jail, I took another dip on the roller coaster of my life.

Thankfully for me, I rarely stay in a depressed mood. For one, now that I was officially a single mother, I couldn’t let my son Demetrius see me when I was weak. At four years old, Meechie was too young to be the man of the house so I had to hold it down even harder. Darius was a father in the physical sense when he chose to sleep at home but for the most part, I raised Meechie alone.

Never one to have a lot of friends, Meechie was my whole world when Darius went to jail. The closest person to me was Rachael Wallace and that was only because she was the girlfriend of my boyfriend’s best friend. The few times I saw her, Baby Girl generally kept to herself while Darius, Ron and I played video games and smoked weed. After Darius and Ron got locked up, I didn’t assume Baby Girl and I would suddenly become friends but it would be nice to have an adult conversation. I love my baby Meechie but there is only so much Nick Jr a Mama can watch!

Since I was more outgoing, I figured I should be the one to break the ice between Baby Girl and me. Catching her in our apartment building hallway, an invitation for her to come and hang with me turned into the beginning of our friendship. With our men locked up in jail, we both found ourselves suddenly single! Well, I was single. As much as Baby Girl loved Ron, I never would’ve imagined anyone else could turn her head. Our first night out and she replaced Ron in a snap! As for me, I was only looking for Mr. Right Now! Fate has a funny way of changing your plans.

With only one thing on MY mind, I took Baby Girl to Hoochie City to find someone to take my mind off my troubles. Our chance encounter with the owner of the club definitely helped my chances as I was praying that I could skate by on the $10 I had in my purse. With free passage into Hoochie City, once we were inside the club, Baby Girl and I peeped the smorgasbord of fine men inside. Tall. Short. Thin. HUGE. Sugar Daddies. Baby Daddies in training. Men of all types and I just wanted one for the night.

“Let the games begin!” I said to myself as I stepped out onto the dancefloor. No sooner than I’d left her side did Baby Girl get harassed by a brutha she CLEARLY had no interest in. Just when I was making my way back to her to help her, her savior Mr. Alonzo Banks came to her rescue! Seeing an opportunity to get my free buzz on, I jumped at Zo’s offer to get us a drink. The added bonus: a fine ass redbone brutha just sitting and waiting at Zo’s private table!

When we reached the booth, Zo announced, “Ladies, this is my older brother and partner, Chico Banks. Chico, this is…”

“Meeka!” I exclaimed as I grinned from ear to ear. I had a weakness for redbones and immediately scooted close to Chico.

“And Baby Girl,” Zo finished while briefly squeezing Baby Girl close to him.

“Baby Girl?” Chico asked with a chuckle. “Is that the name your mama gave you?”

“Is Chico the name your mama gave you?” Baby Girl queried as she sat down next to me. Zo filled in the last bit of space by sitting next to her.

“Didn’t I tell you she had some fire, man,” Zo commented.

“Yo, man, ya girl’s a trip.” Chico reached across the table to give Zo daps.

“I’m nobody’s girl, thank you,” Baby Girl snapped.

“Hey, curb the attitude, chick,” said Chico defensively. “I didn’t mean it like you was his woman or something. Damn!”

Seeing that Chico’s attention was not on me, I cleared my throat. “Damn, I’m thirsty. Where are those drinks, Zo?”

Not that I minded the competition, but I was relieved when Baby Girl turned her attention back to Zo. Instantly, my focus was back on Chico as I felt his hand on my thigh!

“So what’s up with you, Sexy?” Chico said as he slowly walked his fingertips up and down my bare legs. “What brings you to Hoochie City tonight?”

Who are you calling, Sexy Mr. Gorgeous?

Immediately, I whipped my head around when I heard Baby Girl say “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

I guess she’s just as done with Ron as I am with Darius! Go ‘head Miss Baby Girl!!

Turning my focus back to Chico, I said, “My Girl wanted to get out of the house and since we’re both man-free, I figured we should come here and get our party on!”

“Is that right?” Chico said, slowly looking me up and down. “Is it girls’ only or would you like to ‘party’ with me instead?”

Once Baby Girl and Zo walked away to go dance, I gave Chico a stern look. “So you assumed that since I’m dressed like this that I’m jus’ gon’ give it up because you own this club?! Boy please! I wouldn’t brag about that with that bitch in the box office as the first face anyone sees IF they still want to come in!”

Immediately, Chico took my head into his hands and kissed me hard. “I didn’t assume anything. I know what I want and I go after it.”

“Is that right?” I asked with a smirk. “So you wanna get into my panties tonight?”

Looking stunned, Chico replied, “Are you always this blunt?!”

“Life’s short, Chico. I don’t know about you but I ain’t got time for bullshit. You said you go for what you want. Isn’t that what you wanted?” I asked seductively.

Smiling, Chico said, “Yes.”

Instantly, our lips were all over each others! When my Girl and Mr. GQ returned to the table, Zo cleared his throat but I wanted them to go away!

“Meeka, we’re going to go get something to eat,” said Zo.

“That’s… nice…” I managed to get out in between kisses.

“You going or are you gonna be alright?” Baby Girl asked.

“I’ll be fine… Go have fun… Call me later…” I urged.

Since I drove, I didn’t feel too bad about letting Baby Girl leave me at the club. Before she went to dance with Zo, Chico was whispering nasty thoughts into my ear. By the time my Girl came back to the table, my Bacardi and Coke was the last thing on my mind!

“You were saying?” Chico smirked once we were alone again.

“Your place or mine?” I grinned.