Booty Call *69 (25 page)

The phone rings at four. It better be Tyrone. “Hello?”

“Baby, what’s up, it’s me,” Tyrone says.

“Tyrone, where are you? You got me sitting here waiting and worrying about your ass,” I chide.

“Yo, I’m up in the Bronx right now.”

“The Bronx!”

“Yeah, I had to take care of some business that went down last night.”

“I called you, and you didn’t answer your cell. What’s up?”

“Ain’t nothin’ up, Shana. I’ll be home around eight tonight.”

“Eight! Why so late?”

“C’mon, Shana, I don’t need the stress right now. I’ve got too much shit to take care of tonight.”

“I need taking care of, too,” I tell him in my softest, sweetest voice.

“I know you do, Shana. That’s why tonight, when I get home, I want you dressed in your finest and sexiest outfit, because I’m taking you out.”

“For real? Where?”

“It’s a secret, boo…you know I’m gonna look out for my lady love, right?”

“Yeah, I know. And I’m gonna look out for you, too.”

He chuckles, causing me to do the same. I can’t wait till eight to see my man. I look at the wall clock over the television. It’s five after four—four hours to go. “Keep it warm for me, Shana; it’s fuckin’ brick out here.”

“Don’t worry, baby. It’s staying warm till you get here to put it on fire.”

He laughs. “You a trip, Shana.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he replies, making my body temperature rise and my pussy run like Niagara Falls. I hang up, feeling like I’m on cloud nine. I want things to stay this way forever.

Eight he said. What am I to do till eight? I love my new home, but
it isn’t much fun staying in without Tyrone being here to heat things up with me. I can only watch so much television, and there’s nothing good playing on the radio right now. It’s too cold out for me to go drink and chill out on the balcony…it’s too cold for me to be going outside period. I go through hundreds of CDs in our collection. Tyrone has everything from pop and jazz, to rap, hip hop and R&B. I want to listen to something smooth and romantic—sexual—something that will get me in the mood till my man arrives—something that will get me hot and horny.

I put on a Miles Davis CD and go into the bedroom with a glass of wine. I sit down on my comfortable sheets, wearing nothing but a sheer nightgown. The early nightfall of January is about to come. The apartment is steaming hot, and I set the thermostat to eighty.

I listen to the music of Miles Davis, thinking about my man. I want to feel his touch, his fingers exploring my body. I lie back on the comforter and spread my legs, placing my hand between my thighs. I begin touching myself; he told me to keep it warm, and I’m going to fulfill his wishes.

I continue to play CDs all evening, from Curtis Mayfield and Sade, to R. Kelly and Blackstreet. I’m so wet, horny and hot now that I almost feel like taking a step out onto the balcony for a little cold air.

I look at the clock on the nightstand. It’s six twenty-five. Damn, I wish my man would hurry up and get back here. I don’t want to get too started without him.

I decide to take a bath. I sit down in the tub to take a warm and stimulating bubble bath. The small radio in the bathroom is tuned to 98.7 Kiss FM, and a few scented candles are lit around the tub. I just relax in the warm water, soothing my thoughts and finding solitude.

About a half hour later, I step out of the tub, dripping wet. I reach
for the towel and gaze at myself in the full-length mirror behind the bathroom door. I blow myself a kiss and slowly start to dry myself off. I begin to feel very aroused as I reminisce about my sexual encounter with Danny in my mother’s bathroom. I put lotion on my skin and don my blue cotton robe. I look over at the bathroom clock. It is now a quarter past seven. I walk to the bedroom, open my closet door and pull out my mink coat. I throw it on the bed and grab my clear stilettos. I’ll be completely naked underneath the mink, and I know Tyrone is going to love it; he won’t have to waste any precious time stripping me down. All he’ll have to do is jump in it. And we’ll still have plenty of time to do our thing before going out tonight.

I walk around the apartment nude, with my mink coat placed neatly across the sofa and my stilettos off to the side. I’m very excited.

I sprawl out across the plush carpet in the living room now and watch cable TV. The doorbell rings at eight-fifteen.
Why would Tyrone ring the doorbell when he has his own key?
No longer dwelling on that thought, I jump up off the floor and throw on my mink. I slip on my stilettos and go to open the door without asking who it is.
Who else could it be but Tyrone?
I quickly open the door, flinging back one side of my mink coat so he’ll be able to catch a good view of my naked body. I’m stunned when I see Jakim standing before me. Shocked, I quickly pull both sides of the mink together, clutching them tightly. “Jakim, what are you doing here?” I say.

“I’m here to see you,” he replies, staring harshly at me. I take a step back into the apartment, releasing the door. I feel so embarrassed. He totally caught me by surprise. Jakim, raising his hand to keep the door from slamming shut, wedges himself between the doorway and the foyer.

“What’s up wit’ that? You gotta cover yourself around me now?”
he asks, seeing me clutching my mink tightly across my bare body. “It ain’t like I never saw you naked before.”

“It’s different between us now. I was your woman before. I’m not now,” I say, standing just a few feet away from him. He steps all the way into my apartment and lets the door shut behind him. I can see the hurt and pain in his face as he stands in the foyer, dressed in a black leather jacket, faded jeans and a wool Yankees cap. He glares at me with his fists balled. “What’s up wit’ us, Shana?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m sayin’, you and Tyrone being together…what’s up wit’ that?”

I don’t answer. I’m actually scared. I look into his eyes and see black. I remain still. I pray that he doesn’t go crazy. I don’t want to end up on the eleven o’ clock news, with some reporter telling the city about a young girl being murdered in her apartment by her crazed and jealous ex-boyfriend. I love my life.

Everything is finally falling into place for me…finally going right. “Jakim, I still love you, but I feel it’s time for us to move on with our lives separately,” I calmly explain to him.

“What the fuck do you mean
move on?
I’m trying to be with you, Shana. I don’t want anybody else.”

“Well, I do. And no matter how much it hurts you, you have to accept the fact that I’m with Tyrone now—and we’re in love.”

“He don’t love you!” he shouts. “You ain’t nothin’ but a show piece to him, Shana. I’m telling you, Tyrone ain’t nothin’ but a dog…all he’s gonna do is fuck you, front like he really cares about you, then trash you like the rest of his hoes out there. I’ve seen him do it. He talks shit about you all the time.”

“Then why he got me livin’ in his crib? Why he bought me all of these things for Christmas? Please, Jakim, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Shana, you ain’t nothin’ but some in-house pussy to him! You think you’re the only female he buys things for? Yo, I’m telling you, I grew up with him, and I know how he gets down. He don’t love you, Shana.
I
do!
I
love you!
I
wanna be with you!”

“Jakim, please…I think you need to leave.”

“Why you playing me out like that, Shana? You mean the world to me.”

“Well, you shoulda thought about that before you got wit’ them hoes around the way,” I say.

“You gonna keep bringing that shit up! I keep telling you I’m sorry. You gonna let this one mistake ruin us? You just gonna throw what we had out in the cold like that? Shana, what about Thanksgiving night, when you said you never stopped loving me? Did you really mean it?” he says coming closer to me. “I love you so damn much. I’m hurting being without you. And I hate to see you with a guy like Tyrone, when I know what he’s all about. You’re my heart, Shana.”

I see a few tears trickle down Jakim’s cheek as I continue to clutch my mink tightly. Nothing he’s saying makes any difference to me. All I keep thinking is that he hurt me. He was the one who fucked up our relationship. He’s at fault—not me. And I feel he’s lying, saying negative things about his friend just to break us up. Since Tyrone and I have been together, he treats me like his queen. He always puts me first, other than tonight, in which case he claims he’s taking care of business.

Jakim suddenly reaches inside his leather jacket. I take a quick
step back, thinking that he might be reaching for some kind of weapon, a gun maybe. I get scared. He comes closer, and I take a few more steps back away from him. I know he sees the fear in my eyes. This is the first time I feel threatened by him.

“Why you backing up?” he asks. I begin searching the room for a weapon. I feel stupid when he pulls out a small, black velvet case, gripping it in the palm of his hand. He gets down on one knee. He slowly opens the case. Inside is a diamond ring. “Shana, I want you to become my wife. Will you marry me?”

I become wide-eyed, and my jaw drops. I’m in total shock. The ring looks flawless…it’s beautiful. I’m speechless, baffled even. I ease the grip on my mink, exposing my nakedness. I no longer care if Jakim sees me in the raw. Slowly placing my hands over my mouth, feeling like I’m about to cry, I gaze into his eyes and see that he’s dead serious. He doesn’t blink or turn his head; he just keeps his eyes fixed on me, waiting for an answer. “Jakim—”

 

“Please, don’t say no. I love you too much to hear a no from you. I want to marry you, have kids and raise a family with you, Shana. I know I’ve made a mistake. But I promise you, if you become my wife, you will always be first in my life. I will always do right by you, Shana. I’m done with all the bullshit. Let’s just put the past behind us and move on from here.”

A tear slowly trickles down my cheek as I look down at him, still on one knee with the case in the palm of his hand. My heart pounds vigorously against my chest—he just proposed to me. “Jakim, I can’t,” I tell him.

He closes his eyes and opens them again. “Please, Shana, I’ve already made one huge mistake cheating on you and not putting you first. I don’t want you to make that same mistake by saying no. I know we’ll work
things out together. I feel that strongly in my heart. I know you feel it, too.”

“Jakim, this is too much for me to handle right now,” I say sighing.

“All I’m asking is for us to be together, for you to be my wife.”

“I can’t, Jakim. I’m in a relationship right now.”

“But Shana, you’re making a big mistake—believe me, he ain’t no good for you,” he warns me with tears in his eyes.

This is hard, but I already know my answer. I have to say no. I can’t hurt one man’s feelings by marrying another one who already hurt mine. Yes, I still do love him, but I’m sticking with this decision.

Jakim gets back on his feet and slowly closes the case. He can’t even look me in the eye now. He’s definitely hurt by my rejection.

“I just can’t right now,” I say firmly.

He doesn’t say a word. The silence between us feels a bit eerie. I want to run to the bedroom and put on something decent. I feel awkward standing here in only a mink and stilettos.

“Shana…”

“Oh, shit! What time is it?” I shout. I suddenly remember that Tyrone is supposed to be home soon. I dash to the living room and glance at the clock over the television. It’s eight twenty-five. “Jakim, you definitely gotta go,” I say.

“You break my heart, now you gonna rush me out,” he replies. I don’t know what else to tell him. I look at him just standing there, probably feeling sorry for himself or envying his boy.

“Tyrone’s about to come home soon,” I inform him. By the look on his face, I know he isn’t too thrilled about hearing his name right now. But I had to warn him.

“Fuck him! I got a few words for him, too!” he angrily shouts.

“Please, Jakim, just leave here in peace.”

“Nah, you’re
my
woman. How that niggah gonna disrespect me like that?”

I stop myself from saying what I was just about to say, and I calm my nerves because I want him to leave here in peace. He’s really beginning to upset me, talking that shit about I’m still his woman. He just can’t get the fact that it’s over through his head.

“Yo, Shana, just think about us…my proposal….”

I just look at him.
Didn’t I already tell him no?
“Jakim…”

“I’m not leaving here till you tell me that you’ll at least think it over,” he says very firmly.

“Okay, I’ll think about it. Now can you please just leave?!” I say, frustrated that he’s still here.

Jakim leaves the apartment and proceeds toward the elevator. I stand in the doorway, still clutching my mink, watching him. He glances back at me and cracks a halfway smile. The elevator doors open, and my worst nightmare comes true: Tyrone steps off the elevator and sees Jakim standing right in front of him. They stare at each other for a moment without saying a word.

Tyrone sees me in my mink coat and stilettos.
Oh, my God.
W
hy is this happening?

“So what’s up wit’ this?” Tyrone asks. “My girl’s halfway naked in the doorway with you standing here….”

“
Your
girl!” Jakim finally says.

“Yeah,
my
girl, niggah. She wit’
me
now.”

“Fuck you, you fuckin’ thief!” Jakim shouts. “You a bitch-ass niggah!”

“Yo, you don’t even have to hate like that, Jakim. I ain’t steal your bitch. Niggah, she came to me.”

“Yo, I thought you was my boy. How you gonna dis me like that? You know how I feel about her.”

“
Feel
about her! Niggah, you cheated on her so many fuckin’ times I lost count. Besides, if you was fuckin’ her right, then she wouldn’t have come to me.”