Center Courtship (32 page)

“Come on, you know what I'm saying is true. You're not going to get skinny out of
her
.”

She stood up and gathered herself together. She then leaned into me and I could smell her expensive perfume and feel her putrid gum-chomping breath on my face. “There's no way you'll be able to keep up with him. He's a sex addict. Every time we get together, he wants it two or three times. He always has his hands all over my body. It takes a special kind of woman to keep up with him. It's pretty obvious you're
special
, but my mind isn't made up on the
woman
part.”

The thought of him doing anything to her tore at my heart. She was such an evil person and he seemed so kind. How they ever got together, I was afraid to know. She had seen him. Seen his body. The one thing I kept imagining nearly constantly. What did he look like? I'd seen his bare chest, but at the time, I didn't pay attention. I wasn't there to gawk, I was there to help Brandon. I then remembered the videos! Yes! I had video of him playing basketball on my phone that Millard took. I made a quick mental note to bring those up.

Just as Saraya turned to leave the table, she turned back. “I'll see you at the game, sweetheart.”

She turned again and found a young girl standing in front of her. The girl's big green eyes looked up to her as she held on tight to a pen and an autograph book. “Saraya, can I have your autograph?”

“Aren't you just the sweetest thing?” squealed Saraya. “What is your name, honey?” She took the girls' book and signed it with a flourish.

I couldn't believe the one-eighty she had done in no time at all. No wonder Colette thought she was sweet. Maybe this was the Saraya that Elsu had fallen for.

The girl then eyed Elsu, she seemed nervous. I looked to Elsu to see if he was looking, but he was talking quietly to Millard. I nudged him and he looked to me and smiled and then to the nervous fan. “Hi gorgeous,” he said to her.

She walked to him and passed over her book. Elsu spoke with her for a while, asking where she was from, if she was going to the game, and all the other questions one might expect in that situation. He even gave her a hug when she asked for one. When he handed back the book, she looked at me. I raised my eyes at her as she pushed the book to me.

“Oh, you don't want my signature. I'm nobody,” I said as I pushed the book back to her.

“You're the asparagus licker!” She pushed the book back to me. My face was on fire. This girl couldn't have been older than Brandon and she knew who I was because of that damn picture.

“Go on, you're famous,” whispered Saraya into my ear. “Or is that infamous?” I needed her to move before I clocked her one.

“Well, ok.” I took the book and signed it quickly, adding ‘eat healthy' after my name.

“Way to go, Elsu,” said Saraya as we watched the young girl walk away with a smile. “You could have a superstar, but you chose a tramp. Have you gotten to put your skills to work on your new man yet?” She asked me and licked her lips. Before I could react, she turned and walked out of the restaurant.

I stared at the door for a while before I realized I was being spoken to. “Let's go back to our side of the table,” said Elsu for the unknownth time.

I snapped out of my dazed stupor and moved my chair back to the table it was borrowed from and returned to my original seat. “I don't like your ex-girlfriend,” I finally said to Elsu as we settled down.

“I don't blame you,” he said.

I sat quietly as the men finished their meals. I stole plenty of glances of Elsu's lips moving as he chewed. I was so happy to be back with him. I was also surprised he wanted to be back with me after what I had done to him the night before.

“Are you sure?”

Elsu looked at me as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Sure about what?”

“Wanting me back? I was rather rude to you last night. I'd understand if you didn't.”

“Mae,” he turned to face me. “I haven't slept since you walked out of my apartment last night. I was worried I'd never be able to play tonight. But what worried me more was that I may never get a chance to give
us
a chance. The fact that you want me back has brought me back to life, Mae. I'm ready to go. Ready for us to try for real now.” He leaned into me and kissed me on the lips sweetly.

“Ok,” I smiled.

“Elsu, this is a bad idea.”

“SHUT UP!” Elsu's sudden outburst at Carl startled me.

“You said Casper didn't lose his ring?” I asked.

“No, he had it with him at the dinner.”

“No, he didn't.” I showed him the picture of Casper and I from the red carpet.

“He might not have had it on, but I saw it during the dinner. He gave it to some guy who was meeting him there who was a jeweler. He was going to reset the stones in it. He's been complaining about it for a while.”

I glared at Carl. “So you were throwing my friends under the bus?”

“Carl, as far as I'm concerned from now on, you need to keep away from me, and Mae.”

Carl stood and left. “That's not good,” I said quietly.

Elsu looked at me, but didn't comment.

“What are you doing now?” he asked me finally.

I shrugged. I looked at the time. It was nearly noon. “I guess I'll go back to the apartment and get changed since I'm going to go to the game now.”

Elsu placed his huge hand on the side of my head and smiled. I leaned into it. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

I smiled at him and quickly kissed the finger that was nearest my mouth. “What are you doing now?”

“We're free until three, I have to run to the apartment, Uncle Richard and Magdalena ran to my house, or what's left of it, and picked up my mail. I have some contracts that need signed and sent out again.”

“So, your house. Did you lose everything?”

“Mostly, the court, weight room and game room were all untouched. Everything else is gone.”

“I'm sorry, Carl said it wasn't Casper?”

“They're saying it was lightning.”

“In November?”

He shrugged. “I don't know. I'm just happy no one was hurt.”

I nodded. “Well, let's go home then.”

Once I returned to Rogers Apartments, I went to mine and changed into the tracksuit after a shower. I even forced my hair into a high ponytail and topped it all off with an orange and black hair tie from my high school days.

There was a knock at my door and before I had a chance to say I was coming, I heard Colette. “Give me back my key, lady. I can't barge in on you without it!”

I laughed and rushed to open it. “I thought you were working today,” I said.

“I don't have anyone until about two, so I'm good.” She was already dressed and ready for the day.

She finally eyed me and my new threads. She stepped in, taking her key from the pegboard and sticking it in her pocket. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“My new outfit. For the game tonight.” I spun around so she could get the 360. “What do you think? Elsu gave it to me.”

“He what?” Her voice rose to a screech.

“Yeah, well, we are kind of, you know, going to see how it goes with us,” I said as I saw she had her travel coffee mug in her hand. Soon, she started filling it from my coffee maker.

“You're
what
now?” She stared at me as she let the steam from her mug warm her face.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. “It was his idea.”

“What about Saraya?”

“He broke up with her on Thursday.”

“SHUT UP!” She sat down at the dining table and I heard another knock at my door.

I ran to open it and found Arnold standing with his cane at his side. “Arnold? What's up?”

“I figured you'd be gossiping about your new man, I had to come hear the word.” He hobbled in and pulled up a seat.

“How does Arnold know about your new man, but your best friend doesn't?”

I eyed Arnold and he looked to the ceiling sheepishly. “I don't know,” I said, dripping sarcasm at Arnold. “How DO you know?”

“I cannot tell a lie, I spied on you Thursday night.”

“I know you did, you dirty old man!” I laughed and got him a cup of coffee.

“So, spill!” said Colette as she finally took her first sip of Joe.

I quickly told her about the dinner, and that we had gone on a lunch date. I even filled her in on Carl trying to blackmail me. I figured I'd let her learn about the most important part and just about on cue, there was a knock at the door for the third time.

“Who else is coming?” asked Colette.

I quickly opened the door and Elsu and Millard stepped in.

“Holy shit!” said Colette as she sat her mug down and eyed the two newcomers.

“Hello,” said Elsu almost shyly, “It's a full house.”

“Elsu, this is Arnold, he lives across the hall. And you met Colette on Thursday night.” I smiled as she quickly remembered hugging him in the hallway.

“BLACK LADY BLUSHING!” She announced as she raised her hands in surrender. She always claimed you couldn't tell when she was embarrassed because of her ebony skin, but I could tell, and knew she was right then. She stood and shook hands with Elsu and Millard.

“I'm sorry, Colette, Arnold, this is Millard. Elsu's bodyguard.” I said.

“Assistant,” corrected Elsu.

Millard stood by the door. I didn't know if he thought my apartment was about to be attacked or if he was just stepping out of the way. “Milly's mad at me,” said Elsu as he grabbed two mugs of coffee and handed one to his assistant.

“Why?” I asked as I finally got myself a cup.

“Well…Brent, Saul and Peter are moving in too.”

“They'll be fine,” I said to Millard.

Elsu sat down at the table and just as I was about to take the last seat, he guided my hips to his lap so I could sit on his thick thigh. He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my
shoulder. I couldn't believe how much my mind and body were accepting of his touches. Colette was about to fall off her chair and Arnold smiled a big sweet grin. I was glad he approved.

“I'm speaking with your brother this afternoon about upping security. This building needs a buzzer system and security cameras. I don't like this at all,” said Millard. As much as I could tell his concern annoyed Elsu, I was glad Millard was taking care of my guy.

Colette hadn't taken her eyes off of Millard. I was pretty sure I knew what that look meant and wondered who I needed to worry about more. She finally looked at Elsu and me and sat forward at the table. “So, you and Mae?” she asked as she pointed between us.

“Yep.” He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.

I smiled and kissed him on the lips. My stomach did a backflip and gave a big squeezy hug to my heart.

“Huh,” said Colette as she sat back in her chair, soaking in this new information.

“So, you guys going to win tonight?” interrupted Arnold.

“There's no point in playing if we don't aim to win,” said Elsu.

“I have to say, young man, I wasn't a fan of the team or you, for that matter. But when I heard you put that asshole Bart in his place for Mae, you won my vote. I'll be watching you though, don't mess with Mae and you'll be fine around here. Otherwise you're going to find out what this cane can do!”

Colette and I laughed, knowing he meant every word.

“Are you coming to the game tonight?” asked Elsu of both Colette and Arnold.

Colette broke her gaze from Millard, looked to Elsu quickly, nodded, then looked back to poor Millard. Arnold shook his head. “I'm going to sit home and watch it in the comfort of my own home. No one here will spill beer on me. I can do that myself and for a lot less money.”

Everyone laughed, including Millard.

“Wait a minute, back up,” said Colette. “Did you say you're moving in? Here?”

Elsu nodded. “Yep, Brent, Saul, Peter and I are all moving into the building temporarily. I moved in last night. The other
three have people working on their apartments right now so they can stay tonight.”

“So the fire wasn't made up?” asked Colette as she eyed Arnold.

“Hey, it sounded fishy,” said Arnold.

“You thought his house burning was another moon landing?” I laughed.

“I need proof. I'm a man who doesn't take anyone on their word.”

Elsu pulled his phone from his pocket and offered to show Arnold the photographic evidence of the fire. Arnold raised his hands in the air. “I'm old, not dumb. I don't trust pictures anymore. All that picture shopping you do, anything could be anything.”

“Arnold, they're not shopped, I was at his house, I recognize that those pictures are Elsu's home,” I said. “Will you take
my
word for it?”

Arnold stared at me then took Elsu's phone and started looking at the pictures. “I'll believe it if you tell me to.”

“He lost nearly everything.”

“Actually, it was a blessing in disguise,” smiled Elsu as he hugged me close.

“Where were you this morning?” asked Arnold of me. “I came to shoot the breeze and you weren't here.”

“I ran to the shop. I think my P.O.S. came in yesterday.”

“Not again,” said Colette as she put her head on the table.

“Your P.O.S.?” asked Elsu.

“I don't drive Little José in the winter. I'm already pushing it as far as how late in the year it is. I usually take my chances that someone will bring something in that's drivable enough to get me through the winter. I need to winterize LJ, but I'll probably do that next week sometime.” I went to get up to take Elsu's mug to the sink but he held my hips, indicating I should stay.

“Wait a minute, you drive a car that's supposed to be scrapped? In the winter? In Ohio? By choice?”