Hell House (8 page)

“You're right about yo car,” I said. “I wouldn't want to mess it up.”

She stood speechless as I removed the jumpsuit. My zipper had gotten stuck right near my bulge and I asked for her help.

“I'm sure you can handle that,” she said. “By the looks of it, I can't.”

All I did was laugh, hoping that one day we'd be able to see.

Once I removed the jumpsuit, my biceps full of tattoos worked their magic, and they could be seen by the wife-beater I sported. My jeans hung low on my nicely cut midsection, and Desa Rae looked to be in a trance. She opened her mouth, but not a single word escaped from it. All she did was turn over her keys to me, then she went back inside to wait until I was finished.

I spent the next forty minutes or so cleaning Desa Rae's Lincoln MKS. I could see her watching me through the window. She was biting down on her lip and rubbing her legs. I figured she was thinking about what to do with me or vice versa. Yeah, she looked much older and mature than I was, but so damn what. I'd dated older women before
and they were much better than some of the young, airhead chicks I'd hooked up with. She was classy, and there was something about her overall appearance that turned me the fuck on. I couldn't wait to get finished with her car, just so I could ask for her phone number. She would think I was out of my damn mind, and I bet any amount of money, she would say I was too young for her. Too young or not, she wasn't going to leave without me getting those digits. Opportunities like this didn't happen every day, and I saw this as a moment in time that was meant to be.

I was almost finished with Desa Rae's car until my down chick, Vanessa, pulled up in her car and interrupted me. I could see Desa Rae watching us from afar. I tried to pretend as if everything was all good, but I surely didn't want Vanessa hanging around much longer. Money always kept her on the move, so after we talked for a while, I reached into my pocket to hand her some money. Told her to go buy herself something at the mall because I needed to get back to work. She was kind of mad, but just by looking around she could see how busy we really were. I prayed that she wouldn't kiss me, and I was thankful when she got in the car and drove away. After that, I didn't dare look Desa Rae's way again, but a few more minutes later, she came outside and walked up to the car.

“I'm almost done hookin' you up, ma,” I said, turning the rag in circles on the windshield. “Feel free to inspect it.”

She sashayed around the car, but when she got to the trunk, she stopped and pointed to a little speck on it.

“Looks like you forgot something,” she said with a smile on her face.

I rubbed the tiny spot with a towel. “There. Is that better? And if you look hard enough, there is a chance that you may see many more of those specks.”

“I hope not, especially since I need to know how much this is going to cost me. If you know you didn't do a good job, maybe you should offer me a discount or something.”

I wanted to offer her more than a discount, but I would save my offer for another time. I tucked the rag into my back pocket and sat my backside against the trunk.

“If I put in work like that, I usually don't offer discounts. But I do have another idea in mind. Do you care to know what it is?”

“Idea? What kind of idea?”

I told her it was simple and that all I wanted to know was her name. That was when she told me it was Desa Rae. Keeping the conversation going, I wasted no time asking for her digits. All she did was laugh and then she inquired about my age.

“I'm twenty-four.”

“What?” she shouted. “Oh, no. Boy, let me stop playing with you and get out of here. I really need to get going.”

She looked into her purse for money, but when she reached out to hand it to me, I wouldn't take it. I teased her about not telling me how old she was and about her trying to jet after I told her my age.

“I know what it is,” I said. “You're afraid because you know you can't handle me. That's a shame too, because I know damn well that I can handle you.”

“Just so you know, I am forty years old. There is no way I would ever hook up with a man your age. It was nice meeting you, though, and if you don't take this money, I'm going to assume that you washed my car for free.”

“I prefer your number.”

“And I prefer not to give it to you. So goodbye, handsome. Maybe in another lifetime, but surely not this one.”

Desa Rae drove off, but I could see her eyeing me in the rearview mirror. I didn't know why I let her get away so easily, but there was something inside of me that knew I'd see her again.

A week later, I saw Desa Rae at a nightclub. That was when she allowed me to drive her home, and after convincing her for several
weeks that age was just a number, we hooked up and the two of us have been on a roll ever since. But now, what I had built with the woman I loved was being challenged more than it had ever been before. After all we'd been through, I thought I was ready to be married, but I couldn't figure out why I was considering making moves with the chicks in this house, especially Chase. There was a little something about her that intrigued the shit out of me.

I had a confession to make. I wanted a piece of him—Jaylin. Behind all that arrogance and hardness was a gentle man who knew how to care for and take care of a woman. I could see it between his thighs—I mean eyes. All he needed was for the wall he had put up to be broken down. There was a side to him that was funny, sexy and very playful. He didn't want anyone to notice it, but I did. The way his lips moved when he talked made me want to suck them into mine. He walked with so much confidence; I liked that about him. As he sat back on the couch and watched television, I liked the way he moved his shirt aside and rubbed his chest. Loved the way he looked down at his manhood and adjusted himself. His bulge didn't seem like it would be easy to tackle, but I was ready to play. I had to change the way I'd been doing things and get on the right track. That started here and right now. I still wanted a piece of the Roc, too, but he came easy. Too easy. There would be no challenge in getting what I wanted from him and his eyes said that I could have him whenever I wanted to. That would be soon.

Now that Jada and Jaylin were at it again, I decided to make my move. For a minute there, I thought he actually liked her, but then again, I should've known better. A man of his stature would never stoop low and pursue a ghetto, out-of-shape slut like Jada.
She couldn't even get out one sentence that made sense. Surely it was driving him nuts, as it was me. When she sat her big ass on top of Jaylin, I thought she would break him. He should've pushed her hood-living self on the floor and called it a day. The only thing she had me beat on was cooking. I couldn't cook worth nothing, but when the time came for me to do it, I had to make sure it was right. The body that Jaylin had required healthy foods to go into it. I knew he would appreciate my efforts and consideration for serving him foods that weren't dripping with grease and filled with sugar.

Jada and Sylvia were outside near the swimming pool, but the men were in the game room. I was in the bathroom putting on a two-piece metallic gold bikini. It barely covered my butt and my meaty breasts peeked outside of my top. I brushed my hair into a sleek ponytail and then slid into my flip-flops so I could show Jaylin, as well as Roc, what I was working with. Prince was an attractive young man as well, but he was too young. He had to be in his early twenties, maybe even younger than that. I didn't get down like that, but I was sure to watch my belongings, just in case he tried to steal something from me.

Walking as if I were a runway model, I strutted outside to see what was up. A song by Drake was blasting through the loud speakers and I was surprised to see Sylvia chatting it up with Roc. He looked fabulous with his shirt off. Talk about a man having it all together—he surely did. I didn't see Jaylin or Prince, until I walked further onto the patio and saw that they were still in the game room. Jada sat on one of the lounge chairs reading a book. Hopefully, it would help to enhance her vocabulary.

As I sauntered over to the table where Roc and Sylvia sat, I could see the lust in Roc's eyes. His white swimming trunks against all that black looked dynamite on him. Sylvia had a look
of jealousy in her eyes, but if she was going to compete with me, she should've jazzed up her plain one-piece swimming suit before coming out here. I mean, she was decent, but I didn't see her as a threat at all. I sat right next to Roc, who I still considered my baby's daddy.

“Look at those arms,” I said, squeezing his biceps. Solid as a rock—he was definitely representing. “What does it take to have arms like that?”

“A lot of workin' out,” he said. “But you should already know that. Your body ain't short stoppin'.”

No, it wasn't. I was glad he noticed. Sylvia looked uneasy. She pulled her braids over to one shoulder and rubbed her hair. “I'm going to go get me something to drink,” she said. “Would either of you like for me to bring you something?”

“I'll get up in a minute to see what's up,” Roc said to her.

“If you see any wine coolers in there, please bring me one,” I said.

She walked away, and I noticed Roc checking her out. I placed my finger on his cheek, turning his face toward me. “So,” I said. “What's the play? Tell me some things about yourself, Roc. Are you a single man?”

He licked his lips and rubbed the flowing waves on his head. “I'm down with somebody, but she be funny actin' sometimes. What about you? Or does any of that really matter, especially since we're here and they're wherever?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I'm single and loving it. I just didn't want to cause any setbacks in your relationship, that's all.”

“No worries. Nobody can setback my relationship, but me. Now riddle me this. You sayin' all of this because you want to hook up, right?”

“If that's how you want to put it, yes, hooking up sounds
appropriate. So whenever you're done getting a feel for Sylvia, and I'm sure she'll disappoint you, I'll be in the pool. I'm hot right now and need to cool off.”

Saying nothing else, I walked away and jumped into the bubbling swimming pool with plenty of underwater lighting. The whole area was cozy and I couldn't wait for Roc to join me. Jaylin seemed occupied, and now he was in the weight room with Prince. Looked like they were showing each other a few techniques, and I could see them laughing. Jada had finally put her book down and she was sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. She had on a one-piece swimming suit with a pair of shorts covering her bottom half. Poor thing. I guess her weight didn't matter, since she was also snacking on those chocolate chip cookies she'd baked earlier.

Sylvia returned to the table, but after a short while I saw her go back inside. That was when Roc jumped his sexy self into the water and swam over to me. It was a wet and wonderful sight.

“Why you out here floatin'? You should be swimmin',” he said.

“I was waiting on you. I didn't want to go into the deep water, unless you were with me.”

Roc turned his back and gestured for me to get on it. I straddled my legs around him and pressed my breasts against his back so he could feel them. He was so strong. The way his body felt made my pussy dance. I hoped he couldn't feel it doing the pop, as he swam around the water with me on his back. I laughed a little, joked a lot, and when he lifted me in the air, I screamed.

“Roc, please don't drop me,” I begged. “This water is too deep and I can't swim!”

“Yes, you can,” he said. “You just playin' with me and lyin' to me, too.”

He tossed me several inches away from him, but made sure that
I didn't go far underneath the water. I threw my arms around his neck, and, this time, I straddled the front of him. I could feel his hardness pressing into the right place. And after not having sex for almost two months, I was so ready to let him dip into it. I wasn't the type of woman who had to wait to do these things and one-night stands were what I lived by. It was rare that I would ever get attached to a man, and the ones that I wanted, I had no problem going after. I wanted Roc and I wanted Jaylin. He and Prince had finally come out of the workout area and were now chilling back in the lounge chairs drinking. I didn't know what the two of them possibly had in common; they were like night and day. But I saw Jaylin peeping Roc and me a few times. This was my chance to show him that I wasn't only interested in him, even though I was sure he was confident I was.

I gazed into Roc's eyes as he held me and nodded my head toward the stone-layered waterfalls. “Would you like to go behind there?” I said.