Mama Dearest (18 page)

“But not too soon, little girl.”

Hendrick Ramsey, Ava’s dark-chocolate, exquisitely built personal trainer, stood behind her in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, spotting her as she tried to complete her third set of squats.

He was the reason Ava had lost those fifteen-plus pounds, and she was grateful. She fought him at first, whining and complaining every time he urged her to “Push it! Give me just one more rep!” But she realized now that’s what really made the difference in her fat loss and muscle gain.

Before Ava knew it, she was looking more like her old self again. Soon she found herself looking forward to seeing Hendrick’s straight white smile, his cleanly shaven face and head, and of course those pectorals of granite and those buns of steel.

While in prison, Ava had all but lost her sexual appetite. She never thought about the act because all she had around her were women and male corrections officers. Despite how good-looking some of those officers were, Ava just couldn’t get with that captive/prisoner sex thang. Sounded like the basis for a bad porno movie.

But now that Ava was out, her appetite was back. She was like a wild animal held captive for seven years, then turned loose in a jungle filled with delicious prey.

As Ava lunged deeply, the bar of weights across her shoulders, she noticed how much she was sweating—and how Hendrick was sweating too.

“Come on, baby. One more!” Hendrick’s body was contoured to hers, his pelvis almost touching her behind, his strong hands on her waist, making sure she did the rep correctly. At twenty-seven years of age, Hendrick was young enough to be her son—no, make that her grandson—even though his thick mustache made him look years older.

Ava breathed through her mouth as she was taught, heaved the weight all the way up and, with Hendrick’s help, set it on the squat hooks, then stepped out from under it.

“Girl, you are sweating something fierce,” Hendrick said, smoothing a hand across Ava’s forehand and showing her his palm coated with her perspiration.

Ava didn’t know why, but that turned her on.

“Yeah, I sweat when I’m excited,” Ava said, smiling, hoping he’d pick up on the flirtatious comment as she dabbed the crook of her neck with her towel.

Hendrick paused for a moment, as if to gauge the remark for its double meaning and then laughed it off.

Ava didn’t know if that line was direct enough, so she told herself to try another.

“Okay,” Hendrick said. “You’re ready for the leg press.” He walked the ten feet over to the machine. Ava followed behind him, appreciating how well he filled out his warm-up pants and imagining how he must look without them.

“So have a seat down there, and I’ll start you out with a couple of ten-pound plates.”

“Only if you sit with me,” Ava said, a bit more aggressively this time. She took a step closer to Hendrick, a sensual look in her eyes. She knew she was crossing the line. But back in the day when Ava wanted a man, all she had to do was blink a single eyelash, and he would be drooling and stumbling over his own feet to get to her. In spite of her age she knew she still held some of that allure.

Hendrick gave her another weird look, then said, “Are you trying to—”

Ava stepped right up to him this time, not caring about the other people working out right next to them.

“Look, Hendrick. We’re both very good-looking, consenting adults. And I have to be honest. I haven’t had sex in dog years. But after working out with you all this time, I’m ready to remedy that.” Ava slid her fingers down the length of one of his muscled arms. “And believe it or not, I think you’re the lucky man I’d like to share that with.”

Hendrick flashed that wonderful, bright smile of his and seemed to blush a little. “Ava, I’m flattered that you’d find me attractive, and chose me to be the one to … to … well, you know. But I’m a professional personal trainer, not an escort or a boy for hire. If you’d like to continue being trained by me, I can oblige you, but if you need more, I’d suggest you hire someone else.”

His candor wounded her already vulnerable pride, but she laughed it off as if it meant nothing to her. Lowering herself onto the leg press machine, she said, “I was just testing you, you know that. I saw the way you’ve been looking at me, and I just wanted to make sure you weren’t the type to cross any lines, you understand.”

Hendrick humored her. “You know, I thought that’s what you were doing. I’m glad I passed the test.”

“Me too. Now go over there and get those twenty-five-pound plates so we can continue my workout. I haven’t forgotten I pay you by the hour, mister.”

A
VA’S BAT PHONE RANG
just as she got out of the shower after her workout. She flipped it open. “I was wondering when I was going to hear from you. I think I found a contact for those drugs you were looking for. But I’m going to need some big money.”

“Find out how much you’re going to need and we can get started. See if your person can get some weed and crack.”

“I’m pretty sure this thug can get whatever we want,” Ava said.

“You remember when you were in the joint, you told me that you thought Yancey kept all her love letters and emails from her lovers. Have you been able to locate them yet?”

“Uh, no. I didn’t know you still wanted them,” Ava said. “You haven’t mentioned them since I last brought them up.”

“I just want to make sure I got all the proof I need before we go in for the kill.”

“I have to see if I can pick Yancey’s brain to find out where she might keep them. She’s been at home a lot lately so I haven’t been able to snoop like I need to.”

“So we’re all set?”

Hendricks and all the money she was spending on her training popped into her head. “Can you send me some more money? I need to pay someone for his time.”

“I can send you another thousand.”

“I guess that will do.” She sounded like that was barely sufficient, then pressed him on another matter. “Before you go, have you talked to your person about getting them to relax my parole yet? As soon as we finish our deal and I get my money, I want to head back to California.”

“I haven’t yet, but once we’re close to finishing, I will get it done, Ava. I just need you to get those letters or any other evidence that proves Yancey was the one.”

“Oh, she was the one, all right, but I will see what I can find out. You know we can get copies of her texts during that time.”

“I know that but those letters and any pictures you can find will help as well.”

“I know she keeps all her pictures especially when she’s in them,” Ava said, being evasive. That way she could explain her way out of it when no pictures in fact showed up.

“Has she made a move on her daughter yet?”

“I’m not sure, but if I know Yancey, she has some plan in her tiny little mind.”

“Well, we have to make sure that the first meeting of mother and daughter is a bust. Yancey doesn’t deserve a daughter like Madison.”

Ava thought about how pure and noble Yancey was being about her daughter, and her lips twisted in disgust. “You got that right. I didn’t deserve that bitch as a daughter. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rued the day that backstabbing child was born.”

“Okay, Ava, get to work. Let me know when you get the stuff.”

I flung open the door of my town house, expecting to find S. Marcus standing there, but instead was greeted by a tall girl who was dressed like a reject from the WNBA.

“Can I help you?” I asked cautiously.

“Yeah, girly. Where is my boo Ava?” she said, walking into my house like she lived here. “You must be Yancey.”

Raising a finger, I said, “Excuse me. Did I invite you in and how do you know my mother?”

Lyrical cocked her head, surprised. “Ava didn’t mention me? She sure in the hell ran her trap about your ass a lot. Did she give you a copy of my disc?” She leaned down in my face. “Maybe you can help a bitch get a damn record deal? I heard you used to be in the music industry.”

I backed away, outraged by her strong-arm come-on. “First of all, you need to stop all that damn cussing in my house. Who in the hell are you?”

“Bitch, don’t speak to me like that. You might be Ava’s daughter,
but you don’t mean shit to me. Besides, Ava told me she gave your ungrateful ass the money for the fuckin’ house, so technically that makes it hers.” She moved in closer again. “Now, miss high-and-mighty, would you like to start this introduction all over?”

She was breathing hard like some kind of wild animal. I needed to get to my phone so I could call 911 and get this crazy bitch out of my house.

“What is your name?” I said flatly.

“It’s Lyrical. What about it?”

“And you met Ava where?”

“You call your mama by her first name? My mama would have knocked my ass into next week if I tried some shit like that,” she said with a slight laugh. “But I met Ava—and I can call her that, because she ain’t my mama—at the joint. She didn’t tell you about me?” Lyrical went over and took a seat on the sofa. “I thought Ava would, since I’ve already been up in your crib several times since Ava and me got out.”

She sat with her legs wide apart like a boy and looked like one, too, with her jeans and two white T-shirts and backward baseball cap. I hoped Ava hadn’t been carrying on some lesbian prison affair in my home, but I put nothing past her.

Now I was ready to put my foot down. “That’s real nice. What did you say your name was again, honey?”

“It’s Lyrical, not honey. If I can remember your name, why can’t you remember mine? I kinda got from Ava that you think you better than everybody. But I also know you a broke bitch just like me, so don’t act all grand with me,
Yancey
!”

My fingers were itching to punch in digits on my phone. “Look, Ava’s not here. I will tell her that you dropped by, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave because I’m expecting my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend accounted for.” I turned around when I heard S. Marcus’s voice. He walked into the town house carrying a black leather duffel bag.

Lyrical gave him a hungry once-over. “Aren’t you a little old to be referring to a dude as your boyfriend, Yancey?”

S. Marcus came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He took a long, hard look at Lyrical and whispered, “You ain’t been hiding nothing from me, Yancey?”

I laughed. “You don’t think she’s here to see me, do you? This is one of Ava’s friends.”

Lyrical leaped up from the sofa and gave S. Marcus a handshake usually reserved for two men. She even gave him a brotha man hug. He looked surprised but he was smiling.

“Are you the record company guy that’s gonna help me get a record deal?” Lyrical asked.

“I’m not in the music business. What are you, a rapper? What’s your name?”

“Not really. The name is Lyrical. And I guess you could call me a little bit of hip-hop with neo-soul thrown in for good measure. What is it you do besides bone prissy Miss Yancey here?” Lyrical asked as she eyed me with a look that could best be described as leering.

S. Marcus went wide-eyed with a grin almost as wide. “You got any of your music on you?” he asked Lyrical. I couldn’t believe he was still talking to this child.

“Oh, snaps,” Lyrical said, snapping her fingers in anger. “This would be the one goddamn time I ain’t got none of my music on me.”

S. Marcus was smooth as he said, “I’m sure I’ll see you again. I’m not in the music business, but I know people.”

“I bet you do. Well, I’m going to dash so you two can get your mingling done.” Lyrical gave me a knowing wink.

S. Marcus extended his hand. “Nice meeting you, Lyrical. I look forward to hearing some of your tracks.”

“You’re going to dig the hell out of my shit. Listen to what I say, dude. Yancey,” she said, pointing, “don’t forget to tell my girl Ava that I stopped by. I won’t be happy if you do.”

Crazy as the girl was, I was starting to warm up to her. In your face was just the way she was. “I will tell Ava you dropped by, sweetie.”

“The name is Lyrical. But I’m sure that’s your way of making me feel small. Trust me, Yancey. It takes a little more than that to make a bitch like me feel low class.”

Lyrical popped out the door, leaving me standing in front of S. Marcus completely flabbergasted.

“Can you believe her?” I asked.

“I like her. She was cool.”

“Cool?” I pulled back and looked at him. “You’re kidding me. Aren’t you? I didn’t know you were into lesbos.”

“Looks like your mother is or maybe it’s a prison temporary thing.” He glanced around the place. “So, when am I going to meet this Ava?”

“Don’t talk like that. And you will meet her soon enough. Besides, Ava would never do something like that. If she did, it would be one of those lipstick lesbians.” I gave him an assessing look. “I still can’t believe you would say something like that.”

S. Marcus wasn’t paying any attention, though. He nodded his head in contemplation. “She might be just what we need.”

“We?
Marcus, what in the
hell
are you talking about?” I asked. I hoped this boy wasn’t having some kind of sick threesome in mind with Lyrical and me performing some sex act for him. I was a lot of things, but having sex with my man and a female was not in my plans.