Scarlett (8 page)

Scarlett immediately tore the note up and wrapped it in tissue paper. She flushed it down the toilet, then went back in the room and checked the balance on her Visa card. It had a balance of seven hundred dollars. She was ecstatic. She had never owned a Visa card, whether prepaid or not, so this was something new to her. No man ever slept with her and left her money.

In all, she’d gotten a grand, a pep talk, and a breathtaking orgasm from Greg. She was all smiles as she lay back in the bed. She wasn’t planning on going anywhere until it was time for her to get up for work. At the moment, all she wanted to do was enjoy the room’s amenities and lavish view of the city from their bay window.

Chapter Eight

Scarlett lay in bed, and even though she was feeling great from being with Greg, she still couldn’t sleep. She called and checked on Anton and he was fine, still out partying with Samantha. She asked about Gwen, but wasn’t worried about her, because she was grown and could take care of herself. She had Nina go check on her house, and everything was intact, so she couldn’t understand why she continued to toss and turn while lying in such a nice bed inside a gorgeous room.

She looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It was a little after eleven, and still very early to her. She remembered that she packed an overnight bag, and her favorite drink, MD 20/20, was in it. She figured that if she drank her grape flavored drink, it would totally calm her down and put her to sleep. She took two Xanax pills and washed the down with the MD 20/20. She lay back on the bed and within twenty minutes or so; she was feeling buzzed and light-headed.

Thoughts of Greg flooded her mind. He was a gentle lover and a very handsome older man. She could find comfort and security in fooling around with him. She would surely keep money in her pockets from the rate that he was handing out cash, and her bills would stay paid on time.

She held her hand up in the air and admired her manicure. She reminisced about soaking her feet in the water while the lady pampered her. She had never felt so alive in her life. Her hair was prettier than she’d ever imagined it, and running her fingers through it felt electrifying. She never knew that she could feel so beautiful.

Nina would always tell her that she was pretty, and all she had to do was believe it herself. Nina was indeed her best friend and had even tried doing Scarlett’s hair a few times, but Scarlett was so traumatized from the torture Gwen put her through that her scalp and head would hurt if anybody tried to touch it. That didn’t stop Nina though, because she always told her that the pain was in her mind and that it wasn’t bad once she started the process. Scarlett would stop her every time. Nina even tried to take her to get her nails and toes done, but Scarlett was so insecure that she never wanted to give it a chance. She felt that she didn’t need to look good, because all men wanted from her was pussy, and to her, pussy had no face. So as long as she laid it down in the bedroom, then they’d surely be back for more, regardless of how she looked.

She laid there and began to question Sheila’s friendship and loyalty. Sheila didn’t mind being seen with her in school, but really, it was only the times when someone wanted to beat her ass. Sheila knew that Scarlett would have her back and not let anyone fuck with her.

Scarlett sighed at the many times Sheila asked her to go to the nail and beauty salons, only to watch her get pampered. She never asked Scarlett to join her, and Scarlett never asked, but she did eventually stop going with her. She turned over in the bed and slapped the pillow.
How could I have been so naïve all this time? Nina always tried to tell me that Sheila was out for herself.

Her phone began to ring. She reached for it, thinking that Greg wanted to come back for some more. “I thought you’d be on the road by now.”

“I am. I’m on my way to your house.” She looked at the caller ID.
Oh, shit.

“Jay?”

“What’s up, Miss Scarlett? What did you mean by that?”

She hesitated. “Uh, I don’t know, I was half asleep.”

“Wake your ass up. I need to see you.”

“Jay, I’ve already told you that I’m not going to see you as long as you’re seeing Sheila. What don’t you understand about that?”

“I don’t understand anything about that. One minute you can’t wait for me to come over and the next—”

“The next you’re taking Sheila out on a date,” she interrupted. “That about sums it up.”

“Since you don’t wanna see me no more, then it’s only fair that I tell you that you were looking very good today. I was trying to resist the urge of looking at you. I knew underneath that hard exterior, there was a beautiful woman, and I saw that woman today.”

“Oh yeah,” Scarlett muttered.

“Yeah,” he responded. “You clean up very well.”

Scarlett was quiet. She really liked Jay a lot, but was already hurt by his actions of seeing Sheila and treating her like, she didn’t exist.

“Jay, if I dressed and looked like Sheila, you wouldn’t have cared less if people saw me with you. The only time I ever rode in your car was to the liquor store and your windows were so black, no one would’ve seen me anyway.” And even though that was the ride of her life, she would never let him know it.

“Okay Scarlett, I won’t act like I wasn’t ashamed of you. I mean, we started out as friends and I enjoyed our conversations. Your sexy voice made you sound like you were the prettiest and most intelligent lady walking, but coming in and seeing you at work or to your house just didn’t go with what I was listening to. What I’m trying to say was that the voice and look just wasn’t a fit.” He stuttered. “I saw potential, but it’s like you didn’t want to try.”

Scarlett’s feelings were hurt so she turned up her MD 20/20 as Jay continued.

“After we met and started playing phone tag, we got to know each other a little better. When I learned about your past, it all began to make sense and I began liking you as a person. The problem was that you were twenty-four then, and you still lived in the past. You didn’t want to improve your thinking about yourself, your room always looked a mess, and you never wanted to do anything with your hair. When it comes down to your body, I can’t lie. You got one of the tightest bodies I’ve ever seen, but I needed more than just a fine body and a fat ass.

“I even offered you some clothes from my mom’s store, but you wouldn’t accept them. I don’t know why you were thinking that I was treating you like a charity case or something. I offered to get your hair done before, but you declined that too. I only wanted you to see the person that you’ve seen today for the first time in your life. You just didn’t know how to accept my kindness, and all I wanted was for you to realize that it was all for your own good. I’d been waiting for you to see this for over a year now. I’m just glad that you see yourself in a different light.”

“Well thanks, Jay,” she said, taking another swallow. She knew that Jay meant well, but the truth was that she didn’t know how to accept a person’s kindness for what it was, especially from a man. “Well, I’m not trying to change the subject, but what about Sheila?”

“The truth is that I like Sheila, but I ain’t crazy. I knew she thought I was broke, but the thing that I liked about you was that you never told her any better, and the things we talked about stayed between us.”

Scarlett turned the bottle up again. Jay had never come clean about his feelings for her, whether good or bad.

“I used to hit on Sheila, hoping that you’d wake up and do something with yourself. You would come to work looking like a tomboy in a skirt. I knew you were a woman because I’d been between your legs, but you didn’t care to even cleanup for me, not even after finding out about my background. The one good thing I can say is that your pussy is good and it never smells, your breath is always sweet, and you give the best head in the world.” Jay laughed. “If you stop being so mean and hardcore all the time, maybe you’d have a real chance at finding love.”

“So what are you trying to say, Jay?”

“What I just said, Scarlett.”

“But Jason Lewis Jr. is now off limits since he’s dating Sheila Grand, huh?”

“The way you were looking today makes Jason Lewis Jr. think twice about continuing to see Sheila Grand. Maybe Jason wants to get to know the new and improved Miss Scarlett Harper a little better.”

Scarlett smiled. She had been waiting to hear Jay say that for a long time now.

“So, can I come see you?”

“Sorry Jay, but I’m not home.”

“Quit playing, woman. I’m in your front yard.”

“You don’t see my car do you? I told you that I’m not home.”

“And where would you be at twelve at night? Plus, you said you were half asleep when you answered the phone.”

“I know, but I decided to clear my mind and ride for a little while. I ended up in Statesboro and decided to stay the night in a hotel.”

“What hotel?” Jay asked.

“The Double Tree that’s right off of the main highway.”

“So you’re in the cut, huh?” Jay asked after thinking about it for a moment.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. Jay laughed.

“It’s a nice ass hotel, but it’s where cheaters go to be with their significant others.” Scarlett grinned to herself. “Nobody goes back there unless they’re just trying to get away from something or someone.”

“Well, I didn’t know that. I just saw the sign, and since it was late, I decided to stay. Plus, maybe I’m trying to get away from something or someone.”

“Anyways… I know exactly where it’s at. I used to be in Statesboro all the time back in the day. I’m coming down there.”

“Jay, are you crazy?” Scarlett laughed. She was high and feeling good. It made her feel better to know that Jay would actually drive an hour just to see her that late at night.

“Yeah, just a little bit. I mean it, I wanna see you.” She smiled. “You know you wanna see me so what’s the room number?” he asked.

She hesitated. “It’s room 301, Jay.”

“I’m on the way.”

Scarlett got out of bed and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. She wanted to be fresh and clean by the time Jay made it there. She was glad she had stepped her game up before it was too late, because she’d always dreamed of being with a guy like Jason Lewis Jr., but things like that only happened in dreams. Maybe there could be some truth to good dreams after all.

She grabbed a shower cap and put it over her hair. If she didn’t remember anything else, she remembered Joan telling her to put a shower cap on before she stepped inside the hot shower or her hair would fall. She didn’t want to look a hot mess before Jay got there. She washed good and stuck her finger inside her coochie, letting the hot water clean it out. Even though she knew Jay would never go down on her, she still didn’t want him thinking she’d just fucked somebody else.

She got out of the shower and looked through her duffle bag. Joan had given her some great things. She pulled out a red, laced, baby doll teddy. Greg didn’t give her time to put it on for him, so she figured she’d wear it for Jay. She tore the tag off it. It was from Victoria Secrets and it was priced at seventy-nine dollars. She couldn’t believe it. It was so pretty and nothing like what she normally wore to bed. She put it on and it fit just right. What a blessed coincidence.   

She looked in the full-bodied mirror and removed the shower cap. Her hair fell on her shoulders. She couldn’t believe her hair was this length, because it was always packed to her head and pulled back into a little ponytail. Who would have known that a relaxer could work such magic? She smiled and ran her comb through it. It looked as if she had pretty hair all along. She couldn’t stop playing in it. After pinning and pulling it up and back, she decided to leave her hair alone and put some lotion on.

As she rubbed lotion on her legs, she thought about Joan’s conversation with her. Joan told her that if she didn’t love herself, then who would? She couldn’t expect Jay to fall in love with her if she couldn’t love herself.

She knew things had to change in her life, and one main thing was letting Gwen go. It wasn’t hard to do, but she didn’t want to hurt Anton any more than he’d already been hurt. He still loved Gwen unconditionally, and she had to make him realize that Gwen was holding them back from being the people they really had the potential to be. They were good people, unlike Gwen, and she had to make him realize that putting her out would start be a new beginning for them.

Her mind was dancing from the high she felt, and all she wanted was to feel Jay’s body against hers. She didn’t care about Sheila right then, because Sheila didn’t care about her. Plus, she felt that she was messing around with Jay first, so she shouldn’t feel bad about continuing to sleep with him.

Scarlett heard a knock at the door. She danced all the way to it, because she knew it was Jay.

“Who is it?”

“Girl, open this door.” She loved the sound of Jay’s voice. It always made her tingle inside. She opened the door and smiled. Jay was shocked at her appearance. She looked good enough to eat.

“Damn, Scarlett.” He was surprised as hell. “You look good.” He said standing in the hallway. “Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She was stuck looking at how good he looked in his civilian clothes. “Come on in.” Jay walked in and admired Scarlett’s new look. He was truly amazed at how lengthy and pretty her hair was. Scarlett sat on the bed and Jay sat down beside her.

“You can take the woman out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the woman.” He laughed and picked up her MD 20/20. He screwed off the top and turned it up. “This shit ain’t bad,” he said. She was tickled at him. He gently grabbed her face and looked into her eyes. He knew they were pretty, but not this pretty. She stared back at him.

The silence in the room could cut the air. He leaned in and kissed her. She was totally caught off guard, because he never put his lips on hers. They’d come face to face a few times, sharing a laugh, or breathing from extreme sex, but never had they actually kissed.

Jay’s breath was sweet, and had a hint of MD 20/20. Scarlett loved it. Her lips were as soft as they looked and Jay stuck his tongue in her mouth and slow danced with hers. They were lost in their passionate kiss, which lasted for minutes before they came up for air. Jay was aroused by what he saw in Scarlett. It was like she had a new attitude that went great with her new look.