“Yes, you. Don’t forget that I know your ass, chica.”
“Okay, so maybe I voiced something along those lines.”
“You’re so silly, Rayne.” I heard some Marc Anthony start playing through the phone. “I do have to run, Sis. Ricky’s waiting for me in the bedroom.”
“Aw, leaving me in my time of need for some sex. You’re not right.”
Chance knew I was joking with her. “Like you wouldn’t do it to me.”
After I got off the phone with Chance, I decided to take a long, steamy bath and listen to Teena Marie’s Greatest Hits. I thought about Yardley as I reminisced to “If I Were a Bell,” “Dear Lover,” and “Casanova Brown.” Damn, that woman can blow. I’d been meaning to pick up a new CD she’d recently put out after a long hiatus. I was glad she was finally coming back to reclaim her throne.
Once I got out of the tub, I broke open a new jar of cocoa butter and rubbed it all over my body. The miraculous effect of cocoa butter on skin is one of the few valuable things my mother had taught me. Most of the time she’d schooled me on the power of the pussy and how to use it to get the finer things in life.
I lit an orange cream scented candle and crawled into bed. I thought about Yardley’s smile and his sexy ass bedroom eyes and wished I’d handled things differently. I craved to have his warm arms around me at that very moment. Then again, good things happen to those who wait.
Eighteen
Yardley
I wanted to call Rayne so badly that night and tell her what a good time I’d had sharing bagels and hot chocolate with her. However, she didn’t realize that I not only had her number but that I’d also used it before without leaving a message. I was glad the ice had been broken and I couldn’t wait to see her the next night.
I was hoping she’d called me to say something, anything—since I was listed also—but the only messages on my machine were from Felix and Roxie, both whining for forgiveness. I’d arrived at the conclusion that they could both kiss my ass; especially Roxie. That might seem foul to place one evil over another, but I knew Felix was a dog all along. I just failed to realize how much of a dog he truly was. He’d always bragged about trolling for pussy but I’d never expected him to troll for my woman’s pussy; and in my own home at that.
Roxie, on the other hand, had really damaged me. She’d come back into my life like a rainbow and had left it like a hurricane. For her to not only betray me, but to fuck Felix on my balcony while there were dozens of people over visiting, was downright skank. I had no intention of taking her back. I’d made that clear when I’d packed up the things she’d left over my place into two boxes and had a courier deliver them to her apartment.
Roxie had left a ton of messages. One, in particular, had taken the cake. She’d said, “Yardley, I know I fucked up, baby. Please search deep into your soul and ask yourself one thing. Can you really see yourself existing without me? Don’t I take good care of you? Don’t I satisfy your every want and desire? If you let me back into your life, I promise to make all of this up to you. It was a simple misunderstanding. I had a little too much to drink and my hormones got the best of me. Besides, this is all Felix’s fault. He was after me; even way back in high school. Please let me come back to you, baby. I want you and I need you and if you truly think this entire thing through, you’ll realize that you want and need me, too.”
For about two seconds after I’d listened to the message, I’d honestly thought it was sincere but then I’d started having flash-backs of the action on my balcony. I’d never get those images out of my head. It was definitely time to move on. That’s why I’d made the decision to go to the bank and talk to Rayne; no matter what. Making a move on her had been long overdue. To think I’d missed out on such a special woman because of a loyalty to Roxie. Dick slayer or not, her ass was history.
I showed up to play basketball with the fellas the next morning for two reasons. First, I wanted to get a jump start on getting my adrenaline rushing so I could hang with Rayne at adults’ night out later that day. She seemed extremely serious about having an all-out competition and I wasn’t about to get my ego bruised by a woman in any shape or form. Secondly, I hadn’t played in a couple of weeks and I didn’t want Felix to think that he had enough power over me to make me stay away indefinitely.
As soon as I got out of the car, Dwayne bum-rushed me; probably thinking I was showing up to kick Felix’s ass. Felix stayed over on the court; practically hiding behind Mike.
“Yardley, you all right, man?” Dwayne asked me, grasping my shoulder like Steve, the head of security on The Jerry Springer Show, does to people he anticipates might pounce at any second.
“I’m fine, Dwayne.” I pulled away from him and started toward the court. “I came to shoot hoops, as usual.”
“What about Felix?”
I shrugged. “What
about him?”
“Aren’t you still mad at him?”
“About what?”
“Roxie.”
“Oh that,” I stated casually. “That’s over and done with. Let’s get busy.”
Mike and I slapped each other our customary high-five when I reached him and Felix. Felix smirked at me and didn’t utter a word.
“Sup, Felix?” I asked coolly.
“Did you get my messages?”
“Yeah, I got all of them.”