Dvontè picked Janessa up and carried her into the bedroom, camcorder and all. “Where should I put it?”
“The camcorder or your dick?” They both laughed. “Put the camera over on your dresser and make sure it is on. I wouldn’t want to miss getting anything on tape.”
While Dvontè was setting the camera up, he noticed Janessa messing through the drawer of his nightstand, another definite no-no. A pair of lace panties was shoved in the back of it that some piece of ass he met at a club left over his place. He’d been meaning to throw them away and prayed Janessa didn’t find them. He’d waited damn near thirty years to make a porno tape and didn’t want a jealous rampage to ruin it.
The phone started ringing again. Dvontè rushed over to the nightstand and turned the volume completely down on his answering machine before Trisha could leave a message.
“Must be your woman calling,” Janessa stated sarcastically. “If you need to answer it, go ahead.”
“Naw, I’m cool.” Dvontè reached for the wall plate to unplug it altogether. “I just want to eat you like a piece of black licorice.”
“Speaking of eating—” Janessa pulled a black fountain pen out of his drawer, obviously what she had been looking for. “You’re always saying you have nothing good to eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas when you go visit your grandma.”
She took the pen and drew the word Thanksgiving on her right inner thigh and Christmas on the left one. She sat up on her elbows and gave him that damn sexy smile again. “Now, how about ripping off my panties and joining me between the holidays?”
Dvontè almost came in his pants. Janessa was about to turn him out for real. She was saying and doing all the right things. That “join me between the holidays” line was probably as old as he was, but he appreciated her freakiness anyway. He stood there for a brief moment, letting his eyes linger over her body, and then did what came naturally.
Janessa lay there in a daze, not really enjoying what Dvontè was doing between her legs. She was more worried about where things were going in their relationship.
Some of the things Tempest said to her had really hit home, and it bothered her to no end. When she showed up at Dvontè’s apartment without calling, she was a nervous freakin’ wreck. She just knew one of three things would happen. Either he would be pissed off and kick her to the curb, he would have another woman up in there, or he would pull a booty bandit switcharoo on her and be up in there banging another man like Tempest’s ex, Trent.
Much to her delight, none of that happened, although it did take him almost five minutes to answer the door. Janessa figured he was probably taking a nap when she showed up, so she’d banged on his door louder and louder until she heard him stirring around in there. He was fully dressed when he answered and looked downright fuckable as usual. She began to worry that he was on his way out to be with some other hoochie.
Lucky for her he didn’t have any other plans for the evening, because she’d spent over fifty bucks on groceries to make him this pepper steak recipe. She’d brought some red potatoes and fresh asparagus to go with it and a bottle of red wine to wash it down. Ironically, she didn’t get to even turn the stove on until the next morning. They ended up having it for breakfast.
By the time the sun came up, Janessa had convinced herself that Tempest was wrong. Tempest was her gurl, but she’d let Geren put all those silly ideas in her head about Dvontè using her for sex. Granted, they didn’t hang out all the time, but they went to movies on occasion and ate out once or twice.
She’d done something completely outrageous with him during the night by borrowing Shae’s camcorder and making a porno tape. That had always been a fantasy of Dvontè’s, and she wanted to make it come true for him. She would be lying if she said it didn’t turn her ass on too.
Janessa was past turned on. Just the mere thought of the camera running made her want to impress somebody. The way she deep-throated his dick would have made Vanessa Del Rio bow down to her in envy. She’d posed for the camera, she’d vogued for the camera, and she made sure her valiant ride on his gratifying dick made it onto film. Yes, the dick was gratifying. Over the past few months, Dvontè’s up time had seriously improved. They watched the tape about four in the morning and were so pleased, they decided to do the sequel.
Tempest was straight-up tripping, Janessa concluded. For once, Janessa just knew Tempest’s ass was reading a man wrong. After all, Tempest didn’t exactly have a spotless track record with men herself.
CHAPTER 15
mirror images
tempest pretended to be completely preoccupied with the
manila folder placed in front of her, a folder she’d read cover to cover an hour earlier. She was actually racking her brain, trying to think of something to say to the young girl sitting across the desk from her.
The girl was fourteen but looked old enough to walk into a club without being asked for identification. She had smooth, ebony skin and long, wavy black hair down to her bra strap. Tempest couldn’t help but notice that the girl’s breasts were larger than hers. She was also taller than Tempest, at least five-foot-nine, and had legs for days.
Most of the young girls who came into the center seeking help were talkative, outspoken even, but not this one. She’d barely uttered a word. Tempest knew she would have to tread carefully.
“Are you comfortable?” Tempest eyed the gray metal folding chair the girl was seated on. “We really need to get some better chairs, but we just don’t have the funding right now.”
The girl made eye contact with Tempest for the first time. She had dark brown cat’s eyes. “I’m fine,” she whispered.
Tempest exhaled. A small response was a far cry better than none at all. “So your name is Kensington?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you’re fourteen?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She’s polite, Tempest noted. “How many months pregnant are you, Kensington?”