Authors: Carl Weber
Lookin' For Luv (16 page)
“You need to think about who you want to be with, Alicia!” Kevin glared at her angrily, then stomped out the door.
“Damn! What’s with your man?” Alicia’s girlfriend sucked her teeth with attitude as Kevin closed the door behind him.
“I guess he’s a little mad about Trevor calling. But that’s all right. I’ve got something I guarantee is going to put a smile on that handsome face of his.” She held up a package from Victoria’s Secret, and the two women laughed.
Outside, Kevin slammed the door to his car and sped off. He couldn’t wait to see Tyrone and Antoine later to clear his head after what he just learned about the woman he loved.
Kevin met Tyrone and Antoine outside the school when he returned from the basketball game. Since he was a security guard, Tyrone held the keys to the entrance in case of an emergency over the school holiday. He had cleared the use of the weight room with his superiors, who agreed he could use it during his daily check of the school grounds. The three friends decided to take advantage of the opportunity rather than buy a temporary gym membership that none of them except Antoine could truly afford.
As they walked down the empty halls, the sounds of their footsteps echoed loudly. Occasionally Tyrone or Antoine would try to strike up a conversation, but Kevin was strangely silent. It made both of his friends uncomfortable, but they decided that if he had something on his mind, he would tell them whenever he was ready. They all trusted their friendship enough to give one another that kind of space.
Inside the weight room Kevin was still silent except for the loud screams he released while struggling with more weights than he typically piled on. He had quite a bit of aggression to release. His friends saw how hard he was pushing himself, but neither commented until a two-hundred-fifty-pound weight crashed just inches in front of Tyrone’s foot.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he screamed at Kevin.
“Sorry, Ty,” Kevin said with a dazed look. “I really didn’t mean it.”
“Sorry ain’t good enough, Kev, man. You damn near broke my toe.” Tyrone was serious. “What the hell’s crawled up your ass anyway? That fine-ass girlfriend of yours fucking Wesley Snipes on the side?”
“You’re not far from the truth.” Kevin glared at him.
“Oh, shit,” Tyrone exclaimed.
“Hold on, Tyrone,” Antoine barked sharply as he turned to Kevin. He didn’t want Tyrone to turn this situation into another one of his joke fests. “What’s going on between you and Alicia?”
“She had sex with her ex last night.” Kevin tried to stop it, but a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“I find that hard to believe, Kevin. Shawna and I were with you two last night, remember
?
The two of you looked like something out of a romance novel.” He placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder sympathetically.
?
The two of you looked like something out of a romance novel.” He placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder sympathetically.
“Dammit! Will you let him tell us what the fuck happened?” Tyrone pushed his way back into the conversation. “Obviously something happened. The man’s got tears in his eyes.”
Shaking his head as he wiped his eyes, Kevin explained the afternoon’s events. Stunned, his two friends sat on gym mats and listened intently as he told them all he knew about Alicia’s affair.
“Damn, ain’t that a bitch. If I told you once, I told you a thousand times, Kev. Don’t love them hos.” Taking a quick look at Antoine, he smirked as he continued. “If you had listened to me, instead of Mr. I’m-not-having-sex-till-I’m-married over here, and put some pressure on her to give you some ass, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“You’re right,” Kevin whispered.
“I say, never trust a woman who can hold out that long. She has to be getting some from somewhere else.” Tyrone, was on a roll. He fancied himself something of an expert on women and loved to offer his advice.
“Wait a minute,” Antoine said hopefully. “You said yourself you thought the kid was lying at first. What makes you so sure he wasn’t?”
“You know, maybe Ty’s right about you being a little naive, Antoine. What kid his age knows about condoms and sex with the kind of detail he does? On top of that, why would he lie? He likes me.” Kevin sat on the weight bench and waited for an answer.
“I’m naive? I think you’re the one who’s naive, Kevin.” Antoine folded his arms. “This is the nineties. A kid his age could find out anything he wanted to know about sex on television or the Internet. And as far as lying goes, you said he wanted ice cream. Some kids will lie for anything.”
“You think Michael’s lying, Antoine? Maybe Alicia’s not cheating on me.” The contrasting advice from his two friends was making his head spin, but Kevin was searching for any glimmer of hope.
“I don’t know if he was lying or not,” Antoine answered. “But I do know that the woman I met last night had the look of someone in love. You need to sit down and talk to her. This whole thing could be one big misunderstanding. You never know. Maybe this kid’s afraid you’re going to replace his father.”
“You can listen to Dr. Ruth over there all you want.” Tyrone jumped back into the conversation. “But I’m telling you, women have needs just like us. And one of the easiest things to do is to sleep with someone you already did, especially if it was good. But don’t take my word for it How many exes have you slept with over the years?”
Tyrone’s words hit Kevin hard. He knew he was right. “It is easy to sleep with an ex. You already know exactly what you’re getting. God, this woman’s going to give me a nervous breakdown,” he moaned.
“Kevin, don’t listen to Tyrone,. You need to keep an open mind and sit down with Alicia. Communication is what makes a relationship work.”
“This from a man whose woman won’t admit she’s a stripper!” Throne laughed as Antoine shot him a dirty look. “Okay, that’s enough!” Kevin glanced at each of them seriously “I feel as if I’ve got the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.”
“Who you calling the devil?” Tyrone said quickly.
“If the shoe fits,” Antoine retorted.
“Will you two stop it? Damn!” Kevin blasted them. “Antoine’s right, Ty. If Alicia and I are truly in love, we have to talk about our problems”
Tyrone placed his hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Hey, Kev. If it means anything, I hope I’m wrong. You’re like a brother to me, and the last thing I want to see is you getting hurt.” Kevin wrapped his arm around Throne in a brotherly hug.
“I love both of you like brothers.” He pulled Antoine in with his other arm. “Now let’s finish this workout, because I could use a beer.”
15
KEVIN AND ALICIA
Kevin was glad he had put the previous day’s events behind him. After a long talk with his mother, he decided not to confront Alicia. Mama’s advice was very similar to Antoine’s.
“You know, your nephew is only eight, and he’s already had his birds-and-bees talk with his mama. They’re learning younger and younger now,” she told her son.
“So you think Michael could actually know enough to make up those kinds of details?” Kevin asked hopefully.
“Sure I do. And I also think kids will lie about anything these days. He wanted the ice cream, so he did what he had to do. And once he started, he probably couldn’t see a way out even if he wanted to stop lyin’ to you.”
“I hope you’re right, Mama. Antoine saw me with her that night, and he said he could tell how much she loves me.”
“I know, son. I know how much you want this to work.”
“I do. I just can’t believe she would leave the restaurant and go up to her apartment to be with him.” The thought made him shudder.
“Well, Kevin. She probably didn’t. But it’s up to you what you wanna do about it. Do you think you’ll talk to her about it?”
“I don’t think so, Mama. It is the holidays, after all. No need to start something major with her, especially since the kid probably made it up. Things are just starting to get good. I don’t want her to think I don’t trust her now,” Kevin concluded.
Later that evening Kevin sat with Alicia in her apartment. He had apologized to her for his behavior the previous evening, although he did not tell her about Michael’s involvement. Alicia just chalked it up to a rare display of jealousy on Kevin’s part, thinking maybe he was just stressed after a full day with her child. Both of them were grateful just to put the incident behind them and enjoy their first Christmas together.
They had finished a wonderful candlelit dinner Alicia had lovingly prepared. Michael had been sent to his grandmother’s house for the night. Sipping on his glass of wine, Kevin motioned for Alicia to move from the kitchen table to the couch. He kissed her lightly as they sat down.
“That was the most incredible meal any woman has ever made for me,” he whispered.
“Does that include your mother?” she teased.
“No fair. That’s a trick question.” He tried to change the subject by nibbling on her neck. She wasn’t having it.
“Yup” She laughed, moving him back gently. “Now answer the question.”
“Your honor, I plead the fifth. But I would like to plea-bargain my case.” He reached into his sport coat pocket and handed her a small box. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Oh, my God, Kevin! This must have cost you a fortune.” Alicia opened the box and tears welled in her eyes.
“Well, let’s just say it didn’t come from one of the Asian brothers selling watches on Parsons Boulevard for ten dollars.” He flashed a grin, helping her to put on the elegant quartz watch he had bought
“Oh, Kevin, thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. “Are you sure you can afford this?”
“MasterCard, baby. Fifty dollars a month for the rest of my life, and it’s paid for.” Kevin chuckled. “My mother told me not to buy you this watch.”
“Why? I thought your mother liked me.”
“Old superstition,” he explained. “Buy a woman a watch and your time is up. But I like to think of it as my time’s just started.”
“Oh, Kevin.” She sighed happily.
“You know, Alicia, when I lost my spot in the NBA, I didn’t think I could ever truly be happy again. But you restored some joy to my life, and I want to thank you for being so special”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Alicia couldn’t say a word. She just wrapped her arms around the man she loved and kissed him passionately. Kevin, feeling a little daring, began to massage Alicia’s breasts over her silk blouse as they kissed. Her breathing became more rapid, and it boosted Kevin’s confidence. He began to slowly unbutton her blouse as he kissed her neck.
Alicia purred as she felt Kevin placing warm, soft kisses over her neck and shoulders. She moaned as her breathing became even heavier. She helped him unhook her bra from the front and he caressed her breasts with his soft hands. As his kisses traveled down to her breasts, Alicia let out a long, low moan. She massaged his head and neck to let him know how much she loved what he was doing. Chills ran up her body, emanating from the pleasure she was feeling between her thighs. Suddenly the shrill ringing of the phone interrupted their pleasure.
Ignore it. Please ignore it
, Kevin begged silently.
, Kevin begged silently.
“Phew! Getting a little hot in here.” Alicia gently pushed Kevin off her. She fanned herself with one hand and closed her blouse with the other.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, girl,
she thought as she stood up to answer the phone.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, girl,
she thought as she stood up to answer the phone.
“Don’t think I forgot about your present, sweetheart.” She winked at Kevin. “This is probably my mom calling about Michael. It will take only a minute.” She pushed the button on the cordless.
At
midnight?
Kevin thought, looking at his watch and listensing to Alicia’s side of the call.
midnight?
Kevin thought, looking at his watch and listensing to Alicia’s side of the call.
“Oh, hello” Alicia was frowning. “Look, Trevor, I appreciate what you did for me the other day. But now is not a good time. I have company.”
As soon as Kevin heard Trevor’s name, he shot Alicia an evil look. “What’s he calling about?” he asked, folding his arms.
Alicia shrugged her shoulders as she listened to her ex. Kevin was getting angry. What the hell was he calling about at midnight? And why didn’t she just hang up on him? He was beginning to think maybe Michael had told the truth.
After listening to Trevor briefly, Alicia knew the conversation could get ugly. She placed her hand over the phone and asked Kevin to excuse her for a minute. Without waiting for his answer, she walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. In reality she didn’t want Kevin to hear her arguing, because she knew Trevor usually made her mad enough to curse. She was unaware of what Kevin was thinking as he sat fuming in the living room.
No, she didn’t! No, she didn’t walk out of this room to talk to her baby’s father!
All the anger from the day before resumed.
She’s sleeping with that guy. I know she’s sleeping with that guy.
All the anger from the day before resumed.
She’s sleeping with that guy. I know she’s sleeping with that guy.
In the other room Alicia was well aware she shouldn’t keep Kevin waiting long. But before she could return to him, she had to straighten out Trevor.
“Motherfucker. Just because you finally caught up with your child support and gave me a few dollars toward a bike don’t mean you can call my house at midnight. How the hell did you get my number anyway? I don’t need this shit, Trevor. I got a man. Repeat, I got a man!” Alicia could have lots of attitude when she needed it. This was exactly what she had not wanted Kevin to hear.
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