Love Don't Live Here Anymore (The Love Collection Book 3) (6 page)

Jessica told Summer that she would be in touch and asked that Summer store her number. Summer was going to do that anyway but agreed to the request. All night, Akia was on her mind. Her heart ached for the little girl who probably hadn’t figured out that her mother didn’t love her enough. She was still too young to realize that the woman who had brought her into this world had already failed as a mother. She had neglected to love and protect her own child.

Today was the day that Summer and Eugene would have their first official date. Although they had made plans to go out a couple of weeks ago, Summer had to postpone. She had so much on her mind that she didn’t think it would be fair to be in someone else’s company, unable to give him her undivided attention. Eugene was upset, but he had to handle that. Since he was really into Summer, he would have taken whatever rain check date she would’ve offered.

Eugene offered to pick Summer up and she agreed. She hated navigating through Atlanta traffic. In her opinion, it was just as bad as New York City, and she avoided that place at all costs. The few times she had taken weekend trips to New York with AJ made her despise the place.
Oh AJ
, Summer thought. She wanted to have a pity party for herself but figured that it was not the time. She had to be fair to Eugene. He had been nothing shy of a great friend, so the least she could do was reciprocate. Summer was no dummy; she could tell that he was interested in her in more ways than one, but she didn’t think she was ready to open that door. In fact, she understood and accepted the fact that she wasn’t. Her body may have been ready to receive another man but right now, AJ still had her heart and she didn’t know when and if that would change.

As scheduled, Eugene was at her door at six o’clock on the dot.

“Hi, Eugene.”

“Hey, sweat pea,” he responded as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “These are for you.” He produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

“Aw, these are beautiful. Thank you very much.” She gave him a friendly hug. “Give me a minute. I’m going to run inside and place them in a vase. I’ll meet you at the car, okay?”

Summer felt like her home still belonged to both her and AJ. She was not about to let another man into a place that she once shared with her fiancé. Eugene had to respect that and if he couldn’t, he could get the stepping.

Within a matter of minutes, she was at his car. She took note that he wasn’t driving the drop top Chevy that he often drove to work, but was instead whipping the oversized Lincoln Navigator. Summer wondered just how wealthy Mr. Briggs was. This was the third car she had seen him driving, and he threw money around like confetti. For a man with several kids to whom he paid child support and an ex-wife to whom he paid alimony, she would think he was hurting for cash. But by the looks of it, Mr. Briggs appeared to be “Mr. Biggs,” a man with deep pockets.

“Did I tell you how lovely you look?” he asked Summer.

“I can’t say that you did, Eugene.”

“Well, your beauty must have rendered me speechless. Pardon me.”

“You’re excused.” They both shared a laugh. “Sit back and relax. I have a wonderful date lined up for us.”

Summer needed all the relaxation she could get and hoped that every bit of this date would supply her with just that.

~~~

Summer entered her home on cloud nine. The date was all that she had expected and then some. Eugene had arranged for them a private horseback ride, then a candlelit rooftop dinner, prepared right in front of them by a private chef. Afterwards, he took her to a quaint little boutique and purchased her a new handbag. Summer tried to decline the gift, but Eugene had insisted. After leaving the boutique, he brought her to a private screening of a new film that was set to air in four weeks. A friend of his was a movie director and he wanted to bring Summer into his world. She really enjoyed the date and was shocked that it concluded with a kiss, a kiss that she didn’t end up regretting at the end of the night.

Eugene had walked her to her front door and kissed the back of her hand. “You’ve made my night magical. Thank you!” he’d said before walking back to his car.

Summer stood in the foyer of her home for several moments, soaking in the night’s events. When she was outside the home, she had actually enjoyed herself and thought very little about her pain. But now, as reality set in, her high was coming down and all she could think of was the emptiness within. She placed her belongings in their designated locations and retrieved the phone to call her sister. She got to the last digit in the area code and realized that it was after ten and there was a big chance that Autumn was asleep. “Damn, such an early bird.”

Summer was starting to feel weird and she didn’t like the change in her demeanor. Although her time with Eugene had been magnificent, he wasn’t what she was craving. She wanted different.  

The thought crossed her mind to text Braxdon, but he was way too different. He was involved in the type of world that her sister had never let her get next to, one that she had no desire to get into. He had all the signs of a hood boy: baggy clothes, no benefits, and therefore no career-oriented job, single and mingling, with no real plan in mind. But his heart … his heart seemed to be in the right place. He loved his son, helped his grandmother, acted like a gentleman, and took heed to her suggestion to get health insurance.
There might be hope for him
.

Vincent came across her mind too. He was someone she could hang out with. The fact that he was single sparked curiosity.
Maybe he likes white women
. “At least he likes women!” Summer said out loud. But just when she decided to call Vincent, her cell phone chimed.

“Hola, mami!”

“Larita? Puta, you just now calling me back?”

“Yo sabe! Lo siento. What you doing?”

“Nothing. Just got in from a date with Eugene.”

“Ahh, you went out again?”

“No, this was the first time. I cancelled the last date,” Summer explained.

“Listen, I need a drink. You down to go out?”

“Sure. Where?”

“Don’t worry about it. Be ready in twenty minutes. You can tell me about your date when I pick you up.”

Summer hung up and rushed to freshen up and change her clothes. A girl’s night out may be just what the doctor ordered. She undressed and took a quick shower. She’d already secured her outfit in her head. She retrieved her pleated jean skirt and black turtleneck and threw on her black pointy-toed shoe boots. After slipping on the silver accessories, she poured herself a drink and sipped until she heard Larita’s horn.              

The two of them greeted one another and exchanged compliments. Summer admired Larita’s womanly shape. She had a small waist, with small, but firm boobs, wide hips and a video vixen booty. Her butter pecan complexion and smile topped off her attractive features.

“Damn, what’s that, a skunk you smoking?” Summer asked.

Larita laughed. “Yeah, it’s some loud. Want some?”

“I don’t smoke,” Summer stated. “Did you call Moet?”

“Yeah, and she said she was tired. I got a feeling she ain’t tired; she’s bruised,” Larita confessed.

Summer had witnessed the marks on Moet, and for a while would believe her stories. But when she had that black and blue mark on her cheek and said she’d fallen off a ladder, Summer knew something was up. “Well, I say we check on her tomorrow,” she said.

“Si,” Larita replied.

Moet was good people. The last thing Summer wanted to do was sit back and ignore the fact that someone she considered a friend was possibly a victim of domestic violence. She took a glance at the lit cigar in the ashtray and went against her earlier decision.
You only live once
,
she thought. “Where’s your lighter?” she asked Larita.

Larita reached under her console and passed the fire to Summer. “Now tell me about this date.”

~~~

   Larita pulled up to Magic City and wasn’t surprised by the crowd at the strip club.

“Dang, why are so many people here? It’s Thursday?” Summer asked.

“Puh-lease! This place is packed on a Monday. Welcome to Magic City!”

Apparently, Larita had pull because even though there was a FULL sign near the parking lot, the attendant raised the barrier and let them in when he saw her. The place was packed. Two chicks were on the pole, doing a duo performance. Summer watched in awe as one girl went up the pole first, followed by the other. After the second girl positioned herself horizontally, the first girl stood on her sternum and fixed her body in a surfing position. The patrons went crazy.

Larita grabbed Summer’s wrist and walked her near the bar. “Crazy, right? C’mon, let’s do a shot.” Summer agreed. Larita ordered two shots of Patron and two glasses of wine. “Give me one hundred singles,” she told the bartender.

After getting her money, she led Summer closer to the stage, giving her half the stack. Summer was so intrigued that she threw most of her singles on stage during the first two acts. She stopped a passing waitress and asked her to come back with two hundred in small bills.

Two hours later, Summer and Larita were still having a good time. They had just completed their third glasses of wine and were enjoying their night out. On their way to the bar to get a big girl drink, Summer spotted a familiar face. She yelled to Larita that she would meet her at the bar and headed in the opposite direction.

“Hello, Braxdon,” she whispered in his ear. Summer thought he would turn around in shock, but he smiled and grabbed her hand. He pulled on her arm until she was sitting on his lap.

“What are you doing? Do you even know who you’re grabbing?” Summer asked as she looked around, slightly embarrassed.

“Of course,” Braxdon said ever so gently in her ear. The chemistry at that moment was toxic.

Summer stood and leaned down. “I just came to say hi. My friend is waiting, so I’ll talk to you later.”

Braxdon looked up into her eyes, smiled, and nodded in affirmation. He watched as Summer walked off. He excused himself from his boys and followed her.

“I’m back,” Summer said as she walked up behind Larita. Larita handed Summer her drink as someone next to her was talking into her ear. Summer took a sip and looked around the club. Feeling a hand grip her hip, she jumped and looked right, then left, and was face to face with Braxdon. He grabbed her by the hand just as he whispered into Larita’s ear, “She’ll be back.”

Larita looked at Summer with an arched brow, but when Summer didn’t object, she turned her attention back to the guy next to her. Braxdon walked Summer to the back of the club and up a small flight of steps. He leaned against the wall, pulling Summer into him. She pulled back and stood on the side of him. Braxdon sat up straight, this time leaning into Summer.

“Damn, Miss Lady, who hurt you?” he asked her.

Summer was feeling the effects of the alcohol, but instead of being emotional, she stared at him blankly. Setting her drink on the mantle, she pulled Braxdon in closer and kissed him passionately. At first, he seemed taken aback but only for seconds. He wrapped his hands around Summer’s waist and pulled her into his groin. He wanted her to feel how hard he was. Summer moaned and Braxdon grew more excited. He picked her up and wrapped both her legs around his waist.

“My drink,” Summer said.

“Fuck the drink.” He carried her right into an empty VIP room and sat on the couch with Summer on top of him.

He kept his hands above her waist but was sure to massage every part of her back, getting as low as he could without violating her. Even though Summer was grinding on Braxdon’s midsection, he kept his dick in his pants.

Two knocks on the door and in walked one of the baddest strippers at the club. She looked at Braxdon and he waved her in, but told her to wait. Still kissing and rubbing on Summer, he pulled his lips from hers and looked into her eyes. “You trust me?”

Summer looked at him. “No.” And she commenced to trying to suck his tongue out of his mouth.

“What if I told you it’s all pleasure, no pain?”

Summer moaned.

He pulled his mouth from hers and this time he told her to trust him. He told her to close her eyes and turn around. Placing his hand over both her eyes, he helped her rotate in his lap and motioned for her to spread her legs. “Trust me to make you feel good,” he coaxed.

He tugged at Summer’s panties and she grabbed his hand. “I don’t want to take my panties off,” she told him.

Braxdon smiled. “I ain’t gotta take ya panties off; just move ’em to the side,” he sang, and he did just that.

Braxdon played with Summer’s clit as he licked in, out, and around her ear and nibbled on her neck. Summer squirmed in delight. Braxdon waved for the stripper to squat and gave her the go ahead to lick on Summer. Summer went from sixty to one-twenty in a matter of seconds. Feeling the intensity increase, she raised her head and tried to move, but she was penned. At some point, Braxdon had taken his hand from Summer’s eyes and positioned them so that his arms went over hers and his hands gripped the inside of her legs. She couldn’t move if she wanted to. Summer moaned, groaned, grunted, and cussed until she released a gut wrenching orgasm and came all over the girl’s face.

Once Summer regained her composure, her mind went wild.
How could you, Summer? Especially with Braxdon? And at a strip club?
She began chastising herself and at first was a little ashamed; however, the after effects of that orgasm reminded her of just how deprived she had been and she had to admit that it felt damn good! And the high she still felt from the weed she’d smoked with Larita had caused her to be more carefree than normal.