Nina's Got a Secret (6 page)

“He got about twenty points for that.”

“Nina, yo ass is crazy! If he only got twenty points for buying a damn house, he's gonna have to buy you a damn palace to get fifty points!”

“Stop laughing, girl. I'm serious, that nigga is around here hustlin' for coochie points.”

“Bitch, you think you slick. You doing that shit so you don't
have to have sex with that man. But, I ain't gon' lie, it sounds like that shit works. I might have to steal that and use it here on Tyrone's lazy ass.”

“Damn right, it works! He's gonna get the interior decorator to come out next week and convert one of those guest rooms into a bedroom for Chrissy. My baby's a little diva; she needs her space. Girl, I'm tellin' you, never underestimate the power of the coochie point system.”

At that point, Larry had heard enough. He deliberately made some noise to announce his presence before he walked into the kitchen. Nina heard him and quickly shifted the tone of her conversation.

“So, next month, you're coming?”

“If you send me the ticket, I'll be out there on the first thing smokin'. I need to get away from here for a little while.”

“All right, girl; I'm going to hold you to that. Don't fake me out. Let your man know ahead of time. You can travel light because we're gonna shop 'til we drop. I love you. Talk to you soon.”

Larry walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He retrieved a can of Coke from the refrigerator and then opened the top cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel's as Nina hung up the phone.

“Who was that?”

“That was Val. I was telling her how much we love it here. She's going to come out and stay with me for a few days when you go on your business trip.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really. Do you have a problem with her coming out here?”

“No, I don't.”

“I'm sensing some tension, Larry. What's wrong?”

Larry paused for a second before he answered. He was really trying to avoid an argument with his new bride, but he felt like
he needed to set the record straight. “Actually, there is something bothering me. I feel like you disrespected me and my daughter, I mean
our
daughter, when you didn't stick around to tuck her in.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about the fact that I tucked Precious into bed, and we were supposed to both sit there and tuck Chrissy in. You walked out of the room and left us hangin'. I have a problem with that.”

“Larry, my eyes were hurting, so I went into the bathroom to remove my contact lenses. When I was coming out of the bathroom, my cell phone was ringing, so I answered it. You know how Val starts talking and can't be silenced. Before I realized it, you were walking in here. Why are you trippin'?”

“Why am I trippin'?” Larry asked in a slightly raised tone. “I just feel like . . . you know what, don't even worry about it.”

“Larry, we just got married; let's not start off on the wrong foot,” Nina commented in a snide tone as she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and walked out of the kitchen.

Larry stood there for a few seconds and then gulped down the rest of his drink.
This is not starting out well
, he thought to himself.

Larry spent the next hour in his office unpacking boxes, replying to emails, and returning phone messages left by some of his spoiled clients.

One message in particular caught him off-guard. It was left by Sharrard Hogan, the projected first-round draft pick he'd recently signed on to represent in the upcoming football draft.

Wuz up, Larry! Look, man, I know you just became my agent and everything, but I need you to hook me up. My birthday is in about three weeks, playa. I need you to put together a party for a brotha. I want my shit to be off the chain. I want actors, actresses, ballplayers, pimps, hoes
,
and anybody else you want to invite. All I know is, my man, Jerry, is expected to be a first-round pick just like me, and his agent hooked him up last weekend. As a matter of fact, that nigga is projected to go later in the draft than me, so his shit can't be better than mine. I've been bragging to him about you, so you gotta get this shit “on and poppin,” pimp! Holla at me as soon as you get this message.

Larry sat at his desk and shook his head after listening to the message. His peers had warned him that Sharrard was going to be a problem child, but he'd ignored them. The money this kid was going to command was simply too much to pass on.

Larry hated this part of his job, but if he didn't do it, some other agent would. One of the reasons he'd bought the new house and all of its accommodations was so it could serve his business purposes. It was the perfect place to throw a relatively inexpensive social gathering in a controlled environment for many of the brats he called clients.

With his business finished, he headed into his bedroom. He wasn't as annoyed as he had been an hour earlier, so he figured it would be more productive if he tried to talk to Nina now . . . wrong answer.

“Hey, baby, are you asleep?”

Nina had her back turned toward the bedroom entrance. She didn't answer Larry, so he assumed that she was either asleep or close to it. He couldn't see that her eyes were wide open.

“Baby, can we talk?”

Still, there was no answer from the new Mrs. Dennison. Larry sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and then stood up and took off his clothes. Although everyone else had bathed, he still hadn't. The dirt and smells from the activities of the day were still clinging to his skin. He ventured into the shower and enjoyed
the drenching that ensued from the huge showerhead that hung nearly seven feet high.

With the fresh scent of Perry Ellis body lotion clinging to his body, Larry returned into the bedroom and slid his naked body under the covers. Larry's hormones were raging. He and his lovely wife hadn't had the type of sex that usually accompanies a romantic honeymoon. Nina purposely stayed drunk for most of the honeymoon to avoid intimacy. Larry was forced to settle for a hand job and three quick strokes before Nina pushed him away and passed out.

Larry never complained about the way Nina rationed the sex before they got married because his religious upbringing denounced premarital sex. However, they were married now, and he expected to be broken off on the regular.

As Larry's four-inch rock-hard penis pressed against Nina's back, he slid his hand along the side of her body. The lace under-garments she wore were enough to make a mannequin rise to the occasion. Nina's eyes opened wider. She continued to lay there as stiff as a board, purposely ignoring his gentle touch and staring at the wall adjacent to their bed.

“Baby, I'm sorry,” Larry whispered. Nina said nothing. “Nina, I want to make love to you.”

“Not tonight. I have a headache,” Nina responded in a low dull tone.

She could feel Larry's erect penis go limp as he slowly adjusted his body. They were now lying in the dreaded back-to-back position, staring at the walls in front of them. Larry looked depressed as he contemplated the evening's events. Nina had a smirk on her face as she thought to herself:
he's going to learn that as long as I have the coochie, I run this show.

N
INA GOT UP EARLY TO GET PREPARED
to meet Val at the airport. She made her normal trek into the bathroom to freshen up. When she walked back into her bedroom, Larry greeted her, holding a breakfast tray.

“I'm sure you're excited about seeing your girlfriend today, and the two of you are going to hang out, so I figured you'd need to start the day off with a nice breakfast. I fixed you some scrambled eggs and toast and some freshly squeezed orange juice.”

Larry was expecting a warm smile and a thank you from Nina, but what he got was a nonchalant glance at the tray and a fake smile.

“Thanks. Just sit it down. I'm not that hungry. Besides, I just brushed my teeth. I might drink the juice in a few minutes. Thanks anyway.”

Larry was taken aback by his wife's attitude. He placed the tray on the dresser and attempted to make small talk.

“What do you have planned today?”

“Nothing much; I'm going to pick her up and show her some of the sights. She'll probably be tired from traveling. We're going to play it by ear. I'm just excited to see her again. I'm bored out of my mind. Val will bring some entertainment here and hype things up a bit.”

Nina's disinterest was obvious and made Larry's heart ache. If she opened her heart and gave him a chance, he could make her happy. He could be the kind of supportive husband that most women dreamed of having, but Nina would need to be willing to let him prove it. Unfortunately, her indifference toward him was proving to be a hurdle that even he, the master strategist, was having difficulty overcoming.

Nina walked down the steps looking like a million bucks. Her hair was perfect; her makeup was flawless; and her clothes were immaculate.

“Mommy, where are you going?” Precious asked.

“I'm going to the airport to pick up Aunt Val. I want you to behave yourself while I'm gone.”

“Yes ma'am,” Precious replied.

Nina scanned the room. She didn't see Larry, but she did see Chrissy sitting at the table with milk splattered all around her. Pieces of cereal were on the table, in her hair, and on her chest. It was clear the child was having a difficult time eating.

“That's disgusting,” Nina mumbled and then turned and walked out.

Larry stood silently on the second floor next to the banister as he watched his wife display her contempt for his daughter.

Nina drove to the airport bumping Mary J. Blige and bobbing her head. She was extremely homesick and the thought of seeing her best friend really excited her.

Val was excited, too. She'd only left the state of Louisiana once in her entire life. Even that venture across the state line was not voluntary. It was a forced journey that was strongly urged by a mean bitch named Katrina.

Like so many New Orleanians, Val couldn't stay away from New Orleans too long. The moment she discovered that the city had been reopened after Hurricane Katrina, she was one of the first to return.

Nevertheless, Val had been waiting impatiently for this vacation and she was determined to enjoy it.

“Nina, is this your new car?” Val asked as she walked out of the airport terminal. She and Nina met at the curb and stood there hugging long enough to make pedestrians stop and stare.

“Yep, I told you Larry bought my dream car as a wedding gift.”

“That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!” Val said as she tossed her small travel bag onto the backseat.

“You sure travel light.”

“Hold up! You told me to travel light because we were going to shop 'til we dropped.”

“And you know this!” Nina replied as she held up Larry's American Express Black Card.

“Oh shit! Is that the black card?”

“Yes it is, sweetie, and we're going to put a dent in this sucker today.”

“Can I hold it, please?” Val asked as she took the card from Nina's hand and then rubbed it along her breast, belly, and pretended like she was going to slide it between her legs.

“You are crazy!”

“Girl, I didn't realize it was that thick. It doesn't feel like a regular credit card.”

“That's because it ain't a regular credit card. This is a,
I can get what the hell I want and there ain't no limit
credit card.”

“Hello! Let's go and test that theory,” Val shouted.

“But, before we start spending money, we need to stop and get some gas. My gas tank is damn near empty.”

“Shiiiit, girl, my car stays on empty. I be puttin' just enough gas in there to get from my house, to work, and then back home.”

“You're gonna run out of gas one day.”

“I know. I just hope I'm looking sexy the day that happens.”

“Why?”

“Shiiiiit, I gotta look sexy because if I run outta gas, I may have to stick out my legs and hitch a ride.”

“It's like that?”

“Girl, you just don't know. I might have to start selling some coochie if these gas prices go up any higher.”

Nina laughed and immediately remembered why she enjoyed
hanging out with Val; she was a comedian. They laughed together constantly.

“Val, your ass ain't that hard up. How much would you charge them for a half tank of gas?”

“I don't know, maybe twenty-five dollars. I'd probably hit 'em up for fifty and a Baby Ruth if I needed to fill up my tank.”

“I can see your ass hasn't changed one bit.”

“Nope, I haven't.”

T
HE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES
were spent discussing the flight and the plans for the day. Suddenly, Val remembered to ask, “Wait a minute, where's my baby girl, Precious?”