Red Light Special (9 page)

She met Collyn in college, they weren’t best friends, but they were cordial. At the time Collyn ran an elite escort service and Monday found herself in a predicament where she needed cash, so she did what she had to do. The only problem now was that she needed to have that part of her life buried, especially since Kenyatta didn’t know about it.

Collyn sighed. She knew Monday’s life was much different from hers. Collyn had grown up hood rich with a mother who handed her a family business, and all Monday had was the here and now. Collyn blew air from the side of her mouth, “Look, I don’t know what you want from me.”

“All I want is someone who will tell me the truth. What the hell is really going on?”

“I just told you the truth!”

“No,” Monday shook her head, “I can’t believe that he would lie to that extent. Why? Why would he lie about knowing her.” Monday said, distantly speaking more to herself than to Collyn.

“Monday,” Collyn said, “I’ve always been honest with you. Always. Now if you want me to tell you the truth, then you have to tell me what you’re talking about, because right now my nerves can’t take this guessing shit. He lied about knowing who?”

“Eve. He said he only saw her once and could barely remember what she looked like.”

Collyn paused. Kenyatta never ceased to amaze her. “That’s a lie, he fucked Eve quite a few times.”

Monday was silent and tears streamed from her eyes.

“Please don’t cry,” Collyn said, “because I can’t do the emotional thing right now. You gon’ have to swallow that shit. Now I understand that you’re trying to be normal, political, or whatever but you have to look at this for what it is. Because you cannot make everything ugly that he does go away.” She handed Monday a tissue.

“I know,” she wiped the tears from her eyes, “I know and it hasn’t been easy. I mean I would’ve never found out you were here if it hadn’t have been for Kenyatta’s affair with Taryn. I hate to even think about that shit. That really messed me up.”

“Yeah, it messed you up to the point where he doesn’t even acknowledge his daughter.”

“Yes, he does,” Monday snapped. “He sneaks to see her.”

“What? Taryn didn’t tell me that.”

“She e-mailed him. I found it when I was trying to find out who Tracy was. I don’t want to talk about Taryn though. I just want to know who this person, Tracy, is. She called this morning and hung up.”

“Do you remember the number?”

“No, only the first three digits.”

“Damn, well I can’t help you with the Tracy shit.”

Monday looked around the room in despair.

“So what now?” Collyn asked.

“I don’t know. I mean, you’re telling me things I didn’t even know existed.”

“You didn’t know or you didn’t want to face it.”

Monday’s silence answered for her.

“If it helps any,” Collyn said, “I’m just as confused as you.”

“Do you know where Eve is?” Monday asked.

“No, she just disappeared, she was supposed to have been on assignment, but she never showed up there.”

“When was the last time,” Monday swallowed, “she was with Kenyatta?”

“July Fourth weekend.”

“July Fourth?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure if I believe it. I think he saw her after that. Especially since he came to see me shortly after she disappeared as if he was coming to see if I shot the bitch or some shit.”

“July Fourth?” Monday stared off into space. Thinking back to how she waited for him that night and he never came home. “That’s the night.” She murmured.

“Night of what?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Collyn looked at her suspiciously. “Okay…so what are you going to do from here, Monday?”

“I don’t know,” Tears formed in Monday’s eyes again. “I don’t know.”

“Well I do. You gon’ brush your shoulders off,” she handed her another tissue to wipe her eyes, “go home, get your shit together, and watch that niggah. Trust me, he ain’t that slick and his ass has slipped up somewhere. Now I don’t know what he’s up to, but I feel like he has something to do with Eve and her disappearance.”

Monday felt conflicted, she knew Kenyatta was sneaky and capable of many things, but she wasn’t sure if Eve’s disappearance was one of them. “Maybe…” she sighed, “I just…I just feel lost…”

“Look,” Collyn placed her hand on Monday’s shoulder, “I know our past isn’t that pleasant, but if you need me I’m here.”

“Thank you.” Monday managed a smile.

“But, if you ever,” Collyn stood back and looked through her, “run up in here with some bullshit, I’ma lay me out a bitch.”

Monday laughed, “You always talking about you gon’ lay you out a bitch and you ain’t shot nobody yet. Shut up.”

Both of the women laughed, yet both of them knew that nothing was really funny.

“Now, look,” Collyn said as if she were exhausted, “I’ve had a fucked-up day and I’m getting ready to leave and stop by the liquor sto’,” she said in a playful Ebonics dialect, “go home and get my buzz on.”

“All right,” Monday said, “drink enough for both of us.”

Rain fell from the late September sky and the glow from the Empire State Building reflected off the low clouds as Collyn lay in the center of her king-sized bed, staring at her panoramic view of the New York City skyline. Never had such an exquisite sight made her feel as lonely as she did tonight. She wanted to relax her pride, at least for a moment, so she could call Bless and see if he would come over. She wasn’t playing games or trying to lead him on a cat-and-mouse chase, but she couldn’t decipher the fine line of sweatin’ him versus simply wanting to see him. Besides, she didn’t want it to seem as if all of a sudden it was all about him. But fuck it, somehow at this moment, as her mind replayed their night of wondrous passion and her index finger stroked tears from her aching clit, it
was
all about him.

As the rain pounded against the skylights in her ceiling her phone rang. “Hello?”

“Ms. Bazemore, this is Adam from the lobby. You have a Mr. Shields here to see you. A Mr. Bless Shields.”

Immediately Collyn lost her breath. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Suddenly nervous, she scanned the room to see if anything was out of place. “Yes, Adam, send him up, please. Thank you.”

Collyn hopped up from the bed, and before she could decide if she wanted to change out of her Juicy Couture powder-pink terry-cloth short-shorts and fitted tee, her doorbell rang. She walked to the door and opened it.

Bless leaned against the door frame and his smile lit up the hallway. “What? You ain’t beat for a niggah?”

He was so fuckin’ cute it didn’t make sense. Collyn ran her index finger down the indent between his protruding pecs, stopping at one of his belt loops. “Who told you that?”

“You did when you didn’t call me.” He gave her a light kiss.

“You didn’t call me either.” She kissed him back.

“Beautiful, I don’t call; I just show up. I came to case out the place and see if you got another niggah in here that requires me and my nine to pay him some attention.”

She laughed. “Oh, what you packin’?”

“You tell me.”

Pressing her lips against his, she said, “Oh, you packin’, baby.”

Bless laughed and tapped Collyn on the behind as she turned to go into the apartment. He picked up a plastic bag, which he’d sat on the floor when he rang the bell, and walked in behind her.

“What’s in the bag?” she asked as he placed it on her kitchen island and she hopped on the bar stool.

“I brought you something to eat, so I hope you like Chinese.” He removed cartons, chopsticks, and two chilled Guinness Stouts. “Figured you needed to relax for a minute.” He twisted the top off her beer. “I mean…unless you don’t drink beer.”

“Would you give me my drink and stop playing with me?” She took a sip. “So what’s with the food? You think I can’t cook?”

Bless didn’t answer. He simply smiled and handed her a set of chopsticks and soy sauce. “Here.” He pointed to her carton. “Hook that up.”

“Oh, you trying to be funny?” She opened the carton of shrimp lo mein and poured in the soy sauce.

“Nah, beautiful, it’s your world.” He started eating his lobster lo mein.

“I’ll have you know that I can cook.” She wiggled her neck.

“Yo, I believe you.” He playfully twisted his lips in disbelief. “My baby can cook her ass off.”

She blushed. She liked the sound of being called “my baby.” “I can show you better than I can tell you.” She looked at him and wrinkled her nose. “Punk.”

He leaned over the island and into her face, “Aw, my baby mad?”

There it was again.

“But check it,” he continued, “I don’t know if you can cook, but you damn sure taste good.”

“You are so nasty.”

“I sure am.” He lined kisses up her collarbone and to her chin.

Chills ran through Collyn’s body. As she tried to shake the shiver off, she grabbed the plastic bag and looked inside. “How you come up in here without an egg roll, man?”

“My fault, love, but I can hook you up with some purple haze and some grape Kool-Aid.”

“Fuck the haze, but I want my goddamn Kool-Aid.” She playfully smirked. “And put a whole bag of sugar in it too.”

“I got the sugar beat.” He fed her from his chopsticks.

“What?” Collyn said, catching a noodle slipping from her lips. “What you put in your Kool-Aid?”

“Aunt Jemima syrup.”

“Aunt Jemima who?” she asked in shock.

“Butter light. Do
not
get it twisted. Me and my sisters use to house us some grape Kool-Aid mixed with Aunt Jemima syrup.”

“I’m in a diabetic coma just listening to that.”

Collyn and Bless finished up their food and laughed and chatted for hours as they talked about everything under the sun, from the things they liked to do as kids to some of the silly shit they still did. “Now wait a minute, Bless,” Collyn snickered. “What exactly do you mean, you used to rap?” She arched her eyebrows as they sat on the sectional. “Like you used to make beats and shit?”

“Hell yeah, and I was the fresh too. I should’ve pursued that. I’m thinking about going back.” He nodded in assurance.

Collyn couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, yet she hoped like hell that he wasn’t because she was only seconds away from laughing in his face. “Really? So what, you sit down and make up rhymes?”

“You tryna be funny?”

“Nah, baby, do you? Women will probably trip over yo’ fine-ass rappin’.” She turned her head away from him and laughter eased out the side of her lips.

“You laughing at me?” he said.

“Laughing? Oh no, baby. I’m with you. As a matter of fact, I think you should call yourself Fifty-five Cent.” Not able to hold it in any longer, she fell out laughing. “I’m sorry, Bless, I am.”

“I got your sorry!” He tickled her, and she ended up holding on to his arms with her head lying in his lap.

Collyn was out of breath. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am, and I wanna hear you rap.”

“Fa’ real?”

“Yeah, baby, I sure do.”

“Ai’ight, bust it.” He rhymed, “I left my wallet in El Segundo and I wanna put my pick inside your Afro.”

Collyn sat up and looked at him with a straight face, “Tell me you didn’t say that.” She got off the couch.

“What?” He followed her.

“Don’t rap anymore. Leave that for the professionals.”

“So, what exactly are you trying to say?” He stood behind her as she opened the hall closet and took out a game.

Bless looked at Collyn like she was crazy. “What the fuck is that?”

“A game.”

“I see. And what you gon’ do with that?”

“I wanna play.”

“Oh, ai’ight, you can play, but I’m too damn big and grown to be playing a kids’ game. Nah, not me.” He read the box. “And then you expect me to play Twister? Do you see me? I’ma grown-ass man, dawg, I’m not ’bout to be spinning around and shit. Nah, you got Blessing Shields, fucked up.”

Collyn placed her hands on her hips. “You just sat up here and rapped the corniest shit in the world to me and you too thugged out to play a game? Please. Plus”—she whined just a bit to soften him—“it’ll be fun.” She gave him an innocent smile.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Bless said, giving in, “’cause ain’t shit innocent about you. Come on and don’t tell nobody my big ass was up in here playing no damn kids’ game either.”

Collyn snickered as she set up the game, spreading the polka-dot mat on the floor. “Okay, I’ll call body parts and you call colors.”

“Straight.” He lifted his shirt off, revealing his glued-tight wife-beater. The muscles in his arms flexed with every word he said. “If we gon’ play this shit, we gon’ do it different than I did when I played my sisters.”

“I thought you’d never played.”

“I never said that. When I was a kid, I use to bust my sisters’ asses, especially since I was taller than them. Man, please. But since I’m fucking you—”

“Damn, can you be any more crude than that?”

“You know how I do it.” He laughed. “So here are the rules: no clothes and baby oil.”

“You smokin’ haze?”

“No, why? You got some?” He gave her half a grin. “I ain’t had no weed in years.”

“No,” she said with a frown, “I don’t have any.”

“Damn, ’cause I was ’bout to say light it up. Now come on, don’t be trying to stall. Go get some baby oil and take them clothes off.”

“And where is the oil going?”

“On the mat.” He smacked her on the ass. “Come on now.”

Reluctantly Collyn went into the bathroom, grabbed the baby oil, and came back. She walked over to Bless and unbuckled his pants. Pulling his belt through the loops, she said, “You know I’ma win, don’t you?”

“Whatever.” He stepped out of his pants, revealing his boxers and the muscles running down his chocolate legs.

Collyn lifted her shirt over her head and stepped out of her shorts, revealing a red lace bra and thong. “Look at you.” Bless licked his lips. “Fuck taking the clothes off. I need you walking around in that for a minute.”

“And don’t touch me either,” Collyn said.

“Shit, you may as well call it quits, ’cause my ass is about to cheat.” Bless squirted a little baby oil on the mat. “Madam, you may go first.”

“I bet. Okay, left foot.” She stepped on the mat and slipped just a little.

“Oh, don’t bust ya ass, ’cause if you fall, you automatically lose. Now, yellow right corner circle.”

Collyn stepped on the circle. Doing what she could to hold her balance, she said, “Ai’ight, your turn. Right hand.”

“Left red circle.” He grinned. “The one right there.”

“Blessing, that’s between my legs.”

“Exactly.” He reached down toward the circle between her legs, his face directly facing her vagina. She looked down at him and he started fingering her panties, “Would you stop?”

“Damn, this shit fat.” He pulled the crotch of her panties back and licked her clit.

She felt her legs starting to tremble. “You cheatin’.”

“I told you I was gon’ cheat.” He smiled. “Go ’head, call another body part.”

Collyn sucked her teeth, although she was enjoying the heat radiating between her thighs. “Right foot.”

“Green circle.”

Collyn turned around, and Bless pointed. “That motherfucker right there.”

“Oh no, yo’ ass didn’t.” She looked at the circle, which was between his legs. “You are such a cheater.”

“Nah, beautiful, it’s called kama sutra. You of all people should know that.”

“No, yo’ ass is kama nasty.”

“Call it what you want, but you better touch that damn circle.”

“Ai’ight.” Collyn twisted around and almost fell trying to keep her hand on the yellow circle while she put her right foot on the green one. She did what she could to maintain her balance, but since standing up proved to be a struggle, she sat down—directly on Bless’ hard dick, causing him to fall flat to the floor.

“I don’t believe you put all that ass on my dick like that.”

“Oh, you don’t want this?” She leaned forward on all fours, threw her ass in the air, and started smacking her cheeks. “Now I pick your left hand—”

“Fuck the left hand,” he said, “you better pick this dick.” She could feel him rubbing the head against her ass.

“You don’t wanna play anymore?”

“Yeah, but now I wanna play a different game.”

Collyn turned around to face him and stuck her index finger suggestively in her mouth. “Oh, you missed this sweetness?” She slid her thong off, tossed it across the room, then took her thumbs and showcased her heated pearl, the face of it radiating with sweet glaze.

“The question is, did it miss me—or better yet, did you?”

“Yes.”

“Which one?”

“Both.”

He stroked his hard and luscious dick. Instantly her mouth started to water as her heart traveled to between her legs and her clit thumped against her fingertip. The midnight view of the city lights cast red waves across his sugar-daddy body. Collyn pushed tears of pleasure that danced in her throat to the side as she envisioned Bless’ body on top of her, pumping, thrusting, and causing her to tremble.

The longer she stared at his luscious pipe the more her breathing stifled and the warmth from her pussy made creamy liquid between her thighs. She ran her tongue across her fingertips before turning her palms up, causing him to halt in his spot.

With the grace of a panther she glided toward him, her hair sweeping her shoulders. Once she was before him, she made a wet trail with her tongue up his thighs, where she licked between his muscle creases, the sweet salt from his skin melting in her mouth.

Bless moaned softly as she outlined his shaft with soft bites and succulent kisses before taking him into her mouth and seducing the tip of his dick to the back of her throat.

Bless’ moans grew louder as he fought like hell to keep his eyes open. Collyn slipped his dick out of her mouth and licked the sides of the head. Bless bit his bottom lip. A head job like this is what sent you to the moon and left you there.

He knew he would have a hangover when Collyn’s tongue was done. “I swear to God,” he breathed, squeezing his lips tight, water lining his eyelids, “you better not ever fuck with nobody else.”

She didn’t answer. Instead she continued to lick.