The Countdown to Thirty (20 page)

“Hello?” I asked skeptically ready to hang up and try again.

“Hello? Sonya?”

It was Kyle.

I looked at my phone to learn that for the last ten seconds
I’d been on the line with Kyle and not Wells Fargo. He must have called me at
the same time I was calling the bank.

“Hey, what’s up? Sorry I didn’t know you were on the line. I
was trying to call the bank and cancel my debit card. Somehow I lost my-“

“Wallet?” He asked.

“How’d you know?”

“I found it under my bed. When we were um, remember your
purse fell off the nightstand. You must have missed your wallet when you picked
everything up.”

That’s right! When I walked into Kyle’s room I laid my purse
on the nightstand like I always do and when, well, when Kyle was giving me some
very pleasurable oral at the edge of the bed I began to shudder and kicked my
purse off the nightstand spilling everything out of it.

How the hell could you forget something like that?

“Shut up,” I thought quieting the antagonizing voice in my
head.

“I’m getting ready to head out. I can drop it off at your
place before I go.”

“No, no,” I refused quickly not yet ready to reveal where I
live. Who knew what could happen from there. He might start popping up on my
doorstep out the blue then Kaia will see him and start asking me all these
questions I’d be too ashamed to answer.

Who’s the Mandingo Sonya?

So you finally got some?

Is he the one cleaning your chimney?

I shook my head in disbelief; I think I’ve officially been a
bad influence on that girl.

“You know it’s not good to drive without a license young
lady,” He said in his seductive Mr. Know-It-All tone, “It’s really not too much
for me to drop if off for you.”

“Thank you but I really don’t want you to go out of your
way. I can just meet you.” I replied knowing good and well he was right.

He exhaled, “Are you always this difficult?”

“Yes.”

He chuckled then obliged, “I can tell. Okay, meet me at the
Sports Book at Red Rock in an hour.”

And that’s just what I did.

When the time had come I peeked through the venetian blinds
of my living room window to see if Kaia’s Avalon was sitting in the parking
lot. If it wasn’t, it meant that I could escape to my car without potential
questioning. If it was it meant I needed to use stealth while walking past her
living room window so she wouldn’t catch me creeping. Since she was gone,
probably still at work, I was able to click clack in my knee high leather boots
across the parking lot and hop in the Mitsubishi without looking suspicious.

I sped until I transitioned West onto Summerlin Parkway then
did a changeover at the 215 Westbound where I’d exited Charleston Boulevard and
pulled gracefully into Red Rock Casino and Resort. Once out of the parking lot
I hustled to the large glass doors that led to the Casinos entrance and
embraced the warmth from inside. After receiving instructions from the thickly
accented change lady I walked towards the Sports Book amongst happy couples,
young partiers and businessmen anxious to cool their heels. The Sports Book was
filled with excitement as football games and horse races premiered on the big
screens and gamblers hoping to walk away with a few extra thousand then they
arrived with waited in line to place their bets.

I visually searched the entire area but I didn’t see him. I
caught a few stares from men old enough to be my father and ones who were smart
enough to shift their focus once we made eye contact. I looked at the time on
one of the big screens and I wasn’t late. Where was he?

I got tired of searching and took a seat in a lengthy
adjoined row of plush leather chairs and waited for the man himself to arrive.
Less than five minutes later I was beginning to feel anxious and took out my
phone ready to give Mr. Kyle a call when once again his call came through
before I was able to make mine.

“Hello?”

“I’ve been waiting for you.” He said mischievously. Judging
by the background noise from his phone I knew he we close by.

“Where are you? I’m here in the Sport’s Book like you told
me.” I said rising from my chair scanning the room looking for him.

“I’m over here. Turn to your right.”

I released a small chortle, “You can see me?”

“Yes. I’ve been watching you since you strolled through in
those sexy boots. Did you wear those for me?”

This time I grunted and let out a “No!”

He laughed heartily then told me to scan the bar. I looked
and looked until finally I saw him. He was sitting at the upscale bar which was
illuminated with soft yellow lighting and built in poker machines. He wore an
agreeable black leather jacket which just so happened to match my boots and his
dreads were given free range as they dropped well below his shoulders and
attracted stares of their own. A trio of women in the lounge area dressed
specifically for prowling were inconspicuously checking him out.

I’m not quite sure why, maybe pride or possibly the need for
respect but my competitive streak took over and I strutted over in my boots
adding a little more motion in my hips than usual. I had to let them know this
one was taken for the moment and that they couldn’t compete as I met him at his
side.

He stood to his feet, towering over me in his six foot four
athletic frame and greeted me with a hug and kiss on the cheek. After my wallet
exchange he coerced me into taking a Patron shot with him to celebrate my new
job before I left.

“I think if I do that I may be interrupting your fan club
over there.” I said referring to the women who I could sense were watching our
every move.

“I’m not worried about them,” He responded with a smile, so
I had two.

He told me about the friend he’d briefly met up with to
watch the end of the second half of the game and place some bets. He was nice,
his voice was mellow and he was still smooth like always. And that’s exactly
why I didn’t want to stick around. I could feel myself getting more comfortable
than I wanted to allow especially now since the Patron was going straight to my
head.

I pulled my purse straps over my shoulder and stood to go,
“You leaving? Let me walk you out.”

“You know you don’t have to. It’s a long walk out to the
parking lot. You can stay and enjoy yourself.”

“It’s cool, I don’t mind. I was getting ready to leave to.”
He said smiling while perfectly aware of what he was doing. He wasn’t going to
let me go easily.

After he paid our tab we exited the Sport’s Book area and
walked through the casino until we reached the three tier fountain outside the
resort’s entrance. We lingered with more small talk for a moment until Kyle
gained a gleam in his eye. Something about it just didn’t look right, he was up
to something.

“What? What is it?” I asked skeptically.

He nudged his head to the far end of the casino parking lot,
“That. C’mon.” A haunted house called ‘Nightmare on Sin Street’ stood glowing
with sinister darkness. It scared the shit out of me and I wasn’t ashamed to
admit it.

After refusing, stomping in my boots and a humorous battle
of the minds Kyle finally won when he tactically used my own struggles against
me. He left me with no choice but to wave my little white flag and surrender in
defeat.

“You still owe me for the battery, let’s go.” He said
grabbing my hand then leading me off the curb into the crosswalk.

He wrapped his arm around me to protect me from the cold
night air as we set forth towards Nightmare on Sin Street. His smile was mischievous
and I sported a legitimate look of fright that worsened with every footstep.

I knew I should have paid him back…dammit.

Kaia

“I haven’t skated in years, I wonder if I still have it.”

Sonya laughed as she kept her hands at a steady ten and two
on the steering wheel, “And how long ago was that?”

“Tenth grade probably. We’ll see if it’s as good as the one
in LA.”

“You’ll see,” Sonya said with a smile as we eased along the
95 Southbound towards the Boulder Highway exit.

We were in route to the Crystal Palace Skating Rink for her
niece’s eighth birthday party. When she first invited me I didn’t hesitate to
accept, but now that the moment approached, I began to question if I was still
as skillful on my skates as I was in my high school years.

“So what did you get for the birthday girl?” I asked as I
picked up the pretty pink birthday bag stuffed with two different shades of
pink tissue paper.

“Well you know I can’t afford much yet, but I managed to
find a few chapter books for her since she loves to read and a jewelry making
kit since she’s a girly girl like her auntie.”

I carefully peeked through the bag not wanting to mess up
the pretty arrangement Sonya had made. I imagined that if I was a little girl I
would have loved something like this.

“Pretty in pink, I like it.” I said complementing her
gifting skills.

Sonya turned up the music as we exited the freeway and
cruised down Boulder Highway until we reached Crystal Palace. It was a large
white building, pretty similar in size to the rink in LA but I wondered if it
had as much flavor. Not being able to tell by the plain exterior and half full
parking lot I told myself not to judge this book by its cover.

Once Sonya put her car in park and switched the ignition
off, we simultaneously pulled down our mirrors to double check our made up
faces. We looked at each other and giggled.

“Since when did you start double checking your makeup before
you get out the car?” She asked, “I thought you left all the glam stuff to me?”

While dabbing my mascara brush into the slender tube then
skillfully applying it on my lashes I replied, “What, a girl can’t look good?”

“Something’s different about you.” She said giving me the
look. She was trying to figure me out. “Your aura is different, your ass is
glowing.” She said as she waved her hands in a circular motion indicating my
“aura”.

I tried holding in my smile but I couldn’t, her inquisitive
eyes were burning a hole right through me and I knew she wanted answers.

I began laughing, “I knew Christian made me happy but I
didn’t know he could make me glow, damn!”

“Aagh!” She screamed shaking my arm, “Tell me everything!
I’m so mad you’ve been holding back.”

“I’m not holding back I was planning on telling you
everything, trust me.”

“So tell it girl, don’t be shy, and don’t leave anything
out.”

I screwed my mascara back together and turned to face Sonya,
“Well, we’re kind of like together now, an item.”

“Uh huh,” She said waiting for me to continue.

“And it’s been fun.”

“Uh huh,”

I cracked up knowing she wasn’t going to let me get through
the night without spilling all details.

“Okay, okay. It’s crazy because I don’t see him as the same
Christian anymore. It’s different now. He’s almost like someone else, someone
knew. He’s sweet to me.”

I explained to Sonya about Christian pulling out all the
bells and whistles when it came to treating me like a lady. Not only did he
agree to take things slowly with me, he really meant it and it didn’t stop him
from wanting to be around me. He still had his sense of humor which I loved but
it was softer now, more compassionate. He enjoyed talking to me every night on
the phone before bed and listening to me talk about work or Riley or something
funny I saw on TV.

“Things are just a complete 180 from where they use to be
with us you’d think I’d still be freaked out about it. I can’t believe I’m not.
It feels…normal.”

“When it’s right that’s how it’s supposed to feel. Do you
think he’s the one?” She asked running her fingers over the arch in her
eyebrows to smooth them over.

“I don’t know. It’s too early to tell. I mean we haven’t
gone all the way yet and it’s still brand new. Our families don’t even know
about it and I’m definitely not going to be the one to let that cat out of the
bag. I could just see Ce Ce throwing a fit right now.” I said shaking my head
in annoyance.

“Why would she be mad? Is she jealous?”

“I guess she had a crush on him back in the day but that was
so long ago. She’s never gotten over the fact that we live in the same city
together, she’s just angry.”

“Hmm,” Sonya said, “Well on a side note when do you think
you guys are gonna – you know – have sex?”

“Sex, oh my God I don’t know. To be perfectly honest, we did
come close on Halloween night at his place. But I wasn’t ready, something keeps
stopping me.”

“It’s probably just nerves and bad timing. I really like the
sound of Christian. I have a good feeling about you two.”

“Me to, I’ll tell you every time he holds me, kisses my
lips, kisses my neck I get all worked up inside. He’s been attentive. I haven’t
felt that in a long time.”

I knew Sonya’s opinion on men and relationships but what I
loved about her was that she wasn’t the type of friend who tried to deter me
from mine. She gave me an honest smile as she said, “I’m happy for you. Just be
careful and always heed the warning signs.”

“Yes Mommy,” I laughed as I opened up the car door.

v
 
 

After the party Sonya dropped me off at home around six then
swiftly drove back out of the complex to according to her “go run a few
errands.”

Errands on a Saturday night?

This wasn’t the first time this week that I’ve noticed her
car gone at night for hours at a time. I wondered what she’d been up to but I
didn’t want to pry so I didn’t question her. I figured she’d tell me if it was
something worth telling. Besides, my butt and thighs were sore from falling on
my skates and getting too low for limbo. Wherever she was slipping off too was
the least of my concerns right now. Crystal Palace turned out to be
all that
.

I reached the top of the stairs and as I went to retrieve my
keys from my jacket pocket a chilling wind whipped by causing my teeth to
chatter and my body to shiver. I fumbled to get my house key in the lock; my
hands were shaking from the freezing cold. From out of nowhere I heard steady
and almost silent footsteps ascending the top of the stairs and become planted
on the balcony. I froze. Oh God I was about to be robbed. Where the hell is the
night patrol! I didn’t even bring my stun gun! The footsteps began again and
got louder, and louder when I made up my mind to turn around and face my
attacker. I spun around quickly only to gape into the eyes of Malcolm Malone.

I gasped in terror, “Malcolm.” I said as my keys fell to the
ground. I held my heart in place as if it were going to pop out of my chest.

“Can I come in?”

He stood there as the porch lights illuminated his black
Nike sweat suit and matching beanie. He wore a look of anxiousness as his voice
resonated a serious tone like he had an important message to deliver. I became
annoyed at the double standard boldness he had to just show up at my place
unannounced. If I were to ever pop up at his house he’d throw a fit and accuse
me of something crazy like stalking or not giving him his space.
This was
unbelievable.

“Not after what you said and did to me, I’m sorry but you
can’t.” I said picking my keys back up. I could barely look him in the eye,
rejecting him in person was nearly the unthinkable. I’d told myself that what
was done was done and that I didn’t need to worry about him anymore. Looks like
I was wrong.

I moved quickly to unlock my front door and close this
chapter out of my life – again - but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Kaia let me talk to you.” He said as he approached me from
behind and wrapped his long arms around my body. “I’m sorry baby.” He whispered
in my ear while gently placing deceptive kisses on my neck.

I hesitated as my body grew weak to his touch, his warmth.
My mind knew better, it told me I was better than what he was willing to give
me. I deserved to be more than his sex toy. But a part of my stupid heart was
still weak and in love with this man.

He tightened his hold around me making me feel needed while
he placed more kisses on me making each one more sensual then the last.

“You told me how you felt about me. You used our
break
as an excuse to sleep with someone else. It’s over.” I confirmed trying to
release myself from his hold. My words were weak though, they didn’t even sound
convincing to me, let alone him. He didn’t budge but instead took the keys out
of my hand and unlocked the door before leading us into my apartment.

He took his time making himself comfortable when he used my
bathroom, hung up his jacket in my closet and poured himself a glass of wine.
Still in awe of him even being here I sat at the breakfast counter and watched
him take over my home.

Finally I spoke up asking him in an exasperated voice, “What
are you doing here Malcolm?”

Putting the wine glass down he walked over to my side of the
bar and gently picked up both of my hands, kissing them before he spoke, “We
need to stop this, I miss you I told you that.”

“And you also told me fuck me and I’m not your type. And
most importantly you slept with that girl from the gym.” I said snatching my
hands back then standing up from the bar stool to elevate my height.

“Sit down I’m not done talking to you yet. Do you always
have to be so damn unreasonable?”

I stood there with anger and emotions brewing inside of me.
Here he was again accusing me of something. Tonight I’m unreasonable but
yesterday it was selfish and stupid. I studied his face. He looked like the
Malcolm I feel in love with, the Malcolm who captivated and excited me for the
past two years, but after being away from him so long a part of me felt like
I’d been in love with a stranger.

After our first personal training session together when he
had me focus on strength training and cardio I didn’t care how cute he was, I
wanted to kill him for working me so hard. However that feeling didn’t last
long and after the workout he invited me to a smoothie on him. He always seemed
to keep his cool back then but over the past few months the only emotion I
could get from him is unwarranted anger or entitlement to me and my home. How
could I let things get this bad with him that he thought it was okay to just
walk into my house and tell me what to do after all this time.
Stupid!
Stupid! Stupid!

I didn’t want to fight with him I just wanted him out. I
needed him out so I could think clearly. I sat down on the furthest end of my
sectional and suddenly wished Christian were here instead of Malcolm.

“Listen baby, I didn’t mean to yell but I miss you, I need
you. I was just mad about you sneaking up on me at work, spying on me like I
was doing something wrong. You know you’re the only woman on my mind all day.”
He said kneeling down in front of me as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“But you
were
doing something wrong. You slept with
that
Nessa girl!
It was more than just a personal training session! She
didn’t even know about me! You humiliated me!” I cried allowing my emotions
take over. Built up tears began to flow nearly from out of nowhere.

God am I really doing this? Crying over him again? Right
in front of his face!

“And why would she know about you? We weren’t dealing with
each other at the time I met her baby. Look, I promise you that that situation
with me and her is over. Ever since we made up the only thing I do is train her
now. Starting right here, right now, I’m committed to you baby.”

I was still so attracted to Malcolm not to mention starving
for his touch or even Christian’s that I felt myself beginning to soften. With
his arms holding me tight and his head lying in my lap he displayed the most
vulnerability I’d even seen from him. He was practically begging me for another
chance and I wanted to give it to him despite every warning sign that went off
in my head. But when I thought about it, our “break” was the longest amount of
time we’ve ever gone without talking. It was possible that he just got lonely.
Besides I knew some of his clients needed that extra reassurance from a man
sometimes, maybe during that time one thing just lead to another.

I sighed as I wrapped my hands around his freshly shaven
head and threw my head back on the sofa pillow as I fought an unmerciful war in
my mind. I considered my position:

I’ve started a brand new relationship with Christian that
seems to have come out of nowhere. We have history together but not the same
kind that Malcolm and I share. I want a husband and children and Malcom’s
already had one unsuccessful marriage and two kids. Plus I need a solid
commitment and more of his time that he claims he doesn’t have to spare. The
right choice seemed apparent but my stupid heart wasn’t satisfied. I looked
over at the leftover bag of Halloween candy Christian and I’d bought and it
only made my decision harder. I wished someone else could make this decision
for me but it was mine to make.

“Listen, everything we’ve been through…I can’t just throw it
all away. Can you?” He asked looking me in the eyes with the same look he gives
when he tells me he loves me.

I thought it over a moment longer before I made my final
decision.

“I can’t throw it away either,” I replied solemnly as l
fought back more water from my eyes and the heaviness of guilt on my shoulders.
What was I going to tell Christian?