Dark Waters, page 9
Saint just shakes his head, yes. He can’t speak. Not while he’s still hypoventilating.
Jonathan quickly goes over to him. “Kenny . . . are you okay? . . .”
“W-what were you-you doing by the door?”
“I was locking it, so miss thing number two didn’t try and walk in on me.”
“Aw shit . . . when I heard you by the door, I thought you were about to come out.”
Jonathan looks at Saint. “Clearly, we’re not ready to come out.”
All Saint Kenny can do is stand there, still heaving, staring back at his boyfriend.
17
Keenan Jr.
After the phone calls and family drama are over for the night, Keenan Jr. holds Taylor tight as he lies behind her. This morning started with them cuddling up in each other’s arms, the way they are now, before Keenan Jr.’s alarm clock went off at five. Taylor’s alarm wasn’t too far behind to get Kennedy up and ready for school. After that, it was just a normal day; Keenan Jr. went into the office while Taylor stayed home and cleaned the house from top to bottom. She then cooked Keenan Jr. steak and mashed potatoes. The chocolate cake she had baking in the oven when he got home was his favorite.
Once they finished dinner and dessert, they played board games with Kennedy Marie. Then, after an hour in the world pool together, he and Taylor came into their bedroom, where Taylor dropped to her knees and blew Keenan Jr. right there at their bedroom door. She even went as far as to put both his balls in her mouth at the same time and sucked until her lips popped . . . something else that was his favorite and usually only reserved for his birthday. Taylor was doing everything she thought to do for her husband to try and hide the fact that she was having an affair with another man she was totally into.
Taylor’s eyelids slowly flutter open when she hears her phone buzzing on the nightstand. She looks over at Keenan Jr. to make sure he’s still asleep. She then slowly eases her body away from his and slips out of bed. She grabs her phone and her robe and tiptoes into the bathroom. She sits on the toilet seat lid and answers the call. Her voice is lower than a whisper when she says, “Ross, you know you can’t call me this late.”
He’s whispering too. “I’m calling the app number you gave me.”
“I know, but it still rings through my phone.”
“I hope I didn’t wake him up.”
“ . . . No, he’s still sleeping. And why are you whispering?”
Ross stammers before he says, “Uh-my kids. They’re sleeping, and I don’t want to wake them.”
Taylor then asks, “Why are you calling me so late?”
“Because I had to talk to you . . . can I see you in the morning?” When she doesn’t answer, he says, “At our spot.”
“Ross, no. I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” He sends her a picture of his manhood. “You see, Captain Hook is ready for you, baby.”
When Taylor sees the picture, her mouth waters. So does her pussy. Damn, she wants Ross right now, but she has to wait until the morning once she drops Kennedy off. “Ross, I have to go.”
“You still didn’t answer my question . . . will I see you in the morning?”
More hesitation. “ . . . I’ll-I’ll be there after I drop my daughter off.”
“That’s my girl. We’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”
Taylor’s smooth forehead wrinkles. “We?”
He chuckles. “Me and Captain Hook.”
“Bye, Ross.”
After the call ends, Taylor gets up and looks at herself in the mirror. Her eyes reveal who’s looking back at her, and she hates it. She hates herself for cheating on her husband. She asks, “Why am I doing this?” though there is no one to answer her. Taylor wishes someone was in the bathroom so she could tell them how much she wants to stop sleeping with Ross. She would also tell them how much she loves sleeping with Ross and had no plans on stopping . . . at least not anytime soon. It felt so good to make love to him, which was making Taylor wet just thinking about their planned sexual rendezvous.
Once she turns off the light in the bathroom, she tiptoes to Kennedy Marie’s room. She pokes her head in to see the little girl is sleeping soundly. Taylor then creeps back to her and Keenan Jr’s bedroom. When she does, he’s still sleeping in the same position he was in when she left out. After she slides in front of him, she thinks, Good, Keenan is still asleep. As she snuggles closer to her husband, all Taylor can think about is Ross, with a smile plastered on her face.
Minutes after her body stops moving in Keenan Jr.’s arms, his eyelids open. He’s furious though he doesn’t move a muscle. His breathing doesn’t change. Neither does his light fake snoring as he thinks, Who in the fuck were you in there talking to?! . . .
***
Ross is fresh out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He rubs oil over his big arms and abs before putting the bottle away. He picks up his phone, ready to call Taylor Waters, but stops when he looks at the clock. He knew she was with her husband, so he didn’t call her.
He respects Taylor’s marriage even though he’s never told her about his. Ross is not a single dad of three as he told Taylor he was—he’s a married man without any kids. He’s also not a sanitation worker for the city. He was about ten years ago before the random drug test told his bosses that he snorted powder. That was before Faith paid for the best drug rehab in the state. Since then, it’s been one problem after the next with Ross, so Faith keeps him tucked away in a beautiful home in Bucks County. Though she dropped his last name, ashamed of Ross and his antics, Faith is still madly in love with him. She just doesn’t want him to smear her reputation any further than he already has since every job he’s ever fucked up came from Faith’s doing.
Before long, Ross hears Faith come in downstairs. When she calls out to him, he says, “Baby, I’m up here,” from their bedroom.
She looks exhausted when she walks into their room. “Hey, babe.” She kisses him before she starts to take off her clothes.
“Hey, yourself.” He looks at her. “You’re finally home.”
Faith pops her eyes up to the clock. “I would say.” Then, she asks him, “How was your day?”
“It was okay. I went to the gym. Ran a few errands. How was your day, honey?”
“Long. Work was work as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary.” She kisses him. “And I like when I come home, and you’re naked.”
“I have on a towel.” He chuckles after she pecks his lips.
“I was so tired when I first walked in here tonight, but now, I have some severe sexual energy that I need my big, strong, sexy husband to take care of.” Faith strips down to just her bra and panties before she and Ross make out. “Once I take a hot shower, we’ll pick this up right where we’re leaving it.”
He smacks her boney ass. “Who said we have to stop?”
She winks at him. “I’ll be right back out.”
Once Faith is in the bathroom, Ross goes and checks his phone. No Missed Calls. No Texts. He wanted Taylor just as bad as his wife wanted him right now. He had to have her or at least talk to her. It’s a risk, but he called her number the minute Faith’s shower started. “Come on, Taylor, pick up, pick up.”
When she answers, he smiles and grabs himself. Then, he whispers his words as he talks. “I’m calling the app number you gave me.”
He lies to her when she asks him why he’s whispering. He stammers as he tries to think of something fast. He couldn’t tell her the truth: My wife is in the shower, and I don’t want her to know I’m out here talking to another woman. So instead, he says, “Uh-my kids. They’re sleeping, and I don’t want to wake them.”
Ross tells more lies. Sends pictures and even sets up a sex date with Taylor before their call ends. He then makes sure his phone is locked and lays it facedown on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Next, he takes the towel off and climbs into bed nude. Before getting under the covers, he grabs a pill bottle from the nightstand’s top drawer. It’s Ambien. He pops one tablet in his mouth and washes it down with water. When he hears Faith’s shower stop, he pops another tablet. “Better take two, so I’m good, and sleep when she gets out here.” He grins after the second pill goes down his throat. “Sorry, babe; I love you and all, but Taylor is getting all this good dick in the morning.” Ross is seconds from laughing, but sleep sweeps him away just that fast.
Shortly after, Faith comes out of the bathroom. She has on a purple lingerie set with mesh suspender tights and everything. She’s so ready for Ross. “Hey, babe, I’m all . . . done.” He’s snoring as his body travels in the air before crashing back down. Faith knew he wasn’t faking; the droll told her so. Naked and knocked out. That’s what it is. And Faith is mad and aroused without any way to get off. “Ross! . . .” She slaps his arm. “Ross, wake up!” He doesn’t. “Son of . . .” She holds the pain in after accidentally kicking the nightstand with her big toe. “Shit! . . .” She calls him once more, “Ross?” but still nothing. When she watches him turn over and get even more comfortable on the satin sheets, she limps to the bathroom for aspirin for her aching toe.
When she comes back out, Faith sits on the bed after popping two aspirins in her mouth. She thinks about calling out to Ross again, but she knows it was no use; he is out like a light. So instead of slapping his arm again to try and wake him, Faith pulls the covers up on his bare shoulders, turns off the lamp, and climbs in bed with him. Before she drifted off to sleep, all she could utter is, “Good night, Ross.”
18
Naomi
Once Naomi’s thirty-minute shower is over, she exits the sliding frameless glass enclosure, steps onto the fluffy black bath mat rug, and wraps a towel around her body. The mirrors are all steamed, so she doesn’t bother trying to look at herself. Instead, she heads into the bedroom. After putting moisturizer on her face, she sits on the bed with a pink floral bonnet covering her braids and checks her phone. Six missed calls. Four text messages. And even a voicemail. All the missed notifications are from Jayceon. Naomi promised to let him come over today; now, he is blowing her up.
She’s alone at her parents’ income property and wants some company, so she finally texts Jace back. As soon as she sent WYD, he messaged right back. After they chatted back and forth for a minute, he asked again if he could see her, so Naomi told him to come to the address on Markle Street where she was. After the fight with her father, she wasn’t staying at the house or with her brothers. And some women’s shelter was off the table, especially when her parents had a half-a-million-dollar home full of furniture in every room.
As Naomi gets dressed, she stops at the full-length mirror, looking at herself. She has on pants and a bra but hasn’t put her shirt on yet. As she looks at herself, she thinks about her mother. I cannot believe she threatened me. And to make me go to that place or else? What kinda shit is that? It wasn’t her choice . . . Naomi has to catch herself before she starts crying again. That’s why Daddy drags you and makes you look like such a fool out here to everybody, you stupid bitch!
As she curses out her mother in her head, the doorbell rings. She takes a deep breath looking at her eyes in the mirror. Then, when the bell rang again, she said, “Here I come.”
She tries to play it cool, but Naomi lights up when she sees Jace standing there. She throws her arms around him. “Hi, Jayceon.”
“What’s up, Naomi.” He tongues her down before they go into the house. After he locks the door, Jayceon’s arms are wrapped around Naomi from the back as they head to the couch. “I missed you.” They sit down next to each other. “I’m surprised you called me.” He looks at her. “Why did you finally call me?”
That vulnerable side Naomi rarely lets show is finally coming out. “Because . . . I missed you too. The last time we talked, it wasn’t good, but . . . I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to hate you anymore. I don’t want to call your bitch-wife names anymore . . . I don’t-I don’t want to cause any trouble anymore for you or anyone.” She’s genuine when she says, “I just wanted to see you, Jace.”
“I wanted to see you too. I’ve been texting and callin’ you because we haven’t talked about what you told me the other night.”
“Jace, please, not now. I don’t want to talk about that anymore.”
“But, we have to, Naomi. With you being pregnant—” Naomi starts kissing him before Jayceon can speak another word. He doesn’t stop her; he’s too busy filling on her body.
Before they know it, they’re both naked. As they kiss, Jayceon asks, “Who’s house is this?”
“This is our first house where I grew up.”
As Naomi kisses his neck tattoo, Jace looks around at the furnished, neat living room. “I just don’t wanna be sittin’ here with my shit out, and your people walk through the door.”
Naomi giggles. “No one comes to this house anymore since the tenants moved out, so you’re fine. Nobody is going to see your dick and balls but me.”
They both laugh as they get up and head to the bedroom. They land on the perfectly made king-size made with Jace already on top of Naomi. He instantly gets wild and nasty with her, as if he doesn’t have a wife at home, wondering where he is.
When Jace enters her, it’s intense. It’s deep. Naomi wants it. He wants it too. They make love to each other. They fuck. It’s been an hour and a half, and they’re still at it. When Naomi moans, so does Jace. When Jace cums, so does Naomi.
After sex, they are both winded and sweaty, lying beside each other. Naomi looks all worn out and satisfied when she says, “Jace . . . you . . .” She can’t even get her words out. “That was lit.”
“Yeah, it was. And I wanted to see you bad as fuck, so that made it even better.”
“I know . . . I wanted to see you too.”
They laugh and talk for over half an hour until Jace suddenly goes to get up. Naomi doesn’t let him at first. She says, “Don’t get up yet . . . just lie here with me for a few more minutes.”
“I gotta go, Naomi. I’m supposed to be at the gym.”
“You what?!” Naomi quickly jumps up and grabs her clothes. She has an attitude when she says, “Well, I’m sure when that dull-ass housewife tracks your phone, she’ll know you’re not. And she better not show up over here unless she wants smoke.”
After Jace puts on his shirt, he tells Naomi the truth. “I left my phone at home so she couldn’t track me. Even when I put my shit on airplane mode, she can still see where I am somehow.”
She gives him the screwface as he makes her skin crawl, talking that stupid shit. Then, Naomi thinks, did he just say something about Airplane mode? Ugh, he gotta go now. “Would you leave? Please . . . just go. It’s not that deep. I needed some dick; you gave me enough to hold me over, so I’m good on you. Now trot back home to the bitch that feels she needs to track your phone.” She thinks that should get his ass up out of here.
Jayceon’s voice is even when he says, “I wasn’t trying to make you mad.”
By this time, Jace is heading to the door behind Naomi, fully dressed. He can tell she is so offended as her bare feet slap against the granite flooring. “Bye, Jace! It was all good when you were inside of me. I even heard you say that you could fuck me all day . . . and for a minute, I thought that you were. You took the time to get your nut off, but now you have to go? Then go! Get your weak-ass out of here.”
“Man, Naomi, you know it’s not like that between you and me. It’s just—”
“It’s just nothing!” When her phone rings on the couch, she swipes it up and looks at the screen. “Bye, Jayceon; this my dude right here.”
Jace’s shoulders square off with whatever dude Naomi is talking about. “Man, what? What dude? What you talkin’ about? The fuck! Who is he?”
Naomi does everything but put her hands on Jace getting his ass out that front door. “Call me when you get home to your wife, and I’ll tell you all about him.”
She slams the door right in his face. Then she looks at her phone long enough to press ignore. It wasn’t a guy calling, as Naomi said; it’s Lillian, but Jace didn’t have to know that.
Naomi puts her phone on Do Not Disturb. “I’m not dealing with anybody else today. Especially not you, Ma, sorry.”
With her phone in her hand, Naomi heads to the bathroom to wash Jace’s scent from her body. When she turns on the hot water, she says, “I am so done with him.”
19
Saint Kenny
Saint Kenny goes to the door after the bell rings. It’s Porsha standing there, glowing from the baby growing inside her. When Saint opens the door, he smiles and tells her to come in.
As she walks in front of him, she says, “I swear I get bigger every day.”
“You’re still beautiful.” Saint Kenny asks, “And why didn’t you use the door key? It’s on there with my car key fob.”
Porsha lays his key’s down. “I don’t know; I like to give you your privacy, I guess.”
He asks, “How was your appointment?”
“Everything is good with the baby. I’m healthy, and so is he. The doctor gave me some prenatal vitamins, and . . .” When Porsha sits down and looks up, Saint Kenny is on bended knee. The 2-carat halo engagement ring twinkles in the case he’s holding, catching Porsha’s eye.
“I know we already talked about this, but I want to propose the old-fashioned way.” Deep breath. “Porsha, you’ve been here for me in ways I can’t even describe. You gave me a shot at the life I’ve always wanted but was never able to live . . . until I met you. You give me exactly what I need, and for that, I”—he looks into her eyes—“I-I love you. And I love your baby, too.”
She places his hand on her belly. “Our baby, Saint.”
He echos, “Our baby . . .” Emotions are running high through the room, but Saint composes himself enough to ask, “Porsha, will you marry me?”
She says, “Yes!” before he can even get the words out. She’s so happy.
