Never again no more 5, p.4
Never Again, No More 5, page 4
My head fell back in pleasure. “Wooo shit,” I moaned as I grabbed her head and glided it up and down. “Just like that,” I groaned. “Damn, Jenn.”
“You like?”
“Fuck yeah,” I said as she eased back down.
I turned my head to the side, damn near engrossed in the pleasure she was giving me, when I saw the craziest shit in my life: a picture of Trinity, Pooch, Terrence, and two other dudes with the words “Gruesome Homicide” underneath.
“What the fuck?” My eyes bucked at the images again.
“What? Did I do something wrong?” Jennifer asked, stopping abruptly.
“No. Wait. Get up. It’s the news.” She stood up, and I turned up the volume. The anchor gave brief details of Pooch being in the hospital and the questioning of Trinity and Thomas Marsh in a homicide. “Oh, my fucking God!”
“Do you know these people?” Jennifer asked, confused.
I nodded, jumping up. “Yes. That’s Lucinda’s best friend.” Hurriedly, I ran to my closet to put on some clothes.
“What are you doing?” Jennifer asked.
“I gotta find Lu. I have to make sure she’s all right.”
“Mike will make sure of it,” she fussed.
Glaring at her as I pulled up my jeans, I spewed, “Fuck Mike. Lucinda needs me.”
The attitude danced in her body language. “Fine. I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not. Stay here with Jessica.”
She threw her hands up. “I can’t believe this.”
“Well, believe it. I’ve gotta go.” I grabbed my keys and wallet and headed out of the house.
I hated this shit, but I didn’t have a choice. Lucinda needed me. I had to be there for her. I went to her house, but she wasn’t home. Now, if she knew about Trinity, she could’ve been at LaMeka’s house, but my better judgment told me that she was either at her mom’s house or at Mike’s. Trusting my first instinct, I went to Mike’s. I hated that I was dead on the fucking mark.
Lucinda’s car was there, and so was Mike’s. Part of me—a small part—wanted to drive off, but I loved Lu too much to give a damn about our situation. This wasn’t about getting back with her. It was simply about loving her. And love her I did. I parked my car, shook some Tic Tacs into my mouth, and proceeded to Mike’s condo.
“Who is it?” some dude asked.
“Aldris,” I answered.
After a few seconds, Mike was standing in the open doorway, and I could see Lucinda, LaMeka, and some white guy sitting in his living room. “Now isn’t the time—”
I waved my hands. “I’m not here because of you or for you. I saw the news. I wanted to make sure Lucinda was all right.”
“She’s fine,” he said tensely.
Trying to keep my composure, I asked, “Can I see her?”
He huffed and opened the door. “Come in.”
I brushed past him and ran into the living room. Lucinda jumped up from the sofa with a tearstained face.
“Lu!”
She sniffled. “Aldris,” she said sadly as I grabbed her and held her tight.
“I heard bits and pieces. I had to come to you.” I held her as she wept in my arms. “I’ve got you,” I assured her as Meka and the white guy waved at me. I sat down, and Lucinda sat beside me. Mike sat down in his recliner, glaring at us. “What happened?”
LaMeka sighed. “We don’t know. We haven’t been able to get in contact with Terrence’s sister or mom. And none of us has Trinity’s number because she was in hiding.”
“I found out that she was living in Evanston, Illinois, since they put her name on the television, but all of her numbers are unlisted,” the white guy said.
“I’m sorry and you are?”
“My bad. This is Gavin Randall, my boyfriend. Gavin, this is Aldris, Lu’s, um, well, Lu’s ex-fiancé,” LaMeka stumbled.
Gavin and I shook hands. “Nice to meet you,” we said at the same time.
“Are you all right?” I asked Lu, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
She took some Kleenex and wiped her eyes. “I just want to know what happened to her, Dri. Pooch was locked up in a federal prison, so there ain’t no way he ended up in Chicago unless he got out. And the last I heard, that crazy ho Sonja or Chocolate Flava, or whatever she wants to call herself, who had been visiting him, was locked up on some drug charges her damn self,” she said with exasperation. “I’m so upset, and I can’t get Charice to answer her damn phone. Charice’s mom is upset, and the family hasn’t talked to Trinity’s mom either, so we are all just lost on what’s going on,” she cried.
I rubbed her arm as I held her. “Damn.”
“I’m sure that Trinity will reach out to you all at some point. She’s probably tied up with the police for questioning,” Mike said. “Baby, come here,” he said to Lucinda with an outstretched hand. Lu walked to Mike, and he sat her on his lap. “Everything is going to be fine. Are there any other people who may know something?”
Muthafucka.
Lucinda shook her head. “LaMeka and I tried Rome and Skeet, but they said they haven’t talked to Terrence in months. They are worried too.”
An idea hit me. “What about the attorney for Pooch or the dude Sonja was dealing for? Maybe they know something. Do you all know their names?”
“Jacob Stein was Pooch’s attorney,” Lucinda said. “But it’s a Saturday. He’s not in his office, and I’m sure his number is unlisted. He probably wouldn’t release any info to us anyway.”
LaMeka hit her head. “Sonja was dealing for that dude, umm, what’s the guy who took over Pooch’s cousin’s old spot?”
Lucinda snapped her fingers. “Umm, Skrilla or some bullshit like that.”
“Yeah! Skrilla. That’s it. Maybe Skrilla knows what’s up,” LaMeka said.
“I know somebody who could probably get us Skrilla’s number,” Mike said. We all looked at him curiously. “Alize,” he said, picking up the phone and dialing Rod’s number.
Why couldn’t I have thought of that first? I thought as he called our boy Rod.
“Ay yo, Rod. Is Alize there? Cool. Ask her if she knows a dude named Skrilla. She does. Does she happen to have his number? Or know how we can meet up with him?” Mike grabbed some paper and wrote down some information, thanked Rod, and hung up. “I’ve got the address for his main spot.”
“Let’s go,” Lucinda and LaMeka said, jumping up together.
I stood up, and Mike walked up to me. “I think we can handle it from here, bruh. We appreciate your concern.”
Gavin and LaMeka eyed each other as if some shit were about to jump off.
I looked at Lucinda and then at Mike. “Trinity was my friend too, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to tag along to find out what’s going on for myself. Is that all right with you, Lu?”
She bit her lip, sighed, and walked up to me. “I appreciate your concern. I really do, but I don’t think—given the circumstances—it’s a great idea.”
Lifting her chin with my thumb and forefinger, I disagreed with her assessment. “It’s not about that. It’s about Trinity and making sure that you, LaMeka, and Charice are okay.”
Our look lingered for a moment before she turned away. She looked at Mike before gently pulling him to the side to talk privately. We saw Mike’s face tense up, his nostrils flare, and his face contort as Lucinda talked.
LaMeka looked at me. “You need to be cool, Aldris,” she whispered.
I shrugged. “I am. I promise.”
Just then Mike nodded, shaking his head in disbelief, and they walked back over to us.
“Let’s go,” Lucinda said. “You too, Aldris.”
We gathered our things, and I was the last one out the door before Mike. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “I’ve got my eye on you. I promise you if this is a ploy to try to steal Lucinda back, I’ma—”
“Do what?” I asked, interrupting him. “You screwed me over, remember? Isn’t that enough punishment for me, friend? Besides, you and Lu are tight now. You have nothing to worry about. Right?”
“Yeah, right.” He nodded and tried to keep up his brave front, but I already knew his confidence was shaken. Mike only threatened someone when he felt threatened. I hadn’t been his friend for twenty-plus years and not learned something.
“Yeah, right.” We caught up with the others, and we all hopped into Mike’s SUV. I sat right beside Lucinda and watched Mike stare at us through his rearview mirror. I smiled at him and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “We need to get there sometime today, Mike,” I said. He grudgingly cranked up his SUV.
“Somebody else needs to invest in a truck so I don’t have to drive all the fucking time,” he fussed, and Lucinda shrugged away from me.
It didn’t matter that she did. She’d already allowed herself to be inside my arms to comfort her and inside her circle to console her. Thus, my point was proven to ol’ Mikey boy. Lu still cared for me, and what we had couldn’t easily be broken no matter if we were together or not.
Chapter 6
Lincoln
I arrived home to my big, luxurious, and empty house—“empty” being the operative word. London was staying with my mom, and she’d agreed to keep her an extra night to give me some time to rest from my business trip. Yep, I said business trip. I knew my parents would never approve of my relationship with Charice, at least not by way of an affair. Also, I didn’t want London thinking that was the way that marriages and relationships were supposed to go. Just because I was having an affair didn’t mean I believed in them. Hell, I knew it was dead-ass wrong, but like the song said, if loving Charice was wrong, then I didn’t wanna be right.
It all began with my quiet reserve as I fought for the right to be in my daughter’s life. Charice and Ryan contacted me by phone, and we all sat down at my house to discuss how we would handle the custody with Lexi. As much as I wanted to beat the shit out of Ryan, I knew that if I acted a fool, it could risk my relationship with London and completely stop any attempts at a relationship with Lexi. Therefore, I did the manly thing and fell back. I had to put my daughters first. At any rate, through all Ryan’s sarcasm, nasty quips, and snappy comments in and out of court, I remained the cool, calm, and collected one along with Charice. “Kill them with kindness” was a lesson I’d never forget. It helped me land Charice again.
I would never forget the day that Charice admitted how she felt for me. It was like an unsung melody she finally composed, creating music to my ears. It was right before my first visit with Lexi that I contacted Charice to confirm our meeting time for the visit. She’d asked if I could meet her at my parents’ old house in Queens again, and I just knew there was gonna be some shit. But I’d agreed. I didn’t want to fight Charice in court over Lexi, but I would’ve done just that had she followed her punk-ass husband in an attempt to keep me from my child. I had planned on telling her just that when I arrived. That time, she beat me there.
“Hey.” I issued the greeting as I climbed out of my F-150.
“Hey,” she replied, getting out of her McLaren.
“I see you remembered your way this time.” My sarcasm was at an all-time high as I opened the door to the house and let her inside.
“Funny,” she sneered.
“I’m just saying.”
She walked into the living room, gliding her fingers down the bookshelf on the way. “I’ve always felt so peaceful in this house. Well, except the time before.”
The sight before me caused me to suck my bottom lip. I wanted to beat myself in the head for watching Charice’s ass switch left to right in those sexy-ass low-rise skinny jeans. Why couldn’t I get it in my head that she’d chosen her husband and not me? And what right did I have to be jealous about it? She was Ryan’s first, even taking his hand in marriage before mine. She did a half turn in her stilettos that showed off the muscle tone in her legs. Being a dancer was in her blood. I could tell by her feet and her posture. Long, slender, sexy legs. She brushed away a strand of hair from her face. Diva. Goddess. Cleopatra reborn. I had to get away from her quickly. Why did I have to get her pregnant? Now I had to be tortured all my life by seeing the only woman I’d ever loved love someone else.
“You okay?” she asked, breaking my trance.
“Huh?”
“You seemed a million miles away. Are you okay?”
Clearing my throat shook me out of my daze. “Yes. I don’t mean to rush you here, but this is an awfully long way to travel just for you to give me the time that I am due to visit my daughter. Can we get on with the point of this meeting?” Not that I was trying to be mean, but rather, I was trying to contain myself. How could she choose Ryan?
She looked away. “Wow. I didn’t realize I was intruding on your time—”
“No, you’re not. It’s just that I don’t see the point of coming all the way out here for something that could’ve been discussed on the phone.”
She walked toward me. Jesus, help me. She stopped face-to-face with me. “I wanted to talk to you. It’s hard to do that with Ryan breathing down our necks. You understand?”
“True.” I nodded, standing with my hands on my waist. “So what’s up?”
“Umm, I wanted to thank you for telling me the truth about yourself, our breakup, and Ryan. I truly appreciate that from the bottom of my heart,” she said sweetly, staring into my eyes.
“You’re welcome.”
“And I wanted to thank you for being calm and considerate during this entire process with Lexi. I know Ryan has been a complete ass to you even though you are the one who should be upset. However, you never stooped to his level, and you put Lexi’s well-being first. I admire and appreciate that, too.” She palmed my cheek with her right hand. “It takes a helluva man to—”
I grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from my face. “What the hell is going on, Charice?” I grew tense from her nearness. “Why are you intentionally fucking with me right now? Hmm? You think this is funny. Are you mocking my feelings?”
She shook her head. “No, Lincoln. I would never—”
“You would never what?” I interrupted, stepping back from her. “Hurt me?”
She stepped back and conceded, “I deserved that.”
Rubbing my head, I heaved a sigh. “No, I was out of line. I appreciate you taking the time to acknowledge what I did.”
“But?” she probed, eyeing me closely.
“But I still don’t get why we had to meet here to discuss this. Is there something that you need to tell me? On the real, if Ryan is trying to renege on his word regarding Lexi, I’m telling you right now to lawyer up.”
She put her hands up. “Wait. Whoa. It’s nothing like that, Lincoln. Christ. I would never do that . . . again. I thought we were past this.”
“I thought so too, but you called me all the way out here to thank me. I’m sorry, but I find that kind of odd. Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. But you’re right. I did call you all the way out here to thank you. So let me thank you.” And with that she walked up to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. “Thank you,” she said breathlessly.
I eyed her for a moment, and then I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her back. “You’re welcome.”
We stared at each other and, without another word, went straight at it. “This shit is crazy, Charice. What are we doing?” I asked as we fell on the sofa half undressed.
“Damn. Has it been that long for you? It’s called having sex, Lincoln.” She eyed me sexily while continuing to unbuckle my jeans.
“Hold the fuck up.” I stood up. “The last time we talked, you told me you were staying with your husband. You took your vows. You were honoring them. Now if Ryan has pissed you off today, then take it up with your husband. I’m not gonna be your feel-good sex. You made that decision. Live with it.” I put my shirt back on.
She sat up and put her face in her hands. “Okay. Okay. I just thought this would be better, that I could do this if I moved fast.”
“Do what?” I asked, irritated.
“Tell you that I fucked up!” she hollered. “God. I love you, Lincoln. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I hate myself for it. I thought I could deal with not being with you anymore, but after this shit with Ryan soaked in, I realized just how much I truly loved you, how I never stopped.”
Talk about blown away. Everything I wanted to hear and never expected to hear again just rolled out of her mouth in one swoop. To say I was shocked was an understatement.
“Well, say something,” she bawled, wiping her tears.
I sat beside her and placed my hand on her knee. “I’m just . . . I don’t know what to say to this, Charice. I’ve wanted to hear those words for so long, and now that you’ve said them, damn.”
She let out a nervous gasp. “You don’t feel the same way anymore.”
“No. No. Hell no. I do. You’re just married. Aren’t you?”
“Yes. I am.”
“So what happened to honoring your vows?”
“I figured I vowed to be married, not to be faithful. Ryan has screwed me over since I was fifteen, Lincoln. I can’t let him take away the one person I have who’s real. And that’s you. I love my life. It’s stable. My boys are happy. But I’m not. So why can’t I have my life and you, too? Why can’t I be selfish for once?”
“Babe, I get it. But an affair? I mean, why don’t you just leave him?”
“Are you not listening to me?” she asked, facing me. “You have my heart. I’ll give that to you, but I can’t put my kids through more heartache. Ray still calls Charity’s name at night in his sleep, and Ryan Jr. looks at her picture every night and cries. They are not ready for another major life-altering shift. They love their dad, and Ryan has finally turned into a great dad. I cannot take that away from them. I want you, but I have a responsibility to my household and my kids. They come first.”
“So basically, what you’re telling me is that I can have your heart but not your hand in marriage?”
She nodded. “I guess so. Yes.”
“What if I say it’s all or nothing?” I asked, walking over to the window and peering out.
