me?” I pointed at myself, grinning innocently.
“Yeah, you. What were you two talking about?” James obviously sensed something, but I don’t think he understood the full magnitude of what was going on.
“She wants me to go home with her tonight.” I lit my cigarette, my eyes still glued on Tiffany’s behind.
James laughed. “Get the fuck outta here. She does not!”
I gave him a very serious look. My words were condescending. “Okay, if you say so.”
James studied my face. “Oh, shit. You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Serious as a heart attack.”
“Just like that. After all these years, she just walks up to you and asks you to sleep with her?”
“Well, we did dance first.”
He stared at me a moment, then finally said, “Daaaaaamn, women are bold these days.”
“It’s the world we live in, bro. Look at how they treat Brent. Get used to it.”
“So, what’d you tell her? You gonna do it?”
I took a long drag of my cigarette, then exhaled as I answered his question with another question. “What would you tell the woman with the best coochie you ever had in your life if she offered you some?”
I grinned smugly, smoking my cigarette as he contemplated my question. After a few seconds, he smiled, reaching in his wallet. He pulled out a condom and handed it to me. At that point, we both knew his answer.
“Don’t make the same mistake I did. But don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He patted me on the back, and I actually stuck out my chest with pride.
“Don’t worry, I will…and a whole lot more.” I took another drag of my cigarette and started walking toward the door to get my coat.
“Hey, Sonny? What about Jessica?”
I stopped and turned toward my friend. “What about her? What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
11
James
Cathy and I were on our way home from Brent’s wedding when we got stuck in a terrible traffic jam on the Cross Island Parkway. Her head was on my shoulder and I was holding her hand as I drove. I think she fell asleep about ten minutes into the drive, although she made overtures before we left the reception that she wanted to make love when we got home. I didn’t have a problem with that at all. Matter of fact, it made me contemplate the question Sonny had posed to me before he left to sleep with Tiffany.
What would you tell the woman with the best coochie you ever had in your life if she offered you some?
As a man who wants to be honest with himself, I had to admit that I’d probably take her up on the offer. Thank God, unlike Sonny, the best coochie I’ve ever had belonged to my wife. Yeah, I cheated on her with Michelle a few years back, but I wasn’t proud of it, especially with all this craziness with her claiming I was her baby’s daddy. However, it wasn’t because of the sex that I strayed from my marriage. It was because we lost our connection as friends and we stopped talking to each other. Don’t get me wrong. There was a sexual connection between me and Michelle, but it would have never happened if Cathy and I hadn’t stopped being friends.
When we finally pulled into the driveway, it started to rain hard. Despite the dreary weather, Cathy woke up smiling seductively, and it was obvious what was on her mind. She guided my hand to her crotch, pulling up her dress, and I could feel the heat through the thin material of her lace thong.
“I’m so wet,” she whispered.
I began to rub between her legs gently, and a soft moan escaped from her mouth as she rested her head back on her head-rest.
“I want some, James. I want some bad.” She moaned again just as my fingers found the little button she called her “spot.” She closed her eyes and enjoyed my smooth, easy touch for a few seconds. “You know you owe me from last night.”
We hadn’t had sex last night as we had planned. When I got home from babysitting Marcus, Cathy had been in a deep sleep, and to be truthful, I was glad. I was too mentally drained to do anything, especially after Marcus almost choked to death on that lollipop. All I wanted to do was go to sleep and forget.
“So, you gonna give me some or what?” She reached over to grab my manhood and I stopped her with my free hand.
“I don’t know, Cathy. I’m a little tired,” I teased.
“Tired?” If looks could kill I’d be dead. “Well, you better go inside and drink a cup of coffee or something, ’cause I need some. I ain’t had none in over a week. And you know how I am when I ain’t had none in a while.” She forced her hand free from my grasp and it landed in my lap. She had a smile a mile wide when she felt the rock-hard pipe under my tuxedo pants. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout.”
The rain let up for a few seconds and Cathy immediately released my manhood and reached for the door.
“Come on now, James,” she whined, suggesting I wasn’t moving fast enough. “I told you I want some.”
“Aw’ight, boo, I’m coming.” I reached for my door and she smiled, rushing out of the car. “I’ll meet you upstairs. I wanna take a shower and put on something sexy.” She sounded giddy as she ran to the front door ahead of me.
When I got in the house, the sound of running water floated down the stairs. I slid out of my tuxedo jacket and was about to slip off my cummerbund when the phone rang. “I got it,” I yelled up the stairs, reaching for the phone. As usual, I checked the caller ID. The number was unavailable.
“Hello.”
“James?” I almost pissed on myself when I heard Michelle’s voice. Instinctively, I covered the phone, tilting my head and listening to make sure the shower was still running.
“What the hell are you calling my house for?” I hissed into the phone. Threats were one thing, calling my cell phone was another, but I couldn’t believe she had actually dialed my home number again. This chick was getting on my nerves. “I told you about this shit.”
“Don’t be screaming on me, James. I tried to call you on your cell phone, but you didn’t answer.” She was right. I’d cut my ringer off for the wedding ceremony and had completely forgotten to turn it back on.
“This better be important, Michelle, and don’t even think about asking me to babysit. You already told me you don’t have to work tonight.”
“I don’t want you to babysit, James,” she said coldly. “I need you to go to the twenty-four-hour Walgreens on Guy Brewer and get me some Children’s Tylenol. Marcus has a fever.”
“You gotta be kidding. You go get it!” I knew I sounded belligerent and unfeeling, but this girl was going too far.
“You know I ain’t got no car and it’s raining outside. I’m not taking my baby out in the rain. He’s sick already.”
“I’m busy, Michelle. Don’t you have some dude who can help you? Damn, you know you need a man.”
“Very funny, James. And no, I ain’t got nobody to help me. You my help! So stop trying to avoid your responsibility.”
Suddenly, the upstairs bathroom door opened. I looked up and Cathy was at the top of the stairs with only a towel wrapped around her. I don’t think she had a clue who was on the phone or what we were talking about, but I panicked. I dropped the phone on the floor, and by the time I got my shit together, Cathy was headed down the stairs. I scrambled to pick it up.
“Sweetheart, you don’t care if I don’t wear a nighty, do you? It’s only going to come off once we get started.”
“Whatever