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  “Is there anything else I could help you with today?” She twirled her hair in her fingers and blushed when I slowly licked my lips.

  “I’m diggin’ yo’ whole natural thing.” Her face went red as she bowed her head and ran her fingers through her locs. Soon, our conversation went from her hairstyle to her structured rose-colored cheeks that accentuated her chestnut skin and petite frame, all leading to her giving me her number. I ignored the impatient customers tappin’ their feet and clearin’ their throats behind me in the teller line. She was mine, and I’d have her panties on my wall by the end of the week.

  • • •

  “What do you do?”

  “I work in insurance.” I chugged down my Bud Light Lime and looked into her eyes when she spoke. We sat across from each other at dinner as she nervously snickered and twirled her hair like a teenage girl. I hated the initial “gettin’ to know you convo” that all first dates were accustomed to. With Simoné, we skipped all that and got down to the nitty-gritty. With Loraine, I was back to fake smiles, corny jokes and empty discussions about our future.

  “That seems boring. What made you get into that?”

  “It’s not that borin’. You got good and bad days.” With my steak halfway done and my second beer runnin’ through me, I was ready to end the night at her place. I’ll admit she was difficult to read. We’d end up with her legs on my shoulders, but her shyness made me question how long it’d take. I liked good girls for two reasons: they were good at pretending they were too wholesome to fuck too early, and they were even better when they did. “Whatchu got planned for tonight?”

  “After dinner?” She looked down at her empty plate and realized that the night was coming to a close. “I dunno. Did you have plans?”

  “I’m leaving that up to you.”

  She smiled and swallowed the rest of her Shirley Temple. “I guess we can get out of here and go from there.”

  I asked for the check and led her to my car. With a full stomach and a tipsy mind, I was all but aching to see what treasure she hid beneath her pencil skirt. It took all my strength not to reach over and feel between her thighs as we drove home. She was feelin’ me, but I couldn’t risk movin’ too fast an’ leavin’ wit’ nothing.

  When we stopped outside her apartment building, I turned off the ignition and waited for her to make the invitation. We sat in my car quietly as our breaths surrounded our silence. After glancing at her phone, her nervous smile slightly faded as she looked up at her building. “I would invite you in, but I have to get up in the morning.”

  Damn. I realized our night would go one of two ways. I mentally calmed the beast in my pants and nodded. “Okay, I understand.”

  I pulled her face close to mine and then slid my tongue between her lips. She pulled back initially and surrendered her lips to me. She moaned as I gripped the back of her neck and slipped my lips over hers. I let my other hand creep up her thigh as she tickled my tongue with hers. As my hand moved closer to her panties, I sucked and nibbled on her lips to distract her from my mission. She kept moaning as our kiss goodnight turned into more than she bargained for. I kept her close to me and licked her lips to my satisfaction. Then I let my fingers tickle her drippin’ wet pussy folds while my tongue ventured for the back of her throat. She innocently spread her thighs to let my hand go in further. I expected her to move away but was surprised when she guided my hand to her g-spot. We sucked each other’s lips as I finger-fucked her in her parking lot. She hadn’t expected to let me get this far, but wit’ magic fingers like mine, I wouldn’t have to stop ’til she came. However, until my penis felt what it grew hard for, I couldn’t allow her to come before me.

  When her body vibrated and she squeezed my shirt with her tongue atop mine, I pulled away against her demands and smiled. “You sure you don’t want me to come in?”

  She caught her breath and stared at me with confusion and frustration. She looked back up at her apartment and shook her head. “You can’t. I can’t let you in tonight.” She fixed her panties and wiped the sweat from her forehead. After pullin’ down my visor, she pulled up her locs and retouched her lipstick.

  As I watched her prep herself to walk into her own apartment, I laughed at my sudden realization. “Is there a specific reason why I can’t come up?”

  “N-no,” she stuttered. “I’m…” She calmed down and caught her breath. “I’m not that type of girl. Maybe next time.” She smiled and unlocked the door. “Call me later?”

  I nodded and watched as she scurried away. There was no doubt in my mind that she was runnin’ to meet the man she left at home. I assumed that she expected he’d be home later, but her timin’ was off. I’m sure this wasn’t the first time a woman used me to satisfy the void her man left in her sex life; however, this was the first time I was made aware. I didn’t enjoy being the same type of man that took my woman from me, but I couldn’t deny the role I played. I was the man who paid no regard to the lives my lovers lived outside of my bedroom. Plus, I couldn’t lose out on the chance to lie up with a woman whose pussy was tighter than I had felt in a long time. I drove away, ignoring the guilt I felt for knowingly planning to lie with another man’s woman.

  • • •

  When I saw Loraine two weeks later, I assumed the secluded diner where she asked me to meet her was a location her man rarely frequented. I asked no questions; I went with the flow and gave her the fuel she needed to eventually drop her panties at the time of my choosing.

  “You come here often?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and sipped on her lukewarm coffee. “As often as I can.”

  With little desire to force small talk, I got right to it. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “You don’t wanna order anything first?”

  “I ate a few hours ago and I’m still full.”

  “You sure? The pancakes here are really good. And where would we go?”

  “Anywhere but here.”

  “I dunno, Riq.”

  “I missed you. I haven’t seen those eyes in too long.” I leaned in closer to her and deviously smirked. “I don’t wanna share you with anyone.”

  She turned her head to hide her wide grin. Checking her watch, she nodded. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”

  We left her jeep at the diner and I drove her to my place to avoid any possible run-ins with her man. When I walked her inside, I led her over to my couch and turned on the TV. I dunno what was playing, but I needed her distracted long enough to let me kiss down her neck. Like always, she coyly pretended as if she didn’t want it and moved away from me.

  “You have a really nice townhouse.”

  I smiled and pulled her closer. “I told you. I want you all to myself.”

  She licked her lips and invited me to kiss them. I leaned in and gently kissed her plump lips while grippin’ the back of her neck. This time, I wasn’t takin’ it slow. I couldn’t risk her getting a call from her man demanding to know her whereabouts while she lied her way out of my embrace. I held on to her waist and laid her back on my couch. When I spread her legs and began pullin’ down her panties, she resisted. I compromised by putting my fingers to work while I sucked in her lips. She moaned as her arms wrapped around my neck and she willingly spread her thighs for my fingers to get through. She whispered, “Ooh…yes.”

  With my approval for entry, I pulled the condom out from my back pocket, unbuckled my pants, and sucked and nibbled on the side of her neck. With her panties to the side, I slid myself inside of her and trembled as her lips gripped my dick. It felt like I was in something brand new as she clenched her jaw to hold in her shrieks of satisfaction. “Do you want me to stop?” I whispered into her ear as her hips gyrated beneath me.

  “Don’t stop.” Her legs spread wider to give me room to dig deeper. I pulled down her dreads so I could watch them bounce off her shoulders as I thrust inside her.

  Unprepared for how good she felt, I moaned, too. “Shit.” I gripped the couch cushions. I was clos
er to a come than I thought I would be.

  I pulled up her shirt and unhooked her bra to reveal perfectly round breasts. With a body like hers, my initial guilt resurfaced. I didn’t want her to myself because she’d only remind me of unnecessary pain. She damn sho’ wasn’t no saint, but wit’ lips that supple and a body that stacked, some man had to be missin’ her.

  “I’m about to come,” she revealed as her body shook. As she screamed in satisfaction, her legs wobbled and the veins in her throat surfaced. I watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her neck and her pussy lips held on to my dick and vibrated. I wanted to come too, but I held back and slid out before her grip forced me to change course.

  I sat back on the couch and watched the seven o’clock news on my TV screen. There was a report runnin’ about how neighbors found the body of a local businessman shot in the head. Apparently, a cheatin’ wife’s husband found her lover sneakin’ out the back door. Husband got him before he hit the lawn. Immediately, I was cold. I remembered this Bible verse my mama once told me. “A jealous husband shows no mercy.” I ain’t wanna be the man that stood between a woman and her jealous man. Loraine sat back and caught her breath.

  As we avoided each other’s eye contact, I checked the time. “Did you want me to take you back to the diner?”

  She didn’t look at me. She nodded and fixed her crooked panties. “I need to use your bathroom for a quick sec.”

  I pointed toward my half bath and watched her hips rock from side to side as she strutted inside. While the bathroom sink kept flowing, she was tryin’ to wash my scent from her skin and conceal her cheatin’ ways wit’ cheap perfume and warm water. When she walked back out, her hair was up, lipstick back on and low-cut shirt tucked back in her skirt.

  “You ready to go?”

  She nodded her head and headed toward my door. We didn’t have any more words to exchange. We got what we wanted from each other although our guilt continued to tap us on our shoulders, callously reminding us of the experience we shared. While it wasn’t all my fault for breaking up a happy home, but not long ago, I wouldn’t even think to screw another man’s woman. I changed my ways to keep up with the times. No one was faithful anymore. For all I knew, her man was prolly between the legs of another woman while he checked his watch and made sure she wasn’t home. I was playing the game all men were tryna win.

  CHAPTER 15

  Tariq

  Two years ago…

  Life isn’t meant to be lived alone. At night, everyone gets lonely. I start craving the opportunity to hold someone. I begin wanting to caress the soft skin of a woman who wants nothing but to lie close to me. Eventually, I yearn for the whisper of her voice in my ear, professing her love for me. The random women that I picked up at banks, soul food restaurants, or park benches weren’t enough to feed my hunger for companionship. My sex drive seemed quenched, but I stayed hungry.

  Damien was the man who pushed me into my path of hedonism and recklessness. With a slew of women under my belt, I could thank him for giving me the courage to stop playing the sucker and play women instead—get them before they got me. My gratitude, however, was mysteriously absent when I saw him at the gym.

  “What have you been up to since you left the job?”

  He wiped the sweat off his face and shrugged his shoulders. “You know, same ol’ same. I got a job workin’ in collections. Doing me, y’know?”

  I rested my back against the wall and waited for my turn to use the set of weights I’d been eyeing. “How’s everything else? You finally settled down yet?”

  He cut his eyes at me and chuckled. “Who me? Why the hell would I do something stupid like that?”

  “You been single longer than I have. You almost forty now, right? Ain’t it time to give it up?”

  “I ain’t never givin’ it up. Bitches ain’t shit.” Damien grabbed one of the heavier free weights and started doing reps. “Why you askin’? You been pussy whipped all yo’ life. I hope you ain’t plannin’ on settlin’ down again.”

  “I’m thirty. Of course, I’m thinkin’ ’bout it.”

  “What does that mean? Hoes are hoes at any age. You had yo’ fill already?”

  “I mean, it’s cool, but you don’t get tired of a different woman every other night? Playin’ games, not havin’ anyone to hold you down. Deja definitely pulled one ova on me, but I liked believing that she was down fo’ me. I don’t have that living like this.”

  “Fuck it. Get married then. Don’t let me stop you. I’m happy. If it wasn’t fo’ bitches, I’d be living off my millions after goin’ pro straight from college. Instead, I’m workin’, callin’ mothafuckas, an’ askin’ them for money. You wanna wife one of these hoes, cool. Don’t get mad when they pull another one ova on you, like they always do.”

  When my weights were free to use, I walked over to them to start my reps. I was conflicted. Damien made sense, but I couldn’t help but not feel right. It didn’t feel normal going through women like objects. I wanted to slow down and recharge my batteries. I wasn’t lookin’ for a wife, but I did want something more than this. Whether Damien saw it or not, good women gave men balance. The men focused less on sleepin’ around and focused more on their goals. My mama was living proof good women were out there. I ain’t wanna be the forty-year-old player makin’ a livin’ workin’ collections and fuckin’ bitches.

  When I left the gym, I called Simoné. She didn’t answer. When I called the second time, I hung up after the third ring. I wanted to hear the sound of her voice. When her automated voicemail robbed me of that opportunity, I sat at a green light, confused. Staring at my phone, I didn’t notice the three cars behind me honking. I stepped on the gas and pulled into the corner store parking lot. I somberly walked through the entrance and trekked down the aisles in search of bubble gum and hot fries.

  “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are the best.” The sultry voice tickled my eardrums and excited me in more ways than I thought it would. When Simoné’s thick black bangs and glossed supple lips greeted me, I smiled mischievously as my eyes slid down to her red pumps, up her long legs, and stopped at the sight of her breasts squeezed unmercifully in her push-up bra. It looked like she threw on her nude, skintight dress to come see me.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I said.

  She looked me up and down and grinned. “Whatchu doin’?”

  “On my way home so I can head to work late.” We stood there in the snack aisle, staring each other down, waiting for the other to say something. “Whatchu doin’? You going’ somewhere?”

  “I’m mindin’ my business.” She gazed at me a lil’ while longer and turned on her heel. Before I let her walk away, I held her elbow and blocked her way. She pulled back and folded her arms across her chest. “What, Riq?”

  “Where you goin’ so fast? You ain’t got shit to say to me?”

  Simoné twirled her neck. “What would I have to say to you?”

  “I called you. You ain’t answer.”

  “And?” She stood there silently and dared me to question her avoidance.

  I licked my lips and chuckled. “So you avoiding me now?”

  “What the fuck do you want, Riq? You ignored my calls, so why can’t I ignore yours?”

  “I can’t wanna talk to you?”

  “If you wanted to talk to me, you wouldn’t have pushed me away like you did.” She turned around to walk away, and I skirted around her to stop her from leaving again.

  She stomped her foot on the ground and grunted. “Riq, would you leave me alone? I blew you up like some groupie while you acted like I wasn’t shit. Now you wanna stand in my way like you care about my feelings. If you genuinely cared, you wouldn’t have tried me like you did. I’m tired of you trifling niggas coming in my face like I’m supposed to run back to you when you decide you’re ready to make this work. Fuck you, Riq. Get out of my way.”

  I wasn’t about to beg Simoné for a chance. I respected her frustrations, and although I wanted a chance at making things work, I wasn�
��t about to make an ass out of myself at a raggedy corner store.

  I nodded and stepped to the side. “All right. Do you.”

  She clowned me, but I wasn’t about to let her gain the satisfaction of watching me beg for her. As I walked away, she was still standing behind me with her arms folded. I didn’t even get what I went in there to get. I got in my car and headed home to get ready for work.

  For the past three weeks, I was preparing to interview for a promotion to Compliance Manager. The last thing I needed was to worry about was a bad meeting wit’ Simoné. I ain’t even answer when her name came up on my cell phone.

  • • •

  When I got home from work, it was late. I sat on my couch drinking a beer. I cleared Simoné’s missed calls from my screen and deleted her unread text messages. I considered callin’ it a night when I got a call from Damien. “What’s up?”

  “I heard you got the promotion!”

  I was smiling but held my composure. “It’s not set in stone yet, but I’m pretty sure I did.”

  “Nigga, please. You know you did. Who else were they goin’ hire, Big Luke from accounting? That job was yours before you even walked in to the interview.”

  “How you know all this? You talkin’ like you still work there.”

  He chuckled. “Just ’cause I don’t work there don’t mean I don’t know people that still do. An’ I got good news, too. I left collections. One of my boys got me on this personal trainer gig. I’m making more and setting my own hours.”

  “That’s what’s up!” Lookin’ at the time, I asked, “What were yo’ plans for tonight?”

  “There’s this new club off OBT that we should roll through. I heard the ratio of women to men is like twelve to one. Plus, they got bottles goin’ fo’ forty. It’s goin’ be on point. And wit’ this promotion, we gotta celebrate.”

  My phone beeped. Simoné was callin’ again. I sighed and smacked my lips. “All right, let’s go.”