raises the can so high that some soda spills all over the top of my lips.
“Hey, let me get that off for you.”
He removes a piece of tissue from a box that’s sitting on the coffee table. With the paper clutched in his fingers, he leans over, then presses his lips against mine.
“Oh,” I try to say, and squirm in my seat.
Scottie’s eyes are closed, and he continues to kiss me. His lips are warm and soft. I relax and let the man kiss me for a few seconds.
“Did you like that? Did I offend you?”
“Oh Scottie, this is a bit much for me.”
“Aw, damn, I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure you.”
“We are in your brother’s house. What if he walked in on us?”
“He needs to know that I’m trying to date you. He’s going to have to grow up.”
“Yeah, but …”
“But nothing. We’ve been kicking it since I was at your crib. And for a minute, it seemed you didn’t care what Neil thought. Now you act like you shy or something. Where’s my little spitfire, my little I-don’t-give-a-damn woman?”
“She’s still here.”
“Show me!”
“This isn’t the time or the place.”
“You want to go to my room?”
“Be serious, Scottie.” I laugh. “You’re so different from your brother.”
“And do not compare me to him. I’ve been through a lot. You’re probably the most illegal thing Neil has ever gotten himself into. Shit, I’m shocked that y’all hooked up, knowing my brother.”
“Um, yeah,” I say feeling uncomfortable. This house brings back so many memories of when we’d have the hots for each other but couldn’t do much since it felt like Anya’s eyes were on us even when she wasn’t home. And although it’s been over three years since Neil and I were messing around, it feels weird to discuss what happened with Scottie. But since it’s true that the guy definitely ain’t married to me, I should try and be more forthcoming.
“I think it was mostly on my part, the reason we hooked up.”
“Do tell.”
“It’s too damned long of a story.”
Scottie laughs and squeezes my hand. “So you
do
listen to me. Trying to steal my lines.”
“You trying to steal my woman.” Scottie and I both look up. Neil is standing in front of us. He’s no longer dressed in his work clothes. He is wearing a blue tank top and some black workout shorts. His legs are so muscular. I stare harder and notice a bulge in his shorts. Incredible. I want to laugh out loud, but that would be too rude.
So I sit and observe like I’m at a tennis match.
“She
was
your woman. Not anymore.”
“This is the mother of my child. Nothing can change that.”
“Yeah, well, that’s all she is to you, Neil. Y’all not about to go back in the past.”
“You don’t know what we do,” he says a little too loudly.
I gasp. Neil’s just trying to pretend like we’re messing around, even though we’re not.
“You’re lying, Neil.”
“And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have a place to stay. As a matter of fact, when you gonna throw down for some rent? You always in the refrigerator. You always playing music all night long, using up electricity.”
“You make the big bucks down there at the great medical center.”
“I’m a real man. That’s what real men do.”
“Man, hold up now.” Scottie stands up and faces Neil. “I’m a man, too. I work hard; it’s just that I’m waiting to hear back from some companies. I’ve been on at least six interviews.”
When Scottie decided he was staying in town, he said he missed Texas and wanted to take his chances here and see if he could get a job and not have to move back to Detroit. In the daily telephone conversations that we’ve held since meeting, Scottie’s told me how he’s doing everything he can to make sure his return to Houston is permanent.
“And what have you been doing the rest of the time, huh, Scottie? Looking for work is a full-time job. You can’t go on two interviews a couple of times a week and expect to
“Hey, let me get that off for you.”
He removes a piece of tissue from a box that’s sitting on the coffee table. With the paper clutched in his fingers, he leans over, then presses his lips against mine.
“Oh,” I try to say, and squirm in my seat.
Scottie’s eyes are closed, and he continues to kiss me. His lips are warm and soft. I relax and let the man kiss me for a few seconds.
“Did you like that? Did I offend you?”
“Oh Scottie, this is a bit much for me.”
“Aw, damn, I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure you.”
“We are in your brother’s house. What if he walked in on us?”
“He needs to know that I’m trying to date you. He’s going to have to grow up.”
“Yeah, but …”
“But nothing. We’ve been kicking it since I was at your crib. And for a minute, it seemed you didn’t care what Neil thought. Now you act like you shy or something. Where’s my little spitfire, my little I-don’t-give-a-damn woman?”
“She’s still here.”
“Show me!”
“This isn’t the time or the place.”
“You want to go to my room?”
“Be serious, Scottie.” I laugh. “You’re so different from your brother.”
“And do not compare me to him. I’ve been through a lot. You’re probably the most illegal thing Neil has ever gotten himself into. Shit, I’m shocked that y’all hooked up, knowing my brother.”
“Um, yeah,” I say feeling uncomfortable. This house brings back so many memories of when we’d have the hots for each other but couldn’t do much since it felt like Anya’s eyes were on us even when she wasn’t home. And although it’s been over three years since Neil and I were messing around, it feels weird to discuss what happened with Scottie. But since it’s true that the guy definitely ain’t married to me, I should try and be more forthcoming.
“I think it was mostly on my part, the reason we hooked up.”
“Do tell.”
“It’s too damned long of a story.”
Scottie laughs and squeezes my hand. “So you
do
listen to me. Trying to steal my lines.”
“You trying to steal my woman.” Scottie and I both look up. Neil is standing in front of us. He’s no longer dressed in his work clothes. He is wearing a blue tank top and some black workout shorts. His legs are so muscular. I stare harder and notice a bulge in his shorts. Incredible. I want to laugh out loud, but that would be too rude.
So I sit and observe like I’m at a tennis match.
“She
was
your woman. Not anymore.”
“This is the mother of my child. Nothing can change that.”
“Yeah, well, that’s all she is to you, Neil. Y’all not about to go back in the past.”
“You don’t know what we do,” he says a little too loudly.
I gasp. Neil’s just trying to pretend like we’re messing around, even though we’re not.
“You’re lying, Neil.”
“And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have a place to stay. As a matter of fact, when you gonna throw down for some rent? You always in the refrigerator. You always playing music all night long, using up electricity.”
“You make the big bucks down there at the great medical center.”
“I’m a real man. That’s what real men do.”
“Man, hold up now.” Scottie stands up and faces Neil. “I’m a man, too. I work hard; it’s just that I’m waiting to hear back from some companies. I’ve been on at least six interviews.”
When Scottie decided he was staying in town, he said he missed Texas and wanted to take his chances here and see if he could get a job and not have to move back to Detroit. In the daily telephone conversations that we’ve held since meeting, Scottie’s told me how he’s doing everything he can to make sure his return to Houston is permanent.
“And what have you been doing the rest of the time, huh, Scottie? Looking for work is a full-time job. You can’t go on two interviews a couple of times a week and expect to
Similar Books
