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  Now, I’m not in the usual habit of sending women I’ve never met flowers, but Diane had done me a huge favor, which I totally hadn’t expected. So to thank her, I sent her a dozen white roses. I figured if I ever needed her help again, she would always remember the flowers. Well, to say she was flattered would have been an understatement. She was overwhelmed. Two days later she sent me some Tommy Boy cologne, which was my favorite. I found out later that she’d been asking the people in Human Resources a lot of questions about me after she received the flowers. I returned the favor by sending her a box of Godiva chocolates. Now this little gift giving went on almost nine weeks without Diane and I ever laying eyes on each other. All we did was talk on the phone. The funny thing is, it would have been easy for one of us to walk over to the other’s building and say hello. We’d probably passed each other in the parking lot a thousand times. Finally I asked her to dinner, and the rest is history.

  I walked over to the bed and kissed Di on the forehead.

  “What’s wrong with him?” I asked, looking at our son.

  “I think he has gas.”

  “Here, let me have him.” I took Teddy from her gently. “What’s up, little man?”

  Teddy stopped crying as soon as he heard my voice.

  Diane sucked her teeth, “He’s such a daddy’s boy,” she teased.

  “No doubt,” I laughed, sitting in a wood rocking chair. “Give me a bottle, baby. I’ll put him to bed.”

  She handed me a bottle.

  “Dinner’s wrapped up in the fridge if you want it.”

  “Thanks, Di. I had a little somethin’ before I came home.”

  “I kinda figured that. I just wanted to let you know I didn’t forget you.” She smiled.

  I smiled back. “I know, baby. I appreciate everything you do.”

  “How was the game?” she asked as she rubbed my back.

  “We won,” I responded absentmindedly.

  “What’s the matter, Wil? You don’t sound right.”

  “Kyle got arrested today,” I whispered

  “For what?” Diane was shocked.

  “Sssssshhhh.” I pointed to the baby, nearly asleep. “Believe it or not, attempted murder.”

  Diane didn’t say a word. She just looked at me. The two of us were caught in a speechless stare.

  “You okay, Wil?”

  “Yeah, I’m aw’ight,” I replied, not believing it myself.

  “Who?”

  “Whadda ya mean, who?”

  “Who did he try to kill?”

  “He didn’t try to kill anybody, Di. The cops got him on a mistaken identity. I’m gonna take the day off Monday and go down to the courthouse to see what’s going on.”

  “Did anyone speak to Lisa yet? She must be going out of her mind.” Diane picked up the phone.

  “She’s aw’ight.” I gestured for her to hang up the phone. “Allen and I stopped over there before I came home. She’s the only one who’s spoken to Kyle, and that was by phone. You should let her get some sleep.”

  “Okay, but I’m gonna give her a call in the morning.”

  I nodded my approval, then stood up. Diane looked over my shoulder.

  “Is he asleep?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You know he looks just like you.” She kissed me.

  “Yeah, but he has your eyes.” I smiled.

  “Why don’t you put him to bed then come back and put your other baby to bed?”

  “Now that’ll work.”

  I carried Teddy into his room and placed him in his crib, turning on the baby monitor.

  “Good night, little man. I love you.” I looked down at my son, then up toward the ceiling. “Thank you, God, for Teddy and Diane. And please look out for my boy Kyle.”

  When I walked back into the bedroom, I was pleasantly surprised. Diane was lying on the bed, wearing a sexy silk nightgown. I had to stop and admire the contrast between her very light skin and the red material that rested softly along her full-figured curves. With her long, soft black hair shimmering in the dim light, she took my breath away. Diane was a big woman, but hell, I was a big man. So what did I need with a small woman? As I told my boys when we were growing up, “Ain’t nothin no small woman can do for me but introduce me to her big friend.”

  “You know I love you, don’t you?” I asked my beautiful wife.

  “Yes, I do Wil.”

  I lay down next to her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She kissed me passionately. I could feel the fullness of her breasts rub up against me, and when she kissed my neck, I let out a soft moan.

  “Make love to me, Wil,” she whispered. I slid out of my T-shirt, and flexed my muscles with a smile. I’d gained a few pounds over the years, but I was still in pretty good shape for a big man. Sliding my pants off in one motion, I gently crawled onto the bed beside my very pregnant wife.

  “You okay?” I asked before entering her.

  “Yeah, just put it in,” she whispered passionately.

  Just as I did what she had asked, the phone rang.

  “Don’t answer it,” Diane said. “Let the machine get it. I just want you to make love to me.”

  Beep!

  “Sorry to call your place so late, guys. This is Kenya.”

  I rolled over and grabbed up the phone. “Hold on, Kenya.”

  It took me a few seconds to turn the machine off and think of a good lie. I knew exactly why she was calling. Jay hadn’t made it home yet and probably wouldn’t be home for quite some time.

  “Hey, what’s up, Kenya?” I tried to sound natural.

  “Have you seen Jay? I been trying to reach him on his cell phone for an hour.”

  “Uh, yeah ...” I hesitated for a moment. “We was hangin’ out at the Roadhouse earlier. But he left with some brother who was interested in buying his bike.”

  “Good. I can’t stand that damn motorcycle,” she said with an attitude.

  “Look, Kenya, I’d love to talk, but Di and I were kinda gettin’ into somethin’, if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh, I am soooo sorry, Wil.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “Tell me somethin’, Wil. Do you think Jay would cheat on me?” There was silence on the line. I think Kenya suspected what I already knew. Jay had been cheating on her for years.

  “I don’t know, Kenya. Do you have any reason to believe he would?”

  “Look, Wil, I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Bye, Kenya.” I sighed, hanging up the phone. I could hear the sorrow in her voice and it didn’t make me feel good at all. Times like this, I hated the way Jay treated Kenya. Especially since she just found out she was pregnant.

  I dialed Jay’s cell phone to let him know he was being hunted down. Jay had two cell phones. One for his wife and family, the other for his lady friends. I’d tried to talk him out of it, but he didn’t pay me any mind. The only one who could talk any sense into him these days was Kyle. Di stuck her finger out and hung up the phone before the first ring.

  “Please don’t start, baby. With Kyle in jail, I really don’t wanna fight,” I pleaded. We’d had this argument many times before. She hated when I covered for Jay. And she wasn’t about to let it go this time.

  “Let’s get somethin’ straight, Wil Duncan. I don’t like this little game you and Jay are playing with Kenya. I don’t like it at all. If he doesn’t wanna be married, tell him to get a divorce.”

  “Come on, you gonna tell me you never covered for your girls?”

  “Hell, no! My girls would never ask me to do shit like this. Now where is Jay anyway?” she demanded, folding her arms.

  “I left him in the bar with some woman named Jackie.” I lowered my head. “That’s between you and me.”

  “Who’m I gonna tell?”

  “Kenya!”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not losing my marriage to save someone else’s. But I will tell you this, Wil Duncan. Don’t make me have to call
someone looking for you. ’Cause I don’t trust your friends as far as I can throw ’em.”

  “ever, baby.” I meant it. I would never cheat on Diane. But apparently she didn’t believe me.

  “I’m gonna check on Teddy.” She rolled her eyes at me and got off the bed.

  “What about ... you know?” I raised my eyebrows a couple of times.

  “We’ll talk about that when I come back.” She frowned. When she left the room, I dialed Jay’s cell phone again. I never get in trouble for somethin’ I do. It’s always something they do. All I could do at that point was hope Diane would still be in the mood when she came back. I doubted it.

  “What up, Wil?” Jay said, answering on the first ring.

  “How’d you know it was me?” I asked.

  “I got caller I.D. on this cell phone. Just in case Kenya finds the number.”

  “What good’s that gonna do if you’re busted?” I laughed at him.

  “I can act like I’m answerin’ the phone for business.” Jay must have given this plenty of thought.

  “Damn, you think of everything, don’t ya?”

  “Life of a playa, my man. I gotta stay two steps ahead of Kenya or my ass is grass.”

  “Speaking of Kenya. She just called here lookin’ for you.”

  “Shit! What’d you tell her?”

  “That you was showin’ your bike to some brother.”

  “Okay, cool. She wants me to sell that bike anyway.”

  “Yeah, that’s what she told me. Look, Jay, I know it’s none of my business, but don’t you think you should head on home?” I hoped he would take my advice. I loved him like a brother, but I was getting tired of being in the middle of this.

  Jay laughed, “You’ve seen Jackie. The woman has 44D titties and an ass like Jennifer Lopez. Do you really want me to go home? I don’t think so, Wil. Besides Kenya’s not home, she’s at her mother’s. She’s just tryin’a make sure I’m not fuckin around.”

  “I wonder why. Look, man, call your wife and tell her you’re gonna stay at your mom’s or somethin’. The woman’s worried.”

  “Okay, Wil, I’ll call her.”

  “Good.” I wondered if he was sincere. “You and me gotta talk.”

  “Talk about what?”

  “I can’t keep covering for you, Jay.”

  “Why you trippin’, Wil? You used to cover for Kyle all the time.”

  “Key word, used to. Kyle don’t do that shit since he’s been married” I reminded him.

  “Yeah, right. You really believe that shit, Wil?”

  “All I know is, I don’t get calls from Lisa every Friday and Saturday night.”

  “So you gonna sell a brotha out?” Jay asked.

  “No, I just said we need to talk. And we’re gonna, as soon as Kyle gets outta jail. Now don’t forget to call your wife.” I hung up the phone without saying goodbye. I wanted him to know I was serious.

  4

  Jay

  I hung the phone up and tried to enjoy the oral pleasure that Jackie was giving me, but as good as it was, it didn’t matter. My mind was still preoccupied with my conversation with Wil. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t sell me out to Kenya, but he was definitely startin’ to get a little pissed off covering for me. I just wish I could find the words to explain to him that what Kenya and I had just wasn’t the same as what he and Diane had. I cared about Kenya, but the fact that she didn’t wanna have sex anymore had ruined our relationship. God, I shoulda never married her in the first place. I felt so trapped.

  I married Kenya four years ago after I found out she was pregnant. She was one fine, brown-skinned honey. We’d been dating off and on for about two years, and she was the first woman I’d ever been able to have a real relationship with. I’d been such a dog before I met her, I honestly didn’t know what it was like to have someone to care about me. Would you believe she was actually the only woman I ever felt guilty about cheating on? After a while I even stopped cheating. Things were going so well between us that I felt empty when she wasn’t around. That is until about a year and a half into our relationship when she started bringing up the “M” word. Now I cared about Kenya. I cared about her a lot, but marriage was definitely out of the question. Just the thought of it made me revert back to my old, insecure ways of womanizing.

  When I made it clear that wedding bells were not in the equation for us, Kenya ended things, only to come back begging six months later. I’m not really sure if I felt sorry for her or just missed the stability she brought into my life, but I took her back. In retrospect, that was a bad move on my part. Six months after we got back together she told me she was pregnant. At first I didn’t think it was that big a deal. Three hundred dollars for an abortion and life was back to normal. But when I took her down to the clinic, the doctors said she was too far along. I’d never admit it to my boys, but I’m sure she played me.

  I avoided Kenya for almost a month, contemplating my next move. The last thing I wanted was to be a father. I was only thirty at the time, and to be honest, I just wasn’t in love with her. But she kept insisting that she didn’t care if I loved her, that I’d learn to love her in time. Finally, after talking to my mom, I decided to do the morally right thing. I asked Kenya to marry me. My pops never married my mom, and till this day I love him but I don’t have any respect for him. I didn’t want that for my child. I decided to try and be the best husband and father I could. Besides, both Wil and Kyle were happily married. How hard could it really be?

  At first marriage was fun. Kenya and I did a lot of family things with Wil and Kyle and their wives. I have to admit it took time, but I honestly think I love her. The only problem was that women were still hitting on me even though they knew I was married. The things they were suggesting were hard to turn down. On top of that, Kenya wasn’t as sexual as she used to be once the baby was born. At first she really tried to keep up with my sexual appetite, but soon she began using the excuse that she was too tired from taking care of the baby. That got old fast when I took Tiffany to my mom’s for the weekend and we still didn’t have sex. After two years of being faithful and horny, I couldn’t take it anymore. I hooked up with my old stripper girlfriend Keyshawn. I’m sorry, but if I had wanted to be celibate, I would’ve become a priest instead of a husband.

  The only real reason I hadn’t asked Kenya for a divorce and moved out was that I loved our daughter more than life itself. I’d decided to stick it out for twelve more years until my daughter was at least sixteen. That way she could have a normal childhood. I’m an honest believer in the theory that children need a complete family. Then out of nowhere Kenya was pregnant again with our second child, which meant another sixteen years shackled to her. I didn’t like it, but I had to deal with it. I was just gonna have to lead a double life, one side husband and father and the other side a cheat. I wasn’t proud of the fact that I was being unfaithful, but with the sex life I had at home, I didn’t feel I had a choice.

  I looked down at Jackie, who looked like she could use some encouragement. So I moaned loudly, pretending to be excited. Immediately she started to work harder.

  “You like that, Jay?” Jackie asked, lifting her head.

  I moaned again. “You know I do.”

  She smiled and returned to her work.

  “Keep doin’ what you doin’, baby, I just gotta call my old lady.”

  Reaching for my cell phone, I hit the speed-dial button to my mother-in-law’s house.

  “Hello?” I recognized my wife’s voice right away.

  “Hey, baby, I thought you’d be ’sleep. I was gonna leave a message that I’m on my way down there.” Kenya was spending the weekend with her parents in Baltimore.

  “You’re coming down here?” She sounded excited.

  “Yeah, I miss you. Plus I was thinking about going fishing with your pops.”

  “Really?” I could hear the excitement in her voice.

  “Yeah, I’ll see you in a few hours. Get some sleep, okay?”


  “Okay, Jay, I love you.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I hung up the phone certain that any suspicions she had were gone.

  Now I could relax and enjoy what Jackie was doing. Looking around to make sure no one was walking around the parking lot, I reached to my side and let my seat recline. I settled back comfortably and closed my eyes. It didn’t take long for Jackie to finish what she had started once I was concentrating on her skillful loving.

  Jackie sat up and checked herself in the rearview mirror, straightening out her hair. As she put on her lipstick, she glanced in my direction. I knew right away what she was gonna ask.

  “Why don’t you come on up so we can finish what we started?”

  “Sorry, baby, I gotta head outta town. But I’ll take care of you Monday, aw’ight?” I lifted my butt and pulled up my pants, buttoning the fly in a hurry.

  “Okay,” Jackie replied. She looked disappointed, but she’d get over it. She always did. As she opened the car door, Jackie leaned over to me for a kiss. I turned my head and offered her my cheek. No way was I kissing her after what she just did.

  Monday morning I walked into the Queens courthouse and paused at the doorway to get myself together. Kyle being in jail had really hit me hard. The bond I shared with him was different than the one I shared with Wil and Allen. Mainly because we’d both played sports and chased women together all our lives. Man, did we have some kind of rep with the ladies back in the days. Kyle was one of the smoothest talkers I’ve ever met. He could look at a woman, evaluate her, and tell her exactly what she wanted to hear within seconds. And the ones he couldn’t charm the drawers off would be mesmerized by my dimples. We were one hell of a team back then, until Lisa came into the picture and fucked it all up.

  After he met her, he became a different guy. He didn’t go anywhere without her, and fooling around was out of the question. Things just got even worse after they got married. The damn guy started acting like he was Bill Cosby. I wanted the old Kyle back so bad I tried to set him up one time by leaving some old panties and a used condom in his car. I don’t know what I was thinkin’ about. I guess I just wanted them to break up so Kyle and I could go back to doing our thing like we did in the old days. But I made one major mistake and got myself busted.