Drama Queen (4 page)

“I think you got a little too relaxed.”

She sat up when she heard the deep voice. “Oh my. Sorry. I just wanted to sit down for a few moments. I'm sorry,” Kayla said, embarrassed.

“Ready to go back down?” Craig looked amused.

“I don't think I can make it.” Kayla smiled.

“I'll help you.” Craig reached and gently pulled Kayla up. When they got to the top of the steps, he got in front of her and put her on his back.

“What are you doing?” She giggled.

“Told you I'd help. Jump on.” He laughed. Kayla hesitated then climbed on Craig's back. She could feel and see his muscles through the thin T-shirt he wore and noticed part of a tattoo on his left shoulder. She looked closer and saw that it was a cross with a rose wrapped around it.

Somehow, they made it back into the living room. Craig had lit the fireplace and had a huge blanket lying in front of it. Kayla got off his back and stood in the middle of it.

“You're amazing,” she told him.

“It's Valentine's. I wanted it to be special.” He pulled her to him and kissed her like he had before. Kayla responded, for it was what she had been waiting for all night long. She could feel him leading her to the floor and she obliged. They kissed for what seemed like hours. Exploring each other's mouths, tasting each other, neither one wanting to be the first to pull away.

“Turn over,” he whispered.

“Huh?” Kayla stopped and realized what he said.

“Turn over. On your stomach.”

“Hold on, Craig. Maybe I need to let you know up front,” she began.

“I wanna rub your back. Come on.” He began rubbing her neck in a circular motion. Kayla's eyes began to close and her head fell forward. “I told you I'm good with my hands.” He reached under one of the end tables and pulled out a bottle of oil.

Kayla lay on the blanket and Craig massaged her back and shoulders. His hands worked their way along her body, picking up where the tub jets left off. His touch was firm yet gentle, and there was something about the way his fingers lingered along certain spots that sent a chill down Kayla's spine. She began to feel heat in places she hadn't felt in a while. She heard herself moan as Craig's hands kneaded her lower back.

“Feel good?” he asked her. She could feel him shifting and suddenly she felt his breath in the small of her back as he began nuzzling. Kayla's body tensed, shocked by what he was doing. “Relax,” he told her.

He pulled her shirt up, began nibbling his way back up her torso, and licked her shoulders.

“Craig,” she whispered. She did not want it to feel this good. It was too hard to say stop.
Tell him you want him to stop,
her mind told her. “What are you doing?” were the words that came out of her mouth.

This was too much for Kayla. Somehow she managed to roll over, but once again got lost in his alluring eyes. Craig continued to sing as he removed her T-shirt and kissed her neck.

Don't do this,
her mind said. Her back arched, reaching for his kisses as his mouth found her hard nipples. He kissed each one gently and continued down her stomach, stopping only to pour more oil.

“You are so fine,” he paused long enough to say. Before she could thank him, she felt him kiss the inside of each thigh, bending her legs, nibbling her calves.

This is wrong. You don't even know this man,
her brain warned her. It was as if her body and mind were at war, but the physical was determined to beat out the mental. When Craig poured oil on each of her feet and began sucking her toes, Kayla knew that her mind had lost all control of her body. She could not remember taking the shorts off, but she knew they were not there when she felt Craig's fingers opening her dripping canal. She gasped as she felt his tongue going where only Geno's had gone before. Craig licked and sucked her like she was one of his sweet recipes that he had perfected. She could hear him moaning and it turned her on to the point where she thought she was gonna lose her mind totally. Her legs began to shake as he buried himself between her legs. And at the moment when she had reached the pinnacle of the voyage he was taking her on, he stopped.

“Not yet. I want to come with you and feel it,” he said. He removed his sweats and her eyes widened at his long, thick penis. His hand never left her clitoris, continuing to stroke it, and before she knew it, he had entered her, taking her even further.

“Oh God, please don't stop,” Kayla groaned from the back of her throat.

“I won't, baby. I wanna come with you. How long you want me to ride, baby?” He looked deep into Kayla's eyes.

“Forever,” Kayla answered. He pleasured her and stroked her with a rhythm like no other and as she felt herself gushing while he pumped into her, they came with a fierceness that shocked the hell out of both of them.

“Dang, Kayla. You certainly had a better night than mine,” Roni commented. It was a little after nine in the morning and Kayla had to be at the music store by ten. She had been home since seven, having fallen asleep in Craig's arms as he entertained her with stories about growing up in Mississippi. He had to be at work by six-thirty and told Kayla she could stay as long as she liked, but she chose to leave when he did.

“So you see my little package I gave you came in handy, huh?”

“What package?” Kayla asked as she lay across her bed, not wanting to go to work.

“Uh, the condom.” Roni said it like Kayla was slow.

“Oh, yeah it did. Thanks,” Kayla said, not wanting to tell her friend her night of sexual pleasure had been an unprotected one. “Look, Ron. Don't tell anyone about this. I just want this one to stay between me and you, okay?”

“Sure.” Roni was surprised. Kayla usually shared everything with Yvonne. “They don't know about the date?”

“They don't even know we went out last weekend. I just wanted to keep it on the DL. You know how Yvonne is, and Tia has been wrapped up in some guy named Theo. Hold on, I got a beep.” Kayla hit the flash button and answered the other line. “Hello.”

“Good Morning, Beautiful. You up yet?” Craig asked her.

“I never went back to sleep. I have to be at work at ten, remember?” she responded.

“Oh yeah. I forgot you were a teacher by day and a CD bootlegger by night,” he said, trying to be funny.

“Ha ha. I get off at five, though. What time do you get off today?” Kayla questioned, trying to feel out whether he was trying to hook up later.

“Uh, I gotta work a double so it'll be pretty late,” he said quickly.

“Okay. Well, I gotta get ready and get out of here.” She sat up and noticed how late it was.

“I'll call you later. And Kayla, thank you for a great Valentine,” he said sexily.

“No, I should be thanking you. Talk to you later.” Kayla smiled as she hung up the phone and threw it on the bed. It quickly rang again and she answered it. “Hello.”

“Why was I on hold forever? It must have been a man. What did he say?”

“He has to work a double and he'll call me later, nosy,” Kayla replied. “But I gotta get out of here.”

“At least he's sending you to work with a smile on your face,” Roni yelled before Kayla had a chance to hang up.

That was the one and only time Kayla ever slept with Craig. After that night, she only talked to him a few times, nothing serious, and she would see him occasionally when she and the girls went to State Street's. She learned early on that he was full of crap. He would say he was coming over and wouldn't show, but it was all good with Kayla because although the sex was off the hook, it made her realize she still wasn't over Geno, and a relationship wasn't what she needed right now.

I need a drink,
Kayla thought as she looked down at her vibrating cell phone. Unfortunately, Craig was calling her for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. Kayla hit the end button and sent the call to her voice mail. She had experienced the day from hell and was in no mood for lying, no-good niggas. She had a fight break out in her classroom and her boss actually insinuated that it was her fault, her car was acting like it had an attitude and most importantly, she was stressed as hell working two jobs and still being broke. This is not how her life was supposed to be working out.

“TGIF, girl,” her girlfriend Yvonne said as Kayla walked to the school's parking lot.

“You can say that again, girlfriend,” Kayla sighed.

“You ready to go? You look worn out,” Yvonne said as she unlocked her car.

“Yeah, just frustrated.”

“Girl, you need a drink. You wanna go by State Street's for happy hour tonight?” Yvonne asked.

“I don't know. I'm tired, Von.”

“Come on. Roni has been calling my cell and I know that's what she wants. Let's go for a little while. At least get our eat on for free.” Yvonne smiled and Kayla couldn't help but laugh. “Besides, you may even meet Mister Right.”

“More like Mister Right Now.” Kayla giggled. “I am not staying all night, Von.”

“Cool. You know I'm not gonna be in there for long either, Kay.” Yvonne told her friend. “You're taking your car?” she asked as Kayla unlocked her car door.

“I might be ready to leave before you are. I told you I'm tired,” Kayla answered and got into her car.

She pulled out of the parking lot behind Yvonne and opened her sunroof. The air felt good on her face and she immediately felt rejuvenated. She turned on the CD player and let the mellowness of Jill Scott relax her as she drove. Her cell rang and recognizing Tia's number, she answered it.

“Hey, ho!” Tia sang into her ear.

“Hey, girl. Where you at?” Kayla asked. Tia was a fitness trainer and she worked varied hours, depending on her clients.

“On my way to da club to meet y'all.” She laughed.

“I know you are all diva-fied, so let me warn you that I am not. I have on my jeans, a black shirt and some casual shoes.”

“But I know you got your spare pair in your trunk, trick, and you'll probably mousse that good hair and make that face up before you step up in there, so I ain't even worried,” she answered. She knew Kayla too well. Kayla did have a spare pair of shoes in her trunk, as well as a full makeup kit, complete with extra hair products.

“I'll see you in a minute. We're almost there. Ms. Yvonne is leading the way.”

“All right, I'm pulling into the parking lot right now, so I'll get us a table,” she said and hung the phone up. Kayla's cell immediately rang again and this time it was Roni.

“What up, Ron?” she answered.

“What's wrong with you? Von said you don't feel good.”

“Just tired, I guess. Dealing with them bad-ass kids is wearing me down.”

“You need a vacation. I don't know why you don't call out sometimes.”

“Unlike you, I don't teach public school. We don't have a million subs to come in when we call out. We are short staffed. And even if I call out at one job, I have another one to go to,” Kayla replied.

“What you need to do is find a guy that's paid to help you out for a minute. Geno is over and done with. You need to find another to step in and take over,” Roni continued. Just the mention of Geno's name made Kayla's heart beat faster. Despite everything, she still missed him.

She pulled into the club parking lot, parked beside Yvonne and noticed Roni walking toward them. She shook her head at her and put the cell into her purse. “That's why you got a two hundred dollar cell phone bill. Why didn't you tell me you were already here?”

“I was caught up in the conversation.” Roni shrugged. They gave each other a quick hug and Kayla opened her trunk to change shoes. She set up her big mirror and touched up her hair and makeup. Times like this she was glad she opted to cut her shoulder length hair to the short, funky style. She had surprised everyone when she did it, but she was going through a lot and decided it was time for a change. Roni and Yvonne watched as she handled her beauty business.

“You ready, Diva?” Yvonne asked.

“Yep. Let's go.” Kayla turned and smiled a weak smile as she closed her trunk.

“'Bout time,” Roni joked as they joined the line that began to form outside of State Street's Sports Bar. It was becoming well known that they had one of the best happy hour buffets in the city, and each time the Lonely Hearts Club visited, the crowd seemed to get bigger and bigger. After a few moments waiting in line and getting their ID's checked, they made their way inside.

“You see Tia?” Yvonne said loudly above the sound of Craig Mack's “Flava in Your Ear.”

“No, let's look over by the wall.” Kayla pointed to the round tables lined along the side of the club. “You know she's not far from the dance floor.”

“I'll call her.” Roni reached for her cell but Kayla snatched it before she could dial. Yvonne laughed at her two friends who always provided her with comic relief.

“Put that phone down! She's right over there.” Kayla pointed to Tia who was waving her arms to get their attention. She was decked out in a black linen pantsuit and heels. She had her braids pulled to the top of her head and looked like she had just stepped off the cover of a magazine with her beautiful face.

“Hey, Ms. Thang,” Roni said as the ladies made their way to the table.

“Hey yourself. Everybody ready to get their groove on?” She raised her glass toward the bar where a nice looking gentleman was smiling at them.

“Cute. Friend of yours?” Yvonne asked Tia.

“Too early to tell, girl. But he did buy me a drink and he hasn't been all up in my face. That's a good sign,” she told them. They all took their seats and a waitress came over to take their drink orders.

“Blue Malibu,” Roni said.

“Apple Martini,” Yvonne added.

“White Zinfandel,” Kayla murmured. She felt drained and really didn't feel like hanging out. The thought of having to be at the music store the next day from nine in the morning until four, was not helping her mood.

“What's wrong with you?” Tia frowned at her.

“I'm okay, just tired,” Kayla said to her friend.

“I told her she needs a couple days off,” Roni said. “That's why they give you vacation and sick days.”

“Not at our school. We are so short staffed that it is not even funny,” Yvonne told them. “Mrs. Warren guilt trips employees into not calling out.”

“Well, maybe you'll feel better after you've eaten. Let's hit the buffet,” Tia said as she led the way to the soul food buffet the club offered every Friday night. Usually, Kayla could not get enough of the chicken wings, but she didn't even have an appetite. She watched her girlfriends pile their plates up as she put a dab of ‘this and that' on her own plate and maneuvered her way through the crowd, returning to her seat. Suddenly, she felt someone put his arms around her and whisper in her ear.

“I knew you'd be here. Why didn't you call me back?” the husky voice said.

She tried not to smile, but could not help herself. “Because I knew you would give me some lie about not being here, so I figured why bother?” She turned and faced him.

“Come on, Kayla. Why you wanna treat a brother like that?” Craig asked her.

“Geno, I'm tired. I've had a long day and I don't feel well,” she said.

“Yeah, you must really be sick, because my name is Craig, not Geno. Call me when you feel better.” He turned and walked away. Kayla could not believe she had called him Geno. She knew it was time for her to leave.

“What's wrong with him?” Yvonne asked. She knew Kayla talked to Craig every once in a while, but from what she saw across the room, it looked like Kayla had hurt his feelings.

“I accidentally called him Geno,” Kayla said as she sat at the table and took a big gulp of her wine.

“You what?” Tia laughed out loud, causing Kayla to smile.

“I called him Geno.”

“Oh, no you didn't. What did he say?” Roni was tickled to death.

“He told me to call him when I could get his name right, basically,” Kayla said. She picked over her food, watched her girls dance and flirt, had a second glass of wine and decided to call it a night. As she stood up, she nearly lost her balance.

“Are you all right, Kayla?” Yvonne reached out to grab her before she could fall. Roni took notice and rushed over to the table.

“How much did she have to drink?” Yvonne glared at Roni.

“Two glasses, and why are you rolling your eyes at me? It was your idea to meet here, if you recall. Kayla never gets lit,” Roni threw back at her.

“I'm okay. Dang. I just got a little light headed. I'm fine.” Kayla regained her composure and gathered her purse.

“I'm gonna drive you home,” Yvonne said and looked for her keys.

“Von, I am fine. I told you I'm tired. I'll call you and let you know when I get home.” Kayla hugged Yvonne and Roni and waved at Tia as she left. Her eyes met Craig's as she watched him dance with another female on the dance floor.
Good, let him find someone else to lie to for a change.