His Last Name (17 page)

C
HAPTER
35

Adrienne

W
hat had my life become? I was picking up Morgan's Starbucks and dry cleaning, paying her bills, and making reservations, all while getting little to no respect. I was a “yes” woman. I had to be. I realized disagreeing with my boss only led to her trying to convince me why she was right. Being a personal assistant was so humbling, but I needed the money. I had to do what I had to do.

After a month of working for Morgan, I knew she didn't need a live-in assistant. She needed a stylist, a therapist, an alarm clock, a workout partner, and a best friend. She insisted that all her beverages be room temperature and that no one speak to her before she did her makeup. I couldn't complain because she was paying me. Because I was on her payroll, I could put up with her quirky habits.

I was able to send my lawyer his retainer fee. I FaceTimed a lot with Asia, and DeCarious was being less of an asshole. He offered to fly Asia to Philly one weekend, and I told him that I wouldn't be in town. I hadn't told him I moved to L.A. because it was none of his business.

I was in the process of cleaning out and color organizing Morgan's massive closet. Her toss pile was two times the size of her keep pile. Her closet was easily the size of a boutique. It was surrounded by walls and walls of shoes. It was completely unorganized with accessories, shoe boxes, and bags lying all over.

“What about this?” I asked, raising a red Valentino dress with its price tag still attached.

“You can throw that in the trash. No, I'll keep it. No, it's trash. What do you think? It's trash, right? That dress is from two seasons ago. I could never wear it.”

“Do you want to sell any of this stuff on ebay?”

“Ebay? No, that's for poor people. I don't have to sell anything. Just give it away.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

Some parts of Morgan's life I envied. She traveled the world and had everything anyone could ever dream of. Her ex-husband made her life more than comfortable, and it would be that way for the rest of her life. His movies had grossed more than five hundred million dollars, and her divorce entitled her to a percentage of it. However, she was more than a little strange and very difficult to work for. But as soon as I got that script in the right person's hands, I knew it would be worth it.

I stood up and grabbed another bag of clothes. I pulled out a pair of white shorts that had slits along the butt and back pocket.

“What about these?” I snickered, holding them up.

“Let me see. Wow, my shorts with the cut-outs. I haven't worn these in years. I wonder if I can still fit into them . . .” She held the pants up to her waist and turned. “Even if they do fit, I don't have anyone to wear them for. My pussy probably got cobwebs on it. But it's still tight.”

“I don't want to hear that, Morgan,” I said, almost choking with laughter.

“What did I say wrong, it is tight! My mother taught me how to pull my pussy in, since I was twelve. Squeeze that pussy in or let it go and get sloppy.”

“You mean do kegels? Please stop, Morgan.” I was used to Morgan's random sex talk, but this conversation was too much for me.

“I didn't know what they were called back then. I just know my mother said keep it tight, and you will always have a man.”

“Your mom did
not
tell you that . . .”

“She did. How do you think I got RJ? I fucked and sucked him so good, I couldn't get him to leave me alone. And of course I'm beautiful and smart, but my cooch caught him and I reeled him with everything else. Ah, the good old days. My mother didn't give me a lot of advice, but the advice she did give me worked. You know my mother was a whore, right?”

I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

“No, seriously. I was born in a whorehouse. My mother didn't even know I was up in her. She went to the hospital because her stomach was hurting her. She was shocked as hell when I came out and I was taken straight out of her arms to a foster home. I was in foster care until I was six, and then she came and got me. She didn't know who my dad was, but it was definitely one of the men she was tricking. I can be anything. Half white, Indian, or Mexican . . .”

I was speechless.

“You're laughing, but you look like you got some swirl going on in you, too. Adrienne, what's your background?”

“I'm black. My mother is white and my dad is black. I know him, but he didn't have any involvement in my life.”

“I knew we had a connection. We both have daddy issues.”

She was somewhat right, but I didn't want to relate.

“That's why I picked the best father I thought I could for my child. RJ was a good man—until about two years ago. Once upon a time, I couldn't pay him to leave my side. When I had Alexandria, he slept in the hospital bed with me. He would go on the road, do his shows, film his movies, and then he'd rush home. He would practice in the mirror with me. I helped him come up with his catchphrase ‘You know know.' I'm the one who told him to get t-shirts made and sweatshirts with all his sayings on it, and now this little chihuahua is living my life. And he treats me like his enemy, like we were never in love.” She began to cry, and I tried to comfort her.

“Morgan, you will find someone like that again. Or maybe he will come back.”

She stopped crying and then became so angry she began to throw things. “I hoped and prayed he would come back home and he hasn't, and now I don't care. I don't want him back, and I don't like any of these weird men in L.A. Most of these men out here are gay or only like blondes. If it was up to me, I would go home to Detroit, but my custody agreement requires me to keep residency in Los Angeles.”

I understood her pain, but I was certain she was crazy after that rant.

“Tina,” Morgan called.

Ms. Tina, her personal chef and housekeeper, came running upstairs.

“Yes, Mrs. Coleman.”

“I'm hungry. I want a turkey and cheese on rye. Cut off the corners. I want mustard on it, and make sure all of the meat is folded neatly facing left on my sandwich.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Do you want her to fix you anything, Adrienne?”

“No, I'm okay.”

Tina walked back down the stairs to prepare spoiled-rotten Morgan's food.

“Oh, Adrienne, I didn't get my invitation for the CGA Gala. Contact them immediately.” Morgan's phone was sitting right beside her, but it made her feel important to have someone else making her phone calls for her.

“Okay.” I called the number written on the slip of paper she handed me. “Good afternoon. I'm Morgan Coleman's assistant and she hasn't received her invitation for your annual gala . . .”

“Let me check,” the voice on the other end said.

She placed me on hold and then returned back to the call. “Yes. Unfortunately, her ex-husband has reserved his table. He is the guest speaker, and we didn't want a conflict of interest. However, she is still welcome to donate. Take care.”

“Okay. Thank you.” I hung up from the call, and Morgan was looking directly in my face.

“So, what did they say?”

“It is a conflict of interest because your ex-husband is their guest speaker this year.”

“See? I told you. He wants to ruin me. He owns everything and everybody. I hate him.”

C
HAPTER
36

Monique

“D
ele, I'm not hiding you. It is just a certain level of respect I have to have for my son. I'm single. I can do whatever I want . . . but that's my child. He's not going to be able to understand that his mommy is having sex with his teammate . . .”

“You will have to tell him. I'm not going to tolerate all of this hiding for much longer. Monique, I want to be with you.”

“No, I am not telling him anything. First of all, I didn't know London was going to turn into all of this.”

“Well, it has. Now what are you going to do? Are you going to keep hiding me and leaving me in the middle of the night? Or will you allow me to present you to the world as my woman?”

“I don't know what to say. Yeah, you want to be with me right now. This week, on Thursday, maybe even in three months . . . but who's to say that you will want to be with me in two years? This is new, it's temporary; my relationship with Kadir is forever.”

“I am temporary? Really?” Dele shot out of the bed and cursed in French—something he always did when he was upset. He looked sexy when he was upset. It actually turned me on. I let him vent. He waved his hand at me dismissively and walked into his bathroom. I heard the shower turn on, and I wanted to get in with him. Instead, I started to get dressed, because I had to beat Kadir home. I was a grown woman who couldn't even spend the night with her lover. I didn't have a choice, because he was already suspicious of my late nights and early mornings.

Before I was fully dressed, a calmer Dele emerged from the bathroom with an extra wide mint-green towel wrapped around his waist. He sat next to me on the bed and pulled me into his arms. His body was still warm and damp from the shower. I couldn't lie to myself. I was falling in love with Dele, too. I just didn't know what to do about it.

“I just don't like hiding, Monique. It is not right. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Put yourself in his shoes, Dele. How would you feel if your teammate was dating your mother?”

“My mother is much older and still married to my father, so it would not happen. Our situation is very different.”

I shook my head at him. No matter how many times I explained it to him, he did not get it. I was frustrated and ready to leave until he held me down on the bed and pulled my pants down and snatched my panties off. He pushed his thick moist tongue along and inside of every crease and opening of my pussy.

“Take your hands off of me,” I demanded. “Let me up, Dele. Stop. We have to talk about this.”

“Don't tell me what to do. There is nothing to discuss. It's mine. You're mine, and I'm not hiding anymore.” I tried to sit up. But he cupped my butt cheeks with his hands and forced me back down. I could not resist him anymore. I grabbed his head then the pillow to muffle my scream of ecstasy.

After, I released into his mouth. He flipped me over and plowed himself into my juicy pussy. I think he tried to fuck me into submission. Honestly, it almost may have worked, but I knew I had to go home no matter what.

Kadir's car wasn't in the driveway, but Carl's was. I walked into my house, and I saw boxes and a bunch of his clothes. I ran up the steps, walked into my bedroom, and saw he was stretched out in my bed, asleep.

I shook him and shouted, “Carl, get up! What are you doing here?”

He jumped up. I hadn't meant to startle him, but he needed to get up out of my bed.

“I wanted to talk to you. I've been thinking a lot about us.” I hoped he couldn't smell the scent of another man on me.

“Have you?”

“Mo, you were right. I should be enjoying life. I was at my job earlier today listening to people complaining about bills and their kids. Then I started thinking to myself. I don't have those problems. My son is great, and I'm blessed. I called Kadir and he told me he wanted me to be down here with y'all and to just to quit and go fish every day and take vacations. The truth is, we don't know when we're going to go, so we should live every day like it's our last. That's why I want to move back in. I love you and want to work it out with you.”

“You do?” I asked, surprised. “I don't know, Carl.”

I was trying to find the right words. How was I going to tell him that I didn't want to be with him anymore?

“I think you should stay in Philly. I mean, if you want to come down here and visit, you can. But you said we should take a break and I agreed. Now you can't just come back and say you want me.”

“I do want you.”

“Well, I want you to sleep in the guest room.”

“What's up with you, Mo? What, have you met someone else already?”

“No, but I don't want to rush back into anything. I need my space. Everything you said was right. We aren't a couple anymore. You can stay here, but I'm going to bed.”

* * *

The next morning CeCe called me. I was halfway asleep, but I still answered the phone, only to hear CeCe say, “I talked to Carl. He's upset. He called me and my mom this morning. And he said you won't take him back.”

“What? He broke up with me. Why is he calling y'all?”

“My mom is upset and wants you two to be together and finally get married.”

“I'll call Mom Laura later. What did he say?”

“That he quit his job to be with you and Kadir, and you told him to go back to Philly.”

“CeCe, it's too late.”

“Too late? What's going on? Why?”

I detected a bit of anger in CeCe's voice.

“It's my turn to live my life. Cee, I'm thirty-eight years old, and I have been tied down for more than half of my life. Carl said he wants to live in Philly and he wanted us to be apart. I didn't want that, but I agreed. Now, I come home and all his stuff is in my house. What type of craziness is this?”

“Not too long ago, you wanted him there . . . but now you don't. So, who is he? Or is it a she?”

“CeCe, stop playing. It's not funny . . .”

“I'm serious, you are dealing with someone. It's obvious. You're never home and you don't return my calls. You have plans, but can't tell me who it is with. Now Carl quit his job and you don't want him to stay. Tell me who it is.”

“I can't.”

“So there is someone else.”

“Maybe.”

“Tell me.”

“I can't, Cee. I'll talk to you soon.”