Ladies Listen Up (15 page)

“Diego, I’m trying to enjoy my mother’s birthday. Please don’t embarrass yourself out here.”

“Embarrass
myself
! Now that’s a joke coming from a wedding crasher. In case you didn’t know, people don’t do that shit in real life. I ought to smack your ass right now for this. You have no idea how many people you hurt.”

Her arms were folded, letting me know she had no fear of my becoming violent. I moved on: “So where can I reach you? We need to talk.” My voice was far more forceful than the volume I projected.

She walked back to the table and grabbed her cell phone. “What’s your number? I’ll call you tomorrow.” I could tell by her tone that it was altogether possible I’d never hear from her.

I snatched her phone from her hands and dialed my number and hit send. She didn’t want to make any more of a scene than she had already, but I could see the anger in her eyes. When I saw the number come up on my screen, I said, “I’ll call you. Make sure you answer.”

I handed her back her phone and stormed off. I made it to the
front door and then turned back around and walked right back in. I’d forgotten my gloves.

The entire ride
home I was quiet. Thinking about Gina and contemplating my future. We were on the Beltway when Lanelle asked, “You okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine.”

“You seem like you just been
off
since we left the restaurant. Was it something I said?”

Honestly, it wasn’t, but the concern in her voice beckoned for me to make a play on her sympathy. Though I was truly wallowing in the uncertainty of my future because of Gina, I was fighting the emptiness I knew I’d feel once I dropped her off. I just didn’t want to be alone.

“Lanelle, I got to tell you that I’m a little disappointed that you aren’t willing to even take me seriously. I’m not saying anything about jumping into a relationship. It’s just that it’s hard out here to meet a quality woman.”

“Humph,” she replied. “Is that so?”

“Absolutely. I mean, I can only imagine the things you’ve heard about me in that school, and I got to be honest. I’m not proud of everything that I’ve done.”

“You mean every
one
?”

A quick sigh let her know that I was worn out and not up for defending my past. “No, I said what I meant. When I came to this job, I was a young man, single. A lot of women who’ve come through the school have thrown themselves at me. And I have to be honest. A few of them I’ve chased down, but let me ask you this…”

I had her full attention and she was hanging on my every word. I could tell I’d struck a nerve. I think she’d been thrown by the honesty. I looked over at her as we drove. “How many men have you dated where you’ve had the benefit of knowing their past…knowing the things that they’re capable of doing before getting involved with them?”

Her mind seemed to be racing for a moment and then she answered, “Not many…I guess…maybe…none.”

“Well, you still gave them a chance, and do you regret dealing with them?”

“Some of them…
Regret
is a strong word. But I’ve tried to take something positive, some lesson, from each relationship.”

“Well, why is it that you think that a man who dedicates his life to teaching our children has no redeeming qualities simply because as a single man, he fucked women who
wanted
to fuck him.”

“Diego, it’s not that. Not at all.”

“Then what is it?”

She stared into my eyes and let me know that my persistence might wear down her resistance. “Maybe I don’t want to be just another one of your many conquests.”

“I’m not trying to make you one. Listen, I’m not trying to convince you or change your heart, but I do want you to understand that I’ll do whatever it takes to make you believe in me.”

The ride was quiet again for the next few miles. I thought about the things I’d said to her. I wondered why I’d poured it on so thick. Was I really this into her, or was the challenge making me feel more desire for her? Deep inside, I knew it was the latter. Chasing Lanelle allowed me to forget that feeling. Allowed me to focus on something other than myself.

As we neared her exit she turned the radio down a little and said, “I’m not ready to go home yet.” I said nothing. “Take me with you. Take me to your place.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. But can you behave yourself?”

“Absolutely.”

She nodded and turned the radio back up. “All right, then. You have any movies we can watch?”

“Oh yeah, I just picked up
Crash
. I heard it was really good.”

“Okay.”

We sat on
the couch and ate Slice ’n Bake cookies and talked for a while before we got into the movie. Though the performances in the movie were gripping, especially Terrence Howard’s, I began to fight the sleep that started tugging at my body.

Lanelle’s head was now on my chest and I felt like it was now or never. I looked down at her body. She was covered from the waist down with a blanket, but her ass still made a nice imprint in the throw. “Hey,” I whispered. “You sleep?”

“No,” she replied, but I could tell that she had dozed off.

“Let’s go upstairs. I’ll give you a T-shirt.” She didn’t respond. “Lanelle, you hear me?”

“Yeah, okay.”

It took a minute, but we made it up the stairs. I reached into my drawer and grabbed a T-shirt for her. I was shocked when she unhooked her collar right there and stepped out of her dress. She folded it neatly in front of her and placed it on the chair in the corner of my room. When she turned her back to me, even in the dark
ness, I could make out her magnificent, thong-covered ass. Instantly, I had a hard-on.

She then pulled the shirt over her head and almost in the same motion she reached under and took her bra off. She tossed it on top of her dress and walked toward me. “I’ve enjoyed you and I’m glad I came here with you.”

“I’m glad, too,” I barely got out before she placed her arms on my shoulders. She leaned in and placed her lips gently on mine. My temperature began to rise, but then just as easily she pulled them away and moved toward the bed.

“Good night,” she said, and climbed in.

There was something in the way she did this that let me know the kiss she’d given was all that I should expect. I used the bathroom and climbed in with her. I did manage to scoot up close enough to spoon her. My aching penis was pressed against her ass. She knew it, I knew it, but the unspoken agreement was that this was a test of wills. Could I be different, or would I try to fuck her and blow the opportunity?

As I lay there holding her, India. Arie playing softly in the background, it dawned on me. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel alone. Though I was horny, I wasn’t alone. I didn’t know what the future held, but I was sure there had to be some middle ground between the two feelings. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep believing that somehow, someway, I was going to find it.

Jacob was onstage
performing in front of a packed crowd. The Avenue was one of D.C.’s hottest new clubs and No Question had been billed as the main attraction by the promoter. After waiting outside in lines to get into the club, people were standing in front of
the stage swaying back and forth as the band played a few original songs from an album they were working on as they warmed the crowd for the second set.

I was at the bar with Lanelle sipping on Amaretto sours when No Question came out and started the second set. For a while we listened and watched Jacob perform. As usual, he gave a great performance and Lanelle seemed to really enjoy the live music. We’d been seeing each other regularly for three weeks and it seemed like we were on the verge of getting at least semiserious. At first I thought that it would be hard seeing her at work every day and then being with her after work so much, but it was actually a really nice change of pace. Between my enjoyment of her company, work, and writing the column, my black book had begun to collect some dust, which didn’t really bother me at all. I had never been with a woman who carried herself the way that Lanelle did. She was all business at work, yet able to let her hair down like an around-the-way girl when we were at home.

The only thing that I wasn’t pleased with was our sex life. To this point we hadn’t had one. She’d made it clear that she had a three-month rule and it had become painfully obvious that she was sticking to it.

“Diego, I don’t have to spend the night if it’s too hard on you,” she’d said. The only thing that was
too
hard had been my dick. But the company had been almost therapeutic. The dreams of Alicia had begun to fade. Whenever I woke up in the middle of the night, I would look over and see Lanelle’s angelic face right there.

As the band went into a rendition of R. Kelly’s “Step in the Name of Love,” Lanelle and I moved out to the floor to get our step on. Jacob’s voice was much richer than even the Pied Piper of R&B, so
when he hit the riffs, he moved the whole room. The band sounded so good that it almost made you high. I watched Lanelle’s bright smile as she twirled around in front of me. We laughed at ourselves as we danced like two people in love. I moved back, slid my foot in front of me, and hit a quick shuffle as if I was one of the original Chicago steppers. I snapped my fingers as I bopped to the beat and never lost a beat as Lanelle and I grooved like we were the only two people on the dance floor.

“Step, step, side to side, round and round, take it now, separate, bring it back…”
Jacob was singing at the top of his lungs.
“If they ask you why we did it, tell ’em we did it for loooooveeeee, ohhh yeahh.”

At one point Lanelle turned her back to me and gave me a rock and then several grinds. She’d felt me pressed against her on more than a few occasions, but for some reason, she seemed really turned on as we danced. I began singing in her ear while we danced, my song turned into a whisper and then a kiss on the neck. This led to even more grinding. It wasn’t long before I was ready to head home. I was hoping, in my heart of hearts, that this would be the night when I closed the deal.

After the performance, Lanelle, Jacob, and I were talking near the stage when the promoter came over to tell Jacob the VIP lounge was open for him and his guest. “You guys want to go in?” he asked. He wasn’t big on the VIP scene. Jacob struck me as the type who might even avoid celebrity status. He enjoyed being real and being around real folks.

Reading the look on Lanelle’s face, I decided that it might be cool to at least investigate. She looked slightly intrigued. “Yeah, we can hit that joint for a minute.”

“Hold up for a second,” Jacob said as he looked off to his left. He
headed over toward a girl who was standing near the soundman. I watched him talk to her for a minute. Then he waved for us to come over. He escorted the young lady and us into the VIP. We moved up a few steps and there were some of the other members of the group along with a few people from the radio station. Some were standing, some lounging on the couches. Jacob led us to an L-shaped couch in the far corner. He spoke to one of the guys sitting down and he jumped up and moved. Lanelle and I huddled closely enough for me to smell her perfume and become aroused by her warmth.

Finally Jacob turned to the young woman he’d escorted into the lounge with us. He nodded in response to something she said and then she smiled. She took a seat on the couch and crossed her legs. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a peach-colored leather jacket that fit more like a tight shirt. With her hair in a ponytail, accenting her features, she reminded me of a young Lisa Bonet from the old
Cosby Show
.

Jacob didn’t bother introducing her, but started in on a conversation. “So, did you like the show?” he asked Lanelle.

“Oh yeah, you guys did your thing up there. As good as any group I hear on the radio. Diego said you were talented, but I was still surprised,” Lanelle responded.

“Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Yeah, man, you all sound better each time I hear you. And that’s coming from someone who hears you every single week, damned near.”

Then the girl chimed in. “I can’t believe you tore it down like that, Mr. Marsh. Unbelievable.”

Did she say “Mr. Marsh”?
“What did she call you?” I leaned in and asked.

“Oh, this is Elise,” Jacob said. She’s a senior at Johnson—one of my students. She is also a superb singer. She’s going to do background vocals on our CD and I’m looking into helping her put a demo together.”

I tried to keep my mouth from dropping. I couldn’t believe he’d brought one of his kids to the club. On top of it, he was talking about working with her.

“Oh, that’s really nice. How long have you been singing?” Lanelle said.

“For like five years. I can’t wait to get up onstage in front of people in a venue like this.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the chance before you know it,” Lanelle shot back, waving her hand to let Elise know that it was a feat easily within her grasp.

“Mmm, I love that bracelet you have on, girl. It is beautiful,” Elise said when she noticed the diamond tennis bracelet Lanelle was wearing. “Let me get a look at it.” Lanelle held her wrist out and Elise simply shook her head. “Gorgeous,” she said without a hint of hateration. “One of these days, one of these days.”

Jacob and I stood there like two men listening to their wives talk. I watched in amazement as the two women started into a conversation. I nudged him on the arm, and when I had his attention I nodded toward the door. I stepped and he followed me.

We cleared the door and walked into the stairwell. “Yo, what the fuck is you doin’, man? You fucking this girl?”

“Hell no. I just told you what’s up. She has some serious talent.
It’s no different than any other student I’ve taken an interest in. How many kids have I gotten scholarships for? You didn’t ask me if I was fucking any of them.”

“Yeah, well, I never saw you hanging out in the effing club with one of them either. I hope you know what the fuck you doing.” I paused for a second and then said, “She is finer than a motherfucker, though.”

“Alicia Keys?”

“A cross between Alicia Keys, Mya, and Beyoncé,” I said.

“I don’t really see Beyoncé.”

“Her young ass is bootylicious.” Then I did my hands in a motion to show her shapely rear end.

“True dat,” he said, nodding.

“But, Jacob, I thought you told me that you were afraid her ass was stalking you,” I barked. “Didn’t she throw a fucking rock through your window with her crazy ass?”

“No, you got it wrong. That’s not the same girl. That’s Anna, and I didn’t say for sure she did it.”

“Yeah, well, whatever. That doesn’t explain this shit. What in the world is going through your mind? How old is she?” He started to answer, but I kept on. “It doesn’t even matter. If she’s a student. That shit is against the law.”

“Look, she’s only seventeen. Just like the Rick James song, but she has a chance to really make it. And to be honest, I need her.”

“
Need
her?”

“Yeah. She is keeping tabs on the girl Anna for me. They talk and it’s really given me peace of mind to find out some things about her.”

“About who?”

“Anna.”

“Such as?”

Just then a bouncer, who wasn’t all that big but had his chest poked out, walked up and said, “I’m gonna need you fellas to clear the stairs.”

“We’ll be just a minute,” I said in a dismissive tone. “This is Jacob Marsh, the singer who performed here tonight. We had to step out of VIP so we could hear each other.”

The bouncer looked us up and down. “I’ll give you a couple minutes, okay?”

“Yeah, cool,” I said, without even looking him in the eye, then I got back to Jacob. “You said you’ve found out something about the girl Anna.”

“Yeah, like for one, she’s a dyke.”

“What?”

“Right,” he said emphatically. “Which means…” He waited on me to figure it out. When I didn’t he continued. “Which means she doesn’t have a crush on me. She just sees me as some type of father figure.”

I shook my head. “But what about the e-mails you told me about?”

“Could have been anyone. I don’t know.”

“They still coming?”

“Not as frequent, but yeah, they come from time to time. They’re probably from someone who looked me up at classmates.com. Maybe it’s one of my exes or a former student. I don’t know.”

“What about the rock through the window?”

“I’m still confused about that.”

“Well, you sure seem relaxed. A lot more than you were a few months back.”

“Well, things are a lot calmer,” he said.

“Jacob, I don’t know about this. It could be trouble, plus it doesn’t look good. What if someone sees you out with her?”

“She’ll be out of school in three months anyway.”

“Well, listen. I’m going to go in here and get Lanelle and hopefully your singing got her worked up enough for me to tap that tonight. Fucking with her, a nigga has gotten backed up.”

Jacob laughed. I was serious. “All right, Diego. I’ll catch up with you in the morning. You and Lee still going to meet me at the gym, right?”

“Yeah, but call me. Give me at least an hour’s notice. I might be tired—ya feel me?”

Another grin and we headed back in. I interrupted Lanelle, who was still talking to Elise, and let her know that it was time for us to head out. As we made our way out the front door Lanelle saw someone she knew and screamed out her name. “Janet. Jannnettttt.”

Janet turned and a smile slid across her face, and the two ran to hug each other. I walked up on her. “Diego, this is my cousin Janet. Janet Divine. You’ve heard of her show, the
Love Divine
on 95.” Janet’s show came on every night at eight. She and her DJ played the best in old-school and new-school slow jams and allowed callers to dial in and talk about their love lives.

“Oh yeah. I love that show. I listen all the time…”

“When you doing your thing, huh?” She laughed. “I ain’t mad atcha,” she said.

We both laughed. “I was about to say, while I work on my column.”

Lanelle covered her mouth as if she could barely contain her excitement. “Janet. You’ve heard of
Girl Talk
magazine. Well, Jacob is Dr. C. He’s the advice columnist in there. He gives some really good advice. Stuff we sistahs should know, but don’t because we spend too much time trying to figure it out on our own. Now we have a brother to ask who gets paid to tell the truth.” She laughed.

Janet joined her in laughter and added, “I know that’s right.” She paused and then said, “You know, Diego, I’d love to have you on the show as a guest one night. How about it?”

I jumped at the offer. “I’d love to. Name the time and I’ll be there.”

“All right. Here’s my card, and my producer’s number is right below it. You call her tomorrow afternoon and we’ll give you a date. Is one night next week good for you?”

I couldn’t believe it. I’d imagined that it would take months to put something like this together. “Yeah, that’ll be great. Thanks for even asking.”

“No problem. Lanelle, I’ll talk to you soon. You know Gi Gi’s baby shower is coming up in, what…?”