Ladies Listen Up (18 page)

I sped out of the bathroom like Superman leaving a phone booth. When I made it to the steps to head upstairs, I heard a banging sound. Thinking it was a student, I was annoyed that my trip was being delayed. I was going to find Lanelle and, at the least, was going to finger her insanely.

I looked over at the door and saw none other than Grump. He was waving frantically. I moved briskly to the door and he entered quickly. I looked at him strangely. He didn’t seem himself. “Thanks, man. You want some chicken?” he asked.

The nigga always had some chicken. “Nah, I’m good. And don’t send me any.”

“Cool,” he said as he pulled on the door and headed for the cafeteria.

I looked in my classroom first and saw that my lights were still off, and then I peeped in Lanelle’s room and didn’t see any sign of her. Perhaps all she’d planned was to arouse me and get me even more wound up for the evening than I was already.

As I walked back into my room preparing to get my lunch, I found her sitting on top of my desk. She startled me. “You were in here the whole time?”

She nodded. “In the dark…waiting for you.” The room wasn’t actually dark. But with the blinds closed, it was dim.

I moved toward her. “So what’s up?” I asked.

“You’re the one doing all the talking. We don’t have much time. If you can hit it quick, I’ll give you a pass this time.”

Hearing her say that sent a rush through my body. I was now on her, kissing her neck, causing her to moan. My hands went up her thighs and found her mound. “Ahhhhh,” she breathed out.

I dropped to my knees. “Keep your ears open.” My room was the last one at the end of a hallway and you could hear anyone who approached, most of the time.

Time was of the essence, so I wasted little as I placed my face in between her legs. I had to slide her skirt up so that she could spread her legs. She did so willingly. The first taste was as sweet as I’d imagined, and even juicier. When I pulled my tongue a string of her juices and my saliva came with me. “Mmm, you’re wet.”

“Yeaahhhh,” she said quietly. “That means keep goin’.” She scooted her ass closer to the edge of the desk.

My tongue was finding its mark as she began to whimper. “Dammit,” she cried out.

“Use your fingers. Spread it open for me so I can get that clit.”

She obliged, and with the first direct swipe of my tongue across her exposed clit, she let out a “Damn, boy.”

It took less than two minutes before she started knocking shit off my desk. First my tape dispenser, then a bunch of papers flew off. When her orgasm hit her, my paper clips and the tray I kept my folders on were next. “I’m cummmmin’, I’m cummm…in’…ahhh…ahhhh…ohhhhh.”

I didn’t let her finish. Normally a very careful lover, I didn’t have a condom and I was too horny to stop. In one motion my pants were at my ankles and the head of my dick began to slip inside her. “Goddamn, it feels good.”

I kept pushing until I had most of it in. We had lost all track of time and space as we began to fuck like porn stars. Her rubbing her clit in fast motion and me pinching her nipples as I slid in and out of her. She pushed me out of her, slid off the desk, and turned around. “This is my fantasy. I always wanted to get bent over the teacher’s desk and get fucked doggy style.”

Lanelle was showing me a whole different side of her. I’d imagined that she was so prim and proper. She’d made me wait so long. Her freakiness now had me wondering if it had all been some front. That didn’t stop me from waxing that ass from the back, though. I gave her long strokes and watched the white cream from her as it coated my dick. My orgasm began to approach with the familiar tickle. I felt my balls begin to tighten and I sped up and started to slam into her uncontrollably. She screamed out at the top of her lungs and scared the shit out of me.

Hoping that no one heard her, I kept going as I lost control. At the last second I pulled out and squirted nut all over her ass and the
back of her skirt. I forced myself immediately down from the high. I pulled my underwear and pants up and reached for a Kleenex. “Here.”

She wiped herself and I wiped her skirt. Once our body parts were covered, we looked at each other. I shook my head as if to say,
I don’t know what that was all about, but I liked it,
and she shook hers simultaneously as if to say,
I bet you do this shit all the time
.

“Damn,” I said as I buckled my pants. “This desk looks like a tornado hit it.”

“Tornado Lanelle.” She laughed. “Go ahead clean it up…and you can pay me later.” Then we both laughed.

“Put it on my tab. That’s just round one.”

“Oh, you got some more?”

“I’m going to give you a new meaning for an
after-school special
.”

She blew me a kiss and turned to leave, and as soon she reached the door a police officer was coming through it with his gun drawn.

When Lanelle burst
into tears and started yelling that she was sorry the minute she saw the officer, I knew immediately that she was the last person I would ever want to commit a crime with. Before he could even tell her what he was in the school for, she’d begun confessing our misdeeds to the officer. “I’m so sorry, things
just got out of control, he kissed me, and…It’ll never happen again…”

The officer resembled a marine with his military-style haircut and he was imposing in size. As Lanelle began to ramble he simply looked at her as if she were a lunatic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, miss. We’re investigating the premises of the school to see if anyone fled into the building or forced entry. We had a robbery in the vicinity and our surveillance tracked the suspect to this block. Unfortunately, our dogs were unable to pick up a scent. We feared that the perp may have come into the building and tried to turn this into a possible hostage situation. We’re simply securing the building. Making sure that each classroom is secure.”

“Well, we’re fine in here,” I commented. “I’m Diego Christian. This is my classroom.”

“Can I see some ID from the both of you, if you don’t mind?”

“Absolutely. This is Ms. Harris. She teaches across the hall.” The police officer looked at my desk and frowned up as he returned my driver’s license.

He pointed at the desk and said, “You sure there was no struggle here?” He walked around my desk and looked around.

“No, sir, I was just cleaning it off. It collects dust.”

He nodded a disapproving glance. I didn’t give a damn. I looked at Lanelle and rolled my eyes. “Okay, then, sorry to disturb you…and whatever lessons you were preparing,” he said sarcastically. Then he clicked his walkie-talkie. “Stockton, here. All clear on this wing.” He turned and headed out of the classroom.

The second the door shut behind him, I began picking up some of the things from the floor near my desk. Lanelle was still standing there with a stupid look on her face. I contained my thoughts for as
long as I could, which was about thirty seconds. “Are you nuts?” I asked her. “You trying to get me fired?”

She burst out laughing. “I swear, I thought someone called the police on us. I didn’t know what the hell was going on.”

We headed out of the classroom. “What if someone had come into the building? Would you have protected me?”

“Is this before or after I tapped it?”

She made an angry face. “You ain’t right.”

As soon as
the students were gone I made it a point to dial Jo. I got her secretary and she put me right through. “Jonetta Cleveland.”

“Hey, Jo, this is Deigo.”

“Hey, man. You won’t believe this. I was just about to call you.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I heard you were great on the air last night.”

“Where’d you hear that?”

“Well, that’s why I was about to call you. Hold on for a second.” I heard the music she had playing when she placed me on hold. It was the first time I’d listened to R&B music while on hold. She came back on the line and sounded a little more lively. “So, Diego, have you heard of WJDS, Smooth 99? They’re a new radio station down there, I believe.”

“Actually I have.”

“Well, what do you think of them?”

“They play some pretty good music in the evenings. Why?”

“Well, the station manager, Andrea Jack, called me this morning. She was raving about your performance last night. She’s interested in giving you your own show. The afternoon drive, three to seven.”

I was speechless. “Are you kidding?”

“Nope. She wants to name your show after the column, but she’s going to want to associate your real name with it. I don’t really see where it’ll be a problem, because you’ll have to quit your teaching job to do this.”

“Wow. I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it. She wants to sit down with you next week. You might need an agent. I have a couple of good ones you might want to talk to and sort of feel them out. But the show could be a huge break. The beginning of some major things.”

“So is it definite?”

“Well, there’s nothing definite in the industry. You’ll find out, but she has the power to make that happen. And when you are dealing with the person with the power, then it’s always a good thing. I think it’s a go if you want it.”

“If I want it? You got to be bullshitting. Of course I want it.”

I could hear her sipping something. When she finished she said, “Diego, think about it. You will have to give up teaching, and it’s not easy, becoming a public figure. People will place all kinds of demands on you. I’m not trying to discourage you. It’ll be great for the column. I failed to mention, one of the things that I’ll have to tie to her using the name
Ladies Listen Up,
which we’ve trademarked, is that you will have to write the column for as long as you use the name.”

“Well, what if I become more valuable, are you guys going to pay me more money?”

She laughed. “That, my friend, is the name of the game. If you become more valuable, of course we will. But remember, where there’s money, there’s not always opportunity, and where there’s
opportunity, there’s not always money. So never get fixated on the dollar signs. Suppose you’d turned down this column because it paid only a thousand dollars per month. Never mind that you got the chance to do Janet’s show on your own. Without your column, that pays you only a thousand bucks a month, you’re not on that show, you see?”

“I see. I see.”

“So, you called me. What was that in reference to?”

“Oh…I just wanted to tell you about the show last night. But I guess I was too late.”

“I’ll listen to it tomorrow and give you more feedback. We had it taped and put on disc to use on promos. It’ll arrive in the morning.”

“Cool. You all think of everything.”

“We try. Anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. I’ll have my assistant call you tomorrow with the numbers of those agents and help you get ready for that next week.”

“Sounds great.” I couldn’t wait to hang up the phone so I could scream.

“All right. Talk to you soon.”

We hung up and I fell to my knees right there in my classroom and let out the type of scream that is usually reserved for lottery winners and newly crowned sports champions.

“You okay, son?” Mr. Waverly said as he stuck his head in the door.

“Yes, sir. I’m great.”

“Okay, then. All that noise, people might think something’s wrong.”

“Nah. I’m sorry. I’m just excited. I just found out that I’ll be retiring at the end of the year.”

“Retiring. You too young to retire.”

“Yeah, well, if everything goes well, then that’s what I’ll be doing. Retiring from teaching, that is.”

“Well, okay, then, if that’s what you wanna do. Hell, I’m looking forward to retiring from this job myself.”

“How many years you got left?”

“Too damned many. I’m nearly sixty, but the pension is a joke. If I wasn’t so damned old, I’d rob me a bank and get the heck out of here.” He laughed. “You heard about that? Someone’s been making some clean getaways. Knocking off every other joint around here.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Well, they need to quit while they’re ahead. The police is on ’em now.”

“I guess.”

Mr. Waverly walked out of my room with my trash can. He tossed the trash and brought the can back. He was a good custodian. I was thinking about how unfair life was. Here he was going to have to work until he was seventy. But he was right about the pension. The government didn’t give a damn about the teachers, custodians, or anybody who worked for the school system unless you were a policy maker. They needed a program called No Teacher Left Behind.

Jacob called in
sick and Elise had played hooky. They had spent the entire day in southern Pennsylvania at a ski resort. Jacob had
surprised her with a bag full of ski gear. He purchased a pink DKNY ski jacket and pants and left them in her living room. When she woke up to get ready for school, thinking Jacob had left, he was already dressed in his gear. Sitting in the corner with a huge grin.

“I called in. I took some
slick
leave. Now I want to show you a good time,” he’d said.

She’d put up no fight. Elise didn’t know what it felt like to have someone do nice things for her. Jacob was proving to be an angel. She’d been without family for so long, when he began to show her attention and caring, she easily fell deep in love.

Though it had been a frosty, early-February day, they’d gone tubing, tried snowboarding, and eaten a romantic dinner at a quaint steak house, and now they were headed home.

As they cruised down I-270 Elise thanked Jacob for the wonderful time. “I’ve always wanted to do something like that. Just take some time out to get away.” She smiled. “You really are special.”

“Thank you. I enjoyed it. I enjoy you,” he said. Even saying the words still felt a bit taboo. She was twelve years his junior and he shouldn’t have been looking at her in that way, but ever since he first laid eyes on her, there’d been an overwhelming attraction.

“What do you think is going to happen with this? I mean next year. Do you think that we’ll still be like this?”

Jacob listened to each word. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll still want to be bothered with an old man like me, and maybe you won’t.”

“Yeah, right. I’ll always want to be with you. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said in a tone that sounded sincere.

He looked over at her. She was beyond adorable. He could see the little girl in her that had never been nurtured, yet at the same
time he could see the dazzling black woman she had the potential to become. He hoped that their relationship wouldn’t do anything to stifle her growth. Most of all, he didn’t ever want to hurt her.

When they reached the exit to his house he surprised her by getting off the highway instead of going to her place. “I’ve got a surprise. I was going to wait until next week to give it to you on Valentine’s Day, but I want you to have it now.”

She entered the house behind him and he told her to take a seat. When she did he said, “Now take off all your clothes.”

“What?” she asked.

“Just do it.”

She breathed out heavily, feigning some level of angst. “All right already.”

“Be right back.” Jacob ran up to his bedroom and came down and said, “Okay, you come on up.”

Elise climbed the steps naked, ass and breasts jiggling slightly to Jacob’s soul satisfaction. She entered the dimly lit room, placed her hands on her hips, and said, “What?”

He smiled at her attempt to come off as sassy. “Close your eyes and put your arms out.”

She did as he’d told her and he went to his armoire and pulled out a bag. He slipped the silk kimono robe onto her. It was made of textured crimson fabric with a gold trim. Jacob had had it custom-made by a friend’s wife. It was cut so that it hung right at midthigh. “Okay, take a look.”

Elise had always longed for the day when she’d be showered with gifts, and to have a man like Jacob showing his love for her in this way was beyond her wildest dreams. The material felt so good on
her skin she was instantly turned on. She eased toward the mirror and her face turned into a huge smile. “Oh, Jacob, it’s so pretty and it feels wonderful.”

He was grinning as he watched her caress the fabric. “Reach inside the pocket.”

She located the small pocket and stuck her hand inside and pulled out a box. “What’s this?”

“It’s for you. Open it.”

All manner of thoughts ran through her mind. Was this a proposal? If it was, then it was how she’d always imagined it would be. As she lifted out the box she immediately realized it was a little too big to contain a ring.

When she pulled the bow off and opened it, a rush came over her. She saw the small bit of light that was in the room reflected off the tennis bracelet she held in her hands. “Ohmigod,” she whispered, and tried to catch her breath as her heart began to beat.

It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She remembered that Jacob had heard her compliment Lanelle on the one she’d worn. The only thing was that this one was bigger. Four carats, she imagined. But that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to her was that the man who had given it to her was, in fact, the one.