Let's Get It On (5 page)

“I know that body isn't hers, because that girl is fine as . . . She's coming this way.”

Kenya took an empty seat beside Maurice, but she didn't look at him as she unwrapped her sarong and spread it across the pool chair. Kenya dropped her bag on the side of the chair away from Maurice and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen.

Maurice couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she smoothed the lotion on her skin. She was Kenya, older, sexier, and right beside him. He wanted to reach out and touch her and make sure she was real. Maybe this was his chance to make things right with her. And if he did that, then maybe karma would give him his life back.

Damn, I don't remember her legs being that long,
he thought as he watched her stretch out on the lounge chair.

Obviously, she had her eyes closed, because without turning her head, she said, “Sir, please stop ogling me. I'm sure there is something much more interesting to look at than me.”

Her voice was the same, smooth like honey, thick like molasses, and cool like an unexpected breeze.

“Kenya Taylor.”

She turned toward him as if she knew who he was. Snatching her sunglasses off, Kenya sat up in the chair and focused her gaze on him, the color draining from her face as if she'd seen a ghost.

“I don't believe this. This is unbelievable,” she said, then began to gather her things.

Maurice rose to his feet and blocked her from leaving. “This is unbelievable. I can't believe we just ran into each other like this.”

Standing toe to toe with him, Kenya hauled off and slapped him. The echo of her blow caused everyone in close proximity to them to look up at them. Maurice held his cheek as it stung.

“Ouch. I guess I deserved that,” he said.

Kenya turned on her heels and stomped away.

Kenya's heart was beating faster than a roaring race car's engine as she stormed into her suite. How in the world did this happen? Why did she end up at the same resort where Maurice and Lauryn were spending their honeymoon? This place was supposed to be for singles, and
they
were here, invading her vacation!

And there he was, leering at her, and he'd just married the same tramp he'd left her for all of those years ago.

Kenya paced back and forth in her room, kicking off her thong sandals and tossing her sarong on the bed. Though she'd been at her resort for less than three hours, she was ready to go home, because if she saw Lauryn, she was going to push her in the pool.

“No,” she said as she stopped pacing and looked at herself in the mirror. “I'm not running from them again. This isn't college, and I spent too much money to come here and relax.”

Scooping up her beach bag, shoes, and sarong, Kenya headed outside again. She went back to the pool to look for Maurice and his new bride. She found Maurice and his brother. That didn't make sense to her. Who would bring a third party on a honeymoon trip?

Kenya hoped in vain that another seat would open up. Fate had brought all of the sunbathers outside, and the only seat was beside Maurice, who was sitting on the edge of his seat, with ice on his cheek.

Did I hit him that hard?
she thought as she walked over to the chair.

“Kenya, how are you, girl?” James asked when she approached them.

“Fine,” she said, smiling at him. “Look at you.”

He hugged her, then held her out. “I'd rather look at you. Atlanta has been good to you. Do they all look like you back home?”

She blushed, not because of his complements, but because she could feel Maurice staring at her as she talked to James.

“You're in Charlotte now, huh?” she asked.

“Yeah, helping my brother out with some community service and running our company,” said James.

“Public relations?” she said, drifting back to her goals when she and Maurice had entered Johnson C. Smith together.

“No, real estate. Isn't that what you do? Public relations?” James asked.

“No. I'm a lawyer now.”

“Whoa,” Maurice and James said in unison.

“I thought you wanted to run your own PR firm,” Maurice said.

Kenya turned to him. “There's a lot about me you don't know and never knew. I don't think I was talking to you.”

Maurice jumped up. “Kenya, do you have something to say to me?”

“No, I don't,” she spat. “Why aren't you with your wife?”

Maurice blanched, and James shook his head. “My wife? You saw all of that?”

“You were all over the news, you and Lauryn. I'm surprised she isn't out here, all over you like cheap cologne.”

James cleared his throat. “I'm going to get a drink. You want something, Kenya?”

“No, thank you,” replied Kenya.

When James left, she glared at Maurice, tempted to hit him again. “Get out of my face,” she said as she attempted to push him aside.

“Lauryn and I didn't get married. It was a mistake.”

“Only took you nine years to figure that out?” Kenya said as she took her seat. “I hope you don't expect me to feel sorry for you.”

“No, I don't. Why would you? Obviously, you hate me.”

“Does that surprise you? You broke my heart, and I don't have to forgive you for that.”

“You don't, but I do want to tell you that I'm sorry for what I did. There have been so many times when I wanted to reach out to you and say that. It's really ironic that we ran into each other here.”

“Cut the bull, Maurice. You've been living the life of an NFL star with the beautiful fiancée, and part of your perfect life has come crashing down, and you're feeling sorry for yourself. I'm not your salvation, your chance to put karma right.”

He stared at her intently, so deeply that she was thrown off kilter. There was something in his eyes that looked familiar.
Ignore it,
she told herself.

“I know that you have every right to hate me, but you have to admit that us meeting like this must mean something.”

Kenya placed her sunglasses over her eyes so that she could peer at Maurice without him noticing. He was finer than ever. His skin was the color of dark chocolate; his chest and abs rivaled those of the famed statue
David.
The bead of sweat that ran down his flat stomach made her mouth water, because she wanted to follow the path of that bead with her tongue.

“
Kenya, are you all right?” Maurice asked.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Because I asked you a question about five minutes ago.”

“Maybe I just don't want to talk to you,” she said, then turned her back to him.

He touched her bare shoulder, and her skin burned with desire. How many nights had she dreamed of his touch? Here he was, standing behind her. But was this a dream or a nightmare?

Turning to face him, Kenya scowled and pushed his hand away. “Don't touch me ever again.”

“Do you hate me that much?” he asked. “I know I was wrong, and I've struggled with what happened between us for years.”

“Yet, you never reached out to say anything,” she said, allowing emotions she'd held in for nine years to bubble to the surface. “Maurice, you're full of it. Whatever happened between you and Lauryn must have really shaken you up for you to stand here and tell these lies.”

“I'm not lying. The way things went down between us at Smith was wrong. I never wanted you to be hurt and—”

“Then maybe you shouldn't have cheated on me,” Kenya snapped. “You know, the sad thing is that I would have forgiven you, but you claimed that you loved her and that we had grown apart. Though that didn't seem to matter when you needed help with your schoolwork. I mean, you were some piece of work.”

He looked at her and stepped back. “Kenya, I—”

“You used me. And when you got what you needed from me, you tossed me aside. Is that what she did to you? With all of the wedding preparation that was broadcasted on the news, she must have left you for a bigger payday.”

“It was good seeing you, Kenya. Enjoy your vacation.” Maurice turned away from her and headed inside the hotel.

She watched as he walked away, wondering if he'd been the reason for the breakup of his engagement. He had probably cheated on Lauryn, because cheaters didn't change. Kenya didn't feel sorry for Lauryn, though. After all, what goes around comes around.

“Excuse me,” a man with a British accent said. “Is anyone sitting here?”

Looking up at the stranger, Kenya smiled, then said no. He was cute. He had obviously spent some time in the gym and in the sun, because his golden brown skin had a slight red hue. He extended his hand to Kenya as he eased into his chair. “Damon Porter. And you are?”

“Kenya Taylor.”

“Beautiful.”

“Excuse me?”

“You're beautiful, but I'm sure you already knew that. Vacationing alone?”

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“I'm sorry, but it's just that I've been here for about a week, and you have to be the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen. How have you slipped past me?”

Kenya blushed as he smiled at her, revealing a set of pearly whites that were blinding. “Thank you,” she said.

“You're American, aren't you? A Southerner?”

“Yes.”

He gave her the once-over, drinking in her image. Kenya felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. But wasn't this the reason why she had chosen to wear a bikini, anyway?

Relax
, she thought.
This is why you came on vacation.

“What American man allowed you to leave the States alone?”

“No man tells me what to do,” Kenya replied.

Damon held his hands up and grinned. “Well, I'd love to have dinner with you tonight, Miss Kenya. And I'm asking you, not telling you.”

“Okay,” she replied. “Where are you taking me?”

“The restaurant here is excellent, and they have ocean-view seating.”

“You seem to know your way around this place.”

“I've been here before, and I'm certainly glad that I'm here now.”

So am I,
she thought, smiling.

As they sat by the pool and talked, Damon told Kenya that he was an international stockbroker and spent a lot of time traveling between London and New York. He'd never been married, though he'd come close two years ago. He wasn't opposed to marriage; he just wanted a woman who had her own goals and didn't aspire to be just a housewife.

Kenya revealed that she didn't date a lot, because she was focused on her career as a contract attorney. She told him that this was the first vacation that she'd taken since she was a college student, and that she took it because she'd taken a new job that was going to force her to relocate to another city.

“It could be an adventure,” he said. “You don't like to take risks, do you?”

“You figured that out in one conversation?”

He turned on his stomach and looked at her. “That and the fact that you came here alone to unwind and pretend that you're someone else.”

“How do you figure that?”

“I can see it in your eyes,” he said, staring intently at her. “But we're going to change that. How long are you here for?”

“You are very presumptuous,” Kenya said. “Who's to say that I'm going to enjoy dinner with you tonight?”

“I do. And you will.”

She shook her head, rendered speechless by his arrogance, but intrigued by his smile and sparkling brown eyes. Then she looked up and saw Maurice and James staring in her direction.

Placing her hand on Damon's shoulder, she laughed throatily, more for Maurice than for her companion. She could feel Maurice's eyes burning into her. Was he jealous? As if he had a right to be. Even if Damon was the most arrogant man in the world, Kenya was going to pretend that he was the most interesting man she'd ever met as long as Maurice kept watching her.

 

 

“Look at her,” Maurice said to his brother as they sat at the poolside bar. “She's all over that dude.”

“That's why I didn't take her the drink I bought her. I didn't want to block her from getting her ‘mack' on,” James said.

Maurice's anger was unexplainable. He had no right to feel that way, because he was the one who'd tossed Kenya aside. But seeing her with this guy, watching her smile at him, touch his arm, and have a conversation with him, made Maurice jealous. The first thing she did when she saw him was slap him.

“She can do better.”

“Kenya was always pretty, but now she is fine, man. You messed up.”

“Gee, thanks.”

James slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Come on. You ended up with the down low chick when you could have had Kenya and watched her blossom into the diamond that she is now.”

“Stop looking at her like that,” Maurice said forcefully.

“Can't help it. Those legs, breasts, and the way her face lights up when she smiles. She's fine.”

Maurice pushed James from the stool, then stalked over to the pool. He figured if he dove in and made a big enough splash, he could wet Kenya and her newfound friend.

I should've stayed in my room,
he thought as he dove into the pool from the edge. The water splashed over the side, gently spraying Kenya and Damon.

“Bloody hell,” Damon exclaimed.

Kenya and Maurice locked eyes as he looked at her from the pool. “Sorry,” he called out.

Damon looked at him. “Aren't you Maurice Goings of the Carolina Panthers?”

Maurice nodded and smiled. “That's me.”

Kenya grabbed a towel from the side of her chair and wiped the water from her legs.

“That was a great catch in the Super Bowl,” said Damon.

“Thanks,” replied Maurice.

Kenya rose to her feet. “Damon, I'm going to get ready for dinner,” she said. “What time are we meeting?”

Turning away from Maurice, Damon smiled at Kenya. “Right at sunset. You have to see it, because it's almost as beautiful as you are.”

Maurice dove underneath the water to hide his disgust. So Kenya was going out with this clown. What drew her in? he wondered. His accent? His British mannerisms? Coming up for air, he watched as Kenya walked away, her red bikini bottom clinging to her heart-shaped behind.

“Hey, didn't you get married?” Damon asked, standing in front of Maurice and blocking his view of Kenya.

“Ah, no,” Maurice mumbled.

“Oh, sorry. I've never been a huge fan of American football, but that Super Bowl was amazing.”

“Uh-huh. So how do you know that lady you were talking to?” asked Maurice.

Damon laughed. “Oh, we just met. You know how these women are when they're on vacation.”

“No, I don't,” said Maurice.

“Guaranteed panties. I'll have that honey's legs in the air by the time the waitress is serving us dessert.”

Maurice leapt out of the pool, and in one swift motion, he had his hands around Damon's neck. “Don't talk about her that way.” Water from his biceps dripped down into Damon's glass.