One Taste (8 page)

M
att gave a mental sigh when he spotted the short, light-skinned, barrel-shaped young woman wearing a bright red jacket, black pants, and black ankle boots waiting outside the Recovery House. On the ground beside her boots was an oversized plastic trash bag. The trash bag could only mean trouble for Matt. Apparently, the girl was leaving the House and needed a lift to her next dwelling place.

When Matt pulled his van up to the curb, the roly-poly girl picked up the trash bag and slung it over her shoulder. Approaching the van, looking like Mrs. Santa Claus, Onika’s girlfriend waved excitedly. She pulled open the door, climbed inside, and threw her trash bag in the back, and squeezed into the passenger seat with Onika. “Whaddup, Onika!”

“Ain’t shit,” Onika said dryly.

“Aw, don’t be acting all down and out on our first night as roomies.”

Matt’s jaw dropped. “Onika, what’s she—”

“There you go,” Onika spat. “Why you gotta be all up in my business?”

“I have a right to know who—”

“Nigga, you ain’t got a right to know nothing!”

Puddin laughed. “Damn, Onika, didn’t your mother teach you to respect your elders?”

“Yeah, but I only give it when I get it,” Onika replied sullenly. “I think it’s disrespectful for a nigga to be trying to mind my business.”

“You got a point,” Puddin agreed.

“I’ve never disrespected you, Onika,” Matt declared, trying to ignore the fact that Puddin had referred to him as an elder. Since when did being thirty-nine years old equate to being an elder? Matt wondered, peeved. “How have I disrespected you?” he persisted.

“Man, would you please pull off from in front of this damn Recovery House,” Onika spat. “Shit, I still owe room and board at that bitch.”

Matt didn’t move. “I asked you how I’ve ever disrespected you.”

Onika sucked her teeth. “Aiight, sit out here if you want to, but if the house manager or somebody tries to come at me, starting some shit about the rent, you better be prepared to come out of your pocket ’cause I ain’t giving up a damn thing.”

Puddin fell out laughing and slapped Onika’s palm. “I know that’s right, girl. After they broke up the fight between me and that new chick, Miss Betina gon’ tell me I had to go, then she had the nerve to start adding up how much I owed. Now, you know I told her to kiss my big ass.”

Onika chuckled briefly and then shot Puddin a curious look. “So, why was you and the new chick fighting?”

Puddin dug inside her purse and opened her palm, revealing a handful of pills. “Bitch snuck some Oxycontin in the house and wasn’t trying to share. Now, you know I loves me some Oxy, so I burned her for all her shit. When she tried to accuse me of taking her shit, I busted her mouth.”

Smiling, Onika shook her head as if Puddin was a mischievous four-year-old. Matt felt a dislike for Puddin that was so intense, he wanted to pull over and physically toss the pill-popping addict out of his van. He didn’t have time to compete for Onika’s attention. Now that he’d heard Puddin’s story, he knew the pudgy little freeloader would be hanging around forever. He wanted to kiss and make up with Onika as quickly as possible. He didn’t have all night. He had a job to do, and men to supervise and transport back to their group home. But with a third wheel in his and Onika’s love nest, diffusing his baby girl’s anger would take a lot more time and patience than he had tonight. He could only pray that Puddin would take every one of the stolen pills as soon as they returned to the apartment. He hoped Puddin would quickly nod off into oblivion, and give him and his baby girl the privacy they deserved. Who was he kidding? It would be too much like right for Onika’s ill-mannered friend to conveniently knock herself out.

Instead of parking, Matt pulled up to the door of building G and sat behind the wheel, allowing the engine to idle while Puddin got out and retrieved her trash bag. Onika sat beside him, silent. “I’m going to give you some time to cool off, baby girl. I’ll give you a call early tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, it’s like that, now?”

“Like what?”

“You just gon’ drop me off in front of the crib like you don’t give a damn how I feel?”

Matt couldn’t win for losing. He was trying to give Onika the space she obviously needed and she still wasn’t satisfied. Not knowing what to say, Matt held out his hands and shrugged. He caught a glimpse of Puddin standing at the door of Onika’s apart
ment building and then he felt the buckle of Onika’s pocketbook as it crashed against the side of his face.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted, rubbing his palm across his cheek.

“Why you looking out the window at Puddin? You tryin’ to get with my friend?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I just glanced out the window for a moment. I wasn’t paying any attention to Puddin.” Matt pulled the visor down to check the damage to his face. There was some swelling and redness near his cheekbone, which meant he’d have to concoct a believable story when his wife asked what happened.

There was the sudden sound of Puddin banging on the passenger window. “I know that mufucka didn’t put his hands on you!”

Onika slid down the window. “Nah, but I had to crack him upside his head—put that ass in check.” She turned to Matt. “Ain’t that right, baby?” she asked with a huge grin, as if being smacked with her pocketbook was something he should be proud of.

Matt looked grim. How had he allowed his world to spin so badly out of control? It was possible that Onika was crazy. But what was his excuse for going along with her nuttiness?
I’m pussy whipped
, he solemnly admitted.

“Answer me!” The humor had left Onika’s voice.

Not wishing to provoke her again, Matt responded quickly. “Yeah, you keep me in check.”
Ugh!
He sounded like a wimp. He rubbed the tender area on his face. The pain was tolerable. He felt more humiliated than physically hurt. He was deeply ashamed that his weakness for Onika had been witnessed by a third party.

He thought he’d made it clear that he didn’t mind getting cussed out or smacked around behind closed doors. But now Onika was acting out in front of Puddin. Clearly, Onika was out of control, and Matt didn’t know how to rein her back in. He
yearned for the sweet, considerate young woman she’d been when he first developed an interest in her.

Matt had to admit, though, that her bad behavior wasn’t entirely her fault. He’d spoiled Onika and turned her into the ornery, demanding monster she’d become.

“Here you go.” Onika handed Puddin a set of keys. “Apartment 10. Go on in and make yourself at home. There’s a little bit of food in the fridge.” Onika nodded toward Matt. “This asshole’s been bringing me stuff to snack on instead of taking me to the supermarket to do some real grocery shopping.”

Matt wanted to defend himself and explain to Onika that with all the furniture shopping they’d done and having to hold down two jobs, he hadn’t had the time to take her shopping for groceries. But he didn’t dare disagree with Onika. He sat quietly with his head in his hands.

“But I got a little something, something…enough ham and cheese slices to make yourself a couple sandwiches.”

“Ham and cheese!” Laughing, Puddin rubbed her plump tummy. “You ain’t gotta tell me twice.”

“You crazy, girl,” Onika replied. “I’m gon sit in the van for a minute. Me and this dickhead gotta have a private conversation.”

“Aiight. Holla if you need me,” Puddin said, narrowing an eye at Matt.

“So what’s the deal with you?” Onika asked Matt after Puddin waddled off.

“Nothing,” Matt muttered.

“Nigga please. What’s your problem? Spit it out before I smack the shit outta you,” she said, raising her hand.

Without a doubt, Matt could physically put a hurting on skinny little Onika if he chose to. But her emotional hold on him was so intense, he feared her. He was afraid of losing the woman
whose mistreatment of him served as an aphrodisiac—the woman whose vaginal juices invigorated him like a double dose of Viagra. Matt took a deep breath. “Actually, there is something wrong. For one thing, I wish you wouldn’t talk to me with such blatant disrespect when other people are around. It’s degrading and I don’t appreciate it.” Matt took a deep breath and continued. “And secondly, I really wish you wouldn’t put your—”

“Secondly, my ass!” Onika gripped Matt by the collar. “I don’t give a shit about what you wish!” She tightened her grip and pulled Matt closer, so close, he could feel her warm breath on his face. “Don’t make me bash your fuckin’ head against that window,” she threatened and then released him with a hard shove.

Matt felt the hardening inside his pants. His eyes locked helplessly on Onika’s face.

Recognizing the desire that shone in his eyes, Onika patted Matt’s crotch and then ran an open palm across the small bulge beneath the fabric. “Aw, my boo might not have to eat no pussy tonight,” she said with a smile. “Looks like you’re ready to get your fuck on.” Onika tenderly stroked the cheek she’d bruised a few minutes ago.

Boo!
Matt’s heart soared. He’d been feeling insecure lately, but those emotions evaporated as Onika caressed his cheek with one hand and massaged his penis with the other. She couldn’t help it if at times her bad temper got out of control. His poor little baby girl had had a hard life. Something really awful must have happened to her while she was out on the streets, he reasoned.

“Come on, Mr. Wheeler. Let’s go in the crib so you can put some dick up in this pussy—like a real man.”

Matt tried to fuck Onika like a real man, but he couldn’t. On the air mattress inside Onika’s empty bedroom, Matt’s manhood had deflated the moment it touched Onika’s pussy. “I can’t understand it,” he mumbled, pulling desperately on his limp penis. “I’m sorry, baby. You’re gonna have to sit on my face until I get myself together,” he said regretfully.

“I’m not sitting on nothing but the driver’s seat of your van. You’re getting on my damn nerves.” Onika stood up and held out her hand. “Give me the keys to your van,” she demanded.

“Don’t be like that, Onika,” Matt pleaded. “Come on, baby girl, let me give you some head. Don’t you want to cum all over daddy’s face?”

“No! I want to cum on a goddamn dick. You got me frustrated,” Onika complained as she snatched Matt’s pants off the floor and shook his key ring out of a side pocket. “I’m starting to really wonder about you. Whassup, you gay or something, Mr. Wheeler?”

“No!” Matt said vehemently. “You know I’m not a homosexual.”

Onika shrugged. “So you say.” Dangling Matt’s key ring, she added, “I thought you were gonna serve up some hard dick tonight, but it seems like all you wanna do is tongue me to death.”

Matt looked miserable. “I thought you enjoyed oral sex with me. Please, baby girl, sit on my face,” Matt pleaded and then reached for Onika’s hand.

Onika jerked her hand from Matt’s. “Puddin!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Puddin hustled to the bedroom and burst through the door, clutching an unusually thick ham and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise oozing out the sides. “Did he hit you?” Puddin asked, balling her fists.

“Nah, I do all the hitting in this relationship,” Onika boasted. “I need a favor.”

“A favor? Girl, I thought you was in here being manhandled. Why you screaming my name while I’m trying to get a grub?” Puddin took a bite of the sandwich and licked a dollop of mayonnaise from her finger. Preoccupied with her appetite, she didn’t seem to notice or care that Onika and Matt were naked.

But Matt cared. He was mortified that Onika and her friend were having a casual conversation as if he weren’t on the air mattress butt-ass-naked. He desperately wanted to cover his exposed genitals with the sheet. He placed a hand over his private parts and eyed his Eagles cap, wishing it was on his head, concealing his receding hairline. When they’d first entered the bedroom—when Onika’s mood was lighter because she thought he’d be able to maintain an erection—she had playfully yanked the cap off Matt’s head. Before Matt could stop her, she’d flung his Eagles cap across the room.

“Mr. Wheeler wants to get a grub, too!” Onika announced.

Completely perplexed, both Matt and Puddin stared at Onika.

“Mr. Wheeler got the hots for you,” Onika explained.

I do not!
Matt shouted in his mind. But he knew better than to contradict Onika out loud.

“He was checking out your big ass when you got out of the van.”

Puddin blushed. “Get outta here. You lying?”

“I’m not lying. Mr. Wheeler wants to eat your pussy. Don’t you, boo.” Teasingly, Onika elbowed Matt, causing the hand that shielded his personals to slip away. Horrified at Onika’s suggestion, Matt was too stunned to speak and too shocked to care about his penis.

“Dayum! Where’s the rest of his dick?” Puddin’ blurted and then cracked up in laughter. Red-faced with embarrassment, Matt immediately clamped both hands over his penis.

“It’s small right now, but it’ll grow a couple more inches when
it gets hard. But you ain’t gotta worry about him trying to use it. He don’t wanna fuck nobody but me. I gotta make a quick run. I need you to feed him some pussy so he can stay hard ’til I get back.”

Puddin giggled. “Y’all crazy, but aiight. I’ll do it. You know me, I ain’t never turned down no food or no opportunity to get my pussy ate,” Puddin replied with a big, cheesy grin. She clenched the sandwich between her teeth as she unhooked the chain that dangled through the loops of her jeans.

Puddin looked so disgusting with the sandwich hanging out of her mouth that Matt felt compelled to put his foot down and stand up to Onika. “Onika!” he said firmly, “What the hell is wrong with you. I’m not—”

Before Matt could utter another word, Onika drew her hand back and sent a stinging slap across his face. His hands went to his face, defensively.

“See what I mean, Puddin?” Onika remarked, attempting to explain her violent response. “Do you see how I gotta keep him in check?” Breathing hard, Onika shook her head. “Dealing with this nigga is hard work.”

“I can see that,” Puddin agreed sympathetically. Neglecting to finish peeling off the too-tight jeans, she once again attacked the ham and cheese sandwich, while watching in fascination as Matt’s small dick quivered and sprang to life.