The Roof is on Fire (9 page)

I was getting real pissed at how messy this house was. I figured everybody got tired of me complaining, but so damn what. If they didn't want to hear my mouth, then it was in their best interest to start cleaning up after themselves. What may not have been nasty to them was too nasty to me. It was as if nobody gave a care that dust was starting to build up on the furniture or that the floors had lost their shine. Then there was the kitchen where dishes had been left overnight. If there was a dishwasher in the house, how or why wasn't it being used?

As far as the bedroom was concerned, forget it. Nobody made their beds, clothes were left on the floor, and the smell of funky socks permeated the air.

The most irritating thing of all was the bathroom. Soap scum didn't work for me and neither did hair follicles in and around the toilet. The mirrors were smudged and these fools didn't even take time to put toilet paper on the roll.

Even the patio, game room, and workout room were a mess. Used towels were here and there, and who in the fuck would drink something and leave their glass on the table? At this point, I wasn't eating much, touching nothing, or sitting my ass on anything unless I cleaned it myself.

With an attitude, I whipped up a quick fruit salad while the others ate omelets. Once I was done, I went outside to eat and read the newspaper. I wasn't out there two minutes before Chase decided to join me.

“I figured you wouldn't eat those omelets Jada made, but from me to you, they were pretty darn good.”

“From me to you, I don't put stuff like that in my body. But thanks for the update.”

Chase looked up and squinted at the sun. At eight in the morning, it was already scorching hot outside. “It looks like a great day to relax in the pool. After breakfast, would you like to join me? I'll give you a nice massage and rub your entire body with some of my special oils.”

“Sounds like a plan. But first, let me call Jeff to see what's up with the maid service I inquired about. Then I need to check with Roc to see if he wants to finish the boxing game we started yesterday. I'll let you know what's up after that.”

Chase nodded, then drank her apple juice. Minutes later, Jada came outside dancing with a plate in her hand. Half of her omelet was on it and several slices of toast were beside it. If dancing wasn't enough, she started singing.

“I've got jungle fever, he's got jungle fever, she's got jungle fever, we've all got jungle fever— Don't we, Chase?”

Chase gagged and spit some of the apple juice from her mouth. “Wha…what are you talking about, Jada?”

Jada slapped Chase hard on her back, causing her jerk forward. “You know what I'm talkin' about. Don't play.”

Chase appeared confused. “I, uh, don't know, but it's nobody's business if I date white men. Is that what you're getting at?”

Jada winked at her. “That and a whole lot more. I also date white
men, so it ain't no biggie. I wonder if Jaylin dates white women. Do you Jaylin?”

“Why is it that every time we out here chilling, y'all start asking me questions about my personal life? Who I date doesn't matter. What matters is how y'all been fucking up and haven't been keeping the house clean. Is it that hard, ladies, for y'all to pick up after yourselves?”

“No,” Jada said, chewing her food. “But why should we clean when you around here actin' like you're employed by Merry Maids? My towels do not have to be neatly folded on the towel rack, my house shoes do not need to be placed beside my bed, my bed does not need to be made up in the mornin', and my panties don't have to be ironed. I guess you'll be ironin' those next, but please leave my stuff alone. In due time, I'll put my stuff where it needs to be.”

Chase defended her actions as well. “She's right, Jaylin. What you do is a bit much. This house is not dirty at all. With four people living here, some things are to be expected.”

I couldn't believe what they were saying to me. “I'm speechless. After y'all get done eating, please get up and follow me.”

Jada put her plate on the table and stood up. “I'm done with my plate. That was my second one and I'm full. You have my attention, so where are we goin?”

Chase stood and both of them followed me into the house. We passed by Roc, who was sitting at the kitchen table eating with headsets on, listening to music. I stopped in the living room first, and swiped my finger across the top of the TV, the bookshelves and the table. A pile of dust was on my finger.

“What's up with this?” I said. “What does it look like?”

“It looks like some dust bunnies are tryin' to find a place to lay.
Besides, you swiped your finger in three different places. If that's all the dust you got, then what you complainin' for?”

“I agree,” Chase said. “It wasn't that much, Jaylin, and you can find way more dust than that in my living room at home.”

“I'm sure I would, and your comment doesn't surprise me one bit. Follow me.”

They followed me into the bathroom. The first thing that I pointed out was the hair follicles on and around the toilet.

Jada gasped and put her hand close to her mouth. “Oh. My. God! That toilet is filthy! But, uh, I don't see anything. What are you talkin' about?”

“Right there, Jada. I'm not going to touch it, but you see that hair on the toilet.”

“One strand,” Chase said. “I see one little strand that I almost need a magnifying glass to see.”

“You don't need a magnifying glass to see that hair. All you need is some sense. It's hair all over that toilet. Weren't you supposed to clean the bathroom yesterday?”

Chase folded her arms in front of her. “I did clean it, and I did a great job doing so.”

“I'm glad you think so.” I swiped my finger along the scum on the glass shower doors. “If you cleaned the bathroom yesterday, then why is there soap scum on the glass?”

“Jaylin, you need to quit,” Jada said. “I hope this maid service hurry up and get here, because you are workin' my nerves with this mess. It ain't that much cleanin' in the world. You need to realize that some people don't clean bathrooms with a toothbrush like you do.”

“Some people don't clean at all. I'm done griping about this, but when roaches start trying to go to bed with y'all, don't come running to me.”

I left the bathroom in a hurry so I could email Jeff to see what was up with the maid service I had recommended. He sent me an email back right away, telling me that someone would be here today. Thank God.

After I read his email, I checked my fan mail. There was plenty of it, but one message in particular caught my attention, so I responded to Evelyn Walters from Los Angeles.

Hello, Mr. Naughty Man. Like many people, I have followed your story since the very beginning. And needless to say, I can't get enough of you. You've had me on an emotional rollercoaster, and I'm not quite ready to get off yet. I get upset with the women in your life for staying with you, but then I find myself mad at them for not giving you what you want. I do understand how difficult it is for them to pull themselves away from you, because here I am reading about you and I can't let go. My question is what do you think it is that makes Jaylin Rogers so addictive?

I must have answered this question over a thousand times, but it was a question that always put a smile on my face.

Evelyn, the easy answer to your question would be the love for my dick, but I must give women more credit than that. Nobody falls head over heels for me because of that, and I reject the notion that any woman stays with me because she is solely in love with my skills in the bedroom. Over the course of many years, it has been a combination of things that makes women intrigued by me. My honesty, confidence, good looks, charm, intelligence, and ability to please the pussy, all of those things work together in my favor. The good thing is I like to spread love whenever I can. So, I hope your addiction lasts for quite some time. I'm always delighted to add another set of panties to my collection, especially if they're clean. Stay sweet, Miss Naughty, and holla back later. Peace.

I logged off the computer, and later that day, I was shooting the breeze with Roc in the living room when the maid service finally decided to show up. I could see the van parked in the driveway.
When I opened the door, there stood a decent-looking black woman with a bucket filled with cleaning materials in her hand. The second she laid her eyes on me, her face fell flat. I wasn't sure why, until I put two and two together, realizing who she was.

“Brittany?” I said, opening the door for her to come inside.

“No, it's Brashaney, Jaylin. It doesn't surprise me that you forgot my name.”

I smiled, attempting to knock off some of the attitude she displayed. After all, I had forgotten her name, yet I needed her services today.

“I knew what your name was, woman. I was only kidding.”

“I don't believe that for one minute, but it's good seeing you again. It's been a long time. I see you haven't changed much.”

“Neither have you.”

I checked her out. She had much ass squeezed into a pair of tight jeans that looked painted on, a white, button-down smock with “Time To Come Clean” was embroidered on the pocket and her hair was in a layered, short cut. Her brown skin was smooth and flawless. I couldn't help but to look at her nails. Back in the day, I had to dismiss her because the polish on her nails was messy and chipped. And an outfit she'd worn one day was not suitable for the black-tie event I invited her to, so I had to call her out on it. I wondered if she was still upset about that or if she even remembered. I damn sure wasn't going to bring it up. If she did, I intended to play clueless.

As she stood in the foyer, I closed the door. She looked around, then put the bucket on the floor.

“This is a nice place, but it's kind of a downgrade for you, isn't it?”

Jeff told me not to provide any information about Hell House to the maid service. Their job was to come here and clean. Nothing more, nothing less.

“This isn't my house, but I'm staying here for a while. Just need you to work your magic up in here, if you know what I mean.”

“By the looks of things, there doesn't seem like much to do. But I'll do my best. If you need for me to pay more attention to certain areas, please let me know.”

“I can tell you right now that the bathroom needs extra cleaning and so does the kitchen. Dust the whole house, and the floors are kind of jacked up. Did you bring some help with you?”

“No, I didn't. I should be able to handle this. I'm used to doing this.”

“How long do you think it'll take you?”

“A few hours or so. Maybe longer.”

“If you need my help with anything, let me know.”

Brashaney said that she didn't need my help, and she left to get a few more items from the truck. My mind was traveling a mile a minute. I tried to remember every single detail of what had happened between us. At this point, I couldn't even remember if the pussy was worth bragging about or not. That was on my mind because when she came back into the house, Roc's eyes were all over her.

“Say, ma. Let me know if you need some help when you start cleanin' the bedroom,” he joked.

Brashaney blushed and extended her hand to him. “If I wasn't working, I would consider your offer. But my name is Brashaney. Yours?”

“Roc. Roc Dawson.”

“Nice to meet you. My boss told me that the client was pretty anxious to get this house cleaned, so I'd better get started. Besides, I don't want to disappoint anyone.”

She glanced at me, and then walked off to get busy.

Roc sat on the couch and so did I. He picked up a cigar he'd been puffing on earlier and lit it. “She's dope,” he said. “Real sweet.”

I put my hands behind my head and placed my foot on the edge of the table. “No doubt, but she also got an anger problem too.”

It came back to me that she kicked my Mercedes when I asked her to leave my house one day. I couldn't remember why, but there were several instances where she was upset with me.

Roc blew smoke from his mouth. “Do you know her?”

“We used to holla. Nothing on a serious tip. Just a few occasions where we shook things up in the bedroom.”

Roc snickered. “Was it good?”

“Can't remember.”

“Then it wasn't.”

“I may have to agree.”

Roc laid the cigar in the ashtray and picked up the controller so we could continue our basketball game. Shortly thereafter, Jada and Chase came in from outdoors. They'd been outside all morning, trying to get tanned while chilling by the pool.

“It's so nice outside,” Chase said. “Are the two of you going to join us or are y'all going to sit in here all day playing video games?”

“I'll be out later,” Roc replied. “This game got me on lock right now.”

We all looked up when we saw Brashaney making her way down the hallway with a duster in her hand. She had on headphones while dusting the baseboards and pictures on the walls.

“Who dis' big-booty woman, Harpo?” Jada put her hand on her hip. “And when they start sendin' maids to people's houses with tight-ass jeans on?”

“I know, right.” With jealousy in her eyes, Chase checked out Brashaney. “I'm used to maids being old with wrinkles. I guess tricks out there struggling must do what they have to do to make some money.”

Jada continued on. “With that big ass, she may be better off on a stripper pole.”

Her and Chase laughed and kept on talking about Brashaney. I didn't say a word. It didn't surprise me that they were going in on her. I got back to my game with Roc, until Brashaney came into the room and removed her headphones.

“Hello, ladies,” she said with a welcoming smile. Chase and Jada waved, then turned their attention back to the fashion magazine they were paging through.