A Greek God In Harlem (9 page)

"... I just... I just wanted to hear your voice..." Morris spoke into his phone, once in his room. On the other end, Donyelle was quiet. He could hear her breathing though, and that alone gave him some solace. He continued to talk to her,

"My dad... he's back. He's gonna be released from prison," he said in a shaky voice.

Donyelle held her silence. She wanted so badly to be there for him, to hold him. But how could she, when he hadn't done the same for her?

"So I guess you're gonna have to fill Julianna in on all that..." Donyelle finally said. She knew that sentence was gonna hurt Morris, and it did. He felt as if someone had just knocked the wind out of his stomach.

He replied with a soft, "Wow."

Donyelle replied, "You treat me like shit in front of everyone, and you have the nerve to call me about your problems with your dad? Not this time Morris. Just leave me alone. I've started going for antenatal scans, not like you care. Do you even 
know
 what those are?"

Morris felt the sting of tears come to his eyes. He bit his lip and swallowed his pride,

"No. Is it something to do with the baby?"

"Yes. My baby's doing fine so far." And with that, she hung up the phone. 

"And remember when Cedric the Entertainer made you stand up?" Percy had a wide smile on his face recalling the night's comedy. He squeezed her waist as they walked down the empty but beautiful street, nearing her home in the historical district.

Tanya giggled and held her face in embarrassment, "Oh my god... I was dying. Percy! You gestured at me when he was scanning the audience and then he made me stand up. I totally saw you!" Tanya slapped his arm in mock anger.

"Whoa whoa... I'm sure Cedric can spot a beautiful lady without my help!" He said, putting his hands up in defense. Tanya narrowed her eyes and wagged her finger in his face.

They were both laughing as they remembered the jokes from their date at The Apollo. By the end of the night, they had to wipe sweat from their foreheads just like everyone else.

"That was great. Thanks for showing me another side of this town," Percy told Tanya in a serious and thankful tone.

"Ooooh there's soooo much more I'm yet to show you, this town is historic," she told him.

He squeezed her waist one more time as they walked side by side approaching her home. When they finally got to the steps leading to her front door, they both grew more conscious.

What now? They both thought as they looked shyly into each other's faces.

"Well... I guess this is goodnight," Tanya slowly said as she profiled Percy's extremely handsome features. His dark eyes and fleshy lips complimented his dark brunette hair well. His hair was slightly long, almost a modern 80s mullet. She would tell him that when they joking around again.

But now the humor was gone. It was replaced by sentiment. What sentiment? Neither of them knew.

He held her tiny hands in his as they stood facing each other on the pavement before her home.
He looked at the house and cocked his eyebrow, "It looks awfully lonely in there."

Tanya smiled knowingly, "Are you offering company?" Percy moved closer to the young black woman.

He muttered, "I have no clever or polite way to express what I'm feeling for you right now."

He placed his fingers under the thin straps of her red mini dress and started to rub her shoulders softly. 

He looked deep into her eyes before descending. His lips caught her neck. Tanya sighed and drew him closer with her hands encircling his neck.

In between his kisses that had now plastered her neck and chin, Tanya managed to say,
"Percy. This is wrong. We hardly know each other. I have a boyfriend, sort of. You- I don't even know that much about you...I need to ask you...hmmm"

His hands travelled up under her dress and up her thighs, caressing them.

She looked him in the eye earnestly to stop his movements. He paused when he realized she was being serious. 

He lifted her chin up with his finger and brushed his lips against hers, softly saying, "I really want to make love to you Tanya, but I need you to trust me, do you trust me?"

The bluntness of his words and the lusty gaze he was giving her made her wet somewhere, down there. Tanya stared back into his dark eyes. 

Should I trust this mysterious man? She wondered. 

Percy, who looked like he was about to burst out of his trousers, needed an answer right there and then. 

As gorgeous as he was, did she really want to 
go there
 with him? And what about Eric... oh god 
Eric
! Tanya gulped as she looked at Percy who was waiting for an invitation, an answer... 
anything
!

The handsome Greek uttered, while placing his hands in his pockets, "Well Tanya? Should I go home? Or do you want me to stay?"

Chapter Eight

I have to get my mind off Donyelle. And fuck Dad, wish he'd died in prison
. Morris thought.

He tightened his jacket around his body and held his basketball tightly under his left arm. His mom didn't know, but he always snuck out late at night to hang out with other project kids, who were much poorer...and tougher than him.

Morris figured with this whole 'attending drama school' thing, he had to regain his street credibility somehow. He deliberately 'dressed down' and dumbed down his speech, something the other guys hadn't seen through yet. They thought he was just one of them, hopeless and crime ridden.

They never asked why Morris was always 'busy' whenever they'd call him about the latest plan to shoplift the Korean store, or steal some cars from the better part of town.

Once he reached the courts, he found the guys already shooting hoops, their large bodies jumping gracefully into the air and landing roughly on the ground.

All around them were cute neighborhood girls, most in short skirts, others in short pants. All cheering on their favorite player.

Or favorite gangster.

The 'gangsters' were seated on top of stolen cars, bobbing their heads to the latest hardcore crunk music. Some were grinding against girls, others were practically having sex with them inside the cars.

One girl shimmied her way up to the tall Morris and smiled seductively, "Hey Reecy. Haven't seen you in a while..." 

She stroked his chin and pulled him towards an empty car. Morris smiled back, tempted, but not so sure. Shauna was a beautiful Jamaican girl, almost as beautiful as Donyelle...

Donyelle. Morris' felt like someone was clutching at his heart. He had already humiliated her with Julianna, he couldn't do the same thing all over again...

He tried to pull away from Shauna, but not before he felt a gun prod him from the back. He held his breath, as did the whole crowd,

"The fuck you think you're doing with my girl? Are you that punk that goes to art school?"

Shauna stepped back fearfully as she looked at her boyfriend holding a gun to Morris' back. 

Feeling the gun on his back, Morris angrily asked, "the f- you think I'm doing? I came here to play..."

But he didn't get to finish his sentence.

Percy closed the door behind him. Tanya had let him in.

He couldn't really think straight, imagining all the possibilities of what was about to happen. He wanted to do all sorts of things to this woman from the first day he saw her in the Greek Mythology class.

They both stood in her lobby, looking at each other, staring, both wondering who would make the first move. They could hear each other breathe.

Tanya broke the silence,

"I've never been home this late. Not since Eric left for New Jersey..." Tanya said inaudibly. But Percy had heard.

This was the second time she had talked about her 'boyfriend' that night. And every time she did, Percy felt like he was being punched in the stomach. 

Percy managed to say, just as softly, "There has to be a reason you've let me in at this time."

Tanya tried to maintain her composure, "Oh really?" 

Percy walked slowly towards her in the tight lobby, until she could feel his breath,

"For an ad agent, Eric doesn't know a good thing when he's got it..." Percy said, as his hand stroked Tanya's bare shoulder. His eyes bore into hers.

"I never told you Eric was an advertising agent. How did you know that?" Tanya asked softly, as she looked at his soft fleshy lips. 

The lust she felt for this Greek man looming over her body was overpowering. He had cornered her into the wall and was smiling slightly, as if he knew the effect he was having on her.

After all she was having the same effect on him.

Instead of answering her question, he kissed the corner of her mouth. Then the other corner.

They were both standing in the darkened corridor, and their breathing was getting louder and harder.

Percy grabbed her leg and propped it up against his hip so that his whole body pushed onto hers. 

His hands moved to her head, cupping it as his mouth attacked hers.

Tanya's own hands were fumbling with the belt of his trousers, trying desperately to open it. 

Her hand deftly felt the large bulge at his front. Percy moaned as her hand brushed over it, even slightly. He continued to kiss her, his tongue and hers joined in a desperate tango. In between kisses his hands moved from cupping her face, to caressing her bare brown shoulders. 

He wanted so desperately to pull her red minidress down from her breasts in one swift motion. He knew he could do it, but he figured that would be too rough. God he wanted to 
make love
 to this woman.