Déjà Vu (22 page)

S
tunned was Malik’s word of choice. He was not sure he had heard her correctly. Three days ago, not even two minutes ago, Malik hadn’t thought he would own this moment. The woman he secretly admired, the woman he yearned for, the woman he had fallen in love with, had asked him to make love to her. He had waited what seemed a lifetime to hear those words, and now that they were spoken, he stood in front of her like a bump on a log. His pulse raced as the stark reality of what Margo said penetrated his brain. Looking at her, as she continued to stare at him, told him that the time was now if he ever planned on making this woman his.

Malik resisted the urge to swiftly scoop Margo up and take her straight to his bedroom and make love to her. He would take his time and savor the moment, giving her what he knew she needed in time.

“I love you, Margo,” Malik said.

He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her lips. Margo leaned into him and kissed him back full on the lips. Their tongues mated, and before long, Malik’s body lay alongside Margo’s, the arm of the couch giving them support. Hungrily, they savored the taste of each other’s lips.

“I want you!” Malik cried out.

“I want you, too,” Margo responded.

Malik gently lifted Margo from the couch. He kissed her again as he hurriedly crossed the room and took her up the stairs to his bedroom. For the first time since Margo arrived at his place of business, Malik noticed her magenta, long-sleeved dress that hung right at the knees and defined her curves. She wore a smart pair of black pumps that accentuated the firm muscles in the calves of her legs.

She wrapped her arms around him, and they found each other’s tongues again. He embraced her and their bodies locked, making cylindrical designs in the carpet as they tap-danced in place during the mating call. Finally, Margo kicked her pumps away, dropping a couple of inches shorter than she was previously, and Malik found the zipper that opened possibilities yet to be discovered.

Margo wiggled out of her dress, exposing her lacey magenta underwear. A sexy teddy covered her bra and the high cut of her bikini panties accentuated the curves of her hips. Malik licked his lips as he watched Margo and removed his clothing at the same time.

Margo walked seductively, slowly dragging one foot in front of the other until she was directly in front of him. She gazed at the length of his body and threw her arms around him, rubbing her body against his. Now she had seen what others only imagined.

As much as Malik enjoyed Margo’s flirtatious advances, he was extremely surprised at her forwardness. He understood the reason she was with him, but he hoped that their being together was more than charity work. Malik loved a feisty woman who brought the passion with her—it cut down on half the work he had to do, but he was serious about his love for Margo, and he wanted this moment to be more than a one-night stand.

“Are you sure about this, Margo? I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“I’m here, Malik. This is where I want to be—with you. Since the day you told me you loved me, I’ve been in constant turmoil with my feelings. It wasn’t until you said you loved me out loud that I realized I might have repressed my own feelings for you. But it also scared me because I wasn’t ready to announce to the world that I might be in love with another man when I had promised myself that I would be there for Jefferson.”

“What about Jefferson?” Malik asked, his tone serious.

“What about him?”

“Our confessions of love for each other mean that you’ll have to choose between me and Jefferson. It will be a difficult decision, but I’m sure you’ll make the right one.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want my reputation tossed around like it was in a bargain basement sale. My mind is already made up, Malik. Now, are you going to make love to me?”

Malik stared at this woman, who had thrown him off his elliptical course. She had his rapt attention, and he wasn’t going to waste any more time wondering what made her decide to make him a happy man. He took Margo’s hand and guided her to his bed with the overstuffed pillows that beckoned their bodies to become one.

Making love to Margo wasn’t as easy as Malik thought. The casual foreplay led him to believe that she was ready to make a serious commitment and they would be rumbling in the tumbler for a long while, but his heart sank when Margo seemed content to only lie with him and make small talk. It certainly wasn’t what he envisioned as making love. Malik wanted Margo for far more than what lay between her beautiful legs, but a sampling of what he expected to receive on the regular would be a good start.

She shared feelings about Malik that had lain dormant all the years he had spent time with her. If only he had known then what
he knew now, he would have been more aggressive. Malik let Margo ramble until he was no longer listening, closing the doors of her lips with his own. She moaned.

Malik took Margo’s shoulders and squeezed them gently, slowly moving his hands down the length of her arms. He continued to taste her tongue as he did so, and she responded in kind, letting out a satisfied moan every few seconds. So far, so good. Malik grazed her breast then guided his hand down over her tiny waist and up the hill to an ample helping of hips and lingered a moment, satisfied when Margo spent another healthy moan.

Malik felt Margo’s hand move down the middle of his chest, circle his left breast and then the other. Feeling better about his route of travel, Malik lifted the edges of her lacy panties in the back and ran his hand along her smooth posterior, squeezing until she moaned again. There was no mistaking how aroused he was, and surely Margo knew it as well.

Suddenly, Malik shifted his body so that Margo was underneath him instead of on her side. Her eyes were still closed when he took a second to peek, and he took the opportunity to move in for the kill.

He slipped the straps of her bra from her shoulders and gently kissed the tops of her breasts as her hands moved to cover the tips of them. Whether she was shy or embarrassed, Malik was determined to cure Margo’s nerves. She clung to her breasts and shivered slightly but relaxed as Malik took control. Soon he was back to exploring, stopping to give her an occasional tongue lashing that she seemed to take with pleasure.

It was only a matter of minutes before their love for one another was consummated. Margo was better than Malik had ever dreamed, and although they were resting from a first go-round,
Malik was ready for round two, three, maybe four. He was sure that Margo enjoyed it as much as he did. She seemed content as she lay in the hollow of his arm.

“What are we going to do now?” Margo asked Malik.

“What do you mean? If you’re ready for me to make love to you again, I’m ready. It was wonderful.” Malik kissed Margo on the lips.

Margo sat up. “What are we going to do about Jefferson?”

“We’re going to tell him that we’re in love with each other,” Malik replied.

“Are you in love or did you…did we…merely satisfy some lustful feeling that we have been harboring for sometime?”

Surprise registered on Malik’s face. Surprise became concern. “Margo, I love you. This wasn’t some conquest to put a notch on my belt. I want us to be together for the rest of our lives. It may be wrong, but Jefferson doesn’t deserve you.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s right.”

“Listen to me. I’m the one who loves the woman who deserves much more than what she is getting. This is not a game to me, Margo, and so you know, I’m playing for keeps.”

“Oh, Malik, I don’t know. I promised Jeff…”

“Don’t you feel the same way, Margo? When you came here, you gave me the impression that you had come to a decision about your life with Jefferson. It was music to my ears because I’ve waited a long time for you to come to the realization that we were meant to be together.”

“Malik, there is no doubt that you have been there for me the five years that Jefferson was in prison. In fact, you’ve made me feel like a whole woman.”

“That didn’t happen until today. Shhhhhh,” Malik said, bring
ing his finger to his lips. “Let me make love to you again. Let me take care of you. I love you,” he whispered in her ear, fondling and pressing his nose up against her hair. “Your hair smells so good. You may not know this, but every time I was near you, I’d smell your hair. It always smells like honeysuckle.”

Margo smiled. “You may not have known this, but I remembered the times you would get close to me and smell my hair. I often wondered what I would do if I had someone who was that attentive to me. Jefferson used to be that and more, but something happened in our lives to push him off track. Yes, Malik, I remember—I believe it was then that I began to lean on you.”

Malik held her and began to caress her again. It was hard to tell what she was thinking with her eyes closed and no expression on her face, but he sought to make Margo his. It certainly wasn’t a bad position to be in. She was his friend, and Margo had come running to him, asking him to share his bed and to make love to her. If it was time Margo needed, he could more than accommodate her request.

No, it wasn’t a conquest. Malik smiled as he made love to Margo again. Through all the emotions and good feelings, he failed to see the tears that threatened to seep down the sides of Margo’s face.

A
nger and frustration enveloped Santiago like a dark, nasty cloud that announced the onset of a terrible storm. He and his goons had combed the city and come up empty-handed. Angelica was nowhere to be found, and it infuriated Santiago that she had so easily slipped from his clutches.

Underestimating Angelica’s prowess had caused him to lose time, money, and the energy he had invested to make sure that his vengeance was carried out in the methodical way that he had planned. Aside from the few unexpected glitches, his plan was falling in place. Soon the breaches of trust in his fallen empire that had been dubbed Operation Stingray would be eradicated once and for all.

Five years was a long time to wait, but now that his new team had been properly organized and trained, it was only a matter of time before he, like King David in the Bible, would kill the giant pain in his ass with one shot from his sling. While it was proving to be more difficult than he expected, one down was not bad.

Needing to calm his nerves, Santiago went to the wet bar and poured himself a brandy. He swished the drink in the snifter and brought it to his lips. Taking a sip, his mind reflected on the room where Angelica slept. He walked to it, opened the door and surveyed it once again.

Had she planned on returning or was freedom more important
than a few pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage, clothing, and other personal effects? Santiago threw the brandy snifter to the floor, its contents splashing and wetting the carpet. He screamed for Sammy and Dominic, though they could not hear him. Angry that no one responded, he left the room and slammed the door.

He found his cell phone where he had left it and dialed Dom’s number. “Get ready. You, me, and Sammy are going to take a trip down south.”

Santiago slammed the phone shut. He knew where to go.
The bitch had found out about Hamilton, and she went running
. What amazed him was that she found a way to do it. Courage—he had to give it to Angelica. Well, her end was near, and her boyfriend wouldn’t be able to help her because his body was probably decomposing where he and the boys had left him.

Smiling for the first time, Santiago rushed to the vault where he kept his arsenal of weapons. He’d take two or three assault rifles and a Glock for himself.

He held the gun in his hand, took off the safety, and pointed at the target he used for practice.
Pop.
“Bull’s-eye.” A hearty laugh erupted from deep within. Santiago released another shot. “Bull’s-eye. That was for you, Angelica. You’re gonna wish you had never double-crossed me. Ask Donna.”

Santiago’s laughter was so loud that he didn’t see Sammy and Dominic walk in with puzzlement in their eyes. Turning around at last, he saw them at the entrance to the vault and pointed the gun in their direction.

“Whoa!” Sammy shouted. “What’s up with you, man?”

Santiago laughed harder now. He put the gun down and placed the safety back on it. “A little practice, boys. Good for my psyche.”

Sammy looked at Dom. “Understand, boss,” Sammy replied, the fear finally released from his eyes. “Dom and I are ready to ride.”

T
he front door shook like a mild earthquake. The tears that had fallen from Margo’s face hours earlier had long since dried, but anger had replaced them. She pulled the belt from around her trench coat and, after slipping out of it, threw it on the nearest chair.

“You’re a cheater and a liar!” she said, throwing her pointed finger in Jefferson’s face.

He held out his hand. “Hold it, Margo. What are you talking about?”

“I saw you, Jefferson. I saw you with that slut, Angelica. Yes, I followed you to the cozy hotel. I guess you figured if you were out in the open, you would blend in.”

“Margo, it wasn’t what you think.”

“Don’t interrupt me!” Margo screamed. “You told me you didn’t love her…that you didn’t want anything to do with her. Made me believe that I was all you wanted. The moment that wench moved onto your radar, you went sniffing and running like a basset hound; you couldn’t resist. You make me sick!”

“So why didn’t you come in and find out what was going on?”

Margo raised her hand and swung it at Jefferson. He grabbed her arm and held it in mid-air. He looked like a trainer giving his student an exercise tip. “You, you…”

“You aren’t a good detective,” Jefferson said, his eyes trained on Margo as he let her arm go. “It’s apparent you didn’t stay long enough to see Angelica’s brother, Edward, come to the hotel as well. Now what do you think happened?”

“Don’t try to play reverse psychology on me, brother. Tell the truth for once,” Margo hissed. “You were in the hotel with her.”

“You’re doing all the accusing. Sounds to me like you’ve gathered all the facts and come to some kind of conclusion that I’m sure is incorrect.”

“Don’t get smart with me, Jefferson. I’m not playing with you.”

“Angelica asked me to review some documents and account information Hamilton had given her for safekeeping. Edward had put them away while Angelica was in prison, and it turns out that Angelica will realize a small fortune. Hamilton had inherited all of his mother’s assets after she died some years ago, and although he and Angelica were divorced, Hamilton trusted Angelica with his finances. He didn’t have a great relationship with the other members of his family. When he was in the hospital before they carted him off to prison, he had Angelica go and retrieve the papers from his house.

“Nothing happened between me and Angelica. She, Edward, and I reviewed the documents and I advised them on what to do. I may not be able to practice, but I still know my money.”

Margo bit her lip and tugged at her dress. She sighed heavily, ingesting what Jefferson had said. She began to sway unconsciously from side to side, tapping each foot on cue. There was no way to know whether Jefferson spoke the truth, but she wanted to believe him.

This bit of news stripped the venom from her heart. She had wanted to be angry because it justified what she had done,
running straight away to Malik and crying crocodile tears on his shoulders. Now she felt like a fool because she used what she thought was Jefferson’s deceit to fall into the arms of another man and give up her goodies—her hidden treasure—without a second thought. Maybe she was in love with two men, she admitted to herself—and just gave her puddin’ away. Damn that Jefferson.

“Since you have nothing to say, I’m going to help Angelica finish the funeral arrangements. You can come if you like. It seems it was a good thing Angelica came to town because Hamilton’s family members weren’t interested in him—only his assets.

“Now, sit down. I have something to tell you,” Jefferson continued.

Margo began to hyperventilate. After all of Jefferson’s relating what had gone on with him and Angelica, there was a strong possibility he was going to tell her he had had enough and was leaving. This wasn’t the moment she had visualized. Jefferson had taken her anger and turned it into something else. That pissed Margo off, but this was not the moment that made her realize Jefferson was her heart. Maybe she wanted to make him suffer like she had suffered. Malik was there—a convenience at the moment—but she could never love him the way she loved Jefferson. Margo knew she had not been the wife Jefferson had hoped to come home to, but from this moment on, she was going to do everything to right the wrong.

“What’s going on?” she finally asked.

“Remember when I told you that I believe Santiago may have had something to do with Hamilton’s death?”

“Did you find out who killed Hamilton?”

“No, but to fill you in on Angelica’s whereabouts, she was in New York. And guess who she was living with?”

“Santiago?”

“Not by choice. I’ll fill you in on the whole sordid mess later, but I’m sure and she’s sure that he’ll be looking for her.”

“That’s why you need to separate yourself from her, Jefferson. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

A frown formed on Jefferson’s face. “You don’t mean it, Margo. I know you’re in love with Malik. I feel it every time I’m around you…
when
I see you. It’s that look of disgust you give me. Oh, it hurts, and maybe I don’t deserve you, but I’m not going to be the one to leave. I meant what I said about loving you for the rest of my life.”

Margo bent her head down and then back up. She was unsuccessful in trying to keep the tears from falling. She went to Jefferson and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“While you may not want to believe what I’m going to say, it’s true. I’ve never stopped loving you. I’ve been a little mixed up. I’m convinced that seeing you again made all the pain that I thought was gone reappear. But at this very moment, I can stand here and tell you that, even with all we’ve been through, you’re the man I love, and I want to be with you forever.”

Jefferson grabbed his wife and held her tight. Tears fled from Jefferson’s eyes as he continued to squeeze Margo. He pulled back, looked at her and whispered, “I love you.” Finally, he kissed her passionately and she responded in kind.

A moment turned into minutes until Jefferson picked Margo up from the floor.

“Let me make love to you,” he said.

Margo hesitated but knew she couldn’t back away now. She felt the eyes of God looking down at her shame. It wasn’t even an hour ago that she was getting out of one man’s bed, and now she contemplated getting into another, even if it was her husband’s.
The marquee from Heaven was blaring bright: Sister Margo is a bona fide Ho! She hadn’t given herself to a man in the last five years, yet now, in all of two hours, her credibility and sterling reputation were called into question. Her page in God’s Book of Life was marked with a blemish. But she loved her husband.

“I want all of you,” she replied.

Jefferson kissed her as he brought her to
their
bedroom. Lust may have followed them, but there was nothing but love in the room. Jefferson helped Margo remove her dress. Margo helped Jefferson unbutton his shirt. When they were completely naked, they held each other, massaging each other’s souls and letting forgiveness roll away, allowing love to take complete residence in their bodies.

They took their time and kissed, turning the heat up a notch as the minutes rolled by. Discovery was a beautiful thing because they both rediscovered the sensual side of what their lives had been and what kept them together all those years. Thirty years was a long time, but their romance was as hot as it ever was.

They took their time, exploring and learning each other’s bodies again—inch by inch. Margo’s groans were music to Jefferson’s ears, and the love and gentleness Jefferson gave to Margo as he took his time with her all but confirmed that Jefferson really did love her.

Passion took them to another level. Although Jefferson took his time, he was like a drunken fool, tasting, cuddling, sucking and kissing every inch of Margo’s body, unable to get enough. Likewise, Margo became the woman Jefferson once knew—the one who knew how to tend and fan the flames of his desires and return the love in ways that would make a man beg the Lord for divine intervention because he couldn’t take much more of what the sister had put on him.

Guilt riddled Margo’s body when she finally lay next to Jefferson, spent from a long-awaited reunion. She wondered if Jefferson had felt as she did at that moment—the moment after he had made love to another woman. Making love to Jefferson was as good as it ever was and hadn’t been hampered by his being in prison the last five years.

Gathering up courage, Margo looked at Jefferson. “I need to share something with you.”

“Shhhh,” Jefferson said, holding his second finger to his lips. “Let’s not spoil the moment. Whatever it is, I forgive you.”

Her courage evaporated as quickly as she had gathered it. For now, she’d let sleeping dogs lie, but somehow secrets always had a way of coming to the light and manifesting themselves. Margo closed her eyes. “Welcome home.”