Lust and Lies (The Jamie Reynolds Chronicles #1) (16 page)

“You will get your same base pay, but we would provide transportation and food.”

Damn, this is sweet. Working with Johnny is a piece of cake. It’s easy work and I get a free trip back to the A and can hang with some friends.
Besides, the break from Toni was well overdue.

“Johnny, it would be great working with you.”

“So does this mean we have a deal?” Johnny said in a hopeful tone.

“Yes, Johnny, we have a deal under one condition.”

“Oh, god.”

“No, Johnny, it’s not bad. I’m just asking for at least a month’s heads-up on each event, and I request buying my own ticket and expecting reimbursement within three business days after I purchase the ticket. Don’t worry, I won’t upgrade myself to first class; it will still be an affordable ticket, just on the days and times conducive to my schedule.

“Oh, beat. JR, you have a deal. Helen will call you in a couple of days to go over everything with you.”

“Okay, Johnny, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

As I hung up the phone, I began to laugh at the thought of working with Johnny J. He thought he was such a pimp. His ass couldn’t find no one to replace me because he was an old man that tried to hit on his staff of all girls. He liked me because that shit didn’t fly with me. Besides, rumor had it the last manager he worked with before me was filing sexual harassment on his ass. Poor Johnny, anyway, at least I was guaranteed a trip to Atlanta at least a few times a year. This gig was up in two weeks and Toni had been getting on my nerves. Speaking of Toni, I guessed I should call him to tell him about the job, since I would be leaving in like three weeks. This way, when this gig was up, I would have a week before I left for Atlanta. Since Toni wanted me to take a break between gigs this would make him happy, but I was guessing this wouldn’t be a relaxing break.

I Understand, Daddy…

“Hey, Daddy, how are you feeling?”

“Hey, Jay, thanks for calling your father,” my father jokingly said. But to be honest, he was right. My father was the reason I moved back East, and ever since he walked out of the hospice, I really hadn’t been visiting him or calling him very much. I had been so busy focusing on me and my crazy life.

I loved my father dearly and I didn’t really have an excuse for why I hadn’t connected much with him ever since he got out. The doctors said it was a miracle, because my family and I were planning his funeral, and after two weeks in the hospice, my father just walked right out and was healthier than ever.

“I know, Daddy, I’ve been so busy with work and trying to get settled and everything. I was calling to see if you wanted to go to brunch this weekend.”

“That sounds great. Maybe we can go after I get out of church,” my dad said, and this statement threw me off. My mom had dragged my sister and me to church for many years, but my dad never joined us. He was always too busy with work and stuff.

“That’s great, Daddy. What church are you going to now?” I asked.

“I go to church with your cousin.”

“Oh, okay, well, brunch would be nice, my treat,” I added in an upbeat tone.

“Okay, Jay. Thanks, anyway, I have to run, that is my other line, so I’ll call you later.”

“Okay, Daddy, talk to you later.”

My dad had been calling me Jay ever since I was little. I thought it was because he wanted a boy and I was a daddy’s girl and a big tomboy for a very long time. I used to go to work with my dad and I learned a lot as I shadowed my dad in whatever adventure he was doing for this season. My dad did it all: he worked as a carpenter, he sold coffee, Christmas trees; you name it, he did it. My dad hustled and I loved him for this. This is why my mom and everyone else said I was like my father, because I totally got my work ethic from my dad, which was a blessing and a curse. My dad worked so much that he missed so much of my childhood. He never came to any of my school plays, sporting events or any family functions. However, no matter what day of the week it was, I was still my daddy’s girl and would move a mountain for him. Hence, the reason why I picked up my life and moved back to be closer to him.

However, as close as I thought I was to my dad, I considered myself a private person, so my dad knew very little about my life. He knew I worked very hard (I got this from him) and he knew I’d just bought a house, and that was about it. I was sad to admit my dad didn’t really know about Toni or any other guys in my past life. My mom knew about Toni, and since my parents were cordial with one another, my mom sometimes kept my dad in the loop about all of us.

***

“Hey, how was work?” Toni asked as he watched TV.

“It was good,” I said as I plopped down on the couch next to him.

“I hate you have to work so hard,” he said.

I didn’t even want to reply, it took Toni over a month to finally find a job. However, he felt like he was too good for the job and hated it and the people he worked with. I wished I could feel his pain, but he wasn’t looking for new work, so I didn’t think he could complain unless he was actually looking for something else since he said he was so unhappy.

“Well, once this gig is over; then it’s a dead season for work, so I may pick up a tax job.”

“Tax job?” he repeated.

“Yeah, it’s what I call a nine-to-five job. A job that takes out taxes and stuff,” I said, referring to my freelance gigs, which paid but no taxes were being taken out, so I paid my taxes out of pocket every tax year. “A tax job helps me not pay so much taxes when tax season comes around. Since it’s slow during the winter and I hate working in the cold, I find a tax job in retail or something. I figure I’ll start hitting up the malls and see what I can find,” I said as I made my way into the kitchen to see what was for dinner.

“I like that, tax job,” he repeated again.

“I’ve worked for Macy’s for the past three seasons in Atlanta as a customer service manager. I’m hoping I can get the same seasonal gig in New Jersey now.”

“That’s what’s up?” Toni replied.

Is this all he can say? At least I have a plan, unlike himself
, I thought to myself as I opened the fridge and saw a box of pizza.

“Did you have dinner yet?” I asked as I began to open the box of pizza.

“Yeah, I ordered a pizza since I figured you would be home late.”

When I opened the box and saw only one slice left, I just froze up and totally lost my appetite and just closed the fridge and began walking upstairs. I couldn’t believe he ate a whole box of pizza by himself and left one slice, one slice, I kept repeating to myself as I made my way to the shower to call it a night.

I got out of the shower and I guess Toni must have known I was upset as I walked into the bedroom to see the lights were dim and a few scented candles were burning. I knew what he wanted and I wasn’t in the mood. He stopped me just as the microwave bell popped and he asked me to stay right here. I began drying my skin and started to throw on a sleep shirt to let him know he would not be getting any tonight, and moments later Toni came upstairs with a serving tray with the slice of pizza and a side salad.

“I knew you was tired, so I made you dinner,” he said, looking pitiful. The gesture was nice, but warming one slice of pizza and opening a bag of salad and placing it on a plate was not really dinner, but A for effort as I thanked him and took a bite of the pizza. I usually hated eating this late because I wasn’t active at night, so I didn’t like eating and going to bed.

“I knew it was late and you don’t eat this late,” Toni said, as if he was reading my mind, “but you need to eat something.”

“I understand and thank you.” I took a bite of my salad. Since I wasn’t in the mood for sex, I tried to have a decent conversation with Toni about our future.

“So, are you happy?” I just blurted out.

“I’m happy to be with you,” he said.

“Thanks for that answer, but that doesn’t really answer my question. Are you truly happy with everything? Your life, your career, you know, your past and present. Do you think about your future? What do you have in store for you, for me, for us?” I said in a very serene tone.

“I guess I never thought about all of that. What do you have planned for your life?”

I hated when he asked me my opinion about a topic I asked his opinion on first, but I just went along with the conversation. “My plan may be different than yours, but I want to stay on this path with my career. I sometimes feel like I started over with my career after my move, but I’m staying positive and focusing on the bigger picture. I want to someday go back to school to get my master’s in education so I can teach TV production. I want to get a new car and, of course, travel. I love to travel and want my passport to be stamped up,” I said as I began to laugh.

“Oh, and I want to reestablish my savings.”
Since I can’t save very much because I’m still paying most of the bills, which have almost doubled since Toni and I started living with each other; food is almost tripled
, I thought to myself.

“Wow, you have thought about a lot of things,” Toni said, sounding shocked about my plans for my own life. “Your plans didn’t include me.”

At first I was confused, but then I felt bad. He was right, my plans were just based on myself and not us. “I guess I never thought about it. My plan for my life has always been the same. I guess I figured my boyfriend, man or other half would have his own plans for his future.”

“My future plans include you.”

I was a little lost because he never told me his plans, nor did I think he actually had any. “So tell me your plans.”

“I know I don’t talk about my plans, but I do have plans for our lives. I know a lot has changed, but I’m working on something big, and it is going to change our lives, I promise,” he said with confidence.

This made me nervous, but I had to trust him. I was an up-front go-getter and maybe he was a silent go-getter.

As I was deep in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice Toni going into the nightstand and pulling out my neon pink dildo. It was too late, by the time I could even say anything, he’d licked his finger and inserted it directly into me, and of course, like clockwork, I was wet within seconds. He leaned over to kiss me passionately and whispered in my ear, “I love you and I will take care of everything.”

Those words and the dildo he inserted inside me comforted me as I lay back and he began kissing my inner thigh as he moved the dildo in and out of me. I grabbed the sheets in the moment of pleasure and was in another world. After about five minutes of pleasure he pulled the dildo out and inserted his manhood inside of me. I had to admit I was a little sad because his manhood was not only two inches shorter than my dildo, but it was also thinner as well, so naturally I felt the difference right away, but I enjoyed the ride as he grabbed my waist and thrust his manhood deep inside to make up for the difference in length. Sex was intense, we both knew this. I didn’t know if it was my pent-up frustration or what, but I was almost addicted to him helping me masturbate with my dildo almost every night. I opened my eyes and just smiled. Within moments we were both sweating and I got up and took another shower. I couldn’t help but think of the words he whispered in my ear right before we made love and I told myself, “It will be all right.”

***

“Hey, Daddy,” I said as my dad walked into the diner, fashionably late, of course. My dad was a sharp dresser as he walked in with bright red pants, black snakeskin belt with matching shoes, and a red, black and white polyester shirt. If my family wasn’t from Trinidad and Tobago, one would think my dad was a pimp. But West Indian men liked to dress and stay sharp, and my dad was no different.

“Excuse me,” I said, commenting on his outfit. “If I would have known you was stepping out today, I would have worn my Sunday best as well. How was church?”

“It was nice. You should join me one of these days.”

“I would love to,” I said, as I felt honored to have my dad invite me to church even though I had to admit to myself I hadn’t attended church in months ever since I moved back East.

“How is the new place?” my dad asked.

“It’s cool. I like New Jersey but miss New York sometimes. Anyway, how is everything? How are you feeling?”

“Everything is good, I feel great. I know I scared everyone, but God spared me for a reason. I had to be around to see you girls grow up,” he said as he elbowed me on the arm. “I have to walk my girls down the aisle and play with my grandkids.”

Marriage, grandkids… I almost passed out when my dad said this. I’d never seen myself as the married type nor the type to have kids. I had said since high school I never wanted kids. I wanted to be a working woman who traveled the world with this fabulous lifestyle.

“Wow, Daddy. I never really thought about all of that.”

“You and your sister (speaking about my older sister, Jenifer) are out of college and working now and I am very proud. I know you guys should be settling down soon and I wanted to be around for it.”

Again with the settling-down thing, is he trying to tell me something?
I started to get a little antsy in my chair.

“I know your mother told me you met a new guy and he moved all the way from Atlanta to be with you in New Jersey. That’s great, Jay. I know you’re a private person, but you’re growing up and sometimes you have to see the signs and just go for it.”

“Go for what?” I said with a little bit of an attitude.

My dad laughed and said, “I know you’re all about work, but don’t be like me. I worked my whole life to make sure my kids could have the finer things in life and I almost lost everything and had nothing to show for it. I almost died nine months ago and realized I missed a lot in my kids’ lives. I now want to enjoy the life the lord has blessed me with without regrets and I want you to do the same.”

“I understand, Daddy,” was all I could say to what he was saying. I’d heard this all before, but somehow it was different coming from my dad, and after all he had been through, I did understand what he was saying. We enjoyed our lunch, and my dad and I continued to talk. It was a great conversation and I couldn’t remember the last time my dad sat me down and just spoke to me.