Man Swappers (49 page)

I glance over at the bridal table and see Felecia standing in back of Pasha, leaning in her ear, pointing over at us. I’m sure giving her all the juicy details of what happened in the bathroom. Pasha stares over in our direction as Paris runs out of the tent.

Paris
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

R
ight now, I’m too fucking pissed to be embarrassed over the scene I’ve caused. I have to get the hell out of here, and fast. I find myself running in heels out of the tent with Porsha chasing behind me, and Desmond calling out to me. But, I keep running.

“Paris, wait!” Porsha yells, trying to catch up to me. But I continue my stride as fast as I possibly can in six-inch heels. When I’ve gotten almost to the front of the property, I stop running, panting hard, out of breath. Porsha finally catches up to me.

“Girl, you have no damn business running in heels. What are you trying to do, break your damn ankles or fall and hurt the baby? You’re not thinking straight. You’re upset, but you’re out here acting like a wild woman. You’ve let this entire thing take you out of character.”

I take three deep breaths.

“No, that, sneaky bitch did this.”

“Persia was dead wrong, but this wasn’t the place or the time to address it.”

“The hell if it wasn’t,” I snap. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it. All I want to do is get—”

“Yo, we need to talk,” Desmond says, running up to us. I feel like slapping his face, but I realize he’s innocent in all of this.

“I’ll go get the car,” Porsha says, walking toward one of the valet attendants.

“Desmond, I can’t. Not now.”

He gives me a pained look. “Nah, fuck that. This whole night has been fuckin’ crazy, yo. First, I find out your fam married my fam. Then I find out that you’re an identical triplet and that it wasn’t you who cut me off, but one of your sisters. And then I walk up on you and hear that you’re pregnant. So you gotta tell me something, yo, ’cause right now my head is all fucked up.”

He glances down at my stomach.

Instinctively, I place my hand over it. This whole night has drained me. “How do you think I feel? This whole time I thought you just stopped calling me and coming by the store because you lost interest in me, in us.”

“Nah, yo, you—”

I stop him with my hand. “Let me finish. For almost four months, I’ve been pissed at you, thinking you were this fucked-up nigga who just disappeared. Not knowing that my sneaky-ass sister was lying up with you all that time, pretending to be me.”

He holds his head in his hands. “This shit is crazy, yo. I still can’t believe this shit. And this whole time, I thought it was you dissing me.”

I see the attendant coming around with Porsha’s car. “Look, I really have to go. Can we please talk about this tomorrow? This whole night has been exhausting. And I’m not feeling well.”

He walks me toward the car. “Yeah, we can talk about this tomorrow, but I just need to know one thing.” He eyes me.

I look up at him. “What’s that?”

“Am I really the father?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He runs his hand over his face. “Fuck. I need ya number, yo.”
I rattle off my number. He types it into his phone, calls me, then hangs up. “Don’t lose it.” The valet opens the car door for me, then shuts it once I’m inside. I roll the window down and Desmond leans into the car. “I’m calling you first thing tomorrow, yo. You hear?”

I nod my head. He taps the hood of the car, then steps back and watches as Porsha drives off. I wait until he is out of view, then break down.

Eight a.m., I’m awakened by my ringing phone. Without glancing at the screen, I already know it’s Desmond calling. I answer. “Hello.”

“I keep playin’ this whole shit in my head, yo. I’m fucked up like a muhfucka over this, yo.”

I stretch and yawn, sitting up in bed. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that. What my sister, Persia, did was real fucked up. I blame myself. Had I given you my phone number, instead of playing games with you, all of this crazy shit could’ve been avoided.”

“Nah, yo, don’t blame ya’self. Ya sister gotta take responsibility for what the fuck she did. Yo, I felt something was different about you…” I cringe at the thought of him being with her. Fucking her the way he fucked me. “…but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was almost like you flipped into this whole other person.”

“That’s because I was.”

“Yeah, no shit. I know that now. But, then…I really couldn’t tell y’all apart. The only time you seemed different is when… damn, I thought you had a split personality or something.”

“When what?” I ask, bracing myself for what I already know.

“When we were…you know, gettin’ it in.”

I groan. “Ugh. I’m so disgusted. I feel sick behind this.”

“Yo, you don’t know how bad I wanted to come down to ya store and talk shit out with you. But, I ain’t never been the type of cat to sweat a chick who isn’t interested in bein’ sweated. Once you, I mean, she, told me she wasn’t beat anymore, I fell back and played my position.”

I have a pounding headache as images of them in bed flash through my head. I have to know. “Did you like fucking her?” I hold my breath, wait for his answer.

“Nah, I liked fuckin’
you
, ma. That’s who I thought I was gettin’ it in wit’. I was big on you, feel me? Even when you, I mean she, started flippin’ the script, wantin’ to be slapped up and choked and disrespected, I went wit’ it ’cause it’s what you, well she, wanted. She said she liked role-play. Yo, ya sister is a real snake for that shit; real talk.”

I swallow back my anger. “Trust me. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I can only imagine what was said after I ran up out of the reception last night.”

“Yo, most of the peeps there were pretty lit the fuck up and didn’t even really know what was goin’ on.” He chuckles. “Yo, I’m just glad to know my fam ain’t the only ones all fucked up.” He tells me when he got back to the tent, my mother, along with my aunts Fanny and Lucky, cornered him and drilled him until my father came and pulled her away from him.

“Ohmygod,” I say, covering my face. “My mother and aunts are a mess.”

He laughs. “Yo, they came at me like they were ready to get it in. Ya pops, though, seems mad cool. He and I had a chance to talk in private.”

“What did y’all talk about?”

“You.”

“What about me?”

“I told him that I was really big on you and wanted to work things out, if we could.”

I can’t believe my ears. A part of me is relieved, and happy to know this. But, then there’s that other part of me who can’t get past the thought that he’s fucked Persia. “Even after all this mess with my sister?”

“Yeah. That shit still doesn’t change how I’ve felt ’bout you, yo. I couldn’t get you out my head.”

“But it wasn’t me.”

“Nah, yo, it was
you
way before your sister stepped in. Listen. What happened, happened. I can’t change that, and neither can you. But, we gotta deal wit’ what’s goin’ on right now. I can’t tell you what to do wit’ ya body, but I need to know what are
we
gonna do about my seed you carryin’?” I tell him I’m having it. He gets quiet.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Are you bothered by that?”

“Nah, I’m not. I’ve been wantin’ a baby for a minute; just didn’t connect wit’ anyone I wanted to have one wit’, until now. Yo, I wanna see you.”

I smile. “Tell me where, and I’m there.”

“My place.” He gives me the address. I tell him that I can be there in an hour or so; that I need to shower and get dressed. “Nah, that’s too long. I need to see you
now
. Throw on some clothes and just come through. You can shower here.”

I climb out of bed and go into my bathroom, then sit on the toilet. When I’m done, I flush, then wash my hands. I decide to take a quick sink-rinse. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“Cool.”

“I’ll text you when I’m leaving.”

“Nah, fuck that. I wanna hear ya voice. Call me so we can talk while you drivin’, aiight?”

I feel myself getting ready to cry. “I will.”

“Cool. Oh, one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Pack a bag ’cause I’m taking you back to Connecticut with me.”

“Connecticut?
For what?”

“To meet my fam. But, first, I’m takin’ you by my parents’ spot. So my moms and pops can meet you.”

“Oh, God. I’m sure she’s going to have all kind of choice words to say about me.”

He laughs. “Yeah, she might. But, don’t sweat it. Her bark’s louder than her bite. Once she gets to know you, she’s gonna have mad love for ya. Trust me on this.”

We talk a few minutes more, than hang up. I hurriedly wash up, throw on some clothes, then start tossing a few things into an overnight bag. I’m not sure what’s going to happen between Desmond and me. It’s been months since I’ve seen or talked to him, thanks to Persia. I’m not even sure if he’s who I want to be with. But what I am sure of, I’m going to be a mother. And my baby’s going to have a father in its life after all. And that’s all that matters to me.

Persia
CHAPTER SIXTY

T
he last three weeks have been hell. Okay, I know. A hell that I’ve created. Paris is still not speaking to me. Even Porsha is looking at me sideways for causing this riff between us. This whole situation has spiraled out of control. Paris hasn’t been staying here; she’s actually been avoiding me. I’ve become invisible to her.

And now I’m up in my room, standing in my window, watching as she moves some of her belongings out. I’m watching as Desmond helps her load things in her car and in his truck. I don’t even know where she’s going. Every so often, she looks up, stealing evil glances at me, rightfully so. I hurt her deeply. And for that, I’m so truly sorry.

It hurts standing here, watching her move her things out of our home. It hurts knowing that her forgiveness for what I’ve done may not come anytime soon. Yes, my actions caused this. But, eventually, she’ll come around. She always does. We’re sisters. And our bond will always be strong; no matter what. But, for now, I have to give her her space and weather the storm between us.

Mother was right. I’m a selfish bitch; always have been. I want what I want
and
who I want when I want it. If I’m completely honest with myself, the truth is I don’t regret sleeping with Desmond. It sounds fucked up, but I simply don’t. It’s what I
wanted to do. But that’s something I’ll never admit to Paris, or ever share with Porsha. However, I do regret Paris finding out. I regret seeing her hurt by my selfishness. Still, I believe I could’ve gotten away with it—as I have with all of her other boyfriends—had I fucked him only once instead of getting greedy. I should’ve never given him my number. I have offered to apologize to Desmond, but Paris simply laughed.

“Bitch, the damage is already done. What the fuck do you think an apology is going to do now? Make everything go away? No, bitch. Save your fucking apology. He’s not interested in it. And neither am I. He was off limits to you, ho. The rule was we only share the men the three of us, or at least two of us, mutually agree on. Anyone else is off fucking limits, especially once we know he’s interested in only one of us. Even if I didn’t tell you about him, you
knew
he had feelings for
me
.”

“Paris, if you would have told me that you’ve met someone that you wanted for yourself, then I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Bitch, you’re so fucking full of yourself, it’s a damn shame. If I didn’t mention him to you, there must’ve had been a damn good reason. And when Desmond called the store looking for me, YOU should’ve told him I wasn’t there. Then YOU should’ve simply asked me about him and I would’ve told you that I was keeping him for myself. So, don’t give me that bullshit.

“Bitch, I forgave you when you slutted yourself out with all of them motherfucking boys and had the whole damn school calling me sluts and whores and shit. I took ass whippings and punishments for you, bitch. Why? Because I’m your sister and I loved you. And it would hurt me to see you always in trouble. I didn’t want to accept that you were the problem. Not Mother, you. You’ve never given a fuck about anyone else but yourself. And I’m sick of it.”

I went to walk toward her. “Paris, I know you’re hurt, and—”

“Don’t you fucking come near me,” she warned, balling her fist up. “You have no fucking idea what I’m feeling. We’ve had our arguments and screaming matches over the years. And we’ve gotten over them. But, right now, if I wasn’t pregnant, I’d beat the shit out of you. So the best thing you can do for the both of us is to stay THE FUCK away from me! Don’t open your mouth to say shit!”

And with that said, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Now I stand here watching as she and Porsha hug. I swipe the tear that has escaped from my eye and as she gets in her car and drives off with Desmond following behind her.

I take a deep breath. “Damn, she’s fine as fuck,” I had heard one of the guys say as I walked by the bleachers where they were all sitting, smoking weed. There were like eight of them. Three of them I recognized from school. The other five were boys from Newark. I had on a short skirt and a tight-fitting tee. I was itching to get into some trouble.

“Hey,” this light-skinned guy with freckles called out. I knew him from school. “C’mere.”

I walked back over to where they where all sitting and looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“Which triplet are you?”

I smiled. “Paris. Why, y’all want some pussy?”

They all started high-fiving each other, grabbing at their dicks. “Hell yeah.” I was young and horny and wanted to fuck. I told them I knew where we could go to have some fun. They followed me as I led them to a path, that took us into the woods where—one after the other—they took turns fucking me, dumping cum into me. They all stood around cheering each other on until they
all had their turn with me. I got up, picked up my panties and wiped my swollen, cum-soaked pussy with them, then walked out of the woods like nothing ever happened.