Playthang (4 page)
Authors: Janine A. Morris
5
T
he restaurant was crowded, and the bar was pretty filled as well. Jordan looked around, unsure where to sit. Finally, she saw three unoccupied seats side by side. She began to walk toward the vacant seats so that she could wait for her friend Tayese to come meet her for lunch.
he restaurant was crowded, and the bar was pretty filled as well. Jordan looked around, unsure where to sit. Finally, she saw three unoccupied seats side by side. She began to walk toward the vacant seats so that she could wait for her friend Tayese to come meet her for lunch.
“Can I get you anything?” the bartender said as soon as Jordan swung her feet around to the front of the bar stool.
“Actually, I'll take a Mai Tai.”
“OK,” the bartender replied as she dashed off.
Jordan pulled out her BlackBerry to text Tayese and see if she was close by. As she began typing the message, an incoming call appeared on the screen. It was Tayese.
“Hello,” Jordan said.
“Hey, where are you?” Tayese asked.
“At the bar inside Caruso's.”
“I'm walking in right now. See you in sixty.”
“OK,” Jordan replied and hung up.
The bartender returned and placed her drink on a napkin in front of her.
“Thank you,” Jordan said before she took her taste-testing sip.
Jordan was still sipping from the tiny straws the woman had placed in her cup when she heard Tayese say, “You couldn't wait for me to get started?”
Jordan looked up and began to laugh. “My bad, girl, I didn't know how long you were going to be, and with my stressful week, I needed a drink,” Jordan said, turning around to give her girl a hug.
Tayese reached over for the warm embrace. As soon as she was released, Tayese sat down in the stool beside Jordan. Once again, the bartender arrived like magic.
“Can I get you something?” she asked.
“I'll take a mojito,”Tayese said without hesitation.
The bartender dashed off once again.
“So why you so stressed, miss?”Tayese asked as Jordan took another sip from her glass.
“Just everything, work, home. Just in a funk these days.”
“I remember when you didn't even drink like that when we were in law school, and now look at you,” Tayese said, laughing at her own observation.
“I still don't drink like that. Just on occasion.”
“Well, from the looks of how fast you're sipping on that drink, I might say you are a drinker now.”
“Whatever.” Jordan laughed. “So how's work?”
“It's good. Of course, they are working me to death over there, but I guess I can't complain.”
“I can imagine. I've got to give it to firm lawyers. I don't think I could do it.”
“Yes, you could, if you didn't have a family to worry about. Lonely single women like myself have nothing else to do, so we might as well work.”
“Don't say that,Ty.You are far from lonely.”
“How you figure?”Tayese asked.
“All those men you got beating your door down, how can you get lonely?”
“Yeah, that's until they get to know me better. Then they run off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jordan, I've told you this a million times.You haven't been on the dating scene like that, but men aren't trying to get into serious relationships like that, and especially not with me.”
“Why not with you?”
“Because they can't run game on me like they want. I'm controlling and not that easy to please.”
“Well, stop being so damn controlling,” Jordan said, laughing.
“I can't help it. I need to find a man who can love me for me and accept it. If not, I'm screwed.”
“You'll be fine. Our kind is hard to come by; some man is going to be smart enough to realize you're well worth the challenge.”
“I hope so. I hope that it's sooner rather than later.”
“Change soon come,” Jordan said in her fake Jamaican accent.
“Please, I'm trying to get them to realize I'm worth putting away their player card, let alone that I'm worth the challenge that comes after that.”
Jordan laughed. “Be positive. We're all in the same boat.”
“You have a man, dammit, so I ain't in your boat.You in a yacht; I'm in a raft.”
Still tickled by Tayese's humor, Jordan continued, “We are all in the same raft then.”
“People with a definite date and consistent dick can't be in my raft. My folks may jump your folks.”
“Listen ... I may have that ... kind of. Still, trust me when I tell you the grass ain't always greener on the other side.”
“Here we go with that patronizing line.”
“I'm dead serious. I
had
a man, and now I have somewhat of a boyfriend. Just to have someone to hold, that title isn't alwaysenough.”
had
a man, and now I have somewhat of a boyfriend. Just to have someone to hold, that title isn't alwaysenough.”
“What's that mean?”
“I'm just saying, when I was married, it was different. That was the yacht. It was guaranteed; it was always worth the fight. I said vows, we said vows, I never had to doubt that we both wanted to be there. I never had to second-guess my purpose in the relationship. Now that I'm with Jayon, it's kind of like collegeall over again. We are allegedly serious and committed to one another, but there's no security. I don't know if he is going to just be done one day, or if I'm going to wake up one morningand not be able to do it anymore. Thing is, unlike when I was married, there is nothing stopping either of us from walkingaway.”
Through all the jokes, Tayese wasn't expecting Jordan to get so deep. She could see in Jordan's eyes those words weren't just in response to why she wasn't on a yacht. This was one of the things that caused Jordan to order her drink before Tayese got there.
“I hear you, J. Thing is, there are never any guarantees.”
“You are right, but there's a difference when you just don't know what the future holds and when you don't know what tomorrow holds.”
Tayese just lifted her drink and took a sip.
“In some situations, you can love like it's never going to hurt because you know that's all you can do. That person is giving their all, and there's a sense of commitment that gives you a sense of security. Then there are situations that day to day you know something is missing, and you're just trying to get by. Trying to hold on to that life on a yacht because it's all you know, but meanwhile the luxury has been gone for a long time.”
Jordan's tone took the conversation in a totally different direction.Tayese was never that friend that Jordan told all of her weaknesses to. Jordan went to law school with her, and althoughshe considered her one of her closest friends, she usuallyshared her career problems with her and not her personal ones.
Tayese felt for her, though. She wasn't sure if Jordan was on the verge of tears, but she hoped not. She didn't want her silly jokes to turn their happy girls' night out into a sad disaster.
“Well, Jordan, at least you have been married. There are so many of us that just want the opportunity to be loved enough to have a man say âI do.'”
“I understand that, and I'm thankful for all of my experiences.I loved my ex-husband and I still do. I love Jayon and I always will. It's just that I'm telling you, don't knock your life 'cause you don't have a husband or a steady boyfriend... . Things are never perfect,Ty.You got to enjoy your life no matterwhat is going on with it.”
“I feel you, and I do, but I'm not going to stop looking for a man,” Tayese said, laughing, bringing the humor back into the “getting way too serious” conversation.
Jordan laughed back.
“You shouldn't. Hell, I'm going to be looking myself,” Jordansaid with a smile.
“You don't need to be looking. Jayon and you are going to be just fine.”
“I guess. Doesn't hurt to have a plan C.”
“C?”
“Well, Jayon was plan B, remember? I was married,” Jordan said with a chuckle.
“Oh ... cute. Well, whatever. I'm looking for a plan A, B, and C, 'cause I need all the backups I can get.”
Jordan just laughed at her friend's humorous self-pity.
“Girl, ain't nothing wrong with you.You just crazy,” Jordan said.
An hour later, the glasses were left with only ice in them and the plates with just the remains from their meals.They had talked and laughed themselves all out about everything from work to their love lives. People had come and gone, and they were still engulfed in their company. Eventually, they rememberedthey had to wake up in the morning, and the later they stayed and the more they drank the worst their mornings would be. So at about ten thirty, they finally decided to pay the check and head home. Jordan and Tayese both didn't have anyonewaiting on them at home, but after dining with their successfulfriend in a similar boat, they felt better about it this particular evening.
6
“Y
es, hon, I'll be there in about an hour,”Jayon said into his BlackBerry cell phone.
es, hon, I'll be there in about an hour,”Jayon said into his BlackBerry cell phone.
He hung the phone up and placed it back in the clip on his jeans, then he walked to his dresser and pulled his Armani cologne down. He began to pump sprays of aroma onto his shirt and pants and pulse points. He put the clear bottle back on his dresser top and turned to look in the mirror a few feet away. He picked up the brush that was on the table beside the mirror and started brushing his hair some more, as if he saw a strand or two out of place.
He shook his shirt straight and once satisfied with his reflectionbegan to exit the room. He walked downstairs and went over to the bar. His cell phone, which was sitting on the dining room table, began to vibrate and shake. Jayon reached over and hit the speaker button to answer the call he saw was coming from his close friend, Bill.
“What up, son? Jayon said into the open air as he pulled a bottle of Grey Goose from behind the bar.
“What up?”
“Nothing. What you getting into tonight?” Jayon asked as he began pouring some of the Grey Goose into a plastic cup on top of the bar.
“Nothing. I'm on my way back from Greenwich Village. I'm heading back uptown now.”
Jayon walked into the kitchen, removed the orange juice from the refrigerator, and added some to his plastic cup.
“Oh, all right.You going to be in the house for the rest of the night?”
“Yeah, pretty much.You coming by?” Billy asked.
“Yeah, I'll come by a little later tonight. I'm about to run out, and I'll call you when I'm on my way back,” Jayon said.
“What you doing right now?”
“Making my drink for the road.”
“Where you going?” Bill asked.
“Going to meet up with shorty. I should be back in about two hours.”
“Aight, hit me up.”
Bill hung up. Jayon pressed the button on his phone to end the call and placed the phone in its clip. He grabbed his keys, grabbed his drink, and headed toward the front door.
Jayon was dressed in a green and blue button-down shirt, dark blue jeans, and white Air Force 1s. His hair cut was clean, his two earrings were shined, and his nails were manicured. On a scale from one to ten, Jayon was at least a nine this evening. At least Jordan would've thought so.
Jayon walked down his driveway. He pushed his alarm to unlock his doors and opened the driver's side door. He sat down in his already reclined driver's seat, placed his drink in the holder, and closed his door. After he adjusted himself, he put his Bluetooth on his ear and began to back out of the driveway.By the time he was at the end of his street, he pressed PLAY on his CD player. Fabolous's latest album instantly began playing,and Jayon began tapping his hand on the steering wheel.
Six songs later, Jayon was parking the car. He looked in the mirror, wiped his hand over his face, and opened his car door. He stepped out and headed toward the front door. Once there, he rang the bell. Moments later, he heard noise on the other side of the door. He waited a few seconds and the door opened. Jayon looked up, and his memory of Randi didn't do her justice.She was five feet five, brown skinned, thick, slim in the waist and pretty in the face. Jayon's immediate reaction was cool, as if he didn't notice the revealing outfit that she was wearing.What he didn't know was that most women can sense when a man is yearning, and Randi could tell Jayon liked what he saw.
“Hey there,” Randi said as she opened the door.
“Hey, sexy,” he responded.
As Randi closed the door behind her, she said, “Come on in.”
She began to walk into the house, and Jayon followed behindher. As he took a few more steps, he heard the sound of a small bell coming toward him. He looked down and there was a small white dog running by his leg.
“Oh, excuse Diamond. She doesn't bite.”
“It's cool.”
“You sure? You cool with dogs?”
“It'd be different if it was a pit bull,” Jayon said with a laugh.
“No, Diamond is just a seven-pound Maltese.”
Randi took a seat on the couch and picked up her remote control. Jayon was still standing.
“Take a seat. Get comfortable,” Randi said, patting the couch beside her.
Jayon took a seat. He pulled his shirt from underneath his butt to get more comfortable, and leaned forward with his hands folded together.
Randi turned the television to the ESPN channel, got up, and stepped away for a minute. Jayon tried to get a quick glimpse of her as she walked away. She was wearing red boy shorts with a cutoff wifebeater. Her lean stomach was exposed through the shirt, and her butt cheeks were visible from under the short shorts. Randi's outfit definitely expressed what she had in mind for tonight without having to pull out the Victoria's Secret negligee. She tried to go for that lounging-around-the-house look, but it was evident that it wasn't her typical lounge outfit. Even Jayon knew she couldn't be that sexy all the time.
Randi returned after a few moments with two opened Heinekens, and she placed them both down on coasters on her coffee table.
“Thanks,” Jayon said.
“No problem,” Randi said.
Jayon took a sip from his beer and watched the news updateon football player Michael Vick's legal situation. Randi stretched her legs out and placed one of them slightly on Jayon. Jayon looked down at her leg, then up at her.
“So you called me over here to watch ESPN and drink beer with you?” he said with a smirk.
“Not at all,” she said. “I was just letting you unwind from work first before I put you back to work.”
“That was considerate of you, but who told you I needed a break?” Jayon said as he put his beer down and headed to her side of the couch.
“No one told me that. I was just making sure you had all your energy.”
“Well, don't worry about my energy. You just make sure you have enough,” Jayon said.
By now, Jayon was leaning over Randi with his hands up her shirt while kissing on her neck. Randi's initial giggling began to turn into moans as Jayon grabbed her breasts with his masculinehands. He softly kissed her neck, taking various areas of her neck and upper chest into his mouth and massaging it with his lips. She reached around and put her hands up his shirt and began caressing his back. As he groped, she groaned. From the sounds of her moans telling him she wanted more, Jayon began to lower his hands down her stomach and around her waist. He caressed her thighs as he lowered his kisses toward her breasts. As he reached her breasts, he lowered her shirt enough to bare her chest and nipples. He looked at them for a second and began to take them into his mouth. After a few succulent kisses, his excitement grew and his patience withered. Jayon rose up enough to put both hands on her boy shorts, and with one motion he pulled them down to expose a pair of fuchsia-coloredthongs. Randi, helping out with the process, pulled her wifebeater from over her head and uncovered her matchingfuchsia bra.
Jayon's manhood was at complete attention. He stood up to remove his pants. He began to unbuckle his belt, never takinghis eyes off the half-naked woman lying in front of him. Her dog Diamond, as if almost trained to do so, had left the room moments into their kiss. Jayon was giving Randi a look letting her know everything that he was thinking. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't excited, but he was ready. As he began pulling his pants off, he felt his phone vibrating. For a moment he paused, but then he continued. The phone vibrated once more. Jayon tried to maintain an expression that didn't show his distraction.
“You just gonna ignore that?” Randi finally asked.
“I'm busy right now,” Jayon replied with a smirk as he put on the condom he pulled out of his back pocket.
The phone call gave Jayon discomfort he didn't want to make obvious. In his mind he was wondering who it was and hoping it wasn't Jordan.
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