Jaylin Read online

  I had to intervene. “The number, if you don’t mind. Give me the number so I can call about the confetti.”

  That fast, Nokea had changed her mind. “I’ll get Travis to call, but please go see about the lights and talk to the manager for me. Thanks, Jaylin. I owe you one, okay?”

  She owed me a lot, but now wasn’t the time for me to go there. I walked away, and within the hour, the room had been brightened and another room had been unlocked for the models to use. Several people started to bring down numerous racks of clothing, and when I saw Travis pulling one of the racks toward the room, I turned to look away. He came right up to me, patting me on the back.

  “Jaylin, I didn’t get a chance to say much earlier, but I hope all is well. Nokea has been so excited about this day, and to be honest, I’ll be glad when it’s over so she can finally get some much needed rest. I don’t think she’s had any sleep for the past two days. I keep telling her that’s not good, but you know how ambitious women are.”

  “I do know how ambitious some women are, but I know more about how determined and ambitious Nokea is. I’m sure she appreciates you helping out. It appears that she needs all of the help she can get.”

  “I agree,” Travis said, nodding. “Because it is definitely some lazy people around here. My patience is running thin with all of this gossiping. If the ladies would come out of that room, maybe they can get something done.”

  I certainly agreed with Travis’ assessment; there were plenty of slackers lurking around. Too many pictures were being taken, and in my opinion, it was time to get this show on the road.

  Travis walked away, and just like me, we both got busy helping Nokea make this a memorable and successful event. I was finally able to take a seat, and with a glass of Remy in my hand, I looked up and saw Mackenzie enter the room. Scorpio was with her. As soon as they spotted me, they headed my way. I put the glass on a round table beside me, before standing to greet them.

  “Hi, Daddy,” Mackenzie said, wrapping her arms around my waist.

  I kissed her forehead, hugging her back. Every time I saw her, I couldn’t believe she was already twelve. “Hi, sweetheart. Nokea is waiting for you. She’s in the room over there, so go see if she needs your help with anything. I’ll save you a seat next to me.”

  Mackenzie darted off to go find Nokea. Scorpio stood with her arms crossed. She rocked a pair of hip-hugging tight jeans that could barely contain her shapely, meaty ass. The strapless top she wore showed her toned midriff, and with stiletto pumps on, she was nearly eye-level with me. Her wavy hair was parted down the middle and brushed into a thick ponytail in the back. Nude gloss made her lips shine, her brows were arched perfectly, and like Nokea, Scorpio’s long lashes added beauty.

  “You know I’m not staying,” she said. “I have a lot to do before my big day, and I need to get back home before Justin wakes up.”

  “I take it Loretta is there with him, right?”

  “Yes and so is Mario. I hope you still plan to come see the new house with us on Friday. If you’re unable to make it, please let me know now.”

  “I will be at your penthouse bright and early Friday morning. And when you get home, tell Loretta not to give Justin anymore damn soda. I know she’s giving it to him, because that’s the first thing he asks for when he comes to my house.”

  “I told her about that soda. But he persuades her to give him whatever he wants. One can only wonder where he gets that from.”

  I had no comment. All of my kids were the product of me.

  “It looks spectacular in here.” Scorpio examined the room. “Nokea has really outdone herself. Tell her I said congrats, and let her know that when I get a chance, I’ll stop by her shop to see what’s new.”

  I wasn’t sure why Scorpio wanted me to tell Nokea, especially since they conversed a lot. It wasn’t as if they were best friends or anything close to it, but for the sake of the kids, they got along well. They stayed committed to their weekends with the kids, and whenever one of them had something important to do, they made plans to work things out. I appreciated their efforts. It damn sure made my life a whole lot easier to have my children’s mothers getting along.

  Travis came in, strolling another rack of clothes to the room where the models were. He waved and smiled at Scorpio. She waved back.

  “Every time I see him, he reminds me of Lamman Rucker. He got that lean and tight upper body. And his smile is very charming. What do you think? Do you think he looks like Lamman, too?”

  “I don’t know nor do I give a damn who he looks like. I do know that he may need some Valvoline motor oil to tackle those dry ass lips he got.”

  Scorpio laughed and threw her hand back at me. “Ooooo, you need to stop hating, Jaylin. I can’t believe you’re hating on that man like that. And, uh, those lips would be considered thick and juicy to me.”

  “I don’t hate, baby. I only speak the truth. Besides, why do you care who he looks like? All you need to be concerned about is Mr. Rico Suave, Mario, and your wedding. Are you almost done with everything?”

  Scorpio sighed. “Yeah, right. I have so much to do. That’s why I can’t stay, so have fun and don’t forget to tell Nokea what I said. By the way and before I forget.” She moved closer and whispered softly in my ear. “Travis is fine, but he doesn’t have anything, not one single thing on you. I would take a handsome man like you with money and a big—well, don’t let me go there today. And don’t get happy about my opinion, because, when it comes to my man, the Latin Lover, you and Travis fall waaaay short.”

  I cocked my head back with a smirk on my face. “When you’re ready to come fully correct, let me know. Until then, you’d better tell Nokea about visiting her shop yourself. Knowing me, I’ll forget.”

  Scorpio laughed, swaying her hips from side-to-side as she sauntered away. I didn’t think it was possible, but she had gotten even sexier. It was confirmed by the heads of many men turning, hypnotized, as she walked by them. I guess her 20-carat diamond ring was being ignored. Mario had spent a fortune on that ring. I predicted it cost way more than the one I had given to her years ago when I’d proposed. It was funny how things didn’t work out for us, but they had come together for her and Mario. From what I could see, things had been looking up for Miss Valentino. She was getting married, again, next weekend. I’d had some issues with her man, but unlike Mackenzie’s biological father, Bruce, who Scorpio was once married to, Mario seemed much better. My concerns revolved around my kids. I had to be sure that Mario was good people. After a while, he started to prove himself to be just that. I couldn’t say I considered him a friend or anything like that, but he and Scorpio had my blessings. Yet again, she had hooked up with a wealthy man. He was deeply in love with Scorpio, but I wasn’t so sure about her. She said she loved him, but from my perspective, I think she loved his money. Mario was sitting on more paper than me. That, in itself, made her wake up and rethink some things, like who she wanted to be with in the future. We still had a connection, but sex between us wasn’t happening either. It had been years since I’d hit that, but make no mistake about it . . . I hadn’t shut down my sex game completely. Every now and then, I tampered with females I’d met here or there. Nothing ever serious, just something to satisfy my sexual needs.

  Right after I took a seat again, Mackenzie exited the room where Nokea was. She complained about being tired, so she sat next to me with her head resting on my arm. As we waited for the show to start, I kept thinking about how protective I was of my kids. LJ, my nine-year-old son, was lucky that I let him spend the night over his friend’s house. His friend’s parents were cool. I cleared them through an extensive background check, as I had done Nokea’s man, Travis, as well as Mario. Travis had a clean record. His goody two-shoes ass had only gotten a speeding ticket in his early twenties. As for Mario, he loved to box, yet never made it to the big leagues. His family ran a successful Italian restaurant business, but whenever a substantial amount of money was involved, there was always some kind
of crooked shit going on behind the scenes. Most of it was dealing with Mario’s father. He was into some Mafia shit that made me kind of leery of everything. Mario and I talked about it one day, and after our conversation, I knew that family was important to him, including Scorpio and our kids. To sum it up, business was business, and Mario couldn’t do a damn thing about the things his family was involved with. All he did was reap the benefits. If or whenever his father died, Mario would inherit billions.

  I called Nanny B to see what Jaylene was up to, but got no answer. I left a message, and finally, the fashion show got underway. The cameras started flashing again, and as the models made their appearances, there was a bunch of thunderous applauses, oooo’s and ahhhh’s. Several celebrities were in the room, but I was never the kind of person to make a big deal over anyone. That was for the media to do, and there were plenty of them on hand to report on the success of Nokea’s show. Everybody was tuned in, and as I looked over at Travis and his brother, Greg, they kept whispering at each other and shifting their eyes in my direction. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I was surprised to see Greg there because Nokea said he and Travis didn’t really get along. If Shane was here, I was sure he would’ve confronted them. He didn’t like mess, nor did he appreciate hating ass black men. He and his wife, Tiffanie, were on a long needed vacation in Paris. They’d been having some martial problems, ever since their son had died suddenly from a heart defect. They were devastated. But instead of coming together, they drifted apart. I wanted them to get back on track, so I purchased the tickets for them, just so they could get away from all that was transpiring around them and spend some quality time together. They weren’t expected home until next week, and for Shane’s sake, I hoped he managed to work things out.

  The fashion show went on for hours. Yet again, I was impressed by the unique pieces Nokea and her designers had put together. It was clothing I had never seen before. Real colorful and very shimmery. The models were on point. They were very professional, sexy too. Especially the ones with curves. Nokea’s place had been a hit because she focused on creating clothing for women in all sizes, not just a few. The crowd couldn’t get enough.

  Finally, the confetti started to rain on everybody and it was a wrap. Presenting nothing but classiness, Nokea sashayed down the runway in glittery, peep-toe heels and a sapphire blue silk dress that melted on every single curve on her body. The dress cut right above her knees, her back was completely out, and as she turned around and waved, all I wanted to do was massage her P-shaped, ample ass that was perfect. She used her finger to move her hair away from her doe-shaped eyes that were filled with joyful tears.

  “Thanks everyone,” she kept saying. “Thank you all so much.”

  The crowd stood and the room erupted with applauses. Mackenzie was next to me whistling. She and the young lady sitting next to her kept talking all night. It was all about fashion—there was no secret that Nokea had inspired her.

  “Sit down, please,” Nokea said. “Everyone sit down so I can take a few minutes to thank certain people for helping me pull this off.”

  The crowd calmed and we all took our seats. Nokea started to thank everyone, including her models, the designers, the photographers, Mackenzie . . . she went on and on. Then she got to her special thanks. If it had not been for him, she couldn’t have pulled this off.

  She looked at Travis. “Sweetheart, come up here, please.”

  Travis stood, buttoned his blazer and smiled as many people applauded. When he stepped on the runway, he eased his arm around Nokea’s waist, she locked hers around his.

  “I just have to say this,” Nokea said, continuing her praises. “I have been a total wreck for the past several weeks leading up to this. But Travis has been there with me every step of the way. He’s encouraged me so much, and his prayers are exactly what I needed. So from the bottom of my heart,” she gazed into his eyes, expressing her love. “Thank you. I love you, and I thank you for always being there for me.”

  I couldn’t even explain what I was feeling right now. Did she really have to go there? Where in the fuck were my thanks? I guess I wasn’t going to get it, because after Travis pecked her lips and everyone applauded again, the show was over. Done. I didn’t bother to hang around. Since Mackenzie said she was tired, we left.

  Within the hour, we were home. The house was quiet because Mackenzie and I were the only ones there. Jaylene and Nanny B wouldn’t be back until tomorrow; the same for LJ. Needing some fresh air, I pushed a button that slid the glass doors aside in the living room. The infinity pool with crystal clear blue water extending into the horizon was in my view. I gazed outside for a minute, before pouring a glass of Remy that often calmed me. I took a sip then plopped on the sofa with disgust etched on my face. I had a lot of shit pent up inside of me, and for quite some time, I’d kept it all in. In the past, Nokea always accused me of meddling in her relationships. Claimed her life would’ve been different, if I’d stayed out of her affairs. Said I griped too much about this or that, so I learned to keep my mouth shut and just go with the flow. That was hard for me to do. I could feel it was just a matter of time before I exploded.

  Even while we were in the car, Mackenzie questioned my silence. She knew me all too well, and when she inquired about my thoughts, pertaining to the show, I simply said I’d had a good time and the show was outstanding. I looked at her as she was on her way upstairs.

  “If you’re bored, do you want to go to the theater room and watch a movie with me?” I asked.

  “Not really, Daddy. We stayed up late last night, helping Mommy with some stuff for the wedding. I just want to go finish the book I was reading and then go to sleep.”

  “Alright. Come give me a hug before you go. And don’t forget to say your prayers.”

  Mackenzie came over to the sofa, giving me a hug. After she headed upstairs, I chilled on the sofa for about forty-five minutes or so, finishing my drink. I then tackled the stairs to my bedroom that took up nearly 2000 square feet of the second floor. Many renovations had been done, and the huge windows surrounding my bedroom provided a clear view of the sandy beaches and the murmuring Atlantic Ocean’s hypnotic waves that helped me sleep. I walked past my California-king bed that had a tufted headboard and dressed with white and black satin sheets. The French doors to the balcony were cracked, so I opened them wide, hearing a whooshing sound from the ocean hitting the sand—seagulls squawking could be heard from afar. It was time to relax, so I stripped naked, and closed the draperies to give myself some privacy. I plopped on the bed, lying flat on my back. My arm rested across my forehead as I gazed at the high ceiling that viewed the dark sky. I didn’t want Nokea to be on my mind, but she definitely was. There was no woman, none whatsoever, who could help me shake my feelings for her. I’d tried, but had been very unsuccessful. And the thing that bothered me the most was, I feared she had fallen out of love with me.

  I sat up and reached for my phone. Business calls were booming, but I wasn’t about to deal with any business tonight. Instead, I turned on the TV, delving into one of my favorite shows, POWER. Minutes later, my cell phone rang. I looked to see who it was; it was a young lady I’d met nearly a month ago. Her name was Kenyatta. I’d only spoken to her twice since we’d had sex after a business function one day. She’d called several times, but I had been so busy that I just didn’t have time to hook up with her again. I sighed, before tapping the talk button on my phone.

  “Jaylin Rogers.”

  “You are the most difficult person ever to get in touch with. Is that on purpose or not?”

  I lifted my dick, examining it and thinking about how well she had polished it with her mouth that night. Sex wasn’t necessarily on my mind tonight, with the exception of it being with Nokea.

  “Not on purpose,” I said. “I’m just busy—you already know how I do it.”

  “I do, and I’m glad I caught up with you tonight. I was trying to find out if or when we’re going to schedule some more time to see e
ach other again.”

  As I was getting ready to answer her question, the doorbell rang. “We can schedule some time, but can I hit you back later tonight or tomorrow?”

  “Sure, Jaylin. Don’t forget.”

  I laid my phone on the bed then picked up the remote to switch the TV on the outdoor security cameras. I saw Nokea and Travis standing outside. Not wanting the doorbell to wake Mackenzie, I rushed down the stairs to open the doors. When I pulled them open, almost immediately, Nokea’s and Travis’ eyes dropped below my tight abs and goodness down below. Nokea quickly pivoted to face Travis; his eyes traveled to my face. I could tell from his blank expression that he wasn’t happy about me boldly exposing my nakedness in front of his woman. But she knew better than to turn away from me—shame on her.

  “Don’t insult me,” I said to Nokea. “It ain’t nothing you haven’t felt, touched, licked or tasted before, so stop pretending.”

  Nokea slowly turned around, shocked and seething as she stared at me in awe with her mouth open. Travis, on the other hand, took two steps back, maybe three.

  “No, don’t insult me,” he barked. “It would be nice if you would have the decency to put on some clothes before we enter your house.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. This is my house and I haven’t invited anyone to come inside. If either of you have a problem with the skin I’m in, that’s too fucking bad. Goodnight and come back tomorrow when I may be fully dressed.”

  I pushed on the doors, closing them abruptly. The doorbell rang again, but when I opened the doors, Travis stormed away like a punk. It was no secret that I didn’t like his ass, and even though Nokea pretended as if things were all good, she knew I didn’t go around being fake with people. She stood defensively with her arms folded, eyes shooting daggers that fired at me from every angle.

  “Is Jaylene here?” Her tone was sharp. “I hope not, since you’re walking around the house like that.”