Hell House Read online

  “Hello,” I said, sucking in my stomach and pulling down my shirt to make sure that it covered the wideness of my curvy hips. I was happy about my full figure, no doubt, but I wasn’t sure if brotha-man appreciated healthy women. Maybe not, since the skinny woman next to him seemed to have his attention. So much so, that when I spoke, he only tossed his head back.

  “Hi,” the woman next to him said, wiggling her fingers and displaying a fake smile.

  “Hello,” I replied again, being fake as well. I dropped my bags on the floor and plopped down on the couch. It felt good to take a load off. “So, what’s the deal here? Am I late?”

  “No,” the chick said. “We’re still waiting to see what’s up.” She inched forward and extended her hand. “My name is Chase Jenkins. And you are?”

  “I’m Jada Mahoney. It’s a pleasant to meet you.”

  “Pleasure,” Chase corrected me. “Not pleasant.”

  Oh, no, this bitch didn’t go there. I realized that I was going to have to chop this heifer up like putting meat in a food processor. She smiled and sat back on the couch. All this fakeness was working me.

  I looked up and saw Mr. Hollywood walk by with his luggage, but he didn’t say a word to nobody. I wondered what was up with his attitude, but first I had to see what was up with all the dark chocolate sitting next to Chase. He was engrossed in the football game on TV, but I saw him checking me out from the corner of his eye.

  “Who playin’?” I asked because I loved to watch football.

  Unfortunately, Chase spoke up before he did. “The St. Louis Rams and the Cardinals.”

  “I was askin’ him, though.”

  He stood and walked toward the kitchen area. “Roc,” he said to me. “And she just told you who was playin’.”

  “Okay, Roc, but what the fuck is up with everybody’s attitudes in here? Am I missin’ somethin’?”

  “Ain’t nobody got no attitude, ma,” Roc said, opening the refrigerator. He removed two bottled waters and tossed one to me. I caught it. “Just tryin’ to check out the game. Handle yo business with yo bags and then come back to the livin’ room so we can holla.”

  Now, he was singing my tune. I was grinning from ear-to-ear and thanked him for the water. Chase told me where I could find the bedroom, so I left to go put my bags in the closet they mentioned. When I opened the door to the bedroom, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was small, but was nice and comfy. I looked for my nametag, noticing that it was right beside Roc’s. Chase’s was on the other side of his. I figured the fine dude was inside of the walk-in closet because I heard him talking to someone on the phone.

  “Because you be bullshitting, baby, that’s why,” he said to the person over the phone, as I went into the closet. “We’ll deal with that when I come home. Until then, stay up and don’t be over there crying because you miss me.”

  He put his phone in his pocket and then he shot a quick glance at me. I thought he was going to speak, but all he did was turn his back and hang more of his clothes.

  The closet was humongous. Other luggage was inside, but no other pieces of clothing were hung. I had my stuff crammed into my bags. I decided to straighten my pieces now, so I didn’t have to do it later.

  “You almost knocked me down when you rushed outside,” I said, looking at the man’s backside. Nice, but I was so sure another dude was getting it.

  He turned around, scanning his eyes over me once again. His gaze was unnerving in a sense, but I looked at him in the same way.

  “If an apology is what you’re looking for,” he replied nonchalantly. “You’re not going to get one, especially since you were in the way.”

  My brows shot up so fast that my thick eyelashes were about to fall off. Was that his way of calling me fat? I was about to let this arrogant, curly topped-ass fool have it. Men like him made me sick and he needed to take his Harvard degree-carrying tail back to where he came from.

  “An apology would be nice, but by the looks of your stuck-up gay ass, I’m sure I won’t get it. The next time you bump me, though, expect some piano playin’ and dirt layin’ to go on. Somebody will be plannin’ your funeral ’cause I’m not the one to mess with, just so you know.”

  He narrowed his eyes and he snickered a little, before turning back around. I wanted to punch him in his face; he was so irritating to me. I understood exactly what his look meant. All it said was I’m better than you and you ain’t shit. Some black people killed me with that mess. Act like they ain’t been through nothing and always looking down on other folks. By the time this Hell House mess was over with, he was going to learn to respect me. I would make sure of that.

  I moved over to the side of the closet where he was to hang my things. His name-brand clothes were neatly hung and a few shirts were folded on top of the racks. I thought about what he did for a living. Probably sold drugs or had somebody selling for him. I wanted to ask, but a smart response could get spit in his face.

  “You’re either Prince or Jaylin,” I assumed. “Probably Prince, since you’re up in here actin’ like the Almighty One.”

  “I’m whoever you want me to be. Gay, dead, a prince…take your pick.”

  “Ugh. How about an asshole then? Can you be one of those, especially since you’re actin’ like one?”

  “I can do that, but first I may have to shove my dick in your mouth to silence that nonsense you’re talking. Then, if I start calling you names that you’re not going to like, your feelings gon’ get hurt. Several words are on the tip of my tongue, so back the fuck up.”

  I tightened my fist, knowing that this fool was about to get it if he dissed me. Some men needed to be put in their place, and if I could handle Kiley, I definitely could handle him.

  “Say it,” I threatened, inching closer to him with gritted teeth. “I dare you.”

  The evil-looking bastard didn’t appreciate my words or that I had moved closer to him. If I swung on him, there wasn’t much room in the closet for me to get him good how I wanted to. So for now, I was thinking about scratching his face and poking those gray, disturbing eyes out with my fingers. He could tell that I was plotting to do something, so he backed up and shot me another stern gaze that was supposed to scare me.

  “I don’t know you, and I certainly don’t know what the hell your problem is,” he said. “But let me say this…you have crossed over into territory that you don’t want to be in. If you want to keep getting at me like some kind of gangbanger, I will feel threatened. And if I feel threatened, that means, woman or not, you will find yourself knocked out cold on the fucking floor behind you. From this moment on, you need to think carefully about how you get at me.”

  He turned around and started straightening his things again. In no way did I view this fool as a man who would put his hands on a woman or hurt her. He looked too soft and his appearance showed that he was some kind of uppity nerd that would probably run home to tell his mama about me hurting his feelings. I was so annoyed by his sharp tone, by the way he kept looking at me, and because he had bumped my shoulder and still hadn’t apologized for it. Not to mention that he had just threatened me. That was why I couldn’t let this fool get away with what he’d done.

  I tapped his shoulder to confront him again, and he swung around with madness visible in his eyes. Without any warning, he reached out his hand and gripped it around my neck. After that, several things happened and my entire body shut down. My breathing halted and my blood felt as if it had stopped flowing. I could not move, and I could barely see from the tears in my eyes clouding my vision. When I tried to turn my neck, he strengthened his grip and that was it for me. I felt hypnotized, and I was now in his command.

  “Now that I have your attention,” he said with a slow nod. “And I do have your attention, don’t I?”

  I followed suit and slowly nodded because he had added even more pressure to my neck when he squeezed tighter.

  “Good. But now that I do have it, I want you to listen up and keep your big mouth shut. Can
you do that for me?”

  More pressure, so I slowly nodded again.

  “I love progress, even when it has to be forced upon those who don’t always know better. You do know better, don’t you?”

  I nodded again and all he did was smirk.

  “I thought so, but in case you don’t, I want to share a few things with you, just so we don’t get off on the wrong foot while we’re here. My name is Jaylin Rogers and you shall not refer to me as anything else. I’m a straight man, and I do not take bullshit from others too lightly. I will make yo ass pay for fucking with me, and if you feel as though you can’t control yourself when you’re around me, then I suggest that you keep distance between us. Because the next time you interrupt me with your bullshit, the punishment will be nothing like this. What I will do to you will hurt, and the last thing I want to do is go around hurting women. Maybe with my dick, but surely not with my hands.”

  At that moment, he snatched his hand back and it seemed that my whole body started functioning again. I could breathe, I could move my mouth and my blood was pumping. Iron Man turned back around, ignoring me again. I opened my mouth wide to suck in air I had lost, and I rubbed my neck, making sure it was still there. I didn’t know if I had been unconscious or not, and it felt like he had done some type of voodoo shit on me. That was so messed up, but I had to let him know that his actions weren’t cool. This time, I didn’t tap his shoulder and I preferred to keep my distance.

  “Uh, excuse me, but what in the hell did you just do to me? Please don’t ever put your hands on me again, and if you think that a chokehold is going to silence me, you are sadly mistaken.”

  “I swear, some muthafucking hoes prefer to learn things the hard way,” he said, shaking his head, but not turning around. When I looked up and saw another chick waiting to put her things in the closet, I stormed out of it. I was further away from him, so I felt safe talking back and responding to his hoe comment.

  “Stupid bastard, the name is Jada!” I shouted from outside of the closet, per his request to keep distance between us. “Oooo, just wait! I got somethin’ for that ass! You gon’ be somewhere leakin’, trust me!”

  I marched out of the bedroom, thinking of ways to get him back for what he’d done to me. I also wasn’t sure if coming to this house was the right doggone decision, and the last thing I wanted to do was fistfight with men. That was something I’d done mostly all my life, and I was sick of it. Maybe my approach toward that idiot was wrong. I did want to start off on the right foot, but after what he’d done, I didn’t know if that was possible.

  I was skeptical about joining this challenge, but what did I have to lose? I’d been back in St. Louis for a little over a year now, trying to piece my life back together after falling in love with my best friend’s husband, Jonathan. She thought I was being SLICK, but I wasn’t. Jonathan and I worked together, and when I looked around, one thing just led to another. I still had deep feelings for him, but he recently told me that after his and Dana’s divorce, that he was engaged to another woman. The news truly broke my heart and it felt shattered into a thousand pieces. At this point, I needed to get away to reevaluate where my life was headed from here.

  I entered the Hell House on Sunday, September 16th, expecting for it to be a nightmare. But what I found was a handsome young man sitting next to whom I assumed to be his woman. They seemed nice and introduced themselves as Roc and Chase. The conversation was cordial and they directed me to take my luggage into the bedroom. That was what I did, but I halted my steps when I heard two people going at each other in a closet. I stood in the doorway, trying to put two and two together and remember where I had seen the man inside of the closet before.

  “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” I said, interrupting his harsh words to a chubby woman with fire in her eyes. She looked mad as hell and stormed out of the closet like a category 5 hurricane was upon her.

  “Stupid bastard, the name is Jada!” she shouted. “Oooo, just wait! I got somethin’ for that ass! You gon’ be somewhere leakin’, trust me!”

  “I hope so and I’m looking forward to it, you non-talking—” He paused and glanced at me. “Know me from where?”

  “I’m not sure. You look so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. Anyway, I’m Sylvia.”

  “Jaylin,” he answered, then placed his cologne on a shelf. “Not sure where I know you from either, but considering that I know a whole lot of women, ain’t no telling. Just glad I switched those nametags again.”

  I didn’t understand what he was saying about the nametags, so I didn’t comment on that. “So, you’ve had that many women where you can’t remember who you’ve met before, huh?”

  I couldn’t help but to laugh. This man was a knockout, and I was sure keeping up with his women was difficult. I knew he hadn’t had me—not yet anyway.

  “Women, knuckleheads, losers…whatever you want to call some of them. But as nice looking as you are, I would remember you.”

  I blushed, definitely appreciating the compliment. The thirty pounds I lost must have helped and the long braids I had done last weekend made me look younger. If I didn’t do anything else, I took care of myself. My whole attitude was much better, and I realized that hurting other people to get what I wanted wasn’t the best way to go. Losing Jonathan and my best friend, Dana, was a wake-up call.

  “I appreciate the compliment, Jaylin, and I don’t have to tell you how much I think you got it going on, do I?”

  I swear his smile was to die for. He teased me and it was good to see that he had a great sense of humor. “Go ahead and tell me,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Let me hear it, baby, and give it all you got.”

  I playfully pushed his shoulder, refusing to comment and let his head swell anymore. “Later,” I said, walking giddily to the other side of the closet in my tight red pants and stilettos. I figured he was checking me out, and when I turned around he was.

  “You ain’t no fun, Miss Sylvia. And don’t tell me you’re too chicken to speak.”

  Disagreeing with what he’d said, I folded my arms and took a few steps forward. “I’m a lot of fun, just wait and see. But in the meantime, I need to hang up my clothes and think hard about where it is that I know you from.”

  “Let me know when you come up with something. I’m about to get out of here and go make some noise with the other people out there. See you when I see you.”

  Jaylin left the closet and all I could do was sigh from relief. He definitely made me feel some kind of way, and my thoughts hadn’t turned this naughty in a very long time. I was even more hyped about being here now, thanks to him.

  After I finished hanging my clothes and getting my accessories in order, I left the room to go join the others. Everyone was sitting in the living room area watching the football game. I sat next to Jaylin, since he was on the far side of the couch away from the others. He didn’t take his eyes off the television, and neither did Roc who sat with his legs propped on the table. Jada was dipping her hands into some of the peanuts on the table and popping them into her mouth. And Chase kept eyeing Jada from the corner of her eye. I could tell they wouldn’t get along in the house, and I didn’t know if I would be able to cope with them either. Jada had already proven herself to be a nuisance and Chase was too catty.

  “No offense,” Chase said to Jada. “But I hope your hands are clean. Someone else may want some of those peanuts, so would it be asking too much if you went and got something from the kitchen to put your peanuts in?”

  Jada stared at Chase with her jaw dropped. “While you’re hopin’ that my hands are clean, I’m hopin’ that your ass is, since you got it all tooted in the air for others to see it. If you want me to find somethin’ to put my peanuts in, why don’t you get up yourself and go get it? If not, then shut the hell up and keep on watchin’ TV. Thank you.”

  “Look, you don’t have to get all snippy about it. I was merely making a suggestion, and with all of us being in this house, cleanli
ness is very important.”

  “You got that right,” Jaylin said, adding his two cents. “I get what she’s saying and nobody wants to dig their hands into a bowl of peanuts that you’ve, basically, washed your hands in.”

  Jada jumped up from the couch and snatched the bowl of peanuts from the table. “I see we got ourselves a set of house Negros in here. They want things sparklin’ clean and they gots to make sure ain’t no germs bein’ spread ’cause Massa gon’ come up in here and whip all our butts.” She rolled her eyes and bolted out of the living room in a rant. “Give me a damn break. It couldn’t be that serious.”

  In disbelief, all of our eyes shifted around the room. Jada took her ghetto self to the kitchen and dumped the bowl of peanuts in the trash. She opened the pantry, and a few seconds later, she pulled out a packet of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popcorn and put it into the microwave. The sound distracted the men from watching the game and they both appeared very irritated. Jada, however, didn’t care. Once she was done with the popcorn, she came back into the room, doing the Cha-Cha dance while throwing popcorn into her mouth. She plopped down on the couch and reached the bag out to Chase.

  “I don’t mind sharin’,” Jada said. “Do you want some or do you think the kernels may do more damage to your rotten teeth? I thought I saw a little corruption goin’ on in your mouth when you had it open.”

  This Jada chick was out of control and none of us could believe how bold her comments were. You would have thought that Chase cussed her out or something, but what Chase had asked for was simple, as well as necessary. I was staying out of this. By the looks of things, Chase could handle herself.

  Chase opened her mouth wide. She pulled on the sides of it with her finger, so Jada could get a good view of what was inside.

  “There’s nothing rotten in there, sweetie. Don’t know what you were looking at, but maybe you need to pull back on the popcorn and—”