Up to No Good
By CARL WEBER
DAFINA BOOKS
Copyright © 2009
Carl Weber
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3178-9
Chapter One
James
"So, are you going to take me back to your place, or are we
going to make Benny rich by running up a ridiculous bar tab?"
Crystal whispered seductively.
Her eyes traveled over my body, stopping a little below my
belt as she took a sip of her drink. This was her way of letting me
know that she was ready. The next move was mine, and her
body language was begging me to make it. She lifted her head,
her eyes meeting mine as she put her drink on the bar. I smiled,
giving her my own once-over. I couldn't help but respond with a
devilish grin as I placed my hand on the small of her back, high
enough to be respectable but low enough to have an effect. She
shuddered slightly under my touch, even though her face failed
to give anything away.
We hadn't seen each other in almost a year, and probably
wouldn't see each other for another one, unless our son Darnel's
wife-to-be Keisha became pregnant in the next few months.
Crystal had traveled back to New York from Richmond, Virginia,
for Darnel's wedding, which was tomorrow night. We'd met at
Benny's bar, one of our old neighborhood haunts, to catch up on
old times after the rehearsal dinner.
"So?" she asked again, this time with a little more desperation
in her voice. She wanted me. She wanted me bad. She wanted me
to do what only I could do for her-satisfy that sexual itch that
nobody else seemed able to reach. I know it sounds rather arrogant,
but I'd been sleeping with this woman off and on for the
better part of twenty-eight years, so I knew what she needed in
the bedroom, just like she knew what I needed.
I glanced at her again. Even in a conservative pantsuit, she
had a way of enticing me. Her face was a beautiful bronze color,
highlighted by a beauty mark right above the left side of her lip.
She'd gained a few pounds over the years, and her hair showed a
hint of gray around the edges, but hell, whose didn't? Besides,
truth be told, I liked a woman with some meat on her bones and
some mileage on her engine. Experience meant a lot in life, especially
in the bedroom.
She turned her head slightly, exposing a small tattoo with the
letters
DB, our son's initials, on the lower side of her neck. A
memory of the way she cooed when I kissed her neck came to
mind. Then I looked down at her chest, and the thought of her
neck was quickly replaced with an image of her large, plump
breasts and the silver-dollar nipples that rested atop them. My
heart rate increased, and my breathing became heavier. It never
mattered where I touched her; Crystal's body was so sexually in
tune with mine that I didn't even have to take off my clothes to
give her an orgasm. Oh, but when I did get undressed, she would
return the favor like very few women I'd ever known. Having a
child together bonded us, but it was the sex that kept us hungering
for each other year after year.
She licked her lips, and my manhood sprang to life. I flicked
my wrist so I could see the time on my watch. I was wondering if
Crystal was planning on a quickie or one of our all-night marathons.
I'd already canceled a date to meet with her, so an all-nighter
with someone of her sexual prowess was fine by me. That, of
course, left only one question.
"Where's your husband?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
Crystal looked annoyed by my question. Yes, she was married,
going on five years now, and she definitely preferred that I
didn't mention her husband when we were getting ready to get
busy. We both knew that her marital status really wasn't a factor
in all this anyway. We'd played this game before, Crystal and I,
through countless boyfriends and two husbands. She didn't make
any excuses for the fact that she was a woman who needed a man
in her life. She always said that she would prefer it if that man
were me, but after a while, she stopped holding her breath and
moved on.
One thing was for sure, though: It didn't matter who she was
with. If we saw each other or had the chance to talk on the
phone, it was never a question of
if we were going to get together,
but rather when and where it would happen.
"He had to work third shift. He'll be here sometime early tomorrow
morning." Crystal slid off her bar stool and folded her
arms as if to say, "So, come on. We got time, but we ain't got all
night." I knew her well, and she was not about to take no for an
answer. And as good as she was looking, I wasn't about to give
her an argument.
"Okay, but only if you're going to respect me in the morning,"
I teased.
She didn't laugh. Instead, she came back with, "Please. You
my baby daddy. I ain't got to respect you." Unfortunately, I
knew she wasn't joking, and her words stung like hell.
"You don't?"
"Hell no. Everybody knows you ain't shit, James. As much as
I love our son, I should have never had a baby with you." She'd been
using this same line on me since Darnel was a baby, and now
here he was, a grown man getting ready to get married and have
babies of his own. Jesus, I was getting old.
"Then why do you want me to take you home? Why do you
keep sleeping with me after all these years? You tryin' to say you
ain't got no love for me?"
"Please, James. You broke my heart more times than I care to
remember and in more ways than I will ever forget. I'd be a fool
if I still had love for you."
"If you ain't got love for me, then why are you trying to sleep
with me?"
"Good dick is hard to come by," she said, like it was a simple
fact of life that everyone understood. "And you've got some really
good dick. Now, are you going to sit here and debate it, or are
you gonna take me home and remind me why I rented a car and
drove seven hours up here instead of waiting for my husband so
we could drive together?"
I reached in my pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. I
slapped it down on the bar, nodding my head.
"You know me. Last thing I want is for anyone to make a
seven-hour trip in vain," I said with a laugh. The truth of her
words could have deflated my desire for her, but I knew this was
not an opportunity to waste on being overly sensitive or sentimental.
Besides, I'd known this woman my entire adult life, and
there wasn't a thing she could say that I hadn't heard at least a
dozen times before. We were too far past that naïve stage to believe
we'd ever be anything more than what we were today.
Crystal leaned in and kissed my full lips, then smiled as if I
had just given her a large sum of money. The way she stared at
me made my manhood grow, making it clear that I was the one
about to hit the jackpot. In less than twenty minutes, we'd both
be in my bed, as naked as the day we were born, making love
like there was no tomorrow. And as it had always been between
the two of us, there would be no tomorrow-only a here and
now.
Five hours later, Crystal was snoring with a purpose, her back
to my chest and her round hips and ass securely resting against
my groin. I'd wake her up in about ten minutes for another
round. She would have to leave after that in order to make it
back to her hotel before her husband showed up. Part of me didn't
want her to leave, because I was having such a good time. I always
had a good time when Crystal and I got together.
I stared at her face as I stroked her sweaty hair. We'd gone at
it for the better part of an hour-twice. The way she called out
my name and told me that this would always be her dick was
definitely good for the ego. It also told me that after all these
years, no matter what she said, she was still in love with me.
Crystal had sacrificed most of her adult years chasing after
me. We'd met right after high school. I was far from being faithful,
but she was as close to a steady girlfriend as I had during
those days.
She looked out for me when no one else would, sometimes
even when it wasn't in her best interest. There wasn't anything
Crystal Jackson wouldn't do for me. I knew that better than anyone
on this earth, and the thing that haunted me the most was
that she wanted only one thing in return: my love. But as much
as I tried, I just couldn't give it to her the way she wanted it.
Like most women, she wanted to be a wife much more than a
girlfriend. Don't get me wrong; I liked her, but I wasn't having
no part of getting married. I was having too much fun with all
the other women in my life. Crystal, on the other hand, wouldn't
take no for an answer. As far as she was concerned, she was in
love with me, and all I needed was a little coaxing to understand
that I loved her too. She was so convinced of this that she got
pregnant, hoping it would settle me down enough for us to get
married. It didn't. All it really made me do was act the fool even
more. It was something I wished could have been changed, but I
still had no regrets. I'd had a good life, a fun life. Why would I
mess it up by getting married?
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Huh?" She lifted her head. "What did you say?"
"Ah, nothing." I leaned over and kissed her cheek.
She rolled over to face me. "If you're gonna kiss me, kiss me
right."
I smiled as I studied her face through the dim light that peeked
between the curtains. She really was beautiful, and I'd never seen
a woman age so well.
I pressed my lips against hers, and our kiss became passionate.
My hands roamed her body hungrily. Just as she mounted
me for another round, my bedroom door flew open and blinding
light flooded the room.
Crystal dove under the covers to hide her nakedness.
"What the-" I shouted, squinting my eyes to adjust to the
bright light as I saw what looked like a woman standing in my
doorway. In that brief moment, my mind went into overdrive,
trying to understand who had just broken into my house. It
could have been one of any number of women I'd been seeing
over the past few months-but most likely the one I had broken
a date with to meet Crystal. But how the hell had she gotten into
my house?
The woman yelled, "I knew you was here with her!" and suddenly
I knew who the intruder was. This wasn't just any woman
standing in my doorway. This was a woman I loved with all my
heart, but when it came to me pursuing my love life, she could be
described with only one word:
trouble.
Chapter Two
Darnel
"Well, tomorrow's the big day. You're really gonna go through
with it, aren't you?"
I smiled, nodding my head at my best friend, Omar, as I slid
my key into the door of my hotel room and pushed it open. We'd
just left what was quite possibly the best bachelor party ever
thrown, and we were both drunk. I plopped down on the first of
two queen-sized beds while Omar stumbled toward the bathroom
to relieve himself. I didn't know about Omar, but I was
tired, both mentally and physically drained from preparing for
my big day tomorrow and from celebrating my last night as a
single man with my boys.
Omar, who was my best man, had gone all out, inviting all
our friends, along with six of the wildest strippers I'd ever seen.
They were more like erotic circus performers than strippers,
with all the contortions and tricks they showed us. Add them to
the top-shelf liquor our friend Reggie supplied and
Bam! One
hell of a bachelor party.
"You know, Dee," Omar slurred as he stood in the bathroom,
"I never thought you'd really go through with it. I mean, I like
Keisha and all, but ..." He paused. I heard him say "Ahhhh,"
followed by the sound of him relieving himself.
"Man, will you close the door? Don't nobody wanna hear
you peeing." I loved Omar like the brother I never had, but he
could really be disgusting sometimes. Some might even call him
repulsive.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm done now." He walked
out of the bathroom with his zipper down and his pants hanging
off his ass, exposing his plaid boxers. I didn't bother to remind
him to wash his hands, because, like I said, he could be a little raw.
"So, what were you saying about me getting married? You
didn't think I was gonna do it? Man, I been with that woman
since I was fifteen years old. That pussy is bought and paid for. I
ain't got no choice but to marry her." I tried to sound cool for
Omar, but the truth was, I loved Keisha with all my heart.
"Yeah, I know that, and you been faithful to her since you
was fifteen. But what I wanna know is, do you really want to die
having been with only one woman?" His expression made it
look as if he felt sorry for me. I hated that look.
"You act like me being faithful is a bad thing."
This conversation was nothing new to me. Omar and my
boys had always thought me strange because of my faithfulness
to Keisha. The way they saw it, a man was supposed to get as
much experience as he could with as many women as were willing
to give it up. But I viewed things differently. I had given my
virginity and pledged my faithfulness to Keisha, and I wasn't
about to hurt her by cheating with some woman who didn't
mean anything to me. My father had done that to my mother. I
grew up seeing how deeply it affected her life and saw the hurt in
her eyes over and over again, so I vowed never to do that to the
woman I loved. It just wasn't worth it to me.
"Nah, it ain't a bad thing," he conceded, "just unrealistic. Besides,
with that chick Tia as her maid of honor, who knows what
they're doing across the street at her bachelorette party." Omar
sat down on the bed across from me with a strange look on his
face-like he had something important to say but couldn't find
the words. He was starting to piss me off. "Dee, I heard Tia
hired male strippers for Keisha's bachelorette party. Who knows
what Keisha could be-"
I cut him off right there. "Look, bro, Keisha ain't Tia, just like
I'm not you! You got that?"
"You think our strippers had big titties? Can you imagine how
big those male strippers' dicks are? Stretch that tight little pussy
right on out."
Omar was my boy, but he was really pushing the limit tonight.
"You're drunk, so I'm gonna ignore that. But, O, you better
check yourself," I warned him.
He laughed, but I wanted him to understand that I was serious.
The night before my wedding was not the time for him to be
disrespecting my fiancée like this. I loved that woman more than
I loved myself.
"I'm just saying ... do you really think you're the only guy
Keisha has ever been with?"
I stood up and pointed my finger in his face. "Best friend or
not, don't come out your face like that about her again or I'll-"
"Or you'll what? Man, sit your ass down." He laughed. "What
you gonna do, fight your best man for trying to get you some
pussy the night of your bachelor party?" He shook his head.
I let out an aggravated sigh. "O, I don't know why you gotta
disrespect me before my wedding."
He was still smiling, but he had stopped laughing. I think he
could finally see that I was upset. "Yo, Dee, I'm sorry, man. I
meant no disrespect, but-"
"You need to shut that drunk-ass mouth of yours, then."
"You right, I'm drunk," he admitted, still smiling at me. "And
maybe I should be quiet. But just remember, drunk people usually
tell the truth. So I'm telling you, Darnel, you need to get some ass
before you get married. I could set it up like that." He snapped
his fingers.
I was amazed at how persistent Omar was. He knew damn
well that Keisha was my life, so he was wasting his time trying to
convince me to cheat on her.
I lay down on the bed. "Can't do it, buddy. I'm a one-woman
man."
"You wasn't such a one-woman man when that stripper was
giving you that lap dance in the corner, were you?" Omar's smile
widened. "I saw the way you was trying to hide your hard dick
once she got off of you." He imitated my actions, crossing his
arms casually over his lap.
I turned my head away so he wouldn't see my smirk. I had indeed
been turned on by the honey-colored stripper who called
herself Destiny. She had coaxed me into a lap dance when I
thought everyone was watching the other strippers do tricks. I'd
be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. But that still didn't mean I
wanted to have sex with her.
"You saw that, huh?" I said.
"Yeah, I saw it. So did half the other brothers in the room."
"Jesus Christ." I was so embarrassed.
"What's wrong with you? It was a fuckin' bachelor party,
Dee. What? Your dick not supposed to get hard when a fine-ass
naked woman sits on your lap? I'd be worried if it didn't." Omar
smiled as he tried once again to tempt me to get laid by another
woman on the night before my wedding. "You couldn't keep
your eyes off that fine-ass honey the rest of the night, could you?"
"You just don't understand. Keisha is my soul mate. I'm not
supposed to be attracted to any other woman that way. I made a
promise, and I'm keeping it."
"No, you don't understand." Omar paced back and forth like
a lawyer delivering a passionate closing argument. "I mean, I appreciate
that being faithful shit, but you take it to another level.
You need to have some fun, Dee."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Up to No Good
by CARL WEBER
Copyright © 2009 by Carl Weber.
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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