Almost at the same time, I grounded out, “The only ass I see here is you, Alton!” I got up to leave the room.
Stenton grabbed my arm at the same time Alton jumped to the entryway in an attempt to cut me off. Stenton protectively pulled me into him, my back to his broad chest.
Alton touched his chest, gesturing his heart. “Ah, Zo, man, you know it ain’t no disrespect! We all know you carry yourself with class. It’s just that Stent, my man right here, ain’t give me the heads up.” He lifted his hand to motion to Stent above me.
“I can’t believe she told you that!” I yelped, referring to Angela.
That little wench!
Stenton’s arms around my wrists clenched.
“Why not?” Alton grimaced. “Everybody knows ol’ Ally-boy is trustworthy. I can keep a fucking secret. At least that’s what I thought.” He threw a nasty glare at Stenton. If I wasn’t so livid I would have laughed.
“Look,” Stenton spoke up. “I don’t give a shit what you think you know or what you thought you knew, I just wanna make one damn thing clear: this doesn’t get back to Angela. What Zoey wants her or anyone else to know is up to Zoey. You big ass, loose-lip, don’t open your fucking trap.”
Alton’s forehead stretched as his chin angled towards the floor. “And am I the one who can tell Angela? I know she’s even a bigger liar than I knew her to be when she tried to throw a baby on moi.” He tented his hands in his chest, pointing to himself. “Ha!” he yelled. “Nisha will have my ass on a skewer! I’m still on punishment behind Angela’s lying ass.”
I lowered my head, shaking it. “Of course, Alton, you had no involvement in that debauchery,” I murmured loud enough for him to hear.
“I didn’t! She fuckin’ seduced me…each time!” I slightly jumped in Stent’s arms, turning to catch his reaction to Alton’s usage of the word seduced.
Is that what I did to him last night?
Apparently he caught my questioning glare. Stenton’s lips twitched up into a knowing smile.
“Y’all was there to witness that shit. I almost called y’all to the stand when Nisha was trying my ass.” Alton held out his arms, motioning for me to hug him.
Stent let my wrists go, encouraging this make up session Alton was attempting. I strolled over, hesitantly. I was still seething from Angela’s big slip of the mouth. How many others had she told?
“I know I’m an ass, Zo, man. I can’t help it,” Alton’s voice was with less bravado. I was falling for his white flag, hard. “You are good peoples to me. I ain’t mean no disrespect,” his voice cooed as his arms wrapped around me. “Damn, you smell good as hell. Mmmmm!”
I jumped from his fold.
“I’m just kidding, Zo. Damn!” He laughed as he held his arms out defensively. “Just kidding. You got this dude over here ready to pounce on my ass like a fucking cheetah, man,” he jeered as he walked out of the kitchen. “I’m going running downstairs then I’m watching T.V. Holla atcha’ boy, StentRo!” Alton called over his shoulder.
I turned to Stenton, not knowing what to say about his rowdy friend. He was pinching his nose trying to control his laughter.
“I can’t believe what the wind blew in,” I hissed.
“Yeah, and because I slipped up and told him I was in town last night while caught up, playing your fucking game, he’ll be here all damn day,” Stent informed with amusement in his voice.
I turned in the direction where Alton had just left. “He’s going to work out—”
“…here, shower here, and relax here. Yes,” he cut me off to clarify. “Thanks to his summer fling, Alton’s officially on time out at the order of Tynisha. They live next door in Upper Saddle River. This is his asylum.”