Then a slow Cheshire cat smile crested upon Ellis’ face. “You have a deal, Mr. Hunter…and Mr. Rogers.” She extended her arm across the table to me.
My eyes slowly rose from her black square nails to her dark pupils. Unhurriedly, I take her hand and we shake firmly. I thought it odd to ratify a deal with Erika’s mother and not her.
My phone went off. I pulled it out and found an alert.
“Shit,” I swore, much to myself. Jordan’s six month appointment would be starting in two hours, barely giving me time to get out of New York City and into Philly. “I gotta go. Need to be in Philly,” I called over to Quincy, who nodded.
Almost at the door, I stopped in my tracks. Looking over my shoulder I asked, “Erika, you think I can speak with you for a minute?”
“Su-sure,” she nervously agreed, rising from the table and taking long strides to meet me.
I held the door open for her to lead me out of the conference room. When we were feet away, near the receptionist area, I turned to her. The first thing that hit me were her bountiful breasts that looked about to burst from her dress. She stood well poised, ankles aligned and hands crossed over her pelvis. Her eyelashes were dark, long and thick, cheeks were bronzed and pronounced, and her shoulders perfectly squared. Erika appeared perfect and…fake. I roughly rubbed the area over my top lip as I exhaled.
What the fuck was I doing?
“Listen, E, I don’t want this to kick off the wrong way. I’d like to hang out and get to know one another. You know how this fast life in the public eye goes. It’ll just be nice kicking it away from the eyes of the masses. I have a son who I’d like to start thinking about before I perform my next jackass endeavor.”
Erika giggled, placing her hand inches away from her mouth as to not disturb her makeup. I chuckled with her.
“Stenton, don’t worry. I get it. I’m not going to screw this up,” she assured. Then her lashes fluttered. “I’ve been waiting on this opportunity for a couple of years now. Of course, I’m not going to blow it.” A gradual salacious smile crested her face.
I paid a short snicker to her coyness. “Good to know. But there’s also something important for you to know.” Her gaze turned expectant. “I’m not looking for love or marriage. I’m not doing this for those purposes. I don’t want to disrupt your expectations with my agenda. Let’s just have a good time at a pace we’re both comfortable with.” With little apparent hesitation, Erika shook her head in agreement. I took a step back and noticed my armor waiting. I’d told Barry to come and get me at noon if I wasn’t out of the meeting. I took Erika by the hand, feeling a little fucked up about leaving so quickly. I didn’t want to hurt this girl. It was bad enough I had ulterior motives for agreeing to this shit in the first place. “I have to get out of here. You have my number.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “And you have mine,” she murmured before reaching up to pull me down by my collar and swiped her tongue down my throat.
Erika was swift and forceful with her movements. Momentarily jarred, I caught on in seconds. She pulled back first and with slanted eyes she purred, “I’ve been waiting to do that for too long. See you later, Stent.” She backed away seductively, then with perfect agility, turned on her heel back towards the conference room.
I must admit, I was uneasy about this, but as I walked out, I reminded myself about Erika’s long, hot-and-cold relationship with the rapper, Shirez, from Detroit. We had a few friends in common, who had been reporting back to me with their affairs. One person in particular was a forward on my team from the Motor City. He said they were in Cabo San Lucas just last month. I was bothered by how that fact didn’t bother me at all. I couldn’t give a fuck. If they continued to use discretion, he could continue to fuck Erika for all I cared.
The very reason I didn’t sweat it was the same that I had to get my black ass across these bridges. My little man was getting four big boy shots today and I was nervous as shit.
~~~~~~~~~~
Then
October 2008