"Sometimes a mystery, sometimes I'm free
Depending on my mood or my attitude
Sometimes I wanna roll or stay at home
Walking contradiction, guess I'm factual and fiction
A little crazy, little sexy, little cool
Little rough around the edges, but I keep it smooth
I'm always left of center and that's right where I belong
I'm the random minor note you hear in major songs
And I like that
I don't really give a fuck if I was just the only one
Who likes that
I never like to follow, follow all around, the chase is on…"
Janelle Monae – "I Like That"
She doesn't want to move.
Her head and hair are sprawled out on his stomach; her body is warm and satisfied.
Erik lies on his back on her bed and strokes the back of her thighs, his legs hanging off the bed. They have been resting like this for thirty minutes.
"You been working on your Stark stuff?" he asked.
"Polishing that up today."
"How's it looking?"
"Good."
"Will you be ready for a part two demo with me?"
"Yeah. We can do it later."
"You should scan your interview space. Make sure it works for you."
"Will do."
She was feeling a bit melancholy. Talking about her interview reminded her that they were halfway done with their vacation time. She would probably never see Erik again. He would move on to young college girls back at his school and she would be back out in a sea of uncertainty.
"What's that face for?" he said.
Her eyes went to his and she shrugged.
"Our vacation is winding down."
"We have four more days," he said.
"Pretty much done."
"Four days is a lot of time."
"Not really."
"You missing me already?" he said, giving her a warm smile.
Fucking dimples.
She turned her head away from him.
He made her feel intense things so fast. Made her feel selfish about sharing him with Celeste. She was already hating the thought of him moving on to other women when they left each other at the airport. She came to Wisconsin hoping to connect with Mason, instead, she got dickmatized by a younger man who lived on another coast. She wished she never followed him out by the lake when he first went to smoke weed. Maybe if she never saw him during a sexual act, maybe if they had just kept their distance, she could feel happy about this trip. Instead, she was feeling anxious about her life again. It wasn't just the sex with him that she would miss. It was the small moments like this when he was chill, just talking to her.
"Will you have sex with Celeste…without me?"
He stopped stroking her thighs. She turned to look at him again.
"Depends on the mood."
"You get in the mood easily, Erik."
"I'm on vacation. I'm surrounded by gorgeous single women. How hard is that?"
She laughed with him.
"I thought you were into Celeste," he said.
"I am…but…"
"But what?"
"It's hard when it's the three of us."
"You not down with threesomes?"
"I didn't say that…it's just…you…"
"What about me?"
"In the midst of it, I feel all the build-up and I like all the foreplay with all of us, but then when I see you together—"
"You get jealous and want me to stop."
"I shouldn't even feel that way because I get aroused watching the two of you get into it…but it's like you get a little too into it and then I don't like it so much."
"So whatchu sayin' then? You don't want me messing around with her?"
"Who do you like better? Me or her?"
"I like you both. I like fucking you both. I want to fuck you both at the same time before I leave."
"What if I decide I don't want to?"
"That would mess up what I had in mind for us tonight, but if you don't want to swing like that, it's cool."
She looked away from him and thought about it. His hand touched her hair and he pulled her up, raising his body up as he did so. He stared into her eyes.
"Are you catching feelings for me, Renata? It's okay to say that. I won't trip."
"Maybe that's my problem," she said.
"If it makes you feel better, Celeste is not interested in me in a serious way. She's just having fun like me. I feel the same way with her. She's a free spirit not interested in being tied down by a man or woman or anyone else."
"I'm not just looking for fun out here, Erik. I want a real relationship. I want to have a family. Make babies. Build a career. I'm getting to that age where a little vacation fun isn't enough anymore while being single."
"I hear you. But I ain't the one, Renata. I'm not having children. I'm not getting married. I have plans that don't line up with all that. Ever."
It hurt to hear him say that. And it hurt that she allowed herself to secretly project that onto him because the dick was so good. He was still a young man figuring out his way in the world. She was just a little ahead of him. Maybe too far ahead.
"Renata, if you might be thinking…damn…maybe we shouldn't hook up if I'm causing you discomfort, or if you think I can give you more."
"If that's what you want," she said.
"No, this is on you and what you want. I told you what I'm about."
He stood up and his naked body was just beautiful. Statue worthy. He stroked her cheek and regarded her face with a slight smile on his face.
"Girl, if I could, I would give you that life you want, shit, I'd put a baby in you so fast…"
Her heart jumped at his words. Maybe deep down he felt something for her too, maybe thought of her beyond the walls of the basement.
"…but the timing is wrong…I'm all wrong. Maybe if I was older, maybe if my goals were accomplished and I was set for life I could think of shit like that."
He leaned down and kissed her, letting his lips savor hers with tender pecks.
"Why you taste so sweet wherever I kiss you, huh?"
She stood up and circled her hands around his neck, kissing him back with soft licks and tiny bites to his lips.
He pulled back from her.
"Go work on your stuff and hit me up when you want to practice. We good?"
"We good," she said.
She watched him put on his pants and leave her room.
Four days.
Just four days.
###
Renata worked out with her dance videos, a little salsa, and rhumba mixed in with deep lunges and squats against the basement wall. She worked up a healthy sweat and then dove right into her presentation, recording and timing herself to see how she sounded and to make sure she left enough time for questions as Erik suggested.
Her lunch was another simple turkey sandwich and some tangerines Soyini gave her. She skipped going horseback riding with some of the others and used that time to borrow Erik's computer. Taking it up to the second-floor deck and using the live chat software, she allowed the computer to scan the space and store the dimensions in a file Erik prepared for her. Before her actual interview would begin, she would interface Erik's computer with Stark's people's software. She borrowed Bertrand, Niecy, and Terrell to sit downstairs using Terrell's computer to interface with in order to test the software. Lucky for Renata, Terrell had money and already had the updated live chat software because of his job. When Renata ran the first initial test on the second floor with her friends down below, their real-time 3-D holographic images appeared before her as if they were on the second floor with her. They could see her image downstairs clearly too.
She was ready.
Swimming in the lake and then taking a short nap, she felt refreshed and focused when Erik returned from the horses. She was professional, concise, humorous, and more confident this time around. And when she finished, Erik clapped for her and gave her the biggest smile, showing her all of his teeth.
"Notes? Comments?" she asked.
"Nah, you got it down. Just keep that energy up and keep the eyes on you."
"Thanks. How was horseback riding?"
"My ass hurts."
She laughed.
"They gave me a rowdy horse too. His name was Ansel. More like asshole. That nigga was tryna throw me off from jump."
"What did you do?"
"Whatchu mean what I do? Nothin'. I just stood there when they were showing us how to ride, and they gave me that horse."
"Horses can sense your energy. Maybe you gave him a bad vibe."
"I'm not doing that shit again."
"Big baby, you should come to Texas and let my Daddy show you some nice horses."
"You have horses?"
"My grandparents have a ranch that my father runs. I'm a fifth-generation cowgirl."
"You shoulda came with us then, helped me out."
"I should've…but…."
"Priorities. Still, you could've come and did this later."
"No, I needed to work on it when I did. I feel really good now."
"What are you going to wear with the shoes?"
She gave him a look.
"C'mon now, you know you stuntin' those red bottoms for the interview."
She grinned.
"I have this really cute, but very professional white dress that I bought a few weeks ago. But I also brought this other peach pantsuit, and I'm debating—"
"Go get them," he said texting on his cell.
Renata went into her room and pulled out both garment bags for her outfits from her suitcase. When she came back into the room, Octavian and Vera were standing next to Erik.
"What is this?" Renata asked looking at Octavian and Vera.
"Erik called us down here to look at your clothes. Let's see," Vera said snapping her fingers.
Renata unzipped both outfits and held them up. Immediately all three pointed to the white dress.
"None of you like the pantsuit?" Renata asked.
"If you were trying to be a librarian, yes. But that white dress is doing the most," Vera said.
"I agree," Octavian said.
Vera walked over to Renata and touched her hair.
"You should let me flat iron this tomorrow and wrap it," Vera said.
"But I wanted to wear it naturally curly, it's going to be hot outside and you know my hair goes back in humidity. It won't stay flat long."
"I know, it will make your hair raise up and give it the slight lift it needs. Trust me."
"Whose beating your face? Niecy or Soyini?" Octavian asked.
"Niecy."
"Thank God, Soyini will have you looking caked up and old," Octavian said.
Erik watched her fuss with her friends about her look and then slipped away. When she found him later, he was playing cards with Dawn, Shawn, and Celeste. There was no sexual tension anymore. He had slipped easily into a friend role and Renata really liked it. She would decide how they would interact from now on is the vibe he gave her. She needed that space to assess what was really going on in her head and heart. She made a pact with herself: no physical contact with Erik Stevens for the next two days. Focus on the interview and relaxing with the rest of her friends. The same with Celeste.
Before dinner, Renata sat out on the lower deck drinking a homemade Mai Tai with Soyini, Claudette, and Niecy. Niecy stared at her for a long time until Renata couldn't take it anymore.
"What?" Renata said.
Soyini gave Niecy a look, and Renata could tell they were dying to ask her something. Claudette just waited.
"What?" Renata said again.
"We want to know about this thing you got going on with Erik," Soyini said.
"And Celeste," Claudette added.
Damn. They really weren't as discreet as she thought. The basement was sound proof, so she was positive no one heard them having sex down there. She remembered some of the guys seeing Erik kiss her when they were playing basketball. And there was the time Erik was whispering in her ear to make Mason react…
"We know you are having fun, but…y'know, it's so unlike you," Soyini said.
"Two people at a time is not really your speed," Claudette said.
"Does it bother you about me and Celeste?"
"Not at all. Celeste is cool people and she is a lot of fun, but…"
"But what?" Renata said.
"Mason…," Soyini said.
"Mason? What about him?" Renata said.
"He's having a horrible time," Soyini said.
"And whose fault is that?" Renata asked.
No one answered her.
"What is the problem?"
"Just think about maybe not flaunting your hook-ups around him?" Soyini said.
"Are you serious? And why are you guys coddling him?"
"Last night…last night he saw you and Erik by the punching machine…and with Celeste…by the minivan before we left. He was drunk and it upset him, and he talked to us about it on the ride home. He said you started something with him and then you did him dirty," Soyini said.
Renata pressed her lips together firmly, trying to keep it together without cussing her friends out.
"I did him dirty. He said that?"
They nodded their heads. This motherfucker really had some balls on him. Using her women friends to get sympathy by making her look like the villain who played with his emotions when he finally gave his heart to her.
"You all know this is Mason we're talking about, right? The same negro who strung me along last year, right? How can you listen to his bullshit and talk to me like this?"
"Did you sleep with him?" Niecy asked.
"Yes. And?"
"Did you ignore him afterward like it wasn't a big deal?" Claudette asked.
"I didn't ignore him, I found out that he was interested in being with Dawn more than me, and that I wasn't really high up on his food chain."
"The point is, he's hurt about it, and you haven't talked to him since then. Yeah, he's an asshole, but he's our asshole. He's also your friend, Renata. We think you should just talk to him," Soyini said.
"He couldn't do this himself?"
"You knocked his mojo out of him," Niecy said.
"If he wants to talk, then he needs to come to me. I'm done running up behind him trying to get his attention. You can tell him that when you all see him since he's telling you all our business."
"Don't be mad—" Niecy said.
"I'm not mad, I'm pissed. He sees me getting good dick and pussy, and now he wants to pay attention to me. Ten years! He had ten years to get me. And now that two other people want me and I drop him off my radar, it's a problem. Ooh, I want to fight that nigga so bad—"
"Calm down, girl," Niecy said patting her shoulder.
"Answer me this, do you think I'm wrong? Do you think I don't have the right to keep it pushin'?"
"Girl no…"
"You know he's on one…"
"Bitch, please…"
Renata put down her drink.
"We think you two should talk, that's all. Period," Soyini said.
"Well, I don't want to talk. I want another drink, that's what I want," Renata said leaving the group and heading up to the kitchen.
The fucking nerve.
Renata mixed herself another drink in the kitchen and drank it down fast to chase away the bitter taste in her mouth.
Mason watched her kiss Erik last night and he saw her and Celeste playing with each other's breasts in the parking lot. Renata thought they were the only ones there and they were hidden away by another large truck. They had snuck away from Erik to try and play with each other in private. They both loved to rub their nipples together and that's what they had been doing, their t-shirts pulled up, bra cups pulled aside, and their pebbled big nipples tickling each other as they each whispered to one another about how they wanted Erik to pound their folds to smithereens when they got back to the lake house.
Mason watched all of that, probably wishing he was the one they wanted to bounce on. All that pinching and pulling, all of that rubbing their tits together in anticipation of Erik giving them release was for naught.
She made another strong drink.
"Renata."
Goddamn Mason.
She grabbed her drink and tried to walk around him but he blocked her exit. She wanted to be unbothered by his bullshit, but he was pushing it. He had a small glass of cognac in his hand. He took a sip and stepped back from her, giving her space.
"Hold on a minute. I finally have a chance to get you alone—"
"I don't want to talk to you. At all."
"I've been trying to work up the nerve to approach you, but every time I look for you, you're with someone."
"I said I don't want to talk—"
"Well, when do you want to talk, Renata?!" he barked in a surly tone.
She blinked at him. Mason had never raised his voice like that to her before. It startled her. For a second, he sounded like her father when he was about to fight with her mother and she felt that churning in her stomach that made her cautious. She put down her glass of liquor on the counter.
"I'm really not in the mood for this, Mason."
"Get in the mood then, because we're going to discuss some things. Like adults."
Mason sipped on his drink and then held his hands out.
"We can't talk to each other anymore?"
He tried to clean up his tone for her, but she still felt tense in the stomach. She didn't know how much he had been drinking. Mason was never a mean drunk, but he could get pretty sloppy. Right now, he looked like he was tottering toward messy.
She could hear some of the guys outside in front of the house playing basketball, and she could also hear the others out behind the house. It was probably best to talk to him and then leave as quickly as possible. She could feel herself ready to go off on him, her own liquor intake making her feel tight and ready to be that bitch.
"Say what you want," she said putting a hand on her hip.
"Renata, really? The attitude? It's me, Mason. Your boy. Relax."
"You're irritating the fuck out of me right now," she said.
"I saw you."
Mason's head did a little bob like he had said something profound.
"Saw me what?"
He wagged a finger at her.
"I went to talk to you after dinner yesterday and I saw you with him…and her… down in the basement. That's what you're doing now? After our night together, when I thought we finally connected…you have some random nigga you just met piping you against a wall with another woman? Is that what you're about now? I expected better from you—"
"Hold up—"
"Cheap…you made yourself look cheap, Renata. Lowered your standards-"
"You know what? You're drunk, and I'm going to let what you said slide—"
"I could've done that to you. If that's what you wanted, I could've fucked you against the wall."
Shawn ran into the kitchen and stopped when he heard Mason.
"Sorry, just came to grab some water for outside," Shawn said.
"You didn't interrupt anything," Renata said, glad for Shawn's presence. She was ready to claw Mason's perfect face that looked so ugly to her now.
"Here, have a drink, Renata," Mason said, turning toward the kitchen counter and pouring a fresh glass of cognac for her from the impromptu bar of scattered wine and liquor bottles.
He fumbled with the expensive cognac bottle in his left hand and Renata reached to save it knowing she had put thirty dollars in to help pay for that shit, and she'd be damned if she let his tipsy ass break that pricey bottle. It was bad timing though. She reached in for the bottle and Mason reached out to hand her the glass he poured. The pain in her eye made her legs buckle.
"Oh shit!" Shawn yelled.
Mason dropped the glass of cognac and it shattered on the floor. He reached for her eye and Renata hissed slapping his hand away as she cradled her face.
"I'm…oh God, Renata, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to punch you!" Mason yelled, still trying to comfort her.
"Back up, Mason!" Shawn said grabbing Renata and pulling her away from him. The stinging watery pain in her left eye incapacitated her for a moment.
Shawn made her sit on a kitchen stool as he grabbed a sandwich baggie and filled it with ice from the fridge door ice-maker. He wrapped the baggie with a paper towel and pressed it against her eye.
"Hold this, Renata," he said.
She was sucking in her teeth with pain.
"It was an accident!" Mason kept yelling.
"Mase, calm the fuck down, and watch the glass on the floor!" Shawn yelled. Mason scrambled to clean up the shards on the floor.
Vera walked in with Niecy carrying empty bowls that once held popcorn and chips.
"What's going on?" Niecy said running up to Renata.
"Mase hit her in the eye—"
"I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!" Mason screeched.
"Mason, calm down!" Renata scolded as she lifted the cold pack off of her eye.
"Let me see it," Niecy said.
"Oh, fuck!" Vera yelped.
Renata felt her lips tremble. All she could think about was her upcoming interview.
She felt Niecy's warm fingers softly touching the skin around her eye.
"Oh, Renata…this is bad," Niecy whispered.
"Shit," Renata whimpered. She began to tear up and that made her eye hurt worse. Squeezing both eyes shut, she pressed the ice pack back on.
She heard more footsteps coming into the room.
"What happened to the water, man?" Erik asked.
"Got us outside parched and shit," Evan said.
"Mason punched Renata and gave her a black eye!" Vera squeaked while rubbing Renata's shoulder.
"The fuck you doin' putting hands on her?" Erik shouted.
"Erik…Erik…hold on bruh!" Shawn said and Renata felt jostled as Niecy dragged her off of the kitchen stool to move out of the way.
Using her good eye, Renata saw Erik lunge for Mason, his hands snatching up Mason's shirt and lifting him off of the stool he sat on. Mason pushed away from Erik and threw a punch. Erik grabbed his fist in mid-air and twisted it, making Mason grimace.
"Yo, Erik, let him go! My dude, it was an accident. I saw it! It was just an accident!" Shawn shouted inserting himself between Mason and Erik.
Evan pulled Erik's arms back as Shawn shoved him away from Mason. Erik shook them both off and stormed over to Renata.
"Lemme see," he said gingerly pulling the ice pack from her eye.
"She has to let it sit to keep the swelling down," Niecy said.
Renata let him pull her hand away. He lifted up her chin. Her right eye tried to focus on his face.
"Damn…you know she got a fuckin' interview…" Erik grumbled to Mason.
The moment he said that Renata felt the tears fall from her good eye.
"Someone get her some anti-inflammatories," Erik said.
"Renata, I'm sorry," Mason said. He pushed his way next to her and touched her shoulder.
"Nigga, get back—" Erik said.
"Both of you get back," Niecy said throwing her arm around Renata and pulling her into the third-floor bathroom and closing the door.
Renata stood in front of the bathroom sink mirror and pulled the ice pack away.
"Shit," she said touching the tender swelling. Niecy opened the bathroom cabinet and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. She dumped several pills in her hand and gave them to Renata. Running water in the sink, Renata cupped her hand and gathered a bit of liquid that she sipped into her mouth. Swallowing the pills, she sat down on the closed toilet seat.
"What am I going to do for my interview?"
"We get this swelling down, and I will fix your face like a goddamn special effects make-up expert, ….don't cry, Renata. We got two days to fix this. The swelling will go down, I'll do a smoky eye…"
"That'll be too dark—"
"I'll make it work. Don't panic. You focus on the presentation and Vera will hook up your hair to held hide this along with my make-up."
Renata put the icepack back on.
"Was it really an accident, Renata?"
"Yes. I was reaching for the cognac bottle and he was trying to hand me a glass without looking. The glass is what really got me."
"For a second I thought you guys got into it."
"We were about to—"
"Really?"
"Talking, I meant talking. He cornered me in the kitchen and then it just happened."
"Erik was about to get in his ass."
"Thank God, Shawn and Evan were there. I don't think we could've stopped him."
"He was on him like white on rice—"
There was banging on the bathroom door.
"Renata, it's me Mason—"
"Mase, give it a rest," Niecy called out.
"It's okay," Renata said.
They heard muffled voices outside the door, and then Erik yelling "Leave her alone!"
There was a shuffling of more feet and the voices moved away.
A small tapping sound came off the door. Niecy cracked it open and Soyini stepped in closing the door behind her. The voices were getting loud outside.
"What's going on?" Niecy asked pulling Renata's hand with the icepack away from her face.
"Pissing contest. Mason is trying to fight Erik…don't freak out, Shawn and Evan have it under control. Girl…I am so sorry we told you to talk to him—"
"She didn't, he went after her to chop it up," Niecy said.
"Why won't Mason just sit his ass down?" Renata asked no one in particular.
"He is going in, telling Erik he's treating you like some two-dollar hoe—"
"No!" Niecy said.
"Why is he so damn fragile?!" Renata said, standing up and looking at her face in the mirror again. The swelling looked like it had calmed down by getting ice on it so fast.
"No worries, Octavian shut him down. They took Mase outside to air out," Soyini said.
"Where's Erik?" Renata asked.
"Still in the kitchen. Celeste and Terrell are talking to him. We haven't had this much excitement around here since, damn, when Vera and Evan broke up!"
"I'm sorry about all this—"
"Why should you be sorry? You did nothing wrong. Shit happens," Soyini said as she rubbed Renata's back.
"Can you guys give me a few minutes? I just need to wrap my head around this."
Soyini and Niecy hugged her and stepped out of the bathroom.
Renata stared at her face again. The bruising was going to be awful.
###
Renata sat next to Octavian and Soyini during dinner, keeping her distance from Erik and Celeste. Mason chose to eat alone outside on the bottom deck.
She picked at the Mexican rice and soggy flour tortilla of her burrito on her dinner plate. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, and it had an angry dark purplish-burgundy color around the swelling. Terrell and Shawn kept the dinner convo positive and many shared stories of their horseback riding adventure, and there was a lot of gentle ribbing of Erik and his horse. She snuck glances his way at the far end of the table, and she could tell he was pretending to be into the talk just for her sake. She learned early on that Erik had difficulty hiding what he was feeling on his face. He gave a few smiles with the jokes, but a true smile never reached his eyes completely.
She wanted to talk to him, tell him to relax and not think about what happened, but it was hard for everyone to ignore the injury to her eye when she couldn't see out of it that well. It was an accident and she wanted everyone to let it go. She hated that Mason self-segregated himself. She had accepted his apology, even his apology for the comments he made about her and Erik, and she tried to convince him to eat with everyone before dinner started, but he wanted to be alone.
Shawn made sure Mason drank water to flush out the liquor in his system so he could think clearly, and Renata tried her best to let her thoughts of him being downstairs recede.
She ate a little bit of rice and peeked down at Erik again. He was looking at her and she gave him a warm smile. He tried to return her warmth, but he dropped eye contact quickly and drank some of his bottled water.
After-dinner drinks took place on the pontoon, as Soyini guided the boat around the lake for a nice evening ride. Mason didn't go with them, and Bertrand stayed behind with him along with Niecy to keep him company and to maybe talk to him alone.
Renata sat next to Shawn and Vera on the boat. She wanted to sit next to Erik and hold his hand to bring him out of his funk, but each time he looked at her eyes, she could see him seething inside. She also had to remind herself that she wasn't supposed to be all up near him physically for clarity. She couldn't enjoy the scenery very well because of her eye and when the boat sped up and the breeze hit her face, she found herself having to turn her head toward Shawn to block the irritation to her skin.
"How are you feeling?" Shawn asked.
"It's better," she lied. It hurt like hell and she had to wait a few more hours before she could take any more painkillers.
He put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him and she felt comfortable just riding and leaning into her friend. Celeste sat across from them and gave Renata a sympathetic look. Erik sat near Soyini watching the water and taking in the views of the different homes that dotted the shoreline.
When they went back to the house, another pit fire was made and good music was streamed from Terrell's phone and things seemed to return to normal. Mason came back to the group and later in the evening he and Erik spoke off to the side and smoothed things over. Hopefully.
She took Motrin and iced her eye before going to bed.
Erik slept out on the hammock again.
She was alone in the basement once more.
###
"That looks nice, Renata," Octavian said as the manicurist applied a final clear top coat to her newly minted silver stiletto nails.
His eyes glanced up at her face. Renata kept her eyes hidden behind dark glasses. The swelling had subsided but the bruising was making her want to curl up into a blanket and just forget the interview.
"Snap out of it, Renata. You will do this damn interview and you will enjoy the rest of our vacation together," Octavian said.
"You know what the average starting salary for a media manager is? Roughly seventy-thousand dollars with bonuses. Stark's starting salary is one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I could wipe out my debt in less than three years with this job. If I don't get this gig, I will probably have to move back in with my parents just to keep my head above water."
"It's that bad?"
"Yes. I took a chance going freelance for two years to build my brand and my reputation and here I have the chance to grab the brass ring pay-off and I could lose it. Because of a stupid accident."
"Think positive."
Renata stared at her nails. They were pretty and would look fierce once she had her interview dress on. The silver was a shade that complimented the purple of the platforms.
Nails done, Octavian and Renata ate lunch together at the food court. Corn dogs and garlic fries. The ride back to the lake house was quiet, and once they were back, Renata didn't feel like interacting with anyone.
She walked herself down to the basement and found Celeste sitting on Erik's neatly made bed.
"Hi," Celeste said.
"Hi."
Celeste stood up and looked at her hands.
"Can I see?"
Renata held up her fingers so Celeste could see her nails.
"Pretty."
Renata stared at Celeste. Had she and Erik been down here fucking?
"Is Erik in the bathroom?" Renata asked.
"No, I was waiting for you. I wanted to check in with you. See how you were feeling."
By sitting on Erik's bed?
Renata took off her sunglasses. Celeste looked at her eye but made no comment about it.
"I feel worn down. I feel nervous. I feel like I won't get this job."
"Would you like to try something with me? It'll help you relax."
"I'm not in the mood to do any yoga—"
"No not that. A guided meditation."
Why not? She didn't have the energy to go swimming or watch tv like the others upstairs.
"Can I lay down and do it?"
"Sure. We can use Erik's bed."
"I don't know about that…"
"It's okay. I was talking to him earlier down here. I asked him if it was alright that I wait for you here."
"On his bed?"
"Yeah. He didn't care."
"It seems like we're invading his space."
"He said it was ok for me to be on it. We can use your bed if you want."
Renata thought a moment.
"I'd rather do it in the open, out here."
"His bed it is. I'd suggest the couch, but we found some ants on it earlier and Soyini sprayed it with a natural bug repellent, so it's a little damp."
Renata walked over to the hideaway and crawled onto it. She placed herself in the middle. She could smell the subtle scent of Erik's cologne on the top cover. A smoky scent that made her automatically close her eyes.
She felt the weight of Celeste perching on the edge of the bed.
"Keep your eyes closed and just listen to the sound of my voice…"
Celeste led her through some deep breathing first and Renata had to really fight to concentrate because her mind kept wandering. Soon she was guided through a series of visuals of her walking on a soft sandy beach, imagining the sun on her face, seagulls flying, and sailboats floating out on the horizon, the scent of Erik….
"Hey…"
The voice was raspy and soothing.
"Renata….hey…wake up, baby…."
Her eyelids raised up slowly and for a few seconds, she tried to remember what she had been doing. Walking on a quiet beach. Picking up seashells. Meditating. She was meditating with Celeste.
But Celeste wasn't looking down at her face. Erik was.
"You okay?" he asked.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Three-thirty."
She had been on his bed for two hours.
She stretched her toes and sat up. She felt…comfortable. Easy. Refreshed.
"Where's Celeste?"
"Playing spades upstairs."
"It was okay for us to be on your bed, right?"
"It's cool."
His eyes looked so gentle watching her face. Then she remembered her eye and pulled some hair in front of it.
"I've had enough black eyes in my day, so don't feel no shame, girl."
"It's still so ugly."
"What you need to do is get a warm compress for it to encourage blood circulation now. It'll help with healing. And pineapples."
"Pineapples?"
"I would eat fresh pineapples for natural doses of bromelain. It's just another type of anti-inflammatory to aid in healing bruises faster."
"Worth a try."
"Come on," he said. He helped her up off the bed and then he grabbed a clean hand towel from the new pile Soyini had placed on the table near the bathroom. She followed Erik up to the kitchen. He washed his hands in the sink and then took the hand towel and ran it under hot water for a few seconds. He rung excess water out of the hand towel and folded it.
"Place this over your eye and hold it," he said.
Renata held the warm compress to her bad eye and watched him grab one of the pineapples they had bought from the store that was ripening on the counter. He cut it up with a large knife, and after he cored the center, he cut up thick chunks for her to eat, feeding the first bite to her with his fingers. She ate it and squealed when she saw how juicy it was. The juice ran down her chin and she wiped it up licking her fingers with her free hand.
"So how many?" she asked.
"How many what?" he asked watching her enjoy the fruit.
"Black eyes?"
"Can't even count. But one of the first ones I got young came from Shawn."
"For real?"
He nodded.
"Juvie?"
He nodded again.
"I clocked this dude twice my size on my first day in. Had to let those fools know what was up early so they wouldn't think I was some lil punk to be played. Shawn tried to pull me up and I bitch slapped him and he let me have it. My eye swole up and I couldn't see out of it for a minute."
"Jesus."
"Trust, he hit me so hard I thought I was about to see Jesus. After that, when I got out, it was just regular male bullshit. Flexing. Showing off. Most of it was over girls."
"You were fighting over girls?"
"Nah, niggas fightin' me over their girls."
"Stealing girlfriends, were you?"
His eyes and nose scrunched up.
"Is it really stealing when they never really had them?"
"You are such a dog."
He grinned and his lips poked out.
"The only girl I could technically say I stole on purpose was when I was sixteen."
"Where was this?"
"Oakland. I was visiting my grandfather for the summer and catching up with my boys and this fine ass girl…yo, I couldn't even call her a girl. She was nineteen and drove this bangin' ass truck. This shit was tricked out. Rolling on dubs…everything. To me, she was a grown ass woman. I'd see her around the way because I was running with an older crowd. She'd roll by and toot that horn, shoot the shit with us for a minute then roll on…"
Renata watched his eyes light up telling the story and she felt drawn to him as she nibbled more pineapple cubes. The more he talked, the more his Oakland accent came out thicker and richer.
"So, I ask my homeboy B.B. about her cuz she keeps showing up and blowing up the spot whenever we hang out—"
"Where were you hanging out at sixteen?"
"Parking lot parties, the park, sitting out in front of somebody's stoop. I knew this girl that she hung out with and I was always over there cuz her parents were never home. Y'know, open house, go smoke and drink and parlay."
"Hot mess. Go on."
"So, Ma keeps showing up—"
"Does Ma have a name?"
"Sauda Arif. Her daddy was a Black Muslim with the Nation, but she wasn't 'bout that life no more…"
"Okay…."
"Sauda keeps poppin' up and I ask my boy about her and come to find out her man is this rock nigga locked up, doing a nickel and she's driving his truck while he's in. Baby girl is rolling up like she want me, so I'm wit it. Start feeding her dick and the rest of the summer I'm driving that truck with her shotgun."
"Erik!"
"What?"
"Did she know you were only sixteen?"
"I wasn't a virgin or nothin'. I could handle mine."
"Of course, because it's you, I know this shit didn't end well."
Erik laughed and chucked a piece of pineapple in his mouth."
"Well, when you're young—"
"You're still young—"
"It just be like that sometimes. She had body…I mean when you sixteen and you get to be with someone with a full-grown woman body…I'm surprised I didn't get caught out there with her as much fucking as I was doing with her. Like three times a day sometimes. In the truck. In my grandfather's house, at her mama's house, in the movies-"
"Doing too much! The movies?"
He started laughing.
"Getting my dick wet as much as I could before I went back to my Uncle. Ain't nothin' like Oakland booty, I swear to God…"
"Finish."
"One day I'm fucking her at my grandfather's house and she tells me that her man is 'bout to be out and she can't be with me anymore. Now, at that point, she's been the best pussy my young ass ever had. Damn near had me crying every time I nut…"
"Why am I listening to this?"
"Why you gettin' embarrassed? I'm just telling a story. I'm sharing a piece of my life with you—"
"I know, I know…go on."
"She tells me this convict is 'bout to be out and I'm mad because I'm thinkin' my summer is set, but nah, he's getting out on parole in two weeks. But I've gotten comfortable driving this nigga's truck with his woman in it. And this fool was one of those O.G.'s so I'm a little nervous cuz everyone has seen me with Sauda. Driving her and everything. But fuck it. Pussy too good. Truck too good. Two weeks later I'm clapping them cheeks at her mama's house…had been fucking her there all day, I mean, so much of my DNA was in her we coulda been related, you hear me?"
"You are terrible…"
"We gettin' it in, nasty as all fuck, she's reaching back pulling on my locs and shit, and her man busts us on the bed. We thought it was her Mama coming home, so we wasn't 'bout to stop cuz her mother liked me and didn't care what her daughter was doing if I was there. But it's him. She jumps up hollering and screaming and I'm tryna get my boxers on, looking for my jeans and shit, and I know this fool has a gun. All that's going through my head is, 'At least I came in this bitch'. Just real foul thinking. I'm all prepped to either whoop this nigga's ass, or get shot up. Wasn't gonna be no back and forth. Sauda was worth fightin' over, on God. But this fool drops to his knees and starts crying. Blubbering with snot and begging Sauda not to leave him."
"What?!"
"I know!"
Erik took a moment to pop another piece of pineapple in his mouth.
"I get my clothes back on, and I'm feelin' really bad for this dude. His ass was in lockup, she was acting like she was waitin' on him, but fucking me all kinda ways and letting me stunt in his whip. Me, a sixteen-year-old driving a thirty-year-old's truck whenever I felt like it. I ain't have no license at all. Now I'm lookin' at him crying. He really loves her. Willing to forgive her and everything. That shit really touched me."
He stopped talking and seemed to reflect on his past. Renata put down the compress on the sink.
"Out of respect for him, I just made sure to keep her on my side of town when we fucked after that," Erik said winking at her.
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did. I wasn't giving her up. In fact, I still check in with her when I go back to Oakland to see my grandfather. She still has it bad for me. Her body got even better."
"You are a rapscallion."
"I prefer cad. But you like it."
Renata slapped his arm.
"How's the eye?" he asked.
"Feels better."
"Looks better," he said.
Erik held up the last chunk of pineapple for her. She took it and licked a bit of the juice from it before lifting it up to his mouth. She traced it on his lips, wetting them with the sweetness, and when he parted them, she slipped the fruit into his mouth. He chewed it up and then looked down at her tank top. Her nipples were stiff. His story had aroused her.
His hands reached up and she allowed his fingers to pinch the peaks of her breasts. Her lips puckered from his touch and he pinched harder before rolling them with his fingers. Her eyes dropped down to his light blue joggers. A tent was rising.
Erik pulled up her top and slid the satin cups of her bra up too so he could see her breasts.
"Big ass nipples…" he whispered plucking at them, making her whimper.
He stood there playing with her nipples and she slid her fingers down to circle under the tip of his dick and squeeze. Her stiletto nails looked so pretty while touching him. His eyes closed for a second, but he kept tweaking her nipples. She could feel the tip of his glans soaking a wet spot in his joggers. When she looked down at it, she felt a small drop of saliva slip from her parted lips. The dark wet spot on his joggers grew and was sticky to her fingers, but she kept gently squeezing the wide head, making Erik breathe hard.
"Look at your big fat tip," she whispered. He groaned and stroked her nipples harder, the stiff tips pleasing him.
"Those big veins on top of your dick popped out yet?" she asked.
"Baby," he gasped, the lids of his eyes low, his big wet juicy lips so easily accessible. All she had to do was lean forward…
Her teeth grabbed his bottom lip and tugged on it and then she sucked pineapple juice from it. She twisted her fingers under his glans again, hitting his spot, and Erik's mouth flew open. He clutched her tits and pushed them together, his thumbs still circling her peaks.
"You tryna make me cum in my pants?" he asked.
"Maybe."
She let go of his dick and reached up to clutch her own breasts, brushing his fingers away. She lifted up her right breast, the heft of it and the sexy look of her nails on them hypnotized Erik's eyes. Bending her neck down, she brought her nipple up to her own lips and licked it, then she engulfed it, sucking on it and playing with her other nipple.
"Oh shit," he gasped, "it's like that?"
"Mmmhmmm, it's like that."
His head dipped low and his lips snagged her other nipple and they both suckled her breasts. She dropped a hand back down to his glans and teased it while he licked her tit like he needed to be nursed. He had an oral fixation for sure. He moved his tongue over to the nipple she was sucking on and let his wet licks join hers. Their tongue tips snaked around each other and she felt his fingers pull on her other nipple again.
"My panties are sticking to my pussy lips," she whispered to him between licks.
"Fuck…"
"I should take you downstairs and let you fuck these tits—"
"Shit…baby…."
"You wanna nut on these big ole titties boy?"
"Oh my God," he moaned.
He grabbed her right hand and dragged it back down to his dick. The wet spot on his joggers had morphed into a wet section. The thick print of his hard length was fucking beautiful. She had this man literally in the palm of her hand. His fingers were back on her nipples tugging on them, hungry for more play time with them.
She kept her focus on his glans. His erection was so big now it stretched the material of his joggers in an obscene angle. She couldn't imagine having to carry around all that weight for this long. She was teasing him to the point of near release.
"That pretty ass black dick wants to cum so bad, huh?"
"Renata…shit."
His eyes trailed down to her fingers around his tip. The top of his joggers was soaked with pre-cum.
"I'm gon' cum, girl."
His voice hitched but Renata just kept slowly twisting her fingers around the thick mushroom head, enjoying the strong exhalations rushing out of his mouth.
"I want to see you cum in your pants, Daddy."
"Ah, fuck," he grunted, "oooooh, shit…I'm 'bout to…fuck!"
The last heavy gasp that rushed from his mouth made Renata pull back from him, her hand releasing his glans.
Erik's eyes widened when he stared at her face.
"Whatchu doin'?" he asked.
She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Payback."
She grabbed the hand towel from the sink.
"Thanks for the warm compress and the pineapples," she said as she pulled down her top and walked away.
"Renata…Renata! Stop playing…aye! I'm for real! Stop playing. Come handle this…Renata!"
###
Dinner that night was Indian take-out, so everyone sat outside to eat together.
Renata sat near Mason, and they spoke about mundane things. He tried to apologize about her eye again, but she shut him down to focus on the positive. She spent some time with Celeste as she ate, and thanked her for the guided meditation because it really did help her.
After dinner, there was a game of Taboo, and Renata was teamed up with Dawn and Claudette. Dawn was really good and made most of the points for their side. The karaoke machine was fired up and the rest of the evening was enjoyable. A few times when she went to the restroom in the house or tried to refresh a drink, Erik tried to catch her, grumbling about her having to make up for what she had done to him in the kitchen. He was on edge all night, and each time she looked at him, his eyes seemed to devour her. She made the decision to make him suffer for a long time before she would even consider touching him again. She had broken her own vow to herself to keep away from him in that way, but holy heck, that Oakland accent, those big ass lips, that damn demon dick of his…
Mercy.
She watched Erik, Shawn, Dawn, Celeste, and Terrell go for a stroll away from the house, and she was tempted to go along. But she didn't want to be near Erik. That man was even sexier when he was high, and the last thing she needed to be was high with him because she was liable to drop to her knees in front of everyone.
She took herself to bed early because she wanted to practice her interview presentation first thing in the morning and spend the rest of the day with Niecy and Vera trying to figure out her make-up and hair situation.
She put another warm compress on her eye and nibbled on a few pineapple chunks she snuck down from the kitchen. Once she was situated on her bed, she thought positive thoughts in the dark.
"Renata."
His voice was loud and robust outside her door.
"Go away, Erik."
She felt herself smiling in her dark room. She could hear him breathing hard.
"Renata, help me out…"
"No. Now you get to see how it feels."
"I can just jerk off and make myself cum."
"Then you best do that then."
"Nah, for real. I need you to take care of me."
"Nah, for real, there's lotion in the bathroom."
"Renata…please?"
"Nope."
"I need you."
His tone made her swallow hard. He could easily go to Celeste. But he was begging at her door.
"Renata? You know you be having me fucked up with your nipples. My dick is hard as fuck right now because I keep thinking about them. We don't have to have sex. Just let me play with your tits."
She started laughing and tried to cover her mouth. But he heard her.
"Oh, so this shit is funny to you?"
"Yes."
"That's messed up. Alright, bet."
"Night, Erik."
"Okay, goodnight. But you're gonna be dreaming 'bout this dick, Believe that."
She heard him shuffle off to his bed.
For a while all was quiet.
Renata turned on her side lowering the covers from her shoulders because she was getting too warm in the small room. She began to wonder if Erik fell asleep on the hideaway or went outside to the hammock.
A slight sound made her raise her head up. Was he talking to someone?
Renata sat up and pressed her ear to the wall. He was talking to someone. But he wasn't speaking English.
She tip-toed to the door and cracked it open slowly, easing her body out carefully. The basement was dark but she could see the light of Erik's laptop on his bed. He had his headphones on and he was talking to a young woman. The words he used were…Spanish? No, not Spanish, Portuguese. He was speaking Portuguese. Fluently.
The woman was laughing, her mouth open and showing perfect white teeth that looked dazzling with her rich dark skin. Renata couldn't hear what the woman was saying, but whatever Erik was telling her made the woman more beautiful with the facial expressions she gave him.
Renata felt a twinge of envy. She had hoped he was on his bed burning with desire for her. Suffering a bit. Maybe stroking his dick and thinking of her. But no. He jumped online and made this sublime beauty on the screen smile. Now the woman was blowing him kisses and he was touching the screen like he was trying to catch them.
Renata walked into the bathroom, doing her best to make as much noise as possible, letting Erik know she was awake, hoping to interrupt anything that may lead to video sex between him and the woman on his screen. It was a petty move and she embraced it fully.
She grabbed her hand towel and wet it with hot water, creating a fresh compress and placing it over her eye, leaving the bathroom door open so the light from the space would fall on him. She could hear him still speaking Portuguese, not even missing a beat. She stood in the bathroom for ten minutes before rinsing the towel with fresh hot water and pressing it onto her eye again. She turned her head so she could see Erik. He was still talking and she could hear the lilt and cadence in his voice that made him sound so enticing. He said he visited Brazil every year. He sounded like a native speaker.
She became irked when he started laughing. His head tilted in a full-throated guffaw and he wiped his hand across his nude chest. Renata hung the hand towel up and turned off the bathroom light, feeling miffed that he didn't even look at her. She made enough noise where his headphones couldn't possibly drown out all sound.
She stepped back into her room and draped herself across her bed. Her fingers drifted down to her shorts and pulled them off. She spread her thighs and patted her vulva, the long and pointed tips of her nails tickling the smooth skin of her outer labia. She thought of his chest that she just saw and then she thought of the way she had him at her mercy in the kitchen. The slick sticky feel of his pre-cum damp on his joggers. How firm and heavy his dick felt in her hand.
She couldn't insert her fingers inside her wet vagina, her nails were too sharp, so she teased her clit, scissoring her fingers around the nub, trying to imagine Erik's stiffness entering her, stretching her folds. She remembered how turned on he was playing with her nipples so she lifted up her left breast and stuffed her own nipple in her mouth. She slapped her pussy lips trying to imitate the veracity of Erik when he did it, but it wasn't even close. She bit her nipple to feel some pain and her clit was electrified by the sensation.
"Ohhhhh," she moaned out loud, her mouth releasing the hold it had on her breast.
She was irritated now. Horny as hell and pissed at Erik because he was right. She was hungry for his dick. She wasn't dreaming about it. She was wide awake and suffering for it.
Her pussy was throbbing.
She should've let him in the room. She should've let him do more than fuck her tits.
She let out a loud groan that was half desire and half frustration. She had nothing available to her to safely insert into herself to relieve the ache between her thighs. The solution was sitting outside on the hideaway talking to another woman.
She squeezed her thighs together and then sat back up.
Just go out there.
Strip down and let him know you need it.
Do it.
The temptation almost made her succumb to the heat at her apex. But all she saw was that smug look on Erik's face if she did it. Lack of control. Proving him right about his dick.
She flopped back down on the bed face down on her stomach.
Pressing her face into the pillow, she focused on the dull pain in her eye to take her mind off of him.
Sleep took forever to come. But it finally did.
###
Her nerves were on fire.
Interview day.
Her friends were quiet and ate their breakfast quickly and then packed up their lunch meals to take for the picnic out on the pontoon.
Hugs and words of encouragement were given to her, and she was able to hug Erik and look at him without hunger in her eyes for him.
She hid out in the basement as Niecy showed her how to put the finishing touches on her make-up when she was ready to actually put it on. She borrowed one of Soyini's old bathrobes to wear until she was ready to dress in her white dress and heels. When everyone left and she was alone in the house, she was able to relax and really focus on what she needed to do.
She took a half hour to do her exercise video, and then another forty minutes to meditate. She showered, dressed, and spent an hour getting her make-up and hair just right. Niecy was able to find a perfect balance of smoky eye that didn't overwhelm her face but did hide the bruising on her eye well enough. She just had to have her flat-ironed hair act right.
She set up Erik's computer out on the deck with the great view of the water. She knew her presentation inside and out. Her platform heels had her feeling like a tall amazon.
Twenty minutes before her live chat, she sat down and centered herself.
She would sell herself.
She was the right person for this job.
She had to snatch that brass ring.
She held the graphics clicker in her hand and stood up, shaking her hands above her head as Celeste showed her, and her mind went to Erik's words. They would be fools not to choose her.
She turned on the live chat screen. The Stark Industries logo popped up. There was a small countdown on the lower right side of the screen. Twenty seconds. Fifteen. Ten…six….one.
"Renata Gilliam," a white woman with dishwater blonde hair said to her.
"Hello," Renata said giving her best sincere and professional smile.
The screen froze up and buffered and Renata felt her stomach sink. Oh, shit.
She tried refreshing the link and nothing happened, the Stark logo appeared again and then the blonde was back.
"Sorry about that Renata, a little tech issues on our end. Are you ready to interface?"
"Yes."
"Send us your codes, please."
Renata typed in the info the woman needed and within ten seconds, she was encapsulated within a holographic 3D bubble and four other people appeared before her sitting at the outdoor deck table. Thank God. Everything was working.
"Okay, Renata, I'm Susan Sheehan and I'll be leading this live chat interview."
Susan sat at the head of the table and Renata felt her eyes adjusting to the presence of the interview panel.
"Wow, what an amazing view," Susan said looking behind Renata.
"Thank you," Renata said as she put her graphic slides on stand-by.
Susan introduced Renata to the interview panel. Two white men and one Asian man. Their faces looked neutral. Bored actually.
Renata took a deep breath.
And dived in.
Her graphics woke the panel up and the moment she went into the recent negative press Tony Stark was involved in and immediately gave them solutions to fix it and raise the profile of Stark Industries, Susan smiled and shared a look with the white man seated next to her who also had a grin on his face.
Renata made sure to address each panel member directly, and when she needed to give them time to let her ideas sink in, she would change the graphics floating behind her. She had them engaged and kept the presentation on her timeline track, until she caught Susan looking off into the distance, her finger touching the earbud attached to her right ear. Was Renata losing her?
Thirty minutes in, Renata began wrapping it up to give them time to ask her questions, and as Erik told her, forcing them to want to keep her longer if they were interested in her.
The men wasted no time lobbing hardball questions to her that she was prepped for. Susan asked a couple of questions, but as Renata answered her, Susan's eyes would lose focus again as if she were distracted.
"I'm sorry, but Susan, are my answers not detailed enough for you? Is there a way I can clarify some things?" Renata asked. It was best to be blunt.
Susan's eyes gazed at her and she stared at Renata, but when she answered, she wasn't making sense.
A shimmering light appeared on Renata's left side and she thought Erik's computer was freezing up.
"I'm so sorry for the interruption, Renata. I'm the cause of Susan's distraction…"
The shimmery light shifted into another holographic 3D image of a man standing behind Susan.
"I've been watching you and feeding Susan some questions, but it's better if I do it in person."
"Mr. Stark!" Renata said.
Tony Stark walked closer to her.
"Let's continue, shall we?"