Untitled chapter
Chapter 1
Kayla sat across the dinner table and stared deeply into his amazing eyes, which were fixated on her cleavage. Every word he uttered had her mesmerized and she could not believe she had found someone so wonderful and charming. She had met Jeremy threw a mutual friend at a birthday party about four months ago. She had heard he was the extravagant type who didn’t mind spending money on his woman. Her friends and family had their doubts about her dating a man that was five years older, but she didn’t care. He treated her like royalty. She also could not believe he had made reservations at the Paradise Restaurant, where couples had to book a month in advance to get in the VIP section on the balcony.
“You know you mean the world to me, right?” Jeremy asked, as he softly caressed her hand to the sound of violin melodies playing in the background. It was almost too surreal.
“I think you are the most wonderful man I’ve had the pleasure of knowing,” she said as she smiled, revealing her perfect white teeth.
“Do you think or do you know?” He asked.
“Sorry babe, you know you got this on lock.”
“That’s what I thought,” he responded.
A few more minutes went by and the waiter brought the dinner to the table. Jeremy had ordered them both the seasonal special with lobster tails and a house special dessert to top off the dinner. After eating, they walked to the outside balcony where the stars dazzled the night sky in the cool spring breeze. Jeremy pulled her close and kissed her softly on the forehead as they looked upon the city lights.
“Has any other man ever brought you here?”
“Of course not, why would you ask something like that?” Kayla asked.
“No reason. I just want you to see that your every wish is my command. No one will ever put it down like me.”
“I must say that I am extremely happy to be a part of your world,” she said as she smiled and reaffirmed.
“I have something I want to give you,” he said as he pulled a small box from his pocket. Kayla gasped as she opened the box to retrieve the diamond ring.
“It’s beautiful!” Kayla squealed.
“This is my promise to you, Kayla. I will always be here for you and nothing will ever come between us…Ever. I love you.”
As he slid the ring on her finger, she looked into his eyes and told him she loved him, too. Although she was 20-years-old and had not dated much after she and her high school sweetheart broke up, she knew that Jeremy would be the one she would marry. At that moment, she knew she was in Heaven.
After a few months into dating Jeremy, her relationship turned into a dictatorship. He always wanted to know all the specific details of her whereabouts and details regarding anyone who would accompany her. Simple things such as getting dressed became a hassle since he did not approve of any of the clothing she wore. According to him, all her friends were whores, including her, when she hung out with them. If nothing went his way, all hell would break loose, which would result in verbal and emotional abuse. He made sure to tell her in each argument that her needs did not matter and she had no idea how many other women wanted him. Nevertheless, after every argument or petty disagreement, he would buy her something big or take her on a shopping spree. They would have enduring sexual escapades afterward then the argument was over. It became a sick routine.
It was Saturday afternoon in the middle of May and the weather was perfect for an outside barbeque. Kayla was sitting on Jeremy’s couch in a white tank top, some blue jean shorts that were high thigh length, and her legs were propped against her chest. This was one of many nights she spent at Jeremy’s place. He had a roommate-style apartment with his childhood friend, Travis. Travis was about 5’7, a little short for her taste, but he had a stout muscular build, golden brown skin with hazel eyes, and a clean baby face. He was more of a laid back prep type person who kept most of his opinions to himself. She always thought the mystery in him was attractive and very intriguing. What bothered her about Travis was that she had never seen him with a woman over to the apartment, or period.
“What do you guys have planned today?” Travis asked, as he tried to sway his attention from staring at her legs.
“I don’t know, Jeremy was talking about a barbeque a minute ago, what do you have on it?” she said in a joking tone, trying not to make it so obvious that she noticed him checking her out. He slumped on the lazy boy chair and briefly searched for the remote that was on the end table.
“I got five cents on it.”
She started laughing and said, “Oh, I guess you just want one barbeque potato chip then, huh?”
They both were laughing at the silliness of the thought when Jeremy walked in from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and stern look on his face. He was looking very sexy and she was ready to continue the early morning sex rounds they had just had in his bedroom.
He walked over near Travis and said, “What’s up dude?” as he sat on the opposite end of the couch away from Kayla. He briefly looked at her and turned his attention back to Travis.
“Dude nothing, are you firing up the grill or what?” Travis asked.
“Nah, I don’t feel like getting dirty again,” he said in a cynical tone as he cut his eyes towards Kayla. She was confused by that statement, because she wasn’t sure if he referring to her or just his daily cleanliness in general. She didn’t want to start an argument in front of Travis, so she kept her thoughts to herself. Jeremy and Travis continued their conversation and Travis ended up convincing Jeremy to barbeque by volunteering to go to the store. Travis left the house, so Kayla figured this would be a great time to be sexually spontaneous with her man. She edged over to where Jeremy was sitting. She gently placed her hand on the knot of the towel that was holding it together. Before she knew it, Jeremy pulled back his right hand back and slapped her on the side of her face, pushing her downward to the floor with full force. It seemed as if the echo of the huge THUMP echoed from miles around. He stood up over her.
“Whore, have you lost your mind? Don’t be trying to get freaky with me while you got your legs all up in the air in front of Travis, you stupid ass woman.”
Kayla did not move, because she was in total shock. Jeremy had never been physically violent with her, so she didn’t know what to do. He continued his verbal assaults, went in the back room, and slammed the door. Kayla lied there still stunned. She didn’t cry right away since it didn’t really hurt her physically, but the thought of him intending to, did. That thought alone made her begin to sob in tears. Luckily, she had left her keys and her purse in the front room. She attempted to dry her face off, but the tears continued to flow. She immediately left the apartment before Jeremy came back.
She went home and thought about what had happened. She didn’t really have anyone to talk to at the time, since her mom was working overtime and her brother, Jay, was out doing who knows what. Kayla’s oldest brother, Tony, lived out of town. Besides, had she told anyone in her family, they probably would have tried to kill Jeremy. Her mom was the strong-willed independent type who had a zero tolerance for low class men. She would attack a man at the drop of a penny. Apparently, Kayla didn’t inherit that trait. She ran her some bath water and sat in it for about an hour and a half, thinking to herself what could she have done differently. Maybe she should have had on Capri pants, or perhaps blue jeans. She thought that maybe she should have just stayed in the back room until he got out the shower. In a sick way, she started defending his actions. She got out the tub and noticed she had six missed calls. One from her girlfriend, Brandy, and the other five were Jeremy’s calls. She decided to call Brandy back first since her conversation with Jeremy would probably be intense. Brandy was a very beautiful, strong-minded individual who did not tolerate bullshit either. She was about 5’4, with a stout figure and her bleached blonde hair match hair yellow skin tone.
“What’s up girl? What are you up to?” she asked, as she answered on the first ring.
“Nothing, just tired of this stupid ass boyfriend of mine.”
“Girl, I know what you mean, some guys are pitiful huh, what did he do this time?” She wasn’t sure whether or not she should tell Brandy what really happened. She knew Brandy would have been like, ‘girl I would have picked up something and busted him straight upside the head’. Then, she would have asked what did she do and Kayla didn’t want to feel like a punk by telling her she just walked out of the house. Kayla quickly answered with, “Girl, nothing, the same old crap, what are you doing tonight?”
“Girl, me and Shay going to the club, you should come with us.”
Kayla knew if she said no, Brandy would somehow convince her anyway, but if she said yes, she might miss Jeremy’s apology date, so Kayla told her to call an hour before they left. She hung up with Brandy and called Jeremy back, but he didn’t answer.
Later, Kayla decided to go over to her cousin Dee’s house so she could buy her some liquor since Kayla wasn’t 21 yet. Dee was married with two kids, and for the most part, Kayla thought she was cool, but before she got married, Dee was a drop-dead whore. It was still a mystery how and where she met her husband, but since he got her into church and eradicated her whorish ways, Kayla’s family really didn’t care. Every time Kayla went to her house to visit or for any other reason, she would always give Kayla some spill about drinking, going back to school and other pep talks Kayla didn’t want to hear. Every time Kayla thought of telling her to get the drink, shut the hell up, and go home and tell it to her husband, freaking hypocrite, you’re buying me this alcohol for a fee. Of course, Kayla never did, besides she didn’t know anyone else who would buy it for her.
After not hearing from Jeremy the remainder of the day, Kayla decided to go out with Brandy. She put on her black tights with a long loose black and gold Baby Phat shirt that was with some black open-toed heels. The golden streaks in her hair, which hung down past her shoulders in loose curls, accentuated her outfit and skin tone. She was dressed to kill. If Jeremy didn’t want to treat her right, she knew somebody would. Just as she was walking out the door to her car, the phone rang.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone the first time I called you?” Jeremy said, in a cool but firm voice. She thought to herself that he had completely lost his mind after that stunt he had just pulled and then to call her talking crazy.
“Uhh, dude, after what you just did, don’t you think your first words should be some type of apology?”
“Kayla, where are you?” he asked as if what she said didn’t mean anything.
“Oh, so I guess you didn’t hear me?” Kayla responded.
“Kayla, that was your fault, trying to be all seductive in front of my homeboy.”
Kayla was getting more pissed by the second, so the only response she could think of was, “Bye Jeremy.”
“Kayla, you better not hang up this phone, baby, where are you?” She guessed the guilt of what he had done had finally sunk in. “Going out,” Kayla finally responded.
Jeremy paused and all she heard was a click and then dead silence at the end of the phone. Jeremy had hung up.
She knew it wouldn’t be the end of Jeremy for the night, so she drank heavily. She normally did not smoke, but a friend girl of Brandy’s had a dime bag. She wanted to be faded as hell. They walked in the club and all eyes were on them. She thought it was because they all looked fabulous, but maybe everyone noticed how faded they were. When they got to the bar, Kayla and the girls drank even more drinks, at other people’s expense of course. They mingled around and died laughing at the jokes some of the fellows were telling at the bar. A hot dance song came on and Kayla went crazy on the dance floor as the girls cheered her on. After that song, she pretty much stayed on the dance floor the entire night. She had forgotten about Jeremy, the incident, and everything else. She was having fun.
Kayla had left her phone and purse in Brandy’s car, so she wouldn’t have to haul it around in the club. She figured it would be smart not to drive her car, since Jeremy could easily spot her car, so she left it at Brandy’s. She also knew she was going to be drunk and there only a few popular black clubs in her hometown, her car wouldn’t be hard to find. She looked at her phone, noticing twenty-two missed calls from Jeremy. She wasn’t sure when she would call back or what she would say, but she knew he would be raged with anger. She was paranoid as hell, from being high for one, and it was closing time when everyone, including people who weren’t in the club, would fill the club parking lot in order to catch the last chance to make a late night hook up. She just knew Jeremy would be lurking in dark corners. However, he was a no-show and even if he was there, he didn’t let her know it.
After they got to Brandy’s house, it was around 3:20am and she hopped in her car still scheming on ways to handle Jeremy. She decided to make the incident from earlier seem bigger than it really was by telling him she went to the emergency room because it felt like she was bleeding inside of her head. She had to make it sound dramatic so he could feel like a jerk, take her in his arms, kiss on her, and apologize a thousand times softly in her ear. She started having visions of him licking all over her body. She had mentally gotten herself fired up for a steamy love making session. Instead of calling, Kayla decided to drive over to his apartment, still intoxicated. She had to make sure Travis’s car was there, just in case what she had planned in her mind went different. She drove around and parked in the back of the apartment building that was next to his complex. She didn’t want Jeremy to see her car and decide to resurrect their earlier episode. She popped gum in her mouth and sprayed a mist of the miniature perfume she kept in her purse. She slowly walked up to the door and covered the peephole with her finger. After about six knocks, Travis said, “Who the hell is it?”
“It’s me, Kayla.”
Travis opened the door, lightly smiled, and said, “Oh, you were about to get knocked out, girl.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” she mumbled. He didn’t hesitate to let her in since he knew Jeremy was known to call her over at all times of the night. He headed toward the corner to the hall, went in his room, and closed the door. She started to feel herself shaking. “Why am I so freaking nervous?” she asked herself. She walked back to Jeremy’s room and softly knocked on the door. There was dead silence, which was odd, since Jeremy normally sleeps with his television on. She attempted to twist the knob, but the door was locked. All the lights were off, so she figured he was asleep, which meant he had had time to sleep off his anger. She continued to knock on the door, but there was still no answer. She thought maybe he had gotten drunk and couldn’t hear her knocking. She didn’t want to pound on the door because she figured it would bother Travis. She decided to go into the kitchen and fix her a little snack before trying again. She opened up the refrigerator door and noticed a huge pan of barbeque on the second shelf. “So they barbequed anyway,” she said softly to herself. Not that they needed her permission, but she was a little surprised that Jeremy didn’t mention it when they talked earlier. Furthermore, she wondered if Travis and Jeremy talked about the incident that happened. After she had warmed two pork chops and a piece of chicken, she heard someone’s door opening. Her heart had begun to pound again, because she knew this time, it had to be Jeremy. A shadow rounded the corner and a deep voice said, “Girl, what are you doing?” It was Travis.
“Fixing a late night snack, was I making too much noise?” She asked.
“Nah, I came in here for a little snack myself.” From the way he was looking, she wondered if he meant the food or her.
“You must have had a wild day, huh?” she asked trying not to make her question seem callow.
“What? I just stepped in about forty-five minutes before you did. When I got back from the store earlier, my brother had called and asked me to come kick it at their pool party, so I dipped.”
“Oh,” Kayla replied while thinking to herself, it wasn’t like Jeremy to barbeque alone.
After a little more small talk, Travis finished his snack and headed back to his room. Kayla decided once again to knock on the door. She walked through the hallway and just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard a soft voice and it damn sure wasn’t Jeremy’s. At that moment, she could feel her adrenaline pumping. She just knew this loser didn’t have another woman in there. Her hard knocks turned into fist full pounding and she had begun to talk through the door.
“Jeremy let me in.” There was no response. “Jeremy, I really need you to open this door right now.” Dead silence. She couldn’t control herself. Maybe she was tripping, because she was still a little faded. Nevertheless, she wasn’t about to take any chances. She had to know if there was someone else in the room.
“IF YOU DON’T OPEN UP THIS DAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW, I’M GOING TO KICK IT IN!”
“Girl, get the hell away from my door and go home,” he finally argued.
“Not until you open the door.”
“I’m going to tell you one last time to get away from my door, Kayla.”
The actuality was, at that point, he couldn’t tell her anything. After all she had been through with his demonic ways, there was no way in hell he was going to get away with cheating on her. She knew Travis was about to come out and ask her leave, but either he did not hear them or was trying to ignore the whole situation. She wondered if Travis knew something. Why would he let her in if he did, but if he didn’t, wouldn’t he be out here trying to see what’s going on? All those questions had gotten her even more hyped up.
She finally said, “Okay, Jeremy, I’ll leave, but this isn’t over.” She pretended to leave by going in the living room then opening and shutting the front door. She slowly crept back to the end of the hallway and waited. About five minutes later, Jeremy opened the door.
