I suppressed a laugh. “Not all men think that way, Mrs. Waters.”
“Bullshit! Yardley, can you honestly tell me that, on any given day, you’re not concentrating on money and pussy the majority of the time?”
“There may be some men out there like that.” I thought about Felix. “In fact, I’m positive there are men out there like that, but I’m not one of them. I’ll be honest by saying that I enjoy sex, but I won’t sleep with just anyone. A woman has to stimulate me on various levels for me to enjoy her company.”
She poked me in the chest. “Make sure you don’t hurt my baby or you’ll have to deal with me. I’ll chop that dick and those little ass balls clear off your body.”
I chose to ignore that statement.
“Arjay, I can honestly say that my mind is not zoned in on sex. I concentrate on my patients while I’m at my medical office and I concentrate on many other things in the evenings.”
“Medical office? Aw shit! You mean to tell me you’re a damn doctor?”
“A chiropractor.”
“Ain’t those the doctors that crack backs and shit?”
“Sometimes
but there’s a lot more to it than that. We can do everything from help people recovering from car accidents to preventing menstrual cramps.”
She giggled and slapped me on the thigh. “Damn, you can cure cramps?”
I laughed right along with her. “I’ve been known to cure quite a few cramps.”
That must’ve really excited her because she inched her way even closer to me. “So you must have some magical hands in the bedroom, huh?” she asked teasingly.
Thank goodness Rayne returned right on time. In fact, I jumped up and said, “Right on time! We don’t want to lose our reservation.”
Rayne was gorgeous in a black skintight dress and three-inch pumps; simple yet elegant. She had on moon drop pearl earrings and a small strand of pearls adorned her neck.
“You look fantastic!” I exclaimed.
She blushed at me. “Thanks and so do you. I didn’t get a chance to mention that earlier.” She eyed her mother, who was sitting on the sofa—acting like she wasn’t trying to feel me up a second ago—hanging on our every word. “Well, goodnight, Momma.”
We’d almost made it to the door when her mother jumped up and strutted toward us. “So I’m supposed to sit here and starve tonight?” she asked Rayne.
Rayne reached into her purse and pulled out two twenties. “There’s a stack of delivery menus in the top right-hand drawer in the kitchen; beside the sink. I have every type of food you can imagine in there, so order whatever you like.” Rayne opened the door, then paused, reaching back into her purse. “Here’s another twenty. The liquor store is two blocks down to the right, on the corner; in case you decide you want some more vodka for dinner.”
Her mother grabbed the money out of her hand. “Very cute, missy! This is truly fucked up, but you seem dead set on treating me like a stranger. So be it,” Arjay said.
“I’ll see you later, Momma.” Rayne leaned in and made a smacking noise with her lips. “Give me a kiss. M’wah!”
“Get the hell out of here already,” Arjay stated vehemently. “But if I’ve jumped out the window by the time you get back, it’s all your fault.”
Rayne grabbed my arm and led me out of her place. “Let’s make a run for it,” she whispered.
I heard her front door slam behind her and Arjay yell out, “Bitch!”
“I can’t believe your mother called you that,” I said in shock.
“Believe it.” Rayne pushed the button for the elevator. “I didn’t plan on you finding out this way, but I eventually planned to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” I asked.
“Yardley, my mother’s an alcoholic; always has been since I was a child. On top of that, she’s extremely promiscuous. I hope that doesn’t cause a bad reflection on me in your eyes. I’m someone totally separate from her. She did give me life, but I’m so ashamed of her.”
I reached out and placed my hand on Rayne’s lower back, near her waist. She was trembling. “It’s okay, Rayne. I understand about your mother. Maybe I can help you get her into a rehabilitation center.”