Janessa went in the bathroom and slammed the door. “So, because Geren put his two cents in, that makes me an automatic hoe?”
“See, I knew you were going to blow this shit all out of proportion. All I did was ask a simple question, and you’re getting bent out of shape.” Tempest hesitated, then added through the door. “It must be true. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be offended.”
“Dang, can a sistah take a leak in peace around here?” Tempest heard Janessa pull her jeans down and plop down on the toilet seat. “Why is Geren all up in my beeswax anyway? Tell him to get a life! For that matter, you need to get one, too, heifer!”
Tempest laughed off the heifer comment. “Whatever, tramp!” She could hear Janessa let out a slight giggle from the other side of the door. “Just know that I love your crazy ass and don’t want to see you get hurt. If Dvontè is trying to run a game on you, his ass will have to deal with my wrath before it’s all over and said and done. They don’t call me Tempest for nothing!”
The toilet flushed and the faucet started running. A moment later, Janessa came out of the bathroom. “For your information, nosy ass, Dvontè and I do go out places. However, Dvontè doesn’t make a grip like Geren, so we have to stay within a budget.”
“That’s bullshit,” Tempest said, leaning against the hallway wall. “Even a dog deserves a walk. This is Washington, D.C. The nation’s mofo capitol. There are tons of free things to do around here. Especially on the weekends. You need to set him straight from jump, or he’ll let his current behavior dictate the rest of your relationship.”
Janessa pouted. “I will agree with you to a certain extent, but I still can’t believe the nerve of Geren. Who does he think he is, telling you all my business? If he tells it all, what the hell am I going to have left to tell you? That’s what being best friends is all about. Spilling the beans.”
“I agree,” Tempest said, throwing her arms around Janessa and kissing her on the cheek. “Now, let’s kiss and make up.”
Janessa laughed, glancing down at her watch. “Dang, we still have the whole day left before I have to meet Shae. What are we going to do?”
“I have a great idea.” Tempest headed toward the kitchen. “Why don’t we make some Rice Krispies treats and cherry Kool-Aid? We can spend the rest of the afternoon doing each other’s hair in some fucked-da-hell-up hairstyles.”
Janessa nodded in excitement. “Sounds good, but you have to promise to put at least two cups of sugar in the pitcher of Kool-Aid,” she said jokingly. “I bet you have some Mason jars we can drink it out of, too. If you have that grease can on the stove, I know your ghetto ass has some Mason jars hiding around here someplace.”
Tempest fell out laughing. “I damn sure do. My mother gave them to me when I moved in.”
Janessa smirked. “I tell you what. You make the Rice Krispies treats while I make the Kool-Aid. I don’t trust your ass. You might try to skimp on the sugar.”
“You’re a trip.” Tempest slapped her gently on the arm. “I don’t know about you doing my hair with those long-ass nails. You might draw blood on a sistah.”
“No, I won’t,” Janessa said, obviously offended. She reached for the glass pitcher on top of the refrigerator and started searching for the packets of Kool-Aid. “You remember that time, when we were about ten, when I put your hair into that waterfall hairdo?”
“Yeah, that style was fucked-da-hell-up and then some.” Tempest chuckled, remembering the way it looked like it was yesterday. “My poor mother came home from work and thought some crackhead had broken into the house. She didn’t even recognize me. I had to show her the birthmark on my right shoulder so she wouldn’t call 5-0 on a sistah.”
They both fell out laughing. “Those were the good old days,” Janessa added. “Why can’t things be as much fun now?”
“They can be,” Tempest interjected. “We just have to live our lives to the fullest while we still have lives to live.”
“Amen to that, gurl. Let’s start by throwing down on some of these goodies. Make sure you don’t put the mixture on the wax paper while it’s still hot. Last time, we had to pull the Rice Krispies treats off the wax paper with forks.”
“Yeah, but those bad boys were good,” Tempest objected. “You just make sure one of those witch fingernails doesn’t fall off in the Kool-Aid while you’re stirring. I don’t want to choke up in here.”
Janessa held up her middle finger. “The better to say fuck you with, my dear.”
CHAPTER 14
reciprocity
“hang on for a second, Trisha.” Dvontè tossed the phone on his love seat and went to look out the peephole, wondering who would be bold enough to knock on his door unannounced. He knew it wasn’t Geren. Geren had phoned earlier to say he was taking Tempest out of town for the weekend.
Dvontè cursed under his breath when he realized it was Janessa. She was really becoming a nuisance.
He went back to his living room and picked up the phone. “Umm, Trisha, let me call you back in a few.”
“I thought you were coming through tonight?” Trisha asked seductively. Dvontè got an automatic hard-on, thinking about drowning his face in her 42DDD tits. “I bought a new bra and a thong today from Body and Soul over in Prince George’s Plaza. I want to get your opinion.”
“Oh, I will be there with bells on, beautiful,” he replied excitedly. “You can bank on that. Just make sure you have the handcuffs and whipped cream ready. We have some unfinished business from last week.”
Janessa started banging on the door again and calling out his name. He was hoping like all hell Trisha wouldn’t hear her and start asking a bunch of questions. He wasn’t even trying to get cold busted before he could crawl up between Trisha’s creamy thighs again.
“Okay, baby, I’ll have everything waiting for you,” she cooed. “Just hurry up. My pussy is throbbing, and I want to give you a tongue bath.”