Urban Love Prophecy Read online

  “No punching of customers tomorrow. Promise. See you later, Pete,” I called out and gave him a jaunty little wave.

  Halfway to the door, Jayson materialized, and the smile that blanketed my face was involuntary. He held the door open for me, following at a close pace as we walked across the parking lot to my Lexus convertible. Each time my arms brushed against his, I had to bite my lip to mask the excitement I felt.

  “Quite a ride,” he noted. The low whistle and expectant look he gave me silently asked how it was that I had such an expensive car.

  Even though I really didn’t want to get into that, so I found myself confessing, “In my former life, I could afford it.”

  “Oh yeah? And what was that?” He leaned against my trunk. I was secretly thrilled he seemed reluctant to let me go.

  “A little of this… a little of that. Not really talk too much to talk about.” I tried to infuse my tone with indifference, hoping he would let it drop. The pain of missing my father was still too raw for mere words.

  “Ahhh,” he drawled. “I see.” He crossed his arms over his built, clearly muscular chest, and settled in.

  “And what do you do, Jayson? Seeing as how you’re so interested in what I do.” I leaned against the car next to him. Our arms brushed, and I fought the tingles spreading across my body thanks to the skin on skin contact.

  “Ever hear of Rucker Records?” I shook my head so he continued. “I own it. I also produce records and occasionally I perform.”

  “Perform?”

  “Wow. You really don’t know who I am, do you?” He said disbelievingly.

  I shook my head again.

  “What kind of music do you listen to?”

  “I’m a fan of pop music. Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, The Fray…” I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you like Katy Perry?” He asked.

  “Not since she kissed a girl and liked it.”

  He busted out laughing. “Shit. I was trying to impress you with the fact that I collaborated with Katy on her last single.” He studied my face for a minute while scratching the scruff along his jaw. “You know what? I just decided you and I are going to get along great.”

  I smiled because I thought so too. Something about him felt comfortable. It was nice, especially since I didn’t really have too many people to connect with these days since all my so-called friends deserted me once my money was gone.

  “Good.”

  “Anyway, I’m a hip hop artist. I’ve had a few hit singles over the years.”

  “Oh! That’s so cool! Sorry I didn’t know who you were. I don’t listen to a lot of music.”

  He bumped my shoulder with his playfully. “That’s why I think we’ll get along so well. I hate when women are overzealous when they find out who I am. I’ll get you a CD to listen to. Then maybe you’ll decide you like me.”

  “I think I already do,” I said under my breath, earning me a cocky grin from him.

  A yawn escaped me, and I looked at my watch. Jayson’s face registered disappointment that the night was ending, but he pushed off the car and walked around to the driver side door to open it.

  “Thank you.” Not giving it too much thought, I kissed his cheek and folded myself into the car. “Will I see you again, Mr. Rap Star?”

  He gave me a gorgeous, full smile that made me quiver in more than one place. “You better believe it.”

  After he shut my door, I started the car and reversed out of my spot. I put the car in drive and started to pull out of the lot. I couldn’t help but look in the rearview mirror to see him watching me, with his arms crossed again.

  Chapter Two

  Pulling into the parking lot that butted up to the open courtyard of the partially rundown apartment building I lived in was still a culture shock for me. It wasn’t the worst place to live, but it certainly wasn’t what I was accustomed to either. It was obvious that the older landlord tried to keep things up. The older he got, the harder it got though. He moved at a snail’s pace and had tremors in his hands. Just watching him try to climb a ladder made me want to gently push him aside and do it for him, regardless of the task.

  I walked to my apartment on the bottom right side of the L-shaped building and started to insert my key when I heard the door kitty corner to mine fly open. I turned and smiled at my neighbor¸ Kim. Her blonde hair was thick and poufy around her pixie-like face. She was a wild child for sure. The day we met she told me that “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns ‘N Roses was her anthem.

  “You’re home!” She screeched and ran towards me, engulfing me in a hug. “Let’s sit outside and have a drink!”

  “I need to change and I’m pretty wiped. It was a rough night.”

  “Oh, come on! Just one and then I’ll let you go to bed like the old lady you are.” She winked to lighten her use of the term I couldn’t stand. I was thirty to her twenty-one. That didn’t make me that old. Did it?

  “Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  I headed into my dark apartment and flipped on the lights, trying not to wince at the decor. Luckily for me the place came furnished. That was about as far as my luck went though. The living space was one big room. Open concept, as I liked to think. The kitchen table was scarred and on its last leg. The appliances were avocado green. The television was a giant set that went out of style when I was in high school. The couch was old, plaid and slightly stinky. Dousing it with my Coach perfume only helped temporarily. Kim recommended I try something called Febreeze. I was going to have to pick up a case of the stuff after I got paid.

  I headed into my room and pulled the accordion styled door open. I dug around in my pile of clothes on the floor for what I hoped was a clean shirt and a pair of yoga pants. I really needed to make time to do laundry. Thankfully, I had another clean uniform hanging in the bathroom to keep wrinkles out.

  Dressed in comfortable clothing, I pulled my hair back into a messy knot and washed my face. The sink and tub had rust stains, but at least they were clean. Never in my life would I have thought that I’d be living in a place like this and working in a place like I did, but life throws you curves, some of them cutting harder than others. Like my mom dying when I was fifteen.

  I shook my head and stopped that train of thought. Poor Kim had dealt with me crying more times than I could count in the last month that I lived here. She didn’t need a weepy friend again tonight. I felt like her “Debi Downer” whenever I got like this. It was like I muted out her vibrancy. I didn’t want to be responsible for that again.

  Besides, I had the oh-so-sexy Jayson to occupy my mind now. Thoughts of him could definitely keep anyone from being sad and depressed. A small smile took up residence on my face, remembering the way his polo shirt hugged his upper chest and arms, and the way his jeans hugged his ass. And the way he treated me was unlike the other jokers that came into Lace. He was the one bright spot in my day today.

  “Alright, where’s the booze?” I asked when I joined Kim at the table in the courtyard with a cluster of old plastic chairs around it.

  She slid a glass of what smelled like Rum and Coke across the table and leaned back in her chair. “I made it extra strong. I figured you could use it after having a bad night. So take a drink and tell me about it.”

  I took a sip, and my eyes burned with how strong it was. She definitely wasn’t playing around.

  “Let’s see. I was on my feet for ten hours. I was accosted by not one but two drunk idiots. And I met a beautiful man…” I trailed off and gave her a goofy grin. I probably had stars in my eyes. I was that gone.

  “Ooooh! A beautiful man. I need details!” She leaned forward and propped her chin in her hand.

  “His name is Jayson and he is nothing like I’ve ever been attracted to before, but from what little I know, he’s everything I could ever want in a man. He had an air of being down to earth, but worldly at the same time. His lips were full and tempting. His eyes were crystal blue—like that hot model. What’s his name?” I
snapped my fingers trying to call up his name. “Oh! David Gandy! He was so nice and he acted like he was interested in me for more than just a quick lay. He even stepped in both times those jerks were getting frisky. I wouldn’t typically be interested in someone I met at Lace, but he wasn’t like the other men that come in there.”

  “A knight in shining armor? How fucking hot is that?” Kim exclaimed.

  “We’ll see. I might not ever see him again. He didn’t ask me for my number.” I deflated a little when I realized that was the case. He might have acted like there was more to come, but he didn’t ask me my last name or for my number.

  “Honey, even I know that if a man wants to see you again, he will. Didn’t you see the movie He’s Just Not That Into You? Anyways, what does this hot knight do?”

  “I guess he’s a hip hop artist and record producer. He said he owned a label. I can’t remember the name though. I was too busy staring at him and wishing he would kiss me.”

  Kim thought for a few minutes while she sipped her drink. Well, more like guzzled it, but that was just a minor detail. Suddenly, her hand flew out, palm facing me. “Wait. Hold up! Do not tell me this man was Jayson Santiago. Was it was Rucker Records?”

  “Yes!” I cried out and bounced in my seat. “You know him? Well of him?”

  “Of course I know of him. Holy shit, girl! Not only is he fine, he is like IT. He’s all over the place. Record label, clothing line, Grammy winner, performer, producer, and a straight up player. I mean, he is such a big player that I’m telling you to stay far away from him. And you know how I feel about having fun, sweaty, hot sex just for the sake of it.”

  “Player?” I croaked out, suddenly feeling extremely disappointed that the one guy that had piqued my interest since my life started to turn to shit, would be the worst kind of guy for me.

  She nodded her head sagely and finished the rest of her drink. “Player. Last I saw he was banging a girl in that group, Delicious Divas. Vanessa something or other. She’s even written songs about how much she loves to do the nasty with him.”

  “Well, shit. That sucks,” I deadpanned, knocking back the rest of my drink. “Got another one of those?”

  Kim jumped up and ran into her apartment. She had been trying to get me to drink with her for weeks now. And tonight would be that night.

  I couldn’t believe that Jayson was a jerk. I mean, isn’t that what a player was? A jerk? Using women and not caring? It’s not like I was necessarily looking for a long-term relationship, especially considering I didn’t know what my future held. It’s just that I was really hoping to find someone for companionship. I wanted someone to talk to at the end of the day, to make love to at night, and to laugh with. I hadn’t had that in so long. Ever since my fiancé ran off with the slut of the country club, and my dad took a turn for the worse.

  David running off with that bitch actually saved me from a life of duplicity—always pretending to be something I’m not—and mediocrity, so I’m not complaining. David was just passable in bed, and we barely had anything in common. I think I was only marrying him so I could say my dad was able to walk me down the aisle and know that I was okay before he did finally pass away.

  That was the really unfortunate part of having a father who was fifty years old when you were born. He was bound to die before you were ready for him to go. My mother was twenty years younger than him when they married and had me. My parent’s relationship was like a fairytale.

  My mother was beautiful. She always reminded me of a princess when I was growing up.

  She died of a brain aneurysm when I was fifteen. She was so young and it had been so unexpected, that both my father and I were devastated. I stopped doing pageants and singing. It hurt too much since it was always the stuff we did together. My father began traipsing around with multiple young bimbos. He was on wife number five currently and she was a monster.

  At thirty-one years old, Annabelle could have been my sister, not my stepmother. She was a vapid, self-absorbed, conniving and money hungry bitch. She latched onto my father, who was a self-made oil tycoon, and never let go. When I started looking into her background, she immediately began cutting me out of his life. With his health declining and lucidity failing, it wasn’t too hard for her to do. It began with him always sleeping whenever I would come to visit. Then my credit cards started getting shut off. Then it was the monthly allowance my father gave me. And finally, it was the lease being terminated on my apartment thanks to lack of payment.

  It was then that I enlisted Jeff and Rich to help me out. I wasn’t the best at saving money, seeing as how I never needed to. I had a smallish nest egg, but nothing to write home about. They were nice enough to dip into their own reserves and give me enough to keep my car and find an apartment. And all this led me to working at Lace. Not only did I need to support myself, but I needed to find a way to get that soul sucking tramp out my father’s house. Every day it took, was one less day I got to spend with him before he died.

  The thought was paralyzing.

  “Here. I made this one strong too. So tell me more about what Jayson Santiago is like. I mean everything, even if he’s only safe to admire from afar. What he smells like? What it’s like to have him talk to you?” She fired rapidly at me, pulling me from my depressing thoughts. “I practically swoon just watching him on television or looking at his picture in magazines. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have him in my personal space.”

  I made a sound of disgust. “Let’s not talk about him anymore. I can honestly say that while he might star in a few of my X-rated fantasies, I’ll be perfectly content with never seeing him again.”

  “Fine,” she huffed exasperatedly. “I guess I’ll just have to use my imagination.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows and we both started laughing.

  After finishing my second drink, I was feeling loose and relaxed. I looked at my watch to see it was after three in the morning. Guess I wasn’t going to be doing laundry again tomorrow.

  Once our goodnights were said, I collapsed in bed and pulled out my vibrator. I might have even whispered Jayson’s name when my big O hit. Just because he was a jerk didn’t mean I couldn’t fantasize about him taking me there. And besides… afterward I slept like a baby.

  * * *

  Jay

  I sat outside on the veranda and enjoyed the light breeze move through the air. The coffee I sipped on tasted good and helped to wake me up a bit. A long, energetic night ensued after I left Lace.

  When my cell rang, I picked it up and was elated to see it was Jerome on the screen. It was about time the fucker got back to me. It was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon.

  “What d’ya got?”

  “Yo, Jay. It wasn’t easy. I had to call in a few favors and drop your name, but I got you what you wanted.”

  I smiled and felt a thrill of excitement settle in my bones. I hadn’t felt this way in a while and it was exhilarating to have it back.

  “Well,” I prompted, anxious to find out what he knew.

  “Name’s Victoria Watson. She lives in the Meadow Brook apartments and only works night shifts. She hasn’t been at Lace long enough for my contact to have much more information on her.”

  “Then keep digging. When’s her next shift?”

  There was silence on the line. It lasted so long I had to pull it away from my ear to make sure we hadn’t lost the connection. “You sure you want to do this, Jay? It seems like an awful lot of favors to call in for some bitch.”

  I clenched my fists, and my jaw tightened. I didn’t like the sound of anyone calling Tori a bitch. I might not know her well, but I could tell she was pure class. She wasn’t like the high-maintenance bitches Jerome was used to me getting wrapped up with. My ex-wife being the biggest one. No, she was in a league all her own and for that reason alone, I wanted to know more about her.

  “Just do what I fucking say. Isn’t that what I pay you for?”

  Jerome cursed, “She’s on every nigh
t the rest of the week. It’s the best I got for you right now.”

  “Call back when you got more.” I disconnected the call and continued to sip my coffee. Looked like I was making another appearance at Lace tonight.

  The French doors opened behind me and I turned to see Vanessa strutting out in one of my shirts.

  “Hey, baby,” she crooned and ran her hand over my back before settling in the chair next to mine.

  “Got stuff to do today, Nessy.”

  She made a pathetic noise and rested her hand on my thigh. “But I wanted to play some more. I haven’t seen you in months, Jay. You never came out on the road with us like you promised.”

  “Never promised and you know that. I said maybe. Got things to do. I don’t have time to chase down tail. Besides, you agreed to casual. Fun. Don’t make me regret calling you last night.”

  Vanessa was a singer in an R&B group signed to my label. I’d been fucking her on and off for years. She knew better than to try and latch on to me. Casual sex with her is fine, but I didn’t need pussy that tried to chain me down. I was over putting up with people looking merely to advance their careers. Young and stupid idealistic fantasies proved to be my downfall before, but I’m past all that crap now. I was also over divorces and restraining orders.

  In a weak moment of wanting to get off, thanks to the luscious Tori, I agreed to take Vanessa for a ride. We went at it for hours and when I finally came, I shocked the shit out of myself when I had to bite my tongue so I didn’t groan Tori’s name. I might like pussy, but I tried not to be a complete dick about it.

  Apparently, I missed my mark because Vanessa paled and shouted, “You’re a prick. Don’t bother calling me again,” before storming out in a huff.

  Vanessa didn’t mean it. She and I both knew if I called her tonight, she’d be on her back with her legs spread in no time flat. And I just might take her up on the offer if Tori wasn’t under me with her legs spread. I came hard last night thinking of her and my cock wanted a taste of the real thing.