Consequences, p.1
Consequences, page 1
Consequences
Skyy
www.urbanbooks.net
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
About the Author
Copyright Page
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my precious niece Karai,
and nephew London, my superstars.
Acknowledgments
I want to first say thank you for purchasing or borrowing this book, lol. I hope you enjoy the read. These characters are a part of me, and I hope they become a part of you.
Now I’m singing “No Day But Today” from Rent. Live every day as if it was your last.
I really love my fans. Keep sending those emails and responding to my crazy posts on Facebook. You all keep me smiling.
Meshanna “Shunta” Jones, I remember when you were just a straight girl working at Storage USA. Now you have blossomed into a beautiful gay, lol. I can honestly say you are one of my besties, even though you aren’t into my weirdness.
Tiffany “Tip-Tip” Graham. I don’t really know how you managed to stay around so long, but I’m glad you did. You are a super dork, but I love you anyway.
Catherine “Rosario” Evans, my favorite Happy Mexican, ha ha ha. Thanks for all the support and by support, I mean financially, lol. Without you I would probably have starved a long time ago.
Redd Redd Redd ... There are no words. Actually there are. You are a great friend, awesome writer and super awesome P.R. guru. You make me sound so good on paper.
Super Fun Friends: Cat, Tiffany, Bimbim, Chereny, Cassie, my tarot reader Byrd, Shanna, Cache, Kira, Angel, Precious, Skylar, you are the crazy bunch that keeps me laughing on a daily basis. I can pretty much depend on one of you doing something crazy every day. Love you lots.
My family, both real and extended, thanks for putting up with me.
Thank you, Kelly Frey, for taking the time to assist me with the legal side of this business. I wouldn’t be writing this without you. Robin White, I really wouldn’t be writing this without you. I can’t even explain how much I appreciate everything you did for me. Farrel McClure, thank you for all of your assistance as well. I can’t wait to pay you all back for all of the support.
Chapter 1
“Showtime,” Lena said to herself as she looked at her image in the mirror. The Manolo Blahnik stilettos lengthened her five foot three inch frame to nearly five-and-a-half feet. Her long hair flowed perfectly under the veil, and her Vera Wang wedding dress fit perfectly around her curvaceous body. She looked down at the five-karat, princess-cut ring on her finger that was about to have a beautiful platinum band to go along with it, and smiled. She had made the right decision.
“Lena, it’s time,” Carmen said when she walked into the room. She helped Lena place the Swarovski crystal-studded veil over her face. “Next time I talk to you, your name will be Lena Redding.” She hugged Lena, and they headed out of the room.
The New York Philharmonic began playing the traditional Mendelssohn March as the guests turned to watch the procession enter the orchid-filled chapel. The bridesmaids glided one by one down the aisle in their creamy white dresses accented with Tiffany-blue sashes. A groomsman dressed in a white tuxedo with a matching Tiffany-blue cummerbund received each. Brandon stood at the altar in the middle wearing an enormous smile on his face.
Lena walked down the aisle as David Hollister’s “Forever” began to play. The guests stood as Lena slowly made her way down the aisle. Lena glanced at her soon-to-be husband. Brandon’s tall, athletic frame looked amazing in his white tuxedo. She was about to marry “one of the sexiest men alive,” according to Essence magazine. She looked to the right and noticed many of her friends from St. Benedict High School and some of her new sorority sisters of Chi Theta. She looked to her left and saw mostly Brandon’s teammates and their wives.
Finally she made it to the altar, and her father proudly gave her hand to Brandon. The ceremony began.
“Is there anyone who objects to these two joining hands in holy matrimony?” the preacher asked.
Lena smiled as she looked at Brandon and resisted the urge to wipe the tear sliding down his left cheek.
“Yeah, I do!”
Commotion ensued as someone burst into the church.
Lena’s body started to tremble at the sound of the voice. She turned around to see Denise headed toward her in jeans and a black wife-beater.
“Lena, you don’t love him! You love me!” Denise yelled as every bit of her toned body fought to break through the bodyguards holding her back.
“Denise, what are you doing?” Carmen yelled at her friend.
“Bitch, have you lost your mind?” Brandon yelled as his groomsmen held him back.
“I am sorry, Brandon, but Lena loves me, and she knows it!” Denise exclaimed.
Lena turned to Brandon. “I’m sorry, Brandon, but it’s true. I do love Denise.” She turned around and ran toward Denise.
Instantly they embraced each other, sharing a passionate kiss. The church was in hysterics.
“Well, if you want her, y’all can have each other,” Brandon said, walking up to the both of them. “In hell!”
Two shots rang out, and everything suddenly went black.
Lena abruptly woke up in a sweat. Her heart was pounding as she turned to see Brandon in his usual deep sleep. “It was only a dream,” she thought to herself. She eased out of her bed and quietly went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.
“Lena, what is wrong with you?” she questioned herself. The dreams were becoming more frequent as the wedding date drew closer. She was losing more and more sleep.
She headed back into her bedroom in the new loft that Brandon had purchased for her. He had signed a 9.5 million-dollar contract with the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team. Even though he was a rookie, it was well known that he was going to be one of the star players.
Lena grabbed a bottled water out of her brand-new Sub Zero Refrigerator at the morning bar and sat on an oversized leather couch. She looked out of the large double-hung windows at the beautiful view of the Mississippi River and Memphis Bridge.
Lena looked down at the massive rock on her hand. Brandon had upgraded her original ring as soon as he signed his contract. Lately she felt the weight of the ring not on her finger, but in her heart. She couldn’t stop thinking about Denise. She took a deep breath, knowing she had to suppress her feelings.
Lena crept back into bed and stared up into the pitch-black space. Denise came into her mind again. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking of her. The school year was approaching, and she was going to be faced with her skeleton again. Lena said a silent prayer for strength to overcome her impure desires for Denise. She looked at Brandon again and felt she was where she was meant to be. She only hoped that she remembered that the entire school year.
“Get a grip, Dee.” Denise stared into her bathroom mirror. This was becoming a nightly routine. She splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Droplets rolled down her brown cheeks. She could see the stress in her dark brown eyes; small red lines filled them from lack of sleep.
“Baby, you OK?” a voice called from the other room.
Denise didn’t want to answer. She pulled her ponytail holder off of her head and ran her hand through her thick, long hair.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she replied through the door. Denise sighed and brushed her hair back before placing the ponytail holder back on it. She wiped her face and walked back into the other room.
Rhonda stared at Denise as she illuminated the bedroom with the light from the bathroom. She smiled. She loved everything about Denise, especially her frame. She watched Denise’s toned arms sway. She noticed from day one how great Denise’s body looked in clothes, and she couldn’t wait to see how it looked naked.
“Baby, I know you’re stressing about school, but I know something that can relieve that stress,” Rhonda hinted, caressing Denise’s arm. She quickly began to massage Denise’s broad shoulders.
Although it felt great to Denise, she knew it would lead to something she didn’t want.
“Rhonda, we already had this conversation.” Denise sighed.
“I know, but it’s been three months. School is about to start. I just want to show you how much I care about you.”
“And I told you I don’t get down like that.” Denise turned away from Rhonda.
Rhonda looked down at Denise. “Fine, baby, I am willing to wait,” she said, turning her body toward Denise so she could put her arm around her.
That’s what I’m afraid of, Denise thought to herself as she closed her eyes, hoping to quickly fall back to sleep. Before she knew it, she was.
Denise turned over and wrapped her arms around Rhonda. She loved holding Rhonda in her arms. “This is how things are supposed to be,” Denise whispered in Rhonda’s ear as she kissed her on the cheek. She felt Rhonda caressing her hand. Things were perfect, just how they were supposed to be.
Chapter 2
The smell of bacon and eggs aroused Denise’s senses long before her body woke up. Rhonda was cooking breakfast, something Denise had become used to every morning. She got up and headed into the kitchen. The table was filled with all of her favorites.
“Damn, did you cook everything in the fridge? It’s only two of us,” Denise said. She didn’t know why she was annoyed with Rhonda.
Rhonda placed a heaping plate of food at Denise’s seat at the table. “I’m sorry, Denise. I’ll buy some more food to cover what I used. I know it’s a lot. I just wanted to do something special for you since you made me feel so special last night.”
Denise gave Rhonda a curious look. “I did?”
“Yes, woman, remember what you told me?” Rhonda kissed Denise on her forehead. “That laying next to me was the way things are supposed to be.”
Denise immediately felt guilty. She knew she was not thinking about Rhonda last night. She yawned. “Yeah, uh, I was real tired. I’m not even sure what I said last night. This looks good.” She quickly began to eat to avoid any more questions.
Rhonda’s heart stopped. It wasn’t the answer she expected. “Well, you know I gotta feed my girl.” She sighed as she sat down with her plate.
They heard the door open.
“Bruhhhhh!” Cooley yelled as she burst into the room.
“Oh, snap. I thought I was picking you up tonight,” Denise said as she hugged her best friend.
“Well, maybe if you would check your voice and text messages, you would know I caught an earlier flight. What the fuck did I get you a Sidekick for anyway?”
“I’ve been checking my messages whenever I get them. I haven’t had any,” Denise said, looking down at her phone.
A loud noise erupted.
“Oh, sorry,” Rhonda said, picking up the pieces of a plate that she threw into the sink. She wasn’t expecting Cooley to show up till later. Erasing Denise’s messages hadn’t worked after all.
Cooley’s expression changed. She threw Denise an evil stare. “Oh. Hey,” she said to Rhonda with as much attitude as possible.
“Hi,” Rhonda said, returning the same amount of attitude. “Well, I need to get home, so Denise I will see you later, OK,” Rhonda said as she headed to Denise’s room to put her clothes on.
Cooley looked over at Denise. She frowned. “Why is she still here?” She did not like Rhonda at all.
“Shhhh. She might hear you,” Denise answered.
“Whatever, man, I’m definitely going to have to hook you up with someone else. I preferred that ho-ass Crystal over that bitch,” Cooley responded.
“Man, come on, I know you don’t like her, but ...” Denise stopped talking when Rhonda walked back into the room.
“Do you need me to bring anything to your practice?” Rhonda leaned down and placed a long, sensual kiss on Denise’s lips.
Cooley made a gagging expression.
“Nah, I’m good. I’ll just see you later. There is actually no need to come to my practice.”
Rhonda looked confused. She loved watching Denise play during practice. “But—”
“After practice, OK! Bye, Rhonda.” Denise knew she had to cut her off.
“All right, if that’s what you want.” Rhonda tried to kiss Denise, but she moved her face. Rhonda looked up at Cooley ,who was trying to hold in her laughter, and stomped out the door.
“Man, come on, she is so damn phony! You can do so much better,” Cooley remarked as she headed to her room.
Denise followed.
Cooley sighed when she walked into her room. She didn’t realize how much she had missed home. Her room was decked out better than most bachelor pads. A large black and white abstract painting of a woman’s body hung on her wall. Her colognes and shades were lined up perfectly along her dresser. The collection of fitted baseball caps decorated another side of the wall, each in its own spot. A king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room against the back wall. The black and white Ralph Lauren bed set accented with red throw pillows was one of her favorite things in the room. Cooley had an unmistakable sense of style.
“Cooley, she isn’t that bad.” Denise remembered that when Rhonda met Cooley, she immediately had an attitude with her. Rhonda always questioned why Denise was friends with Cooley and Carmen, as she didn’t like either one of them.
“Man, that girl is bad news, but the pussy must be nice ’cause you’re still with her stank ass.”
“She isn’t that bad, and I wouldn’t know about the pussy thing,” Denise said as she leaned against the wall in Cooley’s room.
Cooley stopped unpacking. “You been shackin’ up with the bitch all these months and you haven’t fucked? Bro, what the hell is going on with you?”
Before Denise could answer, Cooley responded, “I know you are not still stuck up on Lena.”
Denise remained quiet.
“Damn bro, you either need to go fuck her or let her go, but all this pining over her isn’t going to get you anywhere.”
“Who you tellin’? I’m trying to get over her. Shit, I can’t get that kiss out of my head.”
The image of Lena kissing Denise immediately entered her mind. She couldn’t forget the kiss they’d shared on the last day of school last year. She couldn’t forget the intensity and passion that was filled in the minute-long kiss.
“We haven’t spoken all summer. I haven’t seen her. She’s gonna be married at the end of the semester.” Denise sighed. “I know she’s made her choice, but I don’t know what to do to get over her.”
“Well, maybe if you find a girl to take your mind off of her.” Cooley threw a bag to Denise.
“That’s what I got with Rhonda for,” Denise said. “What’s all this?” Denise asked and started pulling things out of the bag. It was filled with CDs and a bottle of cologne.
“Oh, some things I got for you this summer. Check that scent out. It’s Unforgivable by Sean Jean. Hot shit.”
Denise nodded in approval of her gifts.
“And I meant a real woman.” Cooley laughed. “Seriously, man, if you aren’t gonna get wit’ Lena, then you need to let it go. Hey, since we have this phat-ass crib now, how about we throw a back-to-school party? I got some great mixes from Jam Zone. What do you think?”
Cooley had spent the summer interning at Jam Zone Record Label. She got the connection when she met Sonic, one of the label’s artists, last year in Atlanta.
“If that’s what you want to do, then fine. I’m down for it,” Denise said over her shoulder as she walked out the room.
Denise lay down on her bed and looked around the room. She didn’t decorate her room like her lavish best friend. The only thing they had in common was how neat they kept their wardrobes. Her fitted hats lined the side of her wall, hanging on individual nails. Her shoe collection was lined up perfectly in her closet, complete with almost every color of Air Force Ones. She looked out of the window and wondered what Lena was up to.
“I have died and gone to heaven,” Carmen said as she looked at the long table filled with miniature cakes.
“Lena, you are going to have to take my dress out ’cause I plan on tasting every last one of these bad boys,” Misha added as she looked at the table.
The baker came out of the back room. “Well, Ms. Jamerson, these are the crème de la crème. Please take your time tasting all of them. You may mix and match whatever you would like for your wedding. After all we are here to please you.”
