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  The men howled in laughter and pounded fists with each other. “I can’t lie, I’ve done that more than a few times I want to admit,” Scott admitted.

  “You know you’re a NUPE when you talk about your fraternity with someone and they stop you and say, ‘Let me guess…Kappa!’” Fletch added.

  “You know you’re a NUPE when they automatically assume you’re a Kappa because of your swag and style!” Brother Taye commented.

  “You know you’re a NUPE when you’re already buying your sons and nephews clothing to look like a Kappa!” Nick added.

  “Man, when Ethan was a baby,” Jeff shook his head, “I went out and bought him a red polo and khakis. Bella thought I lost my damn mind.”

  “You know you’re a NUPE when you’re getting dressed in the morning and you can’t help to get a shimmy in because you still got it like that.” Brother Mike chimed in.

  “You know you’re a NUPE when you lose track of all your haters,” Scott calmly added.

  The table went silent as the Nupes looked at each other. “Is Frank White about to preach?” Fletch asked.

  “I think I hear a sermon coming on,” Jeff turned his chair around as the others followed.

  “Preach on, Pastor Frank!” Brian began.

  Other Nupes in the area gathered around the table in silence as Scott watched, nursing his bourbon. “You know you’re a NUPE when people mistake your confidence for

  conceitedness. I keep telling people, I’m not conceited; y’all just have low self-esteem!”

  The other Nupes hollered around him as Scott continued. “You knew you’re a NUPE

  when you try to work the shimmy into your sexual routine.”

  “I’ve done that,” Jeff nodded as others agreed, “yeah, works every single time, man!

  Every time!”

  “You know you’re a NUPE when just talking to a woman equals foreplay.” Scott

  preached. “You know you’re a NUPE when you have to remind yourself every word with a hard C is not spelled with a K.” Scott smiled as the other Nupes agreed. “Finally, you know you’re a NUPE when you walk into a room and feel everyone’s eyes on you

  because you got it like that.” The others threw up the yo and agreed.

  “So, let me ask y’all…” Brother Mike began. “What was your game to get the ladies?

  What was your sure-fire thing that only a NUPE can do?”

  “Poetry under the stars,” Nick added. “Yeah, if you recite Shakespeare or LL Cool J’s “I Need Love,” panties fly off.”

  “Buying her feminine products,” Brother Fletch chimed in. “Yo, women love it when you do that. Head for days, man. For days!”

  “Taking her braids or weave out,” Jeff added. “She’ll suck your dick dry after that.”

  “What was your game?” Fletch asked Scott.

  Scott chuckled. “A long drive and Jodeci,” he replied as his brothers looked impressed.

  “Seriously. Something about Jodeci brings the dick-suck out of every woman.”

  “Ooh yeah!” Jeff mimicked.

  “Now what song describes your woman?” Brian asked. “When you hear this song, you’re like, there goes my baby.”

  “They Don’t Know” by Jon B.” Jeff began. “It was our song when we dated and still is to this day. We’ve been through a lot and she’s my rock.”

  “My Heart Belongs to U” by Jodeci,” Nick added, “I think of Zerrin and she’s my everything.”

  “Joy, Blackstreet.” Brother Mike commented. “My queen is where it begins and where it stops.”

  Fletch turned to Scott. “What about you? What describes your queen?”

  Scott nursed his bourbon. “You know that song by Robin Thicke?”

  “Blurred Lines?” Malcolm asked.

  “Nah, I hate that bullshit. That other one I like?” He snapped his fingers. His eyes lit up when he remembered it. “Wanna Love You Girl.”

  “Oh, you're going all the way back!" Fletch laughed. “What about it?”

  “There's a line he says regarding her attitude being hotter than earth or something like that.” He turned towards Mariana. She was deliciously lit and drinking her third Cosmopolitan, while dancing in her seat with her hands in the air. “Yep.” The Kappas laughed. “But on the real, the one song that describes my queen is “Ms. Wonderful” by Chico DeBarge. It just describes how I feel about her perfectly and to the point.” Scott glanced back at Mariana again and she held up her drink to toast him. “She really is everything I could ever want.”

  ****

  “You’re not going to drop me, are you?”

  “No, I’m not going to drop you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Not really.”

  “Scott!”

  “You asked and I answered.” Scott briskly walked to their hotel room as he carried Mariana. “I would never bullshit you.”

  After the Krawl and saying temporary goodbyes to others with promises of going to the next Conclave, Mariana and Scott retreated to their hotel. He carried her when she complained her feet were sore. Once they reached their room, he managed to unlock it before settling her on the bed. Mariana took

  “[ off her clothes before she collapsed back onto the bed, completely spent. “This has been a dream. And tomorrow we have to go back to reality.”

  “You make it sound all bad,” he joined her on the bed, also naked, “and it’s not. Things are a little different, yes.”

  “A little?” She looked back at him, apprehensively and a bit saddened at how quickly he’d dismissed their last several days together. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

  “You know what I mean,” his Southern drawl enunciated every word, “we have to be quiet about this at work before HR gets all over my ass about it.”

  “They wouldn’t fire you, would they?”

  “Please, I run that place and everyone knows it,” Scott let out a small breath as he cupped her face, “but they’ll get rid of you and I can’t have that.”

  It was what Scott didn’t say… “You’re willing to risk everything for me?” She asked.

  “Why not?” He questioned. “You’re the woman I love. I hate I have to keep this quiet but maybe it’s for the best. People won’t question if you’re getting special treatment.”

  “I wasn’t getting special treatment before?” Mariana replied.

  “That was before we were together but since you’re spearheading a major account, I really don’t want any whispers.” He stated before he turned towards her and caressed her face, “I want everything between us to be pure and without anyone’s influence now.”

  Scott’s touch was so gentle and loving. Mariana immediately felt comforted by him, as if they never had a separation at all. “I like that,” Mariana softly replied.

  “So do I,” Scott rolled on top of her and Mariana spread her legs wide, “now, we can just sleep. We can experiment with anal play if you want. Or we can make love. Whatever it is you want to do, baby.”

  “I want us to sleep with the option of one of us waking up the other for a little loving,”

  she kissed him, exploring his lips with hers, “and then we can explore the anal play when we return to L.A.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he rolled off her and snuggled her from behind, “this is nice.”

  “Yeah, I like this.” She nodded. It was the little things between them that made her appreciate the intimacy the most. “I wanted to talk to you about something important.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Please don’t get mad at her, but Jasmine told me you were in therapy.” She waited for his reaction and was met with silence. It felt like he was holding his breath or maybe she was holding hers. The room was deathly quiet and a simmering tension drew to the forefront. Mariana tiptoed a fine line and continued. “I was wondering, whenever you feel comfortable, we can possibly go to therapy together? Deal with our issues and talk about Skipper.”

  He wrapped his arms around her tighte
r and kissed her neck. “I would like that a lot.”

  “Really?” She turned to face him. “So, you’re not at mad at us for talking about you?”

  “Mari, the people I surround myself with are a small but tightly close knit group. If I didn’t want any information to get back to you, I wouldn’t have said anything that personal to anyone close to me.” He softly kissed her forehead. “I’m very committed to working on our issues together and separately.”

  “I like that,” she smiled before she turned around, “are you going to snore in my ear?”

  “Possibly,” he sniffed her hair. This time it smelled like buttercream and pastries. “Are you going to steal my sheets?”

  “Possibly,” she wrapped his arms around her, “I say that’s pretty even.”

  “You do know the reason I snore – allegedly – is because you steal the blankets and I’m gasping for air because it’s so cold.”

  “Okay, wait a minute…” she turned to face him. “Allegedly?”

  “It can’t be proven.” He chuckled.

  “Um, yes, it can! I’ll videotape!” She teased.

  “You don’t want me to videotape you sucking my dick but you’re going to record me allegedly snoring?” He sighed. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”

  “You keep saying this allegedly word like I’m making an accusation that can’t be proven,” she blinked.

  He swept his lips over hers, gently sucking on the bottom before his tongue moved inside and played with hers. The kiss was sweet, yet understatedly erotic, causing a breathy moan from Mariana. “You like it when I allegedly snore.”

  “Um, no, I do not,” Mariana softly shook her head. “You like it when I allegedly steal the sheets.”

  “You do steal the sheets,” he chuckled, “my balls shrivel up.”

  Mariana reached down and cupped Scott’s scrotum. “I think they’re doing just fine.”

  “Ooh…” he cooed. “They miss you.”

  “I miss them.” She yawned. “But I’m going to need to visit them in a couple of hours.

  Too many Cosmos, walking, and dancing has a Sista feeling mighty tired.”

  “Rest up, baby. In a few hours, you’ll be refreshed.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  He kissed her forehead. “Always.”

  Mariana’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought of something. “How are we getting home?”

  “A private plane is already set for our use,” he replied, “so we’ll just go straight to the terminal.”

  “Would I be able to use said private plane anytime I want?” She asked.

  “Of course,” he mentioned, “as long as you don’t think you’re getting a Bentley.” He winked.

  Mariana rolled her eyes. “You’re going to hold that over my head forever, aren’t you?”

  “Hey, if you could hold me allegedly snoring over my head, I say all is fair in love and expensive taste.”

  TheBeginning

  “So, how was Hotlanta?” Stephanie asked over lunch with Mariana and their friends.

  Stephanie was the lead gossip of the group. They got take-out and headed back to the office where they dished on the latest gossip. “See any hot men out there?”

  “I saw a few,” Mariana didn’t lie. The Kappa Conclave had the best pick of men

  anywhere. She returned from her trip Monday but took an extra day to regroup while Scott went back to work. He checked up on her during the day and stopped by to see her that night before he returned home. “But I was strictly on business.”

  “That’s a bummer. You need a boyfriend!” Christy chimed in. She was a blonde woman who perfected the California Barbie look. She was very smart, contrary to what people thought about her. “I don’t like seeing you alone.”

  “I’m not alone!” Mariana defended as she took bite of her cashew chicken. “I just don’t tell all of my business!”

  “What business do you have to tell?” Anika asked. She was a biracial woman with a pixie cut and penchant for a red lippy. She always dressed to the nines for work, causing other women to step up. “You yourself said you just go home and watch TV.”

  “Started talking with my ex again,” Mariana nodded. She knew she and Scott did a lot more than just talking but it was information no one else needed. “And I think things are going well for us.”

  “The ex, huh?” Christy shook her head. “Those are bad. They’re exes for a reason.”

  “Yeah, I know. This one has several reasons why he’s my ex,” Mariana admitted, “but there’s also several reasons why he’s my current.”

  “Oh?” Anika scooted her chair closer to Mariana. “So, does this mean wedding bells and babies are in your future?”

  “Anika, damn!” Stephanie chided. She was a dark-skinned woman with flowing hair she made a point to tell everyone it was natural. “The girl just said she only got back with her ex. They ain’t hurrying off to the courthouse yet!” She paused before she turned to Mariana. “Are you?”

  Mariana softly chuckled. “No, not yet. It’ll happen when he says I’m ready for it and I’m not quite there yet.”

  “Wait a minute…” Christy gave a quizzical look. “…he wants to marry you but he’s waiting for you? Damn, does he have a brother? I need a guy like that!”

  “What type of anomaly are you dating?” Anika asked. “I’ve never heard of any dude say that!”

  “Well, he knows I have a lot going on at work and I just can’t stop everything so we can get married…” Mariana paused when Scott entered the break room.

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” he made eye contact with all and smiled at his girlfriend.

  “Good afternoon, Scott,” they said in unison.

  “So, as you were saying, Mari? Delaying wedding plans?” Stephanie asked.

  “Yeah, well, um…” She cleared her throat. She noticed Scott stopped putting change in the vending machine but didn’t make a selection. “…we’re just going to see how it goes.

  He knows I have a lot I want to do and I’m still pretty young. He’s a bit older than me so he wants me to explore more and then we’ll take it from there.”

  “He sounds like a keeper!” Christy commented. “Not too many guys would do that! It’s usually the other way around.”

  “For real!” Anika commented. “What does he do, Mari? If you don’t mind me asking?”

  “He’s an executive,” she mentioned. She kept her eyes on her friends but intently listened for Scott. She knew he listened to her. “So, he knows a lot about hard work and long hours.”

  “Sounds like a great guy!” Stephanie added. “Do you have a picture of you two

  together?”

  “Actually, I don’t. I ended up erasing all of them when we broke up the first time.” A loud bang came from the vending machines. It sounded like Scott kicked one. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, my change got stuck,” he answered, “it’s fine now.”

  “Oh, okay. Like I said I deleted all of our photos but,” Mariana made sure she emphasized the word, “I hope we can make new memories together so I can show you all a picture of us soon!” She heard Scott press a button and his selection came out. He was happy with that answer.

  “See you all later,” he held up a water bottle as he exited and the ladies told him goodbye.

  “I need to get the status on that fine specimen!” Christy pointed. “I don’t believe for one minute he’s single.”

  “I’m sure he has a girlfriend or several,” Anika replied. “They all do. Have you seen the type of car he drives?”

  “What kind of car is it?” Christy asked.

  “A Maserati Ghibli SQ 4,” Mariana blurted to the wonder of her friends, “I overheard him talk about it.”

  “Girlfriend, the things I would do to him in that car!” Stephanie fanned herself. “Honey, I would suck his dick so hard, he’ll feel it in his tonsils!”

  Mariana choked on her water and covered her mouth as the other ladies laughe
d. “Wow,”

  Mariana smiled. “That’s one way of saying it.”

  “Oh, come on!” Stephanie commented. “You wouldn’t do the same?”

  I have. “Scott is my boss. I don’t look at him as attractive. I look at him as just my boss.”

  It wasn’t a lie. Mariana was able to put personal feelings aside when they were at work, at least some of the time.

  “Oh, that’s right. You have a boyfriend,” Anika snickered, “if your boyfriend is as nice as that fine-ass guy that just walked out, you need to keep him.”

  Mariana’s heart became warm as she thought about him. “I surely will.”

  “Mari,” Elissa called out to her, “you have a delivery at your desk.”

  “I do?” Mariana got up and followed Elissa to her desk. When Mariana arrived, she saw an enormous custom-made bouquet. It had a small woman figurine in a business suit and holding a cell phone. There were little touches of things she liked – a purple lamb that resembled her stuffed Sweet Pea; a French fries miniature, for her love of junk food; and a TV that signaled her love for all things reality.

  In the midst of the bouquet, she noticed words printed on roses. She read them one by one. “See. How. Much. I. Love. You.” Her eyes watered and she wanted to melt into the floor. She looked up and locked eyes with Scott, who took a sip of water and winked at her before he went inside his office and closed the door.

  “Holy sh….” Mariana looked at her bouquet. “How am I supposed to work today?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you can work an arrangement with Scott,” Elissa held eye contact with the younger woman. “Just go in his office and ask if you can possibly take the rest of the day off. You know, maybe go shopping?”

  Mariana picked up Elissa’s cues. “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  “Anytime, kiddo,” Elissa grinned.

  Mariana entered Scott’s office and saw him laying down on one of his sofas. She locked the door behind her and crawled on top of him. “A custom-made flower arrangement?”

  She kissed his lips. “Nice!”

  “You think so?” He smiled. “I called in a favor from Nick’s family. They’re thinking about opening a location here within the next few years.”