PART TWO: JOOP & SHAMEIKA

Shameika:

Let my state to you all one thing...I'm a playette. It's what I do. Don't really know why I do it. Okay, I do, but it's not important right now. Thing is I can't be tied down to any one man. that is unless he's really good at what he does, and I want to come back and check out his goodies more than once.

With this....'independent'...mentality. NO, not a hoochie or ho...INDEPENDENT mentality, it flipped me out when I left Joop's place and was actually in the cab crying. Yes, CRYING, as in the cabbie was speaking all fast, asking me what was wrong, did my boyfriend hurt me, the whole nine. He was really being sweet, and I ain't neva met a dude who was quick to be like, no stay and let's talk...you don't have to leave. Always told myself it was better to hit it and leave the scene before they brought the body bag in to remove me. Joop really flipped the script on a sistah and you best believe it shook me up.

By the time I got home I looked damn right pitiful. I kicked my shoes off, threw my bag on my black leather sofa and stripped out of my dress, walking around butt naked. Hey, it was my place, I could do what I wanted. I saw the light on my answering machine flashing like a Christmas light and reluctantly, I hit the button. Nothing important. Three messages from three different guys wanting to know if they could see me tonight. Yet none of their asses wanted to go with me to my girl's wedding. Too afraid the gown and church would rub off on me and I would change my 'independent' ways. They didn't HAVE to worry about that...I guess.

Slowly, I crept into the shower and loofahed myself, my mind going to what transpired more than an hour ago. Joop lit my ass UP. "Dayum," I moaned, the shower spraying water on my face. "Boing boing boing." If I didn't know myself better, I would have sworn the word SPRUNG was close to becoming a part of me, but Miss Shameika Jones didn't play the sprung card...she left that to the men in her wake. After my shower, I toweled off and proceeded to lay my nude body upon my thick comforter. I let out a huge sigh as sleep quickly took over me, the last image in my mind being of the 'moment' that that sexy ass Eric Benet lookalike and I connected in spastic ecstasy on his waterbed.

Joop:

There was no way I was going to be able to focus, concentrate or anything else with Shameika sitting across the table from me. I mean damn, why did she have to pick THIS table, my table to sit at? I was having a hard time keeping the slight tremble from my hand as I scribbled notes while Professor Stanford spoke. I barely looked at Sha, just could not meet her eyes. Just the brief smile she had given me when she came in had left me rattled.

Towards the end of the class, Sha reached out and touched my hand lightly. "It's good seeing you again Joop," she whispered.

"Yeah you too," I mumbled, looking up at her, still not quite meeting her eyes, stopping just at her full lips, which was a mistake. Her lips took me back to another place where I had seen them, felt them, on me, working me, kissing me, licking, sucking all over my body. I was DYING. I exhaled, willing myself to look away from her lips. I knew she could tell I was staring at them, BIGTIME. She licked them, as though subconsciously. Yeah right Ms. Mack, not this time... I looked away quickly.

"So what have you been up to? I didn't know you were a student."

"Sha and what's your name?" Professor Stanford asked. "Jamal Evans," I answered back.

"Thank you, Jamal.could you just keep it down a tiny bit or wait a short while. I'm about to dismiss the class ok?" she smiled.

Needless to say I felt a little humiliated. Here I was a teacher myself, being reprimanded for talking, nicely as though it was, by another teacher. How come, I thought to myself, did I always end of feeling some kind of humiliation whenever Sha was around.

I jumped up abruptly after the class was dismissed, quietly stuffing my tablet and Psych book into my Eastpak. I walked straight out of the class feeling Sha's eyes behind me the whole time. "Wait Joop!" she said, rushing to catch up with the long strides my legs were making. "Listen.hold up now. I'm not as fast as you. Do you have another class?"

"No I don't," I said, turning to her and finally looking her in the eyes. I was starting to feel a bit childish running from a woman. WHY it would bother me that she hadn't wanted to stay past the sex that night nor give me a call afterwards was beyond me. I mean most brothas would have felt like they got lucky that night. She had the sweetest moves and the tightest grip I had ever known. She gave it up happily, freely and didn't want a commitment, or ANYTHING for that matter. It had been FUN just like she had said, so I should feel lucky, right?

"So if you don't have anything to do right now, why don't you let me buy you a cappy, espresso or a hot chocolate or something," Shameika said, a hopeful look on her face. "Starbucks is right around the corner."

I thought for a moment, this semester was gonna be a long haul, and I really had no desire to hold a ridiculous grudge over something like this. "Yeah that sounds real good," I smiled, "lead the way."