waffle maker and I was from the Bronx, and I knew waffle makers meant waffle lovers.
Twenty minutes later, Sheryl came downstairs in a light pink sheer robe that displayed those nipples and that landing patch in the center of her body.
Fuck the breakfast. I moved around the island, picked her up and placed her on the marble and kissed those shiny lips. She tasted of toothpaste and Sheryl.
“Well, good morning to you too,” she laughed. “You cook? Might be a keeper after all.”
“I cook up more things than food.” I pressed into her body with my own.
Her hands outlined my shoulders as she moved them over my expansive chest. “I know.”
Then the woman licked her lips, as if she were eyeing her next meal.
“Woman, if you keep looking at me like that, we won’t get to this food, and we need sustenance.”
“Mmkay,” she sighed with those hooded eyes on me.
Down, boy.
“I have waffles, eggs, toast, sausages and I don’t know how to take your coffee.” I patted her hips and lifted her off the counter. “Let’s eat.”
Begrudgingly she followed me to the stools where I had the food set up, but not before she pressed a button on her phone and the coffee maker whirred to life.
“Fancy,” I commented.
The two of us sat down and we ate together; dare I say like a couple. In that moment, there wasn’t much said, but it was a comfortable silence to the point where I felt like I had déjà vu. I was in the same place with her, as if I’d been there before. It was so weird, because I’d just met the woman a year or so ago. This was my first time in her house. Therefore, I had never been here, unless it was in my plan to be there. That’s what I thought déjà vu meant. I was where I was supposed to be. Either I had a dream or vision or had been here before, and now it was the manifestation of it.
“I got the dishes,” Sheryl added.
After I gave her a look, she explained. “You cook, I do dishes. I cook and you do the dishes.”
“Fair enough.” My head nodded at her words.
When she finished cleaning up the kitchen, I transitioned us to her living room.
“So what does Sheryl do on a Saturday?” I asked while looking at the various artwork she had around the condo.
They ranged from clumps of paint, it seemed, to detailed images of black women in Africa with loads on their head, leading children, and one where a man and woman were engaged in sex. He had her by the throat, as a hold, while he ravished her from behind. Her head was slightly tilted back to view him and there was consent and an erotic dare on her face. The shit was sexy.
“Who’s the artist?” I inquired.
“Oh, she goes by Vega Four. She’s local to New York. She has a lot of these, and they are a mint. As soon as she has an exhibit, everything is gone. I had to nearly fight over this one at the auction. There were people kissing in the middle of the showing, and I took advantage and won the bid.”
“I need to check her out,” I made a verbal and mental note. “This is good!”
“Yes, she’s excellent!” Sheryl confirmed. “I’ll let you know when she has her next showing. If you’re in town.”
“Crikey.” I nodded. “We’ll have to make that happen, then. So Saturday morning, what is Sheryl doing?”
She smiled and gave me a side-eye. “Well, she’s probably looking at emails, going over work shit, and then maybe she’ll go for a walk to the local bakery.”
“Okay, what else?” I asked.
“I might go away for a three-day…” She cut herself off.
“Rendezvous?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Something like that.”
She boldly stared at me, while squaring her eyes on me.
“What does Jacquez do on a Saturday?”
“Take care of my garden,” I told her truthfully, only to see her eyes widen with my words.
“Garden?” she asked with a small gasp.
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I maintain a garden. It was a stipulation for my contract in my condominium.”
“Well, well…” She tsked with her teeth. “I would have never guessed.”
“Most people don’t,” I replied. “So how about you?”
“Me what?” she asked with a sly smile.
“What’s your hobby?” I inquired. “You know, the thing that no one would think you do.”
Crossing my ankles, I folded my arms and dared her to lie to me. She had a tell—well, everyone did. However, with