"Sugah and Spice"

Chapter 14

                Sugah got back to her apartment still grinning from her lunch with her mother. She thought about the wonderful gift she and Mr. Blakemore had given her, but still wasn’t quite sure whether she could accept it or not. She saw the light flashing on her machine, indicating she had a message. Sugah hit the button and listened. The first message was from her old job wanting to know if she wanted to work the upcoming holiday season in a few months. “Hell nawl”, Sugah said rubbing the back of her neck. She was tired and sore. The tension of the day was taking its toll on her body. A hot bubble bath would do the trick and so would Coffee, Sugah thought slyly. The next message played. It was from the BMW dealership, thanking her to for recent purchase and seeing just how well she was enjoying her new car. She smiled again. She simply loved that car. When her mother and Mr. Blakemore walked her out as she was leaving, they were both stunned and excited for her. Her mother wanted to know how she could afford such an expensive gift to herself but Sugah didn’t find the need to tell them that the car was already paid in full. Some things were just better off unsaid. They did love it, though. She also didn’t want to have to explain her new place of employment or employers for that matter.

                The next message was from Espresso asking where the hell she was. They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since the other night’s dinner meeting. Sugah missed talking to him. She made a mental note to return his call when she got out of her bath. He was hilarious. She would definitely be introducing him to her mother. Charlotte was sure to adore him. Sugah thought that Espresso’s message was the last but when she heard Coffee’s voice, her heart skipped a beat. He sounded so sexy. He was calling to check on her and see if she was okay from today’s class. Sugah blushed. He really did care for her but their being together was complicated. The words Java spoke suddenly sounded in her ear. “Bad timing,” Sugah said to herself with a disappointing sigh. If it was meant for them to be together, it would happen. Nothing forced ever lasted long, Sugah heard her mother’s voice whisper in the empty room. She knew all too well the truest of that statement.

                Once all of her messages were retrieved, she stepped out of her shoes. Walking into her tiny bathroom, Sugah thought about how it would feel to have a nice big tub to soak in. She turned on the faucet, letting the water get hot before she placed in the stopper. Adding lavender and rosemary bath oil to the water, Sugah removed the rest of her clothing. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the beauty of her youthful body. Her stomach was flat, thighs were toned, her ass was firm and breasts were standing at attention. Her skin was smooth as buttermilk and flawless. Right before the tub was full, Sugah added in some bubbles. She loved bubbles in her bath, had always loved them since she was a little girl. Easing into the tub, she quickly removed her foot when she stuck it into the hot water but it was just the way she liked it. Finally able to sit all the way down into the steaming tub, Sugah relaxed with her head up against the back of the wall. She exhaled, enjoying the feeling the bubbles and oils had on her body. Closing her eyes, Sugah thought of Coffee again. Why was he constantly on her mind? Why couldn’t she just have one day, one hour, one thought that didn’t involve him? Then her heart confirmed what her mind didn’t want to hear, she was in love. She was in love with Coffee and everything about him.

                When Sugah finally emerged from the bath her skin was wrinkled, all clammy feeling. She felt invigorated. All she wanted to do now was drink some hot tea, complete her assignments and get ready for the next day. Before drying completely off, Sugah applied Shea butter all over her body. I made her like soft as cotton and also helped her relax even more, something she learned from her mother years ago. As she dressed, she heard a knock on her front door. It was just passed six in the evening and she wasn’t expecting company, so who was knocking at her door. Sugah grabbed her “whipass stick” and softly walked toward her front door. When she looked out of the peephole, she saw no one. Carefully unlocking and slowly opening the door, Sugah looked out. No one was there. She looked from side-to-side, still seeing no one. Finally looking down, she saw a huge package sitting in front of her door. She bent over to pick up the package, quickly closing and relocking her door.

                The box was heavy. Sugah set it on her dining room table to better access it. There was a small envelop with a card inside. She pulled the card out and was speechless. It read: “Sugah, I saw this and thought of you. I know that you will look amazing in it. Please wear it to the fashion show. P.S. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Khalil”

                The smile that appeared on her face was priceless. Sugah tore into the box and stopped when she saw the beautiful, elegant and stunning gown resting there. She gently pulled the soft fabric from the box, holding it up in front of her body. It was amazing, simply wonderful. It was a Keke Chanel original, a rare design. She didn’t design for just anybody. She was a well sought out designer, who was compared to the likes of Donna Karan and Vera Wang. Not bad company to keep, Sugah acknowledge when she saw others, who were fortunate enough to afford her one of a kind designs, wearing them to a gala, ball and other special occasion. Keke Chanel prided herself in rare, unusual and rare creations. She didn’t make the same thing twice, so no one had to worry about anyone wearing the same thing as them, at any event or any given time. That was another reason so many celebrities and other wealthy individuals paid good money for the designer. Now Sugah was among those privileged enough to own one.

                The dress was simply gorgeous. Sugah twirled around with the dress, looking down at her body. The silk felt great against her freshly soaked skin. She removed her t-shirt and slipped the dress onto her naked frame. Walking over to her full-length mirror, Sugah couldn’t contain the excitement she felt. She looks like a million bucks. The red set her skin on burn. The dress hugged her in all the right places but was classy, subtle and chic. It stopped just under her knees, wrapping around them tightly. Sugah had to fight hard to walk but when she got the hang of it, she was fierce. Strapless with a small black satin belt to go around the waist, the dress looked perfect on her. Sugah couldn’t wait to see Coffee and everyone else’s reaction to her when she set foot inside the building, at the fashion show. Her mother was going to absolutely love the dress. Sugah did a little turn, modeling the dress in the mirror. When she turned to look at the back of the dress, she put her hands over her mouth. “Damn girl, I didn’t know you had all that back there. I knew you had booty but this is on a whole new level. Eat your heart out, Coffee. When you see this, you are going to be in trouble,” she spoke out loud at her reflection in the mirror. The dress left nothing to the imagination but not in a classless way.

                Sugah took off the dress. As she was about to place it back into the box, she saw another small box buried deep under the tissues. She pulled it out, opening it in a hurry. There, staring her in the face was a beautiful diamond necklace, with matching earrings. The jewelry matched the red in the dress to a tee. Sugah felt tears form in her eyes. She wanted to call Coffee at that very moment to thank him but stopped when she noticed another box in the corner of the larger one. She placed the lovely jewelry back and grabbed it. Sugah realized then that it was a shoe box. Another Keke Chanel original design to go with her ensemble, she gathered. When she opened the box, Sugah got aroused. Never in her eighteen, soon to be nineteen years, had she seen such a beautiful pair of shoes and she had seen and purchased many. The black satin five inch stilettos captured her. There was a low platform and the red bow in the front of the shoe, matched her dress and the jewelry with perfection. Sugah ran her hand down the length of the shoe. The fabric felt like butter. She slipped them unto her feet, almost climaxing. One way to turn a woman on was by giving her a pair of sexy shoes, Sugah thought feeling the comfort of the shoe. It fit precisely. It felt amazing, comfy and cozy. Her feet would thank her graciously at the end of the night, after the fashion show and the ton of appearances she would have to make.

                Sugah walked back over to the mirror and looked at how well the shoes looked next to her skin and on her feet. Her legs looked sleeker, sexier, more defined. There was nothing like a great pair of shoes to spice up a great pair of legs, Sugah acknowledged. She wasn’t vain or superficial in the least, but she had to admit, she looked hot. Turning around slowly, Sugah watched the way her feet took on a mind of their own, they loved the shoes probably more than she knew. “I am going to knock em dead,” Sugah said. A naughty thought suddenly entered her mind. She wondered what Coffee would think if she only wore the shoes for him, with nothing else. It was settled in that moment that she would be doing just that, come Saturday night after the event. He deserved to see them in a way no one else would. It was only fair, he did buy them, Sugah concluded. After returning all of her new digs to their designated boxes, she took them into her walk-in closet, placing them at the top of her closet. Before she called Espresso, she put her t-shirt back on and dialed another number first. She glanced over at the clock on her nightstand, realizing that she had spent an hour modeling in front of the mirror. It was after seven, almost eight at night and she still had to complete her assignment for her creative writing class the next day. She didn’t have to be on campus until the evening, so she still had plenty of time to do it.

                When Coffee didn’t answer his cell, Sugah hung up and dialed his home number. There was no answer there either. She felt somewhat disappointed that she wouldn’t be hearing his voice but left a message thanking him for the gifts. After that, she called Espresso, who also didn’t pick up. Maybe they were together having a boy’s night or something, she figured. It was cool. Boys do need their boyz. Sugah completed her assignment just before nine and was about to fix herself a light salad when she heard her cell phone buzz. It was Mark. Damn, she had forgotten to call him back. Oh well, she didn’t feel like talking to him at the moment. She would just see him tomorrow and then she thought about it. He was calling to see if they were going to hang out before or after her late class. Suddenly Sugah didn’t want to be bothered with anyone who wasn’t Coffee. Mark was cool but there was still something mysterious about him. Maybe if they hung out, she could get to know him better. Sugah had always been a good judge of character and although her mind was telling her to stay away, she ignored it and picked up the phone.

                “Hello,” she spoke into the phone, in a tired voice. Mark looked at his phone. He looked to see if he had dialed the correct number. “Sugah, I didn’t wake you, did I? I was only calling because I hadn’t heard from you regarding tomorrow. I just wanted to know if we were getting together before or after class. I have two early morning classes and one in the late afternoon, so it’s your call.” Sugah wanted to make up something to tell him but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to start off their friendship with lies. “We can do lunch, if it’s okay with you. I will meet you on campus and that way you can get the ride I promised you.” Mark’s mind immediately went to naughty thoughts but then he thought of Simone. She was the one he wanted but if Sugah was the only way he could get her attention, then so be it. They had had a great time with each other earlier. He missed having her around, her smile and the way her eyes lit up when she talked about Science, which she absolutely loved. That was probably the reason they ever became friends in the first place. “That sounds great. I look forward to it. I’ll let you get back to whatever it was that you were doing before I called. I am sorry if I woke up, Sugah. See you tomorrow. We can figure out where to go then. Goodnight and sleep well,” Mark said before ending the call. Sugah was relieved. She didn’t want to spend unwanted time to the phone with anyone who wasn’t Coffee.

                Just as she was about to get over her covers, the phone rang. Sugah looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Espresso. “Yo, what’s good, Sugah! I saw you called. I was hanging with my man Coffee tonight. We watched a few football games and did some male bonding. Sorry I missed your call.” Sugah laughed with her new brother. “It’s all good. I was just calling to check on you since we hadn’t spoken in a few days. Did you guys have a nice time? I was just getting ready to turn in. Oh, my mom is in town for a few days and I was wondering if you would like to meet her. I have told her all about you and she is excited about meeting you. We had lunch together today. I truly love that woman to death.”

                “Hell yeah, Mom’s in town! When and where, just let me know. I can’t wait. I know that I’m going to love her.”

                “Yeah, she is going to love you too. She will be attending the fashion show on Saturday and I was thinking that since we have all those parties to attend that night, we could do something on Sunday, like brunch? How does that sound?”

                “Cool, I’m free all day on Sunday. Just let me know the details and I’m there. Anyway, I just wanted to check in with cha before it got too late. I have to get up extra early and hit the gym. Coff and I put it down over here tonight. Listen to me sounding like a brood. But I gotta look my best for the ladies, right.” Sugah laughed at Espresso and his ability to find humor in any given situation. “I guess, but I doubt you guys ate that much. Exercise is a good thing. It’s healthy and helps ease the mind. I may have to start joining you. I don’t work out like I should and that is not good.”

                “Girl, what the hell ever, your young ass doesn’t have anything to worry about. You probably come from good genes anyway. I bet mom’s still look good! Yeah, I know she does but I’m a see come Sunday. Go to sleep! We’ll talk tomorrow. Goodnight, Sis.”

                “Okay, slow ya roll. Who you talking to like that anyway, calm yourself! But you’re right, I do need my beauty rest,” she said laughing. Espresso laughed with her. “Goodnight,” she said and hung up the phone. She was glad to have Espresso. He was becoming more and more like a brother to her than she could have ever imagined. Sugah pulled the covers over her, turned onto her side and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.