Lessons Learned Ch. 04

The car ride from the history building was comfortably quiet. Both of us were immersed in our own thoughts. I was still very upset with Sherise and Devon. I was also upset at myself for being so hypocritical about the situation. And to top it off, I was horny. The need to feel Shane inside me overcame all other thoughts. I felt that I'd been robbed of that exhilarating feeling that you feel when the one you love's cock is expanding inside you as he rides your body to climatic release. I wanted to make up for that loss as soon as possible.

"So tell me more about this ex boyfriend of yours." Shane asked.

I was so deep in thought I almost didn't hear him.

"What?" I asked

"You know, the boy you just broke up with today. Tell me about him."

"What do you want to know?" I asked

"Well, when did you start dating him? Why did you pick him?" Shane asked.

"I didn't pick him. He picked me." I replied.

"How so?"

I looked out the window into the night and thought back to that fateful day, "We were theater appreciation class together. The teacher wanted all of us to pair up for a project that we had to turn in at the end of the semester. He walked up to me and asked if we could be partners. He told me that he recognized me from a recent singing engagement I did for the black student union at the school. He complimented my singing and seemed genuinely interested in my ideas. We became instant friends and then it just grew from there." I replied.

"When did he meet your roommate?"

"It was on our third date. He was the first one of my dates that didn't look at Sherise like she was a T-Bone steak and he was a hungry trucker. I thought I had finally found someone who was immune to Sherise's charms. I was wrong. Because from what I hear, they'd been fucking for awhile."

"This roommate of yours sounds like a real piece of work." Shane replied

I nodded in agreement, "Oh she is. Devon may not be the first boyfriend of mine she's seduced, but I promise you this, he's definitely the last." I replied determinedly.

Shane smiled and brought his hand to my thigh. He squeezed it lightly and replied, "You got that right . There's only one woman I want in my life and that's YOU!! Do you believe that Angela?" Shane asked.

I nodded, "Yes I do." I replied. I put my hand over his and squeezed it. We sat and watched the road in comfortable silence. After awhile, Shane brought his hand back to the steering wheel and with a more serious tone he asked,

"So what are we going to do about this Sherise issue?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Exactly what I said. What. Are. We. Going. To Do. About. This Sherise. Issue?"

Before I could answer him, my phone rang. I picked up the phone, answered it and an operator from my home security system came on the line.

"Hello, This is Aviator Security Systems. Is this Angela Monroe?"

"Yes, this is she."

"Are you at home ma'am?" the operator asked

"No I'm not. Is there a problem?"

"Ma'am the fire alarm in your home has been breeched. Is there anyone at your home at this time and if not is there anyone that you can call to see about your alarm? And if the answer is no to those questions, would you like for me to call the necessary authorities to check on your home?"

The operator waited calmly for my reply. I was in shock. It took me a minute to register what the operator was telling me.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute, are you telling me that MY HOUSE MIGHT BE ON FIRE?" I asked.

"What's going on baby?" Shane asked. I shook my head.

The operator continued, "I don't know ma'am. Something may have malfunctioned in the system and if that is the case then we can take care of it as soon as possible. But the fire alarm has been breeched and the necessary precautions need to be made. Would you like for me to call the necessary authorities?" She repeated.

"Yes, please call the authorities. I'm on my way home now." I shakily replied.

"If there is no need for the authorities, let us know and we will tell them to turn around." the operator replied.

"Thank you!" I replied. I hung up the phone and stared blankly into space.

"What's going on baby?" Shane asked again.

I looked at him and replied, "I need to get home as soon as possible. My fire alarm went off. Hopefully it's just a malfunction, but I have to check. The fire department has already been called to my house" I replied softly.

"Ok, that's understandable. It's normal protocol when the fire alarm goes off. Sometimes just an odd movement can cause the fire alarm to go off. We'll just go to your house and check it out. Everything is going to be alright baby. Ok?"

I nodded in agreement. I looked out the window and watched Shane turn the car around and drive toward my home.

As he drove, Shane returned his hand to my thigh and squeezed it gently. He was doing this as a comfort measure. But in the state that I was in, it opened up a whole new set of emotions. His touch was like fire Through all of my anger and frustration, I still had a need for his cock to be nestled inside my wet pussy.

I dropped my head into my hands and began to think. I began to run names of people who might have wanted to hurt me; and the only one that came to mind was Sherise. If she didn't burn my house down; then she got someone to do it for her.

We drove in silence. The tension was so thick that you couldn't have cut it with a knife.

"You asked me, what we're going to do about Sherise...." I stated

"Yes I did." He answered

"Well if this is not a malfunction and my house is actually on fire. She will have to be taken care of." I replied.

"Then we'll have to take care of that problem the best way we know how." Shane replied darkly.

I nodded in agreement.

We continued to drive in tense silence. As soon as we were about a block away from my house I could smell the light tinge of burning wood. As we got even closer I began to see hints of oranges and reds. I knew then that there was no malfunction. My house was burning down. We pulled up to the house and saw that the fire department was already hard at work trying to contain the fire.

I don't remember if Shane even stopped the car before I jumped out. Everyone in the neighborhood was outside by now watching the fire blaze higher and higher. The official was trying to get everyone to back away. I ran towards the house and tried to salvage anything in the yard that wasn't already destroyed. The official got to me before I could step on the grass.

"Ma'am you can't be here. Please step back!"

"You don't understand.." I cried, "This is my house! THIS IS MY HOUSE!!"

I continued to yell at him as I struggled against his hold to get to my house. His hold lessened and another pair of arms pulled me away from the debris. I was ready to fight this hold as well but then I looked up and saw it was Shane. I stopped fighting and collapsed in his arms.

Shane held me as the head fireman spoke, "We do understand that this is your house ma'am. We're doing the best we can. Now please come with me. I need to get some information from you."

I nodded and both Shane and I went with the fireman to his truck. He took out some paperwork and began the questioning.

"What is your name ma'am?

"Angela Bianca Monroe." I replied faintly.

He wrote that down and continued, "Ok, are you the owner of this home?"

"Yes I am."

"What is the possibility of this being an accident?"

"I don't know. Hopefully it's a big possibility!" I exclaimed.

"When was the last time the house was inspected?" He asked.

"Um, about a month ago. It passed the inspection. Look, I have tried to keep the house up to code as much as I can. There shouldn't have been a gas leak, or anything like that. But.....I guess I missed something."

"Do you have any enemies ma'am, anyone who may want to cause you harm?"

I looked up at him suddenly, "What do you mean? are you saying that this wasn't an accident?" I asked.

"I don't know ma'am. We won't know until the fire is contained. But when it comes to fires of this magnitude, we have to check all angles. So I'll ask again. Do you have anyone that may want to harm you?" the fireman replied.

I looked down and replied, "No, not that I know of." I replied.

The official was engrossed into his paperwork, so he wasn't aware of anything that was going on with my face or body language. Shane on the other hand was watching me like a hawk. He grimaced at my reply, but said nothing. Tears began to fall uncontrollably. My resolve lessened as each piece of burnt plaster fell to the yard. This house was more then just a house to me. This was my last link to my dad. I felt like I was losing him all over again.

"I know that this is hard ma'am but I have to ask these questions."

"It's fine." I answered blankly.

"How long have you lived at this address?" the official asked.

"I've lived here for three years. When my father died he left the house to me in his will."

"Did you live alone?"

"For the first year I did. These last few years I've been living with a roommate."

"Where is this roommate now?"

"I don't know. The last time I saw her was earlier today when I requested that she move out."

"Was there a disagreement?" He asked

"Yes," I replied

"And what is her name?"

"Sherise Harper."

"Is there any way we can get in touch with her?"

"I don't know where she is. She changed her cell number recently. She never gave it to me. The only time I was able to talk to her was when I saw her at home."

He looked at me with a sad expression. "Ok that's enough for now. I'm sorry for your loss ma'am. We have the fire contained and it should be out within the hour. I'm sure you could use some rest. We'll call you when we know something."

I nodded feebly. Shane shook the captain's hand, "Thank you so much." He replied.

The captain nodded. He gave me one last sad gaze and then he turned and went back to help the other firemen contain the fire. Shane walked me to his car. He opened the passenger side and helped me in.

"I want to talk to the captain right quick ok?"

"Why? Do you think something's wrong?" I asked softly.

"No baby, I just want to find out a few things. I won't be long. I promise."

I nodded ok. I watched Shane walk over to the captain. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, and seriously I didn't care. Today was the worst day of my life. I was emotionally drained. I didn't want to talk or think. I laid back on the seat and drifted off to sleep.

Shane walked up to where the Captain sat doing paperwork. "JB is that you?" Shane asked.

The captain looked up at Shane and smiled. "JB Pennington, I knew that was you. It's me Shane. Shane Morrison, Jimmy's little brother." Shane replied.

JB gave Shane a once over, " Little S from Upshaw Drive?" he replied.

Shane smiled and nodded, "Yea, it's me!!"

"Get over here boy and give me a hug!!" JB exclaimed as he brought Shane into a big bear hug.

"What are you doing here Little S?"

"Well, I was on the way home to be with my girl and then this shit happened! What the hell is going on JB? Was this an accident?"

"Off the record?"

"You know it!!"

"This was no accident Little S. Somebody has it out for your girlfriend. My money is on the roommate. But that's just me."

"Have you found the source yet?" Shane asked

"We think that whoever did it started it from outside."

"Was it by match, one of those fire starters with the bottle and rag soaked with bleach, what?"

"We won't know until the fire is contained. Your girlfriend got herself mixed in with the wrong types Little S. You better watch yourself."

"Oh you know I can take care of myself and mines." Shane confidently replied.

JB chuckled to himself. "Still the same Little S. Head hard as a rock." he replied.

"You know it."

"So tell me, does she have any friends?" JB asked

Shane laughed. "I know of one, but she may be a little out your league. She's somewhat of a music geek." he replied.

"Hey, I'm all for new things. You know those music chicks are the freakiest ones of all."

"Don't you think I know that? Where do you think I got that one from?" Shane asked as he nodded my direction.

JB and Shane high-fived and chuckled lightly. "I aint mad at you brotha." he replied.

Shane sobered up and asked, "So when can we know the results of the fire?"

"I'll try to get them to you as soon as I can." JB replied.

"Thanks man!!"

"No problem Little S. Tell Jimmy I said what's up and he still owes for that last bet on the Bill's game."

Shane chuckled to himself and walked to the car. He looked through my window and found me curled in up in a ball, sound a sleep. He paused, stared at my sleeping form and whispered under his breath,

"Who are you Angela Monroe?"

He shook his head, walked to his side of the car. He took one last glance at the firefighters working hard to contain the fire. He shook his sorrowfully, got in his car, started it and drove off.

I woke up the next morning to my phone ringing. I was in a haze. For a second I wasn't sure where I was. I was still in my same clothes from yesterday but I was laying on an unfamiliar bed. Then it all came back to me. I was now homeless and the only clothes I had were the ones I was wearing. Tears began to form but I didn't let them fall. I wasn't going to let that selfish bitch steal my joy anymore.

I looked at the room I was in, it was very nice. The bed was the biggest most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. The big question was Who's was it? I could hear the shower running, the radio blaring, and a soft baritone voice singing the lyrics to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." I started to hum the tune to myself. When I was in the middle of telling my imaginary man "Leeeeets, Let's Stay Together, Loving you whether, whether, times are good or bad or ..." I realized that the music wasn't blaring anymore. I opened my eyes and saw a beautiful sight. There stood the man of my dreams at the doorway in a towel watching me with an amused expression. I smiled and we just gazed at each other. No words needed to be said.

"Good morning love, I see you're an Al Green fan!!" Shane said.

"Oh yes, you'd be surprised at what music I like." I replied

He chuckled lightly. He walked over to my side of the bed. He took my face into his hands and kissed my lips lightly. We gazed into each other's eyes and I tried with all my might not to cry but I couldn't help it. He brought me into his arms and held me in a strong embrace as I sobbed.

"It's ok baby, let it out!!" he whispered to me.

He held me for what seemed like hours. I would have stayed in his arms if it wasn't for my phone. It wouldn't stop ringing. I broke from his strong embrace and answered it.

"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" the voice screamed at me.

"Hey Chessa!" I replied

"Where the HELL are you? And am I correct to assume that, that was your house on the news that was burnt down?"

"Yes it was" I replied softly.

" WHAT!!!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME? YOU COULD'VE BEEN IN THAT HOUSE. YOU COULD'VE DIED ANGELA!! WHERE ARE YOU?" she exclaimed.

I shook my head, "Chessa, stop screaming at me. I know that I should've called you, I'm sorry I didn't call. It's just been really crazy. I replied

"Oh my God Angela, what the hell is going on? Chessa asked as she tried to calm down.

"I don't know Chessa." I stated.

"Sherise did this didn't she?" she asked

"I don't know Chessa? The fire department hasn't told me anything yet."

"Oh please. You know just as well as I do that, that bitch did this. I never liked her Angela.!!"

"I know Chessa."

"You should've kicked that bitch the first time, she started up some shit."

"I know Chessa."

"So has anyone seen her lately?"

"No. After I caught her fucking Devon and kicked her out on her ass, TWICE. I hadn't seen her." I replied.

"YOU CAUGHT HER FUCKING DEVON?!?! OH MY GOD!!!" she exclaimed.

"Chessa, You're yelling again!!" I replied as I brought the phone a way from my ear.

"Sorry, Sorry. This is just too much. How long had they been 'seeing' each other?" Chessa asked.

"I don't know. But it seemed like it had been for awhile." I replied.

"Oh suge, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" "I'm ok. I'm very upset about the house, I'm slowly getting over the Devon/Sherise thing. If they find out that she was the one who started the fire there won't be a place big enough to hide her.

"Well, WHEN they find out that she started the fire, call a sister up, I'll get my daddy's knives and shot guns and we'll go hunting."

I smiled at the phone. "Chessa you have never been hunting!!"

"Hey, what better time then NOW to start!!"

"Very true."

"So where are you? Did you get a hotel or something? Was your car in the fire? Have you called your mother?"

"No, my car is at the school. I'm at a friends house, and no, I haven't called my mother.

"Angela, you need to call her."

"I know Chessa. I'll call her when I get off the phone with you. I promise." I replied

"Don't play with me. I will check if you called her."

I laughed to myself, " I'm going to call her, DAMN!!!"

"Don't curse at me. Oh who is this friend you're with? Hmmm?"

I didn't immediately reply. I looked and watched Shane brush his teeth and put cologne on. He must have sensed I was looking at him. He turned to me and our eyes locked in yet another lustful gaze. Francessca's talking brought me out of my trance,

"I'm waiting. Who is this friend that you're with? Please don't tell me you went back to Devon after finding him with Sherise."

"It's not Devon!" I replied.

"Thank God!! Well, who is it then who is it then?" Chessa asked

"Chessa, I'll tell you when we go shopping. Ok?" I replied in an exasperated sigh.

"Oh you can believe that. I want to know everything, and you're not going to leave one little detail out!"

"Ok Chessa. I promise to tell you everything. But I have to go. I'll call you later when I figure out my next move."

"Ok, I love you sis. And I'm so sorry that this happened. You know that if you need anything I'm here for you."

"I know. I love you too suge. I'll call you later.

"Call your mother!" She reminded.

"I will." I answered.

"Alright, I'll know if you called her."

"How you going to know Chessa?"

"Don't worry about it, just know that I'll know."

"Alright, I'll call her. I have to go now, I'll call you later."

"Ok, I'll talk to you soon." I hung up the phone and looked up to find Shane still looking at me with that same knowing smile.

"Your friend is very worried about you. Why didn't you call her?" He asked

"I was a bit busy." I replied

"Hmmmm. So your friend didn't like your roommate either huh?"

"No she didn't. They hated each other. Chessa stopped coming over for awhile."

"It got that bad huh?"

"Yea. Sherise was always so disrespectful to Chessa. That was one of the many fights we would have."

"I see?" he replied.

"So why don't you want to call your mom? I'm sure she's worried."

"I haven't talked to my mom in over a year. She wasn't really happy when I moved out of the house to live on my own. Every since I've moved, she's been trying to manipulate in some way to come back home. I don't even think she knows about the fire."

"I highly doubt that. You'd be surprised on how fast news gets around"

I nodded my head in agreement. " In this instance, I hope you're wrong Baby."

Shane left his stance from the bathroom and walked to my side of the bed. I opened my legs and he stood in between them. He put both hands on my cheeks and brought his lips softly to mine. I wrapped my arms around his waist and brought him closer to me. Our mouths opened and our tongues began to do a passionate dance with each other. I lowered my hands and undid the towel that hung at his waist. Before the towel could drop to the ground, he caught it. He kissed me quickly and smiled. He backed away from my reach as I continued to try to remove his towel from his grasp.