BAMBI

XIII

The morning after my phone call with Prince I was awakened by wet kisses being left on my shoulder blade. "Good morning." Janet whispered into my ear before taking my earlobe into her mouth.

"Morning." I stretched hard, pulling my ear out of her mouth. After glancing at the red numbers on my alarm clock, I realized I'd overslept by two hours. So I jumped out of bed and began scurrying for some clothes to put on so I could start working and hopefully be done in time for my evening with Prince. "Where you going? I thought we'd stay in bed for a while." Janet asked with a seductive voice, patting the bed where I just laid.

"I've got to get to work today. I'm way behind." I finally settled on the robe that hung from the bathroom door, slipping my arms through it, "Come on," I motioned with my head, "I'll put a pot on." I turned and walked out of my bedroom while tying the robe closed, not knowing if Janet followed behind.

The first thing I did every morning was brew a fresh pot of coffee and this day was no exception, even if I did get started two hours later. As soon as I turned the coffee maker on, I felt two hand grab my arm and turn me around. I jumped in fear, not knowing Janet had even made her way down stairs let alone crept up behind me without making a sound. "What's going on with you lately? Why can't I touch you?" Her eyes searched mine, looking for some sort of clues as to my behavior.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "I didn't know you were down here so it made me jump when you grabbed me. Damn you're a little dramatic this morning."

She rolled her eyes as her face reddened from anger. "That's not what I mean Viv. I'm talking about last night and this morning. Why won't you let me be intimate you?"

"Look, I've got a lot going on right now. I'm just stressed." I reached my hand out, caressing hers before intertwining our fingers. I tightened my grip signifying a plea for her to accept what I was telling her and end the discussion.

She reluctantly nodded her head in acceptance as the red porcelain cup holding her hot coffee hit her lips. Her green eyes continued to peer at me over her cup as she took a sip before bringing it back down, never wavering her gaze. She knew there was more to the story then what I was telling her and I could see deep suspicion building in her eyes. As hard as I tried to hold my will, her knowing stare minimized me to rubble. So I caved, unlocking our eyes then grabbing my coffee and a banana. I walked into the study, which also doubled as my home office to get started on work and to also avoid any questions that were undoubtedly on the tip of her tongue.

The flame being kept alive by guilt was steadily increasing within my stomach, making my anxiety about the whole situation reach my throat. My only solution to make that feeling go away was to focus on the task at hand. So my fingers busily hit the keys on the keyboard to my computer. The house was eerily quiet, except for my fingers clicking against the white plastic squares. Usually, Janet would have the TV blaring and she would be parked in front of it watching some mind numbing talk show, but not this morning. That quietness that settled within the walls of my house just exasperated my unease.

Minutes after I sat down to work, Janet's figure appeared in the doorway of my office. She leaned against the door jam, waiting for me to give her the attention she sought. I ignored her, hoping she'd just say what she wanted to say instead of picking at the chipped nail polish on her nails. After a minute of being ignored, Janet cleared her throat.

"What's up J?" I asked, never taking my eyes off of the computer screen in hopes she wouldn't bring up last night's phone call or any other suspicions I knew she had.