Free Lessons From a Younger Lover by Zuri Day Page A

graduated, when your brothers weren’t around? Joe was what, only your second or third lover? And you never talked about y’all’s sex life. Must not have been that good.”
    â€œContrary to what you believe, Chantay, sex isn’t everything.”
    â€œTrust, you’re just talking nonsense ’cause you haven’t had that kitty petted right yet.”
    â€œUh, I think that’s a good note on which to change the subject. Are you coming with me to the shop?”
    â€œNo, my neighbor’s going to redo my braids.”
    â€œI thought that was part of our hang-out time, getting our hair done,” Gwen protested.
    â€œI’ll still get a mani/pedi and a facial. That’s about how long it’ll take for you anyways.” Chantay paused and took a long swallow of merlot. “So give me the update.”
    â€œOn what?”
    â€œWhat else? Ransom!”
    Gwen got up from the couch and peered through the patio door into the August sunshine. “Why did I ever even ask you about him?”
    â€œBecause I’m your friend and you want my advice on catching his fine ass. If he’s anywhere close to the man you described…baby! You’d better strike while the iron is hot.”
    â€œI’m not going to strike anything. I only asked about him because he didn’t look like any of the families we grew up with.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œAnd I find him exasperating; he acts as if he knows I’m going to give in to his flirtations and that just makes me more determined to stay away.”
    â€œI see.”
    Gwen came back and flopped on the couch. “Obviously you don’t. He’s probably screwed half the women in town, and I never was the type who wanted to be at the end of a long list. You remember how many of our classmates used to lie and say they’d had me just because nobody had. And you know the mantra Mama drilled into me every week. Keep your panties up and your dress down, hon, else you’ll end up on the—”
    â€œFront page of the Sienna Sun !” Gwen and Chantay finished together.
    â€œHow old is he?”
    Gwen shrugged her shoulders. “Younger than me. Now that you mention it, he’s probably quite a bit younger than me. Strike two.”
    Chantay rolled her eyes. “For a woman married ten years, you sure sound naive. The younger they are, the better, girl. All that stamina, plus you can train ’em.”
    â€œNo, Chantay, you can. Any child I teach will be in my first-grade class room. This is a moot conversation because of strike three—I’m still married. Have you forgotten that?”
    â€œNo, but I wish you would. Because you’re not really married, just waiting to go before the judge to make your divorce final. Does it look like Joe is waiting until the divorce is official? He barely waited until the ink was dry on your petition. Oh, my bad. He didn’t wait. He started screwing his little Mitzi mistress before there even was a petition.”
    â€œAre you trying to piss me off?”
    â€œWouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last. Sure you don’t want one glass of wine before we leave?”

12
    Gwen turned the corner onto her block and was surprised at what she saw: Adam’s Porsche parked by the curb in front of her mother’s house. A slight frown formed on her face as she parked behind it. What was he doing here? Had she rebuffed him to the point where he’d gotten school administrators to rescind their job offer? Gwen needed this job, not just for the money, but for her sanity. She tried to remain calm as she opened her car door and walked up the steps, but by the time she put her key in the front door lock, she was a bundle of nerves.
    â€œWhere the hell have you been?” was the unexpected greeting that met her own incredulity in the audacity of the man before her.
    â€œWhat do you mean, ‘where have I been’?