Chapter 1

She stared silently at the couple having sex in her bed. Her Sorority Sister and her fiancé were fucking in her bed. Her eyes began to burn and she wondered when they would notice that they had an audience. How could they do this to her? How could Clarissa Jenkins, of all people do this to her? Her own fucking line sister. They had pledged together, been through the good, the bad and the ugly together in college. She’d felt sorry for Clarissa when she’d showed up at her apartment three months ago claiming that she’d been laid off and had no where else to go. Nykia remembered that she’d taken an oath to be a true Sister to all the women of Sigma Alpha Sigma to stand by her sisters through thick and thin because that’s what sisters did for each other. She’d offered Clarissa a place to stay; food to eat and even helped her get a job working at her fiancé’s firm.

She’d called the firm earlier to invite Clarissa out to lunch and was told that she’d called out sick. When she’d asked to speak to Robert Jones, her fiancé, she was told that he wasn’t due in the office for the day. Worried about Clarissa’s well being she’d hustled home from her Bakery only stopping by the grocery store to pick up some Theraflu and other over the counter medication for Clarissa. A few of her staff had called out a week ago with the flu so she assumed that Clarissa had probably picked it up from someone at the law firm. She heard loud music before she even reached her two-bedroom apartment and hummed along to the tune.

Prince’s Do Me, Baby was blaring from her sound system and she smiled to herself remembering all the things she’d done to Robert while this song played. It was the song that they’d dry humped to the first time they’d met so he’d dubbed it their song. He was her first and he was also going to be her husband in two months. She hurried to the kitchen and turned on the kettle then grabbed a mug from the cupboard for the Theraflu. Leaving the water to boil she headed for Clarissa’s room. She knocked on the door and called out Clarissa’s name gently not wanting to startle her or wake her if she was sleeping. When she received no answer she pushed the door open a bit and peeked into the room. It was a mess with clothes lying all over the floor. She even recognized a few that belonged to her that she wasn’t even aware that Clarissa had borrowed without permission. As she pulled the door shut she wondered where Clarissa could have gone.

Maybe she went to the Grocery store to pick up some medication or made a trip to the Doctor’s office. Nykia thought to herself as she headed back to the kitchen. It was then that she heard the moans. She stopped in her tracks and listened tipping her head to the side in the direction that she’d thought she heard the moans come from. Then she heard it again followed by the unmistakable squeaking sounds of mattress springs. She turned around and headed in the direction that she heard the noise coming from and came to an alt in front of her bedroom door. The door was slightly ajar and the dying notes of Prince’s Ballad allowed her to hear even clearer what was going on inside of her bedroom.

“Yes…Yes Daddy” there was no mistaking Clarissa’s high-pitched voice.

“You like that huh…” Nykia tensed. She recognized that voice and as much as she didn’t want to believe what she was hearing she knew there was no mistaking the owner of that voice. It was the voice that she heard almost every morning for the last two years. It was the same voice that whispered dirty things to her while in the heat of passionate lovemaking. It was her man’s voice, her fiancé’s voice.

With a trembling hand she reached out and pushed the door open further. As her eyes connected with the couple on the bed she felt as if someone punched her in the stomach.  Clarissa’s long caramel colored limbs were wrapped around Robert’s dark chocolate body while he screwed her at a controlled pace, his firm butt cheeks flexing as he entered and withdrew from her. Nykia’s heartbeat slowed almost to a stop. It took her body a minute to recover from the shock of the image of two people she trusted fucking in her bed, in her house. She didn’t know how long she stood there. As much as she wanted to move she couldn’t she wanted to believe that she was having a nightmare that something would happen to wake her up from this episode.

Just then the kettle on the stove began to whistle annoyingly signaling that the water was ready.

“What the fuck… what the fuck was that?” Robert asked and stilled his movements.

“I don’t know… don’t care… Don’t stop now, baby. I’m almost there…” Clarissa moaned arching herself into Robert.

“That sound’s like the fucking Kettle…did you turn it on?”

“I can’t believe you stopped because the fucking kettle went off and no I didn’t turn it on,” Clarissa said trying to pull him closer to entice him to continue their fucking. Reaching up to kiss his neck she happened to glance over his shoulder and froze her eyes widening in shock at the person standing in the doorway.

“Then who the fuck-”

“Shit” Clarissa screeched cutting Robert off. Her eyes were locked on something behind him. “Fuck, get off me, Robert. Get off!”

“No. I think he should stay there.” Nykia didn’t recognize her voice but she knew that she’d spoken. There was hardly any emotion in her voice. She watched the look of shock on Robert’s face when he turned at the sound of her voice. “As a matter of fact you two should take it over to his place and take the mattress with you too. Just get the fuck out of my apartment.”

She turned and walked away from the bedroom door as if she hadn’t caught her fiancé cheating on her. Head held high, spine straight she headed back to the kitchen. It was time to turn off the stove.

“Kia, that was not what it looked like.” Robert said as he walked into the kitchen. He was dressed in his slacks and shirt with his suit jacket in his hands.

Nykia laughed out loud. It was dry and humorless and she lifted the kettle from the stove and turned to face him with it.

“Do you think I’m fucking stupid? Do I look fucking blind to you?” Nykia asked as she walked towards him slowly. The engagement is over and I don’t want to see or hear anything from you. You have less than thirty seconds to get out of my apartment Robert. This water is hot and I might accidentally pour it over you.”

Robert took a few steps backwards. “Lets talk about this rationally Nykia. You know that bitch doesn’t mean anything to me. It was nothing.”

“Did you not just hear what I said?” Nykia asked coming to a stop. “I don’t want to hear what you have t say. I don’t care to hear anything coming out of your mouth. I’m not going to repeat myself Robert. Do not fuck with me right now. This fucking Kettle aint light you know.”

“This is fucking crazy.” Robert said when she began walking towards him again

This was not the same woman he’d met two years ago or had dinner with last night. Her whiskey colored eyes had lost its warmth and there was a new coldness about her. Her hands were shaking and he realized that this woman would indeed burn him with the hot water. What the fuck have I done? Robert thought as he watched her continue towards him.

When she flicked open the cover at the mouth of the spout of Kettle Robert turned and ran out of the kitchen not bothering to look behind him to see if she was following. He would talk to her later when she’d calmed down.

Kettle still in hand, Nykia headed for the room she’d allowed Clarissa to stay in. She pushed open the door with enough force to cause it to bang against the wall causing Clarissa to yelp and rush across the room.

“What the fuck are you still doing here? Did I stutter when I told you to get the fuck out?  Bitch I’m talking to you!”

“Nn-no.” Clarissa stuttered from against the wall. Tears running down her cheeks body trembling with her eyes on the steaming kettle in Nykia’s hand. She’d never heard Nykia curse like this before. For the first time in her life she was afraid of the tiny woman standing in the bedroom doorway with a kettle of hot water in her hands. She would have been able to take Nykia any other day being that she was a good seven inches taller than her and weighed a good fifty pounds more but not today.

“Well what the fuck are you still doing here? Get the fuck out.”

“What about mm- my stuff” Clarissa stuttered.

“Bitch do I look like I give a fuck. Get out of my apartment now.”

“Nykki please don’t do this.” Clarissa cried, “It was a mistake, a one tie thing. He said if I didn’t sleep with him he was going to get me fired. Please don’t do this”

“Bitch I don’t want an explanation. Do you think I’m stupid too! You know what, I’m done fucking talking.  You have five seconds to get out of my apartment or you better call the hospital and reserve a fucking emergency room.

“Nykki please we’re sisters.”

“Bitch, don’t even go there and your five seconds are up.” Nykia walked into the room and headed for Clarissa

“Nykia please don’t do this….”

“Bitch I warned you.” Nykia said in a cold voice as she lifted the kettle. “You need to get your fucking hearing checked when you check-in to the hospital too”

She swung the open kettle in Clarissa’s direction but made sure that none of the hot water hit her. Clarissa jumped away from the wall screaming as if she’d been burned and ran out of the room with the speed of a roadrunner.

Nykia followed behind her with the kettle and slammed the apartment door shut behind her. Leaning against the door she slid down to the floor and rested the kettle beside her. The tears she’d been holding back began to fall. She heard the phone ringing but didn’t bother getting up to answer it. She didn’t fee like talking to anyone at the moment. She should have listened to her true sisters. The friends she’d grown up with. She should have listened to their warnings.