Page 21 of Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer

Orlando

Afunctional but stylish place that matched my vibe. This two-story townhome did the trick. I arrived this morning and settled in nicely. The owner allowed me to check in early and now I sat in the living room wondering what came next.

I wasn’t certain if I should attack and go on the search for my baby mother right away. I did not have a lot of information. Miss B had explained to me the little that she understood of Ofele Town and the location where her daughter could be.

Ofele Town was one of those burgeoning cities with that small-town feel. But really, the small-town portion was now on the outskirts of what people understood to be Ofele. The center of town had large resorts, hotels, and a big tourist attraction area combined with beautiful wineries on horse farms. All of them were owned by wealthy Black families. I knew that my baby mother couldn’t afford to live in this area of the town, where it was clear that the high middle lived.

I needed to go to the outskirts where most of the people who worked in the service industry called home. I had a couple of spots that I could visit, but being a Black man asking around for a Black woman could cause suspicion. I knew enough to be cautious about how to go about the search. Mrs. Barranco had warned me that when my baby’s mother had moved, she had been very careful not to share a lot of information with her family because she was hurt by the treatment that they had put her through. Maria did not feel like being found right now.

Thinking of Maria brought to mind yesterday’s conversation with Trinidad. A strong woman who had also had to figure out how to parent on her own. I didn’t want that for my baby’s mother, and I certainly didn’t want that for my child.

Even with all that awaited me, Trinidad invaded my brain the whole damn flight.

You would think that I would be anxious about meeting my baby girl, but instead, I kept on imagining all the ways that I could have helpedherin her kitchen. How I could have given her kisses and reassured her that she was doing a great job. Shit, if anyone knew that she was doing a great job, it was me. I knew what bad parenting looked like, even if it wasn’t my mom’s intention. Reassuring her felt like such a priority to me.

And I’m not going to lie to myself, the clothes that she wore last night…she had me bricked up. By the time I got home, I pulled out the coconut, and my hand made quick work of the rod that rested between my legs most of the night.

At this point, it felt like a compulsion—just being around her, how my body reacted, how my mind reacted. This wasn’t normal. That woman wanted nothing to do with me. It was clear as day, but, man, she had me thinking of her instead of focusing on what I needed to do.

Not wanting to waste more time, I picked up my backpack with my iPad sketches and decided to go out to one of the coffee shops that Mrs. B had mentioned that Maria referenced during their calls.

Before I could even find my backpack, a knock on the door startled the fuck out of me. No one had the address of the rental. Well, no one but the twins. It was probably the owner coming in to check on me.

I swung the door open with a friendly smile on my face. The smile dropped, my mouth gaping. No other muscle could move. A shiver went through it, and all my veins caught on fire. My heart leaped to my throat.

And there went my dick, back on brick, as hard as it was last night.

Just the thought of that woman conjured her on my doorstep. Whatever magic I worked, I needed to quit because I was not prepared to deal with her presence on top of searching for my child.

“What are you doing here?” Shit, that came out wrong. I could see it all over her face. She looked tired. She looked pissed—which didn’t change her gorgeous face. God helped me; that shit was sexy to me.

“Well, what better way to explain than putting my children on the phone?” Trinidad said.

Her children. The twins. They had hit me up a little bit earlier, poking me about the digs where I was staying. They asked for a few pictures, and I dutifully sent them. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“Brian. Brandon, you want to explain?” Trinidad insisted.

“Mom?” Brandon’s voice came clear through the speakerphone.

“Man, no, no, no, no. Go ahead and explain what’s going on. Because I’m certainly not going to do it.”

“Yes, ma’am. What’s up, Orlando? Listen, we messed up. We were trying to hook up my mom with a vacation. But we messed up. We didn’t make a reservation at the hotel where she was supposed to stay. We thought that she would be able to get another spot that was closer to the beach, but the town is sold out,” Brian explained.

Of course, the town was sold out. It was Ofele Carnival weekend. It was one of the most upcoming carnivals in the country. What were these kids thinking?

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s no room left to stay,” I parroted back, a thousand thoughts racing through my head. My brain had already caught up to what was happening, but my mouth and body lagged a few seconds behind. They were still reacting to the close presence of an agitated Trinidad. I could see her chest falling and rising, the anger of the deception of her children making her beautiful in her wrath. The top of her cleavage had trickles of sweat, clearly from her exertion with her luggage and probably her ordeal getting from the airport to my doorstep.

“So, what you’re saying is that you need to stay here?” At last, my mouth worked enough to form a sentence.

“What I actually need is a plane to New York right now, but apparently, that is not going to happen anytime soon. So, yes, I need a place to at least figure out how to get out of here. Even if I have to drive or get a rental to get out to another town. I’m going to figure it out.” Trinidad’s anger was a sight to behold; her cheeks burned red, and her eyes slanted until they barely seemed open.

We both knew getting out today was a pipe dream at best. Ofele didn’t have the kind of around-the-clock transportation that New York did. Their buses were scheduled based on the needs of the town. Probably didn’t even fluctuate whenever they had bigger events.

Trinidad might be stuck here for days. She was also clearly in denial.

“I’m so sorry to put you in this situation, but I don’t know anyone else in this town. And these children shared with me that you’re here, as well. Are you okay with me hanging out here for a couple of hours until I can figure out how to get out of here?” Trinidad shifted on her feet awaiting my answer.

“Sure, sure. Come in. Come in. Let me help you with your luggage,” I said as she switched off the speakerphone

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