Marriage Mayhem

by Samuel L. Hair

Genres: African American Urban; African American Women's Fiction

Synopsis

Jermaine Hopkins thinks he's found Mrs. Right in the form of sexy single mother Karen. Little does he know, he's about to be taken for the ride of his life when they join together in matrimonial mayhem. Extramarital affairs, parental interference, and pure drama propel the lightning pace of this story about what happens when the ties that bind leave you handcuffed.

Release date: April 1, 2015

Publisher: Urban Renaissance

Print pages: 304

Sample

Jermaine cruised in a black Explorer en route to pick up his paycheck but was distracted by a short, light-complexioned woman pushing a baby stroller. Trailing behind her a few feet away was a little boy. Jermaine did a double take, then quickly made an illegal U-turn and pulled over to cheerfully approach her. It had been years since he had used his so-called rap on a woman, but out of loneliness and the desperate need of a mate he decided to go for what he knew. Being a cross-country truck driver did not actually provide him the time to be involved in a serious relationship, but he was anxious to change that.

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you today?” he asked, smiling, revealing his even pearly whites.

The little boy gave him an angry “leave my mama alone” look, but Jermaine ignored it and pressed forward.

“Fine, and you?” replied the woman. She had observed the look her five-year-old son had given Jermaine, but during that time in her life she was desperately in need of a man. A real man.

Her living arrangements and self-esteem were at their lowest peaks. Maybe he can help me out of my situation. I’ll bet he has a good job, his own place to live, and probably has money in the bank. Hell, some other woman has probably already got him sewed up. If it came down to it, shit, I would have no problem being the other woman. Let me see what he’s about. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, she thought.

“I’m Karen, and you are?” she said, smiling. It wasn’t often that she ran across decent men. He just might be the ticket to me and the kids having a good life.

“I’m Jermaine,” Jermaine responded. Glancing at the little boy, seeing that he was getting angrier, Jermaine quickly diverted his attention to him.

“What’s up, little man?” The kid frowned, then turned his head. “What do you want for Christmas, little man? How about I buy it for you?” Jermaine asked.

Instantly, Karen’s eyes lit up, as well as the child’s .

“His name is Stevie,” said Karen, grabbing the boy by the arm. She could not afford to let her son mess up this possible winning ticket. “Stevie, say hi to Jermaine and tell him what you told me that you want for Christmas.” She gave an embarrassing laugh. “I’m a single parent, and Christmas is probably going to be scarce this year,” she tested.

A few days prior Karen had a long, serious talk with Stevie regarding her financial situation. She told him that she could not afford to buy him anything before Christmas, but when her welfare check came on the first she would pay Mr. Pete the rent money then she would spend what was left on him and his sister.

“I can only afford to buy you a scooter and a couple pair of pants for Christmas, Stevie. They cut my welfare check again, and I just can’t afford to give y’all the Christmas I want to, but I promise you that if I have to work three jobs and hustle on the side, next year Christmas will be a real Christmas for both of you. Hell, or maybe I’ll get lucky and find y’all a daddy by then,” Karen had told him.

“I want a dirt bike, a PlayStation, a whole bunch of games, some new clothes that’s not from a thrift store, a basketball court, and a—”

“Is that right,” Jermaine asked, pleased about suddenly having Stevie’s approval. “Why don’t we head to the toy store then?” he asked with a smile. Minutes later Karen and her two kids were inside the Explorer with him.

Wanting to further impress her, Jermaine made sure to show Karen the new big rig that he drove across country as a long-distance truck driver. She nodded in admiration. He then stopped at Bank of America to withdraw a few hundred dollars to shop with. Now he was set.

While driving they began discussing past relationships, plans, and present situations and issues. Jermaine discovered that Karen actually had four children, and each of their fathers were crackheads, alcoholics, drug addicts, and womanizers. Jasmine, Karen’s oldest daughter, was doing very well for herself despite the negative upbringing she was exposed to. She managed a McDonald’s, and also attended college, determined to obtain a degree in nursing, while her teenaged son Marvin lived with her sister Jewell.

Feeling at ease conversing with Jermaine, Karen revealed the fact of her being a cocaine addict, but she had made it clear that she had been clean and sober for twelve months straight. She also told Jermaine that she’d been to jail on a few occasions but for nothing serious.

Before Karen was sentenced to a live-in drug program, she was living with her twenty-one-year-old lover, Tyrone, inside his mother’s house. Due to Tyrone having a humongous dick and being able to fuck all night long, his age hadn’t been a factor to her at all.

“That was your past, sweetheart,” Jermaine had said. “I’m not concerned with what you’ve done in the past, to me it’s about how you think and conduct yourself today. Most importantly, hopefully you’ve learned from your mistakes and realize that there’s only one way through life and that’s the straight way. Think about all the celebrities who were addicted to drugs: Mary J. Blige, James Brown, Bobby Brown, Robert Downey Jr., Natalie Cole, Smokey Robinson, Samuel L. Jackson, and the list goes on, you know. Hell, I even heard that ol’ Bill Clinton was getting high in the White House and getting blow jobs. People that are followers, people that are easily influenced, people who do wrong things just to fit in, those people are weak and can lose focus just like that. Sometimes they’ll even hit rock bottom before facing reality.”

Because of her beauty, Jermaine found it very hard to believe the things she had revealed to him. He simply overlooked her forty years of stressful living and negative associations and involvements and made her feel at ease. After all, this could possibly be the beginning of something meaningful and he felt that he was off to a good start.

“Personally, I admire people that pull themselves out of negative situations and position themselves in positive, rewarding situations.” Jermaine’s words were like sweet melody to Karen’s ears. He had said all the right things.

Jermaine had been a happy-go-lucky long-distance truck driver earning close to five thousand dollars a month. He was used to having control over his life, which allowed him to have the finer things in life, all but with women. The fact of him making good money, owning real estate, and driving fancy cars had never seemed to promote him in connecting with a decent, sensible woman. Both of his sisters constantly stayed on him about the type of women that he was always attracted to.

“A man with your intelligence, ambition, determination, and brains deserves to have the cream of the crop when it comes to women, but for some reason, Jermaine, you always end up with the bottom-of-the-barrel type; the ones that are on welfare who don’t want a damn thing out of life but a county check, some dick, and a man to play daddy for all their kids.”

Jermaine owned four vehicles: a new BMW, an Eddie Bauer version of an Explorer, a new convertible Mustang, and his pride and joy weekend cruiser was his 1937 Fleet-line Chevrolet.

He was decently handsome and extremely intelligent, standing five foot nine, with smooth chocolate skin. He wore his hair in short, neat waves and mostly kept a smile that reflected his happiness and good living.

As Jermaine pulled into the Toys “R” Us parking lot, Stevie was filled with excitement. Entering the store, Stevie glanced around, wishing that he could have everything that his mother was not able to afford.

“Mama, look, Mama!” Stevie said excitedly.

Noticing his exhilaration, Karen handed him his asthma inhaler. “Calm down, Stevie, before you have another asthma attack, boy.” A couple pumps of the inhaler had calmed him a little, but not completely.

“Mama, Jermaine, look at those bikes and scooters over there!”

“Would you like a bike and scooter, Stevie?” Jermaine asked, moving to hold Karen’s hand, trying to score some extra points.

“Yeah, that would be cool, but I want that and that and that too,” replied Stevie, pointing his fingers to various toys.

“While you two look I’m going to the restroom,” Jermaine said, then headed down the aisle alone.

Once Jermaine was out of sight, Karen anxiously approached Stevie.

“Call him ‘Daddy,’ boy! He wants you to call him ‘Daddy,’ I can feel it.”

“But Mama, he’s not my—”

“I said call him ‘Daddy,’ Stevie. Do you hear me? We both got the opportunity to have a good man in our life and I ain’t about to let you blow it. Now you heard what I said, Stevie.”

“Okay, Mama.”

When Jermaine returned, Stevie was joyfully sitting on a bike, smiling.

“Daddy, can I have this one?” Karen played it off and looked at Stevie like she was actually surprised at him calling Jermaine “Daddy.”

Jermaine was taken aback, but didn’t want to risk losing Karen’s interest. “Are you sure this is the one you want?” Jermaine was now completely confident that he’d won Stevie over.

“Yep, I’m sure.”

“Then so be it, Stevie; it’s yours.” Seeing the smile on Stevie’s face had actually made Jermaine feel good whether or not he scored any points with Karen. Just to know that he was providing presents for kids whose mother probably wasn’t able to afford and their father wasn’t supplying gave Jermaine a feeling of gratification. Besides, he had already begun fantasizing about himself, Karen, and the kids all in the same household. If spending a couple hundred dollars was going to fulfill his fantasy, then money wasn’t a thing at all.

After gathering a few dolls and toys for Alexus, a bike, scooter, and a few other toys for Stevie, Jermaine—accompanied by his possible ready-made family—paid the cashier, and then happily exited the store. The purchases totaled a little over three hundred dollars. To Jermaine that was a small price for what he was hopefully about to receive.

Jermaine then reached into his wallet and handed Karen five hundred dollars. “Merry Christmas, baby. This isn’t much for now, sweetheart, but I can assure you that the best is yet to come.”

Greedily, Karen snatched the money from his hand. “Thank you, Jermaine,” she said, smiling, as she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. Jermaine now felt like he’d made a major accomplishment. Karen continued. “I feel that our acquaintance is definitely a part of God’s plan. I mean, it’s like we’re connecting on everything; neither of us drink alcohol or use drugs, we’re both single and looking for a meaningful, peaceful relationship, we both enjoy reading and writing, and I really find it amazing that our favorite color is the same color. I mean, it’s like the perfect connection. Thank God you made that U-turn, Jermaine. Thank God.” She looked deep into his eyes then slid her hand into his as they strolled back to his truck.

“Yes, we absolutely need to thank God for connecting us, sweetheart. I actually feel that he has much more in store for us, but let’s let time and our patience mold this and hopefully all will be good,” said Jermaine, caressing her fingers. He desperately wanted another kiss, but didn’t want her to think that he was being too pushy or aggressive. As if she was reading his mind, she put her arms around him and gave him a long, wet, kiss. Stevie had no objections now to Jermaine being intimate with his mother. Observing them kissing, he had simply covered his eyes and remained silent.

It was 9:30 p.m. when Jermaine dropped Karen and the kids off at the one-room shack she was renting from a man she’d met at a cocaine anonymous meeting. Their night ended with a long, wet, kiss and a grind so fierce that it had set the both of them on fire.

Once inside Karen had excitedly told her landlord, Mr. Pete, about her day with Jermaine.

“I didn’t know there were still men like him in this world, Mr. Pete,” Karen said. “I mean, damn, he’s an ultimate complete package. He drives one of those big rigs for a living, he’s handsome, intelligent, ambitious, Stevie loves him, he’s never been into gangs or drugs. I mean, what more can a woman ask for? He’s a one-of-a-kind man, that’s all I know. And would you believe that Stevie already calls him Daddy?”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all, Karen. Hell, that boy will call any man Daddy about right now,” replied Mr. Pete, sarcastically.

On a few occasions, after Karen’s kids were asleep, Mr. Pete had quietly opened the door to Karen’s bedroom and stood naked, massaging his penis in hopes to get an erection, but unfortunately he couldn’t get it up.

“Karen, wake up,” he would whisper. “I need some pussy and I’ll bet you’ve got some good stuff between your legs. I can tell by the way you walk, girl.” Being seventy-eight years old didn’t decrease his sex drive. The only thing was that mentally he wanted it, but physically he couldn’t get a hard-on. He had once been told that smoking so much crack in the past caused his penis to be a dead soldier.

“No, Mr. Pete, no. I told you when I moved in that this will be strictly business and no sex, so get that out of your mind.” Glancing at his penis, she observed that it was short, wrinkled, and limp.

“Well, come play with it a little bit. Please? I’ll deduct a hundred off next months rent, and if you give me a little head, I might even forget about the rent,” he said, still massaging his penis.

“Get outta here, Mr. Pete! Now!” yelled Karen.

“Come on, Karen. I need some lovin’. Please, just give me a little bit and I’ll be all right.”

“I told you, no.”

“Then fuck you, bitch! I don’t want you using my goddamn telephone anymore, and don’t use my fuckin’ dishes to cook for you and your fatherless kids, either! Hell, all I wanted was a quick piece of pussy and everything would have been all right, but no, you’ve gotta cherish that pussy of yours like you’re a fuckin’ nun or somethin’! You wasn’t cherishing it when you were giving it away to those no-good, dope-smoking, gangbangers! But now you wanna put a lock on the muthafucka! Bitch!” Then he would slam the door and go back to sleep.

“Fuck you, Mr. Pete!” Karen would yell. I gotta move outta here before I stab this muthafucka.

The night Jermaine had dropped Karen and the kids off at Mr. Pete’s, unfortunately Mr. Pete was in the mood once again for sex and stood naked at Karen’s bedroom door.

“I’m sick and tired of you hounding me for sex in the presence of my kids! Fuck you, Mr. Pete. You aren’t nothing but a dirty old, horny dog that thinks somebody owe you some pussy because they live in your shabby, run-down apartment! Me and my kids are leaving here, fuck you!” she had screamed, then immediately called Jermaine.

At the time, Jermaine was bragging to his twenty-five-year-old daughter, Denise, and his son-in-law, Maurice, about Karen. Jermaine was temporarily living with them due to major construction being done on his home.

“I finally found her,” explained Jermaine, optimistically. “She’s pretty, she’s intelligent, she’s computer literate, and the best thing about it is that she’s available. Her son already calls me Daddy, can you believe that?”

“I’m happy for you, Daddy,” Denise replied, pleased to see her father happy.

“When can we meet her?” Maurice asked.

At that moment the phone rang. It was Karen. As soon as she began explaining to Jermaine about what happened, Mr. Pete grabbed the other telephone and began yelling into the receiver. “Get off my fuckin’ phone, bitch!”

Hearing Mr. Pete’s yells, Jermaine promised to come to her and the kids’ rescue.

“I’ll be right there, baby,” replied Jermaine, realizing this was another golden opportunity to chalk up more points.

“Thank you, Jermaine, I appreciate it. Me and the kids will be standing in the front yard.”

Before rushing out the door, Jermaine quickly answered Maurice’s question.

“Well, it looks like you guys are going to get the opportunity to meet her more sooner than later. Apparently, there’s a problem going on with her and her landlord and she wants me to come get her. I’ll be right back.” Jermaine hurried out the door.

Once Jermaine had returned with Karen and her kids and introduced them to Denise and Maurice, Denise coincidentally remembered her from being a passenger on her bus. The last time Karen and the kids had rode on Denise’s bus, Denise had given Alexus a piece of her doughnut to prevent her from crying.

“This is a small world, isn’t it?” Denise said, smiling.

They had talked briefly on a few occasions during times Karen was a passenger on her bus. Knowing how lonely her father had been for female companionship, and not wanting him to be taken advantage of by any gold diggers, she said, “You’ve gotta watch some women, Daddy. Not all of them, but a whole lot of them are only out to take advantage of a good, working man. Sex is a small price for them to pay when they’re getting what they want out of the deal. Believe me, Daddy, once they find out you own a home, got a few nice cars, and have lots of money in the bank, they’ll be throwing sex at you like hard raindrops falling from the sky. They’ll try to put babies on you that they know aren’t yours. They’ll lie and tell you they’re pregnant just to get money out of you. They’ll try to get you to take care of their kids, and some of them will even try to turn you against me. But you just always keep in mind that I’m your only biological child, Daddy.”

Denise made it her business to screen any woman that he associated himself with or tried to be a part of his life. They shared a very open father-and-daughter relationship. Even though she was his daughter he would still sometimes ask her opinions on certain situations or issues pertaining to his life. Denise had no problem expressing her opinions to her father about things she felt were not right, and Jermaine confided in her and respectfully trusted her judgment.

Jermaine turned Nickelodeon on for the children to watch, including his grandson, Cordell, who was awake and happy to have company his age to play with, while the grown-ups sat talking at the dining room table. Karen had begun openly speaking about Mr. Pete’s behavior and also about her unfortunate present living situation.

“Why didn’t you call the police on him?” Denise asked, getting emotionally involved.

“Then where would me and my kids live?” Karen replied. Being jobless and receiving a welfare check of $387 a month meant she did not have too many options. She definitely needed a miracle in her life and she strongly hoped that Jermaine was the miracle she’d been praying for.

“That pervert needs his ass beat,” Maurice uttered in his Jamaican accent. Then he mumbled a few other words, which only he and Denise understood and then he stood and began pacing.

“Is it okay with you guys if Karen and the kids stay here for a night or so until I can figure out something?” asked Jermaine, hoping to maybe get a few more kisses or possibly even some sex.

“Sure, it’s okay,” said Denise. “Now you and those kids make yourself at home. My apartment may not be big or luxurious, but you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

“Are you sure that won’t be a problem? Because I kind of planned to get a motel room for a few days until I figure out what I’m going to do. I hate to be a burden on someone, and—”

“Say no more, Karen. My house is your house for as long as you need it,” said Denise, thinking that things would be fine with Jermaine around.

“Thank you, baby, and thank you too, Maurice. We really appreciate it,” said Jermaine, trying hard to conceal his excitement.

During their discussion, which lasted another thirty minutes or so, Jermaine had briefly excused himself to go lay the kids in his grandson’s spare bed. When he rejoined the other adults, Denise and Maurice gave Jermaine and Karen a hug and said good night.

It had been a long, tiresome day for both Jermaine and Karen. They talked for another hour or so, then they decided to try and get some sleep. Once in his bedroom, behind closed doors, Jermaine stripped to his boxers and then lay next to Karen. She had already taken off her pants and blouse. The fact that her breasts were extremely small did not prevent Jermaine from getting aroused. Her petite frame, her long brown hair, her smile, and her smooth yellow skin were enough for him.

In a matter of seconds, their tongues and lips fell in rhythm simultaneously, quickly heating the both of them, and then suddenly without warning Denise opened the door.

“Oops,” she giggled, covering her eyes. “Sorry to intrude, Daddy and Karen, but I only wanted to welcome you and your kids into my home for as long as you need to stay.”

“Thank you, Denise,” Karen said, shamelessly. “I really appreciate that.”

“Why don’t you try knocking next time, Denise? After all, I am paying rent and this is my room,” said Jermaine, in a joking manner.

“Why don’t you try locking the door, Daddy?” replied Denise, smiling. She then locked and closed the door and then disappeared.

Immediately, Jermaine and Karen picked up where they had left off before the intrusion. While kissing wildly, Karen began stroking Jermaine’s hardness and massaging his balls. She was actually used to bigger and better things, but she had no problem dealing with his medium size, considering the needed rewards that should come out of it.

Jermaine responded by playing with her clit and fingering her wet, hot pussy. Seconds later they were both naked, still kissing and rubbing each other in all the right places. Karen began licking and sucking Jermaine’s penis. Her mouth was hot and experienced, producing so much pleasure that Jermaine’s toes began to curl. She skillfully licked up and down, then slowly sucked the head while caressing his balls. Then suddenly she sped up her rhythm, sucking faster, then slowed it down a notch and concentrated on licking.

She gave him head for close to fifteen minutes before he came. Like a pro, she sucked him dry, causing him to go a little limp, but then she began licking again until he was fully erect again.

“I want it ride it now,” said Karen, smiling.

She then climbed on top and straddled it and then gave him the ride of his life. Regardless of his penis not fitting hand in glove inside her slippery, wet pussy, it still felt good to him.

She rode it like a jockey about to cross the finishing line at the Kentucky Derby until she came once, then twice, and then a third time. They kissed again, and then the both of them fell asleep. From that night he was hooked like a fish.

During the course of the next three weeks Jermaine spent each day with Karen and her kids. He had requested local runs other than runs that would keep him gone anywhere from a week to three weeks for the sake of building a relationship with Karen. He rented a room for them at Motel 6, but on a couple of occasions they had spent the night at his daughter’s.

Twice a week they took the kids to the movies, on weekends they picnicked in parks. Some days after work they shopped at the local mall, and they even went to Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Also, they had taken a day to meet one another’s relatives. Karen was milking her cash cow for every drop it had to offer.

Life was going quite well for Jermaine. He strongly felt that he had finally found the right woman.

Karen definitely felt that Jermaine was Mr. Right as far as being a husband, a good father figure, and an excellent provider, but the one thing he lacked, which was what she simply couldn’t overlook, was a big dick.

Karen had promised herself years earlier that when she did find Mr. Right he would have to possess the following things: a good-paying job, his own home, a couple nice cars, and he would absolutely have to be a positive father figure. Damn. He’s everything I ever desired in a man, but why couldn’t his dick be about four inches longer and two inches thicker? Karen thought.

One day after having sex they began making small talk. “Damn, baby, you sure know how to whip that pussy on a brotha. You’ve got your own unique way of riding a dick and giving head. I could swear you’ve got a degree in sex or something,” emphasized Jermaine. “Actually, sweetheart, I have never had a woman who could come anywhere close to competing with you in the sex department.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” replied Karen, smiling, but her thoughts were, I’ve heard this shit umpteen million times. Hell, I used to fuck and suck for a living, so what do you expect?

Jermaine and Karen had been together for almost two months the day Denise had entered their bedroom smiling. Seeing her father happy and content made her happy and very well pleased. Now she felt it was time to put a little icing on the cake.

“I’ve been doing some serious thinking lately about you two. I mean, you guys must be paying an arm and a leg weekly at Motel 6, right?” Jermaine started to reply, but Denise had already continued.

“Anyway, Maurice and I agreed to let you and your kids move in—that is, if you want to—for two-hundred and seventy-five dollars a month in addition to what my daddy is paying me no. . .