Page 59 of Defending the Post
No one said anything. Erin stared at my parents, who tried to stay out of it. I stood circling the coffee table, sitting next to Erin, but she wouldn’t give me her eyes. She tried to vacate her seat, but I stood nudging her to me. I tried to kiss her, but she pulled her face away.
“Why do you allow women I don’t care about to get underneath your skin? You preach best friend but get upset if I have a friendly conversation with another woman,” I asked.
Erin folded her arms, but I pulled at her elbow and her stance collapsed. I sat in the chair and pulled Erin down to my lap. She motioned to lift herself and I propped my feet on the table to block her immediate departure.
“Marquise, what has gotten into you and Malcolm?” Mom asked.
Erin glared down at me, but I could see the surrender in her eyes. She knew my statement was right, but she banked on me taming myself because of my parents. I wrapped my hand around her waist and went in to kiss her cheek, but she moved away.
“In the car, you held me down and kissed me. Now you’re acting funny,” I said.
Erin snapped her head around to me. “You kissed me first,” she said.
“Son, you got your first kiss?” Pops interrupted and moved toward me. We slapped hands as I replayed the taste of Erin’s lips.
“Marquise, you kissed someone,” Mom questioned as she wrestled with Khaira.
“Erin forced me,” I said, and she turned to me.
She tried to vacate her spot again, but I pulled her back down.
“Stop lying to your parents. You kissed me and I’m not your first kiss,” Erin said with crowded brows.
“Yes, you are,” Mom and Pops sounded in unison. Erin’s eyes traveled from my parents back to me.
“I’d never kissed a woman in the mouth before you. Forehead and temple only becausetheydidn’t mean anything to me. We gon’ be late for our date,” I said as I peered into her big beautiful brown eyes.
“I told you to take Bella.‘Oh Marquise’,” she mocked, and I chuckled.
“Alright, we gon’ sit here,” I said.
Erin turned to me, “you gon’ sit here. Mrs. Anissa said she would take me home,” she said.
“That’s fine, I’ll follow then we’re going on our date.”
Khaira whined as she wanted to get down, but Mom didn’t want her running.
“Erin, you are welcome to ride with Anissa,” Pops said. “Marquise is going to get himself together,” he continued.
I glared over at Erin, and she rolled her eyes.
“Son, conference room,” Pops said.
Erin stood, and I exited my seat. I followed Pops, staring at his blue suit jacket as we walked into the conference room. We both secured a seat, and he stared at me.
“Marquise, what are you doing? Watch your tone talking to your lady. I know she’s your first kiss, but what you did was not okay,” Pops said.
I peeped over at Erin playing with Khaira.
“I would never hurt or put my hands on Erin. You taught me better.”
“And it will take an army to get me off your ass for hitting a woman,” he said.
Thoughts of the fight between him and Branden replayed in my head at the family BBQ. I knew I didn’t want no issues with Pops.
“I’ll apologize but she is mad over nothing and being stubborn. Erin’s been dogging me out for a week. Bella, she is jealous over Bella.”
“And she has a right to be upset. Once she calms down, it’s still her choice to talk to you. Do you understand me?” Pops asked, and I agreed.
