6. Mask Off
MASK OFF
Thursday night, Lena and I sat on my king-sized bed, catching up on life and the day.
Since I’d become president and my schedule was packed, pop-up slumber parties like this were the primary way we stayed connected outside our jobs and lives.
Since I was always “on call” and didn’t like being far from my home on the nights I was in town, she spent the night at my house every time we gathered.
Cairo texted me earlier in the evening, but I didn’t want to get too distracted by an exchange that might fluster me.
When Lena went to the bathroom, I texted Cairo back.
With each text message exchange, I felt unexpected butterflies and imagined how fine he looked in casual clothes as he walked around his house.
When he called, I considered sending it to voicemail.
That didn’t make sense since he knew I was close to my phone.
I took a big breath and answered in my work voice.
If voices could impregnate people, his luscious one would have me pregnant with triplets.
To retain my composure, I kept our conversation short.
When we took care of business to my satisfaction, I hung up, blushing and smiling behind my hands.
That man had me too giddy. Before I could compose myself, my sister returned.
“Good night, Cairo,” she mocked. “Y’all are talking on the phone now? Wow, you move fast.”
Busted.
“Tell me what happened with y’all again. Slowly.”
My dramatic twin plopped on my bed. She crossed her legs and propped her elbows on her knees, smiling at me with her fists on her chin like I was the official keeper of the world’s biggest secret.
Although I offered general information about the surprise donor announcement and our office meeting, she poked and prodded me as if what I said wasn’t sufficient.
“He also confirmed that we will be his guests at this weekend’s Torch game. I’m going over for my staycation at his home tomorrow too.”
“I’m already in love with him. He is going to turn my sissy out.” She giggled.
“Girl, stop. The man donated that money in honor of his late wife Cece, who he still loves very much. You should have heard the sincerity in his voice as he talked about her in my office. He cherished her like a man should honor his wife. He is not coming for me like that.”
Lena made a Catholic cross over her chest.
“God rest Ms. Cece’s sweet soul, but she’s not coming back. Cairo Kinney needs another woman to warm his bed at night. One who is thicker than a Snicker.” She covered her mouth with her hands before pointing at me. “Something tells me that might be you.” She screamed and fell back on the bed.
When she calmed down, I pushed my eyeglasses on my nose and gave Lena my most serious look.
“Stop looking at me like Mama,” she said.
“Ma’am, you are almost forty-three years old and are acting like a child. We Langston girls know better.”
“No…We Langston girls are freaks who love to party and know how to get down.”
To demonstrate, Lena hopped on her feet and twerked on my legs, which hung over the side of the bed.
I pushed her off me but couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.
She wasn’t lying about us. Back in the day, folks called us the Luscious Langston Twins.
We always had a fine man on our arms and in Lena’s case, between her legs.
“That’s why I don’t understand why you’re with Geoff’s stuffy tail. Maybe this is God’s way of breaking you from the chains he has over you. Nothing about him agrees with my spirit. At all. He’s a burden and a yoke. Cairo is a man who’s in your league.”
I shook my head.
“The primary reason I’m taking Cairo up on his offer is because I need a break.”
My mind went back to the luncheon and how I thought I might pass out having to tell everyone that Liberation programs and scholarships were being cut. It had been years since I had an anxiety attack, but the second my palms got moist, I searched for the nearest exit so I wouldn’t embarrass myself.
“God was definitely in the building today. If Cairo hadn’t risen and made that announcement, I probably wouldn’t have been able to look people in the eye for weeks. I felt like I was letting down so many people who trusted me.”
“You’ve always been a perfectionist. That’s not a good combo with the pressure of your job, so I’m thankful for your new knight in shining armor. And who says you can’t get your little freak on with him too?” She wiggled her eyebrows and shimmied her shoulders.
“If you like him so much, maybe I can introduce you to him.”
Lena raised her hands and shook her head viciously.
“Nah, Zo. Don’t even try that. I don’t want your sloppy seconds. No matter how similar we look, Cairo wants you. And I’m going to do everything in my power for him to get what he wants. What are you doing with your hair?”
I ran my fingers through my thick, almost waist-length natural hair.
Although my sister kept hers short, I chose to maintain my length, since it was easy for me to pin it up and tuck it in a variety of ways.
Since I had somewhat of a baby face too, buns and updos gave me a serious look as I shared my ideas and plans with donors and peers who didn’t always welcome women’s opinions and leadership.
Lena tugged on the ends of my hair.
“You’re going to flat iron it and wear it down this weekend. Show Cairo what he has to look forward to when he takes you from the back.”
I gasped, surprised yet not surprised by my sister’s raunchiness. Although she was a high school physics teacher by day, she sold adult toys on the side by night. Lena’s Labia and Lips brought in so much business she could retire ten years early if she wanted to.
I bought several pairs of edible panties and oils to support her side hustle but had never used them with a partner. Many of the items remained in a red storage box sealed on the top shelf in the back of my closet.
“At least pack the heated massage oil. Cairo might need a rub down after the game. It’s going to be a tough one.
The eucalyptus will relax his muscles and have him sleeping like a newborn.
” She was serious for fifteen seconds before she returned to her silly self.
“After that, use the oil to wake his pole up and ride him like a bronco until he’s ready to hibernate. ”
To illustrate her point, Lena leaped up and down and twirled a fake lasso. She ended her performance by throwing her imaginary rope over me and reeling herself to me.
I sighed.
“Your energy is contagious. When did I become so boring and a stick in the mud though?” Tears filled my eyes as I thought about my life and how off-kilter I felt.
I had always been on the fast track, telling myself I would pay now and play later. That mentality had me frazzled, and the pressure of my job wore me down more than I thought.
Lena hugged me close as I cried. Within seconds, she started crying too.
“You just have to remember that you are more than your job, love. You’re kind, beautiful, funny, and all the things you always were.
Let loose with that sexy stallion. It’s one weekend.
Then go back to being the illustrious President Zora Langston.
This is your chance to take care of yourself.
And your needs. With no judgment or condemnation. ”
I wiped my eyes.
“You’re right. Cairo knows what it’s like to wear a public mask. I’ll remove mine if he removes his. No judgment or condemnation.”
The next day, Cairo’s driver, Wayne, pulled into the cul-de-sac of the president’s mansion five minutes before noon.
When he rang my doorbell, we exchanged pleasantries.
I locked the house and placed my cross-body purse and carry-on bag on my shoulder.
Wayne rolled my Louis Vuitton suitcase to the trunk.
He opened the door, and I slid into the most luxurious SUV I’d ever seen, with white leather seats that looked and smelled like they were fresh from the factory.
I imagined how perfect Cario’s house must be.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, though, since everything about him screamed excellence and high class.
Not even a hair was out of place in his neatly groomed, long beard.
“Feel free to adjust the air if it’s too warm or cold.” Wayne’s kind voice reminded me of my late grandfather’s as he pulled off the property.
“Mr. Wayne, do I detect a South Alabama accent?” The pitch of my voice rose and twanged to match his.
Because of my upbringing, I didn’t care if he told me to call him Wayne. He was my elder, and he would get the respect he earned. If I brought nothing else to my students in my role as president, they learned first-hand the importance of respecting their elders.
“Why, yes. What do you know about that part of the country?” He asked the question, directing his light brown eyes toward me in the rearview mirror.
He smiled so big I saw a couple of missing teeth in the side of his mouth.
“My grandparents are from Henry County. My twin and I spent many a summers shelling field peas and skinning our knees on gravel roads. To my mother’s dismay, we also scuffed our white patent leather church shoes up too.
” I chuckled, recalling good times spent with my Alabama cousins in the summer heat.
“Small world,” he said, shaking his head.
I settled into the back seat, feeling much more comfortable than I did before entering the SUV.
“Mr. Wayne, what should I know about Cairo?”
He returned his eyes to the mirror and remained silent for several seconds.
“I don’t want to violate any confidentiality issues,” I added quickly, realizing he might have signed a nondisclosure agreement in his role.
Too late; I considered how inappropriate my question was. I’d gotten too comfortable too quickly. I would be livid if a stranger questioned my driver about me.
“I’m gonna answer your question. Just tryin’ to find the right words.” He paused for what seemed like a long time before finally answering.
“He’s a good man to his core. Kind to people he cares about. Fair and honest in business. Solid. That’s Mr. Kinney.”
I nodded.
“Yes, he has already demonstrated his generosity with his donation to Liberation. I appreciate this invitation to his home.”
I wanted to ask if he did that for other women, but I knew that was even more inappropriate than my first question. No matter how curious I was about my host, I would never put a wholesome man like Mr. Wayne in a position to gossip about his employer’s love life.
“Believe me. Everything will be first class. He does nothing less than the best. But I expect a woman of your standing to be used to that. You’re doing big things at Liberation. I bet you’re giving them hell.”
It was Mr. Wayne’s turn to be nosy. I see you, sir.
“My job is challenging but is quite rewarding when I meet people like Cairo and wonderful members of his team like you.” I gave Mr. Wayne my biggest smile.
When I saw a semblance of a blush on his face, I realized my presidential charm was working. Man, I loved my job.
As I reveled in the comfort of my conversation with Mr. Wayne, we pulled up to a large gate.
He rolled down his window and punched in a code on the keypad at the entrance.
The ornate wrought-iron gates with the initial K opened slowly, leading to a long driveway lined with freshly cut grass and neat junipers spaced evenly along the path to the house.
“Does Cairo live here alone?” I leaned toward the middle of the back seat and stared out the front window before me, finally spotting Cairo’s mansion, which looked more like the Cinderella Castle at Disney World than a residence.
“Yes. This is a lot of land and home for one person, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is.” I turned my head in every direction to take in what looked like miles of acres that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The majesty of the tall trees surrounding the property almost took my breath away as they dipped and rose on hills in the distance around Cairo’s home, framing it like a modern work of art.
“Nature is showing out today.” I pulled out my camera to capture as much of the sun-kissed view of Cairo’s property as I could from my angle in the car.
Mr. Wayne eyed me from his peripheral, slowing down long enough for me to take clear pictures I would share with Lena later.
“That house is gorgeous,” I narrated, taking in the array of large windows, including bay and picture windows that hinted of the diversity of design within the home’s interior.
By the time the SUV rolled over grayish cobblestone pavers surrounding a round cascading fountain, I had no doubt Cairo was as rich as the news outlets tapped him to be.
The sandy colored three-story gable roof home that stretched for what looked like a quarter of a mile could only belong to a billionaire boss.
Since I still had my camera out, I discreetly took a photo of the house up close and Cairo, who stood like an African king, tall and handsome in a matching jogging suit by the attached multi-car garage.
As he squinted toward the back seat where I sat, I fanned my face with my hand, hoping the tinted windows disguised my nervousness.
I steeled my spine to meet my host on his turf, face-to-face.