Friends With Benefits

As the bus headed to Baltimore, via Philadelphia..there was a lot of inside intrigue going on...For one thing, Mabel found herself sneaking a look at Clerow, who to her surprise was sneaking a look at her. Her man didn't care too much for Clerow and she certainly didn't want any trouble , so she tried very hard not to look at him...She didn't know why she was looking at him still...He was her brother in law now..her sister's husband..She was going to have to stop thinking about him. Likewise Clerow didn't like how he was feeling about Mabel..He adored Cora Beth..He did and at times he couldn't keep his hands off of her, but who was he fooling? Nine times out of ten he was still thinking about Mabel..when he was with Cora Beth...his wife still reminded him of her older sister, who he had been an angel's breath away from marrying....

In the back of the bus, the youngest of the Jenkins girls, Anita Jenkins...was also feeling a little insecure...She was one of the few women on the bus without a man and everytime she moved ,she could feel the tall basketball player, Carlton's eyes on her...She thought he was cute though with his six foot ,seven frame and his hazel eyes....but he was taken and furthermore, she didn't like the way his girlfriend was side eyeing her. She should check her man ,she thought...
After all...he was the one looking at her...it's not like she was doing anything to egg him on.

Sean and Sheila fell asleep in each other's arms in their seat....Paris and Blake and their girlfriends engaged in idle chatter...Deacon and Victoria Weatherford enjoyed looking out of the
window ,while kissing and giggling like teenagers. Conrad had fallen asleep and was snoring loudly while Jill ,embarrassed, smiled weakly as people looked her way...

Honey Brown had drifted off to sleep too and Carlton slipped off to the seat in back of Anita's and
stretched out as though he was going to sleep.

"So...this your first time up North Missy?" He said.

"Yes ,it is....I came up with my Daddy to meet my sisters and my little neice." laughed Anita ,who was surprisingly very turned on...but needing to hide it.

"How long do you think you'll be staying?" laughed Carlton...

"Why? You got plans for me or somethin?" she laughed coyly...

"I sure do...I'd like for us to maybe meet and go out ..you know like a movie, have a couple of drinks or somethin." he whispered.

"Don't you have a woman? I don't think she'd like that?" said Anita ,now getting herself under control.

"Oh her?"he said ,looking towards the sleeping Honey Brown..."She aint my woman..we kinda like ,you know...friends." he said.

"Oh ,you mean friends with benefits as in...she gives you a little ,when you're home, but it aint really that serious right?" she said.

"Uhhhh, yeah, somethin like that." He said.

"You think I'm just a little dumb Louisiana girl that don't know the deal right?? Well you wrong,
aint nothin slow bout me..and you gon have to come again with somethin better than that....I'm not tryin to get caught up in no drama..ya here..." she said.

"Naw...naw...aint gon be no drama baby....I promise you that...I aint about the drama..that's fo
sure." said Carlton...

"You talk a good game, but I don't trust you...how do I know you won't tell some other girl that I'm your friend with benefits?" she said.

"Because you aint....you're not my friend, cause I don't know you like that and I haven't uh...benefited from anything yet..heh..heh..heh..." he laughed slyly.

"Keep dreaming mister basketball playa...and I do mean playa." she said with a laugh...

"Oh I dream..I dream big baby and I make most of my dreams reality, you best believe that shorty..." laughed Carlton.

Anita liked his cockiness...She liked his arrogance and devil may care...He could get it in so many ways, but damn if she was going to let him know that. Carlton liked her feistiness..He already knew that he had to have her..but he had to be careful...He smiled, got up and sat back down next to Honey Brown...who was still sleeping soundly....

Carlton looked at Anita as he sat next to Honey and smiled...Anita looked at him and smiled back, then she turned her head and put her headphones on..."Ego" by Beyonce was playing on her Ipod nano...She smiled and thought...How appropriate.

(To be continued......)