Chapter 7
Seven
Karla
Two Months Later
M ona, Lariah, and I had been friends for over twenty years. I considered them my sisters, and no one could tell me any different. When Mona began dating Clinton, we became good friends with the wives of his friends, and our crew felt complete.
Clinton and Evander were business partners, and Austyn was Evander’s wife. Norah and Janeevah were Austyn’s best friends, and they were married to August, Austyn’s twin brother, and Juelz, respectively.
As of now, I was the only single person in the crew, and surprisingly, it didn’t bother me. Watching the way those men loved my friends gave me pure joy. It gave me hope that I’d find a man who loved me the same way, although my luck and patience with dating had run out.
It was girls’ night out, and the lounge we chose was small and intimate. On Friday nights, the theme was “Wine Down for the Weekend,” featuring wine tastings, light bites, and a DJ. To attend, you had to be one of the first fifty people to sign up.
When my friends’ husbands entered the lounge, the girls’ night we’d planned was over.
The men had to have planned to crash our night all along because their names had to be on the list to be allowed inside.
It wasn’t the first time they’d crashed girls’ night, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last.
I smiled as I watched each of them make a beeline for their wife, but my mouth dropped open when I saw Elias coming in my direction.
“Holy shit!” I whisper-yelled, grabbing Lariah’s arm.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“That’s him.”
She looked around, but it was clear she had no idea who I was talking about.
“Who’s him? Him who?”
“Lariah, that’s?—”
Before I could tell her who I was talking about, her husband, Dominick, pulled her to her feet to embrace her. Dominick was once good friends with my and Mona’s ex-husbands. Since my divorce, he’d distanced himself from those assholes and became cool with Clinton, August, Evander, and Juelz.
I did my best to become invisible, but when I heard his smooth baritone voice over the music, I knew it didn’t work and he’d spotted me. I sighed and slowly lifted my head, taking in every inch of him until my eyes made it to his face.
“Why do I feel like you’re hiding from me?” he repeated.
“Elias, umm . . .”
“You remember my name?”
I remember everything about your fine ass. Especially the way your tongue felt on my pussy and how your dick felt stretching my walls.
“Of course. How are you?”
He offered his hand, and I took it, allowing him to help me to my feet.
“I’d be much better if you hadn’t ghosted me.”
I looked away, but he used his index finger to force me to look at him.
“I’m sorry. I?—”
“You don’t have to apologize for walking out of my life, leaving me with no way of contacting you if that’s what you wanted to do.”
"Elias, it wasn’t like that.”
“Tell me, Karla. How was it?”
I sighed, looking away again, only to find several sets of eyes on us. I was sure they couldn’t hear what we were saying because of the music, but they were locked in.
“Umm, can we go somewhere private?”
“Sure. My hotel is around the corner. There’s a restaurant in the lobby.”
I nodded before introducing him to Lariah and sharing my plans with her.
Elias took my hand and led me out of the restaurant.
It was the beginning of July, so the temperature remained warm well into the evening.
I still felt a chill when he draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me close as we walked.
“Where are you from?” I asked.
“Toledo.”
“Oh . . . What are you doing in Chicago?”
“I came to see you.”
I rolled my eyes, although he didn’t see me. “I didn’t tell you I was from Chicago, so I know that’s a lie.”
“If there’s something I want to know, I have ways of finding out.”
“That might be true, but I don’t think you came to Chicago just for me.”
“Honestly, you’re the main reason I’m here.”
“What are the other reasons?”
“A fresh start and a job opportunity.”
I sat with his words for a moment before responding. “Is your ex still stalking you?”
“You remember a lot more from our conversation than I expected. A lot has happened in the past two months.”
“Really? I can’t wait to hear it all.”
We continued to our destination in silence. Elias didn’t remove his arm from around my shoulders until we arrived at the entrance of the hotel. He opened the door, allowing me to enter first. Once we were inside, he led me to the restaurant.
After we were seated, we viewed the menu. I hadn’t had a chance to eat at the lounge, so I was starving. The server arrived, taking our drink and food orders before disappearing again.
“How have you been?” Elias asked when we were alone again.
“I’ve been fine. Nothing spectacular or life-changing has happened since I last saw you.”
“You mean, since you snuck out of my room like a thief in the night.”
“Must you continue to bring up old shit? I didn’t sneak out of your room. I left because I had an early flight.”
“You ain’t wake a nigga up or leave a note. I call that sneaking.” I rolled my eyes again, and this time he could see my face. “Roll your eyes at me again. I’m gon’ do something to make them bitches get stuck in the back of your head.”
I was so shocked by his words, I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. Aside from in the bedroom, I’d only seen the softer side of Elias. Based on his tone and his words, he had an aggressive side hiding behind his gentle demeanor.
Since I had every intention of letting him take me to his room and fuck me until the sun came up, I didn’t address his comment . . . for now. As soon as I had some food and a bit of liquor in my system, I’d let him know exactly what I wanted him to do to my pussy.
The server returned with our drinks, and we sat quietly, enjoying a few sips. Elias didn’t take his eyes off me, and the longer he stared, the warmer my body became. I couldn’t blame it on the liquor because it had only been a few minutes since I’d begun drinking.
“Tell me more about this job opportunity.”
“Clinton and Evander have an opening. The job is mine if I want it.”
“Do you want it?”
“I’ve been here for two days. After my interview, we talked in great detail about the position, they gave me a tour of the company, and I shadowed the person who I’d be replacing.”
“It sounds like you want the job. You’ve been here for two days?”
“Yes to both.”
“Why didn’t you reach out?”
“I don’t have your number, Karla. I know Mona gave you mine, and I ain’t heard shit from you. If I was a weak ass nigga, I’d think you ain’t wanna fuck with me, but with the way I had you screaming in Punta Cana, that couldn’t possibly be true.” He leaned forward. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. When I was in Punta Cana, I wanted some stellar dick. I got what I wanted and went about my way.”
“You didn’t have to settle for having this stellar dick just once. You could’ve had it every weekend for the past two months.”
“I’m not into long-distance relationships, and I didn’t know you were only four hours away.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Punta Cana wasn’t about getting to know you. It was about getting the dick.”
The server’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Her eyes widened, letting me know she probably heard the last part of my statement. Her eyes avoided ours as she placed our food in front of us. After asking if we needed anything else, she scurried away.
“I’m taking the job and moving to Chicago. What do you need to know about me for us to move forward?” he asked before eating a forkful of mashed potatoes.
“Remember, I’m not looking for love.”
“You sure about that?”
“I need to know a lot more about you for us to move beyond the dick I want from you tonight.”
“Word? Is that pussy craving me?” I nodded. “Is that why you’ve been shifting in your seat?” I nodded again. “Say less. Eat up. You’ll need the energy.”