Chapter 2
R o e m y
I woke up again and the room was filled with soft morning light.
I blinked a few times, trying to remember where I was, and then it all came rushing back.
Case. The dinner. The sex. The second round in the middle of the night.
I looked over at him. He was still asleep, his arm draped across my waist, his face peaceful.
He looked different when he was sleeping.
Less guarded. Less intense. Still fine as hell.
I carefully lifted his arm and slid out of bed, trying not to wake him.
I needed to get back to my room to get ready for the panel discussion today.
I grabbed my dress off the floor and slipped it on, trying to zip it up quietly.
I found my heels, put them on, and then looked for my phone.
It was on the nightstand, and when I picked it up, I saw the notifications.
I’d return calls and texts when I got my head together for the day. Right now, I needed to get out of Case’s hotel suite. I was just about to head for the door when I heard his voice. “Where you goin’?”
I turned around, and he was awake, propped up on one elbow, looking at me with those dark eyes. “I have to get back to my room,” I said. “Today’s a big day.”
“Come here.”
“Case, I really need to…”
“Come… here.”
I walked back over to the bed, and before I could say anything, he grabbed me by the throat and pulled me down to him.
His lips crashed against mine, and I melted into the kiss, my hands gripping his shoulders, my body responding to him even though I knew I needed to leave.
When he finally pulled back, he looked at me with a smirk.
“Last night was everything,” he said.
I felt my cheeks flush. “It was.”
“I’m dead ass. You got a nigga hooked now.”
“I gotta go.”
“I know, baby.” He kissed my lips again and released my neck. “Good luck today. You gon’ kill it.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll see you at the panel discussion. Maybe we can link after.”
I hesitated for a second, but then I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Aight. Now get outta here before I fuck around and tie you to this bed all day.” I laughed and headed for the door. When I looked back, he was still watching me, that same smirk on his face. “See you later, Roe.”
“See you later, beautiful.”
I slipped out of his room and walked down the hallway, my heels clicking against the floor. My body was sore in the best way, and I could still feel him between my thighs.
When I got to my floor, I walked down the hallway toward my suite, and that’s when I saw a fine ass man was walking out.
He was tall and dark-skinned, with a clean fade, and he smiled as he nodded at me while passing.
I walked up to the door, and Shamari was standing there in a robe, her hair all over the place, a satisfied grin on her face.
The second she saw me, she squealed. “Biiiitch!” she screamed, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. “Where the hell have you been?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Girl, don’t even try it. You didn’t call me not once but me? I blew your phone up! And now you’re doing the walk of shame.” She looked me up and down and squealed again. “You got some big fine dick!”
“So did you!” I said, pointing at the door. “Who was that?”
“That’s Terrence. Remember I told you about him?
And girl, let me tell you, he can write and he can fuck.
” We both burst out laughing, and I collapsed on the bed, my body still buzzing from everything that had happened.
“So?” Shamari said, sitting down next to me.
“How was it? And don’t leave out any details, bitch. ”
“It was…” I trailed off, trying to find the words. “Fucking everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything I’ve been writing about. Everything I’ve been dreaming about. Everything… I knew I needed, but probably was never gonna get.”
“Daaamn! Case put it down like that?”
“Girl, yes. I came multiple times.”
Shamari screamed again and grabbed my hand.
“Ahhhh!!! I’m so happy for you! You deserve this.
You deserve to feel good. You deserve to be with a nigga who knows what the hell he’s doing.
” I smiled, but then I felt my phone buzz in my hand.
I looked down and saw another text from Regis.
“What’s wrong?” Shamari asked, noticing the shift in my mood.
“I missed Regis’s calls all night.”
“And?”
“And I just don’t wanna deal with it. I just wanna live in the moment.”
“Good. You shoulda been ignoring him a long time ago.”
I looked at her. “Shamari.”
“I’m serious, Roe. His broke ass excuses and his inconsistency? Ugh. We both can do better. If these niggas wanted to step up and be committed, they would be. Nate included. Shit.”
“I hear you.”
“No, you don’t, which is why you’re sitting there tryna make excuses and be regretful about fucking Case all night.
” She grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes.
“Fuck Regis. You need to make a decision. You need to choose yourself. Choose your happiness. Choose the life you actually want instead of the life you think you’re supposed to have.
What if Case is exactly who you’re supposed to be with? ”
“Shamari, we just met him.”
“So? You done known Regis for years, and look where that got you. A date here and there, him showing up with flowers, and him sleeping over a few times a month. Sometimes the right person shows up when you least expect it. And sometimes you gotta be brave enough to take the leap.”
I didn’t say anything. I just sat there thinking about everything she’d said. I thought about my situationship with Regis. I thought about Case and our chemistry. I thought about the life I’d been living and the life I wanted to live. It was all too much to think about at that moment.
“Come on,” Shamari said, standing up. “Go shower and catch a quick nap if you need it. I know your ass had a long night.”
“Shut the hell up.” I laughed. “So have you.”
“Girl, I know. Terrence wore me out, but it was worth it.”
We both showered, taking turns in the bathroom, and then we climbed into our separate beds. The room was quiet except for the air conditioner humming, and I felt my body finally start to relax. I set my alarm to get up in two hours and then I closed my eyes and let myself drift off.
???
When my alarm went off at noon, I yawned and stretched. The suite was bright with early afternoon sunlight streaming through the curtains. I had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. It was noon and I needed to get myself together for the day.
I sat up, feeling the soreness in my body from last night and this morning. My muscles ached in the best way, and I couldn’t help but smile thinking about Case and everything we’d done. Shamari was already awake, sitting at the desk, scrolling through her phone with a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Look who’s finally up,” she said, grinning at me. “Sleeping freaky Beauty herself.”
“Shut up,” I said, laughing. “What time did you wake up?”
“Eh, I didn’t really sleep. But I ordered us brunch.”
“You’re the best.” I got out of bed and grabbed my phone. As I ate, I responded to emails, social media comments, and DMs, and then I returned Monisa’s texts.
Shamari began pulling clothes out of her suitcases and laying them on the couch. “Okay, so what’s the vibe for today? You need to look powerful but sexy. Professional but approachable. You gotta come correct.”
“Definitely don’t wanna do too much.” I finished eating, then walked over to my suitcase.
“I brought a few options.” I pulled out a black blazer dress that would hug my curves, a burgundy wrap dress that showed just enough cleavage, and a perfectly tailored blush pink pantsuit.
“I’m thinking the black blazer dress,” I said, lightly tapping my chin.
“It’s sexy, professional and shows my confidence. ”
“Yes! That’s the one. And you can pair it with those black Jimmy Choo’s. The ones with the ankle strap.”
“Yup. That’s perfect.”
Time was ticking quickly, so we started getting ready for the day. While I got dressed, Shamari started on her hair. She insisted she beat my face like “only she could,” so I let her do a pretty smoky eye and a nude lip. Next, it was fine to tame our crazy hair after a wild night.
She was lucky she had goddess locs because trying to diffuse all the curly hair on my head almost wore me out. I got the job done, and by the time we were ready, I looked like the successful author I was supposed to be. Much less like the freak from last night.
There was a knock on the door, and Shamari went to answer it. Monisa walked in, looking sharp as always in a navy blue pantsuit with her locs pulled back into a sleek bun. She was carrying a leather portfolio and a cup of coffee. “Hello, ladies,” Monisa said, smiling at me. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks, Mo. I’m getting nervous as hell.”
“Don’t be. You’ve got this. You’ve been speaking in front of crowds for years.
This is just a bigger stage.” She sat down on the couch and opened her portfolio, pulling out a copy of my keynote speech.
We’d been working on it for weeks, refining it, and making sure every word hit the way it was supposed to.
“Alright, let’s go through it one more time,” she insisted.
“I wanna make sure you’re comfortable with the flow and the pacing. ”
I sat down next to her, and Shamari sat on the other side of me. Monisa went through the speech line by line, giving me notes on where to pause, where to emphasize certain words, where to let the emotion come through.
“Remember, this isn’t just about craft,” Monisa said.
“This is about giving people permission to feel, desire, and be unapologetic about their sexuality. You’re not just talking to writers.
You’re talking to readers. You’re talking to Black women who’ve been told their desires don’t matter.
You’re giving them permission to take up space. ”