5. Voyage Ridley
Chapter 5
Voyage Ridley
“We got to get you a hobby or something. I keep telling you we have new arrivals, I think you’ll love.”
Sipping on the frozen margarita, I adjusted my shades as we migrated through the crowd. It was another one of Baela’s off days and instead of bed rotting and catching up on my shows, I was pulling blue jean shorts out of my coochie as my sandals scraped the wood of the board walk. I needed to speak with our human resource managers because they had to be in cahoots. There was no way my cousin’s and my off days constantly fell on the same days. After my last one-night stand, I wasn’t going to be caught dead in another club for at least a year or two. I was good without it. The introvert in me preferred my bed sheets and a good book over music and sweaty, cheap drunks anyway.
“And I keep telling you that book shit not me. I like to live in the real world. I’ll let you and Riker bond over the fictional realm,” Baela tossed out as she pushed her way through the crowd like she ran it.
Ever since I got the job as store manager at Reader’s Paradise, I have become obsessed with books. When I applied for the job, I was fresh off a heartbreak and knew there was no way I would get it. I did have a college degree in literature because at one point in my life, I swore I would be a teacher, but when I got a job at a call center a week after getting my degree, I became complacent. I’d been there three years before I met my ex, and by then, I had no desire to take the Praxis. Dutton had never helped much on the bills, but when he left, the overtime I’d been working to afford my apartment went out the window, adding to the savings he’d run through. I knew I needed a better job to be able to afford to live in high ass Ausnor so I applied at Reader’s paradise and was shocked when I got the job. I’d always loved books, but became obsessed when I was employed. I immediately started sending Riker books, and sometimes when I was around my cousin, when he called, we’d spend a few minutes talking about what I sent him. Now, I make it my business to send him books using my discount at least once a month. I loved Riker for my cousin, and if sending him a few five-dollar books made his time easier, I was all for it.
“Well, you need to find something to do with your time besides bringing me out of the house every time we get an off day. It’s hot and crowded out here,” I complained.
I hated to be a party pooper but, I woke up in a terrible mood. I should have been glad to have the next two days off, but instead, I was in my head and in my feelings. My cousin had always been good at sensing my emotions because she was telling me to get dressed no sooner than I opened my eyes. We’d gone shopping at all the home stores, went out for brunch, rode through the hood and kicked shit on the block and now we were on the boardwalk. I stayed clear of this area because even though it had the best views of the city and highly rated bars, it was normally riddled with tourists. It was nice out here, I had to admit. If I hadn’t been drinking, I would have been tempted to drag Baela on the Ferris wheel, but I refrained.
“Cousin,” Baela stopped dead in her tracks. Unlike me, she wasn’t wearing shades. Her round eyes were lined with thick black liner that curved up in a cat-like manner. Her lashes had been professionally done, and the mint colored Lulu Lemon tennis skirt set that she paired with grey Chanel sneakers with a matching grey Chanel bag complemented her chocolate skin well. Her tape-ins were pressed down her back, and her makeup was on point. My cousin looked like she belonged to a rich nigga and even though Riker was behind bars he wouldn’t have it any other way. He had her on his hip like a fucking pager when he was out. I adored the fuck out of their relationship because he didn’t hide her at all. He wanted the entire city to know he had a bad bitch and I knew they would give our beach city hell when he touched down.
A group of drunk frat boys nearly ran into the back of me, so Baela pulled me to the side. The boardwalk was packed today, like it was every other Friday evening. But you would have thought it was a holiday with the way the folk had come out, and it would be like this for the next few months. Since it was summer in other parts of the world, everybody and their mama were coming to Florida. Hot weather made people travel, but it was crazy because hot weather and rain were all I knew. I’d never seen snow in person, only on TV.
Baela looked me up and down before settling back on my face, which was balled up in a scowl.
“Cousin. All you do is run that fucking library and then go back home. I just got you back. You hid from me for a whole year fucking with that nigga.”
“I-”
Baela held her hand up.
“I didn’t say that to bring up your past or to guilt trip you. I’m just saying, I’m lonely too, cousin. You know you’re my only family and friend outside of Riker, and we both know he’s out of commission. All we do is work. You just work and read fucking books. While I’m glad you’re feeding your brain, you needed some sun, and your time at the beach after work doesn’t count. It's dark as hell then. You need some human interactions. I promise I won’t have you out long nor will I push you to fuck with another nigga. I want to vibe with my fine ass smart ass cousin,” she blinked her lashes all innocently.
I know Baela didn’t mean to make me feel bad about how I’d been treating her, but I did. I let a broke ass nigga hide me from the world and he didn’t have shit on shit. How the fuck a broke nigga gone dictate some shit? Lord, I was dickmatized to the fullest. Even Riker let my cousin move how she wanted, whether he was in or out of jail. Just thinking about a few months ago had me wanting to vomit.
“You make me sicccck,” I rolled my eyes.
“I know. That’s my job. Now, here, have the rest of my drink so you can loosen up.”
Before I could stop myself, I reared my head back with a frown.
“Bitch I am not about to drink after your dookie eating ass. Unh uh.”
Baela grinned, showing her white teeth.
“You’re never going to let me live that down. I can teach your ass a few things I’m telling you. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
We were in front of a bar, so we went to the service window and ordered two daiquiris. I sucked down the one I was drinking, tossed it an wrapped a paper towel around the new drink. Even though I wasn’t as done up as my cousin, I was still turning the heads of a few men. I’d added conditioner to my hair and took my time thumbing my curls. They were extra big and popping today. I wasn’t in the mood for makeup, so I did basic liner and added shades. I wasn’t as fashionable as my cousin, mainly because I couldn’t afford the brands she wore, so I was sporting a pair of fringed Levi's shorts that a white tube shirt was tucked into. On my feet were brown moccasin style sandals with the matching bag crossed over my body. The weight I’d yet to loose was showing as my ass cheeks peeked out of the shorts. It was why I constantly pulled the fabric out of my thighs.
“Every time you get me drunk. My legs end up wrapped around some random’s waist.”
“Girl!” Baela nearly spat her drink out.
“You need to stop lying. I was shocked you even went home with that dude. Usually the only thing I can dare you to do is dance for a nigga. You can’t lie like he wasn’t worth it, though.”
It had been nearly three weeks since I had my one-night stand, and I was still thinking about that man. I damn near wanted to kiss his mama in the mouth for pushing his fine big dick ass out. Ain’t no way a man should have been gifted with the ability to make a woman cum as hard as he had. I was still embarrassed from the poot I let out.
Shaking that God awful night out of my head, I followed my cousin down the boardwalk. A cotton candy stand made my mouth water, but I couldn’t eat sweets and drink simultaneously. It was either one or the other. Had I been on my period, I would have joined that long ass line though.
“Ohh, it’s a new Neiman’s store that opened on Ocean View Drive, let’s head over there.” Knowing I had no intention of spending any unnecessary money, I nodded. Ocean View Drive was where all the rich shopped, but it was way out of my budget. I’d only gone there once, and that was to use my light bill money to buy my ex some designer sneakers that he insisted on having. He didn’t give a damn that he didn’t have a dime on the bills. Needless to say, he was sharp as hell while we sat in the dark for two days until I got paid again. That was the dumbest shit ever.
The further Baela and I ventured away from the crowd, the more relaxed I felt. One thing I liked about this area was how beautiful it was. It gave Miami vibes, but in the best way. I wouldn’t be able to afford the homes in the area in a million years, but it was nice to fantasize about.
“Damn that’s a sexy ass car.”
A tan Lamborghini cruised by with music blasting so loud that the entire street vibrated. We watched it until it turned the corner. Six-figure cars weren’t uncommon in this area. Hell, cars that weren’t a hundred thousand or better stood out more than the foreign ones. It took us about twenty minutes to get to Neiman’s, and once we discarded our empty cups, I was good and tipsy walking into the store.
That typical expensive fragrance designer stores held greeted us as we walked through the sliding doors. With the temperatures outside rising, the store’s thermostat was set on Antarctica, and I wasn’t complaining. No sooner than we walked in, I ached at the sight of the neatly folded clothing on the tables. We’d walked into the baby section, and I had to bite down on my back teeth to not fall back into my depression. Biting my lip, looking away from the pinks, blues, and neutrals was hard. The sight of the baby’s clothing aroused old fears and uncertainties. I swallowed hard and became more uncomfortable by the minute as my dismay grew.
“And Riker is talking about getting me pregnant when he comes home. No matter how cute these clothes are, this pussy not an exit, it’s an entrance,” Baela tugged me away from the section. Her warm and moisturized hand brought me back to reality, and I could feel myself settling down as we ventured further into the store and out of the baby department.
When the men’s department came into view, I felt better and had my feelings in check. Who would have ever known mediocre dick would have ruined my fucking life?
“Oh, hell, yeah, Riker needs these.” Baela held up a nice pair of green low-top Prada sneakers. Standing beside her, I picked up an identical pair of blue shoes and flipped them upside down to see the price.
“Oh wow. Too much for me.” I put the eight hundred and ninety-five-dollar shoe down like a hot potato. I made decent money, but couldn’t justify spending that type of paper on a sneaker. Without even blinking, my cousin waved the sales associate over. The dirty blonde was smiling at two men whose faces I couldn’t see - only the backs of their heads. One was in an orange fitted cap while the other rocked fresh braids.
“Damn she the only sales associate in this bitch?” Baela frowned as she picked up another Prada shoe, that one being black.
“That must be a sign not to buy. He gets out in three years, Baela. Spending a thousand dollars on shoes that may or may not be in style makes no sense.”
Baela tossed her hair behind her shoulder.
“Oh, he’s going to wear everything I bought. I don’t give a shit if his foot grew, he better hop around in them bitches like the easter bunny. Ma’am! I’m trying to spend some money the fuck!”
I groaned at Baela’s outburst. That girl didn’t care what came out of her mouth. I always told her she was the ghettoest nurse I’d ever seen. That sales associate cut her eyes at us and shot a menacing glare, but she didn’t move. Instead, both guys turned their necks in sync, and it caused me to stumble backwards. If it weren’t a table to break my fall, I would be on the floor by now. Baela dropped the shoes on the table and grabbed my arm, holding me upright. Two sets of eyes were still on us, and I couldn’t look away even if I stuck my hand in my eye sockets to move them.
“Bitch! I know we was drunk that night but ain’t that’s the nigga you fucked?”
Baela was the worse damn whisper on the planet. But it was indeed him. I had no idea he had an identical twin because I was too focused on getting my coochie dug in but damn. I hated that my second time seeing him, I was tipsy again. I needed to see his features sober. Who in the hell were still identical twins at this big ass age? At least they didn’t dress alike. One twin was in all black. Black shorts, fitted black tee and a big ass diamond Cuban resting on his neck with the same black Prada shoes on his feet that Baela had just picked up. The second twin had an orange baseball cap pulled down over his brows, and his braids were in a single knot in the back of his head. He wore a matching baseball jersey, denim shorts, and icy white Force Ones. He also wore a necklace, but had on two instead of one. Both twins were looking our way, and it didn’t make any sense that their mother had made such a divine creation times two.
Baela snatched up both shoes, hooked her arms in mine, and pulled me toward the men. See, she was always doing some shit. We stopped at a comfortable distance, but I'd broken eye contact in their personal space.
“Excuse me, gentleman, I need to borrow this sales associate,” Baela rolled her neck.
“I need these in a size forty-six. But I’m not trying to carry them back to the car. We parked too far. I need ‘em shipped to my house. Can you assist?”
Knowing I looked like a fool, I cleared my throat and lifted my head. Locking my eyes on his, I cleared my throat.
“Hi. How you doin’?”
I was speaking directly to one twin, but both of them smiled, revealing slugs in their mouths.
Licking his bottom lip, he rubbed his chin, and with that motion, I could smell his cologne. It was different from what he was wearing weeks ago at the club.
“You know me?” His fine ass asked.
I looked at his twin in black, who was still smirking, and then shifted my attention back to him.
“So you take that many girls to your house that you don’t remember me?” Cocking my head I squinted my eyes. Studying his features up close, I saw that there wasn’t a bump in place. It was obvious that he was of mixed decent but then again, Dutton had been just as light as him and his ass was all African American. Their looks were so damn uncanny. Both men were fine as hell with their sharp noses, chiseled jaw lines, full lips, and a swagger out of this world. They wreaked of money, good dick, and heartbreak. The twin in black had big ass hickies on his neck and I couldn’t even blame whomever had put them there. Hell, his brother here had marked me up damn near the same. It took days for them to disappear. You would have thought that nigga was a vampire.
Turning to his brother, they both shared some twin telepathic silent communication before slapping hands. Baela and I shot each other questioning looks. The cashier walked behind the counter waiting to check Baela out but she hadn’t moved with her nosey ass.
Licking his lips, he closed the space between us, making my senses spin. He was much taller than my five-foot-eight frame, so I had to look up at him. Our Madea was five nine, so Baela and I got our heights from her. We used to get teased about it so much in elementary until Baela started putting asses to belts.
“How the fuck you know us apart, sexy?” Fitted cap asked.
“Ain’t too many muhfuckas that do,” his twin added.
“I'm going to be in the kids' section getting my sons right, bro. Head on a swivel,” his brother nodded at Baela and me before heading out.
The one who made my pussy spit up that night nodded at his brother and watched his back until he was no longer in sight. Then, he focused back on me.
“You still ain’t answer my question.” His eyes scanned me from head to toe. Suddenly, I felt underdressed. I was cute but compared to him, I was basic as fuck. Thankfully, I had shades covering my face since I didn’t have a full beat. He looked like he was straight out of New York in the summertime. He was fly as fuck.
“Let me go pay for my stuff. I’m her cousin, Baela.”
Baela waved and did an about-face, turning, not even giving him a chance to introduce himself.
“Next time ima report your thirsty ass. You can keep your eyes off that man because that’s all my cousin,” I heard Baela’s ignorant ass tell the cashier.
“I’m waiting,” he ran his tongue across his slugs.
“You don’t think I knew who I went home with?”
“So you saying you can tell us apart or was that shit a lucky guess?”
“I didn’t guess. Had I guessed, I probably would have gone to your brother. He’s in all black. You were in black that night.”
His long lashes blushed his cheeks as he continued to assess me as if he were looking for the truth. They were identical, but my body just knew which one was him. I couldn’t explain it, but I just knew.
“You didn’t tell me you were a twin, though.”
“I didn’t have to. We got pictures all over my crib; you were just too freaked out to notice.”
Eyes bulging, I slapped his chest and he playfully dodged my lick.
“I was not freaked out!”
“You was cousin. I told you,” Baela’s nosey ass added as she signed the screen.
“Real shit,” he chuckled and that was the sexiest shit ever.
“But I gotta slide. Here,” he handed me his phone.
“Call your shit so I can have yo digits. Nobody told your fine ass to dip on a nigga like I was a cheap fuck.” He grilled me, which made me toss my head back in laughter.
“I had to go to work.”
When my phone vibrated in my purse, I handed him back his phone.
“That shit hurt my feelings,” he leaned down and placed his lips on my ear.
“I was trying to get that shit again. You wet me the fuck up that night.”
My body shuddered as his deep voice vibrated through me. He definitely had me wetting up the sheets.
“Since we are face to face, I may as well let you know, I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m fresh off a breakup and not even trying to go there. But, we can have some fun again.”
He slid his phone back in his pocket.
“You mean we can play with each other’s private parts again?”
“And that wasn’t fun?” I asked seductively. I was going to be mad as hell when this liquor wore off.
“Hell yeah, it was. The most fun I’ve had in a minute, too,” he licked his lips again.
“For some reason, I don’t believe that.”
“Real shit. I was tryna make you my ole lady but you on that tryna find myself again bullshit.”
Again, I laughed hard.
“You’re funny.”
“I’m freaky. Just like you. And I’m paid and I like to pay for what the fuck I like. You tryna collect?”
My body heated, and my underarms itched while at the same time my panties soiled. He was too much.
“I’m… not a prostitute. I don’t sell sex to men,” I stuttered.
Spreading his legs, he reached into his other pocket and pulled out a wad of money. My mouth watered as he popped the rubber band and counted out hundreds in the middle of the store. The sound of the paper rubbing against each other made me look at him with bulging eyes. I’d lost count after four thousand, and then he dropped the money in my cross-body purse.
“Ion care about what you not selling to other niggas. I care about what you’re selling to me.”
Leaning in, he placed his lips on mine and sucked them in his mouth. Even with his slugs in, his breath tasted of peppermint. Shit.
Just as I got into it, he pulled back. Swiping his thumb across his bottom lip, he winked.
“Answer when I call and buy the Prada sneakers you had in your hand earlier. Ain’t shit too much for you when you fucking with a nigga like me.”
Going in the same direction as his brother, he left me in the spot with a wet ass and an inquiring mind. I didn’t know whether to be offended, excited, or turned on.
“You heard the man. Give my cousin these shoes in a size thirty-nine. Thank ya.”
“Wait. I don’t even know his name.”
“Who gives a fuck. You’ll find that shit out next time he got your pretty little head in the pillow. My cousin done found her a real rich nigga. I can’t wait to tell Riker this shit here. He needs to call asap.”