Chapter 8
Ari
After Proctor left, Tania suddenly became pushy about us going out, having fun, and letting our hair down.
At first, I tried to ignore it. I told myself I wasn’t going because I didn’t need the drama or the temptation of going anywhere near that man.
But then I reminded myself that I have to use self-control when it comes to Proctor.
Unfortunately, I will have to be around him at times because he is my best friend’s father in law.
I ultimately gave in because I wanted to prove my resilience to myself and prove that Proctor doesn’t have control of my mind or my body.
Tonight, I slipped into one of Cyn’s silver dresses with the sides cut from my thighs up, made of spandex.
The dress hugged my body with peaks of my ass showing, so it was an attention grabbing dress, I am sure.
I stood in front of the mirror, turning slightly to one side and then the other, watching the material catch against my hips.
I hadn’t seen this girl in a while because lately, if I wasn’t in a sundress, I was wearing sweatpants and hoodies that hid what I had underneath.
Since I stopped dancing, I rarely felt sexy.
Rarely felt desired, but tonight, I looked like the version of me who knew exactly what she was doing when she stepped into a room.
When I finished getting dressed, Tania was still doing her makeup, so I walked into Cyn’s bedroom to check on her. She was sitting in bed, with a phone pressed up to her ear, and she snapped her fingers softly, signaling to me that I looked good in that silent-girl language.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting for her conversation to be cut short.
“Yes, mama. That does suck for her, I guess,” she said into the phone with a sigh.
“How much will it take, Mama?”
“Damn, that’s a lot of money?”
“Well, tell her she could’ve asked me herself. I mean, I don’t mind helping, but still. She should get a job, and stuff like this won’t be creeping up on her.”
I couldn’t tell exactly what the conversation was about, but it was obvious her sister needed money. This was exactly what I was telling my aunt about earlier when she was trying to pressure me to ask for some.
When she finally hung up the phone, she exhaled deeply, like she’d been holding everything in that entire phone call.
“You okay, friend?”
“Yes, girl, but you don’t understand. These people are always up to something. Sometimes I wonder what they would do if I had never met Hawk and his money. It’s so exhausting being the family bank.”
She shook her head.
“You know how it is with family, sometimes they can be the ones to suck you until you are dry. Unfortunately, Josiah and others did it to me when I was making good money. I could only imagine how it is for you and Hawk because y’all are obviously rolling in dough.”
She pressed her lips together and shook her head slowly.
When I first started dancing back in the day, I was making so much money you could see it on me.
I always had my hair done, I got a new car, got a brand new luxury apartment, and paid my rent on time.
People noticed my comeback, and that’s when my phone started ringing.
There were family members who barely checked on me who suddenly remembered my number.
I heard so many last-minute sob stories about lights getting cut off that I felt like I was the government assistance hotline.
“You know, Ari, I just want to tell you thank you so much for being there for me right now. I know you have a lot of things you are battling internally, probably every day, but you never stopped being my friend and holding me down. And you never ask me for anything or require me to do anything for you, and that means a lot. It shows you are still genuine. Now don’t get me wrong, friend, I will give you the world if you need it, but you don’t require it like a lot of my family. ”
“Well, Cyn, I was your friend when we were eating chicken noodle soup and crackers for dinner. I love you without all of this, and that won’t change.”
Cyn waved her fingers in for a hug, and I gave her one because what she said really touched my heart.
“Unt, unt, I know y’all are not in here having a Kumbaya moment without me.
" Tania walked into the room and caught the attention of both Cyn and me.
She was in a see through dress that had diamonds placed on the fabric, some heels as high as the ones I wore on the pole, and a thong with pasties over her nipples.
“Damn girl, you're going to make some money, and we didn’t know about it?” Cyn joked with her.
“Maybe, I don’t know who I might catch out in the city. Might find me a Hawk.”
“I highly doubt that.” Cyn replied.
“My baby is one of a kind.”
“He may be sis, but we will never know if we don’t go out and look.” Tania propped her foot up on the footboard of Cyn’s bed and started shaking her ass until Cyn threw a pillow at her.
“But come on bitch, let’s roll! It’s ten, and I want to get my body's worth in this dress tonight.”
“Okay, bye friend. You sure you are, okay?”
“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me. Go have a good time and be good.”
“We will.”
We said our goodbyes to Cyn and then left her penthouse to head to the club.
Tania and I caught a black truck, and when we made it out front, I spotted Proctor standing outside, bossing people around as usual.
When we stepped out of the car, we approached him from behind.
He didn’t see us at first because he was going back and forth with some chubby girl who had her shoes in her hand, straggling because she seemed past her limit.
“I said, no shoes, no entry.”
“My feet hurt!”
“Well, if you didn’t force them little piggies to the market in those tight ass shoes, your feet wouldn’t be hurting like that. You better suffer like the rest of these bad bitches out here and come inside the club WITH your shoes on, or no entry.”
She smacked her lips and put her shoes on before walking into the club, mad as hell.
Once Proctor turned around, he finally noticed us standing there and licked his chocolate ass lips, looking me up and down.
“Damn, my day just got better. Yo Sergio!” He called one of the security guards over to us.
“Take these ladies in the club and put them in the Dance floor VIP section.”
“Say no more,” Sergio replied, walking in ahead of us.
Tania and I were escorted to the section and immediately started having a good time. We were hyping each other up like we always did, but it still felt slightly off without Cyn. We were a duo tonight, but I’m used to us being a trio. I for sure miss my girl during times like this.
A waitress came to our section with a large bottle of Ace of Spades and placed it on our table like a trophy. I knew when we were around money, when the Ace came out. The waitress then grabbed a bundle of roses from another waitress and handed them directly to me.
“For you.”
I blinked, caught off guard.
“Unt, Unh, who these from bitch?”
Tania asked before I even could.
I leaned into the waitress’s ear.
“Who are these from?”
“They were sent over from that section over there to your left.” The waitress said happily as she twisted the bottle of Ace open to pour it into our glass. I didn’t even know niggas sent flowers in the club, so this shit was new to me.
“I’m the one in the see through outfit, and your ass is the one getting flowers,” Tania complained, taking the freshly poured Ace from the waitress’s hand.
“Tania that nigga is probably a hoe. I wonder how many females got bottles from him tonight.”
“Bottles and flowers bitch. But anyway, I have to use the restroom! This liquor running straight through me!”
“Pissy ass! I’m coming with you.”
“No girl, you can’t leave our bottles here unattended.
The restroom is right there. I’ll be fine, and I don’t want to get drugged while in Vegas tonight.
” She said something so ironic I had to take a drink.
I still been asking myself for forgiveness for giving my friend that Benadryl at Proctor’s place.
I looked across the dance floor towards the section that sent the bottle and spotted one of the men looking straight back at me.
From where I was standing, he didn’t look bad at all.
Actually, he looked good. The kind of good that makes you look twice just to make sure you’re not exaggerating in your head.
When he caught me staring, he didn’t look surprised. Didn’t smirk too hard either. He just lifted his glass slowly in the air like he’d been waiting for me to look his way.
I smirked back at him, lifting my glass in the air right along with him, before someone pulled my arm, sending the glass and the liquor onto the floor.
“You eye fuckin a nigga in this club in front of me? You want me to drag him and you up out of this bitch?”
I turned around, and Proctor was right there, mugging me so hard you would’ve sworn I stole something from him.
“Proctor, what are you talking about? I’m just acknowledging the man who purchased some flowers and a bottle for me.” I raised my voice over the music.
“Well, he will have plenty of flowers on his grave to offer you in heaven when I take this bottle upside his head and crack his fuckin skull. As a matter of fact, let me go send this nigga to glory right now.” He started walking away before I grabbed his arm.
“Proctor, that’s too far, it’s not that serious.”
“Oh, it’s always that serious about my baby mama.
Don’t let those diamonds on that soft ass nigga fool you.
Any nigga who is that flashy doesn’t really got it like that.
I’ll strangle his ass with that big cheap ass chain he's rocking. Don’t fuckin play with me, Ari.
Just because I just got out of jail, doesn’t mean I won’t go back. ”
Proctor warned, looking at the guy from over here.