Chapter 6 #2
I burst out laughing as I got out of my car. “I’ve never denied liking Russ. But if I had a big meeting in the morning, I would prioritize that meeting.”
“I hear you,” she said in a tone that made it clear she didn’t believe me. “You’re full of shit right now, but I hear you.”
She wasn’t wrong, but I needed clarification. Is it that obvious?
Slightly amused and extremely curious, I wondered, “Why don’t you believe me?”
“Because the way you go on and on and on about Russ, I don’t think you’d turn that down.”
Just the thought of Russ and all the ways he took care of me sent a chill down my spine. Because it wasn’t just the dick that was magical. Every single thing about that man was magical.
I could not resist him.
Even though I wanted to deny her claims, the truth nagged at me. I smoothed down my black-and-lavender romper and collected myself.
“Of course I’m not turning him down!” I exclaimed. “The dick is exquisite.”
Aaliyah cracked up. “I’m gonna start calling Russ by his real name because there’s something between you two. And you called the dick exquisite… that’s high praise.”
I cleared my throat, looking around even though my cell phone was pressed to my ear and no one could hear Aaliyah’s end of the conversation.
I made my way to the entrance. “You are making this a much bigger deal than it needs to be.”
“All I’m saying is that you’ve never used the word ‘exquisite’ before.”
“A bitch can’t use a thesaurus nowadays?” I continued over her snickering. “And at the end of the day, I don’t play favorites. No one is getting chose. It’s all for one and one for all… and I’m the one.”
“What is wrong with you?”
“Not a damn thing!” I walked into the club, my eyes sweeping the room until they landed on my date. “But I just got here. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Call me after your meeting,” she directed.
“Call me before your date,” I responded.
We said our goodbyes just as James glanced over at me.
Six feet tall, with a goofy smile, James Stansfield had boyish good looks.
His humor and confidence were why I kept him around, but I couldn’t deny that he was very attractive.
His deep-set dimples and curly high-top fade made him adorably cute, and his thick build and toned arms made him a sexy combination of soft and muscular at the same time.
He always wore jeans and a T-shirt on our dates, and I would’ve loved to see him in something a little more fashion-forward.
But the man looked good—basic, but good.
I’d spoken too soon.
What does he have on his feet? I wondered as I took in the orange-and-brown sneakers.
Flashing him a smile, I slipped my phone in my handbag and pulled out my ID for security. James was at my side in seconds.
“If it ain’t Disappearing Acts herself,” James greeted me, pulling me into a hug.
I laughed as I squeezed him. “Hi.”
“It’s good to see you.” He slid his hand down my back to pat one of my cheeks. “Real good. I missed your fine ass.”
I pushed him off with a giggle. “You missed me?”
He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me back into him. “You know I did. You need to stop playing and spend some real time with me.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?”
“I’ve been trying to see you for the last few weeks.”
I gave him a look. “And I’m here now.”
He escorted me to our seats. “You changed your mind about us spending the night together?”
“No.”
He put his hand over his heart. “Damn!”
James and I spent most of our time together bantering back and forth. He was confident enough to take a joke and funny enough to make them.
When we got to our table, he pulled out my chair for me. I had a question before I took my seat.
“James, what’s going on? Why are you so pressed to take me home?”
He grabbed my elbow and leaned so his lips were right against my earlobe. “You’ve been avoiding coming back to my place for the last six weeks, and I miss the way you feel on my dick.” He exhaled so his breath tickled my neck. “And I’m willing to beg for it.”
My nipples instantly hardened. My eyes swept the crowd before I slowly turned to face him. “That’s a lot of energy for some pussy you’re not going to get,” I whispered.
“That’s a lot of denial for some dick you came on six weeks ago.”
I twisted my lips and tried not to laugh as I sat down. “Yeah, okay.”
Once he sat across from me, he flashed his goofy smile.
“You look good as hell,” he told me.
“Thank you. You look good, too.” I glanced at his shoes and then back at his face.
His smile grew even as his brows furrowed. “What?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes are saying a lot.” He gestured to me. “You got something to say about my outfit, let’s hear it.”
“If you like it, I love it.”
He sucked his teeth and shooed me away. “Nah, say what’s on your mind. What do you think of my shoes?”
“You’re asking my opinion?” I questioned carefully.
“Yes.”
I shrugged. “Okay, well, they look like big-ass pumpkins on your feet.”
He burst out laughing. “Just because you overdress to everything we do doesn’t mean you can shit on what I got on.”
“I’m not shitting on you.” I gestured to his feet. “Your shoes are doing that on their own.”
“Wowwwwwwww!” His voice carried his amusement. “You don’t know style if you don’t recognize these are the new Glizzy joints everybody wants.”
I frowned. “In that color and shape?”
“Yooooo, you’re an asshole. You think just because you’re all put together, I don’t have heat for you?”
Grinning, I nodded. “Bring it!”
“What’s this right here?” He pointed to my hairline. “What’s going on with your hair right there?”
My smile grew. “I laid my edges.”
“No, the swoop thing.”
“Yeah, my baby hairs.”
“Nah, not those big swoops.” He shook his head. “Those aren’t baby hairs. Those are adult hairs. They got bad knees and a pension.”
My head fell back, and I laughed. “Shut the fuck up!”
He chuckled along with me. “I’m just playing with you. You look good. Swoops and all.”
We were still laughing as the lights dimmed.
“I have a surprise for you,” he told me as the DJ started playing music.
“What’s up?”
He rose to his feet.
“Guess who is hosting…”
My mouth dropped. “Oh shit!”
He leaned down and kissed me. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
The DJ lowered the volume fractionally. “Put your hands together for your host, the winner of the open mic new-comedy showcase, James Stansfield!”
The crowd clapped and yelled out in support as James jogged up to the stage.
“What’s up? What’s up? What’s up?” he started as the applause started to die down. “How many of you out here are on dates?”
Half of the crowd seemed to raise their hands, yelling their affirmative answers.
“The thing about dating is that shit is unpredictable. I’m a good-looking dude.
My mom tells me all the time, so fuck what you think, I know that shit is true.
So anyway, I’m on these apps, swiping left and right, and these bios are terrible.
Must be over six feet to ride this ride —then you look and she’s four feet eleven inches tall herself.
Ma’am, five feet five inches is plenty.” He pointed into the crowd at a man laughing and clapping hard.
“We see you, short king.” When the crowd finished laughing, he continued.
“ Looking for the Jim to my Pam —ma’am, Pam is a cheater, so now you’re telling on yourself… ”
Laughing, I looked around at the crowd cracking up. When my eyes went back to the stage, my heart swelled. I was so happy and proud of him. If I didn’t have a potentially life-changing meeting in the morning, I might’ve stayed for the entire show.