Chapter Seven
SIA
"What took you so long to meet with me?" Beno asked.
He was a charming-ass nigga with long money, enough to make his great-grandchildren rich.
We never had sex, though I know he wanted to.
We've been knowing each other for years—since high school.
Back then, he was an ugly, pimple-faced, gap-toothed-ass nigga on the football team, but eventually he grew into his looks and money fixed up his appearances enough to make a bitch like me do a double take.
For a while, we spoke via social media and he'd hit me up to check on me every quarter, but that was it. We never led anything on between each other that showed interest. Occasionally, he'd comment under my pictures and throw slick shots, but I never engaged in anything dealing with that.
The other night though, after my phone call with Dose, he hit me up asking to take me on a date.
I thought about it long and hard, before giving in and asking him to send me the deets.
Dose could fucking wait and plus I wasn't on his time, so bailing out on an ain't-ass nigga was easy.
At first, I wasn't going to say anything about not showing up, but I felt like he deserved to hear something from me, instead of nothing at all, so I kept it simple.
Sorry, I can't come.
Though my phone was on silent, he called me back to back fucking back, and I ignored every call. Then eventually I turned my phone off because he was causing a disturbance.
"I don't know," I lied.
I really didn't have much to say. Honestly.
"You know," he grinned, showing a set of white veneered, chicklet teeth. "Why you playing? You know how long I've wanted you. You fine as hell even in person, Sia."
"I be so busy," I spoke, as I took a sip from my wine, letting the bitter taste kiss my throat. "Yet I made time for you."
He blushed. "Then be with me. Let's ride off into the sunset and shit."
"It ain't that easy," I grinned.
Then my smile faded as a cloud of darkness wavered over me, matching a look of confusion on Beno's face. With the quickness, an intoxicating scent loomed over me, overpowering whatever Beno had on.
My eyes grew wide, watching Dose grab a chair from an empty table nearby and scoot closer to us, hitting his knees against mine and swatting Beno's hand away.
As if that wasn't enough, he leaned up and removed a gun from his waist and tapped it on the tablecloth and leaned back against the chair with his eyes zeroing in on me, as he stabbed his cheek with his tongue.
The menacing glare felt like he was staring a hole through my face as chills ran over my body and up my spine.
Beno's brows were screwed up as he looked at me to say something, but for once I was speechless and a slew of questions were spiraling around my head.
How the fuck did he know I was here?
Did Nya tell him?
But she couldn't have because I didn't tell her where I was going?
None of this was making any sense right now.
The steady taps of Dose's gun sent a chilling sensation through my spine and Beno looked on like a deer in headlights.
"Sia, baby, do you know him?" Beno finally spoke, with his voice shaky just a tad bit.
I parted my mouth to speak then suddenly my throat felt so dry, that even swallowing didn't help.
"Um I—"
"Why you out with this flea-lookin' motherfucker anyway?" Dose cut me off, still mugging me. "We had plans tonight, love."
"Dose, please!" My head shook.
"Please what," he grimaced.
"Can we talk about this in private?"
Beno's eyes turned into slits.
"I promise this won't take long."
I stood up and adjusted my dress. Before Dose stood, he mugged Beno and put his gun in the air and made childlike noises, as if he was firing shots, scaring him half to death.
Fah! Fah! Fah!
On shaky legs I walked to the restroom, ignoring the long stares from people.
I arrived in the restroom long before Dose did, brushing past the group of women so I could splash water on my face.
When the door swung open a millisecond after me, I heard women gasp as they exited, leaving me and Dose alone.
I could feel him standing behind me, shortly after.
His dick was pressed up against my butt like it belonged there.
Before either of us could say anything I turned on the faucet and glanced at him through the mirror.
He was still fine as hell, even in this moment, when I couldn't stand the sight of him.
Everything about him seemed carefully put together.
His fresh taper was sharp and clean, the crisp lines blending seamlessly into a well-groomed beard that framed his jaw perfectly.
Dark ink stretched up the side of his neck, disappearing beneath the collar of his Adidas windbreaker.
The jacket concealed most of the tattoos on his arms, but the ones that snaked down his wrists and across his hands remained visible, intricate designs curling over his knuckles and reaching all the way to his fingertips.
His lips were soft-looking, naturally pink, and impossible not to notice whenever he spoke. Beneath thick lashes, his eyes were heavy and hazy, carrying a relaxed confidence that made it difficult to look away.
Nonetheless, anger seethed through me, igniting a raging fire between us. Turning around swiftly, I pushed him as hard as I could, but it didn't seem to faze him nor did he lose his footing.
"Jackass," I snapped.
He thumped me across the forehead making me scowl. "Wanch!"
"How the fuck did you find me?"
"You ain't in a place where you don't want to be found, love," he chuckled, while running a hand over his hair.
Every move he made, the material from the windbreaker sounded off.
There were also specks of rain on it. "This was the best that nigga could do?
" He grimaced. "You don't even look like the type to stoop that low. "
I folded my arms over my red, buttery silk dress. "What does it matter to you! Don't be coming at me like you have an elite roster, nigga! You fuck with some low-income-housing-ass hoes!" I argued back.
He nodded his head, while pinching the bridge of his nose. "What did that nigga do to get you to pop out wit' him?" He asked. "Is that yo nigga? Tell me right now and I'll fall the fuck back 'cause I'll never get between you and another nigga's business."
I frowned in disgust at his tone. He said it like all a nigga had to do was something in order for me to step out, but I mean yeah, that's the case, but he didn't have to say it like that.
"Dose, fuck you. He ain't have to do shit."
"So why you ignoring my calls and shit for! Fuck is you on!"
"Nigga you invited me to a sex dungeon! That's not a good first date!"
"Shit, I can't tell, when you fit the category!" He spat, with a look of regret etched on his face.
Regardless of hearing the truth, it still stung nonetheless.
I raised my hand so far back and slapped the shit out of him.
That's one of the things I hate about being in the industry because of the stereotypes made by my own kind.
Men see me as a sex symbol and forget that I'm human too and I have standards.
It's morally the reason why I'm so guarded over my heart and I don't pour into men.
It's why I've gained financial success because I don't want to have to depend on anyone.
Dose caressed his cheek and turned his eyes into slits, but he didn't raise the other hand to hit me.
"You know I ain't mean that shit."
"Nigga you meant what the fuck you said!" I retorted.
"You got me acting all discombobulated and shit, Sia. You know that ain't even how I look at you, love!"
"Is that your way of apologizing? I can't read your mind. I only know what you say and how you say it."
The look of regret wavered over his face, but it didn't wash anything away.
He removed his hand from his face and replaced it with prayer hands, then took a deep breath.
"Baby I want you. I don't know how else to show you that I been wanting you, Sia."
"I hear you, but nigga that ain't enough," I spat and brushed past him, and sauntered my way out of the restaurant.
Everything was done in rapid speed, because I didn't want to risk him running after me. How the fuck am I going through shit with a nigga who don't even belong to me?
Dose was blocked on everything!
I don't even tolerate disrespect from niggas I fuck with, so what made him think I'd tolerate it from him.
That's the issue! He thinks because he has money and wealth that he can talk and treat women any kind of way and they're supposed to fall in his hands like putty?
I know a lot of goofballs who would praise him, but not me.
I'll never let a nigga treat me like some black licorice.
I can play big bank take lil' bank with a rich nigga right now and I'd come out on top.
I'm way too grown to be pussy-footing with grown-ass niggas who want women to stroke their egos and Dose fell into that category, but as much as I wanted to loathe over how ain't-shit most men are, I still have work to do.
It was near midnight and I was logging into my After Dark account.
Day by day my DMs were flooded with people seeking a response, but most of them were lonely-ass men wanting somebody to talk to.
Exiting out of my DMs I went to my main page and clicked on the camera icon so I could go live for a few minutes.
I'd just taken a shower and I was naked, with baby oil glistening all over my body.
Then I removed my robe, to expose my perky breasts, and bare pussy.
Slightly, I ran my hand through my hair as I pressed live.
In seconds people started coming in and sending me so much love and saying nasty shit.
I grinned and responded to a few of the comments, before springing into action.