Nathaniel
SHE WAS FUCKING beautiful.
In a room full of barred asses and bare titties, she stood out because of how much she had on. But even more so because she damn near had a glow about her, a halo, and it wasn’t because of the amethyst hued ‘fro she was sporting. But don’t get me wrong, that shit was fire too.
This woman had brown skin the color of perfectly ripened chestnuts and eyes to match.
Even in the dim light, the golden undertones of her skin shone on her cheeks every time they hitched when she spoke or smiled.
Despite moving confidently in her job, I could tell she wasn’t comfortable in this place.
Which had me wondering why the fuck she was here.
All my thoughts of simply observing outside tonight had gone out the window when she’d pulled up and got out of her car.
Even it seemed too na?ve for this place.
Too practical, like she’d looked at the features and the performance instead of worrying about what the vehicle said about her.
Where the other girls were pulling up in foreign cars, some I was sure they were working here in order to pay the note on, she was in a Corolla.
It screamed utility in a place that was about excess.
She didn’t belong.
That’s why I’d pulled off my shiesty, hopped out of my beater truck and followed her into the bar when I caught sight of her.
I was supposed to be gathering information but now I was putting myself in the middle of everything I was only supposed to observe.
I had little choice of how to tame what I looked like so my best option was to tuck my braid into my shirt and keep my hat low.
The security in this bitch was lax as fuck since they only gave me a passing glance before they waved me in.
From the spot where I was posted up at the side of the bar, I could take everything in without being seen.
I’d attempted to keep my focus on several of the city councilmen who were in here warming up to women who most certainly weren’t their wives but my eyes kept drifting.
She smiled and nodded and filled orders with little assistance.
I noticed a few women slip off and disappear and had relaxed slightly.
But all that ended when a man strolled up to the bar with a hunger that had nothing to do with what was on the menu.
I’d been trying to ignore it but looking at this woman my chest warmed.
The way it did when I was around the people that I loved.
And that shit should’ve scared me but it didn’t.
I was now too focused on looking out for her since she was engaging with someone who saw her innocence as something to exploit.
What I thought was originally a waste of time for my night had clearly turned into something more.
Initially, we’d thought there wasn’t a lot of harm in what was going on and thought the girls here were willing participants.
It wasn’t something that I would want for any woman but we couldn’t stop adults with free will.
But her face was shifting between confusion and discomfort and this round-bellied fucker causing it now had my attention.
Not a good thing.
When her face crumpled from the open and happy look she’d been sporting to something more along the lines of disgust, I knew he’d crossed the line.
But when this uncivilized muthafucka reached across the bar to grab her wrist I was on my feet without a second thought.
I’d already run through three different scenarios in my brain of how I was going to apologize to Samp for muddying the family name, to Billy for having a mess she needed to clean up and to my team in case it cost us a sponsorship.
And this was all before I’d gotten to her.
In that span of time she’d freed herself and they’d argued more but he proved how stupid he was by grabbing her and dragging her again.
I fought the urge to pull out my fucking gun and shoot out the sound system since clearly nobody in this bitch was concerned for safety.
Especially if there was a whole kidnapping in progress and their stupid asses were none the wiser.
They were moving towards me and a quick assessment of the situation meant I had space and opportunity to beat his ass before anyone came to his rescue. I was unsure of who this man was, which was unusual since I knew everybody, another sign he didn’t belong here.
She hollered out a definitive I said no! That I heard despite the volume of the people and the music and I stepped up to make my presence known.
“Get your gotdamn hands off her while you still can.”
They both stopped abruptly. His cessation of movement wasn’t wasted because she snatched her arm back over the bar.
He was wise not to take his eyes off me and I watched him trying to find a weakness in me he could exploit.
It was just like a man to try some shit with a woman but cower like a bitch when a man came around.
At almost six four I wasn’t a little ass man, but my height clearly wasn’t deterring him.
“Plenty of other girls ready to have fun. I already put my name on this one.”
“The fuck?”
Her outraged words at this man still not getting the picture that she didn’t want him didn’t surprise me.
What did surprise me was him thinking he could speak about her like she was a business transaction and I would be okay with it.
It must be the narrative that all Black men didn’t care about Black women that had him thinking I’d let this shit rock. He couldn’t be more wrong.
I stood up straighter and worked my neck back and forth to release the tension.
Samp taught me that fighting loose was the easiest way to ensure that you won a fight.
And that was whether you were fighting a man or a beast. I’d already calculated how much force I would need to put him down and it wasn’t much.
Why he thought I was something to play with was unclear but I’d already memorized everything about him and filed it away for later.
My focus was making sure she was good.
“She said no. That means no. What the fuck part of that didn’t you understand? I know about four other languages I can convey the sentiment if English isn’t your first.”
“I’m a fucking American! How dare you—” He’d made the mistake of walking up on me and my gun was to his chin before he could say shit else.
“Now, looka here. I don’t have time to listen to whatever racist bullshit was going to pour out of your mouth.
I’m sure it was coming with the vehement way you screamed I’m a fucking American.
Like you had something on us. Now, what you’re going to do is hop in the car you rode your ass down here in and go back to wherever you came from.
I’d planned to beat your ass into the wood floor but that would keep you in her presence for too long and get me caught up in some shit.
Neither of which I’m keen on doing tonight.
So, make this easy on yourself before I have to drag you into your car and put you in the trunk.
Places like this it might take a few days before they found you and by then the piss and shit would be hard to get out of the truck liner. ”
This man was weighing his options and it didn’t please him to be in his current predicament.
If I’d thought I’d end my day with some pussy and was getting my life threatened, I might feel some type of way about it too.
But he’d brought it on himself by not leaving this girl the fuck alone when she said no.
“Who are you to tell me—”
“He’s the man with the gun. What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish or something?”
I never took my eyes off the man in front of me but I could see her ‘fro bouncing in my peripheral the purple tips that I could now see up close confirming my opinion on her being a free spirit. And definitely out of place in this bitch.
“The lady is right. You don’t seem to value your life much.
” I pushed the gun further into his chin and watched the minute he realized I wasn’t joking.
If this place had tapes they could watch them back and see what led up to this.
It was Texas, I was pretty famous and a woman was in trouble.
Given the business being conducted in this place, I doubted they’d want to raise that big a fuss.
But this man wasn’t the type who would push his luck much further.
The bead of sweat that I could see coming from his hairline was the sign he’d broken.
Concluded that he might have been a bully but I was a beast he didn’t want to wrestle with.
He might escape me tonight but I was sure to pay him a visit down the road.
No one who was comfortable enough with trying to force a woman’s hand in public this way did it without assurances that he’d get away with it.
Probably because he’d done so in the past and planned to in the future.
When he finally took a step back I could almost feel the tension from Fairy ‘Fro ease but I was about to fuck up her night slightly. I stepped back to give the impression that I was giving him room to walk but then sent my Glock across his face. The music continued to play drowning out the way he’d hollered like a bitch and folks were continuing their do-si-do of pay for play pussy around us.
Their laxness was now working to my advantage.
I bent down to talk to Bully Badass who’d turned into a weeping sack of skin when I split his head open with my steel.
He was lucky we were in public because this could have and should’ve ended up far worse for him.
Oh well, there’s always next time.
“Listen here you degenerative fuck. I don’t know who you are and it’s clear you don’t know who the fuck I am.
If you did, you would’ve never stepped foot in this place thinking you could harass the women that work here.
So for right now, you get a pass. Not because you’re worth it, but I’ve got bigger issues to deal with tonight.
If I see you within a hundred yards of her, this place or me, you’re going to have an in-person consult with the Holy Trinity.
They’ll be able to tell you to your face that playing with me was exactly where you fucked up.
Now, you’re free to go. Might want to put some ice on that because it’s gonna swell like a bitch.
But I did you a favor and didn’t bust your shit to the white meat so you don’t need stitches.
Consider it the last of my fucks to give when it comes to you. ”
I stood up straight and put my hand on the back of his neck, dragging him upright with me.
Fairy ‘Fro gasped seeing the blood run down the side of Bully’s face but I didn’t pay it any mind.
She was going to need to get used to how I moved.
That thought gave me pause, since I didn’t even know this girl’s name. Why would she need to get used to me?
Instead of dwelling on where my mind had gone, I refocused on the threat that was adding his genetic material to the well-worn and stained wooden floor.
“Go out the back door and don’t forget what I said.”
He looked around but kept his eyes off Fairy before he cut through a hallway, giving her a wide berth and disappeared into the back.
I tucked my gun back beneath my denim shirt before I turned to the fairy.
Her beauty was even more breathtaking up close.
Her cheekbones were sharp, eyes wide but also tilted up at the corners, giving her a slightly feline look.
Her afro was picked out and big around her face making it appear rounder than it was and softening some of the sharpness of her face.
But this close, her aura felt distracting.
Potent. Speaking to me in a language that I wasn’t conscious of knowing but could engage in effortlessly.
A mother tongue buried somewhere deep and resurfacing now when we were both in one another’s orbit yet again.
“You good?”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. I was unsure if she was traumatized or attempting to see if I was just like the dickhead I’d pistol-whipped for her.
Instead of rushing to plead my case of being a good man I let her process whatever she was feeling.
When she spoke, it was straight and to the point.
“Yeah. I think so. Thanks to you.”
I nodded, noting the way her hands weren’t trembling and she didn’t look as though she were going to fall apart at any second.
“Ain’t nothing. But answer me something if you don’t mind.”
Her face eased again my manners soothing questions she’d internally voiced at my position of being friend or foe. “Yeah, ask me anything.”
“Fairy, what the hell are you doing working in a place like this?”