Jaheim
When Beau asked me to come out tonight I had no idea I’d be seeing Liana. Let alone a carefree, body right Liana. The tight blue jean dress and the titties spilling over were about to start a fight in the middle of the club.
Every nigga in the section noticed. I played it cool until I couldn’t. She looked good as a motherfucker, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed. That was the part that was going to be a problem.
I’d been in the cut watching her for the last thirty minutes as she shook the club. When I spotted her heading to the bar by herself, I knew it was time to make my presence known.
This was neutral turf, so all that careful distance she tried to keep between us wasn’t about to survive the night.
“Trini, you look good. Damn, woman.”
Her eyes locked on mine with a smile.
My jaw tightened at the thought of getting used to seeing that shit. I was already thinking too far ahead when it came to her. I couldn’t help myself. It was something about her ass that stayed on my mind.
“You mean that?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. I’ve been watching you all night.”
“Really? That’s news to me,” she said, reaching for her drink from the bartender.
“Let me handle that.”
She reached for her tab and paid it before I could stop her, which was so Liana I almost laughed. Instead, I let her have it.
The moment stretched between us after that. Nothing to do with the music or the crowd, just us looking at each other a little too long.
“You dance?” she asked, leaning in close enough for her perfume to cut through the liquor and smoke.
“I don’t, but I’ll dance with you.”
She smiled. “Oh, I’m special.”
“You know that, Trini. Come on.”
She hesitated slightly. “People normally call me Bloom. Like my cousins.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to call you what everybody else does.”
Her eyes lifted back to mine.
“Cool?”
She nodded softly.
I took her hand and led her to the dance floor. The fact she came without arguing told me more than she probably realized.
The DJ switched to 3AM by Loe Shimmy and Liana melted into the music in front of me. When she turned her back to me, my hands found her waist naturally. We caught the rhythm quick. Nothing awkward about it.
She fit against me too comfortably.
Smelled too good.
Soft skin. Soft dress. Soft everything.
I grabbed her hand and spun her back around.
“Jah, what is it about you?” she asked, letting me pull her back in closer.
She looked back at me once and whatever she saw on my face made her press her body closer into mine.
“Chill, because that’s not a banana, baby.”
She snorted in laughter, and it was the best sound in the building. The policy she had was being dismantled in real time on this dance floor. She knew it, and I wasn’t going to say a word about it.
The song changed but she didn’t move away. Neither did I. We kept swaying, ignoring everyone around us. Swaying to the Bikers’ Shuffle was diabolical but we didn’t give a damn.
“Y’all need to get y’all love-sick asses off the dance floor.”
“Bro, who you talking to?” I asked, separating from Liana.
Her eyes widened as I stepped in front of her. Dude looked at me, then at Liana, then back at me before softening.
“Oh my bad, brotha.”
“Yeah,” I said with a grin. “Yo bad.”
I pulled Liana back against me and she came easier this time, no hesitation, no pretending she wasn’t feeling this too. Her ass pressed against me while my hands settled on her waist as the music took back over.
We were still in everybody’s way, but at this point, the floor could adjust.
Liana laughed hard enough to lean fully into me.
“Jaheim,” she said through a laugh. “The big bad wolf.”
I shrugged as the guy shuffled around us with his girl, shaking his head. I heard Liana snicker behind me.
“We are so wrong,” she said.
“We really are,” I agreed, not stopping.
She looked up at me over her shoulder. “You’re not even a little sorry.”
“Sorry for wanting to stay as close to you as I can? Not even a little.”
She stepped back and grabbed my hand, leading me off the dance floor.
Her hand stayed warm in mine. Her ass swayed in that little dress while she pulled me through the crowd, and I already knew sleep wasn’t in my future tonight.
“Damn,” I murmured.
We made it back to her section, and she pulled me down on the couch beside her. I spotted her homegirl with Beau and shook my head.
“You never answered my question.”
“What question is that?”
“What is it about you?”
I took her in before pinching her chin. “I don’t know, you’d have to tell me what makes me the best nigga for you.”
She giggled, shaking her head.
“You must have confidence on tap. Is this how it feels to be a cougar?”
I scooted back and cleared my throat. That shit was going to have her ass fucked through a mattress if she kept playing. I was fully prepared to show her that I was far from a baby.
“Trini, what you need to see? Bank statements. My crib? My I.D? What? I’m a full-grown man, no bullshit.”
“Sorry, I... I don’t know. I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.” Her head dipped, and I didn’t like that.
“Aye, nah,” I said, lifting her head back up. “I’m saying, why is that standing between you and me?”
She shrugged.
“Aht, use your words. Tell me what’s up. You scared?”
“I’m not afraid of anything…”
“But?”
“No buts.”
“Aight, you scared of me. Admit it, and I’ll ease up.”
I wasn’t buying it. The age gap may have been the excuse on the surface, but underneath that was a woman scared of wanting somebody that much again.
She shrugged and looked at me.
For once, she wasn’t trying to manage the moment. No joke. No deflection. No reaching for a rag to keep her hands busy.
I leaned back and let the music fill the space between us for a moment.
“You hungry?” I asked. ‘I’m tryna get out of here.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I got a suite two blocks over. I can order room service. We can keep talking or we don’t have to talk at all.” I kept my voice easy. “No pressure either way. The club ain’t my scene.”
Her eyes held mine for a long moment. Then she looked across the section at Noeva, who was very focused on whatever Beau was saying and very deliberately not looking back at us.
“She planned this shit,” Liana said.
“Probably.”
“Probably my ass. Look at her over there, skinning and grinning with Beau. Skank.”
Another laugh escapes, “I like you, Bloom.”
“I know,” she says.
“Okay, so what’s up. Can I feed you?”
A twinkle of mischievousness flashed in her eyes. She finished her drink, set the glass down, stood up, and smoothed her dress.
“Let me tell Noeva I’m leaving,” she said, walking off before spinning back on her heels.
I stood up and put my hands in my pockets. “What now, Trini?”
“Don’t get cute, baby boy,” she said, bouncing on her feet. I decided right then I would carry her out if I had to. “Look,” she said, pointing in my face while I smiled. “Whatever happens tonight is a tonight thing. My policy hasn’t changed and neither has my mind. Friends.”
I slapped her extended hand down lightly. “Nah, I don’t need new friends. Got plenty.”
“Welp, I guess that concludes our night.”
She walked off again. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back into me.
“Liana Bloom, you win. Damn.” I leaned down close enough that she could feel the words. “Friends. But I’m going to need you to remember that’s your word, not mine.”
“With benefits.” She held up one finger. “For the night.”
“Deal,” I said.
She studied my face, looking for the catch. There wasn’t one. Not tonight anyway.
She turned and went to find Noeva.
Beau appeared at my side while Liana was still with Noeva. I watched nursing my drink.
“You good?” he asked.
“Yeah. We about to head out.”
“ We ? Damn nigga you speak French?”
“Yeah, we nigga. Get like me.”
He glanced over at Noeva. “Working on it.” He dapped me up. “Don’t blow that shit.”
“When do I ever?”
We embraced in a brotherly hug before he left.
I kept my eyes on Liana. Part of me was still waiting on her to disappear or come to her senses. She leaned toward Noeva and whispered something that made Noeva grab her arm with wide eyes. A second later, they were both laughing while looking directly at me.
Noeva gave me one long, assessing stare before leaning down to murmur something else in Liana’s ear.
Liana shoved her shoulder, laughing, then walked back toward me.
“Ready,” she said.
“After you, baby.”
The ride to The Vue Hotel wasn’t long since Club Stilettos was two blocks away. We listened to music and talked here and there, but I could tell she was nervous.
“Trini, I can take you home, baby. It ain’t no big deal.”
“No, I... It’s been three years.”
“Damn, since you ate?”
“No, got ate,” she said, looking directly in my eyes as I parked in the garage.
“Word?”
“Word. Be patient with me.”
“Shorty, you can eat, sleep, drink on my dime. It ain’t gotta be all that.”
I paused, watching her eyes flick back to mine.
She searched my face in the dark garage like she was looking for a lie. I meant every word, and she knew I did. That was probably why what she said next surprised both of us.
“I don’t want it to not be all that,” she admitted softly. “I’m pacing myself. I went to the club tonight with my thighs and stuff out. It’s past my bedtime. I need… food first.”
I nodded slowly before getting out and coming around to help her from the car.
She took my hand without hesitation.
We walked into The Vue hand in hand without another word because everything that needed to be said had already been said in that garage.
The rest was waiting upstairs.
And honestly, I didn’t care about fucking Liana as much as I cared about having some of her time. Whatever came from that was what it was.
We made it to the room, and she quickly fell in love with the view.
“This is beautiful. I’ve never been here.”
“It is. But not more than you.” I handed her the menu. “You cold? What do you want to eat?”
She took it and kept looking out the window at the city below.
“Can I hug you?”