More to Love

SORIMAH STYLES

Chapter One

“For real? It’s like that?” I rolled my eyes from the irritating question that was asked.

I was so tired of repeating myself to niggas.

All I wanted was to be left alone. Anytime I stepped out the door it was somebody in my face calling themselves getting at me.

I was so over these trashy ass men that was left for our picking.

It seemed like the percentage of good men were getting lower and lower.

“I have told you to leave me alone twice little boy, that’s what I meant.”

“Fuck you then. You ain’t even all that fat bitch!”

“And I bet your mama’s even bigger. Carry on about your business before I hurt your feelings. Standing there built like for ten cents a day you could feed a whole village. Boy gone.” I wasn’t in the mood for him.

“Bitch you ate the village.”

“I can afford to do that. You approached me with your pants below your ass, dingy forces to match that dingy t-shirt, and a fade with a crooked line. Plus, the way you talk back is real sassy. You not here for a woman at all. I believe your type has something swinging between their legs miss girl.”

“Bitch—” He raised his hand as if he was going to hit me and I quickly put him in check.

“I wish the fuck you would.” My hand swiftly went inside my purse and clutched my cute .22. He had the right one.

I grabbed my bag off the counter and proceeded to go on about my way.

I was only in Eastland Mall to grab a bag and a pair of boots from the Gucci store.

Getting into it with trifling men wasn’t on my agenda.

However, as an attractive curvy woman, I knew that couldn’t be avoided.

I was still waiting to have one peaceful day without them feeling entitled to women.

Because I was a thicker woman, niggas felt they could disrespect me or that I would jump at their proposal because of my size.

I was very content with my size and was more than confident in the skin I was in.

I didn’t need a man to tell me a damn thing about me because I’d already instilled it within myself.

“Did I just see you reach for Nina in the middle of this darn mall?”

“Yes, you did, and I won’t hesitate to use it either.”

“Ri you are going to go to jail if you keep letting these weak ass niggas rive you up.”

“EJ please. I am not that stupid. I have a business to run and neither him nor anyone else will stop me from running up that hefty bag.”

We kept walking out the mall and to our vehicles. We stopped by for a brief moment and even that wasn’t drama free.

It was a celebration for me and EJ. We opened up our second office across town so we were more accessible and now we could expand our clientele. I was proud of us because we were counted out by our parents often.

Erykah and I were the youngest out of four and the most disappointing ones if you questioned our parents.

We never seemed to do anything worth bragging about in their eyes, but we were the only ones they called on when they were down and out.

The two they praised were selfish and self-centered.

Our mom couldn’t get a dime out of them.

“What time are we celebrating?” EJ asked, putting her bags in the trunk.

“How about eight? I’m thinking we pregame at my house and then hit up Vixen to have a good time. I thought about C.R.E.A.M instead but I want to pay a bitch rent tonight,” I replied.

“No lie, Ri, I was thinking the same thing. Damn... we been around each other too long.”

“We all we got so it’s only right. I’ll see you later baby. Hit me if you need me.”

We parted ways and I was heading to the largest condo building downtown.

Over the course of four years, me and my little sister took being a nanny to a whole other level.

We sat for the wealthiest people even down to the poorest and it was nothing that we didn’t do or provide. We trained our nannies well.

It started when EJ and I were left to babysit Kara and Justice’s kids.

They were twins and did everything together.

When one did something, fraternal or not, the other copied.

EJ and I were fourteen and thirteen babysitting their son and daughter.

We had no teen life because of them, and our parents still allowed them to go out and do God knows what.

Because I was curvier than my sisters, I was always accused of being the fast tail one when really, I didn’t lose my virginity until I was in college. I cared about who I laid down with unlike Kara. However, that didn’t stop my mother from telling the whole town that I was hot in the pants.

A call from my best friend Daria interrupted my tunes bringing me out of my thoughts. I answered immediately with a smile. She was one of my favorite people.

“Yo.”

“Bestieeeee!”

“What’s up thug.”

“Not shit. I was wondering if you had any plans tonight.”

“Me and EJ going to celebrate the opening of the second office but that’s about it. You want to come?”

“It all depends on where y’all going. I was going to suggest Vixen.”

It had to be something in the air because what the fuck.

There must’ve been something going on at Vixen that I didn’t know about.

It was new and the most raved about strip club, but it really wasn’t all that.

The strippers actually worked for their paper and wasn’t lazy, so I guess that was the reason for everyone gravitating toward it.

“That’s exactly where we’re headed tonight. Just meet me at my crib and then we can go from there. I’m not driving either, you are.”

“Whatever heffa. I’ll see you in a few.”

The call was disconnected, and the jams were back on. I was closer to my place by now, so I was only able to enjoy one more song from the new Creed soundtrack.

I absolutely loved J-Cole and the whole Dreamville team. It was about that time to visit Raleigh, North Carolina for the Dreamville Festival and I had two tickets bought already. I was going to surprise EJ so she could be my plus one. Ari Lennox was her girl.

Pulling into my condominium, I took the parking spot assigned to me. I was looking forward to the night, so I was in good spirits. I hopped out while popping the trunk to retrieve my bags and headed inside right after.

I bypassed the desk clerk by taking the stairs to the next level because she had the biggest crush on me, and it made me uncomfortable.

I appreciated the compliments, but she didn’t know how to take no, as a no.

She tried her hand often and I hated shutting her down every time we crossed paths because she so sweet.

From the second floor, I took the elevator up to the sixth floor.

There were four condos on this level with two on each side.

I got a good price for this place, and I didn’t see myself leaving anytime soon.

It was spacious with an extra two bedrooms, and it was away from the hood.

I was blessed to have this and that was no lie told.

My key was administered, and I was walking into a place that smelled of vanilla and honey. I began to undress at the door, a piece of clothing stripped from my body every few feet. I was in the comfort of my own four walls.

“Alexa, I’m home.”

That was all I needed to say in order to get her to play a certain playlist. I allowed the music to flow through the surround speakers as I headed for the bedroom.

I planned on relaxing until it was time for me to turn up with my sisters.

I planned on getting tore up tonight because I deserved it.

I’d been working too hard not to let my hair down.

Going out was always random. It was never planned until the day of, and it was never settled on exactly what to do. All we knew was that alcohol had to be involved.

Stepping into the bathroom, I immediately started my bath water and put in the necessary ingredients to relax.

I then lit my eucalyptus candle and allowed the aroma to fill the air.

This week was more stressful because of how hard we went for the second location.

This bath would be the time for me to breathe.

I began to wash my face as the tub filled up.

I looked at my hair in the process of the mask setting and couldn’t believe how long it had gotten.

I used to be a lil haired thing walking around here looking like a bald turkey, but Daria dropped off her magic hair oil this time last year and now I felt like Rapunzel.

“Get right bitch because you know they don’t know what a pregame is,” I said aloud looking in the mirror.

My sister and best friend loved to drink and tended to get tore up before we made it to our destination 80 percent of the time.

EJ was very lightweight, and Daria wouldn’t stop until the bottle was physically taken from her.

That left me who was always stuck on tipsy.

I just couldn’t get past that point no matter how much I drank.

Getting out of my head, I washed the mask off and then stepped inside the tub. The water was finally at the desired level and with this big body Benz adding to it, it would rise more. I stopped the water and submerged my entire body underneath it. It was needed.

“Is this what you do when we’re not around?”

Popping my eyes open and sitting up with no hesitation, I looked to the door to see my headache in the flesh. She startled the fuck out of me.

“Daria what the hell are you doing here?” I asked with my hand on my chest attempting to control my breathing.

“The dress I want to wear is here, so I figured I’d just make myself at home until it was time to go,” she said, shrugging in the mist of her response.

“You and EJ really do work my last nerve. The key is for —”

“Emergencies only. Yeah, we know, but my stuff is here so why would I go home?”

“Because my name is on the lease, not yours,” I mumbled underneath my breath followed by an eyeroll.

They were welcome but they really did abuse their access at times. She walked out and left me to bathe in peace. I stayed in for another twenty to thirty minutes before I called it quits.