8. Temple
I walked inside the locker room to grab my things to clock out for the day. Today would be my and Solomon’s third date, and I had the honor of choosing what we’d do.
Since it was still early, I wanted to take him somewhere fun without crossing his holy boundaries.
I honestly didn't know where this thing would go with either of us. I wouldn't say I didn't love or believe in God, but I wasn't typically trying to be anyone’s First Lady unless the nigga was the president.
But Solomon was different.
He was humble, fucking sexy as fuck, had money from what I could tell, smart, a little funny, and had a little edge to him. Beyond the righteousness, I could still see a bit of the gangsta in him.
We ate at a nice upscale steakhouse in Ohio, then found a park near the water. He told me stories of his childhood, his parents, and how he had a cousin who used to be in the streets that he protected until he finally quit and opened multiple motor companies around the city.
He massaged my feet and listened to me tell him about my high school days with my sisters, and how much Ma Lula meant to me.
When he dropped me off at home last night, I wanted him to kiss me so bad, but he only kissed my hand and my cheek, then left with promises to see me today for part two of our date.
I smiled to myself because even though he took me three hours outside the city and didn't finish the tour, he still managed to turn the date around and make me laugh, blush, and smile.
That alone earned him this third date because I didn't do this with men.
I never trusted them enough to let them in, but Solomon was different, and not just because of his walk with God.
I opened my locker to retrieve my purse and lunch pail when I heard the door open.
Deacon appeared in the doorway, looking at me, before closing us both inside.
Considering we were the only ones in here made me slightly uncomfortable.
The cameras in the break room had been out for over a month, and with his wife not being here for the past two days, Deacon made it his business to be in the faces of all the women in the facility, specifically me and Paola.
“Clocking out?” he asked me, walking over to the coffee maker and pouring himself a cup.
He never came in here to get coffee.
“Yup,” I replied. He didn't say anything else as I closed my locker and locked it back. “See you tomorrow.”
I headed toward the exit when he stopped me.
“Hey. I just wanted to tell you how well you've been doing over the past week. Your attendance has improved, and if you keep that up, I can make sure you get a raise next month.”
I smiled. “Wow. I could definitely use one.”
“I’m sure you could.” He smiled at me, but his words didn't quite land like he may have thought. The sarcasm behind it made me side-eye him before continuing my stride to the door.
“Have a good day.”
“Hold up,” he said, grabbing my arm lightly. “My, uh, buddy is coming into town this weekend, and uh, I wanted to throw him a surprise party. Do you think you and a couple of your girls from the club could come do a private party for us?”
I blinked a few times, truly baffled by what he asked me. No way did he know about my night job. I kept the two separate for a reason, and anytime I worked, I made sure to disguise myself for this reason alone.
“I-I'm not sure what you're talking about, Mr. Deacon.”
He smirked at me. “You do. Temptress.” He pulled his phone out, opened it up, then turned it toward me. There was a video of me on stage wearing a silver thong, glittered pasties, a silver wig, and blue contacts. Normally, I could deny it, but the video was too close for me to lie.
“W-where did you get that?” I stuttered. I'd never seen him inside of Lucid.
“It's amazing what you find on the internet, right?” He chuckled.
“My son posted it on his Instagram, and when he zoomed in on your face, I immediately knew it was you.” He took a piece of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers.
“No need to be ashamed. My friends and I are willing to pay top dollar to see you move like that.”
I knocked his hand away from me and glared at him.
“I'm sure your wife would love to know about you propositioning me for your little dance party. Or maybe she'd like to know how you flirt with the other staff of ladies here and me as well,” I threatened.
He laughed sarcastically and humorlessly.
“Tell her. I promise you will be the only one who suffers if you do. You’d be working at that club full-time, with no promises of a better future.
I’m willing to pay you four thousand upfront for your services and introduce you to men who don't mind spending, and you're going to turn it down, for what? Pride? Dignity?” He laughed again.
“You lost that the moment you took off your clothes and climbed that pole, baby.”
“Fuck you.”
“When?” he asked, sipping his coffee while looking at me over the rim of his cup with that stupid, humorous look in his eyes.
Rage burned me, and before I could stop myself, my hand flew, knocking the drink in his face, and I watched it spill on his expensive-ass shirt.
“You bitch!” he yelled, looking angered and shocked that I could be so bold.
“Fuck you, you bastard. You and your Patrick-shaped ass wife!” I stormed toward the door. Before I made my exit, I pivoted and looked at him. “And I will be going to HR, you perverted bitch!” Then I stormed out, hearing him spew curse words as I hurried down the hall.
“Hey, Temple. What happened?” Paola asked with Rita flanking her side.
“I quit. Fuck this place.”
“Wait. What happened?” Rita asked.
“Nothing. I refuse to be sexually harassed any further.”
“That hornball bastard touched you?” Paolo asked.
“No, but he definitely insinuated that he wants to fuck me.”
Paola shook her head fiercely. “Don't quit, Temp. You can fight this and get his ass fired. He doesn't own this place. Him or his box troll of a wife.”
“I don't know if I even want to keep working here. As much as I love and have grown accustomed to the people and babies here, I don't want to go through the hassle.”
“Please, girl. We can all go to HR and have a new boss in here by tomorrow. Don't quit. You giving that bum what he wants,” Rita said.
I shook my head.
“Just take a few days and come back. Whatever you decide, I got your back,” Paola promised.
“Me too,” Rita agreed.
I sighed. “I'll let y’all know. I have to go.”
“Okay. Call us.”
I nodded and walked out of the building. I wouldn't call them, and I didn't know if I'd be returning either. Deacon was a lonely, miserable pervert, and I hated that he'd found out about me.
He might have eye-fucked me a lot, but he was never this forward. But since he found out about my secret life outside of Northwest, he felt bold enough to come for me.
For the first time since I'd been dancing at Lucid, I felt humiliated and ashamed of what I did. I knew Ma Lula refused to get the surgery, but I didn't want to quit, just in case something happened and we needed the money.
I told myself I was doing it for her, but naturally, it's what helped keep my bills paid and fridge stocked.
I gave myself a timeframe, and I wasn't going to stop until I reached my goal.
Solomon arrived at my house at four-thirty on the dot. I noticed that being punctual was one of his strong points. This time, he came to the door to pick me up, but I was still getting ready, so I invited him inside.
As bad as I wanted to cancel, I knew I needed to get out and do something fun to get my mind off of what happened at work.
I opened the door and let him inside. The scent of cedarwood wafted up my nose as soon as he stepped inside.
I smiled and sized him up, noticing that he was dressed in a pair of black Ralph Lauren jean shorts, a white Ralph Lauren shirt, and white-and-black lows (Air Force Ones) on his feet.
A platinum Jesus piece, TAG Heuer watch, and a black-and-white Detroit SnapBack on his head.
“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted, pulling me in for a hug.
“Hey, you,” I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck. He planted a kiss on my cheek, then pulled away. “You probably shouldn't dress like a damn snack if you want me to behave.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “It's not every day that I get to dress like this. Let me have this moment, baby.”
“Only if you let me have you.” I bit my bottom lip and smiled. He gave me that pleading look, and I laughed. “Okay, okay. I quit. You can have a seat anywhere. I just need to take these rods out of my hair and put my shoes on, then we can go.”
“Take your time, love.”
“You want anything to drink?” I offered.
“I’m good, baby.”
“Okay. Be right back.” I headed back upstairs to finish getting ready. As soon as I stepped inside my room, my cell rang. I looked at the screen and saw Phire calling me.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey, boop. What outfit did you decide on?”
“The blue jean shorts and a baby blue tank. Nothing fancy.”
“They aren't booty shorts, are they?” She giggled.
“No, heffa. Even though I want them to be. I'm trying to get him to lose his religion in this pussy.” I laughed.
“Damn, Jezebel! That man needs to run away from you if he knows what's good for him.”
“I honestly think he knows what he's getting himself into with me and don't care. We’ll see how strong he is by nightfall.”
“Temp, stop tempting that man. You keep it up, and I'm going to tell Ma Lu on you.”
“You and your sister are some snitches. Bye, Phire. He's downstairs, and I don't want to keep him waiting.”
“Bye, heathen. I hope he converts your hot ass.”
“The only thing he's going to convert is my pu—” She hung up on me. I laughed as I fluffed my curls in the mirror, grabbed my purse, phone, and keys, then put my shoes on and headed back down the stairs.
“Okay, I'm ready,” I told him. He stood from the couch and walked over to me.
“You look stunning.”
“In this?”
“I’m realizing that you make anything look good.”
I blushed slightly as we headed out. I locked up, then we headed to his car. He lifted his hand with the key fob in it toward me.