10. Temple
Two Weeks Later
I hadn't heard from Solomon in two weeks.
I called and texted him, but to no avail. I wasn't a woman who chased after no nigga, and I wasn't going to start now.
It was just crazy to me how, one minute, he was talking like he wanted to wife me the same day he met me but then ghosted me in the next.
I felt a way about that.
I didn't dwell on it. I continued to move on with my life because I refused to be down bad behind any man. Maybe that kiss was what drove him away, or I may have been too much for him to handle, and I understood completely.
We lived two different lives, but for him, I would have toned it down some.
He was the type that made you want to do better.
I knew that from the moment I saw him. I had Sapphire on the line for every date to help me dress appropriately for him.
I didn't do that shit. What a nigga saw was what his ass was going to get.
After that fiasco with Deacon, I decided to resign from the facility.
I could have gone to HR and fought back, but honestly, I needed to move on from that place.
I had dreams of opening my own center for children with autism.
They got derailed because of Ma Lula’s health decline, but I wasn't dancing and working my ass off at Northwest for nothing.
I may have shook my ass at night, but I still had integrity. I was still a woman who didn't allow her circumstances to belittle her value. Shaking ass wasn't something I saw myself doing for the rest of my life, but I also wanted to make sure Ma Lula got the help that she needed.
I pulled into the parking lot of Lucid, grabbed my dance bag, and headed inside. Tonight was Freaky Friday, so I walked over to the deejay booth to give Tim my stage song, then headed to the bar to say hi to Toni and get my two shots of Azul.
I was glad she didn’t have any customers since we weren’t open yet.
“Hey, boop,” she greeted, kissing my cheek.
“Hey.”
“You okay?”
I shrugged. “I will be.”
“He still hasn’t called?”
“This isn’t about him.” I omitted.
She side-eyed me with a smirk resting on her lips.
“You can lie all you want, Temp, but we both know the truth. You like that man more than you planned to, and now you feel a way that he just stopped all communication with you. I can’t say that I don’t blame him.”
My eyebrows dipped as I glared at her. “Well damn. Tell me how you really feel.”
“Hold on. Before you get in your feelings, let me finish that statement. I don’t blame him, because as my sister, I know you aren’t ready for him.
That man has a plan, and you aren’t exactly down with that plan.
He wants a wife and want to live in righteousness.
You’re a free spirit that wants to be of the world instead of in it. ”
“So what are you saying, Antonia? That I’m not marriage material because I’d rather shake my ass, drink, and cuss? That I can’t believe in God and try to live right for a man who wants to marry me?”
“You know that is not what I’m saying, Temp. You’re projecting because of what happened at your job. You’re letting what that pervert said to you get to you, and now you’re twisting the narrative to fit his description because you want to be mad.”
“That is not true. I just—why else would he ghost me then? He went and beat up the man, then poof. He’s gone. I guess I just want answers. I ain’t trippin’ for real, but at least let me know I’m too much for you. At least I’d know and don’t think something bad happened to him.”
“I’m sure he’s okay.”
“And that’s what makes it worse. Don’t sell me a dream, then wake me up to lies. I don’t like feeling played.”
“Maybe he just needed some time. I’m sure he’ll be back.”
“Yeah, well, he can take all the time he needs. I’m over it.” I shrugged. “Give me the usual.”
Toni shook her head as her smirk returned. She poured my shots before I hugged her and headed to the back to get dressed.
Toni was right.
Maybe I was doing too much with him and ruined any chance I may have had at having a real relationship.
God and I had our own relationship. He knew my heart and what I was capable of becoming. I used to be just like Solomon. Walking into God’s promise and my purpose. It wasn’t until Ma Lula slipped into that diabetic coma that I began to lose hope and backslide.
At the time, I felt like God tried to take the only person who loved and cared for me. It wasn’t to say Toni, Sapphire, and Aunt Tasha didn’t love me, but Ma Lula rescued me from the pits of hell. She gave me a home and a family.
She was our matriarch, so the fear of losing her made me withdraw, stop attending church, and lean into survival mode. I wanted to do anything to ensure she’d live, so I figured out another way to make fast money.
The nightlife consumed me, and I found myself succumbing to the lifestyle more than I wanted to.
I wasn’t opposed to having a God-fearing man as my man.
I knew I probably needed that, but if I was too much for him, then maybe our love story was never meant to be.
Hours later, I was called to the stage. I walked up the stairs in my tall platform heels, teal G-string, and teal pasties.
I was dressed like an Egyptian goddess with a sheer skirt and a diamond-and-teal headpiece.
I stood with my back to the crowd and dropped into a squat when the beat to Jamie Foxx’s “Fall For Your Type” queued.
I lifted, spun around, then sexily walked to the pole in the center of the stage, hips swaying with a delicate precision that had the dollars flying before I could really start the show.
My mind drifted, and I was no longer Temple Newman, the woman with dreams of being a social worker and opening her own business.
I was Temptress.
The men charmer.
The woman whose body and dance moves lured men around the stage to blow their net worths to see me.
And while I shed the skirt, locked my legs around the pole, spun slowly while waving my arms, my thoughts traveled to Solomon.
The man who walked into my life and got to me with his charm and confidence.
The one I thought wanted me but left like we never even met.
Get him off your mind, Temp, before you fall off this damn pole.
I lifted, grabbed the pole, then slid down slowly into a split.
I slowly crawled across the stage, watching the money rain down on me.
Then I saw Nate at the end of the stage and figured I’d stop ignoring him.
Crawling toward him like a lioness, I turned, arched my back, and moved my ass cheeks one at a time.
I could feel him slip some bills in my G-string, and I turned and smirked at him, bringing his face to mine.
“You playing games, Temp.”
“Shhh.” I put my finger to his lips then continued my dance until it was over.
“Gahhhhdamn! Y’all, give it up for the beautiful, sexy as fuck, Temptressss!” They sounded the alarm, something he did anytime I left the stage. It alerted the security to be on standby just in case men or women decided to get out of pocket.
I gathered my earnings, switched out of my persona, and walked off the stage.
I didn’t know what it was, but I wasn’t feeling this shit anymore, and it had everything to do with the ghost whisperer who came into my life and left just as quickly.
The following morning, I woke up to the sound of my ringing phone.
Since I’d left the club early last night, I wasn’t pissed that my sleep was disturbed.
I hurried and grabbed it from the nightstand, hoping it was Solomon so I could curse his ass out, but was disappointed when I saw Nate’s number instead.
I rolled over and answered on the fourth ring. “What is it?”
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“What do you want, Nate? I was resting.”
“Damn, Temp. Since when you start treating a nigga like I’m some kind of scrub?”
“Since your klepto ass stole half of my underwear.”
He chuckled. “Those were souvenirs.”
“You’re fucking weird.”
“Never. I need your scent to get me through the day.”
“Nate, if you don’t want shit, I gotta go.”
“Wait. Let me take you out to breakfast and blow a lil bag on you. I miss you, man.”
I sighed. “Boy, you don’t miss me. You miss this pussy.”
“Definitely miss that, but I ain’t on that. I’m trying to take a different approach with you. I know what you do don’t define you, and I really want to get to know you better. I apologize about what happened last time. I was drunk, but I promise that shit won’t happen again.”
“I’m unsure about you. You give me stalker vibes. You showed up to my grandma’s house without my knowledge. Like where they do that at?”
“T, seriously, I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d catch up with you over there. I’m pressed, but I ain’t that damn pressed to do that type shit. Come on, na.”
“Yeah, whatever, Nathan. Give me an hour, and I’ll be ready.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you soon, baby.”
I hung up and went to take care of my hygiene. I got dressed in a white maxi dress, Chanel sandals, subtle jewelry, and my Chanel shades. By the time I finished taking the twists out of my hair, Nate had arrived, and I was out the door.
Aside from me knowing that he was into some illegal activities, I didn’t know much else about Nate.
All I knew was that he was fine, had lots of money, and a good mouth.
The dick was decent and satisfying, but he didn’t give me that toe-curling, stalking his location, putting my name on his DTE bill, cosigning on a car, spoiling him back type dick.
If it wasn’t for his looks, mouth, and money, I wouldn’t have agreed to go out with him in the daytime.
He was a sneaky link, and that was it.
I was sure if he knew he was the only one getting sex from me, it’d really go to his head and make him believe he had a chance.
He didn’t.
He could, however, relieve me of my stress for today.
During breakfast, I allowed Nate to do most of the talking. It was sad how I knew he only told me about his life and family because he really wanted to get to know me.
Me? I gave little to nothing.