1. Lavani Oakford #2
“You like him?” I frowned. Seeing as how I was about to go out on a date with a man that sold coke for a living, I couldn’t preach to her too much, but I didn’t want Lo getting caught up in the drug dealer hype just because that was what a lot of women our age did.
I wanted her to find the boys in college that were chasing her just as interesting as she found the ones that sold drugs or scammed.
“Yes,” she blushed. “Uh uh. Why you looking at me like that?”
“I just want to know if you like him for real or if it’s just casual flirting for weed.
You know the guys that sell weed get all the pussy ‘cus girls be wanting free weed. Not saying you’d have sex with him for it, but these young niggas with money aren’t going to be faithful.
That community dick be belonging to everybody. ”
“You feel like that about Darius?”
“Of course.” I passed the blunt back to her realizing I was high as a damn kite.
It felt like I was floating. “Guys like him are around for a good time not a long time. I’m not about to be sharing dick with half the sack chasers in Diamond Cove and surrounding areas.
I’ve never had a STD, and I’m not about to start getting them just because a man has money. ”
“I know that’s right. I don’t have time to be getting caught up with anybody for real.
I’m doing two years of community college, and then I’m transferring.
Charlotte isn’t far, but I for sure don’t trust any of these dogs enough to be in a long-distance relationship.
When I leave Diamond Cove, I’m not going out of my way to keep up with anybody. ”
I wanted to tell Lo that two years was a long time.
It was way too easy to get caught up and deviate away from the plans that we set for ourselves, but I was way too high to be having long, drawn out conversations.
Plus, I needed to get ready for my date.
I was glad my hair and lashes were already done because I didn’t have a lot of time to spare.
After a long, hot shower, I moisturized my skin real good and got dressed.
I checked the time as I clasped my watch around my wrist. I had fifteen minutes before Darius was due to pick me up.
Rushing back into the bathroom, I brushed my teeth then sprayed perfume.
Untying my scarf, I inspected my head from every angle to make sure there wasn’t a hair out of place.
It felt like I was moving in slow motion as I rifled through my makeup bag.
The weed Tyriq had was no joke. I for sure wasn’t about to be eating cute at dinner.
Darius was fine and all, but I knew the munchies were going to have me eating like ten grown men.
In fact, the hunger was already gearing up because while I outlined my lips, I daydreamed about all the things that I hoped were on the menu.
When my lip combo was complete, I blotted my lips together and grabbed concealer to dab underneath my eyes.
That was the only makeup I was wearing. Thanks to expensive skin care products and drinking lots of water and green tea my skin was flawless.
That shit saved me in the summer when it was too hot to have makeup caked on my face all the time.
As I was blending in the concealer, my cellphone buzzed.
I peeked at the screen and Darius had texted me that he was two minutes away.
A lazy grin eased across my face. Lo had called it for sure because I was far from nervous.
The weed had me feeling lazy and super relaxed.
Confident even. I responded to the text message and grabbed my purse.
Lo and I were the only ones at home. Her high ass was in the kitchen stuffing her face when I descended the stairs.
“Okay look at her! Period!” she hyped me. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, sister.” Lo wiggled her brows up and down while running her tongue over her top row of teeth.
“I think you should be telling me not to do anything that you would do,” I giggled. I walked to the door just as the doorbell rang.
That made my brows hike because I never took Darius for being one to get out and go to the door for a woman.
I assumed he’d text me when he was outside.
Then, I had to think about the fact that he was older and more mature than the guys I was used to.
Maybe I was high and tripping, but I could have sworn when I opened the door and saw him standing there, I stopped breathing for a second or ten.
Darius reminded me of a giant. No lie, he had to be at least 6’6.
Even with heels on, I had to look way up at him.
Tattoos covered his ebony skin, and the sun had his silky black hair gleaming.
He stood there looking like a grown ass man, and I just wanted him to wrap his muscular arms around me and engulf me in a tight bear hug. My God.
“Hey.” I wondered if my voice sounded as lazy as I felt. It didn’t even feel like my mouth was moving.
“Yo’ ass is fried!” Darius laughed with his fist over his mouth. “Damn can you see?” he asked with raised brows. “You smoked some straight gas.” Darius almost looked like he was in shock. “You be getting down like that?” his tone was laced with disbelief.
“Hush,” I giggled stepping out and pulling the door closed behind me.
Darius smelled so good, I wanted to melt into his huge body.
I wasn’t up on men’s cologne at all, so I had no clue what he was wearing, but he needed to keep that on at all times.
Darius was draped in dark denim Amiri jeans and a white Amiri tee.
His thick chain donned a huge Jesus piece, and on his feet were a pair of J’s that had just dropped that morning.
He walked with the confidence of a muhfuckin’ don, and I was so turned on I was almost disgusted with myself.
Darius might not have been one of the biggest sharks in the city like Lo said, but he was obviously doing very well for himself.
That being considered, it was probably almost certain that he had more than a handful of women willing to hand him the coochie on a silver platter.
I didn’t want to be anything like the women throwing themselves at him just because of who he was or what he had.
If I had sex with him, it would be because he earned it and not simply by spending money on me.
It was sad that I was even shocked that Darius asked me out.
A lot of guys with money felt like it was a privilege to Netflix and chill with them.
They spent money on clothes and shoes to impress other men but didn’t try to impress the women they were interested in.
I played it real cool when he opened the car door for me.
I was still young, but I felt I was too old to never have been properly courted.
My father always opened doors for my mother and my sisters and me, but I had never demanded that a man open doors for me.
If it wasn’t in him, it just wasn’t in him, but I took notes for sure.
“Thank you.” I eased past Darius and folded my body into his Lexus. From the rumors I’d heard, Darius had been driving luxury cars since he was in high school. I was very curious to find out what were actual facts about Mr. Artis and what was just rumors.
Once he got inside the car, he pulled the seatbelt across his body and backed out of the driveway. “Still not going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked.
“You hungry, huh?” he looked over at me with a wide smile, and I noticed how straight and white his teeth were. He was winning me over already. Finally, a man that had money, was popular, and respected in the streets, but wasn’t an arrogant fuck boy.
“You gonna stop trying to come for me.” The fact that I couldn’t stop smiling was blowing me.
“Can’t a girl know where she’s going?” my tone was soft and feminine.
I would try and keep my normal feistiness at bay.
Not because I was being fake but as long as he was acting like he had some sense, I would too.
One thing about me was that I was big on matching energy.
“We’re going to Good Catch. You like their food?” he took his eyes off the road long enough to glance over at me.
“I’ve only been there once but from what I can remember the food is really good.”
‘Fa sho’” he bobbed his head. “I eat there at least four times a month.”
Good Catch had some of the best seafood in Diamond Cove. The crab legs I had when I dined there were meaty and seasoned to perfection. The salmon was good too. Prayerfully, I’d be just as satisfied this time as the last because I was hungry enough to run up a nice lil’ tab.
“What made you ask me out?” I looked over at Darius. Over the past few years, I’d seen him out quite a few times, but we had never spoken to one another. Up until last week when he’d seen me coming out of a Mediterranean restaurant, and he started up a conversation.
“I’ve seen you a few times.” The words eased out of his mouth like silk.
“I always watch you. Peep your style. Just never said anything, but my interest has been piqued for a minute. Last week was the first time I saw you out in something other than a club setting, and I wasn’t drunk or high.
I make some of my best decisions sober.”
Oh, he had game. I was high as hell, and I was still able to recognize that. I had to be careful with him. “Hmmm.” That was the only response that I could think of.
“Hmm what? Talk to me.” Darius faced me chewing on his gum and licking his lips in a manner that had me really about to unravel right there in his car. The man was the epitome of sexy. I’d never dated a man that was so masculine. He was the kind of man you felt safe with.
“I’m just wondering how many women you’ve used that line on. Like just how often your interest gets piqued?”