Chapter 3 #3
I held my laughter. Steam was coming from Flocco’s ears and nostrils. I didn’t have to turn around. I could feel the heat against my body. He was fuming. And, it seemed as if he had a sense of humor when he was angry.
“It’s Saga’s first night,” I explained, feeling somewhat sorry for standing him up.
It was a pathetic feeling. I’d never had sympathy for a man.
“You trying to make a nigga ignant in this club, Hyph?”
“Just understand that you’re not the only one missing screws. Be prepared to have your energy matched.”
“You ain’t no animal, baby girl. Stop selling yourself dreams.”
“I can’t leave Saga,” I sighed. “And, I’d be damned if I let a nigga drag me out by my bang.”
The laughter was unavoidable.
In an instant, my backside was cold again. A chill ran up my spine. I turned to find that Flocco had disappeared. My breath was caught in my chest. Laughter turned into silence. Silence turned into panic. Panic resolved at the sight of him returning with a waitress.
“Right here?” She asked, pointing at the table for two just a few feet away.
“Yeah. Right here.”
“That’ll be $875.”
Flocco didn’t hesitate. He reached into his pocket and counted off nine hundred dollars. He handed it to the waitress dressed in purple shorts and a bra top that her breasts were enhanced by.
His dark, haunting eyes pinned me against the stage as he began calling off his order.
“Let me get a Hen and coke. Get my ol’ lady whatever she been drinking.”
“Alright. Sounds good. Anything else for now?”
“Nah.”
“I’ll be back with those drinks.”
Flocco had already put her presence behind him. He was near me again. Standing directly in front of me. Peering down. Seething. Yet, obsessing.
“What are you doing, F–”
“I’m getting the date you promised. Now, sit your pretty ass down before I sit you down my damn self.”
I blinked away my smile, hoping he didn’t get an inkling I appreciated his dominance. My bottom lip slid between my teeth, suppressing the curve my lips were desperate to form.
“Now, Hyph.”
The first step was unraveling. I shed a new layer with every step I took after.
My chair was pulled out for me. And, once I settled, it was pushed up to the table. Flocco rounded the table and took a seat. Discreetly, he removed his gun from his waist and placed it on his lap.
He stared at me. Unmoving. Penetrating me. Probing me.
“Lesson number five–” he paused, pushing out a deep breath. “Don’t lie to me, because I’ll never lie to you.”
He pointed to himself and then to me.
“We won’t lie to each other.”
I remained silent, watching as his vulnerability rested on his shoulders. It weighed them down with contemplation and confusion and discomfort.
“Lesson number six… We apologize. We say we’re sorry. You hurt my feelings, Hyph. Tell me you’re sorry.”
Flabbergasted, my neck reeled backward. My eyebrows raced for my hairline. Flocco didn’t budge. The seriousness of his expression made it clear that we wouldn’t move forward without the apology he’d proposed.
I nodded continuously. The smile I’d been suppressing sprouted from my lips. My allurement had attracted a very sensitive, self-aware, and emotionally intelligent thug. I wasn’t opposed but now wasn’t the time for him to enter my world.
The feelings I once had no longer existed. I was not the same vulnerable, lovesick girl I’d left Dooley as. I was a woman scorned. A woman piecing herself back together. A woman figuring herself out. A woman coming into her own.
“I apologize.”
“Lessons seven, eight, and nine–,” Flocco continued, “We don’t intentionally hurt each other’s feelings. We don’t ignore each other’s feelings. We are considerate. Understood?”
With my lips pursed, I nodded.
“Here are those drinks,” the waitress interrupted.
Her timing was perfect. I recovered mentally as she sat both drinks on the table.
“You all ready to order some food or you’re good for now?”
“Fifteen‐piece. Lemon pepper. Fried hard. All flats. Side of buffalo sauce. Extra ranch dressing. Carrots. Make sure you toss those in buffalo sauce.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
“Let me get a bottle.”
“Of what?”
“The best champagne y’all got back there.”
“Alright. I’ll have that right out.”
Silently, I matched Flocco’s gaze. It never left me.
“It’s a shame, Hyph.”
“What is that exactly?”
“The fact that I’d rather be here than the five-star, bougie bullshit I made reservations for. Ain’t shit like club wings. Ain’t shit like beautiful women with beautiful bodies surrounding you. Ain’t shit like ya hood.”
“There’s nothing like Dooley.”
The night was seamless. Saga danced until her feet hurt. I smiled until my mouth hurt. By the end of her shift, I was sprawled over Flocco’s arms like a blushing bride as he lowered me into the passenger seat of Saga’s car.
We’d tossed money all night. We’d shared secrets. We’d laughed. We’d eaten every wing on the tray and ordered more. This time with seasoned fries.
And, the best part of my night was the smile that never left Flocco’s face.
Even when he wasn’t smiling, I could see the smile in his eyes.
I’d encountered him so many times before and I’d never known how pretty his teeth were.
One never saw them because his mouth was always closed and smile lines didn’t wrinkle the corners of his eyes.
“Y’all gone be good or you want to leave her car here and I take y’all to the crib?”
I shook my head.
“Saga had her last drink before going on stage. She’s fine.”
“She’s tired.”
“And she lives just a few blocks away.”
“I’m going to follow,” he announced.
“Okay.”
I was aware he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. His lips pressed against my forehead.
“Goodnight, Hyph.”
“Goodnight.”
The door closed and like magic, he was gone.
“Not you done let this man get you wasted,” Saga laughed.
“And it’s taking everything in me not to suck his dick,” I sniggered. “I felt that motherfucker. Bitch I won’t be able to get off of it if I get on it.”
“Shut up!”
“I can’t do it friend. He’s dangerous.”
I was speaking sober thoughts.
“I’m not good for him. I’m not what he needs right now. I don’t have the capacity. I want nothing more than to fuck niggas over right now. Not fall for one. I tried that. It sent me right back to the trenches. Heartbroken.
“That shit doesn’t feel good. I can’t give anyone else that much of me. I can’t give anyone else the power to hurt me like that. I don’t deserve that, Saga. So, my guard is up. I’m protective. I have to protect the woman I am about to become. I have no love for niggas. Not right now.”
“I don’t blame you, girl. Fuck niggas.”
“Or fuck niggas,” I blurted, laughing.
“Or both.”