by Love Belvin
The room started to chant. “To the head!”
Again, I tossed my regard to Sadik. With his intense eyes on me, he switched stances, resting his head to the side. A flutter of excitement ran through my body and I tossed back the cup, unbelievably getting it down in one shot. The things peer pressure could do.
Or Sadik’s approval…
As the room shouted their cheers, Randi was lighting the cake with my name and a cap and tassel. The cup was being pushed into my hand again, this time filled with purple Honesty Juice. Tasche’s hoarse vocals began the ditty, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” but customizing it to a woman. The room followed and I raised my cup, shoulder dancing along.
“Make a wish!” Randi shouted once they were done and I needed to blow out the melting candles.
Once again, my eyes roved up to Sadik, who stood at the opposite end watching with a pleasant, but stoic expression. I closed my eyes for seconds long, then began blowing hard, relieved when Tasche assisted. As Randi began cutting the cake, I strolled over to Sadik. The room clearing out made it easier than coming in.
“Is my time up yet?” I asked when I made it to him.
He smiled with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Your brother’s. I know you have to go soon.”
“Oh.” He shook his head.
“Good.” I hooked my arm around his. “More time for me.”
His smile broadened as I took a sip of the purple potion to find it wasn’t harsh at all. In fact, it had a bitter tang to it I liked.
“Mmmmm!”
“Good?”
I nodded, feeling the first woosh from the shot I took. When I was able to swallow what was in my mouth, I called for the bartender. “What’s his name, Tasche?”
“Billy,” she answered, plating cake.
“Billy!” I shouted, thankful the music hadn’t resumed yet.
“Damn, Bilan. That shit got to you already?” Randi hissed.
I turned, shifting closer to Sadik’s handsomeness. “Maybe it’s not the drink.”
Sadik laughed, and I gulped my drink.
“Deek, you dickin’ my girl down like that?” Randi’s accusatory tone had me leap around.
“What?”
“Damn, yo!” Tasche admonished her. “How you know she ain’t fuckin’ the shit outta him?”
Randi’s mouth balled to the side. “She ain’t built for that.”
“The fuck is you saying?” Tasche challenged.
“Why would you say that?” I demanded.
Randi stood straight, raising her palms defensively. “We all adults in here. I’m just playing.” She sucked her teeth. “He done figured it out by now anyway.”
What?
I turned to Sadik and took him by the wrist to leave the room.
“Sadik, don’t fuck with my girl,” Randi called behind us.
I felt him stop behind me, and turned back.
“Easy, Randi,” he warned. “My ignore game has been generous.”
My eyes widened. Tasche’s expression mirrored mine, and Randi stood frozen with her face screwed and mouth open. But she didn’t utter a word. Not knowing what to say or do, I pulled Sadik behind me out of the room. The music had returned, drowning out the collective sounds of dissonant voices. We made our way into the living room, where the single sofa was free. I offered Sadik the seat and squatted between his legs.
“Sorry about that?” As I tried addressing it, his phone rang. I turned away, facing the room.
After a short break, Sadik observed, “So, this is your childhood home?”
His eyes brushed around the room at the sparse Islamic art work on the wall. Family pictures on the wall unit and artificial flowers I never thought to change since my mother passed.
“Yup.” I took a couple of sips from my cup, head beautifully whirring.
“Is that you as a baby?” He stood over my head, reaching for a framed picture over the bookstand. “Damn, you were pretty!” he breathed. Sadik placed his beer bottle down and traced the glass of the frame. “Those freckles aren’t here.”
My eyes popped out of their sockets. What was up with him and my freckles?
“I didn’t get them until I was about six or so.”
His phone rang again as those orbs met my face, clearly going over the freckles. “You think your kids will have them?”
He tapped to silence it.
“I don’t know. My parents didn’t. My brother’s are faint.”
As I took another sip, I saw Rory in the hall talking to Professor Kline. A giggle sprouted from my lips.
“What’s so funny?” he asked over my head.
“Rory. Why does your security need guns?”
“Because my enemies have them?”
I turned to him, goofy expression splitting my face as I rolled over to my knees. “You have armed enemies in customs? Do they ride up on the ships wearing eye patches and scarves around their heads?”
“Yup. Pirates,” he’d caught on. Sadik snorted, going back to the picture. “Dangerous pirates.”
“Do you carry a gun?”
He shook his head, tapping to silence the phone now vibrating. “Don’t need to. I pay those two to do it.”
I shifted closer to him, voice uncontrollably husky. “You know how to shoot a gun?”
Sadik’s eyes shot into me, causing the energy around us to stiffen. “I only shoot one type satisfactorily.”
My mouth dropped.
“Aye! Aye! Aye!” Tasche danced into the room, pulling Kline behind her. “It’s a party, y’all.”
Tory Lanez’s “DrIP DrIp Drip” played as she dropped down into a deep squat and came up in a rhythmic twerk. Between Sadik’s promising threat, his scent, seeing my adjunct getting yet another dance by my friend, and this Honesty Juice, I was effectively tipsy. As I watched the two in the center of the room along with everyone else, so many things ran through my mind, including how fast I was growing intoxicated. Kline seemed to be having the time of his life, trying to hold on to Tasche’s lithe hips.
I heard a vibrating phone from over me. “I need to take this,” Sadik murmured close to my ear as he squeezed my shoulder. He swung a leg over me and ambled out of the room to the front door.
Immediately, my empty cup was being replaced by a full one. Slowly, my eyes peered down and saw the purple juice. I brought it to my mouth for a sip as I turned to see who it was. Randi plopped down on the sofa behind me. She wouldn’t even look at me. I turned back toward the action, sipping more.
Lace, another dancer from Tasche’s job, jumped in the dance; now, Kline had two Nubian queens grinding on him.
“He’s gonna spray his pants…” I whispered into the cup while watching.
Then Tasche leaned down, extending her hand to me. “C’mon, yo. Let them see what an educated woman dance like.”
“Tasche!” I cried as she pulled me up. “Most of your colleagues are degreed and make a better living than I do.”
She took the cup from me when I was on my feet. “C’mon. Do what I taught you.”
“What?” I observed her heel kick and hip-sway before I caught on.
Rolling my eyes, I repeated it. We swung in a circular motion with me trying to keep up with and emulate her skilled hip thrusts. When her friend jumped in line behind me and slapped my ass, I burst out laughing. It was so bad, I had to grab Tasche’s shoulders in front of me to keep up. In fact, laughter rang out in the room.
Tasche turned to face me, trying to transition into another dance. It was a familiar one she’d taught me before. Once again, I mimicked her movements, thrusting my pelvis while rolling my torso back.
“Fuck it up!” somebody shouted, I couldn’t tell who.
Then as I was curled over, spine arched and I could see behind me, Tasche came out of nowhere, providing support beneath me.
“That’s right, B!” she yelled. “Now, flip that bitch.”
Without thought, I extended my hands until my palms tou
ched the floor, pushed off my toes, and flipped over into a split. Tasche went crazy, screaming and pumping her arms into the air. In fact, several people cheered as hard as she did.
I, on the other hand, struggled with dizziness. Slowly, I leaned forward to pull my right leg around. Before I could figure out how I’d stand to my feet, my body was lifted into the air. I smelled him immediately; feeling deliciously delirious, I fell into his hard chest, laughing.
“That’s enough performing for you,” Sadik advised in my ear.
“You okay, yo?” I could hear Tasche, but not see her behind my closed lids.
I couldn’t help my giggle. “I can’t see you, Tash!”
“Damn. You fucked up that quick?” she guessed correctly.
“She ain’t eat shit all day.” I recognized Randi’s voice.
“Shit.” Sadik’s chest rumbled against my face.
My arms pushed up and circled his neck, eyes still closed. “I got something for you to eat, though.”
I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Alright. That’s enough.” Sadik grumbled. “Where’s your room? You’re done.”
Pressing down on his shoulders, I climbed his frame, shocked by how quickly I did it.
Continuing with my incessant humor, I laughed, pressing my lips against his.
“Fuck,” I heard and felt him annunciate.
“Her room’s the first on the left, yo,” I heard Tasche direct. “I’mma get everybody out. Come on, Randi. Let’s end this bash.”
I felt my body float as I clasped his hard frame.
“What’re we doing, Deek?” My head popped up from his neck.
“Rory?” I asked as though I didn’t know she was here. I laughed at that, too. “Why are you hounding him? He’s with me. I know you don’t like me. Why? Is it because you like his baby’s mother better? Huhn? You think I care?” I stuck my tongue out. “He won’t leave me alone. Make sure you go tell her that. He likes African juices better than European, bitch!”
Rory’s eyes grew impossibly larger when Sadik grated, “Y’all just chill until I get this settled.”
As we continued down the hall, I stuck my tongue out at a waiting Rory. And of course, I laughed at that, too.
“This it?” Sadik asked, I doubted looking for an answer because we walked into my bedroom. “Where’s the light switch?”
My head vibrated when the room illuminated. He walked me to the bed and bent over to place me on it. There was nothing funny about being on my back with him hovering over me.
“You gonna fuck me now?” I heard the chirp in my voice.
Sadik shook his head. “Nah, Bilan.”
“Why? You got me tested. Look!” I pushed past him for my dresser drawer, where I kept the printouts from my results. “Here they are. Chlamydia, herpes, syphilis, HIV, and gonorrhea—I’m clean, baby!”
Sadik took the papers from my hand and placed them back into the open drawer.
“Take off your shoes, Bilan. You need to get in the bed and sleep this off.”
“Not until you fuck me and make me forget!”
“Forget what?”
“That you have a baby coming. When was the shower? Why didn’t I get an invitation?”
His thick brows hiked. “Bilan…”
“Bilan,” I mocked him. When he didn’t laugh, I kicked off my shoes, then pulled my t-shirt over my head. I glanced down at my bra. “You like satin? You probably don’t. You look like a lace man.” I started toward him, trying for a sexy strut. “Or do you like nothing at all?” My brain didn’t have the chance to communicate anything to my arms. My hands were already behind my back, unfastening my bra. When I pulled it off, Sadik’s eyes closed to a squeeze. “You like this melanin, Deek?”
I pushed my lips into his, feeling him exhale from helplessness. I was drunk, I knew it. I’d be ashamed in the morning, I was sure. But when would I get to explore this thing I knew nothing about?
When my hands pushed down to his waist, I worked fast to unfasten his belt.
“What the hell are you doing?” His tone was pleading.
My head flipped up to face him. “I need to know something.”
I went back to his belt.
“What?” he demanded, tone low but affected.
I let out a dramatic breath, closing my eyes momentarily. “I need to know if your pubes are orange, too!” I matched his low, yet dramatic tenor.
“No.”
“No?”
He gently pried my fingers from his fancy belt buckle. His neck stretched forward for emphasis.
“No, Bilan. You’re going to put on your pajamas and go to—”
My heaving and slapping my palm to my mouth had his face hardening.
“You’re sick,” he stated, not asking.
I nodded.
“Shit!” He moved quickly to remove his jacket. “Where’s the bathroom?”
I felt the heated material cover my skin as I was being pushed toward the door.
Her soft body beneath me twisting had my eyes opening. The sun was barely up, but the glow of a new day pushed through the shade of the lone window in her room.
Bilan whimpered as she shifted under my suit jacket, her hair spiked in every direction. Her smeared eyes tight, and one crusted in the outer corner. She was fucking beautiful in the morning, giving me visuals of intimacy my body was responding to. She opened her eyes when her hand hit my dick.
“Dog!” she slurred.
My face balled and head shot back against the pillow. Bilan’s eyes closed and she shifted from me, leaving the bed.
“Oh, my God. Dog!”
She made a quick work of going to her closet door for a flannel robe and tossing it on. She tied it on her way to the door. I heard her footsteps jog away from the room. Needing to go, I shifted, sitting with my feet on the floor. Smelling her did me no good. My dick ached. I tried rearranging it in my pants when a knock sounded.
Rory was in the doorway, shaking her head as she rubbed her one eye. “You wildin’ the fuck out.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head, not in the mood for it. “Yeah.”
“Double E Bags fucked up, you missed that meeting last night.” It wasn’t an important one. I’d decided around one in the morning it was a good look for me not to go if I wanted to show them I was done with that shit. “Got the call last night her brother got rocked in his cell last night.”
That had my head shooting up. “Ab?” She nodded. “By us?” She nodded again. I took a deep breath, having to accept it. I arranged for someone we had at the same prison as Bilan’s brother to put pressure on him to finger Damien in the warehouse robbery. I knew if it went bad, violence could occur. “Ab up or down?”
“Down.”
“Bad?”
She shook her head. “Just a few bruises. But the nigga ain’t talk.”
I nodded, eyes averting, thinking about my next move.
“Yo, Deek, what the fuck is you doing?” she whispered hard. “She dope. I get it, but you know she ain’t possible, big homie. You know this shit fucked up!” Rory rubbed her neck. “Got me sleeping in the fuckin’ car. I ain’t do that shit since ya Blakewood days.”
“So, you more upset about me going after her or getting paid to sleep in the car?” Rory gave me the finger. “You weren’t supposed to be sleeping.”
“Fuck you. I ain’t get notice I’d be on some stakeout type shit either.” As she spit her shit, Rory gazed to her left and right in the hall.
“I need you to reach out to Vincent Ricci.”
“The brothers running Michelle’s Diner?”
I nodded. “Vincent, in particular. Remind him of the deal he made with Double E Bags.” I was sure to lower my voice. “I need Bilan’s schedule more flexible moving forward. When she asks for time off, I don’t want them giving her pushback.”
Rory rolled those big ass eyes, now swollen from fatigue. Then she backed out farther into the hallway. “You got it, sire.” I soon learned it was to give Bilan
room to enter the room. “Yo,” she called to Bilan. “The bathroom down here. Right?”
Bilan nodded, not even looking her way.
“I’ll be ready to go in five minutes,” I called behind Rory’s disgruntled ass.
Bilan reached down to pick up the bra she shed last night.
“Close the door.” My delivery intentionally hard. She gave me a long look, then wisely obeyed. “You do that shit often?”
“What?” Her face still tight from sleep.
“Invite strangers over to your house party and get drunk, wanting to fuck.”
Bilan’s mouth dropped. “I don’t have parties here! This was my first like this, but that’s none of your business.”
“It’s not? Would it have been if I fucked you last night like you begged?”
Bilan rolled her eyes, nostrils swelling. “I’m sorry. I was drunk!”
“I know!” I watched her hard eyes falter. “What I want to know is what if it was your college boyfriend here when you stripped last night instead of me?”
Bilan raised her arm. Her index finger pointing to the door. “If you’re going to belittle me while I physically feel like shit, you can go now.”
I stood from the bed. “Clear your schedule for Thursday.”
“Why?”
I didn’t look back when I answered. “Because we’re taking a trip, and won’t be back until Monday.” When I made it to the door, I turned to her. “And Bilan, you will eat when you’re with me. You won’t get drunk from two sips of a cocktail because you had nothing on your stomach. And then, when I do finally fuck you, you’ll beg me to, but it won’t be because you’re pathetically drunk.”
I left her room, closing the door behind me.
∞14∞
The jet steadied and I took a deep breath, looking for paper or a napkin to spit my gum into. Taking off on a plane was no less an event, no matter how many flights I’d taken. I rubbed my tired eyes, releasing another long breath. Pensive. Fucking tight all over with big ass question marks in every area of my brain.
I’d been in search of black therapists with a specialty in post-traumatic stress disorder in the North Jersey region. My customs business was just hit with a lawsuit I’d been struggling not to take personal. However, all of the strain I was feeling wasn’t from work either. That part of my stress was what had me fucked up. My mother received a call from Catena Rizzo, Salvatore’s wife and Lia’s mother. She wanted to know why she had missed Lia’s baby shower. My mother had to honestly answer she wasn’t aware of the event, that I hadn’t told her. The problem with that was I didn’t know of the shower. Lia hadn’t told me; neither had Iban.
