by Coco Amoure
”Hello, my name is Delaney,” she managed to say.
“I gotta tell you that your eyes are stunningly beautiful,” he said, smiling.
Damn, if he smiles one more time, Delaney thought she would lose her mind.
“Thanks,” she blushed, casting her eyes away from his intense gaze.
“You’re welcome. Well, enjoy the show, and a server will be by shortly to take your drink and food order.”
She desperately craved an order of him! But instead of verbalizing her thoughts, she simply nodded and smiled.
As she watched him walk away to tend to other patrons, Natasha walked up and took her seat across from Delaney. She smiled mischievously, like she knew something that Delaney didn’t know.
“What’s up with the Bill Cosby pudding pops smile?” Delaney questioned, suspicion dripping from her voice.
“Oh, nothing,” Natasha replied nonchalantly, wearing the same mischievous smile on her face.
Before Delaney could respond, the lights dimmed and a male host appeared on stage, accompanied by a live band. He was a chocolate cutie, but a little short for her taste. He was casually dressed in a black button down Polo, black True Religion jeans, and a pair of black and white J’s.
“Good evening and welcome to the Lyrical Soul Lounge and Spirits. Get ready for an amazing show as we bring you the best of the best to ever grace the stage. We will start the show off with open mic to allow everyone who signed up to get it in tonight. So, sit back, relax, get your drink on and enjoy the show,” the enthusiastic host announced, as the crowd began to snap their fingers.
Each poet that graced the mic was spitting pure fiyah. Delaney was in her zone. Natasha seemed to be having a good time as well. So far, five different poets had taken the stage, and had the crowd snapping and hollering.
The host returned to the stage to announce the next open mic performer. Delaney was taking a sip of ginger ale when she heard her name called.
“Come on don’t punk out now. Calling Delaney Rose to the stage. We don’t have all night, so make your way to the stage please.”
Delaney was in shock. Clearly, she hadn’t signed up to perform in this segment of open mic. She looked over at Natasha’s sneaky ass with a menacing glare.
“Yasssssss bish! You better werk!” Natasha stood clapping her hands. “Here she is! She’s coming, boo,” she yelled out.
Delaney wanted to strangle her best friend to death, and that was an understatement. She had never been put on the spot like that and had no idea what poem to perform. She wanted to dissipate into thin air to escape the humiliation of getting up on that stage.
She slowly rose from her seat, wiping her sweaty palms on her dress. As she approached the stage, she caught sight of Tyson in her peripheral.
When their eyes met, he winked and gave her the thumbs up for encouragement. Tyson could tell that she was extremely nervous.
“Come on up here, Ma, don’t be scared. It’s all love in the Lyrical Soul Lounge,” the short host said loudly over the mic. He reached down to take Delaney’s hand, helping her onto the shiny stage.
Delaney was shaking and visibly nervous. She took the mic into her hands and looked out at the crowd. Everyone started snapping their fingers and yelling out encouraging words.
“This piece is entitled…Naked,” Delaney spoke softly into the microphone. The band started to play a soft and sensual groove.
Delaney closed her eyes and started to speak the words to one of her favorite poems
Can we be…naked?
Not physically, but mentally naked
Exposed and unclothed
Revealing our innermost souls
Will you allow me to see you
Completely naked
Undress your pride
I wanna see the vulnerability in your eyes
Share with me your fears, and
Allow me to drink of your tears
Let me be the one who holds you near
When no one else is around
And you feel like breaking down
See I admire your strength
But
I adore you…in your complete nakedness
When your eyes reveal your love for me
And each touch solidifies our destiny
I want you to come to me in the nude
Because I want to see all of you
Not who you pretend to be
Baby you need no protection from me
For I am unarmed and defenseless
I want you to penetrate me bare
Yes, I said bare
Emotionally withholding nothing
Since the day we met
I knew you were meant for me
And I for you
Two souls connected as one
Far beyond matrimony
So baby, let me ask you a few questions
Will you trust me enough to shed your tough exterior?
Will you trust me to share in your fears?
Will you trust me to love you…just as you are?
Will you trust me to see you completely…NAKED?
Delaney recited the entire poem with her eyes closed, allowing the music to coax her. Once she was finished, the crowd was snapping and standing on their feet. The sistahs, as well as the brothas, seemed to be feeling her poem. She felt an unexplainable rush go through her body, if this is what it felt like to be high then she wanted some more of that.
Natasha was standing up clapping and smiling like a proud mama. She winked at Delaney, and started to twirl.
When Delaney walked past Tyson, he had a huge smile on his face. He nodded his head in appreciation, and saluted her with his right hand. She offered him her best smile as she made her way back over to her seat. Although they had only spoken a few words to each other, there was an undeniable spark between the two.
Natasha grabbed Delaney, hugging her tightly. “OMG, you did that, boo! You ripped the stage, like I mean you shut shit down! I am so proud of you, bestie,” she squealed. Natasha was glowing as if she herself had performed. She may not have pursued her own dreams, but she sure as hell could live vicariously through her bestie.
Delaney wanted to be mad at her, but all of her anger ceased when she saw the tears of joy in her best friend’s eyes. Natasha was beaming with pride, and she knew that she couldn’t stay angry with her.
“Thanks, but uhhh, do you think you can warn a sistah next time?”
“Now, you know if I would have told you that you wouldn’t have gotten up on that stage. When I went to the restroom I decided to just give you a little push,” she said, squinting her eyes.
“Oh my gawd! I still can’t believe I just did that,” Delaney said, still reeling from her performance.
“Well, how did it feel? I mean did it feel surreal?” Natasha questioned, full of excitement.
“Yeah, surreal is the perfect explanation of what I felt,” she replied.
They sat back enjoying the rest of the show. But when the headliner, Abyss, aka Derrick Graham, took the stage, the crowd went crazy. Delaney had seen him perform on numerous occasions. Each time she was more amazed at his depth and talent.
When the show came to a close, the lights came on as the crowd started to exit the lounge. Delaney felt an uncanny presence, as if someone was watching her. She turned around and immediately met Tyson’s piercing eyes. He flashed a dazzling smile her way. It felt as if they were the only two people inside of the entire place.
He held her eyes captive with the intensity of his gaze. Finally, Delaney forced herself to break away from the indescribable power he held over her. She could hear the silent alarm ringing inside of her head like a police siren, warning her to run for cover. This man was dangerous.
She knew this feeling all too well, it was the same feeling she felt when she fell hard for Chris many years ago. Not wanting to rehash the past, she quickly turned around and walked out of the door, ignoring the burning urge to look back at his handsome face.
&nb
sp; Chapter Ten
Tyson had two more deliveries left to make before his work day officially ended. He couldn’t wait to open up a few more businesses. Then he could tell FedEx to kiss his ass. He was tired of driving around in a hot ass truck wearing this monkey suit five days a week. The FedEx gig paid the bills, but he had bigger and better dreams. His ultimate goal was to become a self-sufficient entrepreneur and he was determined to see it come to fruition.
Lyrical Soul Lounge was only the beginning of his journey. His homeboy and business partner, Drake, fronted the majority of the startup money. Drake came from money. Both of his parents were surgeons who owned several practices in the greater Atlanta area. Drake depended on his parents to sustain his lavish lifestyle, which was an advantage that Tyson didn’t have. Everything he acquired in life came from his own blood, sweat, and tears. Tyson was by no means broke. He’d invested his money wisely over the years. He was proud of the little nest egg he’d built for himself.
Thoughts of Delaney invaded his mind, something that had been occurring regularly over the past few weeks. Ever since he met her at the open mic show, he found himself consumed with thoughts of her. She was what he considered to be a true natural beauty. Her face was flawless, like smooth velvety chocolate that melts in your mouth. One look into her green eyes and he was a goner. Though the two of them only spoke a few words to one another, there was an undeniable attraction that ran deeper than the physical. Their eyes spoke to each other in a language that was only understood by them. Something about Delaney piqued his interest in a way that no other woman had been able to do in a long time.
He was pleasantly surprised when she graced the stage and christened the microphone with the sweet sounds of her melodic voice. He was in awe of her in every way. He wanted to kick himself for allowing her to leave that night without even attempting to ask for the digits. Each night Tyson found himself watching the door at the lounge like a stalker, hoping Delaney would walk through.
Pulling up to his last stop of the day, he parked the FedEx truck in front of the building. He reached around the back of the passenger seat and grabbed the package before exiting the truck. He walked into the twenty story glass building and nodded hello at a few passersby. Tyson stepped onto the elevator and pressed the circular button heading towards the fifteenth floor. All he could think about was dropping the package off and heading home to take a shower so he could head to the lounge.
Most of his evenings were spent at the lounge, once he clocked out from his day gig. Lyrical Soul Lounge was open six days a week, with Monday being the only day they were closed for business. The weekly lineup consisted of live jazz Tuesday, spoken word Wednesday, karaoke Thursday, hip-hop Friday, old school Saturday, and comedy on Sunday. So far, the business venture proved to be extremely lucrative. The bar made a killing each night, due to their signature drink specials.
According to the package label, he was to deliver it to M. Johnson at Whittington Law Professionals in suite 1511. Tyson opened the large glass double doors and walked up to the receptionist area. An attractive Caucasian female with strawberry blond hair sat behind the massive reception desk. She smiled widely showing off a perfect set of pearly white teeth.
“Hello, may I help you?” she asked, smiling.
“Yes, I have a delivery for M. Johnson.”
She stood up and walked from behind the counter. “Mr. Johnson has left for the day, but I would be more than happy to sign for it,” she flirted. Her eyes traveled from the top of his head and landed on his feet.
“Oh my,” she gasped, and fanned her face with both hands.
“Sign here please,” Tyson said, clearly not interested. He was flattered, but white women were not his thing. Although he had to admit that she was extremely attractive. The black skirt suit clung to her shapely body, showing off her perky size C breasts and ample bottom.
She took the electronic device from his hand and signed her name. When she handed it back to Tyson, she lightly brushed her fingers against his. “My name is Julie, and yours?”
“Julie, I’m leaving for the day. Please forward all of my calls to my cell.” He heard an all too familiar voice say coming from behind him.
“Sure thing, Ms. Michaels,” Julie replied, rushing over to take her seat behind the reception area.
Tyson turned around and found himself face to face with the woman who’d been haunting his dreams over the past few weeks, the very beautiful Delaney Rose.
She had her head down, scrolling through her cell phone and hadn’t noticed him. He tried his best to contain the excitement coursing through his veins.
“Oh and one more thing, please call Attorney Jackson’s office and schedule a meeting for next Monday,” Delaney said. She had yet to notice Tyson standing before her looking like a star struck lover.
“You got it, I will send you an email with the details first thing in the morning,” Julie replied, flashing Tyson a seductive smile.
Finally, Delaney glanced up and stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes landed on a very familiar face. There was no way that she could forget a face like his. Even rocking a FedEx uniform, he was still just as sexy as the night she’d met him at the lounge.
Their eyes met and for a few moments neither of them uttered a word. Tyson was the first one to speak.
“Well, if it isn’t the poetess herself.” He smiled, resisting the urge to take her into his arms.
“I don’t know about all of that.” She blushed.
“Don’t be so modest. You did a great job. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you after the show,” he replied.
“Thank you. I had no idea that my friend put my name on the performer’s list. I’ve never done that before in my life,” she said, digging his vibe. He had an easy-going, laid back way about him which turned her on and terrified her at the same time.
“Oh, so you were a virgin to the mic, huh?” He smiled, replaying her performance in his mind. He could still picture her standing on stage wearing that form fitting turquoise dress, as her sweet voice penetrated his ears. Tyson still couldn’t believe his luck! His last delivery of the day had landed him in front of the very woman who’d been longing to see again.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” She giggled.
Tyson took in her beauty as they continued to converse. She looked stunning in a burgundy form fitting pant suit. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun on top of her head, with a bang resting slightly over her left eye. She wore diamond studs in her ears and sheer lip gloss on her full lips.
He glanced over at Julie who was glaring in his direction. She pursed her lips at him and looked away, pretending to be engrossed with something on the computer screen. Julie was disturbed that he was so taken with Delaney. She’d put her best efforts into enticing him, only to have him blow her off without a second thought. What she wouldn’t give to get that piece of chocolate dick in her bed.
“Would you mind if I walked you to your car?” he offered.
“Oh that’s not necessary. We have plenty of security guards in this building and besides it’s not dark outside yet. I’m sure you have more deliveries to make and I don’t want to hold you up,” she replied. For some strange reason, Delaney was feeling more nervous than usual. His commanding presence invoked feelings in her that she laid to rest a long time ago.
“Actually, this is my last stop of the day,” he countered, as he smiled, gazing deeply into her eyes. There was no way she was getting away from him so easily this time.
Delaney toyed with the idea. She definitely felt a connection with Tyson, but she also didn’t want to lead him on. Everything about him screamed danger. She liked the way her life was going and she didn’t need him coming in turning everything upside down.
“No, really that’s not necessary. But thanks for the offer.” She smiled, hoping he’d give up and let her go about her business. The vast mixture of emotions running through her body were becoming overwhelming.
“Ok, well at
least let me escort you to the elevator,” he said, refusing to let her off the hook.
“Well, I do have to get on the elevator to get to my car.” She chuckled.
“Ladies first.” He gestured with his hand, for her to lead the way.
Delaney cocked her head to the side and flashed him a heart melting smile before proceeding to walk towards the elevator.
Tyson walked slightly behind her, admiring the roundness of her plump backside. When they boarded the elevator, neither one of them said anything. Delaney pulled out her cell and checked her Facebook notifications, pretending that she didn’t feel his eyes roaming over her body. The temperature in the elevator was definitely rising as she fanned herself with her right hand.
“Do you plan on coming out to open mic this Wednesday?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“No,” she replied, without looking up from her cell phone.
“Work keeps you busy, I assume.” Tyson was disappointed in the way her demeanor changed so suddenly. Before they’d reached the elevator she was full of smiles. Now she was throwing all kinds of shade his way.
“Yeah, you could say that,” she dryly replied.
The elevator chimed, indicating they’d reached their destination. The doors opened and Delaney rushed out of the door. She wanted to get far away from him as fast as she could.
“Hold up, Delaney,” Tyson called after her.
She reluctantly slowed up her pace, before stopping and turning around. “Yeah, what is it?”
“I know you’re busy, but I wanted to invite you out to Lyrical Soul next week and offer you the VIP treatment. Georgia Me, aka Ms. Tamika Harper, will be the headliner along with many other great acts,” he said, hoping to get her attention.
“Oh my God! I adore Tamika Harper!” She smiled. Bingo! Got her, he thought, intrigued by how quickly her moods seemed to shift.
“So, that settles it. Bring a friend and I will set you up in the VIP area.” His mama always told him persistence pays off. He was determined to get to know this beautiful woman, by any means necessary.
