Getting The Edge
Copyright 2015 Alexandra Warren
Cover Art by Visual Luxe
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real locations, people, or events is coincidental and unintentional.
~Acknowledgements~
Thank you God.
Thank you Mr. Perry.
Thank you Mommy and Daddy Warren.
Thank you JayBird and Tom-Tom Warren.
Thank you Christina.
Thank you Trevesia.
Family, Friends, Readers, You’re all awesome.
ariel.
I should be having a lot more fun than this.
I downed a shot of tequila and chased it with some mixed drink the bartender talked me into, hoping it would loosen me up and force me to do something crazy for the sake of some action. Unfortunately, I knew it would take at least a few minutes to settle in so I took another sip of the drink thinking maybe just maybe it would help expedite the process.
It was the night before my college graduation. Four and a half long ass years of school. And they really expected us to do even more after that?
Uh...not happening.
Not anytime soon at least.
Despite what everyone seemed to say about life after graduation, I was more than ready to get into the workforce mainly so I could put my double major in business and marketing with my double minor in public relations and advertising to use (Yes, your girl did way too much). In less than a week, I would be hopping on a flight to New York City to do my first real interview at Jones and Johnson Records then moving into an apartment there the following week. They were looking to hire a promoter and I knew with my education and experience that I should pretty much be a no-brainer for them. The music industry was crazy competitive about everything, including the process for hiring employees, but I was confident enough in my abilities that moving to NYC before I received an offer letter wasn’t that big of a deal.
It would come.
It better come.
“Ariel, come on! We are fuckin’ graduating tomorrow! It’s time to turn-up!” My best friend Jasmine was dancing on the table we shared and for a split second I thought about joining her. But that was her thing; Little Miss Life of the Party while I stayed in the books. How she managed to do both I never understood. I smiled and shrugged her off as I took a sip of the waitress’s latest delivery, a cranberry and vodka.
“Girl, don’t make me come down there and drag your ass onto this table!” I laughed at her threat before I took another quick sip of my drink.
“I’m good Jaz. Let me chill.”
“No! We’re not here to chill. We’re here to have a good ass time, shake our big ol’ asses, and drink ‘til we can’t remember our last names.” Only one of the three ideas sounded appealing but instead of fighting her about it, I put my drink down so that I could climb up onto the table with her. Then I reached back down to grab the glass, putting the tiny straw to my lips and taking a long enough drag to finish it off.
Lord, please let me make it across the stage without falling tomorrow.
“Yassss bitch! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” I rolled my eyes even though it did feel good to be up there, feeling free and partying with no remorse or responsibility; at least not the type of responsibility I knew would be forced upon me the second I received my diploma.
I reached down to grab a drink that I had started but failed to finish earlier as Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj blared from the speakers. That sentiment definitely rang true as the shot I took accompanied by all the other drinks I had consumed began to bum-rush my body. Dancing on the table put me above the crowd so I could actually see who was there. Well, see as much as the alcohol allowed me to now that it was taking over, surely clouding my judgment.
“Ariel, did you see the dude that just came in?” I hardly heard her as I was too busy feelin’ myself.
“What dude?”
“Look, he’s right by the door.” In my current state, my head completely slow-played my glance in the direction of the door and of course I spent the longest of moments trying to figure out which guy Jasmine was talking about as she said, “Honey...I will be making my way over there once the song changes.” I still didn’t know who she was talking about so I just stayed in my lane. Besides, there was no use in me checking dude out if Jasmine was already making plans with him.
jamison.
“Cuzzo, I’m so glad you came out to the city to celebrate with me man.”
I was super proud that Drew, my little cousin by a few months, was graduating from the University of California tomorrow. It had been a long road for him, including multiple semesters of academic probation, but he hung in there and was making it out with the ultimate prize; a degree. I was a recent grad myself, finishing a semester earlier than my advisor projected, but I was just now getting interviews for the positions I had applied for months ago in New York City. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be offered at least one of the positions, but I still had to stay on my Ps and Qs just to be sure.
Except for tonight.
Tonight was all about celebrating Drew’s accomplishments.
As we made our way into the near-capacity club, my eyes instantly gravitated to two girls dancing on a table towards the wall. I was surprised nobody had told them to get their asses down but it could’ve been because they both had so much ass to work with. Considering we were in Cali, they were probably fake but that wasn’t for me to figure out quite yet.
“Cuzzo, you see that shit too? Both of them could get it.” Drew was right though I couldn’t help but focus on the one that seemed a tad bit more reserved. Her demeanor was cute but her looks screamed of an undeniable sex appeal. Mocha brown skin, long hair, probably a weave, but at least well-maintained, and body. Perfect boobs that weren’t too big for her petite frame and an ass that could’ve only been made from silicone shots or lots of country meals. But she obviously didn’t down too many country meals cause her waist was still slim.
“Which one you want Jamison?” My decision was already made but then it dawned on me.
You ain’t here for that bruh.
I was only in town for the weekend to celebrate with Drew then I had to get to NYC for some very important shit. The last thing I needed was to get caught up in some girl.
“I’m good. You do your thang playboy.”
Since he was making that move, I knew I had to at least follow him and play wingman. Not that I had to do anything with whoever he didn’t pick, just entertain her enough so that she wouldn’t cock-block Drew’s game. And of course, he had to pick the one that I actually found interesting to rap to. They were down from the tabletop by this point, sitting in the booth, sippin’ on what I could tell were girly ass drinks by their bright color.
“Baby girl, you are wearin’ the hell out of that dress.” The girl peeked up from her drink, straw still in her mouth, and pushed out a weak thank you. I immediately knew she wasn’t feelin’ him by her tone but that wasn’t enough to stop him.
“I’m Drew by the way.”
“Ariel.”
“Ariel. Like the mermaid?” Mentally, I palmed my face at the worst possible reference he could’ve come up with.
“No. Just…Ariel.” I could appreciate her trying to be nice about the whole thing regardless of how wack Drew’s game was.
“And who are you handsome?” I turned my attention to her friend who was doing a little too much for me to even pretend to be interested in her. Her low-cut, skintight dress left nothing to
the imagination. But, for the sake of the situation, I had to at least be polite.
“I’m Jamison.”
“Nice to meet you Jamison. I’m Jasmine. Hmm...that sounds good together doesn’t it? Jamison and Jasmine.” She gave me a seductive grin that I was pretty sure she used to get her way on plenty of occasions even though it did absolutely nothing for me.
“Not bad. But I have a girlfriend.” It was a lie but I couldn’t help noticing the hint of disappointment on Ariel’s face nearby.
Was she interested in me?
I mean, I wasn’t a bad lookin’ dude; a little over six feet tall, peanut butter skin, a few tattoos from my immature days, and muscles representing my mostly steady gym regimen, so it wasn’t like I was surprised when a girl was interested in me. But for some reason, I still wasn’t expecting it from her. I could tell by the way she fidgeted in her seat that this wasn’t her usual crowd, unlike her friend who seemed to relish in the action.
“Oh that’s too bad. You look way too good to be taken.”
My grin was straining in response to her unorthodox compliment, but I knew it was in my best interest to keep my words to myself. No need to start trouble.
“So Ariel, are you student at the University?” I was happy to see Drew trying a better angle even though I wasn’t sure she would go for it.
“Actually, I’ll be graduating tomorrow.”
“No shit? Me too!” She gave him a friendly smile of acknowledgment but it still seemed to lack any type of enthusiasm which meant it was time for me to jump in.
“Congratulations Ariel. That’s a major accomplishment.” It was a pretty general statement to ease the tension between her and Drew, but the second she blushed in response to me was the same second his chase was over.
“Thank you. I…appreciate that.”
Instead of sulking in Ariel’s obvious rejection, Drew wasted no time moving on to her friend.
“Hey Jasmine, you wanna dance?” She perked up in response, surprised that Drew was asking her and not Ariel. I watched closely as she gave Ariel a look of uncertainty before Ariel returned a pleading look.
“Me? Um…yeah…yeah sure. Why not?” The pair headed out to the dance floor, Jasmine peeking back to give Ariel a you-owe-me look, before they got mixed into the crowd. Ariel watched the crowd and I watched her as she chugged a glass of water surely being proactive considering the mass amount of empty glasses that were at the table. Instead of continuing to be a creep, I turned my attention back to the dance floor to find Jasmine and Drew actually having a good time. Maybe he should’ve came at her from the jump.
“He your friend?”
“My cousin.”
“When you go home tonight, please give him some pointers. His game was trash.” I smirked at her acknowledgment confirming what I already knew.
“He doesn’t know any better. Was dropped on his head when he was a baby.” That made her laugh. It was a cute one. Nothing obnoxious, just sweet enough to know she really thought it was funny.
Or maybe she was just drunk.
“I could imagine that. You from here?”
“Actually I’m just visiting for his graduation. I’m from Phoenix.”
“Desert boy. That’s cool.”
“What about you?”
“I’m from Houston. But I’ll be relocating once again to NYC soon.” My interest in her instantly peaked at the mention of our future city.
“You’re kidding me? I’m moving out there soon too.”
“No joke? How ironic. Maybe I’ll see you around the city.” It actually sounded kind of good. Not because I found her attractive but because I didn’t really know anybody out there.
Okay maybe both.
“Probably not, but who knows. That city is big as hell. You ever been?”
“Just once when I was younger and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.” I could see the twinkle in her eye as she spoke about the Big Apple.
“I know the feeling. You excited about graduation?”
“Is that even a real question?” I laughed as she continued, “Of course I’m excited. I’m ready to get out of here; on to bigger and better things.” I remembered feeling the same way but once graduation came and went, everything changed.
“Enjoy your moment sweetheart. Adulthood ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. I just graduated and let’s just say, I wouldn’t mind going back.” It wasn’t that I wasn’t eager about what lied ahead, it had just taken so long to get there and the road wasn’t the prettiest. I worked random gig after random gig while I spent nights applying for jobs and waiting for interviews.
“Seriously? I would never. Ever.”
“You say that now, but you’ll see what I mean.” She gave me a challenging look like she didn’t believe me. Her attitude-stained smirk was sexy as hell but I wasn’t here for that no matter how tempting she made it.
She took another sip of her water with all eyes on me before she asked, “You don’t really have a girlfriend, do you?”
“Huh?” I heard her loud and clear but I wanted to give myself time to think of an answer.
“A girlfriend. You told Jasmine you had a girlfriend. But for some reason, I feel like that’s not true.” She was studying my features, looking for any hints of the bluff she was calling. The truth seemed to spill out before I could think of something clever to say.
“You’re right. I don’t.”
Her face turned inquisitive as she said, “So you told her that because…”
“Because I didn’t want to get her hopes up. I wasn’t interested in her.” I really didn’t have to say it for Ariel to get that picture. In fact, I was sure she figured that out from a mile away.
“But you told me the truth…”
“You’re right. So what does that tell you?”
ariel.
I was drunk.
It was inevitable by the way I had been sippin’ all night but I had been drunk enough times during my college career to know my limit. And that limit was exceeded by a long shot. Not that I was sloppy, passed out, or throwing up; I simply had no control.
Like zero.
Especially over my mouth.
The ability to think before I said anything was long gone so now, what would’ve been just thoughts were actual spoken words and well…
“Jaz, you are such a ho. You don’t even like Drew but you’re probably gonna fuck ‘em tonight.” The boys were off getting more drinks for our table as if I needed another lick of alcohol.
Lord, please let me make it to graduation on time.
“Damn bitch, I can’t get a little graduation action without you hatin’? And besides, it looks like you’ve been workin’ on some action of your own.” My cheeks instantly flushed with an unexpected warmth. It wasn’t intentional but I definitely wasn’t gonna turn it down if the opportunity presented itself. I was far from a one-night stand type of girl and hadn’t planned to ever become one but fuck it.
It was what it was.
“I’m not gonna fuck Jamison. I don’t even knowww him.”
Oh shit, did I just slur?
“So what! That’s the best part. You can do it and walk away. No harm done. Just a good ass time and hopefully some good ass dick. You could use it.”
“Shut uppp. But he does look like the type that would be packin’ huh?”
Okay, that was definitely a slur.
“Hell to the yes. Hopefully it runs in the family.” We both shared in a laugh and hi-five as I leaned into her for support even though my ass was sitting down. I would miss these moments with Jasmine. After graduation, she was starting a position at a local law firm as a legal assistant until she would begin working towards her law degree next semester.
“We must’ve missed somethin’ hella funny.” Drew sat the drinks on the table as Jamison slid into the booth next to me, getting a little closer than he was before. To up the ante, he draped an arm across the back of the seat, making himself super comfortable. To my surprise, it m
ade me comfortable too.
“Yeah, we were talking about ya’ll dick sizes.” Mentally, I put a hand over my mouth like a kid who accidentally said a bad word in front of her parents but doing that in real life would’ve been way too much work so I played it cool as if I actually meant to say it out loud.
“Ariel! Ya’ll have to excuse her. She’s had plenty to drink tonight.”
My blunt confession spiked Jamison’s interest as his eyebrow lifted in curiosity before he said, “Oh really? Well what did you come up with?”
“I think you…Jamison…have a big dick.” It was out of my mouth before I could even feel any type of way for saying it. I mean, it was what I came up with so what was the point of keeping it to myself?
“Ariel!”
“Whatttt? I do. Well...am I right?”
“I mean, I’d like to think so. But I guess I’ll have to leave it up to you to evaluate.” The fact that he was actually sure of himself made me that much more interested in finding out if the information was accurate. So instead of waiting for a private opportunity to do said evaluation, I waited until Jasmine and Drew were engaged in a conversation of their own to slip my hand from my thigh to his. He didn’t even flinch. So I dragged my hand a little higher up his thigh and he only smirked, practically egging me on. Since he was so unbothered, I let my hand travel up just a little bit further and...damn.
He didn’t even bother moving my hand, just leaned over to whisper in my ear, “You about ready to go?”
- &-
I felt like I was in an episode of Taxi Cab Confessions. The only thing missing was the HBO cameras. I was faded. Jamison was tipsy. And he was talking all types of freaky shit a lot louder than he probably thought. Judging by the funny looks the Arabian driver kept giving us from his rearview, his words were definitely no secret.
“I bet you twenty bucks I’ll make you cum at least four times tonight.” I couldn’t stop the goofy-drunken-turned on grin that instantly came to my face.
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