Shawna and Morgan walked into the mall. They headed right through the food court and into the door of Clarks.
***
Desirae had just gotten to work at around 3 o’clock. Clarks wasn’t really all that busy, so for the first hour or so her manager had her doing some things in the stockroom. Eventually, when it was time for a coworker to go on lunch, Desirae was given a drawer to ring people out. In her spare time, she helped people out on the floor wherever she was needed. Between helping customers, she texted her girl Reese up at the counter. She had been texting her off and on all day about everything that was going on with Tron. Even though Desirae and Reese were practically as close of friends as any, Desirae still kept her guard up and never let Reese and Tron meet. For whatever reason, Desirae was starting to notice how Reese just didn’t seem to keep a man around for long. She had debated about saying something, but simply decided against it.
Desirae had just helped an older woman find something she needed when she noticed these two chicks, about the same age as herself, come into the store and start looking around at tops. She made her way over to them, smiling as usual.
“Welcome to Clarks today,” Desirae said, greeting them. “If you need any help finding anything, just let me know, okay?”
The two chicks smiled and said thank you. Desirae backed away, heading back over to her check-out counter while the two of them chit-chatted. In her zigzagging across the store floor, she heard one of them say Tron. Instantly, her ears picked up on it and she knew without a doubt that they had said his name. When Desirae got back to her counter, she stood behind it and looked over at them.
At first, she thought of herself as being paranoid. After all, what were the chances that these two chicks would come into the store talking about the very nigga she had been laying up with late last night and this morning? Then again, Indianapolis was only so big. Add being black on top of that and the world gets even smaller.
“Desirae, girl, you trippin,” she said to herself then thought, You got that dick on your mind that much to where you hearing shit. She shook her head, almost laughing it off. Earlier in the day, she had been hoping that she would hear from Tron within a few hours after he left her place, but she still hadn’t. At this point in the afternoon, she got comfortable with the idea that she probably wouldn’t be hearing from him for a good day or two. After all, they had finally spent the night together and every bit of it was perfect, not to mention how Tron woke up in the middle of the night and really put it down.
Desirae went on helping other customers and straightening up the odd table of shirts here and there that had been unorganized by shoppers. Before long, she noticed that the two chicks she had thought were saying Tron’s name some minutes earlier looked as if they were looking for assistance. Desirae smiled and nodded at them, signaling that she was on her way over. Just as she got close to them, she heard something that definitely let her know that she had not been imagining things. One chick, the one who appeared to be a little older, asked the other chick if she was sure she’d look good in this and if it was something that she thought Tron would like. Desirae went into full alert, being totally aware of the situation. She smiled, while at the same time wanting to definitely know what Tron they were talking about.
“Yes, can I help you with something?” she asked the two women
The older of the two smiled at her. “Okay, so here is my problem,” she started to explain. “I’m having a little get together tonight for my dude’s birthday.”
“Hmm, hmm,” Desirae said, nodding.
“And I figured I’d get something else to wear. I found this over there.” The women held up a cute sweater and pants. “And I was wondering if you knew if you all’s shoe department would have something that would go nicely with this so I ain’t at this thing looking crazy.”
So many questions popped into Desirae’s mind that she wanted answers for. At the same time, she knew she couldn’t go acting ghetto or anything because these two chicks could complain and get her into trouble with her job. Desirae looked at the outfit.
“Girl, that’s cute,” she said. “I gotta ask, though, what kinda birthday party is it? I mean, like is it at your place or at a venue or something like that?”
“Oh, it’s at our place,” the chick answered.
Desirae nodded, trying to figure out what this strange feeling she was having at that very moment was trying to tell her.
“Okay, well,” Desirae said. “I’d say you doin’ good then and yeah, that would go nice with some of these cute heels I saw when I walked through the shoe area not too long ago. You’ll have to forgive me, but I’ve never worked in that area so what I know about it is a little limited, if that makes sense.”
“I feel you, girl,” the chick said.
“But, if we don’t have the right shoes to go with that, you know there’s some shoe stores out in the mall you can ring up and go out to,” Desirae explained. “They’d have quite a bigger shoe selection, of course.”
“Girl, you right,” the chick said. “Duh, I wish I woulda thought of that.”
“Yeah,” Desirae said. “Look, I can go ahead and ring you up and stuff. You can go see what we have in our shoe department. If we don’t got what you lookin’ for over there, you know it’s right by the other entrance to the mall, and I think the shoe stores ain’t too far down.”
With that piece of advice, Desirae led the two women across the floor and over to her counter and cash register. As she signed on to the computer, she looked up and noticed how they were talking again. While she wasn’t particularly paying attention, she did notice how Tron’s name was brought up again.
“So, is this birthday a big one for him?” Desirae asked, sounding so friendly and signaling that they could hand the clothes to her for her to scan.
“Yes and no,” she said. “He’s turning twenty-six, so sort of.”
“Oh, okay,” Desirae said. At the back of her mind, she was really thinking about if Tron had ever even mentioned his birthday to her. For some reason, she felt like they never talked about that kind of stuff. At the same time, she just couldn’t believe how crazy of a coincidence this was. Had she ever come into the store before and maybe she just didn’t have any reason to think that she was Tron’s girl? All of this was just so much and so sudden. “It’ll be fun,” she added.
“Yeah,” the girl said then went on talking to the other girl about this and that, nothing particularly interesting or of any use to Desirae. They paid in cash, rather than a card. Desirae was kind of hoping that one of them would use a card so she could get a name. When they walked off from the counter, she told them to have a nice day and enjoy the party. She looked them each up and down, trying to figure out which one was more likely to be Tron’s woman. The older of the two was sort of thick, but not too much and more on the thin side. She was definitely pretty, and Desirae wasn’t going to deny her that fact. She was about five foot three or so, and her hair looked as if it was a nice length, very healthy, and maintained. The other chick was cute, but definitely not a whole lot that she could imagine Tron giving the time of day to.
Desirae grabbed her phone while she scanned the floor of the store for any customers or her supervisors. She started texting her girl Reese: Girl you not gon believe this shit.
A few minutes passed before there was a reply popping up from Reese: What??
Desirae: I think Tron’s bitch just came in the store.
Just then, customers came walking up to Desirae’s counter, looking for assistance.
***
The mall closed at 9 pm Monday through Thursday. Desirae was usually clocking out around 9:30 or so. The store had started to get a little busy when she last sent her girl Reese a text. She wanted to tell her what happened, but couldn’t really find the time. On top of that, her supervisor lurked around her department so she didn’t want to get her to tripping about anything.
Desirae called Reese.
“Hello?” Reese said.
“Girl, I’m just getting off work,” Desirae said. “What you doin?”
“Shit, chillin at the moment I guess,” Reese said. “So what was you talkin bout you think his woman came up in there or something? I mean, what would make you think it was her and stuff?”
“Girl, I think it was her,” Desirae said then went on to tell her the entire story. The phone call ended with Reese agreeing to come over and chill with Desirae. She wanted to hear all about the weekend and maybe meeting his girl – and she wanted to hear the story in person rather than over the phone. Reese didn’t stay all the far from Desirae, so she hopped into some clothes and headed over, pulling into the parking lot of her apartment complex only about ten minutes after Desirae. The two of them chilled in the living room while Desirae told the story over again, going over every detail and talking about everything that she had heard.
“Well, is it his birthday and you just don’t know?” Reese asked, knowing how Desirae had been talking about how close the two of them were getting.
Desirae didn’t answer, not really knowing what to say.
“Girl, you didn’t know it was his birthday?” Reese asked, not really believing that.
“I mean,” Desirae said. “We ain’t never really talked about that kinda shit or nothing. We close and stuff, like for real, cause I talk to him about his family. He talked to me about some restaurant he owns with a buddy. I mean, it’s just we ain’t never talked about stuff like birthdays and shit for some reason.”
“Hmm, hmm,” Reese said. “So, did you bring up to him this weekend what y’all was talking about? Him breaking it off with her and staying with you. Or is he still even entertaining that idea at all?”
Desirae huffed, feeling a little frustrated. Things on that front were not going as well as she wanted.
“We talked about it a little,” Desirae said. “I can tell he kind of feels stuck with her for some reason and stuff.”
“Yeah, well, I feel like you woulda known that it might’a been his birthday,” Reese said. “Have you heard from him since he left this morning? You said he left this morning right?”
“Yeah, this morning,” Desirae said. “And no, he ain’t text me or nothing. It ain’t like we text every single day. He be busy and can’t get away and stuff all the time. Plus, he be busy with the restaurant and stuff. But the crazy thing is, I think that I mighta seen that chick before. Like maybe she comes into the store or something. Cause she look kinda familiar. Like maybe I seen her walking around or something at the mall or the store.”
Reese shrugged. “Prolly so,” she said.
***
Everything went smoothly at the get-together for Tron’s birthday. They had a couple games of cards going. A few people played with the Wii here and there. Everybody mixed and mingled, making it a really nice affair overall. Tyrese and Nalique came, as did Tron’s half-brother Greg and his girlfriend. A few of Shawna’s friends she worked with down at the shop came through. For a while, the townhouse where Shawna and Tron lived was kind of bumping.
Around eleven o’clock, people started leaving. Most everyone had to be at work in the morning, plus the news had said that some more snow could be falling on the city during the overnight hours. When everybody had left, Shawna started going around to the tables and picking up stuff and cleaning up. Tron noticed and shook his head. He glided over to Shawna and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“What you doin, baby?” he asked.
“Just getting some of this stuff up is all,” Shawna said, not evening thinking the apartment was all that messy. Everybody, for the most part, threw everything they had into the trash. All that was really left out were some cups on the tables and some bags of chips and stuff like that on the counter.
Tron chuckled in Shawna’s ear, causing her to smile and turn her face toward his face. “What, nigga?”
“Why you cleaning for?” Tron asked. “Do that shit later, it’s my birthday night, ain’t it?”
Shawna sat the stacked cups back onto the table and turned around, now facing Tron. Even after several hours, his cologne still smelled just right on him. Shawna took a big whiff as Tron held her in his arms, his hands sliding down to her lower back.
“Thank you for throwing this little party for me, baby,” Tron said, looking into Shawna’s face.
Shawna smiled. “You know I was gon do something,” she said.
Tron nodded. “I know,” he said then chuckled. “It was nice. Don’t worry about cleaning and stuff right now. We can do this shit in the morning or later on or something. I wanna go lay down and shit. Seeing you up and moving around makes me tired.”
“Makes you tired, does it?” Shawna asked, playfully. “I can’t imagine.”
They turned the lights off and headed upstairs to their bedroom. They slept in the master bedroom of the two-floor, two-bedroom townhome. The complex was pretty nice, but there were some sketchy areas just down the road. Shawna and Tron’s bedroom suite made the large room look even better, as it was made of some sort of wood with intricate designs in it.
Tron followed Shawna into the bedroom, holding her at her waist and playfully kissing her on the neck. They put a movie in and lay down in the bed, Shawna in just her bra and panties with her head resting on Tron’s chest as he lay there in just a wife beater and his boxer-briefs. The two hadn’t really gotten to see each other because by the time Shawna had gotten home from the mall, Tron had been out. When he had gotten back, it was just about time for the party to start.”
“So, how was your day and stuff?” Shawna asked.
“It was alright,” Tron answered. “The club…we gotta do something to get it hot again. Stuff is starting to slow down again.”
“Oh yeah?” Shawna said.
Shawna never was really all that comfortable with Tron going into the club business. She knew that particular lifestyle came with its potential issues – issues that she just didn’t really want to deal with. However, at the same time, she had to support his decision to get out of the streets when he and Tyrese were starting to get a little too much attention. He made the better of the two choices, but now one just had different dynamics that Shawna wasn’t used to yet. She felt her relationship with Tron was strong enough that he would know what he had at home and not stoop to fucking around with strippers. So far, everything had been okay. On top of all that, the club was indeed making quite a bit of money at times. Shawna didn’t have to want for anything. The two of them had been on a few trips together – Chicago, Atlanta, and the beach in South Carolina – and Shawna didn’t have to pay for a thing. All she had to do was sit back and have a good time. She’d never had a man who was willing to help her experience things. Ever since she’d met Tron, she felt like they were connected in a way. To Shawna, it really felt like she and Tron were friends as well as girlfriend and boyfriend.
Shawna’s eyes scanned their bedroom, looking at all of the nice furniture and things they had because she had a dude who was willing to get up and go work for it.
“You two will figure it all out,” Shawna said.
Just then, Shawna felt Tron pulling her body up to his. “Come here, baby,” he told her in a low voice.
Smiling, Shawna got up onto her hands and knees and looked down into Tron’s face. Tron grabbed her head and started kissing her, eventually bringing her body down against his. When they broke away from the kiss, he slid Shawna’s bra up over her head. Shawna started to moan when Tron tongued her nipples. Within minutes, Tron had slid his underwear off and onto the floor followed by Shawna’s panties. She sat on him, her fingers digging into his toned chest while she felt his manhood reaching deep into her.
“Damn, this dick,” Shawna said out loud.
Tron smiled and went on with his business. He held her by her hips and started thrusting, causing her to bounce up and down. Eventually, it got to the point where she was fully riding him. Tron loved Shawna’s petite, but shapely body. She was just the right size for him to throw
around and pick up from time to time if he felt like doing it.
Tron grunted, loving how good Shawna felt. He also loved how hard she was working for the dick, throwing sexy remarks at her while she rode him. Tron had done multiple positions with Shawna, from missionary to him sitting back on a chair. When Tron finally came, he lay down on the bed. Shawna went to the bathroom really quickly and came back to the bed, laying her head on Tron’s chest just like she had been before. The two of them lay there for several minutes, talking about this and that, until Shawna noticed that it was now after midnight. That meant it was officially Tron’s birthday.
“Happy Birthday,” Shawna said.
“Thank you, thank you,” Tron said in return. “Just what a man needs on his birthday – be lying in the bed with his girl.”
Shawna looked up at Tron. Tron could feel her eyes on him and looked down at her. “Wassup?” he said.
Shawna shook her head and smiled. “Nothing,” she said, sounding sincere. In the back of her mind, she wanted to bring up the marriage thing some more so they could talk about it. At the same time, she didn’t think bringing it up to him on his birthday would be the best idea either. She’d just wait a little longer to bring it up. It wasn’t like it was that big of a deal anyway.
Shawna wound up nodding off first. Tron was a little wired, partly because he had come home and had a nap earlier in the day before Shawna had gotten home from the mall. Earlier in the evening, before the party, he rolled over on 38th Street to pick up a few grams of Dro from a buddy. He had planned on smoking some with Shawna, but he needed to get inside of her first. Now, he wanted to smoke a little but didn’t feel like getting up.
Instead, Tron just lay there in their dark bedroom while Shawna’s breathing slowed down and settled at a steady pace. He ran his fingers through her hair, loving how thick it was. His hand then slid down to her ass, enjoying the nice size. Tron leaned his head further back into his pillow and closed his eyes. At that moment, he felt especially at home. Nobody knew him better than Shawna did, and she had even gone so far as throwing a little party for his birthday. She was the kind of woman that he could always talk to about just about anything.
The Diary of a Side Chick (Side Chick Diaries Book 1) Page 4
