by Sephiri J
I had no idea what that meant, but I was excited to see what he had in mind. We walked back through the restaurant, and he said goodbye to the owner before we made it back outside and got into his Range.
He started blasting “Leave Me Alone” by Flipp Dinero, and I sang along to the chorus as he swerved through traffic.
I was in a chill mode right now. Something about City made me comfortable with him. I felt like we were two seconds away from stepping into an adventure, and I was here for it.
We pulled up to a strip mall, and he parked his car. I looked at him confused. It was 11:30 at night, and most of the stores were all closed, so I had no idea what we were doing there.
“Come on,” he said and jumped out the car.
I stepped out after him, slowly, but I wasn’t about to sit here while he left me behind.
“Where are we going?” I asked when I caught up to him.
“You ask a lot of questions,” he said, again chuckling, but he didn’t slow down.
I walked a little faster because I was wearing heels and he was taller than me, so he was further ahead. We made it to a clothing store that looked like it was closed because it was dark inside. He opened the door, though, and walked right in. I followed him, looking around me and wondering what was going to happen next.
He walked to the back of the store, and I followed, using the little bit of light that was coming in from the windows at the front to light my way, so I wouldn’t fall over anything. There was a door at the back of the store that I didn’t notice before, and he walked up to it. He knocked real hard on the door and waited a second.
“Who this?” someone said from the other side.
“City, open up,” City said then looked back at me and winked.
I heard a bolt unlatch and then the door opened. When the door came open, I heard music blasting from inside.
“What’s good?” a big, black guy on the other side of the door said and slapped City on the back.
City slapped him back then turned to me and reached his hand out.
“Come on,” he said to and motioned toward the open door as he held my hand.
I walked inside, a little confused as to what this place was. There was a long hallway that was illuminated, and as I walked down the hallway, the music got louder and louder. When we got to the end of the hallway and turned the corner the room, opened into a whole ass club. There were mad people in there dancing and vibin’ as “Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott played. I turned to look at City with my mouth open.
“What is this place?” I asked him, but I couldn’t even hear myself over the music.
“I told you, one of my spots,” he said loudly while leaning close to me, so I could hear. He was grinning at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bar. As we walked, a couple people stopped him to dap him up. I felt a bunch of bitches eyeballing me, and I looked right back at them, daring them to say some slick shit. One in particular was mugging the hell out of me and didn’t even try to look away when I looked at her. She looked like a fucking Barbie; I knew her body must’ve been paid for. She kept glancing at City then back at me before she would turn away and say something to one of her plastic friends that she was standing with.
“You got a lot of fans,” I said, leaning up to City’s ear so he could hear me as he got up to the bar.
He shrugged then looked at me. Grabbing my chin, he made me look up at him, and I felt like I was going to melt. “You the only one I see in here.”
I couldn’t help smile at that as he turned away to get the bartender’s attention. He turned back to me a few minutes later with two glasses of brown liquid.
“What’s this?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.
“Double shot of Henny,” he said while taking his and pushing it back.
“I don’t do Henny,” I said, looking down at the glass.
This was liable to have me fucked up on my ass out here. That brown liquor was dangerous.
“You doin’ it tonight,” he said and winked at me.
Rolling my eyes, I sipped the drink. I frowned as the liquid burned my chest, and he burst out laughing.
“You a big girl, right? Put them panties on and drink that shit,” he said in my ear.
Just the way he said that made my legs shake.
“Aight bet,” I said and nodded then put the cup to my lips. I drank half the glass down as he egged me on.
“Okay, okay, I see you with your fine ass,” he said while looking down at me.
I finished the drink and laughed out loud. The music in this place was hot. I was feeling nice too as the Henny quickly went in my blood stream. In a few seconds, I was singing along to “Talk to Me” by Tory Lanez as it blasted through the club. A bunch of girls got on the floor shaking their ass, and I felt like a few of them were trying to get City’s attention. He wasn’t paying them any mind, though. His eyes were on me.
I moved in front of him and pressed my ass into his crotch. The Henny had me feeling bold, but I probably would have been extra without it anyway. Our chemistry was on ten.
“You’s a prissy little missy, baby. I got one night for you, baby. And so hop out the clothes, let ’em drop to the floor,” I sang as I whined on City.
He grinded into me from behind too, and I felt like there was about to be a waterfall in my panties. I held on to his hands, and he intertwined his fingers in mine as I moved my ass on him. The way our bodies moved, it was like we just fit right. Turning to face him, I danced on him as he buried his face in the crook of my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist. It was like it was just him and I in this whole spot. I legit felt like I was on cloud nine until I felt ice pouring down my back.
I jumped back in shock, and saw cranberry red juice staining the back of my blouse.
“What the fuck!” I yelled while looking behind me at the same Barbie looking bitch standing there with a dumb look on her face and holding an empty cup.
“Oh my God, I’m sooooo sorry,” she said, emphasizing her words.
I knew off jump she did that shit on purpose. She smirked at me then looked over at City.
“I swear I didn’t even see her. I was on the way to getting another drink,” she said and flipped her straight weave over her shoulder.
“The fuck you want, Gisselle?” City barked at her.
I could tell he was pissed but not as mad as me. I was standing there in a wet blouse because some stupid hoe got jealous and wanted to prove a point.
“I told you it was an accident, babe. What’s up?” she said and stepped closer to City. She dropped her now empty cup on the floor, and it bounced off my shoe.
Before she could stretch her hand out to attempt to touch City, I mushed her in the face.
“Bitch, nah back the fuck up. The only thing you need to be worried about is sending me the money for this dry-cleaning bill,” I yelled so she could hear me.
She looked at me, shocked that I put hands on her.
“Don’t fucking touch me, bitch,” she said and pushed me.
That was a wrap for me. I didn’t fight over niggas, but this girl was disrespecting in the worst way. And she came at me, fucking up my whole mood.
I raised my hand and slapped the shit out of her. She fell back, grabbing her face. Rushing forward to jump on her, I got pulled back when City wrapped his hands around my waist. My legs were in the air, and I was fighting hard to get out of his arms to get at ol’ girl, who was still looking at me all goofy.
“Next time I see you, make sure you ready for me, hoe. Fuckin’ up my blouse. This was one of my favorites too,” I yelled after her as City walked away from her, damn near carrying me over his shoulder.
When we got far enough away, I heard him laughing his ass off. I struggled to get out of his grip.
“Aye, chill, Bo,” he said as he laughed some more.
“City, put me down,” I said annoyed.
“You promise not to run your litt
le ass back there and throw hands? Damn, girl, if I knew you was a fuckin’ boxer, I would’ve hired you to run my security,” he said.
He put me down, and I hit him on the arm. He fake squared up with me like we was really ’bout to fight, but then he grabbed me and put me in a bear hug.
“Who’s that bitch?” I asked as he hugged me.
“My ex. I didn’t know she was gonna be here, and I’m sorry she came at you like that. She’s just jealous cuz you with me now. Plus, you got a real body, and her ass is plastic,” City said, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Tell her to stay on the other side of the room next time she sees me,” I said into his chest.
“I was over here thinking you a boujee chick with money, but all this time, you gully like the rest of ’em,” he said, and I laughed.
“I only get like that if I feel disrespected,” I said.
He pulled back from me and tilted my chin back as he looked into my eyes. “I like that about you. I don’t want you out here fighting, but I’m glad to know you won’t let a bitch walk all over you.”
I shook my head as I started to melt all over again looking into his eyes. I just wanted a repeat of the kiss we shared inside before things went left. And it was like City read my mind in that moment because his lips were on top of mine all over again in that hallway. Our electricity was crazy. I felt like I could get lost in that kiss for the next week. When he pulled away from me, I got upset because I didn’t want it to end. But I pulled back also.
“Let me take you home so you not out past your bedtime,” he said and chuckled as he reached for my hand again.
I nodded, and we walked back to his car which was parked outside the quiet shopping center. Tonight was the best date I’d been on in a long time, and I couldn’t wait to see City’s fine ass again.
14
Sade
The next afternoon
“He took me to some secret club behind a door in a clothes store, girl, it was crazy,” Bo said as she told me all about the date she had with City last night.
I hadn’t seen her this excited in a long time. Her eyes were all lit up as she told me about the club, and the restaurant, and the chemistry she had with City. I felt a little tingle in my stomach at how excited my best friend was. In the years she’d been with the asshole, Dontrell, she’d never talked about him like this.
“You like this one for real, huh, sis?” I said as I sipped my lemonade.
We were sitting on the patio of a Cuban bistro with the cool Miami breeze blowing over us. It was a nice afternoon for a girls’ lunch, and Bo called me and our friend Monica to meet up with her, so we could catch up. Monica was a nurse at Miami Regional, so she was running late, but me and Bo had been sitting out on the patio for the last fifteen minutes enjoying the weather and each other’s company.
“I do,” Bo said and put her head in her hands. She raked her fingers through her hair and sat back in the chair. “We been texting all morning. And last night after he dropped me off, he called me while he was driving home and we talked for like another two hours. I don’t know, girl, we just vibe really good. Every time I think about him, I get all smiley and shit. I think I need to cut things off with him.”
“Wait, what?” I said, almost spitting out my lemonade and choking. I patted my chest and coughed a little.
“You okay?” Bo asked, laughing at me.
I nodded and laughed back. “Yeah. But what the fuck? Why you running from this?”
“Because, Sade, I’m not trying to get hurt again. Niggas ain’t shit,” she said and rolled her eyes. “It will just be a matter of time before he does something to fuck up. You know the rumors about him being a whole ass hoe in these streets. You should have seen the looks these girls at the club were giving him last night. Like they wanted me to fall over and die on the spot, so they could step over my body and stand beside this nigga. It was crazy.”
“Bo, you’re so dramatic,” I said, shaking my head.
“I swear, Sade. It was ridiculous. I don’t have a face for prison, and if enough of these bitches try me, I’m gonna have to fight, and that’s exactly where I will end up,” she said with a serious look on her face.
I couldn’t help busting out laughing. She looked so upset about it and serious, even though this was hilarious to me.
“Bo, you’re thinking too much about it, sis,” I said, reaching over and taking her hands. She looked back at me like she didn’t believe me. “Just go with the flow and take this shit one day at a time. There’s no reason for you to be worrying about some hypothetical bitches that you might have to fight,” I said and had to laugh out loud just at the idea.
“We’ll see,” Bo said and sat back in her chair as the waitress came by.
“Do you all want to order any drinks?” the waitress asked, looking between the two of us.
“I’ll get a long island,” I said and glanced at my watch.
“Same,” Bo said as the waitress walked away. Then she turned to me. “So, you drinking again?”
I knew she was fishing about the possible pregnancy, and since I had ordered a drink, it was obvious I wasn’t pregnant.
“Yeah,” I said and finished the lemonade.
“Oh. I’m sorry, girl. You okay?” she said tentatively while trying to read me.
I knew it was hard walking around on eggshells with me and not knowing what to say, but I appreciated her concern.
“I’m fine,” I said and gave her a small smile. “I was a little sad about it a couple days ago, but next month might be the month.”
She nodded and squeezed my hand. I didn’t tell her that after I left this late lunch with her, I had an appointment at an OB/GYN to run a couple tests to see if there was something wrong with my reproductive system. It was really personal, and even though Bo was my best friend in the entire world, this was something I wanted to do by myself. I hadn’t even told Greg about it. Not like he was being too supportive lately anyway. He was in his own world with his business and his boys.
Since the night I came home and told him I wasn’t pregnant, he went to hang out with his friends at the strip club every night, leaving me home by myself. He didn’t get home until 2:00 in the morning now, and we hadn’t had sex in a week. I didn’t know if this was his way of dealing with the frustration of me not being able to get pregnant. But if it was, it was a horrible coping mechanism.
I felt stressed just thinking about him, so I don’t know how he expected that to help me. The doctor already said high levels of stress was a factor in causing a woman to not conceive. I was stressed the fuck out when I would wake up at midnight and the bed was still empty. Our relationship was just strained right now, and I didn’t know what to do to make it better.
My thoughts came back to the table when I saw Monica approaching us. She was all smiles and wearing her aqua colored scrubs.
“Hey girls,” she said as she came up to us.
Leaning down, she hugged Bo then gave me a hug.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked as she sat between us on the right side of the table.
“Exhausted. These people have me running around crazy,” she said and reached for the menu.
“Damn, girl, sounds like you need a drink,” Bo said.
“I wish,” Monica said as she read the menu. “I gotta get back over to the hospital in like forty-five minutes. I just wanted to come through and see my faves. I haven’t seen y’all since that night we went to the bar after your wedding day.”
Bo rolled her eyes. “I know, girl.”
“How you dealing with all that?” Monica asked Bo.
I had met Monica through Bo a couple years back. They knew each other from school. Monica seemed like a chill girl. I wasn’t extra close to her or anything, but she didn’t give me a reason to dislike her, so we were cool. She was very pretty too. Caramel skin and jet-black wavy hair with a pretty smile.
“I’m good. I saw him and his baby mama to be at the tattoo convention, but I�
�m not tryin’ to stress about their simple asses. Fuck them,” Bo said.
I could still feel the hurt behind her words, and I knew it would take a while for my friend to get over the whole thing.
“Plus, it doesn’t matter anyway. I met someone, so I’m seeing where it goes,” Bo said as the waitress came by with our two drinks.
“Oh, for real? Who is this new boo?” Monica asked right after she ordered a Cuban sandwich.
“You know the tattoo artist named City? From City Ink?” Bo said.
Monica raised her eyebrow, and a look came over her face.
“Uh huh,” she said. I watched her and frowned because her reaction was off.
“We met the other day, and he hit me up to take me out. We went out last night, and it was so much fun. I like him, but I don’t know yet. This whole thing with Dontrell and how he cheated, I don’t know if I’m ready,” Bo explained.
I looked over at Monica, who was frowning as she looked at Bo. I couldn’t tell what was going through her head, but she seemed like she wanted to say something that she wasn’t saying.
“Oh,” was all she ended up saying. “Well, I guess. Just be careful, girl. You know what they say about him.”
She reached for the glass of water the waitress had brought for her and took a sip. Bo shrugged, seeming to be oblivious to the change in Monica’s tone once Bo mentioned City. Maybe it was just in my head. My emotions and hormones were on ten since I had this appointment coming up, so I probably was reading too much into what I saw.
“I know what they say. We are just chillin’ now, though, so I’m good,” Bo said and sipped her drink.
I put down my glass and glanced at my watch. “I gotta run,” I said and dug in my purse for some money.
“Where you runnin’ off to?” Bo asked me.
“Got an appointment and need to take care of some things,” I said and put $40 on the table. “I’ll call you later, though.”
“Okay, babe,” she said as I stooped down to kiss her on the cheek.
“Bye, Monica,” I said and kissed her on the cheek also.
