“Yes.”
“Just checking because you have no friends, no place to live, and zero bitches.”
“I have bitches.”
Sloane and Deion both flashed me a dubious look.
“I can plan something, no problem.”
“Aldridge, no corny shit. This is your chance to make a good impression.”
“I understand the assignment, don’t worry about me.”
Deion’s wordsstuck with me. Mostly the part about having no social life. So, when Dante reached out and suggested we go on a double date, I actually agreed. Well first I said no because other than Danessa I didn’t know any other women in Vegas. Dante shut me down with the offer to set me up with one of his lady friends. I immediately said no again because I did not want Dante’s sexual hand-me-downs. He assured me he wouldn’t do me dirty.
I finally agreed on the following conditions, no MILFs don’t get me wrong, older women were great, but I was looking for someone I might be able to vibe with long term. No kids. Eventually I wanted kids, but I wasn’t ready to date a woman who came with an insta family. Situations like that required you to come correct, and I wasn’t interested in anything serious just yet. No friends of Anika. I loved Anika as the sister of my ex, but she was not remotely my type. How she and Danessa were raised in the same house was beyond me because the two couldn’t be more different.
After attending an NA meeting, I rushed home to shower and change before heading out to meet Dante at Sin City Playland, an arcade facility with food, drinks, and popular top forty hits so loud you could hear it from the parking lot. Tonight was my first date since moving to Vegas and I felt a bit out of practice. First dates were always awkward, so I would rely on my pro basketball player status to do the heavy lifting tonight.
Checking in on the main level, I walked up the stairs which opened up to the first of three gaming floors. The music and people laughing and shouting were in competition. It was a bit of a sensory overload with ringing, dings, and chimes going off every other second. I didn’t have to find Dante, he found me piecing the noise with a shrill whistle. Turning in the direction of the noise, I spotted him waving me over.
“You made it.” We exchanged daps.
“I said I’d come and I did.”
“I bet ten dollars you’d flake on us,” Anika said.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re a flake, don’t act surprised.”
“Speaking of flakes, where is my date?”
Anika and Dante exchanged a glance. “She’s loading her gaming card.”
Rubbing my hands together, I peppered them with questions. “What’s her name? Where’s she from?”
“Aren’t you eager? I know it’s been a hot minute since you had any pussy but calm down,” Anika said.
“Why does everyone think I’m hard-pressed for sex?”
Anika patted my arm like I was a pathetic loser. “When’s the last time you experienced a nut that wasn’t self-induced?”
I snatched my arm from her touch. “I don’t have trouble in the woman department, thank you.”
“Says the man who needed me to set him up on a blind date,” Dante said.
“So, I’m a lame for trying to meet new people in this city?”
Dante and Anika consulted one another. “Yes,” they said in unison.
This was the last time I hung out with these two. I didn’t need to be ganged up on. If this mystery woman wasn’t a ten, we’d all be brawling cause I wasn’t going to subject myself to insults and a five in the face. The crowd around us seemed to part like the Red Sea and there was Danessa. It took me a few beats to make the connection this wasn’t an extreme coincidence, Danessa was my date for the night. Did she willingly agree to this?
When Danessa caught sight of me, her face crumbled. Got it, she’d been hoodwinked like me. Knowing Anika, she’d probably straight up lied to get Danessa here. Danessa’s face transitioned from surprise to irritation to clenched-fist rage. Turning to Anika, she unleashed her fury. “Are you fucking kidding me. You promised.”
“I know, but I lied.”
“Fuck you, Anika. I am so tired of your shit.” Danessa shoulder checked her sister on her way past me and down the stairs.
