I sipped on my drink right by the tower, enjoying the smooth burn of the champagne. When I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around, Crew was standing there in a tailored suit, which I couldn't believe I was seeing. Black tie suited gangsters always looked perfect in my opinion. They showed the best of both worlds, and there was nothing sexier than tattoos sliding out of the top of a tux, or cufflinks sitting on wrists decorated in ink.
“I see you made it after all.”
“Yeah, I threw something together and decided to come. Happy to see you here, Crew. You look nice.”
“And you look, well, I’m sure you’ve passed a mirror tonight, so I don’t have to say much.”
I smiled bashfully.
“But I’m about to go holler at the boys over there. I hope you save a dance for me sometime tonight.”
“Oh, you dance?”
He licked his lips as his eyes seemed to dance over my frame.
“I do it all, baby, so don’t run off, and if you do, leave a slipper, Cinderella.”
He made me smile as he walked away from me. The feeling forming inside of me was so dangerous that I had to grab another glass and walk away. I kept telling myself he was no good for me, but my attraction to him was so hard to ignore. It’s the way he smelled, the way he smiled, the way he just looked at me and made my lady parts shake like I was feigning for himinside me. I hated to feel like this, true enough, but that didn’t mean I could stop it. This champagne also wasn’t helping.
I found a table near the chocolate fountain in the corner and sat there sipping my champagne and enjoying the music until the DJ started playing songs that had the entire party on the dance floor, and soon Ciara was coming my way to grab my arm.
“Come on chick, let lose. It’s a celebration, and my best friend couldn't make it, so it's you and me tonight.”
She smiled, and her interactions with me were always so genuine that I felt like I was dealing with an actual homegirl. The DJ was playing Before I Let Go and because we’d all grown up on that song, we were all singing it like we’d seen our grandmothers and aunts do. The DJ then mixed in Beyonce's newer version, and we all really started letting loose, and I admit I was having a great time. The waiters were continuously serving the drinks, and I wasn’t passing up any while Ciara was having sober fun. When the constant drinks started to run through me, I excused myself from the dance floor and walked off towards the restroom. I walked outside the doors and into the hallway, almost knocking the door down when I got to it.
After I was done, I washed my hands before looking in the mirror, making sure I hadn’t messed up my hair. When I stepped back into the hallway, the strong scent of weed mixed with a bunch of different expensive colognes hit my nose. Of course, I looked around to see where the scent of marijuana was coming from, and in the corner to my right was Crew, standing next to a large picture of Hov, smoking a blunt.
I cleared my throat behind him, and he turned around, smiling, before blowing the smoke in the opposite direction of my face.
“What are you doing out here? You trying to hit this too?”
The smirk on his face told me he was being slightly fresh with me, if you will.
“Not at all. I actually had to use the restroom. I guess you smoke anywhere you want to, huh?”
“Of course. This is my best friend's party, and I’m sure he doesn’t give a fuck what I do.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he doesn’t. He seems to be having a good time tonight.”
“Well, you seem to be having a good time, too. I’m happy to see you smiling.”
“Yeah, it’s been fun. I'm just happy that I'm able to take my mind off of things, you know.”
“Yeah, there is nothing like a distraction that’s beneficial to your mind, body, and soul. Of course, I don’t know if the party is doing all that, but I am sure other things can do it tonight.”
His words were calm and seductive, almost.
I eyed him up and down, sucking my teeth.
“What’s on your mind, Bria?” He stepped up closer to me.
“You don't even want to know what's on my mind, Crew.”
“I guarantee you I do now.”
“I'm sure you do, because if I tell you, you may want to act on it, and I can’t let you.”
“And why can’t you? You scared of something?”
