“Oh, you meanthatkind of alone. Gotcha. Well, I’m here with my social-butterfly best friend over there,” I said, pointing to Amber.
“Oh, Amber?” he asked.
“Yeah, how you know her?” My voice held a little edge—if Amber had gotten some of Gage’s dick, I was one, going to be pissed and two, going to be all in her business about what he was working with.
“Naw, not like that, Dollface. The guys she’s talking to are who I came in with. She brought a few women over to our circle for some light convo. I’ve never seen her before tonight,” he explained.
Dollface?
“Yeah, so get that screwed up look off your pretty face. No need to be jealous.”
“I’m not jealous. What reason would I have to be jealous?” I laughed, though my tone gave me away.
Gage turned his whole body to face me on the stool and said, “Maybe it’s more disappointment than jealousy. Disappointed that we’ve been sitting here flirting, both our bodies craving each other—you fat and moist between the thighs, me pretending to stretch but really adjusting my dick because it’s so hard I could bust through this marble countertop. I’ve been inhaling yourstrawberry essence, imagining me sucking on your pussy until tears roll down your face, ignoring your tap-out because I want to enter you slowly and fully… only to find out you’d already been with one of my boys? I’d be jealous enough to have to run them a fade real quick.”
We laughed in unison, eyes locked.
He rose from the stool and stood in front of me. I slowly turned as he positioned himself between my legs. Even with me perched high on the stool, Gage still had to bend to look me in the face. He rubbed his nose against mine, and my breathing turned ragged.
“Your energy feels like Heaven on Earth, Mahasin. I’m drawn to you, and this is different for me—I’ve never wanted to be this intimate with any woman, ever.”
“Gage…” I whispered. My drunk, vulnerable ass should not have been this close to this fine man—but nothing in me wanted to pull away. He began to softly peck my lips, and I happily welcomed it. Hell, I damn near begged for it.
“I said I only wanted to give myself to a woman that if I never built a relationship with, I’d still want to be her friend.”Kiss.“Protect her heart.”Kiss.“Provide for her.”Kiss.“Somebody I’d always save room in my heart for.”
Gage kissed me more passionately, and just as I let my body relax, he slid his tongue into my mouth. I sucked it greedily, my panties destroyed. This was the first time I’d ever been ready to cum just from kissing.
Before I could release in my slacks like the nasty little hoe I was, Gage broke the kiss and stared into my eyes.
“Can I have you, Mahasin—physically just for the night, but emotionally forever?” he asked.
Now I knew better. A one-night stand was not the style of valedictorian, summa cum laude, Dr. St. James. I dated withpurpose—to find the love of my life, a husband with whom to build a legacy. I was too damn bougie for a one-night stand.
However, dating with purpose had gotten me nothing but a broken heart and my Lexus chopped down by Pookie and ‘em. Damn, I loved that car.
Fuck it. It was time to live in the moment. And by the looks of Gage, I was pretty sure he was experienced enough to make me climb the walls.
“Only if you can live up to your name, Gage, and guarantee me that I’ll be physically satisfied and emotionally connected to you forever.”
Gage
This couldnotbe me right now. Proximity? Holding a conversation?Touching?And not just the occasional arm swipe—no, I’m swapping bodily fluids with a woman I’ve known less time than the waiter.
Nothing about my attraction to Mahasin felt forced. Iwantedto touch her. Hell, I wanted her to touch me. But would this be a waste of time? By the look of her perfectly decorated appearance and the expensive designers draped over her body, she was prestigious.
Could she accept the fact that I don’t like uppity dinner parties, that neckties make me feel like I’m suffocating, and that I’d probably rip that shit off within the first hour? Herprofession, as she described it, attracts a certain kind of socialite. Would she understand that I can observe people with a pen and pad for hours, but the second someone wearing a scent that doesn’t agree with my nostrils gets too close, I’m vacating the premises like they’ve got the plague?
Should I tell her that I think white socks are the most hideous things in the world—and they make my skin itch just looking at them?
Who am I kidding? Dollface is a doctor. She’s smart as hell. Maybe she’s already picked up that I’m... exceptional. I mean, she had to have noticed me adjusting the bar caddy. And Ihadprobable cause to do so. Only a psychopath would put the cherries between the limes and the lemons. The cherries clearly belongafterthe two sister fruits.
But my little quirks aside… she was it.The one.The one I could give myself to with no regrets. Her energy was magnetic; her spirit was soft yet strong.
Dr. Mahasin St. James would be my first.
The lights dimmed and the stage lit up, signaling that it was 10 p.m. and time for live jazz. As the band began playing a cover of Childish Gambino’s “Stay Woke,” I reached for both of Mahasin’s hands and gently pulled her from the bar stool to the dance floor. Placing her back against my chest, we swayed with the rhythm of the music.
In that position, I caught a magnificent whiff of the fragrance in her curls. Her hair smelled like honey and roses—a perfect pairing that showcased her subtle feminine sweetness. The layers of her fragrance, combined with her pheromones and the mood of this music, had me ready to get on that stage and perform her favorite love song—and a nigga couldn’t even sing the alphabet. But for her, I’d look like a whole fool.
