“Whatever,” I said, still laughing, cheeks flushed. We kept walking, still laughing from that wild crowd moment, when we turned a corner and saw a girl on the sidewalk jumping up and down, waving her arms at a group of people on a balcony. The guys above tossed a string of shiny gold beads down, and she caught them with a squeal like she’d won the lottery.
“Ooh!” I gasped, eyes lighting up. “I want some beads!”
I started waving both hands in the air, full of excitement, bouncing like a kid trying to get picked in gym class.
Maison looked at me and immediately started laughing. “Yeahhh, that’s definitely not how you’re gonna get those.”
I turned and frowned. “Damn, I gotta pay for them to throw me some?”
He shook his head, still laughing. “Yeah, pay with a flash.”
I blinked. “A flash?”
He raised his eyebrows and pointed up. “You know… the old-school Mardi Gras tradition.”
I followed his gaze and looked up. A group of men stood on the balcony, shirtless, their stomachs painted with Mardi Gras stripes and the Saints logo. They were hollering, already holding beads in their hands, clearly looking for their next flash-for-beads moment.
“Wait… you telling me that stuff in the movies is real? I gotta show a boob to get beads?”
Maison shrugged with that damn fine smile. “Not always. But those drunk asses?” He nodded upward. “You not getting a single bead unless you show some skin.”
I bit my lip, legit contemplating it. That’s when Maison leaned in close to talk into my ear.
“Come on now… you scared to show a little nipple? Didn’t you say this was your Heaux Phase trip? You mean to tell me you came all this way just to play safe?”
I was already hot from the walk, the drinks, and the kiss.
‘Flash a man for Mardi Gras beads’was smack dab on the left corner of my vision board.
I smirked. “You know what?” I said, stepping back and loosening my shirt. “What the hell.”
I reached under, lifted my shirt and bra up, and flashed my perky, chocolate titties like I was on the cover of a Girls Gone Wild: Heaux Edition DVD.
The guys on the balcony went crazy.
“YEEEEEAAAAHHHH!”
“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!”
“THROW HER THE GOOD BEADS!”
Beads rained down on me like blessings, and I caught two strands while the rest hit the ground. I doubled over laughing, still clutching the beads, trying to fix my shirt while Maison stood beside me, grinning from ear to ear.
“I cannot believe you just did that,” he said, cracking up.
“I told you,” I said, breathless, laughing too hard to speak clearly. “This is my Heaux Phase. I ain’t holding back.”
Maison raised an eyebrow, with a mischievous grin dancing across his lips.
“Do it again then.”
“You just wanna get a closer look.”
He just smiled, not denying it. I rolled my eyes playfully and lifted my shirt again, thinking he’d throw a joke or maybe snap a picture for memory’s sake. What I wasn’t expecting was for him to lean down, real slow, and take my right nipple into his warm mouth.
My breath hitched. His eyes were on mine the entire time. His tongue moved soft and slow, swirling around me like he was savoring dessert.
I let out a soft gasp and my hands flew to his face. I kissed him and heat crawled up your spine and begged for more.
