Sakani gave me a look that saidyou must think I’m stupid. The conversations we had were usually surface-level, so this one caught me off guard. It made me question if I appeared to be alonely ass nigga because that was the last thing a person could mistake me for.
“She coming back. Let me be your wingman,” he offered.
“I don’t need a wingman.”
Now I was the one whispering. If I hadn’t, Dr. E would have heard what I said, and if she’d heard what I said, she would have known what we were talking about. Sakani was already paying too much attention. I didn’t need her catching on too.
“Trust me. You need a wingman.”
I wanted to say something else, but she’d already made it over to us. Dr. E had a natural sex appeal about her. I could tell it was something she didn’t have to work hard at, and everything that attracted me to her were things she probably did without thinking.
Dr. E was short and a little on the skinny side, but she had something to look at from the back. Her cocoa-colored skin was smooth, and she had the prettiest smile. She smiled with her eyes before the rest of her face, and that shit was sexy to me. Everything about her was sexy to me, even the glasses that sat on the brim of her nose.
“Who needs a wingman?”
“Nobody,” I answered fast as hell.
“Can I get a picture of you two together?” She smiled as she waited for either me or Sakani to answer. When we didn’t, she continued. “Come on. It can be a silly picture if you want.”
We both got up and followed her lead. There wasn’t a man on this Earth who wouldn’t have followed a woman who looked like that. Dr. E could be leading my mesmerized ass off the nearest cliff, and I wouldn’t even be a full two steps behind her. I’d be stepping on her fucking heels.
Since they had a box full of props, I grabbed a football and passed Sakani a basketball. I’d never seen him as happy as hewas whenever he was on the court. I could tell he left everything on the court after every game.
“That’s perfect. Stand back-to-back, and pose however you want. Okay then. Look at y’all both giving the same mug. Let me get another one. Do another pose.”
I couldn’t see the pose Sakani did, but I held the football between both hands and looked directly into the camera. I wasn’t mugging. That was just the way my face naturally fell. I tried to flex my jaw muscle a little so it would pop out in the photo.
“How about you get in with us?” Sakani waved Dr. E over. “Ms. Aniya, you mind taking a picture of all three of us?”
“I sure don’t mind.” Aniya snatched the camera from Dr. E and pushed her closer to where we were standing. “Gone, girl, get in the picture.”
“Um… I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t want to impose.”
“Why not? It would mean a lot to me. It’s just that you took care of me while I was here, and Stone is taking care of me now. Having a picture with both of you would be clutch.”
Sakani’s ass was slick, and it wasn’t hard to see he had Dr. E wrapped around his finger. It was also clear he cared about her, too, though, which made me think his wingman plan may not be such a bad idea after all. It wasn’t like I wasn’t already feeling her anyway.
“It’s just a picture, Doc,” I assured her.
She looked at me and tilted her head to the side a little. Then she threw her hands up and walked over to the prop box. She grabbed a sign from the box that readHappy 2026.
“Alright, just a picture,” she mumbled more to herself as she stood between Sakani and me. I placed the closest hand to her on the small of her back. She trembled against my touch, which made me smile just as the camera flashed.
“Oh, that is gorgeous.”
Aniya smiled from ear to ear as she passed the camera around so all three of us could see it. I could tell Dr. E was flustered because she barely glanced at the picture before she gathered her things. She was getting ready to leave, and I hoped I wasn’t what ran her off.
“You about to go?” I asked.
“Yeah, I got an early start in the morning. You take care of my little man. He looks so happy with you.”
“Oh, fasho. Let me walk you to the car.”
“Thanks for the picture, Dr. E,” Sakani said, walking over and hugging her. She returned it before hugging her friend.
The walk to the car was quiet with her looking more at the ground than anywhere else. Still, I didn’t take my eyes off of her. Her side profile was even better to look at than watching her head-on.
“This is me,” she announced when we made it to her car.
