I nodded. “Yes, I’m great. I’m about to go to a party.”
She frowned. “A party? How you get invited to a party already?”
Chuckling, I filled her in. “Well, actually, I kinda invited myself. I found this party on Eventbuzz for Paulette’s sixty-fifthsurprise birthday party.”
Tampa scratched her eyebrow. “Um, and who is Paulette?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but the flyer was public. It said there would be free food, drinks, and a live DJ. You know I love using my free will.” I giggled because I needed a distraction. What better one than to be in a room full of people I didn’t know, eating and drinking for free while dancing all night long. “I’m totally going.”
Tampa burst into a fit of giggles. “Girl, you are crazy, but I love that about you. You always know how to make every moment count.” She picked up the stack of papers in front of her. “Well, shoot. Bring me a plate back since it’s free food.”
“You know I got you, sis.” I winked.
We talked back and forth a little more before Tampa was being paged. She was a trauma nurse at Mercy Hospital, so when duty called, she had to go. I respected my sister’s hustle, so we promised to see each other as soon as she woke up tomorrow.
Tucking my feet under myself, I went to the Eventbuzz app to pull up the flyer for the party. It was going to be the perfect distraction for the night. The breakup was still fresh, havinghappened only a week ago, so occasionally, I found my emotions getting the best of me. I was more vulnerable to everything, even having bawled my eyes out when my father picked me up from the airport. His hug was so needed. Keeping it together wasn’t even an option. Even at my big age, I still needed the love and support of my parents, occasionally even a hug or kiss on the cheek to remind me that I wasn’t alone.
Since it was a little after six in the evening, I decided to go ahead and start getting ready for the party. Keeping busy was best for me so that I wouldn’t get lost in my thoughts. The dress code said it was an all-black affair, and I had the perfect dress in mind. Because getting cute was one of my favorite things to do, I connected my iPad to the Bluetooth speaker, then went to take my shower. No one would be able to tell I was mending a broken heart by the time I was finished.
I walked into the ballroom of the Gracelynn Hotel and smiled. The room had been transformed into the perfect party space. Everyone was dressed in elegant, black gowns and tailored suits, matching the all-black theme perfectly.
Instead of a red carpet, there was a black one leading straight to the dance floor. I veered over toward the gift table to drop off the birthstone necklace I purchased for Ms. Paulette. I figured a gift was the least I could do. After that, I went to the bar to order a tequila sunrise. I didn’t necessarily need liquid courage to enjoy myself, but I couldn’t go wrong with a little drinky drink. I slid a few dollar bills into the tip jar while I waited for my drink.
Turning around, I allowed my eyes to roam around the room. There were a lot of older folks in the room, but they all glowed radiantly. “Here you go, ma’am,” the bartender said behind me.
I accepted the tequila and took my first sip. It burned a little, meaning I would be back for a few more of those before the night was over. I loved a bartender who was heavy-handed with the liquor. “Put those down behind the bar,” I heard a woman’s voice command someone.
I glanced to the left to find the culprit. She stood there with a microphone in one hand, while the other rested on her popped hip. The guy she was speaking to scoffed before damn near throwing the boxes behind the bar. “Careful, Tai. It’s glass in there.” He grunted instead of responding. He was moving so quickly and kept his head down, so I couldn’t get a look at him. Once the boxes were safely behind the bar, he walked away quickly, despite the girl calling his name.
“Tai! Ketai!” She huffed and shook her head. “Ugh, sometimes I want to strangle him,” she fussed while making the motion with her hands. I giggled, making her eyes land on me. She smiled brightly. “Oh, hey, pretty. You wearing the hell out of that dress, Ms. Lady.”
I blushed. “Thank you, boo. You look good too,” I complimented her with a genuine smile on my face. I liked her energy, and she was drop-dead gorgeous. Whoever had installed her hair didn’t have a curl out of place.
“Had to do it big for my mama’s sixty-fifth,” she shared with me. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees all her little friends up in here. I just know it’s going to be some mess tonight. Auntie Pam is here too.” She scrunched her face up as she looked around in disgust.
“Auntie Pam? We don’t like her?” I probed for information. The girl walked closer to the bar, then ordered a shot of tequila.
After she tossed it back, she turned to me and said, “Girl, she can’t stand my mama. Been jealous of her all their lives and probably just came here tonight to find something bad to say about her own sister.” She motioned for another shot. “Pour herone too. What’s your name? Who are you here with?” she finally asked me.
“I’m Free,” I shared easily. “I came alone. I saw the flyer on Eventbuzz.”
She held out a hand to me. “I’m Katana. Hm, that’s odd. I wonder how you saw the flyer when the link was supposed to be private.”
We shook hands, and I twisted my lips to the side. “Aww, that is such a pretty name, and hate to break it to you, but the flyer was public.”
She accepted the shots from the bartender and handed one to me. “Thank you, girl. My mama did her little one-two with my name.” We clinked our glasses together before tossing them back. “And who cares how you got here? You’re here now. Stick around. It’s going to be fun.”
Katana got distracted when her phone pinged. After reading the text notification on the screen, she became giddy. “She’s here.” She quickly placed the cup down. “Um, can you do me a favor and grab my brother for me? I think he went out on the patio.”
“Uh, sure,” I replied, even though she was already walking off. I shrugged and headed toward the patio.
When I pushed the door open, I immediately smelled the aroma of Mary Jane in the air. I could only see his back as he lifted his blunt to his lips, took a deep pull, then exhaled slowly. I’d never found myself attracted to a man’s stature before, but something about this one had my mouth watering. Standing over six feet tall, he looked so strong and confident, like he wasn’t afraid to take up space. For a man, that was one of the most attractive auras to have.
“Um, hi. Ketai, is it?” My voice was a little shaky, so I cleared my throat before continuing. “Your sister sent me to get you. Your mom’s here,” I said.
The hairs on my arm began to stand when I saw his head shift so he could peer at me over his shoulder. Damn, . . . he was fine as fuck. Ketai had a sienna complexion with a curly, tapered fade. His goatee was thick, black, and silky, outlining his succulent, brown lips. His nose wasn’t too big or too small, and he had the thickest eyebrows over hooded, brown eyes. From the way he was standing, I could see inky tattoos splattered on his neck, giving him an edge, despite how dapper he looked in a designer-tailored suit. And he smelled so good I almost closed the space between us to get a deeper whiff of his cologne.
Even the way he chortled was sexy. “Tell Katana my mama’s name is Paulette.” His voice was deep and raspy enough to make a girl think unholy things. He took another pull of his blunt, then reached it out toward me. “You smoke?”
