“An invitation to what, nigga?” I asked, with my top lip curled up. “Because she spoke? That wasn’t no fuckin’ invitation. She just a lil’ too friendly.” I paused and leaned down, closer to her ear again. “Ain’t that right, baby?”
She didn’t say anything. Fingered through her hair and nodded. Against her back, I could feel her heart racing. I wondered if she could feel mine doing the same.
“Y’all have a good night. Ain’t shit over here for y’all.”
They walked away and I struggled a little to pull my arms from around her waist before sitting next to her. “You alright?”
She nodded. I nodded in return and the bartender sat my drink in front of me. She wasn’t alright. I could feel the nerves coming off of her. She was badly shaken up. I hoped she learned her lesson… smiling at muthafuckas in a sex club like she was crazy. Good thing I was here to save her ass.
Shaking my head, I looked down at my hands before grabbing my drink. I could still feel her in my arms. I chalked it up to the lack of intimacy I’d had over the past few months and brushed it off. My mind went to Reign and for a split second I felt bad about the way I handled ol’ girl. Nah, it wasn’t about the way I handled her. It was about the way she felt in my arms while I handled her. It was about how my heart raced, and how I struggled to let her go. I wasn’t here for sex. Just came to let go a little. Right? But as I sat beside her, I thought about having her again. Thought about sparking up more conversation that would lead to me holding her in my arms again.
I went to pivot to talk to her, but she asked the bartender where the restroom was and got up to leave. When she walked off, I took it as a sign to let that thought go. I was in no position to fuck with anybody. I was sad as hell, in a whole ass relationship. But I needed love. I needed love bad. I was lacking like a muthafucka. But that didn’t mean I should step out on shorty. I loved Reign.
I tore my eyes away from ol’ girl with a deep breath.
“Bad as hell, ain’t she? I wonder what she look like under that mask though,” said the bartender.
I wondered too.
Sadly, I’d never find out because it was time for me to go.
I fished around my pants pocket, pulled my wallet out, and paid for both my drink and hers before standing to leave.
“You not gon’ try to fuck on shorty? I bet?—
“Nah, I’m cool. Stay up,” I said before I turned to walk out of a place I shouldn’t have step foot in, in the first place.
“… Could be very profitable,”said Judah, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Working with Jamison. Nigga, did you hear anything I said?”
I brushed my hand over the top of my head with a deep breath. “Yeah, I heard you,” I lied.
I didn’t hear shit he said. I was stuck in a memory. I wondered what ever happened to ol’ girl and if that couple ever circled back around to snatch her up. I didn’t know why—I just did. Shifting my focus, I thought back on what made me think about my night at Pandora’s in the first place. Judah’s pushiness. He was pushy as hell back then too. Always noticing shit, wanting the best for me, regardless of how I had to get it.
He gave me a questionable look. “Oh… aight. You need time to think about it?”
I didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about, but I nodded and told him I would. He’d bring whatever up again.
17
MAHOGANY
“You serious?”Asked Duke, standing in front of my desk with his hand on his waist.
“As a heart attack,” I told him, as I typed away at my computer, refusing to look up at him. “I have a lot of work to do. So… yeah.”
In my peripheral I could see him touch the wilting roses he got me the other day. They sat in a vase with no water. “You haven’t even given me a fair chance, Ne.”
“Afairchance?” I huffed. “I’ve given youmultiplefair chances. You’re out of them.”
He took a deep breath and roughly ran his hand over the top of his head. “You… baby, please.”
“I already told you what was happening today. We either do it together, or I do it without you. I’m sick of this shit.”
Today was the day. The day to tell the children. It was such a big day for me that I’d canceled every meeting I had scheduled. Even the one with Crescent, which was insanely hard to do.
