I shrugged. “I might consider it.” This man dropped to his knees and placed his hands palm to palm. I looked around in horror. “Oh my goodness. Please get up. You’re embarrassing me.” I palmed my face in shame.
I moved to stand in front of him to block him from the people walking by. He took it as an opportunity to wrap his arms around my waist. He nuzzled his face in my midsection like he was trying to get comfortable for a nap. I started to laugh because when I took a step back, he tightened his grip on me and groaned.
“Symphonyyy!”
“Say you’ll come.”
I giggled with a sigh. Glancing down at his handsome face, I knew I was about to be his next victim. “Fine. I’ll come.”
5
VALLEIGH
“Ooh, Friend! It’s thick in here!” Tau yelled over the bass from the club speakers.
We’d just made it to Dreamz Nightclub in Omar, and the entire city was in the building because Symphony was there. Omar was only the next city over, so the drive wasn’t long. Sym had sent a car to pick us up, so the distance wasn’t even an issue for real. It was not my scene in the slightest; however, I told Symphony I would go. Tauri was always down to be seen, so my girl was dressed and at my door with a bottle of tequila nearly two hours early.
The liquor coursing through my veins had me at ease, but not enough to fully let down my defenses. I searched the sections for Sym, but crazily enough, even in a crowd full of people, I smelled his cologne before I saw him. He had a smile on his face when he broke through the crowd. Seeing him be so happy to see me made me smile too. He opened his arms, and I walked straight into them like it was where I was born to be.
“You look good,” he whispered in my ear.
“Thank you, Sym. You do too.” When he released me, I turned toward Tau. She stood there, watching us with a goofy assgrin. I knew I was going to hear about this when we were alone. “You remember Tauri?”
He nodded. “Ain’t no way y’all still friends. That’s some rare shit among the female species these days.”
Tauri tossed an arm over my shoulder. “’Cause these hos ain’t loyal. This forever with us though.”
He came on the other side of me and took my hand. He lifted it to his lips before placing the sweetest kiss on it. My entire body melted when I looked into his sincere eyes. “Hate to break it to you, but you gotta share her now. I need my time too.”
Tau tapped her chin. “We’ll see about that. You might up and disappear again for another eleven years,” she said, being shady.
Sym held his chest with a gaped mouth as if he was offended by her accusation. “Tau, shut up and bring your egg-head ass on. And don’t be over here being messy either.”
Tau feigned innocence. “Who, me? Messy?” she drawled dramatically.
Sym nodded once. “Yes, you. I remember your ass being the troublemaker of this little duo. Leigh is the double, and you’re the trouble for sure.”
She laughed with a shimmy. “Happy to know I left an impression.”
We all laughed at her silliness. He kept his grip on my hand while clearing the way for us to maneuver through the crowd easily. Before we entered the section, Tau leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “Sisss! You better be careful, or you’re going to be fucking him tonight.” Almost on cue, Gunna’s “WGFT” began to play, turning the club up. “Ayyyeee! See, it’s a sign.” Tau pointed at me and hollered out, “She getting fucked tonight!”
I was so thankful the club was dark, or else everyone would’ve known how flushed I was. Why would she put a spotlight on me like that? To make matters worse, Sym wrappedhis free arm around my waist. The other one held an expensive bottle of cognac by the neck. “You getting fucked tonight, Leigh?” he inquired in a dangerously low voice.
I smirked while tossing my hair over my shoulder. I shrugged while looking at him with a challenge buried in my eyes. “I could be. Depends on if it’s slim pickings in here tonight or not.”
Sym sucked his teeth and released me. “On my crazy-ass mama, I’ll air this bitch out about that, Leigh. Please don’t play with me, baby.”
I popped him in the chest with a frown. “Sym! That’s not funny.” I shook my head and lowered my voice so only he could hear me. “Don’t talk about your mama like that,” I warned. Because of our history, I knew things about his mother that most people didn’t. Ms. Tamika would always be a sensitive topic, and he knew it, but the alcohol had him tripping.
When he realized I was serious, he wiped the smile from his face. He held his hands up in surrender, bottle still clutched tightly. “A’ight, a’ight. You right. That was too far. My bad. I’m just a little drunk already, baby.”
He was tossing thatbabyword around, and each time, it added fuel to the fire already burning in my core. It quite literally sounded like one of the lyrics to a song of his. I tilted my head to the side, admiring his gingerbread complexion. With a quick step, I closed the distance between us when I pressed my breasts into his chest. Gripping his chin, I pulled his mouth closer to me. His facial hair tickled me more than his breath did.
“Well, you better not get too drunk, or you’re going to miss your opportunity to taste me.”
“Shiddd,” he mumbled with his eyes stretched to the max. That seemed to capture his full attention. He set the bottle of liquor on the table so fast that you would’ve thought it was on fire. “Bet I won’t sip another drop in this muthafucka tonight.”
Now that he wasn’t blocking my view of the section, I immediately picked up on the jealous stares and hushed whispers among the other women who were already there. Tau danced her way up behind me, taking notice of the energy almost instantly.
