"I'ma freak a leak! But I can't let a broke nigga beat!" Chosyn rapped.
"Aye!" River shouted, throwing her head back as Honey bounced her ass all over her.
"I'm not with the games! I'm with all the drama!" Kyree sang, throwing her slim waist in a circle.
"Make 'em give me brain in the front seat of the Hummer!" Kysre joined in.
While they went up, I melted back into a world of my own, letting the beat take me. My palms skimmed over my body in all the ways I wished a man would. The bandage, lace-up mini dress I wore begged for it. Black, tight, and unapologetic, it hugged every subtle curve like it had been molded to me. The halter neckline lifted and held me, but the strings crisscrossing down my torso teased skin and dared any man to touch. With every step, the dress crept higher along my thigh, threatening to show what I chose not to cover with panties.
Men stared, but none approached. Honor kept them at bay even when he wasn't in the room. They didn't have to know I belonged to him to know I belonged to him. It was like they could smell him on me, heavy, territorial, and deadly. The lack of attention annoyed me. Choyce was bold for kissing Honor, knowing he was mine, but none of these niggas carried the same energy, which irked the fuck out of me.
I let my eyes roam, watching men watch me, until I caught a pair across the room. His gaze wasn't subtle or lustful, but hardto ignore. Everything about him was too serene for the chaos around us. Everyone else was moving, shouting, and too caught up in the music, but he stood out, like the rest of the club didn't exist, as if we were the only people here. Heat pooled between my thighs. The liquor didn’t only have me floating, but I was starting to spark.
I tore my eyes away from the handsome, stranger and leaned into Chosyn. "Do you see that man over there?" I whispered into her ear.
"See who?"
"The guy from my office. I think he's in the section across from us."
Chosyn squinted, scanning the crowd, then laughed. "I don't see him."
"What?" I blurted, whipping my head back, and he was gone.
"Let me find out you start seeing things when you’re drunk," Chosyn teased. "Mr. Solace must've left a hell of an impression on you."
I gave her a half chuckle, ignoring her Solace comment, and told her I was going to the bathroom.
"I'll come with you," she offered.
"No, stay here. I'll be fine."
Chosyn looked like she wanted to say something else, but before she could, I slipped around her and out of the section. The hallway was dimmer, and the bass muffled but still thudded through the walls. Halfway there, I felt something magnetic. My chest tautened, thinking it was Honor coming to ruin my fun. My pulse spiked, every step feeling like it was pulling me closer to him. I rounded the corner, and there he was.
"Solace." I frowned, relieved it wasn't Honor.
"Navy." He smirked, his golds glinting at the edges of his lips.
The pull of his gaze was too much for me while drunk. I looked down, and when I did, his gravelly voice caressed my skin, followed by his fingers lightly clipping my chin.
"Lift that head for me, love."
His touch was so gentle I almost let his hand linger.
"Unhand me, creep," I fussed, stepping out of his reach. "And I'm not your love."
"Chill." He chuckled low and smooth. "I mean no harm. I just wanted a beautiful woman to know her gaze should never submit. As for being my love?—"
Solace's eyes roamed, not undressing me but doing something worse. He studied me openly, mapping the cracks in my armor, tracing the fragile edges where my world with Honor trembled. I hated how his browns seared into me because they didn't make me shy away. Instead, they made me feel dangerous and seen.
"You got potential, but I'm not a sharing ass nigga," he finished.
"I thought you didn't want to date." I smirked. "I could've sworn you said something about wanting to give the community what they need."
He chuckled, but it wasn't the cocky, I'm in control laugh I expected. It just… existed.
"I meant every word of what I said in your office. I do want to help the community."
"Yeah, okay, Robin Hood," I scoffed. "All of that sounds great, but what happens when wanting to help gets overshadowed by the chance to be rich?"
