Pulling her to the dance floor, we began moving to the beat as Megan Thee Stallion blasted through the room. I allowed the stressful days and lies that I had been hiding to melt away as I moved rhythmically to the song. Dancing was always my favorite stress reliever. It gave me a chance to let out my frustrations and worries without burning a hole in my pocket. When I looked over at Mya, I noticed she was already entangled with somebody. Well, not someone random, but her on-again and off-again boyfriend, Roy. She must have told him we would be here tonight because, the last time I checked, they had broken up. Again.
Not wanting to interrupt whatever they had going on, I turned around and continued to dance alone. As I moved my hips to a new song, a pair of hands wrapped around my waist.I looked over my shoulder to do the “check”. You know, the universal rule is that when you want to dance with somebody, you have to make sure they are up to your standards. The man behind was about 5’8 with honey brown skin and brown eyes. He was of medium build with curly black hair that he had styled with part of it in a ponytail while the rest hung past his ears. He smiled down at me before he licked his pink lips. I smirked before turning around and grinding against him. Yes, he was a bit on the shorter side, but I was only 5’5. Besides, I wasn’t looking for a new boyfriend. I only wanted to let loose and have fun tonight.
I rolled my hips against him as I tried to rap along to the song, but the nigga was throwing me off. His ass was trying to keep up with my moves, but he had no rhythm. I moved to the left, and he awkwardly moved to the right, but not before stepping on the backs of my heels. I tried to bend over and twerk on him, but his ass was moving his hips side to side like he was doing the cha-cha.
“Hell no,” I said, standing upright.
“Where are you going, baby?” the man slurred, attempting to pull me close to him.
“If you don’t get your drunk, off-beat hands off me.”
“Huh?”
I rolled my eyes and snatched away from him. This nigga was one drink away from sloppy, and I didn’t want any parts of it. I waved my hands toward Mya and mouthed, “bathroom” to her before she nodded. She gestured, asking if I wanted her to join me, but I shook my head. She and Roy were reconnecting, and I didn’t want to break that up.
Walking into the restroom, I stood in front of the mirror and shook my head. A part of me was ready to go, but then again, I still wanted to dance and have fun. Since Mya was most likely going to be with Roy the rest of the night, I was going to be onmy own. I mean, I could go hang out with one of my brothers. Then I thought about it. Ricky was already tangled up with Tara, and I didn’t want to crowd their space. I could sit with Leonard, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t left already. Sighing, I made up my mind to grab another drink and dance a little longer before I headed out.
I exited the restroom and made my way to the bar. I ordered a virgin strawberry margarita and scrolled through my phone. Another deposit from Lawrence had me rolling my eyes and letting out an annoyed breath. Another deposit meant another month of pretending, and I was over it. As much as I didn’t want the leverage hanging over my head, I left the money in my savings account.
“Trouble in paradise?” A deep, velvety voice asked next to me.
Looking over my shoulder, my eyes landed on a pair of deep brown eyes that were examining me. I briefly turned to look over the 6ft man standing before me and realized he was the man at the bar earlier that I had glimpsed. I took him in and saw his skin was smooth, chocolaty, and blemish-free. Black braided locs were pulled back into a low ponytail, revealing a black tattoo that started at the base of his neck and traveled down his shirt. I noticed his freshly cut royal beard as my eyes locked onto his full lips, which had spread into a smile. I bit down on my bottom lip when I saw a top row of pearly white teeth and a gold bottom grill.
“I-uh, kinda. I mean, not really. It’s complicated,” I stammered.
The deep rumble of his chuckle caused my clit to pulse. I briefly closed my eyes and took a sip of my margarita. I was babbling like an idiot in front of this fine ass man and I needed to get myself together.
I cleared my throat. “I only meant that there isn’t trouble in my paradise. I’m getting rid of tourists that are trying to invade my peace.”
He hummed. “That’s understandable. You don’t need anybody around you who’s going to bring negativity. If I can’t have peace, I won’t let anyone else have it until the situation is rectified.”
I grinned. “I love the pettiness.”
“I’m Dexter, but everybody calls me Dex,” he said, extending his hand.
I accepted it and felt a tingle run down my spine. His hands were enormous, firm, and I couldn’t help but imagine how they would feel on my body. A slow smile spread across his face as his thumb ran across the back of my hand.
Breaking our connection, I shifted on my feet. “Dex, you look kind of young.”
“I’m old enough to drink.”
“I see,” I laughed. “Well, how old are you?”
He tilted his head to the side and rubbed his chin. “Twenty-four. Is that okay with you?”
I choked on my drink. “Twenty-four? You’re my little brother’s age!”
“I’m mature for my age, though.”
I lifted my eyebrows before slightly shaking my head with a chuckle. Why did I feel so wrong talking to this young man? I mean, an eight-year age gap wasn’t terrible, but I had never…wait! We were simply having a conversation. Nothing more.
“So, can I have your name?” his deep voice asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Tiffany, but everyone calls me Tiff,” I lied. Tiffany was my go-to name when I met strangers, especially ones at the club. I didn’t have time for niggas stalking me because I wasn’t interested in them. If I hit it off with them, then I’d tell them myreal name, but so far, only one man has made that happen, and his ass ended up cheating on me. Figures!
“Well, Tiff, do you want to dance? I’m old enough to do that.”
I huffed out a small laugh. “Being able to dance isn’t about your age. Besides, I don’t think you’d be able to keep up with me.”
