“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We’ll be getting our massages in here, and when we’re done, we’ll be served lunch and drinks around the pool,” he explained as he waved his hand toward the pool area. I saw two ladies out there setting up.
“I didn’t hear all these people come in my house,” I whispered.
“They didn’t come through. They met me at the back gate, and I let them in. The only people walking in your house, baby, are the women you met. Everyone else stayed outside. I don’t know if it eases your mind, but I want you to know that I know all these ladies very well.”
“Please don’t tell me they’re your exes.”
“No. The catering company belongs to my sister-in-law, Suzette. The massage parlor is owned by my cousin, Tanisha, Frost’s sister. Oh, and Halle is Suzette’s sister.”
I had learned that Frost King, a former crime lord in Cherokee Springs, was Naijhel’s cousin on our second date. Frost owned several legitimate businesses in our city, and he had turned over a new leaf. He still gave back to the community like he always had.
“You guys believe in keeping it all in the family, huh?” I joked.
“We try to. We believe in supporting Black-owned businesses, especially family and friends.”
“Well, I’m not complaining, because a chick like me loves a free meal and being pampered.”
“We’ve been standing here having our own private conversation for a minute now. The ladies are ready for us,” he stated, tugging me in their direction.
He introduced me to his cousin Tanisha and her assistant, Raleigh. They were very sweet and explained everything that we could expect with my hot stone massage and his deep tissue massage. Once they handed us the towels to undress and stepped into the back yard to give us privacy, I glanced at him.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit premature for us to be getting naked in front of each other, sir?”
“If I play my cards right, it’s only a matter of time before I see you completely, big baby. But this afternoon, I’ll be a gentleman and let you get by with it. But soon, I’ll want to see all that belongs to me.”
“Belongs to you?”
“You heard what I said.”
He walked off the lanai and back into the house. I was a plus-size chick. Although I wasn’t self-conscious about my size, there were some things that I was self-conscious about, like the stretchmarks on my belly and the cellulite on my thighs. I didn’t much care for the discolorations that my body sported, but they were mine. He was right; he would see them one day, but I wasn’t ready for him to see them yet, not in this setting.
“Did you enjoy your massage today?”
“Did I? You couldn’t tell with the gratitude that I showed them before they left?” I had thanked them profusely and gave both ladies a big tip aside from what Naijhel had paid.
“I really couldn’t tell with all that snoring you were doing. You were out like a light.”
I gasped and widened my eyes. “I did not.”
“You did not what?”
“Snore.”
“I’ve got you on tape, baby.”
“For real? You taped me, Naijhel? Oh my goodness. I’m so embarrassed. Those ladies will never look at me the same again. You’d better not let anyone hear that,” I threatened.
“I was just teasing you. I didn’t tape you, I promise.”
“Was I really snoring, though?”
“You were definitely snoring, girl. You sounded like a construction worker who started his shift at five in the morning and didn’t get off until after eight that night, his steel-toe boots hurt his corns, and his back is aching.”
“Shut up!” I exclaimed, smacking him on the arm.
He laughed. “Chill with all that hitting.”
