“Black? The man I heard a while ago can’t possibly be Black.”
Alijah laughs, and the sound bounces around the interior and further confuses me until he fills in the context of my Blue’s Clues.
“Ironically, my boss is the only person in the company who isn’t Black. I’m not sure what makes him stay, but everyone else looks and sounds like us.”
“Oh, wow. That’s bomb. My employer and everyone employed with them are Black. I love being in an environment where we can be ourselves without having to code switch.”
“A little code switch every now and then keeps people guessing. For instance, your little ass is in full switch mode right now.”
My mouth and nose twist as I attempt to analyze what he’s talking about.
“How so?”
“You must cry on every dick you ride, huh? You’ve been fighting your smile since I started driving. But don’t worry. The only person I’ll tell is my ego when I’m stroking your pussy tonight.”
My tongue gets stuck to the roof of my mouth as Alijah laughs again, and the sound penetrates my ear canal like water when I’m underwater in a pool. Music fills the space for conversation as Alijah sings along to the songs playing. Meanwhile, I sit statue still as I try my best to not be affected by the flood of memories that hit me repeatedly. It feels like the sweetest torture I’ve ever had. Before long, Alijah pulls up to a venue where two men dressed in red vests, white shirts, and black pants stand behind a podium-like desk. I put my hand on the handle, about to open the door, when Alijah stops me.
“Unless you have a dick between those thighs of yours, don’t touch that handle.”
Umph, he told you.
I release the handle as Alijah exits before he comes around to my side and opens the door. He extends his hand out for me to take, and the second I place mine in his, a jolt of electricity surges up my forearm.
“Damn. That shit just confirmed that you need to stop overthinking. Our chemistry just let us both know what it is.” Alijah lifts our joint hands and kisses the back of mine as his eyes flash with sincerity.
I swallow over the lump in my throat as he leads us inside the building without another word. My heart races, and my feet feel wobbly as I do my best not to trip or seem unbalanced in my heels. This isn’t my first, second, or even third date with a man, but I’ll be damn if this moment doesn’t feel different than any before it. Upon entering the room, my mind instantly pushes every thought to the back as I run my eyes around the room at the sharply dressed people. From evening gowns to minidresses, the women didn’t come to play tonight.
The color selections ranged across the rainbow, from vibrant to subtle. The men were also tastefully dressed and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. From all the variations of melanin in the room, I almost missed the one man who surprisingly didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. He must have been watching the door as he waves at Alijah.
“Let’s go speak to my boss, and then we can grab some drinks. Dinner isn’t for another twenty minutes.”
“Sounds good.”
Introductions are quick and, thankfully, not painful as Alijah and I move around the room to his various coworkers. My adrenaline races, and my cheeks hurt from the smile I’ve worn in front of everyone. One of the things I love about remote work is my ability to keep a low profile. It’s also made me extremely introverted, so being around so many people feels a little uncomfortable. Or at least it would if Alijah wasn’t holdingmy hand like he’s afraid I’m going to break if he releases me. The minute my stomach growls, Alijah leads me to a semi-empty table.
“Good evening,” I greet once we reach the table where two other couples are sitting.
Alijah pulls out the first empty chair and waits for me to sit before he moves to the seat beside me. In this moment, I feel like Alijah truly has an interest in me besides what we’ve done and shared in the bedroom. My heart leaps, and my breaths are shaky as I try to fight the effects of Alijah’s subtle actions.
“In case I forget to tell you again, you look amazing. Thank you for being my eye candy for the evening.” A shiver slides down my back as Alijah’s words tickle my ear from his closeness.
“You’re mm . . . welcome.” My words are breathy as our eyes meet in a dance that makes me feel like we’re anything but simply two people who share an apartment.
My tongue eases out and coats my dry lips despite the evidence of my lip gloss. For countless seconds, only Alijah and I exist in the room. The background noise and occupants of our table fade away with the intensity of Alijah’s heavy and seductive gaze. Forget dinner; give me Alijah, please. We’re only sitting for a couple of seconds before an old school R&B song by The Whispers plays around the room.
“Come dance with me, mama.” Alijah’s mouth is so close to my ear that bumps pop on my arms as I bite my lip to prevent a moan from escaping.
Unable to speak at the moment, I nod, and Alijah stands before he extends his hand out for me to take. I scoot my chair back and take his hand once I’m upright. The thump in my chest as we walk to the dance floor can’t be helped or stopped. I feel like Cinderella with the prince at the ball with every step we take. Once our feet hit the floor, Alijah effortlessly pulls me intohis chest as he guides me in a slow dance that awakens all my senses.
“You don’t have two left feet,” I say in a dreamy voice as I pull my head back to stare into Alijah’s eyes.
Damn. This is something I can get used to.
“Another one of Ma’s tips while I was growing up. She and Pops were the blueprint for my relationship goals.”
“Big-ups to your mother because you definitely know what you’re doing on this dance floor.”
Alijah leans in and places a gentle kiss on my cheek before placing another on my neck, and my body shivers. My God! Alijah is about to have me drop it low and spread it wide when we get back to the apartment. My body is on fire, and my pussy is doing the Bankhead bounce. Sheesh. One dance blends into two, and I get lost in everything Alijah as the people around us fade away.
