Sure, I had run into plenty of people around town that I saw there, but never had anyone made it known the way he did. I couldn’t lie, the way my heart damn near stopped ticking my and pussy immediately reacted, I knew he was gon’ be a bad influence, especially if he was mutuals with Mickey’s newfound family through BK.
Johnni, the only bad influence is going to be your pussy if you see him again.
Which was true. Courtland’s fine ass had me wide open and wanting more of him, which wasn’t usual, especially with anybody from the club. I never got too attached to men I met there, fearful that they would figure me out in public like he just had today.
Thanks to Boss’s drunk ass.
I patted Minnie’s back, trying to get her to burp before she fell asleep.
“Okay, now tell me what happened,” Mickey said as she came back into the nursery with a snack board and a blend of a tincture in a tea kettle, along with bottles of water since she wasn’t drinking. She called herself soothing my nerves. While she poured my cup, I started my rundown of my morning.
“Girl, so, I was at the club running through this routine one more time. After Kimmie made the changes, I had to get them down. You know the first round is coming up fast. I’m on my last run through when guess who strolled in.” I paused for a moment as she put a piece of cheese in her mouth.
“Heffa, I’m not guessing, just tell me.” I kissed my teeth as I playfully rolled my eyes.
“Boss.”
Why she gasped, I had no idea. But it had me laughing a little too much, which had Minnie huffing out her baby frustration from my sudden movements.
“Wait, hold on. Let me lay her in her crib before you continue. And no, you may not hold her. BK and I both agreed on getting her acclimated with sleeping on her own. We read that starting them now helps create a healthy habit for her. It’s bad enough that she’s staying up at night when he gets in late.” I pouted, poking out my lip as she took Minnie out of my arms.
“Ugh, and now I can’t even hold my baby. Why is God punishing me?” I whined, tossing my head back.
“Oh girl, hush. No one is punishing you for nothing. Now continue please, but take a sip of your tea first.”
“Oh yeah.” I popped a grape in my mouth then went for my cup of tea, pausing to enjoy the blend of chamomile with a hint of lemon. The spice from the alcohol was a great touch.
“First off, Mickey, this is good. Is this what you’re giving Mackie in the home?” I asked as she retook her seat.
“Will you focus please? Story.”
“Damn, okay. So Boss strolled in, and at first I went unnoticed since his main goal was the bar, which is strange considering the club wasn’t technically open. Anyways, somewhere between Kimmie re-showing me the move I kept missing, Boss makes his way over to the stage and it was then I caught his attention. This foul ass?—"
I stopped the second my voice went up an octave, taking a few seconds to do some deep breaths. I felt myself getting angry all over again, taking another sip of my tea.
“Long story very short, because if I go into full detail I’ma get pissed all over again, he called me a hoe, said Q deserves a better wife than a stripper, and then proceeded to throw money at me. I cussed him out and punched that foul ass nigga in his mouth and said my husband will be in touch.”
I rushed my words out then went for my bottle of water, taking a long drink while Mickey sat there with her mouth wide open, matching her eyes.
And for a brief second, my mind went back to Courtland, his strong ass arms, and the way he held me, blocking me from getting Boss’s ass the way I wanted to and the torn conviction I was having about that.
Because I had never been in someone’s embrace the way he held me close to him, tight enough for his scent to leave a lingering memory, that had me inhaling deeply to get a whiff of his woody, spicy cologne that was faint but still present on my clothes.
Lawd and his fine ass smells good too. He’s the total package, Johnni!
I was talking crazy to myself. Sizing up Courtland as if I wasn’t a married woman who couldn’t leave her husband even if I wanted to.
“Damn, that’s fucked up. And before I say this, this isn’t an excuse, but BK said he’s been off since Thanksgiving. I heard he has a history of benders like this. I guess this time might be the worst. Now I don’t know what happened to cause this, but I’m saying, before you get Q involved, think about those who depend on him. Because I know how Q moves about you. Boss’d Up will be shut down by midnight.” I pressed my lips together and nodded to agree with her, because it would.
I heard what Mickey was saying. Quincey was a protector of home. And he wasn’t one to settle things in the streets, never had been and never would be. No, my husband’s idea of fighting dirty was by hurting pockets. Unfortunately, like a majority of politicians, it was never the legit way. No, Quincey did whatever he needed to protect himself, our marriage, and me. That was one of his vows to me and he has maintained it thus far. So I heard what she was saying, but I wasn’t making any promises.
Even if all he could do was have people pulling out on contracts or blackballing Boss’s company, Quincey would find a way to make himself feel better about the disrespect.
“It sounds nice in theory, but you already know I have to tell Q. I can’t afford to take the chance of Boss not running his mouth about Congressman Quincey Wilson’s wife stripping at Roulette. It’s an election year, Mickey. And I’m already catching hell because of this new routine for my talent. Now, I will at least tell him not to hurt him, but that’s as much as I’m willing to give. Plus, that muthafucka made me chip a nail and that shit pissed me off,” I said as I fanned my hand out and looked at my fucked up manicure.
“Girl, please. That’s on the list of things you have to do before your first competition next week. Ain’t nobody worriedabout your barely noticeable chipped paint, especially not you. Speaking of, is this the round we’re allowed to come to?” she asked, tone full of sarcasm. I tilted my head to the side as I shot her a stern look.
When it came to my pageants, family and friends outside of Mama Steph needed permission to attend. Quincey was included in the list, since I only allowed their attendance at certain competitions. One year I let, my girls come, and I didn’t even place because my nerves were fucked up worried about them in the audience.
