Page 8 of More to Love

“You got a woman nigga, and you know we don’t get down like that.”

“I just want her name. I ain’t trying to take her down… yet,” I commented with my eyes glued to her backside. She was very curvaceous, and her thighs had a nigga hooked.

“Avi might be on some other shit, but don’t do her dirty. Leave her first.”

The way we grew up, our moms got dealt the worse cards. They had to deal with men cheating left and right or our pops playing ‘possum. We never had real consistency, so we vowed to be better men to our women. We treated ours like queens and we took pride in being a standup guy.

“Have I ever stepped out on her during the four years we been together? Don’t count me out foo.”

“As long as I’ve known you, I ain’t never seen you look at a bitch the way you are shorty.”

“Don’t disrespect her Dex. You don’t even know her.”

“Nigga you ain’t never corrected me when it came to these females but you defending her without even knowing her name. Yeah, I might as well throw my towel in now, ’cause you gon’ do whatever the fuck you want to do.”

I was glad he knew that. I took his advice most of the time because it was good, but it was something about her that had all of my attention. It could’ve been the way she vibed to her own beat or the fact that the rest of the niggas in here was shooting their shots and getting rejected heavily. Either way, I was interested.

She was watched while we were entertained by strippers back-to-back. A dance was a dance, but I only got a rise when my focus was on her. I got a better view of her when she returned from what I guessed was the bathroom. She was a gorgeous woman from a far so I knew when the distance was finally closed what I captured of her wouldn’t do justice.

I said the next time she left her section I would follow. I saw her pull a few bills from her purse, so I chose that opportunity to make an introduction. As I walked through the crowd, I was being tugged on and catcalled. Women behaved like men at times.

By the time I reached her, she was asking for more singles. “Hey love, can we get another band please?”

“Keep your bread queen. I got it.”

She turned in my direction and looked up. I towered over her figure even though she wasn’t a short thing at all. She was incredibly beautiful, and her almond shaped brown eyes drew you in just from a gaze. I knew only half of her beauty was displayed underneath these strobe lights.

“I’m a big girl love. I can handle a few bills.”

“There’s no doubt that you can’t but you shouldn’t have to. Allow me.” I fished out two grand and handed them over to the bartender.

She smiled and my world stopped briefly. This woman was all around gorgeous, and I didn’t understand why she was let out the house alone. She looked toward her section and bit her lip only for a quick second, but that gesture had me locked in.

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

She was the first female I ran into that didn’t know who I was. That gave her more advantage than any other female in this place. She was unaware of my stature, and I loved that I could react with her as a normal individual, even if it was casual conversation.

“Hendrix Mercer. The cause for so many niggas to be in one place at one time. I apologize for that.”

“Don’t apologize to me. I love to be surrounded by my people. We may not always get along, but we love to have a good time. I’m unbothered, truly.”

“That’s dope. You know my name; can I have the pleasure of knowing yours?”

“Sure, it’s Sorimah, but everyone calls me Ri. Nice to meet you, Hendrix.”

She extended her hand, and I gradually took it into mine. Her skin was just as soft as I thought it would be. I returned the smile she’d given, and I found myself blushing off a small interaction.

“I like that. It’s gorgeous, much like yourself.” I placed a kiss on the back of her hand and released it. I was strictly being a gentleman.

“Thank you.” The bartender came back with the singles, and she reached for them with a rack occupying each hand. “And thank you for this. Enjoy the rest of your night Hendrix.”

She began to walk away and everything in me said stop her, so I did. I had to get to know more of her and my spirit wasn’t going to settle until I did.

“Sorimah, can I get a minute of your time?”

“You just did, Hendrix. Maybe some other time.”

“I can’t accept that beautiful.” I was going out of my way to gain a little conversation from her when that usually wasn’t my thing.