by Pepper Pace
Later that day Tony asked me to go to The Ritz with him to watch my cousin D.J. on Old School Sunday. At first I didn’t know how to take the invite, but Tony was just cool like that and I’m sure he wouldn’t make it into something that it wasn’t. Besides, he’s a little man and I’m tall and thick-- not necessarily fat, but what a man would call healthy. So I told him that it would be cool and I’d call Jay to let him know we were coming. Tony told me he’d pick me up, which at first I objected to but he assured me that it would be right en route to the club, so I okayed it.
TONY
So after two months of working together Nikki and I have date. Okay, actually, it wasn’t a date but I was going to use tonight as an opportunity to tell her that I liked her--out of the work place where it wouldn’t seem like sexual harassment.
I drive a Jag. My big weakness is that I like nice things. I own a nice condo, drive a nice car, and wear expensive clothes. Nikki has never seen me dressed casually, not even on dress down Fridays.
Tonight I did, donning black slacks and a black shirt that stretched across my torso and arms allowing all of the work that I’ve been doing in the gym to show. I was also sporting black Timberlands and a Kokopelli necklace.
I got to her place early so that she could let me in while she finished getting ready and then I could scope out her living arrangements-- but she had me beat because she wasn’t on CP time.
I didn’t even care because she looked so damn good. What her wardrobe had hinted at at work was now all up in my face. Baby had cleavage for miles! She was wearing a spaghetti string dress that went just below her knees, ankle strap heels and a hair weave that fell exotically down
her back. Forget trying to play it cool because my mouth hung open and my tongue rolled out of my mouth!
“Did I over dress?”
“N-no.” I stuttered. You look great.” I led her out to the car, opening the passenger door for her.
“Tony!” She exclaimed. “Your ride is sharp!”
“Thanks.” I started the car and the radio came on already tuned to the local R&B station. Out of the corner of my eye I watched her make a silent assessment of me and my environment. I think I’m ¾ of the way there.
The club wasn’t crowded. There was a nice older group, mostly black but still a good mixture of races. The conversation on the ride over was mostly about what clubs and bars we liked. She had never been to the Ritz before so I led us in and directly to VIP. I hadn’t been there in years but the bartended recognized me and we slapped hands and talked for a few minutes before continuing upstairs to VIP.
When we got there I was surprised to see a group of friends that I hadn’t seen since my college days. “Hell no! Big D?!” I yelled hugging
Dean. He was the one ‘Big American Ox’ that used to come to my house on a regular basis.
“T-Baby!” He said equally as enthusiastically, slapping my back heavy handedly. My entire crew was here! Back in high school we used to be practically inseparable. I greeted each of them enthusiastically and then everyone stood back, looking at me and Nikki together curiously, wondering if we were together. I pulled her forward
“Hey guys, this is Nikki, This Jay-Dog’s cousin.” And then they greeted her enthusiastically, too. Dean gave me an inquisitive look that I ignored because I really didn’t know how to respond. Nikki wasn’t really with me but…
“Where is Jay-Dog?” I asked while pulling out a chair for Nikki then sitting down next to her.
“He’s in the middle of a set.” I let my head bob to the rhythm of his slamming beat. “He’s still good.” I looked at Nikki. “Did you know about these guys being here?”
She beamed at me. “Jay told me not to say that he was inviting the entire gang.”
“None of us knew.” Dean said and then gave Nikki an appreciative once over. Thankfully she didn’t notice. We ordered drinks, Nikki ordered Hennessey-- I stuck with soda since I had made myself her designated driver. Nikki got comfortable with everybody. Whether it was the Hennessey or because she had a connection with them through her cousin, I don’t know, but it was nice being with her and knowing that she was at ease with my friends.
I was relieved when Jay-Dog came back from the DJ’s booth. And not just because I hadn’t seen him in forever but because Dean caught Nikki’s attention and he was trying to engage her in some one on one dialogue.
To Dean’s credit he is what most women would be attracted to; 6’3”, shaved head, goatee, and a body that showed his love of weight lifting. But even back in our high school days I knew that he was an even bigger dog than Wu-Tang.
When Jay-Dog left the D.J. booth and entered VIP he started ragging on me because I had bulked up a lot since he’d last seen me. I told him that he had gained the fat that I had lost, and then I rubbed his Buddha belly. It was all in fun. I was heavier from my years in the gym and even though my people are not blessed in the gluteus maximus area; the stair master took over where nature fell short and I’m proud to say that my shirt outlined my triceps and biceps nicely.
“Nikki, you should have seen T-baby in high school.” Jay-Dog was saying. “He was skinny, and was always sportin’ these mirrored sunglasses.”
The guys roared.
“I still got those things. They’re going to come back in style!” I joked.
“This is the only Japanese dude in the world who ever wore his pants hanging off his ass.”
“You didn’t do that?!” Nikki asked, amazed.
“Only long enough for my mom to yank them down and beat my ass in public. After that I lost my taste for it.”
Jay-Dog had to go back into the booth and before Dean could swoop in on Nikki again, I asked her if she wanted to dance. She gave me a surprised look then led me to the dance floor. Some booty-bouncing song was on and all of the women on the dance floor were making me feel like I was in a rap video.
But instead of bouncing her ass, Nikki raised her hands over her head, closed her eyes and let her body sway to the beat of the song. She wasn’t
dancing like anyone else and looked damn good doing what she was doing. I stepped up closer to her but not enough to actually touch and then I matched her moves like a silhouette. She brought one arm down to my shoulder and I put my hand on her hip. I closed my eyes, too, matching her moves by the feel of her swaying hips.
When the song changed I opened my eyes to see her watching me. Her eyes were glossy from the Hennessy, but she looked like she was enjoying herself on the dance floor. She suddenly changed her dancing, clapping her hands and gyrating her voluptuous body. Her breasts were catching a lot of attention from other guys on the dance floor-- not just me.
I broke out in my own moves and Nikki gave me an impressed look. Back in the day I used to live in clubs, if I know nothing else, I know how to dance. When Nikki saw that I was at ease on the dance floor, something seemed to transform in her. She dropped it like it was hot and began to lay claim to the dance floor.
She and I danced song after song until J-Dog slowed it up. Nikki turned to head back to VIP but I took her hand and pulled her to me. She smiled and put her arms around my neck so that I could hold her hips. With her wearing high
heels my eyes were even with her mouth and I didn’t want to have to look up at, her making me feel even shorter than I already was. But I couldn’t look down either, because…well, her breasts were there.
So I turned my head to the side and before I knew what I was doing I had my face in the crook of her neck. Instead of pushing me away, she lessened the slack of her arms around my neck, causing our bodies to come together closer and now we were actually dancing close enough to be one! I was so excited. We were slow dancing. When the song ended she quickly slipped away from me and headed for the ladies room. I went back to the table and ordered her a fresh drink.
Dean winked at me. “That your lady, man?”
I paused. “Not yet.” Dean laughed. “That’s a fine sista. You think you can handle that?”
I
gave him a knowing grin. High school was over, and I might not have as many notches on my belt…but I could hold mine. When Nikki came back I tried to scope out how she was feeling about the dance, but her expression said nothing. I was happy to see my boys and all, but because they were there it took away the intimate quality that I had been hoping for. Still, I was having a good time and she seemed to as well. “Nikki, let me know when you’re ready to go.”
She looked at her watch. “In and hour?”
“Okay.”
My boys tried to get her to dance with them because she was the only female in the group, but she begged off, complaining that her feet were bothering her. I wanted to offer to give her a foot massage since I was a licensed masseuse, but since I had never even told her that I liked her, I didn’t think it would be very cool to be rubbing on her feet. Yes, in my prior life I used to enjoy a living as a massage
I went to the restroom and when I came back Dean and Nikki had their heads together chuckling. They straightened when they saw me. Damn, Dean was blocking my flow…
“You ready to go?” I asked even though the hour wasn’t up.
“Yeah.” She stood up and we all said our goodbyes, promising to hook-up next month at the basketball court. When we exchanges phone numbers I kept my eye on Dean making sure he didn’t secretly slip his to Nikki. I decided I was going to fuck him up on the court when I saw him again. Not only can I dance, I can play some mean basketball.
Back in the jag Nikki sighed tiredly. “You have some nice friends.” She yawned.
“Did you have fun?”
“I did. You did too.”
“Yeah that was a nice surprise. You hungry? I know I am.”
“I can’t eat this late at night.”
“Are you for real? How can you go out drinking and not hit White Castles after?”
“Uh...That would be the desire not to puke two hours later. Besides, there’s work tomorrow and it’s already after midnight.”
“Yeah you’re right,” I responded disappointed. This wasn’t going the way I had planned it… Woo Nikki with my wit and personality. Tell her I liked her and then challenge her arguments against inter-office romances.
At her house she patted my arm good night and let herself out the door before I could make a move to open it for her. Not even a good night peck on the cheek. I’m not a pessimist--but I know when the odds are stacked against me.
NIKKI
Man, my head was pounding. Why in the hell did I order Hennessy--straight up? I guess I felt a little nervous. But then every time someone bought a round of drinks they’d order me another one. I ain’t gonna lie; I was fucked up for a hot minute. I remember Tony asking me to dance and he was so good out on the dance floor that I reverted back to my hoochie mama days. That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Tony grabbed me for a slow dance and you know...it felt so good being held. Afterwards I went to the bathroom and cried. Isn’t that crazy?
There was this brother Dean there. He is F-I-N-E! Brother couldn’t keep his eyes off me. I wanted to get to know him but somehow it didn’t seem right to rap to another man when you come with someone else--even if that someone else was just Tony and he wouldn’t have cared. But still…
The next day at work Tony brought me Perrier after taking one look at my red eyes. And somehow I made it through the day. At home I planned to strip down naked and climb into bed but there was a message on my answering machine. Imagine my surprise when I heard
Dean’s voice! He hoped I didn’t mind that he had gotten my number from my cousin Jay and blah…blah…blah! I whooped loudly when he said he’d like to take me out sometime and he left his phone number.
The next day Dean and I talked on the phone for hours. We had so much in common! We made a date for that Friday and we talked every night on the phone. He kept asking me about Tony, though.
“Ain’t nothing going on between you and ol’ T-baby is it?”
“What? No,” I said surprised. “He’s my supervisor at work. Team leader is what they like to call it, whatever.”
“Oh. Well why are you going out with your supervisor?” I frowned at the phone.
“Because he’s friends with Jay. We weren’t going out. We were just going…to listen to Jay D.J. Why? Is there something wrong with Tony?”
“Naw. It’s just when I saw T roll up with you on his arm it surprised me. Tony never got no play in High School. Dude always went for the black chicks, but they were too busy trying to get with me.” He laughed. I thought that was mean so I changed the subject.
Friday we went to see a movie and to dinner. Dean is sexy and I’m not going to lie, I was horny and I gave him some. It’s been so long since I’ve been touched that I was exploding in 5 minutes! It was good and everything, don’t get me wrong, but Dean spent a lot of time trying to make himself look sexy. You can tell when a man is trying to star in his own porno.
Come Monday I planned to ask Tony about Dean but he beat me to it. He asked me what I did over the weekend.
“I went out with your boy Dean. We saw a movie and then went out to dinner.”
“Dean…” He said surprised. Tony’s lip curled up, but he wasn’t smiling. “So did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. He’s cool.”
“That’s good.” He walked out of the office singing softly to himself. I think it was that Amy Winehouse song where she sings what kind of fuckery is this.
TONY
I’ve been spending so much time at the gym that regulars think I work there. Someone has already asked me if I would take them on as a personal trainer. I always liked the gym, but since Nikki started seeing Dean I have a lot of pent up aggression that I’m trying to get rid of. I spend like 4 hours a night there!
My mom is still trying to hook me up with Asian women. She’s gone through the daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and cousins of all of her Asian friends. So she’s taken to picking women up off the street for me.
I went over for Sunday dinner and she had a lady there that she’d met at the nail salon. She was Korean, not even Japanese! I did take her out but she kept commenting that I sounded like I was black. I finally told her my real dad was mulatto and she excused herself and never came back.
My cousin Noonie has been wanting to detail my car since I got it. She works for an auto dealership where she does detailing on the weekends. Nice things always made me feel better so I let her take it one day, which started turning into a monthly thing. I suspect that she’s using the opportunity to drive around the city in it. But I don’t actually care because Noonie does great work and she’s not charging me a dime so she can knock herself out. On the days she takes the car she drops me off at work, picks me up and then I take her out to eat. After I drop her off at her place I hit the gym. This is now my life. Crap.
Me and Nikki were walking out of the office together one day and she stopped when she saw my car parked at the curb.
“Isn’t that your car?”
“Yup.” Noonie had just tinted the windows. She climbed out of the driver’s seat sporting spike fuchsia hair, a short school girl skirt, fish nets and combat boots. My Aunt no longer even tries to find her a nice Asian Boy.
She tossed me the keys. “How do you like?” She asked then danced around the sidewalk. There wasn’t even the smallest bubble.
“Nice. I like. For this you get steak tonight.” I waved goodbye to Nikki and Noonie and I drove off to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse.
NIKKI
Dean was telling me how I should get rid of my retirement plan because it was stupid to save for a future that wasn’t even promised to us and people were stupid to go without when they had thousands collecting dust in the bank.
I was in a sour mood today so I didn’t even bother to argue with him. Why do men always have to act like they know more than they do? Goddamn! I’ve got a college degree, my own home, a car and I don’t need some man’s advice. Especially not from someone who plays video games all day. Don’t get me wro
ng, I like Dean… but in short spurts.
My thoughts reverted back to the girl that was driving Tony’s car. It looks like he’s been getting some. He never even mentioned her and I thought we were buddies. This skinny Asian woman’s been driving his car and picking him up from work. Then on Friday he didn’t even bring the cookies or tea. When I asked him what was up with that he shook his head in a distracted way.
That night Dean didn’t show up for our date. I waited for two hours for him to pick me up before calling his cell phone-- which he never
answered. Shit, I was tired of him anyway. The
next day he shows up at my door so that we could go out for breakfast. His forehead was jacked up. He had a hickey the size of a walnut.
“Jesus! What happened to you?” He touched his head nonchalantly. “Oh played basketball with the boys last night.”
Excuse me? Did we not have plans--? He made to step into my apartment. I blocked the entrance. “We had a date last night.”