All of a sudden some random dude that reeked of pure alcohol and piss came up behind me and asked me to dance. I quickly denied and he grabbed my arm attempting to pull me onto the dance floor. I snatched my hand away from him and turned around to run in the other direction. I felt him firmly grab my waist and I swung at his face connecting with his jaw. He got angry and continued to chase after me. I turned to run and ran into another guy who gently moved me behind him.
“Back off bruh! The lady told you no!” he yelled. The guy waved him off and stumbled away in the other direction. The guy turned to face me.
“Thanks,” I said refusing to make eye-contact. Just because he saved me didn’t give him free game to talk to me.
“No problem,” he said, “By the way, you are a very stunning young lady.”
“Thanks.” I murmured still refusing to look at him and I doubt he heard my response.
“You don’t seem to be having a good time.” He stated. I rolled my eyes. I just got attacked by a drunk man! Of course I wasn’t having a good time. The man reeked and looked disgusting and now I desperately need a shower. “Look, I’m not out to hurt you or try to run game on you or anything. I just wanted to show you a night you deserve.”
I looked up at him and was awestruck by the sight I was seeing. This man was too fine. He stood about six foot with broad shoulders. He looked as though he used to play football. He was a nice shade of brown and even in this lighting I could see his beautiful light brown eyes. His hair was freshly cut and it was evident he cared deeply about his appearance.
“Well what do you have in mind?” I asked. He smiled a smile so perfect. I began to wonder what a man like him was doing in a place like this. He looked as though he didn’t belong.
“Well first off we gotta get outta here because don’t nothing good happen here.” He said. I nodded. I told him that I needed to tell my friends that I was leaving first so they weren’t looking for me, and he told me he would meet me outside. I wasn’t sure about this guy but I knew one thing, it would get me away from this place and anybody that did that was good in my book.
Three.
When I walked outside of the house, he was standing next to a beautiful 2014 Camaro. It was a convertible and you know he had the top down on it. It was a silver on the top and black on the bottom. The handles on the door and the rims on the car were chrome. It also had a chrome and black interior. It was too beautiful, and he looked even better standing next to it.
“Your car is so beautiful,” I complimented.
“Thank you! I worked hard to get this car. It hardly comes out and I usually don’t let just anyone ride in it,” he said and then continued, “but I think I can make an exception for the night. Only on one condition though.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Tell me your name.”
I laughed. “Terielle. What’s yours?”
“Orlando,” he replied. “It’s nice to meet you Terielle. If you don’t mind, I would like to take you somewhere where you can enjoy yourself. Maybe somewhere to get you a drink. There’s a club, a nice club, I know of on the other side of town, or we could step away from the party scene and go somewhere more private. Somewhere like a park or the lake.”
As soothing as a walk in the park sounded, I wasn’t ready to trust myself alone this late with Orlando. He seemed like a genuinely nice gentleman, but considering that we just met, I just didn’t trust it.
“I would much rather go to a club and grab a drink. I’m in a dancing kind of mood, “I lied. He nodded and opened the passenger door for me. I slid into the leather seat and sat in awe at the interior of the car. The whole car itself was just beautiful.
“This is just a start. I’m working on getting me a two door Porsche.” He informed me. He reached across me and buckled my seat belt. “I like to drive fast so prepare yourself.”
I chuckled but I could tell he wasn’t joking. He skipped opening the driver’s door and hopped straight into the driver’s seat. He buckled his seatbelt and we were off. I watched the road as we sped down the street diving in and out of lanes until we reached our destination. Orlando got out and walked over to my side of the car. I looked in the mirror and checked my appearance. I moved a few stray hairs and applied a fresh layer of lipstick. It wasn’t until after I closed the mirror that I realized he was staring at me.
“You ready?” I asked.
“I’m waiting on you,” he replied.
He stuck his hand out to help me out of the car. Once outside, he shut the door behind me and gently placed his hand on my lower back guiding me to the direction of the club. The club was a couple blocks from my house and I was so glad to be out of Lockwood Village. The club was called Fire and Ice. It must be new because I had never heard of it before but it seemed like a nice place. There was a line outside of the door and I instantly regretted wearing heels because I knew we would be standing for a while. The bouncer was only letting a few people in at a time. To my surprise though, Orlando walked right past the line and guided me to the door of the club. He dapped off the bouncer and we went inside. He walked up to a nearby table and pulled out a chair for me. I gladly took a seat as my feet were killing me.
“Would you care for something to drink sweetheart?” he asked.
“Yes, surprise me.” I told him. He went to the bar and brought back two cups of Jack Daniels.
“I wasn’t exactly sure what to get you. So I got you what I usually get. Is that okay?” he questioned, I took the drink out of his hand and took a sip.
“Sit down. It’s fine. I’m a woman, I can handle my liquor.” I said.
“Excuse me.” He replied. He sat down across from me and took a swig of his drink. “So tell me. What were you doing in Lockwood Village?”
“My friends took me over there. I didn’t even want to go.” I assured him. “I was hoping to just go out with my friends to the club or something like old times and I ended up there.”
“Well look on the bright side. You went and you met me. Now you’re here where you wanted to be in the first place.”
He was right. Maybe going wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I looked around the club. It was one of the nicest ones I’ve been to on this side of town. It had a nice eating and bar area. The dance floor was in the back of the club and it was huge. There was a stage on the back wall where the DJ was. A fair amount of people were on the dance floor swaying their hips to the music. The music selection wasn’t too bad either. Definitely some songs to get hype to. I had to tell my friends about this place. It’s too nice and I’m sure they would enjoy it. I looked over at Orlando who was staring at me again.
“What?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “I’m just admiring your beauty. Care to dance?”
He stood up and reached his hand out to me. I took it and followed him to the dance floor. He turned me around and placed his hands on my waist. I moved my hips to the beat as he danced along with me holding me but not too tightly. We danced for about three songs straight before my feet started killing me again. I stopped dancing and turned around to face him.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
I nodded and he started walking towards the door. I guess he noticed that my feet were killing me because once we got out of the club he picked me up and carried me to the car. We pulled up to the house and he helped me out.
“Will I get to see you again?” I asked him.
“Most definitely love, just hit my line.”
Four.
Tonight was the night I finally I got to see Orlando again. He was taking me to a fancy restaurant downtown and I was extremely excited about it. It’s been a week since the last time I saw him because he had left on some “business” trip. We had talked constantly since that night though. I found myself falling asleep with him on the phone a couple nights when he called to say goodnight. He made it a priority to be the first one I talk to when I wake up, and the last when I go to sleep. He also liked to FaceTime me from ti
me to time. I loved the time he put in to show me attention. He made sure to compliment me every day, and he noticed the little things I do. He made me feel loved and appreciated. Something I’ve longed for, for so long.
Dinner was at seven and it was now five-thirty. I already had my outfit picked out for the night. It was an all-black fitted dress that left the middle of my back out. I selected some all-white heels and an all-white coach wallet purse to go with it. I decided to wear my grandmothers pearl earrings and necklace to tie it all off. At six-thirty I was dressed and ready to go. I just had some final touch-ups on my make-up.
Orlando arrived at six-forty giving us plenty of time to make our reservations at seven. He was standing next to his car when I walked out of the door. He had a turquoise blue Ralph Lauren button up shirt tucked into some all-white straight pants and some all black boat shoes were on his feet. To top it all off around his neck was a plaid blue and white bowtie.
“You look amazing,” he commented, opening up the door for me.
“So do you,” I told him as I slid into the familiar leather seat once more. He shut the door behind me and I watched as he walked over to the driver side of the car.
He got in the car and started it up. He then looked at me and rubbed his hand down my cheek. I smiled at his gentle gesture and he just stared at me in admiration. Staring into his light brown eyes sent butterflies to my stomach. Never had I ever been shown so much attention and looked at in so much admiration.
“I missed you,” he said. My heart jumped at the words. They were so sincere. So genuine. Like we were once loved ones who were separated long ago and now we were together again, but that’s how he made me feel. I was never more comfortable with any one than with him. It was like he was the one who completed me.
“I missed you too” I replied and he took off in the direction of the restaurant. I was really looking forward to this evening. I hadn’t been on a date this special in a while. Not to a fancy restaurant.
We pulled up to the restaurant and the valet opened the door for me. Orlando handed the man his keys and placed his hand in the small of my back just as he did the first night we met. After verifying our reservation, we were placed in a special booth that provided total privacy. He said he wanted his complete focus to be on me and to be able to talk to me without having to yell over everyone else.
“Tonight is your night sweetheart. Do as you please. Have what you like. Tonight is all about you my lady,” he told me. I opened the drink menu. This place was beyond expensive! Their cheapest wine was twenty-five dollars a glass! I was almost tempted to walk out but I knew how hard Orlando worked to book this reservation. He pulled some strings for this one.
“Are you sure?” I asked and then whispered, “this place is expensive.”
He waved me off. “I wouldn’t bring you here if I couldn’t afford it. I got it. Enjoy yourself.”
“Hi, my name is Steve and I’m here to serve you guys. Can I start you off with anything to drink today?” the waiter asked placing silverware and dinner menus on the table.
“I’ll just have a water.” I said. Orlando looked at me and shook his head.
“Do you have any recommendations on wine?” Orlando asked. The waiter pointed out a wine I couldn’t even pronounce. “Great. We’ll have a bottle of that.”
It didn’t end there. He continued to shut down any attempts I made to keep the date as cheap as possible. When asked for an appetizer, I refused. He, on the other hand, ordered two. When asked what I wanted for the main course I settled on a chicken salad because it was the cheapest thing on the menu. He refused, and instead ordered two filet mignons which came with shrimp as a side dish. Don’t even get me started on desert. Even when I protested that I was full, he still ordered a strawberry cheesecake and told the waiter to make it “to go”. I was annoyed and fascinated at the same time. My fascination grew as he looked at the bill and didn’t even flinch. He paid it with cash and left a nice tip. I started to wonder what this guy did for a living to be able to afford a meal so expensive. Between the two of us we easily spent eight hundred to a thousand dollars.
Once we got out of the restaurant, we began our walk around the city. I was still thinking about the meal we just ate. Although it was extremely delicious, there was no need to spend so much money on one meal. I felt as if I was breaking his pockets. I guess he sensed me worrying because he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. He lifted my head up so I would look him in his eyes.
“Stop worrying so much Terielle. If I didn’t think you were worth it I wouldn’t have spent a dime on you, but you’re worth every penny,” he said and then smiled, “Besides it was actually a lot cheaper than I thought it would be.”
He winked at me and continued walking. His words rang through my head. A lot cheaper? How much did this man actually plan on spending? And where was he receiving all of this money from? Once before, I had asked him about his occupation and he told me he was a “business man” but didn’t say any more than that. I decided to press the question once more.
This time he just simply turned to me and said “I’m a drug lord.”
Five.
After finding out Orlando was a drug lord I almost stopped talking to him. What do I look like being with a drug lord? I definitely don’t want to be associated with that sort of activity. I know for sure that I’m no ride or die chick. I’m not a trap queen either. I’m a successful black woman who works hard to get her money the legal way.
I did finish my night with Orlando that night but he could tell I was distant. I haven’t returned his calls in the last few days either and I know it’s tearing him apart. He calls and leaves a voice mail which usually includes him begging me to call him back and to let him explain. He still sends me good morning texts and goodnight texts every day, which I think is so adorable because each one he makes is special. I’ve been thinking about how we could make this work. I don’t want to miss my opportunity to be with a good man because of his occupation, but I just can’t seem to bring myself to be okay with it.
It was Monday, and I had the day off because this was me and James’ two year anniversary. I had taken off months ago to prepare for the special occasion. We were supposed to spend the whole day together. Now I’m just using the time to relax. I got up early this morning and took a nice hot bath. Now, I was making myself a nice big breakfast. I was making me some biscuits and gravy, some cheese and grits, and a couple pieces of toast. I also had some bacon and sausage to go along with. It had been a while since I had myself a nice breakfast so I took advantage of it.
There was a knock on the door. I wasn’t expecting any visitors today, especially not at this time of the day. Everyone I knew was at work. I threw on a robe and went to the door. I looked out the peep hole to see Orlando standing on the porch. I sighed but part of me was glad he was here. I opened the door to let him in.
“Terielle,” he said breathing out a sigh of relief. “I didn’t think you were going to open the door, but I thought it was worth a shot. How are you baby girl?”
“I’m fine Orlando. Look I…”
“Say no more, I understand beautiful. It took you by surprise and you didn’t know how to handle it. It’s my fault I should have told you in the first place. Can we sit down and talk about this?” he interrupted. I nodded and moved out the way of the door way so that he could come inside. I led him into the kitchen and offered him a bite to eat. He denied saying he didn’t want to intrude on my meal, but I insisted. He took a biscuit and we sat down at the table together.
For a second we just stared at each other. Ignoring Orlando was easy when I couldn’t see him, but looking into his eyes made my heart melt, and being in his presence made me feel all warm inside. I loved the way he looked at me. Like he admired my presence and I’m sure I looked at him the same way. I was too awestruck by his presence to even speak, so he had to be the one to break the silence.
“Let me start off by apologizing, I should have told you my oc
cupation from the beginning. It was wrong of me to keep something like that from you, but I wanted you to judge me based off of who I am, not what I do,” he explained.
I nodded understandingly. “I want to apologize as well. I should have come to talk to you instead of ignoring you. I just needed some time to think.”
“I understand. I don’t want this to come between us, you know. I’m really feeling you Terielle, more than I’ve felt for any other girl. You are one special lady and I would hate to miss my opportunity to enjoy my life with you because of my lifestyle,” he explained and reached out to grab my hand. “Tell me what I have to do to keep you by my side. To make this ok.”
I had thought about this a lot and the only thing I could come up with was for me to either accept who he was, or try to influence him to change his occupation. I knew it was going to be a long shot, but trying to get him to change his occupation for me seemed the best option. Especially if I wanted to make things serious between us because I wasn’t going to allow the drug activity to go on in my house, and if we had kids, I definitely didn’t want it around my kids.
URBAN: What A Thug Wants Page 36