Cutting Loose

by Dash, Jayson

  Cassandra paused for a split second. Then she said, “Oh, I see what this is. You’re ashamed of him, aren’t you?”

  “What? Cassandra, that is absurd. Why would I be ashamed of him?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me. Maybe because he’s, uh, how do I say this? Different from all the other guys you’ve dated?”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  Cassandra waited a beat and asked, “How come you’re taking so long for me and Larissa to meet him? After all, we are your girls and should see if he’s a good fit for you. I’m just saying I think it’s about time.”

  Sabrina considered her words for a second and said, “Okay, fine. What time is this thing supposed to start?”

  “Like around four-ish, Friday. The weather guy on the news said it’s going to be a nice, sunny day. Oh, and if you can, try to bring something. Larissa is bringing the refreshments, so I guess you can bring the desserts.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  “Then I’ll see you on Friday at four.”

  Sabrina wasted no time getting Brett over to her place to talk things over and see if he was comfortable with meeting her friends. Rarely in the past had she ever ventured out and did this sort of thing. She always thought that after Carl there would be no one else and in the beginning she took forever before she introduced him to Cassandra and Larissa and they didn’t like him until they eventually warmed up to him.

  This time she knew she didn’t have to worry about that because she knew regardless of what Cassandra or Larissa thought, she was going to say otherwise. She constantly found herself daydreaming of herself and Brett doing exotic things and sometimes even pictured herself on her wedding day with him. She felt it deep down inside that eventually would eventually make it to that point.

  Once she got him on the phone she knew it was going to be hard to get him to agree to accompany her to Cassandra’s cookout thing, but she was not going down without a fight.

  “I don’t know about that just yet,” Brett said after a moment of thinking. “I have a lot a work this week and I have to make a lot of house calls.”

  He was coming up with just about any excuse to get out of going. She already knew it.

  “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to meet my friends,” teased Sabrina. “Is that what it is?”

  He cackled softly. “No, that is not the case at all. Like I said, I’m going to be really busy this week, especially Friday.”

  “Aren’t you the boss? I’m sure you can take the day off if you want to. Who do you have to answer to, besides yourself?”

  He paused for a second. “You obviously won’t take no for an answer, will you?”

  “No, I can’t say I will.”

  “Okay, well, um, let me see what I can do. You owe me big for this.”

  Her smile shined through her words when she replied, “No problem. I’ll do whatever I have to in order make it up to you.”

  Brett chuckled and said, “That sounds promising.”

  After she disconnected from Brett, Sabrina set off on a mission to clear her own schedule and make room for the upcoming cookout. Even though she wasn’t self-employed like Brett and the advantage of doing things without answering to any one, she did however have seniority over certain people at work and the chances of her getting Friday off were very high.

  It was certain times when she worked at Fabulous that she wanted to either be the head of the operation or just branch out and create her very own magazine from scratch. Then there was the fact that she lacked some of the resources and other things she would need to get her magazine started, let alone in the public eye. She liked the idea of starting a magazine that not only featured trendy clothes for women and men, but also to talk about other issues in the world. She figured one day she would fulfill that dream, whether it be sooner or later, though she hoped it be sooner if anything.

  Once Friday rolled around Sabrina was more than panicky about going to the cookout; she walked around her bedroom in circles for hours it seemed, trying to pick out the perfect thing to wear. She knew she was thinking way too much for her own good, but she wanted to look nice, and maybe even show off a bit. After all, Cassandra and Larissa both had been teasing her non-stop about the article in the magazine and were having way too much fun to put an end to it.

  Maybe it took her two hours to finally put an outfit together, and then it took her roughly forty-five minutes to do her hair and make-up. By the time Brett showed up she was down to the wire and ready to go. The sun was shining nicely, the air was warm, and everything was almost perfect.

  “So, how do I look?” Sabrina asked as she stepped into the living room and modeled her off-the-shoulder top and jeans for Brett, just to give him some eye candy.

  Brett took her in with his eyes and said, “You look amazing, baby.” Her stepped closer, smiled and added, “What do you say we skip the cookout and go straight to your bedroom?”

  Sabrina couldn’t help but let the thought cross her mind, just for a second. Hell, it was more than a second, more like a fraction of a minute.

  She smiled and said, “I say we save the bedroom for later. I have to see how my friends feel about you.”

  “Oh, I see what this is.” He smiled and stuck his hands inside his pockets. “You want to make sure your friends approve of me? Make sure that I’m not like that last guy?”

  “Yeah, you could say that. But hey, you’re Brett Deltour and you’re going to be the hottest guy at the cookout.”

  He chuckled and said, “True.” He looked down at his attire and said, “Maybe I should have worn flip-flops—I feel overdressed.” He tugged on his cotton button-down shirt and jeans.

  Sabrina paused for a second and replied, “Well, I don’t know about flip-flops, but I might be able to help you out.”

  “Really? How’s that?”

  Sabrina smiled and said, “Hmm, let’s see.”

  His ensemble wasn’t too much, except he was wearing dark colors and too many layers. So she started from the top and took off the button-down shirt and under shirt and replaced it with just the t-shirt to reveal some skin. She liked the way the shirt hugged his biceps and showed off his pecs. She had to argue with herself out of feeling him up right then and there.

  His Abercrombie and Fitch navy plaid till shorts and white sneakers were perfect. If anything, a man with an eye for style and coordination turned Sabrina on like nothing else. And from the way Brett was looking so spruce, she just couldn’t wait for the evening to be over with and she already had plans as to how things were going to go down. And she was definitely not sleeping alone in her bed tonight.

  “That should do it,” Sabrina said, stepping back and feeling proud of her work. “You look so hot.”

  Brett grinned. “Thanks. Ready to go?”

  She grabbed her purse, her car keys and said, “I think I’m going to drive with the top down.”

  “You have a convertible?”

  “Yeah. I rarely drive it though. I bought it a few months back when I had my long hair, but now that its shorter and the weather is perfect, I think it’s the perfect time—and I have the prefect accessory.”

  Brett looked confused and asked, “And what’s that?”

  She cackled and replied, “You, of course.”

  Brett just laughed and waved her off.

  Once they went to the garage, Sabrina got behind the wheel of her ruby 335i BMW. She pulled out of the driveway and let the top down once they were flying down the road. She felt like she was in a moment of absolute bliss and in complete control of everything. She looked great, felt great and hell, even smelled great for that matter. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so much joy just to go to a cookout. But then it hit her; it wasn’t just about going to a cookout to show off her new boy toy, she was a revamped woman.

  A few moments later she pulled up to Cassandra’s house and parked her car along the road with the rest of the many cars lined along the sidewalk. She didn’t expect to so
many cars, considering the lack of details Cassandra gave over the phone.

  Sabrina and Brett emerged from the car and followed the paved path leading to the backyard gate and immediately saw a cluster of people walking about. The backyard was spacious with manicured grass, a nice deck and a pool and hot tub off to the side. There were two large gas grills set up with food already being prepared, a few coolers were nearby and some chairs were scattered around.

  It wasn’t long before she spotted the host, Cassandra, as she struggled to drag a hefty bag of ice from inside the house with much effort.

  “Looks like somebody’s been slacking off at the gym,” teased Sabrina.

  Cassandra stood up and saw that it was Sabrina standing in front of her. She cackled and said, “Hey, Rina! It’s about time you showed up—I mean, you and your man.”

  Sabrina smiled and said, “We were running late.” She placed her hand on the small of Brett’s back, the other on his chest and said, “Cassandra, this is the infamous Brett Deltour, the guy you’ve been hearing about.”

  “Nice to meet you, Brett,” Cassandra said, shaking his hand. “You have some strong hands and a nice grip.”

  Brett smiled, blushed even. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you, too.” He looked at the bag of ice and said, “Looks like you’re having some trouble. I’ll get it for you.” He stooped down, picked up the bag of ice and asked, “Where to?”

  “Uh, right over by the coolers will be fine, thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  Seeing the way Brett manhandled that bag of ice the way he did such manliness, was making Sabrina feel like she wanted to rip his clothes off and have her way with him. And since Cassandra liked him, to no surprise, was definitely a plus. She knew Cassandra was always in a good mood but today she was different, in a good way, and Sabrina just couldn’t wait to see the reason behind it.

  “So,” said Sabrina, “Where is your new boyfriend?”

  She beamed and replied, “Oh, he’s on his way. I just got off of the phone with him about ten minutes ago. Don’t worry girl, he’s worth the wait.”

  “If you say so. Where is Larissa?”

  “That heifer is in the bathroom—again. She keeps denying she’s pregnant and had the nerve to wear a baby doll dress thinking she could hide her baby bump.”

  “Wait, she got a baby bump?”

  “Yeah, girl. It’s not that big, but I got good eyes and I see everything.” She paused, “And speaking of seeing things, I see you that Brett has brought out the best in you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Rina, I’ve never seen you so with short hair in all the many years I’ve known you. You are glowing. He must be doing something right.”

  Sabrina chuckled and said, “Girl, honestly, I have never felt so good about anything more than I do about Brett. He’s not like any guy I’ve ever dated and we connect on so many levels. It’s like he’s perfect, almost.”

  “Rina, I feel exactly the same way. I know I’ve only been dating this guy Chad for a few weeks but he may be the one. I’ve fallen head over heels for him, and trust me when you meet him, you’ll see why.”

  Sabrina laughed. “Okay. So, who are all these people up in here? I didn’t know you knew so many people.”

  “Me either,” laughed Cassandra. “Some of them are my neighbors and some people from work. Did you invite some people?”

  “Yeah, just a couple; my assistant and she’s bringing somebody along. You know, so they can have something to talk about around the water cooler at work on Monday.”

  Cassandra chuckled. “I know how that goes. Just as long as Carl’s crazy ass doesn’t show up, everything is going to be fine.”

  Sabrina paused dramatically. “Carl Who?”

  “That’s what I’m talking about—forget that fool. Anyway, I need to bring some food from inside. I’ll be back in a few.”

  “Do you need an extra hand?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  Sabrina followed Cassandra inside to her kitchen and helped bring out some hamburger buns, bags of chips and other stuff. Once she was done she and Cassandra sat down and took a load off.

  Larissa came from out of nowhere and pulled up a chair next to them. “Hey, Rina. You look good, girl. I can’t believe you brought your boy toy with you.”

  Sabrina laughed. “I can’t believe it either. You don’t look too bad yourself, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were concealing something.”

  Larissa threw her hands up to the sky and said, “Oh my God. For the last time, I am not pregnant. Damn.” She looked away and added, “And even if I were pregnant, y’all bitches know y’all would be the first ones to know.”

  “Okay, then it’s settled then.”

  Silence fell between them.

  Followed by more silence.

  Then a tall, muscular guy with a brown sugar complexion, black short cut hair wearing a black V-neck shirt, dark jeans and sneakers, walked up towards them. As he did, he bent down to Cassandra and planted a soft kiss on the lips.

  When he spoke, his baritone voice fit his young face perfectly. He said, “Sorry I’m late, baby. Traffic was a bitch on the highway.”

  Cassandra stood up and returned a kiss and said, “It’s okay, boo. I’m glad you made it.” She turned to Sabrina and Larissa and said, “Ladies, this is my man, Chad. Say hello.”

  “How’s it hanging?” said Larissa.

  “Pretty nice, actually,” said Chad, despite Cassandra’s urge to slap the hell out of Larissa with the look she gave her.

  “Hey, I’m Sabrina. It’s nice to meet you, Chad. I’ve heard good things about you.”

  “Likewise,” Chad said as he extended his hand and shook Sabrina’s hand with a firm grip. He paused and said, “You look familiar. I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

  “Well, with the way things have been going lately, I’m not too surprised. But then again, you are a guy, and I don’t suppose you read tabloids or fashion magazines, do you?”

  He shook his head and said, “Not really, just GQ.”

  “That’s a good thing.”

  He waited a beat and added, “I read men’s fashion magazines, and I advertise my fashion line in them.”

  “Oh, wait—you’re a fashion designer?”

  “Yep, that would be me.” He smiled, flashing a set of perfect teeth.

  Sabrina turned to Cassandra and said, “Damn, Casey. Looks like you’ve got yourself a winner.” She paused and asked Chad, “You are straight, right?”

  He exploded with laughter. “Of course I am. See, that’s one of the things I hate about being a fashion designer; everybody always assume that all male designers are gay, even though some of them are. I’m just saying for the record that I’m not one of them.”

  Sabrina took a closer look at Chad and instantly recognized him. He was indeed a fashion designer with his own designer label of women and men’s clothes, with things ranging from cocktail dresses, handbags and custom suits and it was rumored that he was coming up as the next big thing. Sabrina remembered an article she did on him a few years ago and she at first just thought he was just some young guy talking a bunch of nonsense but it wasn’t too long before she was at the mall buying anything with his name on it. And now that Cassandra was getting involved with him, she knew that either he was at a point an time in his career where he was looking to finally settle down, it was like a dream come true for Cassandra after all the bullshit men she had to put up with.

  Sabrina said, “I know where you might recognize me from, and that’s the fashion magazine I work for, Fabulous.”

  He smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s it. Wow.”

  “Yeah, back then I was a staff writer and you were the new, up and coming fashion designer fresh out of design school. Now I’m the co-editor-in-chief.”

  “Great. Maybe we can get together sometime and set up something.”

  “Okay, sounds great. I can’t believe this.”

 
“Well, believe it, Rina. It’s not all that serious. Jeez,” said Larissa. She turned to Cassandra and asked, “How come you didn’t tell us about your ‘famous’ fashion designer boyfriend? I’ve never heard of any of his clothes.”

  Cassandra rolled her eyes, irritated. “I wanted it to be a surprise. And you never heard of him cause your broke ass can’t afford to buy his clothes—it’s a little out of your price range.”

  Larissa snapped. “Bitch, I’m not broke. I rather not spend three hundred dollars on a pair of jeans...or a purse for that matter.”

  “Whatever,” said Sabrina and Cassandra in unison.

  Just as things were getting heated, Brett came over with two sodas and handed one off to Sabrina. “Hey, baby. I figured you might be thirsty so I grabbed you a cold soda.”

  “Thank you,” she said as she took the soda and gave him a peck on the cheek.

  It didn’t take but a split second for Larissa’s bad attitude to kick into gear before she began her interrogation on Brett.

  She said, “So, um, Brett, is it? You didn’t think to bring anyone else a soda?”

  Sabrina was about to say something but Brett spoke up first and said, “I wasn’t thinking about anyone else. Sorry.”

  “You don’t have to apologize to her,” said Sabrina. “Larissa is being a bigger bitch than usual.”

  Larissa stood up and said, “Damn right.” She turned to Brett and said, “I’m just going to say it: Of all the woman in Miami, Florida, even, why did you have to date a single, successful black woman like Sabrina? What, did you get tired of white females and felt like dating a black one?”

  It took everything inside of Sabrina not to get up and knock the hell out of Larissa. She hadn’t known Brett for five minutes and already she was starting shit. This was going to be one hell of a cookout.

  Brett didn’t flinch. He didn’t back down. He stood his ground and said, “Larissa, is it?”

  “Yeah?”

  “All I have to say to you is that you don’t know me and I don’t know you. I don’t think you have the right to judge me because of what you think I am. And I’m not even going to dignify your question with answer because it’s ridiculous.”