Don't Hate the Player

by Brandie

  “I’ll do what it takes, to be with you, Brandie.” He looked at me deeply through those big, brown eyes, batting those thick, long eyelashes, almost convincing me. “You’re in school, you have your own car and house, and you take control of your life. I don’t think I can find all of that twice over. It’s not that you’re beautiful... ’cause you are that—a blind man can see it, but you have a presence about yourself that draws a person to you. I don’t plan to be in this club forever either; I’m going to open up my own club. That’s why I go to Morehouse—for business.”

  Damn! That made me feel good. He saw ass all night and still took the time to find out about mine.

  I gave him a hug and handed him my set. “Cappers, when I leave this place, you’ll definitely be the first to get a call.”

  He flashed those bright whites. “I’ll definitely be waiting.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chocolate

  “Damn! It’s packed tonight. Everybody musta’ knew I was gon’ be in da hizzy. Ha! Ha!” Money laughed out loud as we finagled our way to our seats.

  “Hell, yeah. Off the chain! What’s up, nah?” I threw my head up to a couple of niggas we all went to school wit’.

  “Aye Swat get at me nigga before you leave.”

  “Luvly, you ’bout to go on stage and make ’em holla fo’ a couple of dolla’s?” I teased her about the shirt that barley covered the roundness of her breast . . . and the entire back out. “How in the hell are you holdin’ it on?”

  “With your starin’-ass eyes,” she snapped, popping her lips.

  “You got it, you got it,” I say backing off, licking my lips at how sexy she looks.

  “Y’all go on up. I’ma sit down here for a while. I’ll be up in a minute,” Money said, catching the eye of a dancer he used to mess with.

  “Well, we can all sit down here,” Luvly said with a full-blown attitude, noticing Money’s focus.

  Looking around the club, I noticed the atmosphere was just what the doctor ordered: phat asses, thick thighs, long legs, and pretty faces.

  A short, smooth, dark-skinned sistah with wide thick hips-winked at me, while table dancing for a nerdy looking dude. Damn, if I had a lady I wouldn’t even be in a room full of pussy; I’d be at home under the covers with my face between my woman’s legs. I give the table dancer a wink back, with no intentions of getting any closer.

  We finally got through the crowded room, to a table of Money’s choice.

  “Chocolate, you want something to drink?”

  “Yeah, cranberry and Sprite mixed.”

  I felt different that night. It had been about two years since I’d been in Platinum Kat, but it felt familiar. The one thing about the club that was different from a lot, it smelled good—not like pussy.

  A very unattractive dancer approached the table. “Can I get a table dance, handsome?”

  “No, thank you,” I said, giving her a twenty to keep her ass away.

  “I wonder where Caymin is?” Luvly asked, looking over her drink at me . . . like I knew.

  “Man, don’t come at me like that. I don’t know and really could care less.”

  “At-ti-tude,” Luvly said, jokingly.

  I scanned the room again to see if there was a li’l sumthin’ sumthin’ to take into the VIP room. “Speaking of the princess,” I said sarcastically as Caymin walked down the stairs. I had to admit she still looked good, wearing a hot-pink, strapless sundress.

  “Hey, y’all.” She hugged Luvly. “The room is ready upstairs.”

  “Chocolate likes it down here with ass all in his face,” Luvly chimed in.

  Shooting her a middle finger, “Fuck you, Luvly. How you doin’?”

  “Fine, and you?”

  I nodded but continued giving Luvly the evil eye. “Join us down here for a while. The table and chairs are for anyone.”

  “I was down here earlier, but every man in here was asking for dances, marriage, babies and all,” she answered confidently, to let me know she was not just anyone.

  “Shiddd, these girls make hella cheese in here; you betta get on it,” said Money with a Cheshire cat grin.

  “Money should know. He’s bought a few cars, jewelry and new body parts.” Luvly winked at him.

  “See, I knew I shoulda left you at home.”

  “Where’s your friend Caymin?” Luvly asked, ignoring Money’s comment.

  “Oh, she’s about to come out. What’s her name again?”

  Before I could hear her say her friend’s name, the deejay announced the next dancer. The lights begin flashing. “Please, everyone, give your attention to the stage, grab you dollars, ’cause she’ll make you wanna holla . . . Miss Caramel Delite!”

  Half the club surrounded the stage, with money already in hand and mouth; the other half came out of their VIP rooms to see the feature show. Prince’s The Beautiful One lured her to the stage.

  “Damn, her outfit is tight; Money, I want one.”

  “You gon’ do what she doin’?”

  “Sho’ ya right,” she said, winking her left eye.

  Luvly wished she could move like that. The masked woman held her hands above her head making her body move like a wave. Her hips moving in and out, sexually. Something was familiar about the way she was dancing. The way that body was looking, her face had to be messed up.

  The deejay mixed the songs and played ‘Get It Wet’ by Twista. The club went wild! “Look at these niggas goin’ crazy.”

  Taeko walked closer to the stage with five one-hundred-dollar bills in his hand; she rolled a hip in his face to accept the money.

  This girl was bad. The way she was moving, her size—all of it had me mesmerized. Her thick, juicy thighs, and full breasts were perfect. Damn! She needed to take off that mask!

  She appeared to be looking at our table. The music changed to “Seems Like You Ready” by R. Kelly. She leaned against the pole moving her hips slowly and circular. “Damn!” My dick was getting hard and she wasn’t going home with me.

  “Woo wee, she bad!” Taeko came back to the table. “She’ll make a man leave his family.”

  “Well, we don’t have to worry about this man leavin’.” Luvly attacked his ass. She used to always brag on Tae and Joi’s relationship. Even though her and Joi ran with rival cliques they always gave each other respect.

  “She got a tight music set.” I was giving her compliments like she was a ballerina.

  She started making her way off stage, hungry niggas right in her footsteps. As soon as she made it close to our table “Candy” by Cameo mixed in. She stopped in front of me moving sexually.

  “He can’t handle that ass.” Money and Tae started hyping the situation. “Put that pussy down that nigga throat.” They were jumping out of their seats waving money for her to do as they said, but she had her own agenda. I was under her spell, her essence eluding me.

  I followed her face, trying to study it through the mask. Why was she dancing like this—one on one? For a minute, everything and everybody was a blur. I could only see her. She turned around and tapped her ass down on my lap. I almost grabbed her hips but I controlled my hands. CARAMEL with drips, drippin all over it was on her lower back. Oh, shit, this was Brandie!

  “Money, this her! Nigga, this her!”

  “What?”

  “The girl I’ve been talking about. My mystery star.”

  Caymin, twenty questions written all over her face, expressed a confused look. “He knows Brandie?”

  “Yeah, Chocolate, that’s her name, Brandie,” Luvly said, snapping her fingers with excitement.

  “Brandie! Brandie! This is Brandie?” My blood started pumping overtime, making sweat bead up on my forehead. She turned around and the mask was gone. She was more beautiful up close than in my dreams.

  I stood up and kissed her. I didn’t know where this kiss was going to lead to, but I had to touch her lips again.

  “Dat’s my Dawg!” Money shouted, sounding like DMX.

  “Money
, what the hell is he doin’?” Luvly asked, looking back for the bouncers.

  “That’s the girl from his one-night stand.”

  “Ooooh, okay, get it then, Chocolate. Claim your stuff, boy!”

  I released Brandie to get a good look at her. She stood in front of me with the biggest, prettiest, whitest smile I’d ever seen. “You know they on their way to put you out right.” She continued smiling.

  “You comin’ with me?” The smiles on our faces could power a nuclear explosion. She was so perfect! Everything I’d imagined and more.

  “Look, I know ya’ll so-called celebrities, but you can’t be touching the dancers,” the swollen bouncer said, tapping my shoulder.

  “Ahh, man, we got a VIP room. We on our way up.”

  “All right, Taeko, but your boy can’t be slobbing down the dancers.”

  “Let me finish this set, and I’ll be up.” I let her go without any fuss, but kept my eye on her all the way up the stairs.

  When we got upstairs Luvly was all in my business. “So, Chocolate, that’s your girl? She was at Sap’s party. She’s a pretty girl.”

  “I guess we’ve been missing each other,” I joked.

  “Damn, nigga! You been chasin’ this girl for about five years.”

  “Five years? We were together five years ago,” Caymin stated flatly.

  “I didn’t know that girl then. I just saw her in the mall after graduation and thought she was nice-looking, but I never touched or talked to her,” I said with a nonchalant attitude, not really giving a damn about her right then.

  “Cool out, Caymin. Y’all were way back; this is now.” Money left the room to go to the bathroom. I caught up to him outside the door, so I didn’t have to deal with Caymin questioning me.

  “Damn, man! Your girl, Brandie, tight.”

  “Damn right, that’s the woman I want for the rest of my life.”

  “Man, she probably got niggas runnin’ all through this club, up and down 85.

  “Maybe, but she gon’ definitely get off on 285.”

  “Don’t be no fool, boy. Strippers are all out for one thang, and your heart ain’t one ’em. Besides don’t be puttin’ your all in some chic you don’t know nothin’ ’bout. Fuckin’ is one thang; makin’ her your main lady is another.”

  “Son, why you tryin’ to school the principal?”

  Money took a deep breath and exhaled. “Man, I’m trying to tell you something I know. I been fuckin’ up, sleepin’ with Salone.”

  “What? After she set your car on fire and told the tabloids all that shit on you?”

  “It only happened a few times. I ’on’t be knowin’ when Luvly gon’ sneak out to go be wit’ Diamond. Nigga, I be listenin’ when you be insultin’ me about sleepin’ around. I don’t want my dick to fall off, so I been tryin’ to stick to home. Besides, me and Luvly ain’t made it official yet.”

  “You don’t have to justify it to me. You just need to check that shit. That girl messin’ with your livelihood by telling tabloids and magazines that you beat on her, got babies all over and all kind of lies. You the one need to think about your life; you have a daughter.”

  “Whateva! Just squash this shit! I’ll deal with this later. Just go get the woman you’ve been chasin’ for most of your life.” He paused, looking down at his shoes. I knew him better than he knew himself. He wanted to tell me something important but didn’t know how.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m gon’ ask her to marry me.”

  I knew this nigga wasn’t gon’ marry Salone. “Why?”

  He smirked like it was the dumbest question he’d ever heard. “ ’Cause I love ’er. We need to take this step to make everything right, to wash all these haters away.” He rubbed one hand over the other. “I’ma tell Luvly—”

  “Tell me what?” Luvly asked, walking out of the VIP room wearing happiness on her face like I hadn’t seen in a long time.

  “That I love you.” He grabbed her and gave her a hug, putting his hand up to his lips signaling not to say anything about what we were really talking about.

  I couldn’t look her in the eyes, she would know everything.

  Brandie came upstairs and fell into my arms. “Hi, Chinoe.”

  “Hey, Babe.”

  “Hi, Luvly.”

  “Girl, you gon’ have to show me some of dem moves. You look good up there.”

  “Thank you, but you already have a winner on your arm; you don’t have to dance sexy to get ’em.”

  Hugging her so tight, I couldn’t let her go for fear that she would disappear again. She smelled just like she did that night in my room and felt even better.

  She was actually real! “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, baby, I will.” She hugged me tighter.

  Even though we were playing with words, it felt real. “You know I’m not letting you go, right?”

  “Please don’t; I like being in your arms.” Her warm breath on my ear was making me ready to bust.

  “I’m already hard as hell; you better get away from my ear.”

  She grabbed me by the hand and walked us into a private VIP room. Damn! I finally had her in my life.

  Chapter Fifty

  Brandie

  Chinoe was finally in my hands. And he liked me.

  “Did you know who I was, coming here tonight?”

  “No, I just thought I was coming to the club to relax.”

  We hugged some more. “I have to confess, Chinoe, I knew who you were when you told me your name. I remember seeing your picture on your mother’s desk, and that night at Money’s house when you went downstairs, I turned on the light and saw that poster on your wall.”

  “Girl, you just don’t know how long I’ve been after you, since ’94.”

  “ ’94? Where did you see me in ’94?”

  “I seen you in the mall one day. But these little boys spilled ice cream on my shoes and their mother tried to help me clean them off. By the time I got to where I saw you, you were gone.”

  “For real?” I asked, lost in his lips, hanging on to his every word. This was like a dream come true.

  We just sat looking at each other, appreciating the connection between a man and a woman.

  “Chinoe, you are very special to me. I’ve been thinking about you since that night at Money’s house. It was the best experience I’ve ever had.”

  “Sex?”

  “Noooooo. Experience—I mean the way we connected from the soul; I’ve never felt that way before. Even with long-term relationships I’ve not felt that way.” I wanted to jump his bones again right then but I didn’t want to be too aggressive.

  “I’ve been thinking about you, too. You just don’t know how hard it’s been, dealing with other females all these years, trying to compare them to a ghost, to a woman I’d never met before.”

  “Well, I’m here now.”

  I requested FORTUNATE by Maxwell. I started dancing for him. I was relaxed and in an extremely sexy mood, feeling every word of the song.

  He stretched his arms around the back of the lounge chair and nodded his head to the beat, licking his lips never taking his eyes off me. For the first time out of my dancing career, I felt a little nervous. Despite the nervousness, I moved closer to his face, turning my back to him.

  Licking his finger, he ran it from the middle of my back down to the dip of my hips, and then he gently sucked on my lower back, sending chills up my spine. “Shake it fo’ me,” he demanded.

  I shook my ass slowly as I felt his face pressing hard into me. “Umm, Chinoe, don’t stop.” I was getting wetter than usual; the excitement of being with him had my whole body working overtime. I stopped moving and let him take over. “Chinoe, you about to make me cum!”

  “Cum on,” he said as I released in his mouth. “That is the best orgasm I’ve ever had—next to the first night we shared.”

  “There are many more where that came from, sexy.”

  As I gave him a deep kiss and hugged him t
ight, he asked, “That means you goin’ home with me?”

  “Yeah. But first I have to stop by my house to get a few things”

  Jumping up and grabbing my hand, he said, “Let’s go.”

  “I have one more set to do.”

  “How much do you make on stage?”

  “About three hundred.”

  Reaching into his pocket and pulling out five hundred dollars, he said, “I gotcha.” He grabbed my hand and walked towards the door.

  “No, it’s not that easy,” I told him, pulling away. “This is my job, and I can’t just walk out. I have a contract with this club.”

  “A’ight,” he sighed. “I’ll be waiting for you in the other room with my folks.”

  I kissed him and got back to reality.

  Dear God,

  I hope that this gift you have sent me is genuine and sincere. I’ll hold it close to my body and breath out of my soul. Thank you Lord for all the blessings given.

  Amen

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chocolate

  Her house was tight, black and glass on the outside, well-manicured lawn and garden. The girl had it going on.

  “Look around; I’ll get us something to drink.” She smiled sweetly.

  I grabbed her and pulled her lips close to my face. “I don’t need anything . . . but you.”

  She wiggled loose. “I’m thirsty, and I need to replace the fluid that you sucked out of me.” She twisted away.

  A huge, all-cream, bearskin rug lay in the middle of the crème marble floor. Pictures lined the entire den. She could be a model instead of shaking her ass for dollars. Pictures of her with D’Angelo, DMX, Eightball & MJG, and Outkast caught my eye, but those with Sean Parter, Chico Debarge, and R. Kelly made me look twice. Where were all the female entertainers?

  * * *

  A metal bookcase that reached across the entire wall was filled with nothing but books. Running my hands over the books, Donald Goines, Iceberg Slim, Omar Tyree, Eric Jerome Dickey, Carl Weber, Terry McMillan, Roy Glenn, Sista Souljah—Damn! Had she read all those books, or was she just runnin’ game on people to make them think she was smart?