by Mia Madison
I was getting spoiled by the attention, and the assistance. I wanted to learn how to flip a house or acquire property, and Kenny believed in me enough to show me the ropes.
He contacted me Monday, and told me he needed a few days, but that it looked good. Thursday or Friday, we’d meet up to go over some of the details.
I shared the deets with Dilayla and felt my soul blush talking about it. Something about him, about this just felt so good, like a sweet sunrise after living in monotone cloudiness.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved my life, and made peace with the loss of my parents. But everything was getting routine. I read a lot of books, spent a lot of time thinking about how to leverage the endowment of money I received, and just trying to figure out which way to turn in my life. I’d moved from contemplation to action, all thanks to Kenny.
At the mere thought of Kenny, my phone vibrated. I smiled, ready to hear from him. My smile transformed into a frown as I realized it was Alex.
What are you doing?
I ignored it.
“He just texted me again.” I told Dilayla. “I don’t see why he won’t leave me alone. I’m amused, but nothing will happen. Ever.”
“Then blooooooock him,” she sang. “Let him go, let him gooooo…” We shared a laugh as she sang an alternate version of lyrics to the famous song.
“The hoes never bothered me anyway,” she sang.
She stood suddenly. “Speaking of the hoes, wanna go to King of Diamonds tonight? Morelli is dancing. She wants us to come through.”
Morelli was Dilayla’s cousin. Her name was Morelli because her mom was Italian, and the Dominican and Italian heritage gave her a killer body. She was fun, but hated school and loved to show off her all-natural curves. I envied her confidence and told her I’d need her to show me some moves, but I could never see myself stripping in public.
“Sure, what time?” I asked.
“Meh, I don’t know. You know Brian’s coming over this afternoon.” She leaned back and sighed. Brian was Dilayla’s boy toy. She took him serious until she realized he was just as bad as most of the players she was attracted to. “I told him I went to the dentist so I can’t suck his dick.”
I laughed. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m not crazy, I just wanna feel his tongue between my legs. You should try it.”
My eyes bulged in shock. “Bitch. No.”
Dilayla shrugged. “Your loss. He probably would do the both of us up well and leave.”
“Sharing is not caring, Dilayla.” There was no way in hell I would let Brian between my legs, especially knowing he was just between Dilayla’s.
“It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none,” she sang, imitating Nate Dogg. “Gotta let a hoe be a hoe.”
Sighing loudly, I leaned back and closed my eyes. “This is why I’m single. I don’t have time for these sexual situationships. We’re millennials, and all we have to show for our human evolution is the ability to focus only on the primal.”
“Don’t get all judgy on me,” she said. “Life’s too short to go without orgasms. Good orgasms that are freely given by gorgeous men with strong tongues and passionate head games.”
“You know he’s no good. You know he’s a dog. Why do you pretend to be so cavalier?” I asked.
Dilayla was quiet. I hit her with an honest question. She wanted to pretend she was a player, but deep inside I knew she wasn’t. She wanted one man. Brian. She’d just learned to accept that Brian wouldn’t slow down on his bullshit anytime soon. For some reason, she kept waiting.
“He’s everything I’ve been looking for. He just won’t fucking act right.” There was a drop in her energy as she revealed her perspective. “At the end of the day, when you know what you want, sometimes you have to be patient and wait for what you want… to want you back.”
I didn’t know what to say. She sounded desperate, and it was actually depressing to hear. Of all my friends, Dilayla was one of the most beautiful, confident, happy-go-lucky ones. She had the world at her fingertips, from a great job with the Miami Heat PR team to a family that loved her and each other. Life was her oyster, and she really had no reason to settle.
Brian was a benchwarmer for the Dolphins. They’d known each other before he even made it in the league, but the point of the matter was she could have had anyone on the Dolphins if she really wanted. Anyone in the world really. Yeah, he was attractive, but he wasn’t even worth the level of heartache he came with.
I thought back to the conversation I had with Kenny. The one where we shared that finding someone who was serious about settling down felt impossible. We wanted it, but we realized there wasn’t any reason to rush. I’m sure hearing his friends’ stories, coupled with his own memories, was enough to make him patient.
… I wondered, in that silent moment, if I was someone who could show him a woman worth keeping?
Dilayla’s phone went off. “He’s outside!” She jumped to her feet and squealed with delight. Her mood had completely changed from her contemplative sadness just a moment ago. “I’ll see you tonight!”
I double checked my appearance in the mirror. Thanks to Fashion Nova, my body was wrapped in a sexy body con and mermaid heels. Who said fashion had to be expensive? I’ve learned that when you love yourself and your body, expensive designers didn’t always matter.
My dark locks would have been blown out to perfection, but the humidity of Miami summer nights made it preferable to wear my hair in loose waves. I’d put my hair into huge braids with Kinky Curly gel and Shea Moisture for perfect frizz-free definition.
My face was on point. Smoky eyes and a matte-red lip from Anastasia. It was very sexy, but King of Diamonds was a place where sexiness was welcome. No matter what I did, I couldn’t steal attention from those girls. Their skills were on a completely different level, and that’s what made them money.
Dilayla picked me up right as I finished. She was made up with a sleek blowout, burgundy lips, and a teal mini-dress that popped against her tan perfectly. The soft glow in her skin wasn’t NARS; she’d had a real series of orgasms all afternoon, and I could see it in her smile.
We danced and sang along to Ariana Grande, Halsey, and Drake on the way over. Dilayla gave me all the details of her “dick appointment” with Brian, including how she had to kick him out when another girl started blowing up his phone.
I simply listened along; it was pointless to say anything. Why waste my breath? Nothing would change until she decided to change.
Dancers at the King of Diamonds were ultra-beautiful with amazing bodies. Although I was proud of myself and how hard I worked to maintain my figure, I could appreciate the possibility that pole dancing would take my shape to the next level.
And the makeup? I promise I would have no problem paying for a VIP conversation just to ask them what they used to set their perfect pouts. Any brand that could take the hot lights and sweat without moving was a brand that I needed in my cosmetics arsenal.
As promised, Dilayla pulled me to the front of the stage when Morelli performed. Her first entrance was a solo performance to Drake’s “Passionfruit.” She wore a sexy Josephine Baker banana skirt and popped like Beyoncé. Her death-defying moves in the air were enhanced with a dramatic pole drop, in which she landed in a split on the floor.
Dilayla cheered at her cousin as showers of ones, tens, fives, twenties, fifties, and hundreds flooded the stage. Security had to get on stage and help her clean up, because there was just so much money thrown in her direction.
“Let’s get some drinks,” Dilayla said. She pulled my hand and dragged me through the throng of patrons, equal numbers of men and women, to the bar. When we placed our orders, she turned to me, “What do you think? Isn’t she good?”
“She’s fucking amazing,” I said, in disbelief. Good wasn’t a good enough word to describe Morelli’s sex appeal and talent.
“I’ll ask her to teach me.”
“Teach you?”
“Yeah.”
Dilayla nodded, a sneaky, sexy smile spreading on her painted lips. My expression must have revealed my confusion; she burst into giggles and shook her head.
“Girl, I won’t start dancing,” she explained, touching my arm in comfort. “I just want to learn some moves to seduce Brian.”
My eyes rolled dramatically—hard enough to nearly see the back of my head. One day, I prayed she would get off that benchwarmer ass pussyeater, and find a man who did more than give good dick.
“Fancy seeing you here.” The warmth in his breath assaulted my ear. I turned and nearly spilled my drink.
“Alex. I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you.” It’s not.
My frustration resurfaced. I was so over him. I just wanted him to go away and leave me alone. How dare he approach me in a spot like this? All these women, all these dancers, and of all places, in King of Diamonds?
He was the last man on Earth I wanted to see, and for some reason, the more I hated him, the more magnetic I became. It annoyed me to no end; I didn’t understand any part of his sick game. And after realizing he had a girlfriend, a seriously sweet one at that, he made me nauseous.
“What? I can’t say hi to a beautiful friend?” He tossed his shoulders up casually, smirking as if he were innocent and I were upset for no reason.
Dilayla shot him a dirty look and I could see her fingers trembling. She itched to toss her expensive drink in his face.
“I’m here with someone,” I said, pushing Dilayla’s hand on the table. I then inserted my fingers between her palm and the glass. Caressing the top of her hand, I shot him a sly grin, and hoped he’d take the hint.
“You know two’s a party, but a little sausage from me could make for a fun evening,” he sneered. His grin was leery, and I could see his hands preparing to grip around his bulge. He was drunk and it was clear he wouldn’t get the memo.
“Motherfucker, are you serious? Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Dilayla shot. “There’s no way in hell I’d fuck you or fuck with you.” She turned to me. “You ready to go?”
I slid off the barstool, but Alex blocked us. “Can I just speak to you privately?” He moved up on me, attempting to press himself against me, but Dilayla pushed him away. The gesture infuriated him.
“Back off, bitch!” he roared at her. His eyes were wild and glassy, and he seemed to lose more and more sobriety as each second passed.
“She’s not fucking interested, you prick!” she shouted. Even in her heels and mini-dress, Dilayla refused to back down. “And keep playing with me. I’ve got your bitch, BITCH.”
“Dilayla!” I needed to calm this down. I didn’t want to make a scene or get kicked out of King of Diamonds. Leaving peacefully wouldn’t be an option the way this was going.
“Bitches like you need to learn their place,” Alex slurred. He attempted to punch Dilayla, but she dodged him. He attempted to swing again, but she grabbed her glass and tossed it in his face, before slugging it at his head.
“Your mama’s a bitch, BITCH!”
By this time, Alex’s face was red with rage. The murderous look in his eyes scared me. He reached in his pocket, and I was scared for my life.
But before anything could happen, I felt a strong pair of hands pull me away. I turned to see Kenny, plus two men in all black, obviously club security, behind me.
“Everything okay?” Kenny asked. He pulled me against him like a prized possession, and I instantly melted into the safety I felt. That familiar cologne of his warmed my heart and the pace lessened.
“No, this asshole over here has been stalking my girl. He just tried to attack us!” Dilayla said.
“It’s time for you to go,” security told Alex. He was clearly drunk and yelling all kinds of obscenities. Nobody could understand what he was saying, and nor did anyone care, especially as he was being dragged out of the club.
“Are you okay?” Kenny said. He looked into my eyes, protective and concerned, and I felt myself melting.
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you.”
“What happened?”
I shook my head. “I need some air first.”
Kenny took my hand, but I stopped him. “Dilayla, this is Kenny. Kenny, this is my best friend Dilayla.” I looked at him. “I can’t leave her.”
“Damn right, she can’t,” she said, haughty yet playful. Kenny laughed as he shook Dilayla’s hand.
“Come with us. We have a VIP booth set up.”
“Hell yeah!” Dilayla accepted.
Kenny’s friends, Nick and Dom, were already entertaining some other girls when we arrived. The first thing I noticed was that Dom seemed painfully shy with most of the women, while Nick seemed to steal the show. It was funny, seeing how these guys were polar opposites and best friends. But blended with Kenny, the trio made sense. Kenny was a firm balance between the two.
As we approached, Nick’s eyes went straight to Dilayla. Her altercation with Alex had put a little scowl on her face, Nick was drawn to her. He immediately ignored the laughing babes around him and stood up, approaching Dilayla.
“How are you, love?” He said. “I’m Kenny’s best friend, Nick.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said cordially. Her eyes danced over his body, and underneath her cool exterior, I could see her heart pounding. For once, Brian had some competition.
Kenny cleared a space for me to sit on the outside edge of the VIP cushions. Nick followed in his lead, and invited Dilayla to sit next to me. He called over the bottle girl and ordered an ice-cold bucket of champagne and new glasses.
Some of the girls who previously held Nick’s attention got mad. One sucked her teeth, causing him to dismiss them all.
“Baby girl, you have a good night. Take your friends with you.” Their eyes bulged in shock, as if they didn’t expect him to kick them from the booth so quickly. But the seriousness in his expression said it all.
“You can leave, or I can call security and really embarrass you,” he warned. “Choice is yours.”
The girls cleared out, sucking their teeth and mumbling under their breaths. Dilayla beamed with joy. Nick was definitely making an impact.
“Sorry about that,” he said, turning to her.
“It’s no problem,” she said. “I just hope your little girlfriend doesn’t cuss you out later.” That was her slick way of probing the situation, checking to see what his status was.
“That’s not my girlfriend,” he said. “She’s just a little friend who doesn’t know how to act sometimes.” He bit his lip as he whispered something in her ear, which caused her eyes to lower and giggle in return. She grabbed my hand, and squeezed it in excitement.
I turned to look at Kenny, who was on the other side of me, and Dom, who was across the table playing with his phone and stealing glances with keen interest.
The bottle girl brought out a tray of glasses and champagne. She popped the bottle and Nick took it from her, making a great show of pouring the first glass for Dilayla. We watched in awe as Nick and Dilayla had fallen into their own world, shutting everything and everyone out in the club.
I could see her squeal with delight and I smiled. She would definitely remember this instead of talking about Alex or Brian all night.
“She must be something special. He doesn’t act like this,” Kenny said, nodding toward the scene.
Kenny
“No?” she asked, surprise in her pretty brown eyes.
“Nope,” I leaned in and whispered. “He’s the player. And Dom in the other corner? He tends to stick to himself. Beautiful isn’t his thing.”
She giggled with a confused look. “What do you mean, ‘beautiful isn’t his thing’?”
“It’s a bit of a story.” I shrugged. “He just thinks most women are out of his league, so he deliberately goes for women he feels are average or below average.”
She looked over at Dom with interest. By this time, he was fully engrossed in his phone, ignoring the headliners and dancers walking by.
“He seems like a
nice guy, and he’s not ugly at all,” Raquel said. “I’d give him a chance.”
“Hey,” I said, feeling a pang of jealousy. I covered my heart with my palm, and gave her mock hurt.
“You know what I mean,” she said. “I’m just saying that he doesn’t have to settle for less than what he wants.”
“He’s used to it. Nick and I were both in the league. He’s our accountant, and used to losing girls who wanted our attention instead.”
“Oh.” The awkward silence that followed spoke volumes to her comprehension.
I poured her a glass of champagne. “Now what happened down there? With that guy? Wasn’t that the guy from last week?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes pinched with annoyance as she took a sip. “He’s been on my case ever since you showed up to save me from that nightmare of a date.”
That asshole made my head hurt. He had no business being in her face after the shit he pulled. If security hadn’t helped me intervene, I would have punched him hard enough to ensure his teeth scattered all over the floor like a box of Chicklets.
“He’s got a lot of balls to be in your face after the stunt he pulled,” I spat. “And he put his hands on your friend?”
“He tried to, but she tossed the drink and hit him with the glass.” She turned to Dilayla, who was still in her own world with Nick. I caught Nick’s eye, and he looked at me, but his expression gave away nothing as he refocused his attention on her.
I could tell she had him hooked. The girls he’d invited out were sure to be pissed the next time he contacted them.
But hell, to be honest, the way he looked at Dilayla, I wasn’t sure if there were a next time for them. He hadn’t looked this rapt in a woman since… ever.
“Have you told his girlfriend?”
“No.” Her concerned expression showed her sympathy. “We’re planning to hang out sometime on Friday, but that’s it. I want to, but I’m just not sure it’s a good idea. She’s actually a good contact to have, and I don’t see how telling her what I know would help anything. I don’t like drama, and Alex is nothing but.”