“As hard as he was grinning when he walked you out of that room, he might end up flying to you. I don’t know what you did in there, but he didn’t want to let you go. He asked for your number like five times. If you hadn’t turned him down, you wouldn’t have to snoop around for his page.”
“Whatever!” she snapped. “And anyway, I found his page already, not too long after I saw the promotion that I was telling you about. We’ve been texting back and forth for about an hour. Girl, it’s going down in the D.M.!”
At least she was getting some action. But what else was new? Lola had had plenty of boyfriends during the time I’d known her. I’d only had one. And, to be honest, I wasn’t sure if he really counted. Do you count a man that you were sleeping with and thought you were in a relationship with if you found out that he had a wife?
“Anyway, I didn’t call you to talk about me. I called you to talk about Ink. You should go see him. Kale said that he thinks he was feeling you.”
I scoffed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to my chest. “He had a funny way of showing it. After he finished with me, he was on to the next. Before he even got out the door, he was already on the phone with the girl who was sitting up front. Indie.”
Something about thinking on that moment made a sour taste form in the back of my throat. There was nothing worse than rejection, especially when it came when you least expected it. Mentally, I had already been asking myself if I would give Ink my number when he asked while I was sitting in his chair. Turned out, there was no point in wondering because that moment never came. I guess that’s why they say don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
“That Indie chick is a charity case. Kale told me all about her. She’s like the little sister of the shop. Single mother, no father, blah-blah-blah. Don’t worry about her. Just go see him tonight.”
“Lola, I—”
“What else do you have to do? Nothing! You’re probably laying in the bed right now, hugging your pillow companion when it should be a man. A man like Ink. We shared an apartment for four years. You know I know you!”
I couldn’t even respond as I dropped my head to look at the pillow that I was squeezing between my arms. She’d called it. She was absolutely right. Literally hit the nail right on the head. Was I that pitiful or that predictable?
“If you don’t promise me right now that you’ll go, I’m going to call you back to back and fill you in on every little detail that’s been happening in my life. I’m not going to let you sleep your life away on my watch. And classes haven’t started yet so I have nothing but time. You know I’ll do it.”
Her defiance was all in her tone.
“Fine, I’ll go.” I lifted my hands as I gave in, though she couldn’t see me. “I’ll get the info from his page.”
“No need. I already texted it to your phone,” she informed me. “And I already called the club and reserved you a table in V.I.P. right near the front. You’re welcome!”
Covering my head with my pillow companion, I let out a long groan. Lola had played me once again.
7
Sage
* * *
“My name is Sage McMillian. There should be a booth reserved in my name. In VIP.”
The bouncer was looking so hard at my body that I wasn’t positive he’d even heard the words that had come from my mouth. Licking his lips, he rubbed his hands together before finally meeting my eyes. He was a bear of man, large and built like a linebacker with a grizzly beard and dirt caked up under his fingernails.
Yuck!
My lips curled with disgust. How could he expect any woman to want him touching her with nails as dirty as his?
Just before walking to the front, I’d seen him ogling another group of women while rubbing his hands together like one of them was going to give him a chance. They hadn’t, and I wouldn’t either.
“I would pat you down, baby girl. But from how that dress is huggin’ them hips, I think you’re good.” He dropped his gaze, dipping his eyes into the crevice of every one of my curves. I sucked my teeth when he fixated his eyes on my breasts.
“I mean, unless you want me to,” he added, lifting his brows.
Nigga, please!
No matter how desperate I was for a man, I wasn’t interested. I was way out of his league. Did he really think he had a chance with me? Then again, men in Atlanta thought that the only thing it took to get a woman was a big bank account and an even bigger dick. Actually, in some cases, the bank account was optional. Straight, available Black men were an endangered species there, steadily decreasing in size on the daily. Some poor woman with too much to offer would someday give him a chance but it wouldn’t be me.
“Actually, my boyfriend should already be here. Thanks, but no thanks.”
Before he could fix his mouth to respond, I’d already slipped by and was walking in the door.
The club was packed nearly to max capacity. I made my way through the crowd, bopping my head slightly to the rap song blasting through the speakers. Instantly, I loved the vibe. Expertly dressed young professionals, entrepreneurs, and hipsters were all around, networking, drinking, eating, and having an overall good time.
My eyes trailed over to the bar and a man caught my eye. Attractive, white, blond hair, nicely dressed in a shirt, tie, and slacks that I suspected were custom-made. A slow, boyish smile rose up on his lips. He lifted the glass in his hand and nodded his head to me in greeting. Bashful, I did the same and then moved on. If I hadn’t been there to see Ink, I would have loved to give him some of my time.
A cheering roar coming from a crowd near the back grabbed my attention. Once the noise died down and the crowd began to settle, I was able to see why.
Sitting dead center, right across from the VIP lounge, was Ink. The second my eyes fell on him, my breathing hitched. A week had passed since the last time I’d seen him but the effect that he had on me hadn’t lessened one bit.
He was gorgeous. Dressed in a pair of intentionally worn designer jeans and a black tee, his muscles bulged from his sleeves as he worked on a tattoo. His customer was a sexy woman who probably had a million followers on Instagram, double-clicking all of her seductive poses. My suspicion was that the crowd of mostly men hovering around was more interested in the show that she was putting on than anything. While Ink tattooed her thigh, she was biting her bottom lip seductively, moaning, and writhing like a sex kitten against the chair.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I had half a mind to leave but my feet had a mind of their own. With my head down, I began moving towards the booth with my name scribbled on a tent card placed above. I’d picked a short, form-fitting, canary-yellow maxi dress for attention, specifically Ink’s attention, and I was counting on it to work in my favor.
Sliding into my private booth, right in view of where he was stationed, I watched him hard, mentally beckoning him with my mind. My stomach filled with nervous energy as I looked him over, feeling the same chemistry and connection to him that I’d felt that day as soon as I’d seen him in Official Ink. It was too strong to ignore, and there had to be something to it. Like in another life, he was mine. It may sound desperate, even crazy, but something in my soul told me the man was for me. Like we were meant to be.
My cell phone vibrated against the tabletop. I snatched it up, knowing exactly who it was.
* * *
Lola: Are you there?! What’s happening?
Instead of answering with a text reply, I lifted my phone and took a quick video. Lola’s reply came back almost seconds after the video finished uploading.
Lola: WTF!!!
I was about to reply when another text came in from her before I could.
Lola: Give me two seconds. Bitch, I got you!
* * *
There was no telling what the hell Lola was planning and, to be honest, I was a little afraid. But not enough to wipe the smile off my face. Lola was insane but always effective.
I placed the phone back down on t
he table and refocused my attention on Ink. The woman leaned in to him and whispered something in his ear that made him smile. It made me frown. How the hell long did it take to finish the tattoo? It couldn’t have been that hard!
Almost as soon as I had that thought, Ink paused and pulled back in his chair. Lying his machine down on the table in front of him, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell. I watched him as he spoke to whoever was on the other line, loving the way he moved his lips.
His brows bent as he focused on whatever was being said on the other end. I admired his chiseled jawline and perfectly trimmed goatee. It was cut lower than the last time I had seen him, like he’d just left the barbershop. I lifted my eyes to check out his hairline and then froze.
He was looking right at me.
“Can I get you a drink?”
I jumped in my seat until I realized the question had come from a waitress right next to me. There was no telling how long she’d been standing there. There was a small smile on her lips and a knowing look in her eyes.
“Yeah… he’s pretty damn sexy.”
My cheeks flamed.
“Um, I’ll take a lemon-drop, please. Make it a double.”
She nodded, gave me a polite smile, and then left to fulfill my order. My phone vibrated once again.
* * *
Lola: I told Kale to let Ink know that you were there to see him and you didn’t have panties on. If you don’t get none tonight, it’s your OWN fault!
* * *
I gawked at the words on the screen, reading them over and over as if they would somehow disappear or morph into something else. Unfortunately, they didn’t.
I glanced over the top of my phone at Ink, just in time to see a smile curl his lips. Even in the midst of my misery, the grin still ignited a burning sensation straight to my center, between my thighs. Absentmindedly, I squeezed them together, and Ink’s eyes trailed down to them and then back up to me. I could see the hunger there from a mile away.
8
Sage
* * *
Lola: I told Kale that you would die if you knew Ink knew you didn’t have panties on. So just act normal. He doesn’t know you know that HE knows!
Me: But I DO have panties on!
Lola: So then it shouldn’t be a big deal for you to act normal!
* * *
I couldn’t even begin to describe how embarrassed I was but it was done. There was nothing left for me to do but roll with it. So when Ink stood up and began to walk my way, leaving the Instagram model looking lovesick in his chair, I looked up and gave him a smile.
“What are you doing here?”
He slid into the booth beside me, coming in so close that I could smell his cologne. It had a smoke cedar scent, strong and robust, like the essence of what made a man a man.
“This place is new. Thought I’d check it out.”
His smirk only reached one half of his lips. “Oh? And it had nothing to do with the fact that yo’ boy was here?”
I looked at him under bent brows. “My boy? You mean… you?” I scrolled my eyes to the ceiling, pretending to think for a minute and then said, “Nah.”
He laughed at that. “A man can wish.”
Eyeroll. “Yes. On a star.”
“Well…” He shrugged. “You’re a star.”
More dramatic eyeroll. “And you’re corny.”
“If you tell me you don’t like it, I’ll stop.” He licked his lips.
My hands flew up in the air. “Okay, okay, okay! I can’t take this anymore. Lola lied! What Kale told you about my panties—or lack thereof—isn’t true. She made it up. So you don’t have to do this.”
I couldn’t continue with the con. I liked the flirting, but somehow I felt like it wasn’t genuine. I didn’t want Ink to show interest in me because he wanted to have sex with me. I wanted him to sincerely be interested in me for me.
“Wait… what?” Ink frowned and backed a little away from me. “Panties? What the hell are you talkin’ about? Kale didn’t tell me anything about panties.”
My jaw dropped and I searched his eyes, trying to figure out whether or not he was serious. From the looks of it, he was. Everything about his expression said that he was genuinely confused.
“So…. You didn’t get a call from Kale telling you that I was here with no panties on to see you?”
His eyes widened in shock right before he broke into a fit of laughter, like what I’d said was the funniest thing on Earth.
“Hell nah, you serious?” he asked and I nodded. “Kale did call me about you. But all he said was that your friend told him that you were here. He said I choked up before but it was my lucky night because now I had another chance. Then I told him that I didn’t think I was your type and he said that he had a feeling that I was wrong.”
My jaw dropped again for the second time in two minutes. “I am going to kill Lola.”
Ink laughed again and placed his hand on my knee. “Don’t do that. Yo’ girl got a crazy way of doing things but, you gotta hand it to her; she gets it done.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Her methods were insane, but she wasn’t able to maintain a 4.0 average while partying every weekend and all through the week because she was an idiot. Part of the reason why Lola and I had bonded was because we were both smart.
“For some reason, she has it in her mind that I should give you a chance.” When he pulled his hand away, the longing I felt made me realize how much I’d enjoyed his touch.
“And what do you think?” he asked, shifting.
I took a moment to look at him. His elbows were sitting on top of the table and his hands were clasped as if in prayer. I sucked in a breath and tried to keep my composure.
With a shrug, I decided to play it coy. “I think you a’ight.”
Shock registered on his face and it was so funny to me. He wasn’t accustomed to women turning him down. For someone as sexy and accomplished as he was, I could see why. Then, suddenly, he began to laugh. It was infectious. Not too long after, I found myself laughing, too.
“Damn, that’s all I get? Yo, you’re a trip.”
He ran his thumb across the bridge of his nose and then turned his body even more towards me, closing in on the space between us.
I sucked in a breath and tried to play it cool. Bringing my hand up, I toyed with the length of my ponytail nervously, hoping that I didn’t look anything like I felt. I glanced down at his feet. They were big. I couldn’t push away the instant question swirling in my head as to whether that was proof that he had a big dick.
“I’m just being honest.”
“Honest, huh?” He ran his tongue over his lips and then used his teeth to pull in his bottom lip. His eyes dipped low as he admired my style, taking all of me in. My breathing came to a halt.
“I got another tatt to do and then it’s a wrap. You think you can stay until I’m done?”
His focus was on me and although the room was packed, in that moment, it felt like it was only us. I pretended to give it some thought and then checked the time on my phone, as if I had a busy schedule full of something other than returning back home, crawling in my bed, and going back to sleep.
“I can do that.”
“Cool.”
Ink brought his hand up and ran it over the top of his head as he looked around the crowd uneasily. More than a few women were stealing glances at us, cutting their eyes. They were jealous. They’d come there to catch the attention of a man who had all of it focused in on me. Ignoring them, I watched Ink closely, observing the expression on his face. His jaw was tight for a moment and then he let out a heavy breath.
“You look nervous,” I said.
I placed my hand on his thigh. Not in a seductive way, although a volt of electricity seemed to pulse through me as soon as my hand made contact with him, but in a way to draw his attention back to me. He shifted some, turning his body towards me.
“Nah, I ain’t nervous. I’m not a fan of this shit.” He lift
ed his hand and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. “The appearances… the thirsty chicks. I do it because I have to. It’s good for business and I make money off of it but I ain’t a fan of the extra attention and all this celebrity shit.”
I raised both brows. “So you’re telling me that you don’t like being a man sought after by so many women?”
He smiled a little, blowing air through his nostrils. “I love women but, after a while, the shit gets old. Fuckin’ random chicks that you don’t really connect with on any level leads to drama. I’m done with it.”
I couldn’t tell if he was saying all the things I wanted to hear or if he was telling me his truth. Either way, I felt like I could swoon.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Well, why don’t you find someone you can connect with and be with her?”
He paused and looked away from me. Suddenly, I felt him closing off and I knew my question had put something in his mind that he didn’t want to think of in that moment.
“It’s complicated. I wish shit was that simple for me.”
I let his words hang in the air and simply watched him, thinking about how much alike we were. Like me, Ink was someone who seemed to have everything but was missing one thing that would make his puzzle complete: someone to share it all with.
“On second thought,” he began, pausing long enough for me to guess about what would follow next. “Maybe it’s not a good thing for you to wait up for me. I got a lot of shit going on.”
Addicted to You Page 3