After I taped down the last marker, I coated my lips with my favorite cherry-colored lipstick, and media started to arrive. I greeted people individually and told him or her to look for their spot and line up. As media continuously flowed in, we had a packed red carpet. The only thing left was the pretty faces and chiseled bodies that grace the television screens and the pages of the magazines.
My whole team was on walkie-talkies, and I had one person stationed directly by the VIP drop-off to give us a heads-up as to who was coming our way. Typically, lower-level talent would arrive first so that they did not have to compete with the A-List celebrities for the media’s attention.
We were getting closer to game time and people were arriving in what felt like droves when you are managing a red carpet. As I was handing off to one of my colleagues, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I was in event mode, so I turned around quickly to greet someone who I thought might have needed something.
To my surprise it was Damien Telfetter again. I knew that he wasn’t playing in the game so I wasn’t shocked to see him on the carpet. All of my SportsCenter paid off.
“Uh, hey!” I said awkwardly.
We had met at the event on Friday, but it wasn’t like we kicked it on weekends. And there I was talking about “Hey.” I could’ve kicked myself for that one.
“What’s up?” he said with a cocky, self-assured smile. “Are you gonna escort me down this carpet or what?”
My face must have looked slightly strange.
“That is what you do, right?” He looked at me, then looked at his entourage and said, “I’ll meet you guys on the other side. I’m in good hands.”
Well, technically, yes, that was my job, but he was speaking to me as though I was his personal publicist and he had me on retainer for special occasions like this. Not so much, and I could tell that a few of my coworkers were sizing up the situation.
Well, shit, now that you put me on the spot, what else can I do? You got this, Scottie; suck it up and knock it out.
I wasn’t supposed to be the one nervous on the carpet. People were not focused on me. They couldn’t care less about me. They were there to ask this freak-of-nature star athlete questions, not me. I was shook by Damien’s approach and his presence for some reason. I had to get my mind right and do my job, though.
I led him down the carpet and made him do every single interview, since he wanted to put me on the spot. When we got to the end, he thanked me and before he walked away, he asked, “Will I see you inside?”
“Maybe,” I replied, as I turned to rush back to the other end of the carpet and get back to work.
Before we could finish wrapping up the last of the guests on the red carpet, one of my female coworkers could not wait to ask if Damien tried to talk to me. In all actuality he never asked me out or asked if he could contact me at a later date. Either way, I would have never told her anything anyway. It was not my style to have my coworkers in my business.
I quickly dismissed her question and looked around to see if we had any stragglers before shutting down the carpet.
Once the red carpet was over, the remainder of the night was easy and I was relieved. I facilitated a few interviews for the U.S. “National Anthem” singer, but that was easy. Now it was time to try to find a seat in the arena where I could at least watch the last half of the game.
I ran to the restroom closest to the VIP lounge before I hit the stands. As I walked toward the east side of the arena, I noticed Damien and a smaller version of his crew coming in my direction. My first thought was to do a pivot turn and head the other way. That could have come off like I was running scared, though. I put my head up and kept my stride. The plan that I hatched in my head within five seconds was to walk past them confidently, speak to him and his crew, and politely keep it moving.
Before I even got to him good, Damien shouted, “So that’s how you’re gonna act now?” He wanted to make sure I heard him.
I could have played the role and acted completely brand-new like I had no clue that he was talking to me, but what good would that do? In any case, I had planned to speak; he did not allow me the chance.
“Hello again, Damien,” I said with a slight hint of attitude.
The nerve of him. What did he expect?
“Look, I know that you’re working and all right now, but you should give me your number so that we can talk sometime when you’re not as busy.”
The hallways weren’t buzzing with people like they were during halftime so I understood why he was so open about approaching me. On the other hand, what he seemed to fail to realize was that at the end of the day, he and I worked for the same company. That would look extremely bad on my part if someone caught a glimpse, walked by, or overheard me interacting with a League athlete like he was suggesting. He was handsome, but that’s where it had to stop.
“I appreciate the offer but…no thanks.”
He had a look of shock on his face that quickly turned to a stiff shrug as if to convey that he did not care. I guess that must not happen too often.
After an awkward moment of silence, we both turned to walk away and I heard him say with a confident tone, “You’ll change your mind.”
I kept walking. I could not and would not feed into that type of ignorant and arrogant attitude. One down and who knows how many more to go—I was no longer an Athlete’s Virgin.
Chapter 14
Stripper’s Ambition
“So are you going to tell me what your problem is?”
“Scottie, what are you talking about?”
I didn’t pass go, I didn’t collect 200 dollars, I didn’t even stop at home first. I went straight to see Kari after my flight from Miami because I missed his face and his touch.
Now there I was, sitting at his place for a little over an hour and he’d spoken no more than twelve words in my presence. One would think that after not seeing your girl for six days, you would be dying to chat it up, hug, kiss, and simply be engaged with her. I wasn’t sure who this imposter was, but I could not wait until we could get back to the regularly scheduled program.
“It’s okay,” I said sarcastically. I was exhausted and over the game of dismiss-Scottie-to-see-how-long-she’ll-take-it. “Look, if you can’t be honest and tell me what’s up with you, then I’m leaving.”
Kari turned to me with a cold scowl on his face. I must be caught in the matrix because this shit can’t be happening. I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt a surge of emotion run through my body, from my toes to my fingertips and I began to unleash.
“I can’t take this, I’m tired! I’ve been on the road for six days straight dealing with these crazy-ass people and this ridiculously demanding job sucking the life out of me. The expectations were extreme and the work was strenuous, so to cope with the stress, I decided to drink my problems away because I felt alone and like no one would understand what I was going through. But I held it all together on the outside looking toward the light at the end of the tunnel, which was supposed to be your ass. The person that I thought genuinely cared! I go out of my way to get to you only for you to treat me cold and shitty? I’m done!” I was screaming and sobbing simultaneously. My vocal cords were hurting and my head was pounding.
The stress and frustration built up from days prior finally erupted. Salty tears were streaming down my face at a rapid pace as Kari rushed over to my side. I was crying uncontrollably. He scooped me into his muscular grip and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
I had a head-on collision with my wall of tolerance. I was at my boiling point. Thankfully my breakdown erupted post-trip.
Kari stood in the middle of the living room holding me tightly like he would never let me go and that’s just what I needed. After he finally calmed me down, he was ready to talk about what was bothering him.
“I’m sorry that I made you to lose it like that.”
I paused for a moment. “It wasn’t all you. The way that you were treating me turned up the fire on an already boiling pot. This we
ekend was the hardest weekend that I’ve ever experienced in life as far as my career is concerned, and it really took everything out of me.”
“But, I thought that you were out in Miami having fun.”
“It wasn’t all fun. The nights that I did go out, I was essentially trying to escape and release some of the anxiety that I was feeling from the day,” I struggled to explain. “Get sign-off on this, make sure you turn in that, check off on X, don’t forget Y. This company has crazy expectations and if things are not perfect or close to it, you could potentially get your ass handed to you. It felt like my mind, my actions, hell, my life was moving at a rapid speed and I was doing my best to keep up. It was overwhelming.”
“I’m sorry, babe. I had no clue that you were under that much stress. Here I was, feeling slightly insecure thinking that all you were doing was partying and flirting with ballers.”
“Why would you think that, baby? You know I’m happy with you.”
Kari continued to explain. “I was actually annoyed with you because I called to check on you Friday night after we spoke, and you never hit me back. Not even the next day. Do you realize that I haven’t talked to you since Friday?”
“I saw the message, but my phone was dying and I was honestly a little tipsy. I planned to hit you when I got back to my room, but I ended up passing out. And as for the players, trust me. The interaction was not that deep. It’s not like we were around them the entire time.”
“See, I didn’t know any of that. I thought the worst. I’m sorry.”
“Is that the only reason that you were pissed with me?” I inquired for clarity.
“Yeah, pretty much. I guess I let my emotions run wild.”
“You should know by now…I’m not that chick. I get it. There was no way that you could have known how crazy things were if I didn’t tell you. That was my fault. But I want you to know that those weren’t normal circumstances. Please don’t hold that against me.”
“I get it too,” Kari said, as our eyes locked. “I don’t want to fight.”
I giggled and wrapped my arms around him. He was so sincere and I did not want to fight either. Since we were back on track, I wasn’t even going to mention that Damien Telfetter tried to talk to me. That would have increased Kari’s insecurity and set me up for a future fight.
That night, Kari and I had amazing makeup sex, which was the perfect remedy for the week ahead. Unfortunately, the other unappealing aspect of working the Athlete’s Annual was essentially working two weeks straight. After we arrived back in New York on Monday, all employees were still expected to show up for work the following day, as well as for the remainder of the week.
It was pleasantly quiet around the office on Tuesday, so I took the opportunity to catch up on some personal emails, which I’d been neglecting. As soon as I logged into my account the words “Erotic Dancer” practically slapped me in the face. It was from Lydia. I wasn’t nor had I ever been an erotic dancer, although there was the one time in college when I was low on cash and the thought crossed my mind for a brief moment. Anyway, my curiosity forced me to click on the email immediately.
To my surprise it was an offer to exercise, but in an erotic way. Leave it to Lydia to find the most racy and unconventional form of getting fit. She included the class description, cost, and suggested attire. Learning some new moves could only impress my man and keep him guessing so I was in. I was also secretly hoping that they could teach me how to make my booty bounce like the women in Twerk Team from Atlanta.
Friday could not have come quickly enough. I was ready to get out with my girls, Dev and Lydia, to let loose a bit. I took the number six train to Thirty-third Street and walked over a couple of blocks in search of the studio.
After standing in the middle of the block looking confused for a minute, I spotted it. Not what I expected at all. It was a tiny doorway with an entrance that you could easily miss. This place looked a little sketchy. Despite my hesitation, I clutched my bag and marched up the mini staircase to the elevator. I had come to realize that everything wasn’t always what it seemed from the street level in Manhattan.
Once the doors opened to the studio, I was relieved. The décor was very minimal but enough to attempt to make you feel comfortable. Cherry hardwood floors gave a sense of mystery as to what you were about to encounter. The lighting was dim. I assumed that they were trying to get you in the mood to be a freak for the evening.
I had no clue what to expect of our instructor. We walked into Room A and saw a thicka-than-a-Snicker black woman at the front of the classroom with a mirror wall behind her and two rows of floor-to-ceiling silver shiny stripper poles.
“Welcome to class, ladies. My name is Precious,” she said with a smile. But you could tell that she did not play games.
“Thank you for joining us for a special combo class. If you pay attention, you will learn a lot within the two hours that you are with us this evening. Now let’s get to work.”
Dev, Lydia, and I had come sashaying into the class with our highest “come fuck me” heels on, but she quickly shut us down.
“Take the heels off, ladies. We’re not there yet.”
“First up…stretching. Bend over and touch your toes angling slightly to the left,” Precious called out, following up with a demonstration.
It was starting to feel like exercise. After the stretching warm-up, Precious put on a little Kanye West and I tried to resist the urge to bust a move. Her stern expression didn’t make it too hard.
“Follow my lead. Watch me in the mirror and do your best to keep up. I don’t expect you to be an expert.”
First up was a sensual body roll with a twist. I knew how to do what I thought was a body roll, but Precious had us trying to move parts of our bodies that I had never envisioned moving. The entire one-hour class basically built upon a routine so that by the last ten minutes of class, we each had to perform the routine solo. It was nerve-wracking, but all of the other ladies in the class, strangers included, cheered you on so that made it less intimidating.
We had a brief water break, then went straight into the pole work session. Miss Thang had us strutting the pole with our fuck faces and heels on like true working girls. We learned how to do a basic spin. She placed her big butt against the pole and demonstrated how to slide down the pole with one leg in the air landing gracefully at the base of the pole. In total, we learned about four unique pole tricks and we had ample time to practice each. By the time that class was over, my whole upper body was weak.
“Do you guys think that Precious was a former stripper?” Lydia asked as we were on our way out of the studio.
“I don’t know, but I sure wondered the same thing while we were in class,” Dev said.
“I feel like I learned some good moves that I could use,” I said with a slight smirk.
“I bet you did, chick. Just make sure I’m not home,” Dev cracked.
We said our goodbyes before heading our separate ways for the evening. I hadn’t mentioned anything about the erotic dance class to Kari, in case I was horrible. If things worked in my favor, then I could bust out my new skills unexpectedly.
My confidence was a little high from class so on my way to Kari’s, I tried to decide if I was ready to showcase my skills. I liked attention but did not make it a habit of setting myself up to be the center of attention. However, in the hopes that class went well, I did pack a little extra something in my bag to seduce my man if I felt the timing was right.
I used the spare key that Kari let me hold to let myself into his apartment. When I walked in, he was chilling on the couch with his feet kicked up on the ottoman, looking relaxed after a long workweek. I dropped my bag by the door and ran over to hug and kiss all over him. We hadn’t seen each other since our Monday night rendezvous after the argument.
“Hey, babe,” I said as I planted a big juicy kiss on Kari’s plump lips. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sweetcakes,” Kari said, grinning from ear-to-ear b
efore playfully smacking me on the butt.
“I bought some wine for you. I put it in the fridge to chill so it’s waiting. Whenever you’re ready.”
“Wait, you got it for me or for us?” I said with a knowing smile.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it for us,” Kari admitted as he gave me a bear hug and kissed me on the cheek.
“Well…I got a little something for you too.”
“Oh really?” His eyes widened.
“All right, where is it?”
I winked at my baby as I got up to pour us some wine. “I’ll let you know when you’re ready to receive it.”
On my way to the kitchen, I was trying to decide when the best time would be to bust out my moves. I had to come with something since I had already opened my big mouth. I think I may need like two glasses of wine and a shower first.
I went into the living room, sat on Kari’s lap, and handed him his wine. We clinked glasses and made sure to look each other in the eyes.
“I’m going to take a quick shower so I can relax, babe.”
“Okay, but before you go, I need you to do me a favor.” He looked serious.
“Sure, what is it?”
“Give me a kiss.”
I cracked up laughing at his silliness and he followed suit. I planted a kiss on his lips that was sensual enough for him to beg me to stay.
“Wait, no, don’t go yet. One more.”
“They’ll be plenty more, babe,” I said as I began to walk away. “I need to get comfy first.”
I scooped my bag up from its resting spot by the front door and made my way to the shower. I could always count on fresh towels and a clean bathroom at Kari’s place. That was the type of man that he was. I’d dealt with men in the past that were fine as hell but nasty pigs when it came to their living space. One thing that I could not handle was a dirty man.
Preseason Love Page 14