“Six.”
“Hold up…before you leave,” he said, sliding out of the bed.
“What, Dre? I got to get home and get dressed.”
“Look in the closet.” I looked in the closet. He had cleaned it—so what?
“What? You cleaned out your closet? That’s nice.” I was confused.
“I’m making space in my life. That other half is mine; this half is yours. It doesn’t make sense for you to keep getting up early every morning and running home to change your clothes when you can bring a few things over.”
“A few things?”
“Yes, just a few things. Don’t try to take over my closet. I don’t want to come home and see all your shoes.”
“Okay, I’ll bring a few things. Thanks, babe, but I really have to go.”
“Oh, and here,” he said as he followed me to the steps. “No more waiting outside until I get here.” He placed a key in my hand. “I have to go out of town in a few days to look at some real estate in Douglasville—right outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Syeed said it’s real nice and wants me to invest in it.” I took Dre’s keys and headed home.
Dre had only been gone two days and I was missing him. I decided I was going to stay at his house. I put the key in the lock and entered. I walked around and I could hear my own footsteps. I turned the television on so I could hear another voice. I dialed Dre to let him know I was at his house.
“Dre, I’m at your house.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, but I’m a little lonely. I have the television keeping me company, though. I’m not used to sleeping by myself anymore.”
“Me neither, but I’m not going to stay here until Sunday. I saw the development—it’s in the middle of nowhere and I don’t like it. I shouldn’t have even come. I know better than to listen to Syeed. Then you know they lost all my luggage at the airport?”
“Oh, no. What was in there?”
“My watch, a few pairs of shoes. I’m not going to worry about it. So I should be home first thing in the morning. I love you, and I’ll see you then.”
“I love you, too!” As soon as I hung up with Dre, another call came in. I knew I shouldn’t answer it. It was Reshaun, and I knew all she was going to do was fuss me out about not keeping in touch. I clicked over without saying anything.
“You really shouldn’t do your friends like this.”
“Like what?” I laughed.
“Like not take their calls, don’t call them back. I understand you have the new man and the new title at the job, but can I get a hello? Is that too much to ask for?”
“I know, I know. I have been doing so much. We have to get together.”
“Come meet me tomorrow. While Briggy is at practice, we can sit down and talk outside at the park.”
“Okay, I’m going to come.”
I met up with Reshaun at the crowded park and we hugged briefly. She had a new short, edgy haircut. She looked more like the fly, sassy, cute Reshaun I was accustomed to.
“I love your hair, girl. You look like your old self.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing, just your married look wasn’t the best look for you.”
“Whatever, my man like all my looks. But enough about me. Where have you been hiding?”
“I’ve been staying with Dre and just working all the time.”
“That is so good. I told you that was your boyfriend.”
“Yeah, you were right. I wish I would have met him years ago. I feel that peace…that love that you were talking about. I feel like he loves me unconditionally. I’m a little scared. I’m lying. I’m a lot scared. I just keep thinking that he is too good to be true.”
“Don’t feel that way, you got to live in the moment. How do you think I felt after marrying Michael so fast? But I didn’t care, I dropped my guard, and it was the best decision I ever made. And I’m just trying new things and trying new things. Like why the other night did me and Michael go to a gentleman’s club?”
I turned around with my hand over my mouth, shocked. “What?”
“Yes, and it was actually nice. It was very classy and the women weren’t dressed all slutty. The whole club was erotic, but not sleazy. It was a place called The Venus Room. They serve dinner and the food was good. The entire atmosphere was nice.”
“Dinner in a strip club. That sounds so disgusting.”
“It’s not a strip club. I know how it sounds, but I’m going to tell you I had so much fun. I actually am thinking about getting a pole for my bedroom.”
“Shut up. Damn, maybe I should try to do something like that for Dre, when he get back.”
“He will love it. Me and Michael came home and had so much fun. I will buy him as many lap dances as he wants. Especially if he takes care of me like that night. It was so good.”
“Oh God, that’s TMI. Next subject,” I said, almost choking from laughing.
“Okay, enough about the gentleman’s club. Guess who I talked to?”
“Who?”
“Tia.”
“That’s nice,” I said as my mood changed. I don’t know why she was wasting her time telling me about Tia. I was not being bothered with her at all.
“You know she moved to Columbia, South Carolina.”
“So.”
“After losing her job, she didn’t want to be up here anymore. She invited me and Michael to come down there for a visit.”
“She did? And you told her no, right?” I asked with an attitude.
“No, I didn’t tell her anything.”
“How could you even think about going to visit her after all that she did to me and my mom?”
“So, I’m not allowed to talk to her?” Reshaun asked, perplexed.
“No,” I said with a straight face.
“You are so funny. This is not second grade. We are all grown. Tia asked me the same thing. She wanted to know why I am still talking to you.”
“She said that?”
“No, but now you see how silly that sounds.” I didn’t appreciate Reshaun playing me like that, but I didn’t say anything. She had a good point, but I really didn’t want her talking to Tia. I didn’t want any reminders of her in my life. Reshaun was now my friend and my friend only.
When Dre came back, I had already planned our night out. I had bought him a watch and I was going to take him to The Venus Room. After that we were going to come home and have an explosive, sex-filled night. I was a modern woman. If Reshaun could go to a strip club, I could be adventurous and go to one, too!
“Dre, I’m taking you out tonight, so don’t make any plans. Oh yeah, wear something comfortable.”
“Where are we going?” he questioned, sitting up in the bed.
“I can’t tell you. But don’t wear anything that you don’t want to get wrinkled.”
“You not going to tell me where we are going?” he asked as I stood in front of him. He nestled his face into my breasts, trying to seduce me into staying home.
“Come on, Dre, stop playing around.”
“I’m tired. I don’t feel like going out. All those hours in the airport. I just want to relax.”
“This is going to relax you, trust me. Come on.” I pulled him up from the bed. “I’ll give you a clue…it is every man’s fantasy.”
“I don’t have a fantasy.”
“Yes, you do. All men have a fantasy. So put your clothes on and let’s go.”
By the time Dre was dressed, he was still trying to figure out where he was going, saying he was really sleepy and he felt sick, and could we go home? I didn’t want to deal with his semi-bitchy mood, but I didn’t want to cancel my plans. I wanted to do something fun.
“Fine, Dre. We’re going to this little place that I heard about. It’s called The Venus Room.”
“That’s a strip club. I don’t want to go there. Take me home.”
“It is not a strip club. It’s a gentleman’s club. And I know you are going to love it.” I was acting
like I knew what I was talking about, but I was really going off Reshaun’s word. I had tried to call the club and ask for the protocol. Like what I should wear and how I should tip, but the person who answered the phone wasn’t very helpful.
We parked the car. He got out reluctantly, dragging his feet like he was still so tired. I grabbed his hand and we walked in. As we entered I saw a few other couples and people with suits on, which calmed my nerves. I ordered us two French martinis and we got a table. The décor was electric blue neon, with average-looking women who thought they were beautiful swinging up and down from poles. I wish I had that much power in my legs, I thought, as one of the exotic dancers came slinking down the pole.
We had a seat with our drinks. Dre was still uncomfortable. I gave his shoulders a quick squeeze and told him to relax.
A woman came over and introduced herself as Sapphire. Her skin was rich chocolate and her wavy, store-bought hair landed right in the center of her high, perfect butt. Her body was densely covered in a red firefighter outfit and red patent leather, six-inch, clear-heeled boots.
“Would you like a dance?” she asked Dre. He shook his head no, but I politely told her yes. She began to dance seductively in front of him and then she bent and dropped down to her knees and did all types of movements with her hips, legs, and ass.
Initially, Dre was looking at her like she wasn’t any good. But as her performance went on, I could tell by the way he was holding his mouth open, he was enjoying his private show. So, we paid her to entertain us for two more songs. As she danced, Dre guzzled four straight shots of Patrón. I was still nursing my martini. His eyes followed Sapphire’s every movement. She flipped her hair over her shoulders as she was moving side to side. Then she perched her body inches away from Dre’s lap, and swayed her body in a seductive rhythm. I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by Sapphire. She was doing exactly what she was supposed to and that was to get my man ready for me. Dre was so into it, he was ready to go home and give me what I needed. I waited for the waitress to come back and paid our tab, and then slipped four twenties in Sapphire’s red firefighter boots. I whispered to Dre what I was going to do to him when we got home. I couldn’t wait to get there. We were going to tear each other up. Yup, I was the cool, new-age girlfriend and my man was loving me for being so open-minded. He was driving with his left hand on the wheel and the other one was all over me. We pulled up to the house, and before we got all the way inside, my shirt was coming off and my pants were sliding down.
“Did you like your surprise, baby?” I said as I kissed him and simultaneously took off my shoes.
“It was okay,” he said in a disinterested tone as I followed him up the steps.
“Just okay? You sure? I thought you would have really enjoyed it.”
It was dark in the bedroom, but I could feel that Dre was upset. In the dark he yelled, “Have you ever, or do you want to, have sex with women?”
“No, baby. Not at all.”
“Then why the hell would you think it would be a good idea to take me to a got damn strip club? If you got something to tell me, tell me now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know.”
“Whatever, no, I don’t. Go to sleep, Dre. You are drunk and acting silly.”
“I’m not drunk. I saw you touch that dancer,” he slurred. I didn’t know what he was talking about. I never touched that girl. I tipped her for his dance. “I don’t want to ever see your hands on another woman. I don’t want you to go back to that strip club anymore.”
“When was my hand on another woman? Babe, all I did was give her a tip. It was my first time there, too!”
“Yeah, right. You seemed real comfortable to me.”
“Okay, whatever. You are overreacting. Look at what I get for being the good girlfriend.” I totally didn’t understand what was going on. I felt stupid for taking him. I should have just stayed at home when he asked me to.
The entire night, I didn’t get any sleep and felt like I was being verbally abused. Dre went from accusing me of liking a stripper to saying I was probably completely gay. During his vicious attack on my sexuality he had to run into the bathroom and he began making all types of demon noises. Every few seconds the toilet flushed. I walked in the bathroom and he was collapsed on the floor. I guess the Patrón had got the best of him.
“You want some water?”
“No.” He was sick on the floor and still being an asshole.
“Are you sure you okay, Dre? I can go and get you something to drink or something.”
“No, I’m fine,” he said. So, I left him there and went back in the bedroom. I turned the television up so I wouldn’t have to hear his beastly cries all night.
An hour later he called out my name. I answered him and he said, “Can you go to the store and get me a ginger ale and soup or something? I still feel like shit.” The only thing that was open this time in the morning was 7-Eleven. I didn’t want to go out that time of night, but Dre had to be really sick to ask, so I did what I had to do. At 7-Eleven the lonely clerk was reading a magazine and said hello as I filled the little red shopping basket with overpriced saltines, chicken noodle soup, and a two-liter ginger ale.
By the time I returned, Dre was still on the floor, complaining about how his stomach hurt. He finally felt well enough to leave the bathroom. I brought a bucket in the bedroom that was filled halfway with water, just in case. He sat on the bed and began slurping down the soup. He asked me for water too. I’d been told him he should have water. Anyway, I went to the kitchen and came back up the steps with a glass full of ice water. He took a few sips, but immediately brought it all up. As I witnessed his stomach heave in and out, I almost wanted to throw up myself. Dre looked so sickly. He turned to me as little pieces of everything were in the corner of his mouth.
“I feel a lot better,” he said as I gave him a towel. “I think that was the last of it.” He tried again to drink the ginger ale and have a little more soup. The minute the ginger ale and chicken noodle soup touched his stomach, it was back in the bucket again. He looked helpless. I didn’t feel sorry for him, because he was going off on me for no reason. Dondre Hill was getting paid back for being evil. He was looking sick and sweating profusely. I thought that there had to be something other than the shots of Patrón making his body do all of this. I considered taking him to the emergency room.
It was almost twelve hours later before Dre was back to hisself. He took a shower and went out, without saying a word. Any other woman would have left him after a night like that. He deserved to be left, and that’s when I knew I must really love him because I didn’t. When he left I thought about going home, but instead I took a nap. When I awoke he was sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Babe, I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. I think I’m getting a little scared. Sometimes people do crazy things when they think someone is getting too close to them, so they can protect themselves.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I love you a lot and I just want us to be perfect, with no lies and no dishonesty.”
It was a half-ass apology and I wasn’t sure I accepted it. Instead of saying anything I closed my eyes and continued to rest.
If you have a new boyfriend and your old boyfriend calls to invite you out to just meet up, you can go, right? I thought it wouldn’t hurt to “talk” to Malcolm. But just because I thought it was okay doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared. It must have been my nerves or my conscience or just the fact I knew I was doing something sneaky. I was tripping. I could meet up with Malcolm if I wanted to. It wasn’t like Dre had a tracking device on me. I was just having a conversation with an old friend.
That’s what I told myself the entire ride to the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley. Malcolm was bowling with a few coworkers and invited me. I don’t know why I even showed up. I don’t know why I was here, especially after me and Dre just had our lon
g talk about honesty. But I think I just wanted to confirm that I was really over Malcolm. Malcolm gave me a kiss on the cheek as soon as he saw me and said, “Nicole, hey, gorgeous.”
“Thank you, Malcolm.” I was real cool, not grinning or being overexcited, like I used to do whenever I was around Malcolm.
“So, how are things going?”
“Great,” I said.
“I’ve been working on my future,” Malcolm said, shifting from foot to foot. He was the one who was nervous.
“How so?” I asked, slightly curious. But I really didn’t care about his future anymore.
“You know, finding the right attorney and what not. What have you been doing?”
“Not too much. Working hard. I got a boyfriend now,” I said as I looked him directly in his eyes. I wanted to see how he would react.
“A boyfriend! What? You trying to make me jealous?”
“No, not at all. His name is Dre and he’s really a great guy.” I continued to study his expression. He was twitching and biting his tongue. I think he really thought I’d be with him or waiting for him, forever.
“It’s only been a few months. You can’t be too serious with him, are you?”
“We are very serious.”
“Wow, Nikki, but do you still love me?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
“You don’t love me at all?” Malcolm asked.
“Nope,” I said confidently. Malcolm no longer being able to have me made him want me more. The rest of the night he asked to take me to a hotel. I told him no repeatedly. It was different to see him beg, within a few feet of friends and coworkers.
But then eventually I gave in. I didn’t have anything to blame it on. I wasn’t drinking and I wasn’t upset. I wanted to test myself and see if I was truly over him like I thought I was.
I must be over him, completely over him. Because our once incredible sex was now lackluster. Malcolm used to have the ability to make me have seizures. His touch used to give my body earthquakes, but this time I didn’t even feel a tremor. I shouldn’t have even went there with him in the first place. Plus, I felt so bad for sleeping with him. The only thing creeping with him taught me was how much I loved Dre and how over Malcolm I was. It was really over. I told him I had to go and that I would call him. But I really intended never to see him again.
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