An Encore for Love

by Alexandra Warren

  “T.T. RiRi?” I asked more to myself than him.

  But he had still heard me, taking a step back as he replied, “You know… Auntie Amerie… T.T. RiRi? Gotta keep it short and sweet until she can get the full name down.”

  How it was possible for him to know so much more about the kid than I did was beyond me. But instead of putting up a fight with him like I’d been trying to do since I showed up to his hotel room, I pushed out a simple, “Uh… right. Of course.”

  Knox stood there for a moment just… watching me, observing me, taking in everything about me actually being in front of him for the first time in years. And I tried my best to ignore him, though my breathing was incredibly calculated under his gaze. It was like I couldn’t keep myself steady, couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that he was peeling through my layers with his eyes.

  Or maybe he wasn’t.

  Maybe he was just watching me because, “You look completely out of your element, babe. Do you want me to just… take her with me?”

  While I had babysat on countless occasions and even did a few overnight stints which included more worrying about keeping her alive than actual sleep, it was Knox’s watch that had me feeling incompetent. Especially since he had already been so good with her.

  Still, I straightened her in my lap, gently pulling my necklace out of her grubby little fingers as I told him, “I’m good, Knox. I just… don’t want her to mess up my dress.”

  It was obvious he was amused by my answer, plastering on his usual goofy grin as he nodded. “Gotta stay spic and span for your man, huh?”

  “I already told you I don’t… nevermind.”

  Knox didn’t deserve any explanation of who I spent my time with considering the countless number of women he had spent his with according to the blogs. In fact, I was surprised that I didn’t find someone’s panties lodged between the couch cushions at his hotel suite.

  As a glutton for punishment, it was only right for me to have checked.

  “Be right back, babe,” he said, finally offering me some relief from the heavy weight of his presence.

  Knox had always been an attention-stealer, whether he was on the stage, in a music video, or just walking down the street. He was… large, in body stature and in personality. So it only made sense for me to be drawn to him the first time we shared a room years ago; when he was auditioning dancers for a major tour and I was a star on the rise.

  What I wasn’t expecting though, was for him to have the same appreciation for me, even beyond my art. He made his attraction obvious from the jump, approaching the situation as boldly as possible by offering me the gig while also offering me an invitation to spend some time with him that same night. And while I didn’t take him up on that initial offer, his pursuit still ran strong the second we began rehearsals.

  It started off as innocent, flirtatious banter here and there. A few slick touches that we could blame on the intensity of the choreography, but certainly nothing to alarm the other dancers that I was receiving some sort of special treatment. I had worked hard to be where I was at the time, and there was no one in the world that I would let ruin my reputation. And while Knox understood that, completely respecting my position, he also made his interest very clear one particular night when he approached me after rehearsal.

  “Ri, I’m strugglin’.”

  “Struggling? Why?” I asked, still catching my breath from the crazy dance practice we had just completed.

  He took a step closer, forcing me to look around and make sure we were at least alone before I engaged at all. Though Knox didn’t really give me much of a choice when he answered, “Seein’ you every day. Bein’ around you every day. And keepin’ things… just that. I… I want you, babe. I want you bad.”

  His direct confession didn’t exactly surprise me considering what had already been transpiring between us. Still, I couldn’t help but challenge, “What are you trying to say, Knox? Just spit it out already.”

  “Give me one night, babe. Just one.”

  “One night for what?” I asked, playing naive while also - desperately - wanting to hear his admission. Though he had made his attraction to me much more obvious than I made mine for him due to the circumstances, there was a burning desire to act on what I had already dreamed about every damn night.

  “To… take care of you. Like a real man should.”

  “Are you asking me to have sex with you?” I whispered, looking around once again for any bystanders.

  He took another step closer, this time going toe-to-toe with me as he used his hand to tilt my chin upwards so that he could speak directly into my eyes. “No. I’m askin’ you if I can take care of you. You know, please you, taste you, make you feel good. It’s killin’ me not to know what you feel like, babe.”

  My legs felt like putty as I attempted to stay composed long enough to respond, “You and I both know that’s not a good idea. I mean, you’re technically my boss. And I’m not here for anything but dance.”

  “I’m here for dance too, Ri. Just… one night. Please.”

  The sex we had that night was awkwardly satisfying; only awkwardly because we really didn’t know much about each other outside of dance. It was exhilarating because of how risky it was, while also being wrong as hell. But it was that much more exhilarating because of how wrong I knew it was.

  Then again… what was really wrong about it?

  Sure I was a dancer, but I was a woman first. And Knox was a man. An available, virile man who could fulfill my needs while I was away from home, unable to secure a stable beau of my own.

  What started off as one blissful night quickly turned into two nights plus pillow talk. Two nights turned into four plus secret dates on our off-days. And four nights… well that turned into almost the full duration of the tour.

  Almost.

  Before I could fall into the Venus flytrap of the past, Blaise appeared looking even more exhausted than when Knox and I had first arrived.

  “Hey, how’s she doing?” I asked, doing my best to keep baby girl occupied by allowing her to play with my bracelets; the only thing unlikely to break.

  Blaise released a heavy sigh, sitting down in the seat that was once Knox’s to answer, “She’s stable. Just wanted some alone time in the room, so I figured I’d come check on you guys. But I don’t see Knox, so that means you must’ve killed him already.”

  Though it hardly felt right to smirk considering the circumstances, I couldn’t help myself when I responded, “Surprisingly enough I didn’t. Mackenzie spit on him for me, so he went to go get some napkins.”

  “Don’t be involving my baby in your antics, Amerie,” Blaise scolded, obviously more protective of his baby girl than the two clowns he called his brother and sister.

  But I quickly assured him it wasn’t completely my doing when I explained, “I didn’t even have to tell her. She already knew what to do. My Goddaughter is ride-or-die. Isn’t that right, princess?”

  Instead of giggling the way she had been doing for Knox, she wrinkled her nose and reached her arms out to her dad. He shook his head, accepting her into his arms before placing her comfortably on his thigh.

  “See. God don’t like ugly, Amerie. And neither does baby girl.”

  I brushed him off, straightening out my dress that had become wrinkled thanks to Mackenzie’s warm behind as I told him, “Whatever, Blaise.”

  And with perfect timing, Knox rolled up to rejoin the party.

  “Yo, what’s up, B? Everything good in there?”

  Since being around Knox, my eyes felt like bowling balls, rolling in motion more often than not in response to just about everything he said. And this time was no different as I muttered, “What a stupid question. Of course everything isn’t good. Her mother just perished.”

  “Amerie, chill,” Blaise advised before turning his attention to Knox to answer, “Everything is as good as it can be. She’s calmed down a lot, but she’s definitely not in any condition to do more than cry it out for a
couple days. Amerie, do you have that long?”

  “Uh… I mean… I’d have to rearrange some things but…”

  “I can keep her,” Knox interjected, stealing the attention as always.

  But this time was a little different because it didn’t exactly make any sense. So I was quick to challenge, “How? You said you were flying out in the morning.”

  His little smirk served as a two-for-one - annoying the hell out of me and wetting my panties at the same time - when he replied, “I only said that to get your attention, babe. You wouldn’t have taken me seriously if I didn’t make it urgent.”

  If my eyes could shoot real fire, his ass would’ve been burnt toast. Then again, I shouldn’t have been that surprised. Knox had always been good at bullshitting to get things to go in his favor.

  But before I could really rip into him about it, Blaise said, “Look. How about y’all just split time? Amerie can take her tonight, Knox can get her the next day, and then we’ll take it from there. I’m sure Malia will need her wet kisses and giggles by then.”

  While I wasn’t exactly thrilled about Knox’s attempt to one-up me on the Godparent ranks, I also knew the arrangement would serve me well considering my busy schedule. So I crossed my arms, nodding to agree as I asked, “Do you already have a bag packed, Blaise? Or do I need to run by the studio?”

  He sighed, digging through the diaper bag he had left with us while he answered, “We only have a couple of diapers and a travel-pack of wipes. Oh, and a change of clothes, a couple snacks...”

  “Don’t even worry about it, B. We’ll just swing by Target when we leave here,” Knox insisted as he took baby girl from Blaise’s lap and pulled her against his chest. Her little arms instinctively wrapped around his neck and her head went straight for his broad shoulder to rest.

  Is it weird that I’m a little jealous?

  Before I could come up with an answer, Blaise distracted me when he asked, “Wait… y’all came here together? Like, in the same car?”

  I could hardly believe it myself considering how successful I had been at avoiding him for all of this time. But not only had that streak been broken by our meeting at my office, I had double-downed in the worst way possible by showing up to his hotel without backup.

  And without taking care of myself first.

  Of course, that didn’t stop Knox from doing what he did best when he answered, “Yeah. Amerie was just hangin’ out at my hotel for a little bit.”

  “No I wasn’t! I only stopped by to pick up the contract,” I answered honestly, though seeing Knox for pure aesthetics was always a bonus no matter how much his mouth constantly ruined his momentum.

  Thankfully Blaise didn’t press the issue, redirecting the conversation as he stood up and said, “Either way, I appreciate y’all doing this for us. It’s a rough time, but I’m happy to have y’all here for support. The both of y’all. Together.”

  While I cringed at the last part that had a little too much intonation for my liking, Knox was incredibly proud as he offered, “Anytime, bruh.” Before turning his attention to me to say, “Come on, Ri. Let’s go get the carseat so we can let Blaise get back to wifey.”

  “I told you to stop calling me that, Knox,” I muttered as we all took off towards the hospital doors.

  But Knox was quick to turn back my way just to tease, “My bad, Am-uh-ree. Let’s get goin’, Am-uh-ree. So you can get baby girl to bed at a decent hour, Am-uh-ree.”

  I served him a death stare while Blaise just shook his head, cracking the first smile I’d see him show since we had been there. And while I hated that it had to come at my expense in dealing with Knox’s foolishness, I was glad at least somebody could appreciate it.

  Knox

  “Don’t get those ones. Get those ones. Malia only likes to use natural products, and baby girl has a sensitive butt.”

  “How do you even know that?” Amerie asked, seeming more fascinated than anything as she put the pack of wipes she had originally grabbed back in exchange for the brand I suggested.

  And I continued to push baby girl down the aisle towards the diapers as I answered, “Because I pay attention. And those are the same ones she already has in her diaper bag.”

  “What are you? Super Godfather? You just gotta show off, huh?” she pressed as she caught up with us, tossing them into the cart.

  “Contrary to popular belief, everything ain’t a competition. I’m just tryna save you from havin’ to apply that smelly ass cream in the middle of the night cause baby girl developed an itchy rash,” I told her before turning my attention to Mackenzie with her chubby legs sticking out of the holes of the cart.

  “Ain’t that right, mamas? You don’t wanna be itchin’ tonight, huh?”

  She instantly started to squeal, bringing a smile to my face while also warranting a scowl from Amerie. And I knew the scowl was directed more at me than at baby girl. In fact, Amerie had been nothing but scowls towards me since leaving the hospital.

  “What I do this time?” I asked as I scanned the shelves of diapers for the ones I knew could contain Mackenzie’s potential overnight poop blow-outs.

  Amerie took a few moments before she answered, “You’re just… so good with her. So natural. It’s interesting.”

  “Interestin’ how? I mean, what’d you expect?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just not… this.”

  I couldn’t help the grin that grew to my face as I readjusted my cap low over my eyes before grabbing the diapers, handing them to baby girl to hold.

  “Little Mama and I just see life the same way, ya know. Shits simple; created for fun, and exploration, and... play. Lots of play,” I told her as I took a gentle pinch at baby girl’s cheek.

  “I can imagine that,” Amerie muttered, crossing her arms as she gazed at the other items in the baby aisle we had already spent way too much time in. And while it would’ve been easy to go down the road she was obviously hinting at, I decided to change it up for the sake of the public.

  “I see you really been doin’ ya thang on the dance tip though. I’m proud of you, babe. Even if you steady stealin’ my damn clients.”

  It was no secret that Amerie had become one of the most sought after choreographers in the game, part of the reason why it was such a no-brainer to get her in on the reality show. But she was incredible at what she did, so much so that I wasn’t surprised so many people wanted to do business with her.

  “I haven’t stolen anybody from you, Knox. They all came to me because they wanted me,” she stated proudly with a borderline arrogant grin.

  “Can’t blame ‘em there,” I quickly chimed in, making her little grin turn into more of a blush; a response she was obviously irritated with as she quickly diverted her eyes to the rack of clothes.

  “Aww! Look at this tutu. And the shirt. Baby Ballerina. That’s right, princess. You’re my baby ballerina,” she cooed at baby girl, making her giggle.

  And while I figured her parents probably felt the same way since they were both dancers themselves, I couldn’t help but to correct her. “Our baby ballerina.”

  She shot me the usual death stare which I completely expected. But her eyes softened once a bystander interrupted with, “You guys have such an adorable family. I always love seeing young, black couples out and about with their children. Way to represent!”

  Amerie quickly turned her way, attempting to explain, “We’re not…”

  But I cut her off, the bass of my voice easily dominating her much softer one as I responded, “Thank you ma’am. We’re incredibly blessed to be so happy and healthy.” Even going as far as wrapping my arm around Amerie’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze before leaning in to give her a kiss against her temple.

  She was completely stiff the whole time, but she didn’t make a scene, offering a tight smile until the woman disappeared into the next aisle.

  “What the hell was that, Knox?” she whispered with a pinch to my arm that reminded me of something my mother wou
ld do.

  And I held the spot that stung a little more than I expected it to as I reasoned, “I was just havin’ some fun, Ri. Damn.”

  “Did you forget we’re about to be on TV soon? What if that lady is a viewer? She might think she knows some exclusive shit and go running to the bloggers about it.”

  While I definitely hadn’t thought about that in the moment, I still wasn’t too concerned. I mean, it was a claim that could easily be discredited since it wasn’t like she had taken a picture of us or anything crazy like that. And for all I knew, by the time the show would be done filming, there could actually be some truth to what she saw.

  But since I knew that would definitely freak Amerie out, I offered her a simple, “She could barely even see my face. We’re good, babe.”

  “I told you to…”

  “Stop callin’ you that. I know, I know. But guess what? I don’t really want to. So I’m not.”

  Instead of challenging me about it, she continued down the row of clothes, sifting through the rack as she asked, “Is growing up on your radar at all? Perhaps you could give me a date I can circle on the calendar and start counting down the days until?”

  “The only date you need to circle is the date you’ll lose the bet we made earlier. I mean, it’s practically inevitable if we’re gonna be spendin’ so much time together filmin’ and what not.”

  Sex with Amerie was really just a part of the package since I knew it was the place she had the hardest time denying me. Though that didn’t stop her from making her case when she replied, “If I’ve survived all of this time, I’m pretty sure I can survive four weeks, Knox. And besides, I don’t want you. For the hundredth time.”

  I was already convinced she was only repeating it to get herself to believe it. But regardless of how she claimed to feel, my mission wasn’t changing.

  “Babe, you can play this hard to get shit if you want to. But I know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.”