by A'zayler
“You good, beautiful?” she yelled over her shoulder to Kara.
“Yeah, baby, I’m good. Your brother is such an asshole. I don’t know how you deal with him.”
“Tone knows I don’t play that shit. Don’t sweat it though, he’ll stop it once he sees you’re not going to tolerate it.”
“Fuck him.”
“Fuck who?” Tone’s voice startled them both.
“Fuck your stupid ass.”
“Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to me.”
“Why should I? You don’t watch yours when you talk to me.”
Kara walked around the counter with the bottle of Moet and got ready to light the sparkler. “Phoenix, I’m headed to table six.”
She placed the whistle in her mouth and was about to walk off when Tone grabbed her by her elbow. He pulled her backward until she was sitting on his lap. With his arms wrapped around her waist, he rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Chill out, man. I ain’t mean to talk to you like that. I just got mad when I heard those niggas spitting that disrespectful shit. Don’t shake your as up in here no more.” He bit the side of her face playfully.
Kara tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn’t with Tone all over her like that. He smelled so good, and the fact that he wasn’t being rude to her was even better. She’d always found him attractive, but always figured he was off limits because of the way he got down with the Zoo Crew. She honestly didn’t know he was even checking for her like that.
“You forgive me, chocolate drop?” Tone pinched her stomach.
“Don’t be calling me chocolate drop like we cool.”
“We are cool, and if we ain’t, let me holla at TP for a minute and I bet we be cool after that.”
“Bye, Tone,” Kara laughed while lighting the sparkler. She looked over her shoulder and smiled.
“Your ass bout to have a nigga’s head gone,” Tone yelled as Kara walked away.
When he turned around to the bar, Phoenix had a line of shot glasses lined up along the counter and was filling each one with a different drink. Tone watched his lil baby bartend like a pro for a minute before telling her he’d be back. After reminding her to watch her surroundings, he made his way back through the crowd and back to their usual table. Phoenix had just finished pouring the shots when she felt her phone vibrate.
Jamar: You shaking ass for money now?
Phoenix: It was all in fun, Kara asked me to do it…
Jamar: You good, baby. I’m just fucking with you
Phoenix: You jealous?
Jamar:Hell yeah. You could shake your ass for me at the house. I’ll pay
Phoenix: LOL! Come 2 the bar real quick
Jamar: Aight.
Phoenix put her phone away and went to the ice machine to grab some ice. She grabbed more liquor, and more glasses and headed back to the bar. Jamar emerged through the crowd and they made eye contact.
“Aye, sexy, can I get a shot of Jack and a Corona?”
“Coming right up, handsome. How’s your head feeling?”
“It’s better. I was about to stay at the house tonight, but I wanted to see you.”
Phoenix set his beer in front of him. “I told you I was coming back over.”
Jamar took a long swallow of his beer. “I didn’t believe you.”
“Well, I was.”
Jamar twisted his lips to the side momentarily, letting her see that he still didn’t believe her. She tried pleading her case for a few more minutes but stopped when she saw she wasn’t getting anywhere. Jamar sat at the bar with her all night, only leaving to take restroom breaks. Even when her and Kara went to the stage to collect their money for the twerk contest, he stayed there. When it was closing time, Phoenix couldn’t have been happier.
Looking back and forth at Ollie and his bitch had made her stomach hurt. Although she’d told Jamar she was coming over, she didn’t have any real intentions of doing it until now. She couldn’t possibly go back to the house with Ollie right now. She didn’t want to hear nothing about that girl, and she didn’t want to be there and he not come home because he’d decided to stay with her. Phoenix was not about to subject herself to that kind of turmoil tonight.
When Jamar told her he’d wait for her outside, she quickly agreed. He wanted to follow her to his house to make sure she got there safely. Tone almost had a cow when she told him she was going to her friend’s house. For a minute she thought he wasn’t going to let her. She had to remind him over and over that she was grown and could make her own decisions. The only thing that did was piss him off, but she wouldn’t let up. When that didn’t work, she used her guilt trip. She pretended that the whole debacle with Ollie and Aaliyah was getting the best of her, and she didn’t want to be around him. Surprisingly that was what granted her a free night out.
She promised to call him once she got to where she was going. Even that wasn’t good enough. He had to follow her to her car, so she could show him she had her gun and that it was fully loaded. Only then did he kiss her forehead and leave. She saw Ollie in the distance looking at her, but she turned her head. Once she was settled in her truck, she pulled out with Jamar right behind her. Hopefully Tone didn’t send anyone to follow them. She wasn’t up for that shit tonight.
Chapter 9
The lobby of the hotel was cold and empty. Only one other couple had come in the door since they’d entered. Initially, Ollie had been against coming with Aaliyah after the club, but changed his mind once Tone told him Phoenix wasn’t coming home. Her being with another nigga had him ready to choke the life out of her, but he couldn’t. Not after the shit he’d exposed her to tonight.
He followed Aaliyah to the elevators, surveying everything around them as they walked. The elevator ride was quick and smooth. Once they got to the door of her room, she pulled her card from her purse and opened it. The room was large and draped in all white. The rugs and the curtains on the window were the only splash of color in the whole place. The dark gray with the white gave the room a relaxing feel. In the middle of the bed was a small red suitcase and on the floor next to it, was the larger one that matched it. She had a few pair of shoes thrown across the floor with a few other things all over the room.
Ollie took a seat at the foot of the King sized bed and kicked his shoes off. He removed his socks before taking his watch and necklace off. He kept everything else in place as he watched Aaliyah remove her earrings and the rest of her jewelry. Ollie’s eyes traveled up her body as she moved around the room making herself comfortable. It was weird being there with her after all this time.
“Do you miss me Ollie?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well why do I feel like you have feelings for that little girl?”
Ollie was quiet as he tried to think of a way out of her question.
“Oh my God, you do don’t you?”
Instead of hurting her feelings further, Ollie decided to just remain quiet. By the way she jumped from his lap and ran into the restroom he knew that had been the wrong thing to do. It was quiet for a minute before he heard sniffling coming from the other side of the door. He thought about going to comfort her, but what would that help? He’d be lying if he told her he didn’t love Phoenix, and that was probably the only thing that Aaliyah needed to hear right now. While she sat holed up in the bathroom, Ollie decided to text Phoenix and see what her sneaky ass was up to.
Ollie: Where the fuck you at?
It took her a minute to text back. It had taken her so long he started to pick up the phone and call her but then his phone dinged.
Phoenix: None of your damn business
Ollie: Don’t fuck with me Phoenix
Phoenix: Nigga you got some nerve
Ollie: U want 2 play games? Cool.
Phoenix: You want to have other girlfriends? Cool.
Ollie didn’t know what to say to that so he didn’t text back. A few minutes later his phone dinged.
Phoenix: My point exactl
y Oliver. Goodnight.
Ollie let out a frustrated sigh and fell backward on the bed. This shit was about to be all bad. Aaliyah was in her feelings, Phoenix was in hers, he didn’t have time for this shit. He laid there a few more minutes before standing up and removing his clothes. He wore nothing but his boxers when he got into the bed. Ollie made sure his pistol was loaded and the safety was off before he slid it beneath the mattress.
He trusted Aaliyah and everything, but he wasn’t stupid. He hadn’t seen her in months, and he wasn’t about to let his guard down that easy. He’d learned to be a light sleeper, so if anything was to pop off, he’d be woke before it got bad. Once he was sure everything was good, he flipped the lamp off. His head hadn’t been on the pillow no longer than a few minutes before his eyes closed.
*****
“Tell that nigga I said don’t be pissing you off.”
Phoenix looked up from her phone. “Huh? What you talking about?”
Jamar walked over to the bed where she was sitting and laid across it. “You’ve been looking mad ever since you picked up your phone.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Everything is cool.”
Jamar could tell Phoenix was lying but he’d leave her be for now. After all, they weren’t together. Even if they were, he wasn’t the jealous type. He didn’t sweat hoes. He’d never had to, and he didn’t plan on starting now. He and Phoenix had been back at his house for no longer than an hour and she’d been fine up until her phone beeped with a text.
“Can you give me something to sleep in?”
“Yeah, it’s some shirts in that top drawer. Just grab you one.”
Phoenix walked to his dresser and grabbed a shirt. She moved the shirts around holding them up to see which one she wanted to sleep in. When she picked up the red one closest to the corner she noticed a picture under it. Being that she was a very nosey individual she picked it up and looked at it. It was a picture of an albino little girl with blonde hair that looked the same color of her skin and she had blue eyes. Her hair was all over her head and she was smiling. The baby looked no older than a few months. I know this nigga ain’t got no kids. Phoenix didn’t do the kid thing.
“This your baby?” Phoenix held the picture up so he could see.
“Nah, that’s my niece.”
“Oh, she’s cute.” Phoenix replaced the picture and headed for the bathroom.
She was in desperate need of a shower. Whenever she left the club, her body and her hair reeked of smoke. The inside of Jamar’s bathroom was all black. No other color in sight. It was decorated nicely just like the rest of his house. Whomever had done it, did a good job. Once she was completely nude she stepped into the stream of water. Tingly hot droplets splashed against her skin, soothing the aching from tonight’s occurrences.
“Jamar!” Phoenix yelled from the shower. She waited for a second to give him a minute to respond. “Jama-!”
“What’s wrong?” Jamar cut her off as he entered the bathroom with nothing but a pair of gym shorts on.
Phoenix allowed her eyes to travel over his sculpted body that was decorated in tattoos. The gym shorts he wore weren’t as baggy as the ones she normally saw men in, which was good in this case. His dick print was massive.
“I umm, needed some shampoo. Do you have some?”
“That’s why you were screaming?”
Phoenix nodded.
“I thought something was wrong with your ass.” Jamar grabbed the shampoo from under his sink and passed it to her. “In here screaming like a fucking maniac.”
Phoenix laughed.
“Cut out all that damn laughing.”
“I’m sorry, Jamar. I didn’t mean to scare you. You need to toughen up if me yelling your name got you all wound up.”
“I thought you was calling a nigga in here to get a lil sample.” Jamar stepped closer, pretending to look in the shower at her.
Phoenix snatched the curtains closed. “Move!”
“Just let me look one time, then I’ll leave.”
“Nigga, no. Get your butt out of here.”
“How you throw me out my own bathroom?” Jamar was talking shit, but he was talking it on his way out the door.
The constant buzzing of his phone was nagging at his nerves, but he refused to answer it. He was not in the mood to do any work tonight. He lay still on the bed, waiting for it to stop ringing, only for it to start right back. Jamar dragged himself from the bed and walked to the dresser where his phone was now ringing again. The Caller ID let him know that it was work.
“Yeah?” he snapped
“Let’s meet.”
“Can’t. I have company.”
“Shit. I need you with me.”
“Can’t. Call me if shit gets out of hand.” Jamar ended the call without another word.
The bathroom door opened and Jamar could smell Phoenix before he even saw her. When he turned around, he paused for a minute. Phoenix was making it hard for him to control himself. How she had his towel wrapped around her head was a mystery to him, but that was the least of his concerns right now. His t-shirt hung loosely off of her body, minus the parts that stuck to the areas that were still damp from her shower.
She tiptoed over to him slowly while looking down at her toes. Picking at the sides of the shirt without making eye contact gave away her shyness. Specks of pink glitter decorated her toes as they sank softly into the carpet. When she got close enough, Jamar wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Cotton from the shirt she wore, the only barrier between their bare skins, became a teasing distraction. Hardened nipples, soft skin, the pure essence of a woman all pressed against him. The warmth from her body subtly warming his.
Phoenix stood there waiting patiently for him to say or do something to ease the moment. Not once had her eyes broken contact with whatever it was she was looking at on his floor. The fluffy white towel wrapped around her head was on the verge of falling out of the weird twisting spiral she had it in. Every so often when she turned her head the glare from the diamond in her nose would catch his eye. Small yet pouty lips were poking out, begging to be kissed. Although her lips were alluring there was nothing compared to the gentle way her body was swaying against his as she moved ever so lightly in his arms.
This was too much. He was falling too fast. There had to be a way out of this without gaining feelings for this girl. She couldn’t be his. There was no way possible that he could keep her. In this lifetime they were enemies. Her people hated his people. A relationship could never survive, or could it? Maybe he could wrap everything up and take her away from the world she’d become so accustomed to living in. Or maybe he could just release her from his grasp now, and keep it physical. Yeah, maybe he should do that.
Jamar unwrapped his arm from her waist and took a step back, only for her to finally look up at him. Her eyes were wide with uncertainty. She was unsure of what to do next, so she smiled and walked over to his bed. With a hard dick and clouded brain, Jamar followed her. The bed sank beneath his weight as he lay next to where she was sitting. Her honey brown thigh was exposed and sitting directly in his face. His eyes wandered up her thigh, stopping where the shirt was raised. It was up just enough for him to get a glimpse of her pretty shaved pussy.
“You making my mouth water.”
Phoenix smiled bashfully. “How? I ain’t even doing nothing.”
“I can see under your shirt.”
Phoenix quickly pulled the shirt down and got up from the bed. “I hope you ain’t trying to seduce me because it ain’t going to work. I’m sleepy and I don’t have sex.”
Jamar scrunched his face up. “You don’t have sex? What kind of lie you telling?”
“I’m serious. I don’t. Niggas get too attached when they get the goods, so I like to keep them to myself.”
Jamar laughed at this. “Yo, you wild. Come get your ass in the bed since you’re so sleepy.”
“Nope. I think I’ma sleep on the sofa. I don’t need you feeling on me and makin
g your mouth water and shit.” Phoenix took a knee on his sofa and leaned over the back of it so that she could still look at him.
“Fine. Play hard to get. I’ll be over there to get you in a minute.”
“Get me? In a minute? Boy you better not play with me.”
“I’m not playing. You sleeping with me tonight. I can promise you that.”
Phoenix smiled at him before getting up and returning to the bathroom. When she came back out, she’d shed the towel from her head and her hair was curly like it had been the day they’d gone jet skiing at the beach. The black curls were springy and hung down around her shoulders and forehead. Jamar laid on his back with his hands behind his head watching her every move. There was no TV or music on in his small flat, which made her his sole source of entertainment.
Versus going back into his living room, she walked over to the bed and got in. She shocked him when she snuggled right next to him, resting her head on his arm. Instinctively, his arm went down around her waist, pulling her closer. The soft bushy hair from her head tickled the side of his face while her scent filled his nostrils.
Jamar looked down at Phoenix. “You scared of me?”
“Hell no. What on earth would make you think that?”
“Damn. You said that like I ain’t shit. I think I’m offended.”
Phoenix snickered to herself for a minute. “I didn’t mean it like that. All I’m saying is that I’m not scared of you. There’s no reason for me to be. I can bet money that anything you think you can do to me, I can do it right back to your ass. I’m not scared of nobody.”
Damn, this bitch tough.
“So, if I can put my mouth on you until you beg me to stop, then that means you can do the same back to me?”
He felt her body go still before relaxing again. “That’s a trick question.”
“No the hell it ain’t. Don’t get scared now. You just said you wasn’t scared of nobody, so I’ ma ask you again. If I make you beg, you’ll be able to do the same to me?”