lips, “couldn’t wait to see you.”
The smile that formed on my face had to break the barriers of what an actual face should be able to do. I was sure all of my teeth were showing and ensuring that the corn from Popeye’s was not embedded between them was a plus. This was so foreign. I didn’t have flings or boyfriends or guys with benefits. I surely didn’t meet them and rendezvous anywhere. Well, not anymore. And I most certainly, did not have cops who were white, kissing me on the west side of Manhattan. I had a goddamn EBT card. What was I doing here?
As I pulled away, he wrapped me up tighter and said, “No backing out now.”
He must have seen the fear in my eyes.
“Do you really think we should do this? I mean, look,” I motioned my hand around the busy business district. “This is a little too much for me. Sneaking around and all that shit.”
“Listen, we don’t have to sneak. I’ll pick you up, kiss you and grope you wherever I see you. That’s just not alright with you, right?”
“You have that luxury, Ryan. I can’t do that shit and you know damn well I can’t.” I was about to get mad.
“No, no.” He held me tighter. “We are about to go out, have fun, eat, dance, whatever you want. But we are not about to have this argument now. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”
“I just don’t think we…”
He cut me off by putting his lips over mine, ever so softly with a light touch, as if he was waiting for me to stop him. When I didn’t, he slid his tongue inside my mouth and merged the two of us again. When I loosened up, he pulled back, kissed my nose, then my forehead.
“Not tonight.”
“Okay.” I whispered.
“Good, let’s go.”
Ryan helped me in the car and we drove to Brooklyn with little traffic. We pulled up to the elegant restaurant and he passed his keys to the valet driver. So it was a valet-exclusive restaurant. I was so glad I went with the flare black dress with blue heels and matching earrings. Mrs. Henry had texted back that those were another set I could have because they went perfectly with the shoes.
He reached out for my hand, after my door was opened. When I reached the ground, he pulled me in and whispered, “Did I forget to tell you that you looked absolutely stunning?”
Once again, that crazy killer clown smile took over and I could not help it. The man definitely earned points for charm.
“Thanks.” I whispered.
Once we were seated, we searched the menu for a bit, but after trying not to react to the prices, I stopped looking.
“Do you know what you want?” He asked.
“No, I’m not really all that hungry. Maybe I’ll get a salad or something.”
He frowned, then said, “D’asia, you knew we were going out. You ate before you came?”
“Uh, yeah. I was not sure where we were going and I was not sure if I would like the food or not.”
He dropped the menu and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah!” I exclaimed.
“Sweetness,” he sighed. “I wanted us to go out, eat, and have fun. Everything is on me, so you can just relax. I also wanted to go dancing after this. Can you do that?”
“What kind of dancing?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Dancing, like at a club. You know the types that play music.”
“What kind of music?” I asked slowly.
“All types of music.” He answered in a mimicking tone.
My lips pressed together as I thought about what that meant.
“Well, I’m not entirely comfortable with you covering the bill. So let’s just pay our part and we’ll see how the evening progresses to see if dancing is in the cards.”
His face contorted, when he said, “Are you fucking kidding? You’re with me. You won’t pay for shit and the evening will go just fine.”
That was said with steely and resolute determination. God help the man or woman who tried to stand in his way of making the evening go by with anything but fine. I quickly pressed my lips together again and picked up the menu. Nothing stuck
The smile that formed on my face had to break the barriers of what an actual face should be able to do. I was sure all of my teeth were showing and ensuring that the corn from Popeye’s was not embedded between them was a plus. This was so foreign. I didn’t have flings or boyfriends or guys with benefits. I surely didn’t meet them and rendezvous anywhere. Well, not anymore. And I most certainly, did not have cops who were white, kissing me on the west side of Manhattan. I had a goddamn EBT card. What was I doing here?
As I pulled away, he wrapped me up tighter and said, “No backing out now.”
He must have seen the fear in my eyes.
“Do you really think we should do this? I mean, look,” I motioned my hand around the busy business district. “This is a little too much for me. Sneaking around and all that shit.”
“Listen, we don’t have to sneak. I’ll pick you up, kiss you and grope you wherever I see you. That’s just not alright with you, right?”
“You have that luxury, Ryan. I can’t do that shit and you know damn well I can’t.” I was about to get mad.
“No, no.” He held me tighter. “We are about to go out, have fun, eat, dance, whatever you want. But we are not about to have this argument now. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”
“I just don’t think we…”
He cut me off by putting his lips over mine, ever so softly with a light touch, as if he was waiting for me to stop him. When I didn’t, he slid his tongue inside my mouth and merged the two of us again. When I loosened up, he pulled back, kissed my nose, then my forehead.
“Not tonight.”
“Okay.” I whispered.
“Good, let’s go.”
Ryan helped me in the car and we drove to Brooklyn with little traffic. We pulled up to the elegant restaurant and he passed his keys to the valet driver. So it was a valet-exclusive restaurant. I was so glad I went with the flare black dress with blue heels and matching earrings. Mrs. Henry had texted back that those were another set I could have because they went perfectly with the shoes.
He reached out for my hand, after my door was opened. When I reached the ground, he pulled me in and whispered, “Did I forget to tell you that you looked absolutely stunning?”
Once again, that crazy killer clown smile took over and I could not help it. The man definitely earned points for charm.
“Thanks.” I whispered.
Once we were seated, we searched the menu for a bit, but after trying not to react to the prices, I stopped looking.
“Do you know what you want?” He asked.
“No, I’m not really all that hungry. Maybe I’ll get a salad or something.”
He frowned, then said, “D’asia, you knew we were going out. You ate before you came?”
“Uh, yeah. I was not sure where we were going and I was not sure if I would like the food or not.”
He dropped the menu and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah!” I exclaimed.
“Sweetness,” he sighed. “I wanted us to go out, eat, and have fun. Everything is on me, so you can just relax. I also wanted to go dancing after this. Can you do that?”
“What kind of dancing?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Dancing, like at a club. You know the types that play music.”
“What kind of music?” I asked slowly.
“All types of music.” He answered in a mimicking tone.
My lips pressed together as I thought about what that meant.
“Well, I’m not entirely comfortable with you covering the bill. So let’s just pay our part and we’ll see how the evening progresses to see if dancing is in the cards.”
His face contorted, when he said, “Are you fucking kidding? You’re with me. You won’t pay for shit and the evening will go just fine.”
That was said with steely and resolute determination. God help the man or woman who tried to stand in his way of making the evening go by with anything but fine. I quickly pressed my lips together again and picked up the menu. Nothing stuck
Similar Books
