GRIND (The Silver Nitrate Series Book 1) by Tiana Laveen

their drinks, one in each hand, taking delicate sips from each as if they were sultry women whispering dirty nothings in his ears. Up on the stage, the crew was setting back up. Elijah shook his damn head in disbelief.
    “Oh, sorry, but you was talkin’ so damn long, man… over there tryna get some pussy…but got played,” he teased. “I ain’t hear it, but I could tell things weren’t going as planned. Shit was funny, too! They ganged up on you. You the man, plaaaaayboy! It’ll be aiight. Better luck next time.”
    Zenith burst out laughing.
    “Man, forget them.” He took a deep breath and exhaled it. “Look, I gotta go… Imma check you out later… You was wrong for drinkin’ my shit though.” He clicked his tongue against his teeth. With a parting wave, he spun around and rushed towards the platform. He marched towards the shining silver and white Yamaha drums, fisting and unfisting his palms, ready to put in some work. He was itching to fuck some shit up, down and all around… fuck it good ’nd hard after his lascivious hopes and dreams blew up in fragrant hookah smoke.
    He no longer looked for her; in fact, he didn’t want to see her damn face ever again.
    He no longer wanted to smell the sweetness coming off her skin, so clean, cool, and authentic… or recall the way her midnight black hair glistened ever so slightly and how her wide, bright gold hoop earrings picked up his reflection as she swung away, turning her back on him.
    He didn’t want to remember her perfectly shaped ass stuffed in a pair of jeans that hugged her in all the right places…
    No, he wanted none of that. Instead, he simply grabbed those sticks in a death grip, and began to beat the blue ball shit out of them …
    BAM!
    BAM!
    BOOM!
    “Let’s go!”

    “Why are you acting funny?” Clara questioned as Silver drove her back home at two that morning.
    Silver had only had one cocktail, but her damn head was throbbing and a headache of epic proportions was taking root. The hookah lay on its side on the center console, reminding her of a good time that now had a hazy, dark cloud looming above it.
    “I’m not acting funny… just tired.” She turned the radio down, needing perfect stillness and quiet and there was no way classic, ‘Boyz N’ Tha Hood’ by Eazy E was going to allow that to happen… But, she let it play anyway.
    “Yes, you are. You’ve been acting funny ever since that idiot, that smart-ass fucker came over and got mad because you didn’t want to hear his bullshit. He was cute though…” She laughed lightly, causing Silver to do the same.
    Yeah, he was… Actually, he was sexy as hell, but that’s far from the point…
    “Like I said, I’m just tired, Clara.” The woman opened her mouth to say something else, argue her point, but then clammed up.
    Soon, they were in front of her apartment building. Clara opened the passenger side door and placed one barely stable foot out and then the other. She’d definitely drunk too much, but Silver expected nothing less. She was the designated driver after all, vowing to let the woman ‘get her life’ while she chilled in the background of insouciance. Clara looked back in her direction, her purse swinging to and fro as she brandished a silly grin.
    “Call me when you get home, okay?” She paused, her knocked knees turned inward making her look as if she were trying to walk a tightrope and failing.
    “Yeah, I’ll call you. You fix yourself some coffee, okay?” Silver smirked as she leaned over the passenger seat, waiting to roll the window back up.
    “I don’t need no coffee! I’m fine!” The woman giggled nonsensically as she made it up the few concrete stairs into the apartment building.
    Silver sat there for a moment or two, brought the passenger’s side window up, then leaned back in her seat. She closed her eyes when an uncomfortable coolness took hold of her flesh, down to the damn bones. She’d tried to have a good evening, move on, grip the