bullshit is this, Gin?
We've been kicked out the hotel, everybody except drunk-ass
tourists acts like we're the fucking devil, now you're trying to
set me up with a nigga named Fuzzy? Man, I'm ready to go
home."
"Just shut up and watch the bags while
I use that pay phone. Gimme some change." Desiree emptied the
pockets of her jean shorts and gave Ginger a handful of change. She
sat atop a suitcase, folded her arms, and pouted. It was hot as
hell, hotter than Miami. Plus, she was getting hungry. It all made
her quite irritable.
Ginger returned minutes later,
practically skipping. "They'll be here in five minutes! I called
Derek's cell, and they're down the road. Stop acting like a baby
and put on some lipstick," Ginger demanded.
"Man, I'm hot. It's too hot for
makeup. And I'm hungry," Desiree whined.
"Well, at least put on some clear MAC
Lipglass. Your lips are looking a little crusty there," Ginger
kidded, but Desiree was in no mood for jokes. "Yeah, whatever," she
remarked dryly, whipping out a tube of Lipglass and slicking some
on.
The boom from Derek's Range Rover
introduced them before they actually appeared. Ginger's ears
immediately perked up, and she smoothed out her top and fluffed her
hair. She was grinning ear-to-ear when he rolled down the black-out
tinted window. A haze of marijuana smoke emanated from the car, and
when it cleared, there were two of the most handsome men Desiree
had ever seen in her life.
"Good night, baby." Derek’s baritone
voice boomed as he swung his car door open. He stood at six feet
three inches tall, was the color of Hershey's syrup, with a bald
head, dark brown eyes framed by a fringe of dark lashes, and the
body of a god.
"Good night, baby," Ginger
gushed.
"Oh shit!" Desiree's chin practically
touched the concrete. She stared shamelessly as he wrapped his arms
around Ginger and gave her a kiss. Then she saw Fuzzy. He was even
finer than Derek! Desiree stood mute waiting for Ginger to break
free from Derek's embrace.
"Desi, this is Derek," she introduced
them after finally releasing her lip-lock.
''A pleasure, Desiree. Ginger's told
me all about you." His accent was driving her wild.
"And this is Fuzzy," she said to
Desiree. He removed his shades, nodded, and then replaced them. He
began staring out of the passenger window like she wasn't even
there. Desiree now wished she had taken the time to put on some
makeup.
After I freshen up, he's
definitely gonna check for me , Desiree
thought, determined to get his attention. I'm gonna make sure of it.
Derek and Ginger caught up in the
front seat while Desiree and Fuzzy rode in silence in the back.
They headed around a few curvy, narrow streets to a dim
alley.
"We can get something from Crazy
Cal's, and then I'll take you to the guesthouse. I know the owner
personally; he's a friend of mine. I'll check you in and pay for
it," Derek explained to them, then stopped at a tiny restaurant to
get them something to eat. Desiree went in with him so she could
see what they had to offer.
"So what you think about Desiree?"
Ginger asked Fuzzy in the car. "Ain't she cute? Y'all will like
each other."
"Nah, she's not for me," he
replied.
"What? She looks like me.
I know you don't think that I'm ugly." Ginger rolled her neck and frowned up her
face.
"Nah, it's not that. She's
not ugly. She's pretty But she's maaga ."
"What the fuck is maaga ?"
"Skinny. She looks like a little girl,
a baby. I like women. I need my chicken with some meat."
"That's my protégée. Believe me, she's
a woman. And she's not skinny at all. I keep telling her about
wearing them baggy-ass clothes. I can get her to dress right when
we go out, but any other time she insists on that tomboy shit. But
her body is tight. Trust me," Ginger said, campaigning for her
friend.
Desiree and Derek came back to the
Rover with bags of food. Desiree had already dipped in her bag and
was munching on some fried fish. Ginger gave Fuzzy an encouraging
look, then refocused her energy on
Luana Lewis
Jeff Menapace
Christine Fonseca
M. D. Payne
Neil Pasricha
Heather Horrocks
Bryan Davis
Natalie Essary
Eden Myles
Dan Millman