Getting to the Good Part Read online

  “Thirty-three,” she whispered. “Be nice. Please. This is your night. Don’t make a scene.”

  I held up my hands innocently.

  “You’ll get no scenes from this sistah. It’s a party, remember?”

  Misty grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

  “Promise?”

  “I don’t make promises,” I replied.

  “You used to.”

  “Wrong girl,” I answered. “You must be talking about another Reesy. This one don’t make promises and shit that she can’t keep.”

  “Stop cursing.”

  “Fuck you. Why you defending this Dandre character so?”

  Misty let go of my hand.

  “Because,” she replied, her brows knitted with frustration, “you’re being an ass! Let all this stupid mess about Dandre go! Do you know how much convincing I had to do to get him to come here tonight?”

  My eyes narrowed. I felt steam fizzing in my ears.

  “You invited him here to my party?”

  My words were sharp and deliberate.

  “Yes, I did,” she emphatically replied. “You and Dandre need to move past this, and you need to do it now. He wasn’t going to come tonight, but I told him you were a very forgiving person, despite how tough-as-nails you may appear. Rick confirmed it. You know you’re just a big ol’ marshmallow on the inside, Reesy. I don’t know why you try to act so hard!”

  I chewed on my bottom lip, listening to her words. She was trying to kill me with kindness. Trying to shame me into getting over my grudge.

  I glanced undereyed over in Rick and Dandre’s direction.

  Rick was patiently waiting for the go sign. Dandre smiled pleasantly, his expression sweet and helpless.

  I let out a heavy sigh.

  “Fuck it!” I said, waving my hand. “Just tell them to come on! They look like a couple of street dogs over there, waiting for a biscuit to be thrown their way!”

  The sentence was barely out of my mouth before Misty made her move. She began gesturing wildly, signaling to Rick that the coast was clear.

  Rick was just as anxious, parting the crowd like Moses did the Red Sea. At his side, moving with equal ease, but obvious uneasiness, was Dandre.

  “Dang,” I mumbled. “Give me a chance to speak the words.”

  Misty kissed me on the cheek.

  “Thank you, baby! You’re gonna like him, just wait and see!!”

  “Whatever,” I grunted.

  She clasped my hands tightly in hers.

  “Be nice,” she chided sweetly. “And please, don’t curse. You look very pretty tonight.”

  “Ummmm-hmmm.”

  I refused to be wooed by her words and her saccharine behavior.

  Rick arrived in front of us, beaming happily. He bussed Misty on the lips.

  “Hey, baby,” he said.

  “Hey, boo,” she cooed.

  Just as I thought. Everyone was her boo these days.

  Rick leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Happy party to you! “he sang, doing a little goofy dance.

  Dandre stood there beside him, trying not to be conspicuous, but standing out like a very sexy sore thumb.

  I studied him, feeling even more intense rage than I’d suspected. Now that he was close to me and I was able to examine his face, the vivid memory of that humiliating incident at Burch returned.

  Millicent, that old evil wench of an assistant who hated my guts, had been looking for something to hang me with. Anything to try to get me and Misty fired.

  Dandre had walked up that fateful day, after returning from lunch with Rick, and opened his mouth right in front of Millicent about seeing me do my thang at the Magic City in Atlanta. He bragged that I was one of the best he’d ever seen, insanely thinking that I was taking his comments as some form of a compliment.

  Millicent ran wild with this revelation, and I slapped the taste out of her mouth. The result of it all was that three people—me, Millicent, and her boss Bob—ended up phased out of the company.

  For a minute, there was even worry that Misty might lose her job, but she came out of it okay.

  That had been months ago. Still, how could I forgive Dandre for that? As attractive and friendly as he was, standing there looking at me now, what he’d pulled was some low-life mess.

  And as for Misty’s comment about him not knowing any better?

  Well, honey… I wasn’t buying it for one bit.

  But I decided to keep my cool, as I stood there beside him, studying him out of the corner of my eye.

  The brisk sensation of giddiness rushed through my body as a bit of a plan began to brew up in my tightly braided head.

  The deejay, that evil waxmaster, put on Maxwell’s “Luxury: Cococure.”

  Rick immediately grabbed Misty and pulled her out onto the floor, leaving Dandre and me standing there, just kinda staring at each other.

  “Wanna dance?” I asked after a minute.

  From what I could see from his behavior, Rick must have thoroughly warned him to tread carefully with me.

  “I’d love that,” he smiled.

  Damn shame. Brother was just too fine for his own doggone good.

  I wanted to hurt him so bad I could taste it.

  Be still, my vengeful heart.

  We slipped out onto the dance floor, and the two of us began to move.

  A few people in the house called out his name. The deejay gave him a big up from the booth.

  “You’re mighty popular,” I commented.

  “You’re mighty pretty,” he returned.

  “Hmmmph.” I smirked, and turned away from him, giving him my back to dance with.

  Dandre placed his hands gingerly on my hips, mirroring the movements of my body with his own. It felt good, but, at the same time, I felt like turning around and spitting in his eye.

  “Do you forgive me for what happened?” he whispered close to my ear.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Sssssssh!!” I answered. “Maxwell’s singing. Just let it be.”

  He did. And we continued to move synchronously to the music.

  I felt it best that I not go there with him regarding the Burch Financial issue. Then I’d really get hot, and end up messing up what I was beginning to formulate in my head of how I could get back at him for what he did to me.

  In the words of rapmaster Rakim, I was “thinkin’ of a master-plan.”

  Dandre swayed against me, moving so close to my back that we were now snuggled like spoons. It wasn’t so oppressive that it invaded my space. But it was close enough to let me know he was interested in getting personal.

  Maxwell sang on.

  “I found a cure for this…”

  I closed my eyes, letting the music take me away.

  “You are sooo beautiful,” Dandre whispered.

  I said nothing, caught up in the rhythm.

  “I can’t even believe I’m dancing with you.”

  “Ssssssssssssssh!” I hissed. “Don’t fuck around with Maxwell! Could you just let the damn song play?!”

  When I heard him breathe in, as if he was about to say something else, I turned around and placed my palm across his mouth.

  This move definitely caught him by surprise.

  Dandre looked me in the eye, a smile forming on his lips underneath my hand.

  I gave him back the same stare, allowing the corner of my lip to curl upward in acknowledgment.

  He put his hands around my waist and pulled me close to him.

  I let him, finally taking my hand from across his mouth and resting it upon his hip.

  Over his shoulder, I could see Julian, Gordon, and the whole crew grinning at me.

  They raised their glasses.

  Donovan was with them. Glaring.

  Standing behind the sofa where they were sitting was Tamara. She was glaring at me, too.

  I closed my eyes, tuning them all out, letti
ng my body meld into Dandre’s. Regardless of what he’d done, he felt damn good pressed up against me.

  But that was just physical. It had nothing to do with what I felt in my mind. And I knew how to separate the two, damn near better than anybody.

  It’s a good thing.

  I was going to need to rely upon the physical quite heavily to help me achieve what it was I had planned for ol’ boy.

  Dandre and I stayed on the floor.

  The next song the deejay played was that seductive slow groove by Joe where he talked about doing all the things your man won’t do.

  Dandre pulled me close and we rocked to the music. By this time, he had learned to let me lead the conversation. He seemed to be happy just holding on to me.

  I glanced over at Rick and Misty. She kept checking out the sparkling diamond perched on her hand, which was perched on his shoulder, as she held on to him tightly.

  I did my best to keep my eyes from rolling. Those two were another story altogether.

  “Can I get you a drink when we finish dancing?” Dandre asked, still holding me close.

  “Why? You tired or something?”

  “Uh-uh,” he muttered. “I could stay like this with you all night.”

  He pulled me toward him a little bit tighter.

  I felt his bulge securely in place, as hard as a rock.

  “Ummmph,” I groaned inadvertently.

  He chuckled softly in my ear.

  “You did that, you know.”

  “I know my handiwork when I see it,” I replied.

  Dandre held me tighter.

  Damn, damn, damn.

  Donovan’s eyes were burning like lasers through me. But he knew better than to come up and try to make a scene. He knew he couldn’t play me like that. Not for one minute.

  I snuggled my face inside the curve of Dandre’s neck, letting my warm breath settle there.

  “You’re killing me, girl,” he moaned.

  I softly sang along with the music.

  “Nothing can be sweeter than the sound of making love…”

  He moaned again.

  I felt the insides of my thighs getting warm. I pressed against him a little harder.

  “I don’t want to leave you tonight,” he whispered, gently nibbling at my ear.

  My body melted at the feel of the heat from his mouth.

  “You don’t have to,” I murmured.

  In the distance, I saw Donovan’s ears prick up, like some sort of six-million-dollar Doberman with supersonic hearing. He eased up off the sofa and headed toward the dance floor.

  Tamara was right behind him.

  He brushed past me, whispering in my ear,

  “Meet me at the bar in thirty-two measures… cool?”

  I burst out laughing, totally breaking the mood Dandre and I had set.

  Donovan was a mess. Those Morris Day lines absolutely, positively, had to go.

  Dandre quietly observed the exchange, maintaining his composure.

  “Everything straight?” he asked.

  “As a board,” I replied.

  He pulled me back toward him.

  “Let’s get outta here,” I whispered in his ear.

  He leaned away from me, enough so that he could see my face.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean, only if it’s what you want. No pressure from me, okay?”

  “You talk too much,” I said.

  “I’m officially shutting up,” he laughed. “For now.”

  He took me by the hand and led me off the dance floor.

  “You wanna say goodbye to Misty and Rick?” he asked.

  I glanced over at them, still out there grooving. They were locked together tighter than a nun’s legs.

  “No,” I said. “Let’s just go. Trust me, we won’t be missed.”

  As I passed by the crew on the couches, Julian shot me an interesting look.

  “Later for you,” I mouthed. “Gotta make moves.”

  Before Dandre and I disappeared through the doorway to head upstairs, I caught a glimpse of Donovan and Tamara dancing together.

  He was staring at me.

  She was staring at him staring at me.

  The both of them looked as miserable as a couple of death-row inmates on Fry Day.

  “Did you drive here?” Dandre asked, as we headed out the door of the club.

  “No,” I said. “Did you?”

  “Yeah. My car’s right over here.”

  He pointed to a white 300z parked up the street.

  “That’s a hot-looking little ride,” I declared flirtatiously.

  “It gets the job done,” Dandre replied, suddenly sounding somewhat shy.

  He held my hand as we walked up the street. I breathed in the night air, my body hot and bothered, my mind hoppin’ mad. I was about to go get it on with this man, no question. This fine man, whose hand I was holding, who was electrifying my body with the slightest of touches, was about to take me home and get rocked.

  I knew it was going to be good. I could tell that already. What was flitting through my mind at that moment wasn’t necessarily the what, but the why.

  I knew what I had to do. I had to get even. No doubt about it. But why did I have to get even? That’s what I wanted to know.

  Of late, I was beginning to discover a range of dark emotions within me that were starting to surface. I had no explanation for them. Had they always been there? Or was this something new?

  Maybe I was going through some sort of a life change. Maybe my vindictive attitude toward Dandre was all a part of that. Like my jealousy over Misty’s relationship with Rick, it was a feeling that I wasn’t too proud of. But I couldn’t deny that it was there, alive and well.

  And since it was there, I had no choice.

  I had to indulge it.

  Despite the repercussions.

  Dandre and I wrestled in my bed like a couple of savage animals.

  I don’t know if I was still intoxicated from the liquor, or if I was intoxicated with him. All I know is that I was craving this man. I couldn’t get enough of him.

  I wanted him on me, in me, over me—everywhere he could fit.

  I kept reminding myself that this was all for a reason, but every time his tongue caressed me, I almost forgot.

  He whispered sweet, wicked words in my ear, asking me to tell him how he could please me.

  I did.

  Sometimes with words, sometimes with just a nudge here and there. He responded to them all.

  Dandre was daring and willing, ready to take on whatever I was dishing out.

  When he finally mounted me, I held on to him desperately, flailing my body against his in a nervous state of excitement.

  I watched his face as he moved above me. His eyes were locked onto mine. His expression was intense.

  “Lady,” he moaned, “what are you doing to me?”

  I slowed down, setting the pace. He closed his eyes and moaned again. When he tried to speed things up, I sent him a signal, with a firm squeeze from inside.

  “Ahhh… Reesy!” he called out.

  “This is my show,” I whispered. “Let me run it like it’s mine.”

  I traced my nails down the small of his back, stopping just below his butt.

  Dandre moaned again.

  I clung to his body, encouraging his movements with my own.

  I began to move faster, faster, faster against him, until he was thrashing and pounding above me.

  Right when I felt that he was just about to pop, I squeezed again.

  “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!” he cried, and held on to me tightly.

  He shook for a few minutes, his body tense and rigid.

  I lay beneath him, quivering as well.

  When Dandre stopped, he rested his head upon my shoulder, his breathing fast and heavy.

  His mouth was pressed against my ear.

  “When can I see you again?” he gasped.

  I lay there beneath him, my eyes closed.

  �
�I have to see you again,” he repeated. “When can I see you?”

  “Ssssssh,” I whispered, kissing his cheek. “I told you, you talk too much. Let’s just get through tonight.”

  He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close.

  Thirty minutes later, after a very quick nap, the two of us were kung-fu fighting again.

  I woke up early the next morning, watching Dandre as he lay sleeping in my bed.

  My thoughts were troubling me.

  As I stared at him, the memory of that scene at Burch Financial was intensely vivid.

  I wanted to loathe him, and I did.

  At the same time, my body had total recall of how he had made it feel just a few hours before. He had been so gentle, so kind, so fierce, and so passionate. Nothing like what I had expected.

  But none of that mattered.

  Dandre had to pay.

  As I studied him now, I thought about how good I would feel when I finally got him back for what he did to me.

  Hopefully, the feeling would far outweigh the pleasure he had given my body, and make this whole thing worthwhile.

  Dandre stirred under my gaze. I stayed still, trying to keep from waking him.

  He was a very striking man. He could have easily been a model or an actor. His face was beautifully chiseled, and his smooth cafe-au-lait skin cried out to be stroked.

  I didn’t move, resisting the urge to touch him.

  His eyes batted open anyway.

  “Morning, beautiful,” he said groggily, a smile on his face.

  I smiled innocently. “Good morning.”

  “Hey,” he yawned, “you know what?”

  “What?” I asked, raising my eyebrow in question.

  He flung the covers back, revealing a massive morning missile. He leaned up, pointing at it.

  “You did that,” he said.

  My smile took a turn for the naughty, and I slid down alongside him.

  “I know my handiwork when I see it.”

  LET THE SIDESHOW BEGIN

  There it was. As big as day.

  As my cab pulled up to the Nexus, all I was able to focus on was the marquee.

  Just beneath the huge lettering of Black Barry’s Pie were the words Starring Reesy Snowden in slightly smaller letters.

  My name in lights!! It was every performer’s dream.

  Rowena had rehearsed my butt off for the two weeks leading up to her departure. I’d gotten the songs and the moves down to a science, impressing not only Julian and Gordon, but her as well.