Page 20 of Session 33

My phone buzzed in my bag, pulling me back to reality. It was Naomi. I glanced at the time—I was already five minutes late.

“Hello!”

“Why are you standing there? Are you lost?”

I turned back toward Hamburger Mary’s and saw Naomi leaning over the balcony, her eyes locked on me.

“No, I got stopped, but I’ll tell you about it when I get there.” Hanging up the phone, I walked as fast as I could. Naomi met me at the elevator upstairs. She was looking real cute in a black and white babydoll dress and black pumps, her usually wild curly hair in a sleek bun with bangs. Her heart-shaped face was clear of makeup except for ruby red lips. She greeted me with a hug.

“I’ve already got us a table. Who stopped you? I’m not going to have to have Jonas and them hunt somebody down, am I?”

I laughed at her silliness. “No.” I showed her the card. “I was bumped by a guy who ended up asking me out.” I giggled.

“Aww, look at you, you’ve upgraded from no dating to picking men up off the street. What did he look like?”

I couldn’t figure out how to describe him, then I figured out a better way. I took my phone out and put his name into Google.His picture popped up, attached to a news article about his business. I shoved my phone in her direction.

“It’s him, and he just asked me out.” I squealed.

By the time the food came, I’d eaten way more than I should have, but thankfully, my Spanx were doing the Lord’s work, keeping me looking snatched in my dress.

At the Improv, we grabbed our tickets, and Naomi’s phone buzzed. Jonas was running late, as usual, and told us to go ahead without him. We found our seats just as the lights dimmed for the opening act.

And then, like a bad plot twist, I saw Cassius walk in. His arm was draped around a tall woman who looked like she’d just stepped out of a Victoria’s Secret runway show. I recognized her from Naomi’s BBQ—the same girl who’d been damn near stalking him that night.

A wave of jealousy settled in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t like the annoyance I felt toward the girl when she sat next to me, hating her for no reason. She hadn’t done anything to me.

Her tiny dress barely covered her ass, and her C-cups were practically spilling out the top. My stomach twisted as I watched them make their way to their seats. The way Cassius’s eyes went wide when he spotted me? Yeah, he hadn’t known I’d be here.

She didn’t let go of Cassius’s hand even when he introduced us. He gave Naomi a look, meant and nasty, and I realized what had happened. She hadn’t told him I was coming.

I was grateful the show had already started. I wouldn’t have to make conversation. Jonas came in a few minutes later. Feeling like the fifth wheel, I scooted closer to the wall, hoping that people around us didn’t notice I was the only one without a man at the table.

When the waitress came, I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. I’d already had a few drinks at Mary’s but thought another would calm my nerves. It did, a bit, so I ordered another, then another. The alcohol made me bolder, I finally glanced at Cassius. He was looking at me. I frowned. His eyes were filled with guilt and regret. I looked away and tried not to feel anything, reminding myself that we were just friends.

Chapter Fifteen

Naomi was the devil, and she’d just pulled her latest trick. I shot her a look that I hoped burned a hole in the back of her head, but she only smirked, clearly pleased with herself. This was my fault, though. I should’ve told her to stay out of my business. Instead, I lied and told her I was spending more time with Keisha just to get her off my back about Angel. Of course, Naomi being Naomi, insisted I bring Keisha along to the show, and somehow, I’d let it happen.

Big mistake.

The whole night was a waste. I couldn’t tell you one joke the comedian made. The entire time, I was too busy trying to figure out how I’d explain this mess to Angel. Naomi’s meddling ass. Fuck her. I knew she meant well—she was Angel’s friend—but what about me? Wasn’t I her friend too? And first?

And Angel. Damn. She wasn’t making this easy. That dress she wore was tight in all the right places—had me thinking about things I had no business thinking about in public, had my dick hard. She was impossible to ignore, sitting there looking like dessert. Meanwhile, Keisha kept touching my arm, rubbing my thigh, thinking my tension was for her. If only she knew. Fuck Naomi again.

Angel wouldn’t even look at me. Not once. And I got it—she was pissed. She had every right to be. But that didn’t stop mystomach from twisting. By the time the show ended, I was ready to crawl out of my own skin.

Then came the check. Angel, stubborn as ever, insisted on paying her share, flashing this goofy little grin that didn’t match the storm I could see brewing behind her eyes. Before she could pull out her card, I snatched the bill from her hand and slapped my black card on the tray, handing it to the waitress.

She glared at me, and I just smiled back, because even angry, she was fine. Keisha, on the other hand, gave me a look that could kill. But she wasn’t stupid. If she acted up, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave her stranded in Ybor. She finally let go of my arm and stormed out ahead of us, heels clicking like gunfire.

As we headed for the exit, I stepped in behind Angel, using the crowd as an excuse to touch her. My hand slid to the small of her back, just above that perfect curve of her ass. She stiffened for a second, then glanced back, saw it was me, and let it happen. That tiny moment felt like a win. But then she caught Keisha watching us and pulled away.

When we got outside, Angel swayed on her feet, clearly drunk. Naomi saw it at the same time I did.

“We’ll take Angel home,” Naomi said, already making moves.

“I’ll take her,” I said. “We live in the same direction.”

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