Page 24 of Tap In

When Galiana put her hand back on her gun holster, Noelle scurried from the ground, then ran off with her friends. Galiana peeked over her shoulder with a glare that was louder than her words. I didn’t need the words, but I knew she would give them to me. “Jacobia, I told you to handle your shit. I don’t like pulling my clapper and not making it clap.”

Pea giggled. “Nobody told your clap happy ass to pull your clapper, best friend.” She walked over to Galiana, grabbed her hand, then said, “Let’s go, trigger happy girl.”

The pout that came to Galiana’s face pulled a titter out of us all. For her to be as savage as she was, her ass was a big ass kid. After we got into our Sprinter, we decided to stop for ice cream. There was more than enough leftovers at the house, so going out for dinner wasn’t necessary. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the way to the ice cream shop, prompting us to get our ice cream to go. Tomorrow was our last day in Vegas, and I was ready to go after today’s run-in with Cindy Lou Who. Vegas for this month was a wrap.

* * *

BACK IN MOUNT PLEASANT…

“Girl, Chance better not ask me for another baby any time soon. I will kick his ass,” Lark whined as she rubbed her protruding belly. My best friend was over her pregnancy.

Chance got that ass pregnant on their wedding day. She was six months pregnant with their son. My godson was giving her hell. She battled with insecurities about the changes to her body. I loved the way that her husband reassured her daily that she was his everything and that she was beautiful carrying his child. “You know it will all be worth it in the end, best friend.”

We were sitting under the cabana near the pool at Christianson Circle. Lately, if I wasn’t at work, I was only here. Lark came to sit with me at least three times a week since I was on what I called social probation. She knew not to make a fuss when I got in this mode and to give me my space until probation was over.

Lark smiled. “Yeah, I know. This boy is already extra and demanding like his damn daddy.” We both chortled. Those were two perfect adjectives to describe Chance. After our laughter subsided, Lark gave me that look that told me the conversation was about to shift to something that was about to get on my nerves. “So, has Joston reached out to you since you left Vegas?”

My left nostril enlarged when my top lip turned up. “Why would he have reached out to me? I doubt he knew I was in Vegas to begin with.”

“Bitch, don’t play with me. I know for a fact that he knew you were in Vegas,” she blurted. “Those little blessed texts that you respond with aren’t enough. He reaches out to Chance to ask me how you’re doing.” When I asked her what she reported back to him, her head bucked back. “The hell! I told him you were very blessed.

“I figured that bitch you ran into would say something to him. You said that she looked like a tattletale ass heifer,” she said with a shrug. “Why do you call that girl Cindy Lou Who?”

I side-eyed her. “You gonna sit here and act like that girl’s two front teeth not too big for her mouth and her nose too small? Add that blonde layaway wig she wears and boom. Cindy Lou Who. I know it has to be a bitch tucking those teeth when she’s sucking dick.”

Lark burst out laughing. “What! You just say whatever come to your leggo my eggo head ass, girl.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Really! Where you get that from?

She shrugged then started talking about a baby stroller like she didn’t just call me a leggo my eggo head ass girl. I wasn’t sure how long we sat out there talking about baby stuff until we both heard Chance’s voice. “Jacobia, you finish holding my wife hostage?”

I shifted in my seat to sit up with my legs crossed over each other. I pulled my maxi dress to drape over them. I hadn’t physically seen Chance in a couple months outside of video calls when I talked to Lark. His popping up here was surprising and out of his norm. I turned to look over my shoulder at him. That was when I noticed that he wasn’t alone.

“Joston, what are you doing here?”

A SHORT TIME EARLIER…

Every timeI went on a date with a female, my anger rose at Jacobia. It was her fault I was out here with these tragic ass females, trying to find a number two. Jacobia would always be number one. These hos out here wanted the world but couldn’t offer the same in return. Hell, they couldn’t even give the dirt that covered the earth. One of the females that I asked out sent me a damn Cash App request for eighteen hundred dollars to pay for her hair, makeup, and outfit for the date. That bitch had me fucked up.

Now I was sitting here in a Michelin Star restaurant with a bitch who thought it was sexy to unsolicitedly climb under the tablecloth covered table to suck my dick. When she lifted the tablecloth, I thought her ass dropped something at first. I smacked her hands away from my belt buckle when I felt her hand on it. You would have thought that would have been enough, but no. Bitches stayed not reading the room. I had to lift the tablecloth and tell her to get her inappropriate ass up.

“I’m sorry. I thought that you would like that kind of thing,” Diddy Bop or whatever her name was said. “You know, with the lifestyle that you’re a part of.”

My brow hitched. I wasn’t naïve to think that people didn’t know about my parties and lifestyle, but to make assumptions because of it was asinine. “What exactly is my lifestyle? Secondly, why would you think that I want a random female that I just met in a casino to suck me off in an upscale restaurant on a first date? If I wanted that kind of action, I would have taken you to Applebee’s for the two for twenty.”

Her head bucked back. She was offended as she should have been. “So, you own a whole sex club, but you’re acting like me sucking your dick under a table is a big damn deal.”

With every word she spoke, her volume increased. These white people started to take notice. I leaned forward on the table. “There goes that Applebee’s behavior again. Lower your fucking voice when you talk to me. Yes, I own a sex club that is exclusive as well as private. I nor my guests aren’t out here fucking and sucking for public consumption.”

What the hell was I sitting here explaining myself to a bitch whose number I didn’t even save in my damn phone under her name. She was listed in my phone asCaesars-redhead-apple booty.From the side, I saw the waitress approaching with our food. Before she could put the plates down, I told her to box both of them up and bring the bill.

“Wow! So, the date is over because I wanted to please you? Damn, I would hate to be your girl. No adventure at all.” She scoffed, then turned her head like she had me told or some shit.

I snickered. “Nah, if you was my girl, then I would have been under the table, eating your pussy. We weren’t in the restaurant for ten minutes before you were on your knees trying to give me head like I asked for it. I low-key feel violated.”

Our waitress must have felt the vibe. She came back to our table with the food containers and check just in time. I didn’t even look at it. After I pulled out the cash in my pocket, I flaked off three hundred dollars, telling her to keep the change. I stood to my feet. “Miss ma’am, you have a great night.”

“Wait, you’re not going to make sure I get home safe?” she asked disbelievingly. Now she was on her feet.Was she stupid?

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