Page 37 of His Starr Player

Six seconds.

Marcus passed the ball to the blue-haired player. The blue-haired player fake pumped and bullet passed to the guy at the top of the arch. That guy passed it to Marcus who cut through the paint and dunked the ball.

The clock ran out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our new winners!” The announcer shouted out Marcus’s team’s name as they jumped up from their seats and celebrated their victory.

“That’s how you end the season! Congratulations, gentlemen.” The host ushered them all to the front of the stage where they took several pictures holding a large check.

I was over the moon at the pure joy on Marcus’s face as he draped his arms over the shoulders of his teammates. I pulled out my phone and snapped a couple of pictures of the moment as well. We were all ecstatic to see Marcus keep his title.

I couldn’t wait to celebrate him later.

“You’re taking me to a concert?” he asked as we pulled up to the venue and gave our car to the valet.

“It’s something like that. I know we’re both R&B lovers, so I wanted to take us to a lounge that has live music and a DJ who plays all the hits.”

Marcus smiled as he interlocked our fingers. “I love that. Your date idea was thoughtful and special. I’m excited.”

“Good. I plan on getting you drunk too. We’ve got a front row section with unlimited bottle service. I want this to be grown and sexy, so I asked them to bring out their best quality wine and tequila.”

“Wine and tequila? You’re trying to get pregnant.”

“Oh no, baby, but we can definitely put in some practice time.”

Marcus chuckled and led me down the path to our table. The lights were dim. There were LED candles in a glass as centerpieces. There was a food menu and a drink menu and the option to get a hookah brought to the table. I wasn’t a fan ofhookahs, so I declined the service. We got our first round of drinks in as the hosts explained how the night would go. There would be an R&B DJ battle, live performances, and a karaoke segment at the end.

“If we make it to the end of the show, I would love to get up there and perform a duet with you,” I suggested.

“I’m on whatever time you on. What do you mean make it to the end of the show, though?”

“If they get to playing Janet, Eric Benet, or Tyrese… I’m going to need to get you back to the house expeditiously.”

Marcus snorted. “Say no more.”

The stage lights lit up as the first DJ came out and introduced himself. He got right to business. His first song of choice was the groove bedroom mix of “If I Ever Fall In Love.”

“This is an interesting opening song,” I commented.

“I agree, but the transition into Lauryn Hill’s ‘Ex-Factor’ was unexpected. That shit was smooth as hell.”

We both bobbed our heads to the music. We took two more shots of the tequila. I would switch to wine only for the rest of the night since I was the driver, and Marcus was my passenger prince.

The second DJ had played all the family reunion classics.

There was some Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, and The O’Jays. I might have been young, but my parents made sure I had a diverse taste in music. The second DJ ended his set with “Outstanding” by the Gap Band.

The third DJ played all the grown and sexy songs. He started with Usher’s “Can U Handle It?” and transitioned into “Say Yes” by Floetry. His set list included songs by Beyoncé, Ciara, T-Pain, and Jamie Foxx. This set was the one babies could be made to.

I was feeling the alcohol, as most of the patrons were. We were all singing and vibing to every song they played. A couple of people had stood up and started dancing with their partners.I looked over at Marcus, who had his eyes closed and was in a world of his own. My baby was feeling that liquor. I held his hand and reached out to sing to him.

“Baby boy, you stay on my mind. Fulfill my fantasies.” I ground my hips in the seat as I did my choreography to the Beyoncé song.

Marcus tucked his bottom lip between his teeth and eyed me hungrily. I stood up and swayed my hips from side to side in front of him. He stood up and dipped his head down to whisper in my ear.

“I’m ready to put you through a mattress. If you don’t get me out of here, I’m gonna have to put on a show for all these people in here.”

I laughed and placed my hands on his chest. “Marcus, please.”

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