Page 1 of His Secure Embrace
The music blaredall around us as we jammed to a song by one of the hottest female rappers in the game. The beat was intoxicating, and the lyrics were catchy. Every few moments, we’d collectively shout out “aye” after the bars hit a little too hard.
“I’m glad y’all dragged me out of the house this evening,” I commented. I lifted the double Solo red cups up to my lips and drank the frozen mixed drink. I could taste the Everclear and knew I needed to pace myself with the drink, or I’d be folded under the table before the night was over.
“Of course, bestie. You’ve been MIA for weeks, depriving the world of your fineness,” my best friend, Jana, replied. She bumped her shoulder against mine and grinned.
Jana Bridges was my best friend since diapers. We were neighbors who played on the block until the streetlights came on. We experienced a majority of our firsts together, including our first kisses, our first times, and our first heartbreaks. She was my ride or die and biggest hype man. I was her biggest supporter and voice of reason. She was the yin to my yang.
“Y’all are cute and all, but if my watch is correct . . . It’s shot o’clock, bitches!” Tava commented.
“I don’t know, friend . . . You ain’t even got a watch on your wrist for real. That’s a Van Cleef,” Lynae joked. The section erupted in laughter as Tava and Lynae bickered for a while.
Tava and Lynae were added to the group during college. Their vibes were perfect and meshed well with ours. Though I wasn’t as close to them as I was Jana, we always had a great time together. These crazy women were my girls for life and nothing would change that.
“Thank God for the distraction because I sho’ ain’t ready for another shot just yet,” I admitted as I sipped my frozen drink, which was quickly melting in the Texas heat. The sun had set, but the natural light was doing some heavy lifting as the block party continued to happen in the field.
Cars were parked in the lot next door while tables and things were set up in rows with a small, elevated stage where the deejay and his equipment were set up. There were speakers lined up around the section so every lyric could be heard no matter where people stood.
To the left of the deejay booth was a bar where frozen drinks, iced drinks, and shots were being made. Their collection was large, and there was something for everyone. My favorite part was the row of food trucks a few yards away that had the area smelling delicious. I had already planned my route to try the wing and taco trucks before the lines got too long.
“Girl, you salivating,” Tava teased. Her words brought me back to the group of women who had been looking at me while I was eyeing the food trucks.
“She must be looking at that fine man who keep looking at her,” Lynae stated with a smirk.
My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Huh? What man?” I asked.
“You know that security guard over there has been looking at you since we walked over to our section.” Lynae turned her head toward the guard in question. When my eyes found him, I gulped. He was well over six feet and was wide and strong like I liked them. He styled his hair in a mess of locs in a thick ponytail. He had on black pants, a white T-shirt, and a black vest. He wore combat boots and had his weapons holstered around his waist. Tattoos covered his body. They peeked over the hem of his shirt, painted all over his arms, and I could only imagine the ones covered by the clothes he wore.
He was my type with his sexy ass dark brown skin—the color of my favorite type of coffee. Not to mention the beard that framed his jawline to perfection.
“Baby, you’re gonna flood the place if you don’t tear your gaze from that man,” Jana warned.
I blinked and closed my mouth. “Huh?”
They all laughed.
“Girl, go speak to him if you want him that bad.”
I shook my head. “Hell naw. If he wants me, he can approach me.” I flipped my body wave, jet black bundles over my shoulder and finished my drink.
“Bloop! I know that’s right.” Lynae clapped her hands.
“Girl, please. That man is on the clock. He probably can’t approach you. You might have to make the first move.” Tava tried to play Devil’s advocate, but I waved her off.
“I thought you said it was shot o’clock. What happened to that?”
“Oop. For that, we are taking two shots.” Tava waved the bottle girl over and paid for two rounds of shots. We knocked them back with no chasers. I groaned as the second shot burned my throat as it went down.
The sun set, and the large field lights kicked on. The atmosphere changed as the vibes of the music changed too. The deejay had played more R&B. The transition from Wale’s “Bad” to Jazmine Sullivan’s “Need U Bad” had all of us losing our minds. We sang the song to the top of our lungs before the next song came on.
“He’s coming over,” Jana announced while she bumped my shoulder with hers.
My gaze traveled to see the guard from earlier heading this way. I stood up and made his trip shorter. My heart raced the closer he got to me.
“Hey,” he greeted me. His lips pulled into a full smile that nearly knocked me off my feet. His perfect teeth with those juicy ass lips were a dangerous combination while I was under the influence.
“Hi,” I replied softly.
“My name is James. Can I get your name?”
