Page 8 of Pride and Protest
This was his chance once again to set her straight. He let it pass.
“You mean besides co-conspiring with back-alley activists?” Dorsey quipped and was pleased to see her eyes sparkle. He rarely made jokes that landed. “What doyouthink I do?” he asked.Why am I trying to prolong the conversation?
“Um... audition as the villain in telenovelas?” Liza retorted.
Dorsey let out a genuine laugh at that, surprised by someone for the first time in... he didn’t know how long.
“Sell vape pens out of your coat?” she continued.
Dorsey clutched his chest. “Ouch, you think I would vape?”
“I smell the remnants of a nasty habit. And you have a man bun.”
“I smoke when I’m nervous. But I try not to make being nervous a habit.” Why did this woman need a run-through of his insecurities five minutes into meeting? He touched the small bun at the back of his head. His stylist had convinced him this would be “dead sexy.” She flashed him another smile—thecharlatan. He could see her on the streets of Cairo, coaxing travelers into just one more follow-the-ball game. He was still surprised at the tiny jolt in his low belly.
“You have nothing to be afraid of.I’mthe one who has to stand up to some old white dude—Dorsey Fitzwhateverthehell. It’s truly terrifying to make people with money angry. One snap of his powerful fingers, and I’m poof! Gone!” Her arms flailed like a magician’s.
“Oh.” Dorsey’s breath quickened.Finally, some fun. “Sounds pretty dangerous. How will you know when you’ve found him? Did you look him up?”
“Look at me.” Liza leaned in close. At this angle, if he wanted to, he could see the soft rise of her breasts. But he didn’t want to. He wouldnotlook down her bodice. He would not be one of those guys who ogled—
Shit.
He looked down her bodice.
“I’ll know who he is because I can sniff out a self-entitled old-money asshole in three seconds flat. I’ll just follow the trail of ass-kissers and hangers-on.” She was actually swaggering. She was John Wayne with an excellent pair of breasts.
“Good strategy,” was all Dorsey could say.
“I’ll come find you in an hour. We’re going to blow the lid off this place. Then you can take me out dancing.” Her hips swayed inelegantly as she attempted a sexy saunter. She wasnotpulling off sky-high heels. But he watched her smooth back as she walked past him anyway. What would it feel like to grip that tiny waist, both hands on the small of her back, his thumbs resting on her tailbone? The back of her dress—all the way down to the V above her tailbone—disappeared into the ballroom, leaving him with nothing but her signs.
Thinking only of that cinnamon swath of skin, he’d almost pulled out his phone to search “Latin Dance Clubs in DC,” when his smile faded. He didn’t dance. He wasn’t Latino. Shehadcharmed him after all. It was so simple. He was astonished and angry at the same time.
The double doors hadn’t even closed completely behind her before he set a match to the pile of wooden stakes and papers.
THE MONEY
Liza was elated. She couldn’t have worked it out any better. She had found an inside man. Poor guy, the way his eyes had lit up when he saw that money.That will feed his family tonight.From the look of his hard face, he had probably served some time and was paying his dues in low-wage jobs. He was Latino, maybe with some other heritage as well—either way, she was surprised at his immaculately tailored uniform. Extra lining material at the cuffs, merino wool, and wide seams to accommodate additional tailoring. God, those eyes, though—obsidian black as the night around him. That dark-eyed waiter could toss her around all night and never call her back, and Liza wouldnotbe mad.
Once inside, Liza wasn’t particularly impressed by the ambiance and attendees. She saw her grandmother in her church finery, a green sateen tracksuit and a sparkling pillbox hat with a multicolored plume of feathers settled against her close-cut wig.
“You couldn’t findonedress to wear, Momma?” Bev asked.
“I’ll wear a dress to my funeral,” Granny said.
Beverly was dressed to kill in a too-tight, bright yellowcontour bandage dress that showed her panty line, accessorized with long gold-looking earrings, which were fooling no one. She paired this outfit with white wedge espadrilles that only slightly showed their age. Despite the festivities, though, she looked worried. Liza sidled up next to her, and Bev rolled her eyes.
“These are all the same old fools from our neighborhood. I know the look of a cheap suit,” Bev said. Liza nodded in agreement. Granny was a seamstress, and since her hands had become shakier over the years, a lot of the alteration work had gone to Bev and the children.
Liza started to tell Bev about the excellent-quality waitstaff suits but couldn’t find another like the one she’d seen on the Latino man. It was just the type of detail she and her family liked to note. Liza knew what Bev was thinking—that she had taken off work and had missed out on a shift for nothing. Guilt gnawed at her for the twenty dollars she had just spent.
Liza had seen the inside of the Fort Stanton Rec Center gymnasium a hundred times. The place kept a sweaty smell that the planners had attempted to choke into submission with hundreds of floral bouquets. The rug was thick and intricately patterned with red, gold, and black—no doubt rolled out of some dusty broom closet. Liza’s heels drove into the high pile with every step and teetered this way and that. There was a wooden platform with a DJ spinning nineties R and B. He sifted through crates of records, and Liza briefly wondered how anybody working with these developers could have found this legit DJ. He was reading the room, changing vibes according to what people nodded their heads to. He was currently in a Monica four-song set that had Janae and LeDeya screaming into their forks. Liza mightactuallycut a little rug tonight before she spoke truth to power.
A multicolored light show flashed on and off without the aidof any music, and the chairs were covered in white linen that reflected the lights. The overall effect was like everybody’s cousin’s wedding—you know, the cousin you’re not really close to but you go because you heard there would be shrimp.
Whispers swelled in the corners of the ballroom. She saw a crowd hovering around a small group of people.
The money’s here.
