Page 3 of Finesse
That night, he rubbed the oil all over my body before he made love to me. His lips sucked on every piece of flesh until they landed on my pussy, where he savored it like a long-lost meal.
“You’re here much earlier than I thought you would be, Tay.” Hayley’s smoky voice booms through the doors and I snap out of my memory. I’m annoyed and relieved.
My best friend since birth, Hayley, is my second-in-command. She’s a light-skinned girl with a curious K-pop obsession and large curly hair. She also has a thing for clear Hello Kitty glasses despite she has perfect vision.
She’s been my ride or die since forever and I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.
“Coffee can’t make itself.” I reply as I start another pot. “How was your date last night, boo?”
“It was great. It was nice to go out without a kid attached to my hip,” she heads to the locker room and quickly puts an apron on. She’s wearing a tank top and blue jeans with her full tattoo sleeves showing. “I got a free meal and he got a BJ so it was a win-win for both of us.”
“You’re such a hustler, Hay.” I shake my head. All of these rappers keep talking about pimps and yet, here was my girl making it a science.
“I’m a hustler, baby.” She sings in her Pharrell voice. She went into the refrigerator and started taking out the cookie dough. “So, what’s new with you?”
“Nothing but the rent.” I reply as I prepare the coffee machines. “I officially inherited Daddy’s house but I don’t know if I want to stay in it. It might be too big for me.”
“Okay, Cat Lady.” Hayley shook her head and I flip her off. “You’ve been single for a year and you already assume you won’t be getting married.”
“It’s not so much being single for a year but I just don’t want to mess with men anymore.” Hayley’s eyebrows rose. “No, I’m not gay, neither. I am tired, though.”
“You keep dating the wrong ones, Pooh.” Hayley scooped up some dough and put it on the cookie sheet. “That’s your problem.”
“Well, duh.” I can admit when I’m wrong. Every guy has reminded me of whathenever was. Every guy reminded me of whatheused to do. Every guy, I compared tohimon some level.
No wonder my Black ass stayed single. “I just need to get everything settled with Daddy’s estate first.” I take out a step stool and start to straighten some cupboards. “And maybe once the business is settled and everything is ran perfect as can be, I can entertain someone.”
There was a small silence between us as Hayley put the cookies in the oven and I continued to straighten the cupboards. “So, Finesse asked about you the other day.” Hayley suddenly spoke.
I was waiting for her to mentionhim. I knew she saw him at the funeral and out of respect for me, she didn’t talk to him in front of me. I’m sure they’ve exchanged words at some point. “That’s lovely.”
Hayley turned towards me and I feel baby girl’s energy from under the Hello Kittys. I concentrated on the putting the coffee bags just right. I always had a bit of anal retentiveness when it came to business and it paid off. It was voted the most successful shop in East Atlanta.
Hearing my ex’s name clearly bothered me more than she wanted to admit. Maybe there were some unresolved issues between us or me just being salty at the way things ended. We never did have any closure. It was just a full stop.
Maybe that was the way things were meant to be. Sometimes when there’s no closure, you need to create your own. I did and apparently, he didn’t. Or maybe I’m just overreacting. For all I know, he just came to pay his respects and that’s it.
I feel Hayley’s eyes poring through me. I’ve never spoken much about my relationship with Finesse after the breakup because there wasn’t a damn thing to say about it. “You’re okay with him being in town?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I shrug. “It’s not that he ever left.”
“Well, the fact you two used to date…” Hayley began.
“That was a long time ago.” I reply. It really wasn’t. A year, two weeks, and three days to be exact, but who’s really counting?
“The fact he was your first true love and you were together for damn near six months,” Hayley mentions like I somehow forgot.
Believe me, I’ve tried in vain to forget about that. Six months is not a long time to be committed to someone. I chalk it up to I was in college and about to graduate. I didn’t need a lot of time to wonder if Finesse would “wait for me.”
When a man has to choose between the love of the streets and the love of a woman, there’s no question which comes first and it damn sure is never the woman. “We’re not married nor did we ever make it to that point.” Not really the truth. The reminder of everything is still hidden in my bedroom.
“And the fact you have straightened out the same cupboard for the past ten minutes.” Hayley folded her arms. She watched me stood back and realized my mistake. “I mean, how many times are you gonna stack the same shelf, Pooh?”
I manage to step down and look at my work. The cabinets could be a tad bit straighter but that’s good enough. I need to wipe down the tables and set the chairs. And finally, I need to have that classic smile my daddy always had when he greeted every customer.
It didn’t matter how big or small their wallets were, everyone got the same treatment from him. I hope to embody that and make him proud.
“I’m done stocking,” I say with a proud smile. “How are the cookies coming along?”
