Page 32 of Sweetest Temptation
“Okay… What do you want me to promise you?” I sat down on the bed and began to moisturize my skin with my tropical fruit shea body butter.
“That you let your hair down on this trip. I want you to enjoy yourself.”
“I can do th?—”
She cut me off, shaking her finger in my face. “No, friend. For real. Whatever you want to do on this trip, do it. Don’t even think twice about it. Just go with the flow. I know this is a business trip, but you have free days before and after the work. Have a good time. Hell, find you a big dick, or three, to ride.”
“Nyala!” I hollered and fell back on the bed, cackling at her last statement.
“What? I’m for real. Shidd! I’m telling the truth. I know your ass is tired of them damn toys, girl.” She scuffed and playfully rolled her eyes.
“Paul does me just fine, bitch. He never lets me down, and never cheats on me.” I spoke of my rose vibrator. And I left out that Samir blessed me with some dick not too long ago.
“Who the hell is Paul, bitch?” She looked confused.
“My rose toy.” I pursed my lips.
She sucked her teeth. “Girl, bye. All my vibrator does for me is make me want to either get licked or maybe stuffed with some dick.” We both fell out laughing. “On the real, though. Can you do that for me? As a matter of fact, do it for yourself, Nova. You deserve to just be… free. No worrying about the bakery. No worrying about that no-good nigga. No worrying about when the house gonna sell. Nothing. We are making this trip all about you.”
Looking at Nyala, I struggle to produce a comeback. My friend was right. I couldn’t say shit to object to anything she’d just said. I was ready to let my hair down. Fuck it!
“Okay… I guess I can do that,” I agreed.
“Yesss!” This crazy-ass girl stood up and started jumping on the bed. “Okay, so look. There’s a bonfire party out on the beach tonight. They are going to have music and free liquor. My type of party. Anddd!” She plopped back down on her butt. “I signed us up for this meet-and-greet party. It’s the same night of the pre-opening gala, but we should be done with the desserts for the gala before then.” She smiled widely, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Yes, I plan to be done early. Tanya is going to help me set up the table, and then the hotel staff will man it from there. Why are they having a meet and greet on the same night?” I was skeptical.
“Umm. You’ll just have to come and find out, friend. The guy did say there’s a twist…”
“No, Nyala… What kind of twist?” Knowing her, I’d have to get naked or some wild shit.
When she gave me a “Bitch, didn’t we just discuss this?” look, I closed my mouth. I guess I was about to be in these Ibiza skreets!
I stood in front of the full-length mirror, taking in the sight of my reflection. The sheer dress clung to my curves in all the right places, accentuating my figure beautifully. The fabric was delicate and almost ethereal, adding a touch of elegance and making me feel both sexy and sophisticated. I let my braids hang loosely down my back and added some mousse to give them some shine. As much as I loved the look, a wave of self-consciousness washed over me. I haven’t worn anything this revealing in a long time, and the thought of stepping out in public like this made my heart race.
I’ve put on a few pounds over the months, and even though Nyala and my mom said the weight went to all the right places, I didn’t see it that way. The hot pink, two-piece bikini set I wore underneath could easily be seen due to the thin fabric. I felt exposed and visible.
I ran my hands down the sides of my body, feeling the smooth texture against my fingertips, as I tried to quell the nervous flutter in my stomach. I bit my lip, debating whether I could actually pull this look off. The short dress being abnormal for me didn’t stop the confident and radiant feeling, though.As I applied some Savage Fenty clear gloss to my lips, my phone started to ring. I looked down, and the screen flashed an unknown number. A small, involuntary smile tugged at my lips, and my chest fluttered for reasons I didn’t want to fully admit.
“Hello?” I answered, trying to keep my voice casual.
“So you block my number, making me have to call you from different numbers for you to answer my calls, Nova?” A rough, familiar voice snarled on the other end.
“For one, why are you calling me to begin with? We are no longer together, Jerome. We are divorced. I am no longer your problem.” I sighed.
“I told you… that will never happen. And why I go by the house, and it has a For Sale sign out front? You trying to sell our house, Nova?”
“I’m trying to sellmyhouse,” I said, calm but firm, letting the finality of it hang between us. “What’s it to you?”
There was a pause, and a hiss of frustration could be heard from the other end. I let it linger, no longer obligated to explain anything to this man. I wasn’t about to argue, expound, or justify shit. Not today.
“Where did you move to? It better not be with no nigga! If you are, I swear?—”
“Swear, what? I’m single and can see and fuck whoever I want. Bye!”
I hung up, letting the phone drop back onto the dresser. My chest fluttered from the freedom I’d claimed in the mere two minutes on the phone with him. I gave myself one last once over before heading into the second bedroom that Nyala was in. She came over to my suite to do my makeup and decided she might as well get dressed here instead of going back down to her suite. She stated her junior suite wasn’t as big as mine, but still had the panoramic view.
“Aw, bitch! Is that my best friend? You are wearing that outfit, boo!” She gushed over me.
