Page 18 of Mr. On Your Knees
Jared sat back in his chair and nodded. “But where’s the fun in that? You’re the one who called me a couple months ago bragging about the beautiful singer who’d broken your “never again” mantra and was now living with you.”
“True. True. My Willow is beautiful,” Slay said, pride and love prominent in his tone.
“And she can sing,” Jared added. “That new single she has is hot.”
“It is, man. And it’s so good to see her coming into the dream she’s been cultivating all her life. I’m so fuckin’ proud of her,” Slay told him.
“As you should be,” Jared said. “Now, I need you to bring your girl over here to sing at my event. It’ll be just the splash we need to get us lots of social media coverage.”
“You’re talking about the Juneteenth event the Mr. Black Organization always does? I remember coming to town years ago for a special VIP session at one of them for Uncle Charles. Of course, that was before they made it a national holiday and more public events started to happen.”
“Right,” he said. “I remember that too. So, can she do it? It would be a huge favor and I know I’d owe you one. But I also understand if she can’t. I saw on her Instagram her CD’s coming out later this summer and she’ll be announcing tour dates soon.”
“Yeah,” Slay said. “But that’s not until July. I’d have to talk to Willow and then she can get with her agent to make sure there’re no conflict first. But you know I got you. I still owe you one for all that mess I got you into a few years back.”
Jared shook his head as he recalled the night that changed his life. “Nah, that wasn’t on you, man. I didn’t have to go to the club with you and I didn’t have to come back and tell Desi about it.”
Slay had been in town to check on the Miami location of The Corporation as a favor to one of the higher-ups in the company. It was a quick turnaround trip so he’d asked Jared to ride with him to do the check at the club and then they’d head out to get some dinner. Jared agreed, but when they got to the club, there were a few issues Slay had to work through and he told Jared to use his guest pass to see the sights or partake of any goodies he wanted to get into. Jared had seen the sights, but he hadn’t partaken of anything. Hadn’t been able to get Desi off his mind the entire time.
“She’s back,” he said quietly. “Desi.”
“Word? You got your girl back?”
“No,” he said shaking his head. “She’s working on this event with me, so she’s kind of back in my life.”
Slay was silent for a moment. “You want her back for good, don’t you?”
“I never wanted her to leave,” Jared said.
“I don’t know about that, man. You did say you felt like you were being smothered with all the talk of buying a house together and hypothetical children,” Slay pointed out.
But he hadn’t needed to remind Jared at all. He knew all the things he’d said before, all the fears he’d felt in those weeks leading up to his trip to the club and those disastrous weeks afterward. “Yeah, I know. But I was wrong,” he said. “You know after I found out why my mom really left my dad; I started thinking about all the stuff I’d told myself about relationships.”
“I know. And I told you then to go get your girl back,” Slay said.
Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know.”
“Well.”
“Well, what?” Jared asked.
“You gonna go get your girl back this time or what?”
Desi
The Mahogany Lounge was one of the few Black Woman-owned cigar bar and lounges in the city. It was a two-story structure in the Miami Beach area with indoor and outdoor seating. Desi and her girls enjoyed going to the upper level, because it was quieter up there. The lighting was dim, with cranberry painted walls and low music that provided a more laid-back ambiance than the livelier section downstairs and outside. Deciding they wouldn’t be smoking tonight they took a booth close to the bar. They’d been there for all of forty minutes and she was ready to go.
She just wasn’t feeling it tonight and had tried to back out but Lauren wasn’t hearing it, texting:
Lauren: Oh no heffa, you’re coming. This is my one night out and you’re gonna spend it with me.
Desi:You didn’t say that when Kita canceled.
Lauren:Kita still has clients in her shop. You’ve been off since your site visit this afternoon, so get dressed!
Desi hadn’t even bothered with a reply. This was a repetitive conversation, had been in the three weeks since she’d come face-to-face with Jared again. For whatever reason she hadn’t wanted to be out and about now that she’d seen him. Evenings after she’d had her dinner, a soak in the tub and a glass of wine while she lay in bed were for thinking about him. Those evenings were actually reserved for reading or watching one of her comfort shows, but not recently. He’d been on her mind so much she’d chastised herself each morning and vowed to stop the madness on each new day. But it hadn’t stopped. In fact, after that kiss her thoughts of Jared had only increased.
She wanted him and she hated herself for it.
