Chapter 9
Dre’
Holding up my empty glass, I caught the bartender’s attention. “Give me another round, man.”
As the twenty-something African American male mixed my Bacardi and Coke, I turned and surveyed the enormous room. It was eye-catching with its sleek, clean, and sexy modern design. The usual crowd was not out in force this evening, unlike two Fridays ago, when it was standing room only. I assumed many of the regular patrons had made plans to attend the Maxwell and Jill Scott concert, which was the talk of the town.
I reached for my drink, which the bartender had placed in front of me, on a white napkin, and took a big gulp. This workweek had been a killer, and I needed a weekend break, preferably with a fine female companion, to recoup. However, I noticed the few women at the bar were coupled up, and as I glanced around, no one in particular caught my eye, anyway. I realized the evening was still young, and I intended to hang out a bit longer.
I pulled out my cell, dialed the familiar digits, and listened to it ring a couple of times.
“Hello.”
“What’s up, man?” I asked.
“Nothing much. What you getting into tonight?”
“I’m here at the spot.”
“You getting started early, aren’t you?” Xavier asked.
“Man, it’s the weekend, and it couldn’t have come any sooner. I’ve told you that all of us normal, ordinary people aren’t fortunate enough to work from home and pen tall tales.” I laughed good-humoredly, taking another gulp of my drink and relishing the mellow mood it was putting me in. My job was a high-pressure one, and at times like this, I simply needed to relax and regroup.
“Dre’, you know you are closing million-dollar deals and bringing home big-ass commission checks. Who are you fooling? That shit makes your dick hard, and you wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
“What can I say?” I laughed again. “Your pretty young thing still got you hemmed up?”
Xavier chuckled. “No, I put her on a plane last night, but I think she is still a little pissed.”
“Why? I figured she would leave with a big smile on her face.”
“Dre’, you stupid man.” He laughed.
“I’m just glad you came to your senses and are getting back out there.”
“I was never gone, man. Besides, I fooled around with Bailey out in L.A. She was something to do, and hanging with her made the time go by quicker.”
“You could have fooled me, because when you first came back to Houston, I was worried about your ass for a minute.”
“Why?”
“Because you were all hemmed in at your house, acting like you were afraid to venture outside and be seen in public.”
There was a telling silence.
“You there?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m here. There may be some truth to that. I was in a bad place. There is no doubt about that.”
“Damn, man. Forget about that psycho once and for all.”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds, but I’m coming out of it. Better days are ahead. I can feel it.”
“On a serious tip, do you think you should talk to someone about what happened?” I asked, bracing for his response as I scoped out the new crowd of beautiful women who had entered the building.
“I know you aren’t talking about a shrink.”
“Yes.”
“Dre’, I’m not that far gone. It’s just different. It’s hard to explain... . It’s difficult being back here because this is where it all went down. Believe it or not, I know you and I joke around about a lot of it, but it was a traumatic experience. I’m not going to lie. I’m adjusting day by day, and it’s not going to happen overnight.”
“I know I kid around a lot. That’s just me. But I’m here for you. Got your back. Always will.”
“I know that, and I appreciate it, Dre’.”
“What’s up with baby girl? Why her drawers in a bunch, or does she wear any? Why she pissed off at you?”
“Bailey is trying her best to inch her way into a relationship, and I’m not having it. No way, no how.”
“What’s the deal with all these desperate women you attract?”
“Who you asking?”
“Did you hurt baby girl’s feelings?”
“No, not intentionally. I enforced some ground rules, and evidently, that didn’t sit well with her.”
“Do what you have to do, man. I’m not mad at ya. You are definitely going to have every gold-digging chick out there trying to hook up with you now, palms wide open. If you thought you could get the drawers before, you haven’t seen anything yet. Didn’t I tell you about the two women I met here two weeks ago? They were seriously into you. Talking about having your babies and picking out china patterns.”
Xavier laughed. “Yeah, you told me. You also informed me how you turned the tables and used our friendship to your advantage.”
“Ain’t no shame in my game. Besides, I didn’t lie, and it worked. I hit it until the early morning hours.”
“Well, personally, I’m not going through what I went through with Pilar ever again. Even though I still don’t feel I sent mixed signals, from this point on, I’m going to make my intentions very clear with every female I date. If their feelings get hurt in the breakdown, then they need to step if they can’t handle the truth.”
“I hear you, my brotha. Just make sure you do it after you hit it, and then you can quit it,” I suggested, downing the last of my drink.
“Man, just handle your own business. Don’t worry about mine.”
“I intend to do just that,” I declared as a brown beauty slowly walked my way, making intense eye contact. I flashed a smile and quickly hung up with Xavier. It looked like the evening was going to be interesting, after all. In the time it took her to cross the room and arrive by my side at the bar, I decided that there was something familiar about her. I felt like I had seen her or met her before. I couldn’t put my finger on where, though.
When she strolled up beside me, with whatever intoxicating fragrance she was wearing, and I realized she was even more beautiful up close, all thoughts except getting with her went out the door.
Then she looked over at me with beautiful, expressive eyes, smiled, and said in a sexy tone, “Hi. My name is Milan.”
“And I’m Dre’,” I stated, extending my hand. “Milan, what a beautiful name for a gorgeous lady.” I swear to you when our hands touched, electricity ignited, and I knew I was in for an adventure. Just like that, I was pulled in.
In hindsight, I realized I should have listened to my first instinct, that inner voice whispering in my head. But I guess that’s why it’s called hindsight, because at that moment I was feeling no pain.