Page 2 of Grown Folks Confessions: Black Lush

Before she could answer, she was interrupted by someone telling her one of the bathrooms was clogged. “Ugh,” Jade groaned. “I’m sorry, y’all, but let me handle this.”

Midas nodded. “Take care of your business. We gotta make our rounds anyway.”

Jade shot us a quick smile before she mumbled, “I’m about to start making a rule at my parties that number one is the only thing acceptable. If you gotta shit, take that mess to a gas station,” as she was walking away.

Midas and I spent the next twenty minutes working the room, even running into a few of our other cousins while we were there. Eventually, we made our way to the dance floor, the crowd juking to “Freek-A-Leek” by Petey Pablo. Personally, I was damn sick and tired of hearing the song, but if it got the party poppin’, who was I to complain?

Within seconds, Midas and I had a couple girls grinding their asses all over us, while red cups containing who-the-fuck-cared-what were thrust into our hands. I was a great dancer, but Midas was always on some extra shit since he belonged to a neighborhood dance crew. Which also meant girls were constantly trying to grind as hard as they could to bring him to his knees.

The shit was entertaining when we first entered high school and were doing things we shouldn’t have been doing. Now, me throwing back my drink and holding him up like I was currently, was getting boring.

“How does it feel knowing you’re the inferior cousin?” a feisty voice mocked behind me. A voice that dripped with sarcasm and threats of a good time if the muthafucka she was talking to played his cards right.

Today, that lucky bastard was me.

“Layla Payne.” Her name left my mouth in a whisper that only I could hear.I didn’t even have to turn fully around to know it was her. Layla was one of the leaders of the Hip Hop Beauties dance team now and was part of the battle squad known to the community as The Bomb Squad, but to us dudes, we called them the Beauties.

“Oh, come on, LP, insulting me with a lie like that is like me teasing you about the fact that you didn’t make the top ten in the ranking this year.”

She popped me on the back of my head. “Boy, I don’t give a damn about the stupid ass ranking that you high school boys think mean something. It’s degrading and childish, and I know you and yo’ annoying ass cousins started that shit anyway.”

“I’m offended,” I balked. “To think me or anyone from my bloodline would start a list that ranks women based off looks and style is appalling.”

“Right,” she deadpanned. “I must have gotten you and your lot confused with another family full of shameless boys.”

I hadn’t turned around to see her yet, but I could feel the daggers she was shooting at me, each one feeling like another slap to the back of my head.

I motioned for one of my guys to take over holding up Midas and finally turned to face the woman who I fantasized about much more than I should.Damn.Seeing her punched me in the gut when I did. She was wearing this black dress that was hugging her curves in ways that should be illegal. Especially when in the presence of horny ass teenage boys. Her hair was curled at the ends, and she must have just applied a new coat of lip gloss because her mouth looked downright appetizing. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a way that said she was not to be fucked with.

Yet, that was my Layla.My Layla? Bruh, nah.Beautiful as ever and untouchable to me since shorty was well-versed in dating every dude except my ass.

I raised a curious eyebrow her way. “Jade said one of her girls needed to see me. Is it you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t want to talk here.” She glanced around the crowded room, and then nodded to the stairs. “Follow me.”

Anywhere.I didn’t risk sounding dumb as hell and saying it out loud, but I damn sure meant it. Layla was known for stopping any of my advances, but no matter how many times she turned me down, I wouldalwaysfollow her anywhere.

When we reached the top of the stairs, she walked to the last room at the end of the hall and unlocked the door.

“Man, you really are one of Jade’s best friends,” I stated. “She never gives out keys to the rooms of the place she rents out.” In Jade’s words, she wasn’t about to be cleaning up cum from walls and bedsheets after prior parties got a little too wild and crazy.

Layla shrugged. “She knew it was important for me to talk to you in private.” She locked the door behind us and proceeded to go into the farthest corner of the bedroom, her eyes on me, but her mind seeming a million miles away.

“Are you excited about the summer?” I asked, inwardly kicking myself for asking such a general question instead of laying my Ares’ charm on her.

“Of course,” she said. “I landed this great internship at an interior design firm in Chicago that I’m excited about.”

“I heard about it,” I admitted. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, then started looking around the bedroom at the art on the wall, then the en-suite bathroom door left ajar, only briefly stealing glances at me through her observations.

Five minutes later, she was still nervous and barely talking, but I had no idea why. “What’s up, LP?”

“Nothing much,” she answered too quickly, shrugging as she did so. “Just wanted to pull you aside for a bit.”

“And what can I do for you?”

She cleared her throat. “Don’t you and your crazy ass cousins celebrate … you know, unconventional holidays and shit?”

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