Page 98 of Curvy Girl Summer

“You can’t make chicken better than I can,” he teased.

“Well, I didn’t know it was a competition, but since you want to go there—we can do a cook-off anytime.”

He leaned closer, bringing his face inches from mine. “Just name the day and time, and I’m on it.”

“You don’t intimidate me. Not with your chicken”—I lightly bumped my forehead to his—“and not with your big-ass head.”

He cracked up.

The sound gave me butterflies.

Standing up straight, he pointed to the door. “Okay, Green Arrow, I’m tired of your shit. Get out of here,” he joked.

My eyes widened. “You’re going to play it like you’re kicking me out when I was already leaving?” I snickered. “Wow, Ahmad.”

“I invited you to stay longer, but you’re playing—pretending like you’re going to cook chicken at midnight.”

“You’re in my business.”

He gestured down the bar. “I have work to do. You good?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“See you Friday?”

I took a step back. “If I’m the highlight of your Friday night, just say that.”

Grinning, he shook his head. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“See you Friday,” I called behind him.

He winked at me and then proceeded to take the man’s order.

Despite how my date went, I felt really good as I walked out of Onyx. I’d just gotten to the corner and pressed the crosswalk button when I heard my name called.

“Aaliyah?”

Startled, I turned. “Asia! Hey!”

“Hey!” She switched her bag strap from one shoulder to the other. “Are you heading home?”

“Yeah, it’s late.” I gestured to her cute bag. “Are you leaving early tonight?”

“I am. I’m tired and I have to be back here tomorrow, so I told them I’m not closing.”

“I know that’s right!”

The signal indicated we could walk across the street. “I’m parked over there,” Asia informed me, so we both crossed. “So, I have a question. As I was leaving, you and Ahmad had your heads smushed together.”

Shit.I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, and it took everything in me to not trip over my own feet.Shit shit shit shit shit!

I knew how it looked, and that was the last thing I wanted for either of us. I would never knowingly get with a married man. And Ahmad had been nothing but a good friend to me and a loyal—as far as I could tell—partner to his wife.

“He just had jokes because I have on green. He called me the green M&M and Green Arrow. You know how he is. Just jokes all the time,” I explained in a rush. “And he said he could cook betterchicken than I could, so we were going back and forth, and then he got in my face. It was to be intimidating. It wasn’t… I’m sure it looked wild from the outside looking in, but it was innocent.”

“Innocent, huh?”

I glanced over at her.

---