Page 11 of They Call Me Dom

“Bye, Briya. Get the fuck out before I call the police.”

I tapped my gun against my thigh, signaling I was done talking and playing games. Briya nodded through her tears and rushed past me to get her shit. I looked at Zay then slammed and locked my door. I sat at my kitchen island and allowed my tears to flow and keep me company. Things didn’t go as I planned. I had every intention of mending my relationship with my best friend. Clearly, it wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t long before Briya walked out with multiple bags. She stopped next to me and sniffled. I looked at her. Briya struggled with removing my key from her key ring, but eventually, she got it. She placed it on the island then walked out the door. That bitch left my door wide open, but oh well. Briya could be mad all she wanted to. She put herself in this situation.

Once I made sure my house was locked up properly, I walked into my room, rolled up a fatty, then showered. When I completed my hygiene routine, I smoked my blunt and read my Bible. Hot girls read their Bible too. I needed some guidance and clarity from my Father. I knew I’d made the right decision when it came to Briya and Zay, but losing a friend felt like losing my man. It pained me like hell to let her go, but I prayed one day we’d come back together.

Lucid’s was bussin’on this Wednesday night. It was so busy that I walked through the crowd, balancing a tray on both hands while in eight-inch heels. It was packed because college basketball was on, and everyone wanted to make sure their brackets were on point. Since it was a full house, I wore a sheer, dark green blouse with black nipple tassels. I paired it with a black skater skirt, sheer black tights, and black heels. The look I donned tonight was my favorite of the week so far. I struttedthrough the crowd and placed one tray of drinks and shots down before I moved to my second table. The men were rowdy and drunk, and I’d be glad when they left.

I’d just set down their drinks and food when one of them grabbed onto me and pulled me onto his lap.

“Why you squirming to get away from me, girl? I could make you so happy tonight,” he spoke through his drunken state.

He reeked of days old liquor, had a beer belly, and a huge bald spot. The drunk man looked as if he was once a ladies’ man, but he had surely fell off.

“Take yo’ fucking hands off me, and let me go!” I yelled.

“Come on, baby girl. It’s been a while since I slid in some pussy that looked like you,” he pleaded, laughing and showcasing his missing side teeth.

“And yo’ ass won’t tonight. Now, let me go!”

I looked around the room frantically for our security guards, but they couldn’t hear me because it was so packed and loud. The men with him laughed and cheered him on as he groped my breasts. I twisted and tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he was too strong. Using the bit of freedom I had, I reached for my serving tray, but I slipped to the floor. I looked up to see Laila had come to my rescue. She had that drunk man’s arm twisted behind him and his face mashed against the table.

“When a lady says no, don’t, stop, and let me go, you’re supposed to fucking listen, not be a creep and take what you want. I should lock all you bitches up for sexual harassment and standing by while a woman gets assaulted,” Laila stated with a mug.

I looked at the drunk men, and they all wore looks of pity while remaining silent.

“Do you want to file a report, Dom?”

I chewed on my bottom lip. I wanted to, but I needed to work in order to pay my bills.

“No. I don’t want to. I just want them gone.”

Laila nodded. “Y’all bitches lucky. Now, get y’all raggedy asses up, and leave this place now, or I’ll have y’all napping in county. You assholes decide.”

Laila applied pressure to the drunk man’s arm, and he cried out.

“Argh! I’m sorry. I’ll leave. I’ll leave! Please don’t break my arm. I-I need it to work,” he pleaded.

“You should’ve thought about that before you touched what didn’t belong to you.”

She added a little more pressure, and his friends got up and quickly staggered away. Laila released him, and he got up and limped away. He held his arm and moved as fast as his chubby legs could carry him. Laila walked over to me and held out her hand. I grabbed it with a smile, and she pulled me up with ease.

“How are you, beautiful?” she questioned, gently wiping me off.

“A little shaken up, but I’m better now that you’re here,” I answered.

I was really uncomfortable and felt dirty from his nasty and grubby hands, but Laila made me feel safe and comfortable. She grabbed onto my hand and led me over to her usual table. Laila waited for me to take a seat then she sat next to me.

We sat side by side with her arm wrapped around my waist. I rested my head on her shoulder as we sat in silence. Laila brought me more peace and solace than I’d had in a while. My situation with Briya was still fresh, and tears slid down my face. I silently cried, inciting Laila to make a move. Laila handed me a napkin, allowing me to be as vulnerable as I needed to in this moment. If it wasn’t one thing, it was something else. I’d be glad when I had someone in my life. Laila and Surtain had each other to carry the weight. It must have been nice.

After I calmed down, I signaled for my manager and explained to her what happened. She was empathetic and offered me to leave early. Linda would’ve still given me all my hours and tips, but I declined. I wanted to be in the one space that I enjoyed. Laila spoke to Linda about amping up security, especially on busy nights like this. She didn’t like that something more serious could’ve happened had she not shown up. Linda agreed then left to get on top of her business. I knew she didn’t want to lose me or risk getting slapped with a lawsuit, so she took Laila’s suggestions and ran with it. Dimples walked up some time after and took me and Laila’s order. Once we were eating and drinking, I was able to open up a little more.

“Tell me how was your day other than that situation?” Laila probed.

“It was pretty good. I made some good tips. How was your day?”

“Nothing new. Raids, trying to reduce the sell and creation of illegal substances and loads of damn paperwork. Same shit.”

“But you like your job, right?”

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