Page 45 of Certified Pressure
I smirked. “You would’ve scared her off wit’ all that damn grillin’ and heavy breathin’.”
Kay’Lo chuckled, “Man, y’all stupid. What else been goin’ down?”
I sipped my drink before I dropped the next piece. “Kashmere. I fucked her in the hot tub last night. That pussy still gotta nigga stuck.”
Blaqson looked up from his plate, his lips shiny. “She look like she got that grip.”
“I ain’t even gonna lie to y’all… I damn near blacked out.” I shook my head and laughed under my breath. “She stayin’. I don’t give a fuck what happen after this, she’s stayin’. That’s a given.”
Renza let out a whistle. “Damn… baby must got that voodoo grip.”
“It ain’t just the sex,” I added. “She funny, got a lil’ boldness to her, she don’t take herself too serious but she still keep it solid. The sex just caught me off guard.”
Kay’Lo nodded. “That’s the kind of shit that sneak up on you.”
I glanced out the tinted window, watchin’ the sun climb slow over the treetops, spillin’ light across the gravel drive and the blacked-out trucks parked out front. The estate was still quiet, but I knew behind them bedroom doors, the nerves was loud
“I got my list,” I finally said. “I ain’t second-guessin’ it neither.”
Blaqson wiped his hands and stood. “Then it’s time.”
By the time we stepped into the foyer, the women were lined up clean across the marble like runway dolls on display. They was dressed in everything tight, glittery, and desperate, but some of ‘em still held it with class. I could see nerves behind the lashes, and pride behind all the lip gloss. I stood in front of them, my arms crossed, and eyes movin’ from one face to the next.
Kashmere. Pluto. Lola. Jayla. Imani. Ariyah. Zaniyah. Chanel. Renae. Savannah. Taffy. Nyah. Soriya. Khari. Toni.
Fourteen would stay… one had to go.
I stepped forward and let the silence settle before I spoke. “First one I’m callin’… Toni Roc.”
Toni’s chin lifted just slightly, her lips partin’ like she was holdin’ her breath.
“It’s somethin’ about you, girl,” I said, my eyes locked on her. “You got this realness to you… like you ain’t never had the luxury of fakin’ it. You make a nigga feel looked after, and cared for. That’s rare.”
She stepped forward slowly, her lips curvin’ into a soft smile, then leaned up and kissed me on the lips. It wasn’t too long or too extra, but just enough to let me know she felt that.
I moved to the next. “Kashmere…”
She already knew. That smirk was sittin’ on her face like she’d been waitin’ on me to say her name. I let the corner of my mouth tug up.
“You already know why I’m keepin’ yo’ pretty ass.”
She gave a wink and strutted over without a word.
From there, I kept it movin’. I called Jayla, Renae, Chanel, Ariyah, Nyah, Savannah, Khari, Lola, Zaniyah, Soriya.
The numbers were shrinkin’, and now it was down to three.
Pluto…Imani…Taffy…
I looked at Pluto, and my eyes stayed there longer than they should’ve. She was tryna stay calm, but I could see her fingers twitchin’, and her bottom lip slightly tucked in. I could tell her heart was racin’.
“Come here,” I told her.
She walked slow and nervous, like she didn’t know what was waitin’ on the other end.
I reached for her hand and held it gently in mine, turnin’ to face her like we was standin’ in front of a preacher. Her eyes met mine, and even though she didn’t say nothin’, I could feel the weight of everything she wasn’t sayin’.
“You different,” I said. “You got somethin’ in you that feel like peace… but also like pressure. I ain’t gon’ lie, I been thinkin’ hard about this. You tellin’ me what you told me the other night… that ain’t light.”
