Page 25 of Taste The Smoke
“Sold,” the first woman said. “When’s your next opening?”
Alonzo shared a smile with Sonya as she gave more details and booked the appointment. The women also purchased oils, bath salts, and bath bombs.
“I’m going to start taking you with me to all the events I do. You had these women spending two and three times the amount they originally planned. And that was the third group who booked.”
“Hey, the goal is to run a profitable business, with the emphasis onprofitable.”
“You ain’t said nothing but a word, big brother.” They did a fist bump. “Where’s Kenya?”
“I left her up on the deck.” He was anxious to get back to her. Hearing her say she wasn’t afraid of love anymore had made his heart beat faster and it had taken everything in him not to blurtout how much he’d come to love her. Alonzo was trying his best to keep their relationship at a slow pace, but this was out of his control.
“Since the rush is over, I can handle things for a while. I’ll holler if I need you again.”
“Okay.” He slid everything back over to her side for easier reaching and stepped from behind the table.
Sonya caught his hand. “I really like her, Lonzo, and I know you’re in love with her.”
“What, you’re a mind reader now? I never said anything about being in love.”
“You don’t have to. I’ve known you all my life and can read you as well as you read me. You love her. Yes, it’s only been a couple of months, but you can’t put a timetable on love or plan it. Mom will tell you that in a heartbeat. She and Dad metandmarried within a three-month span, and if you haven’t noticed, that fire is still burning forty-five years later. Don’t let her get away. I can tell that you bring out the best in each other just from seeing you two together those few minutes.”
“I hear you, and yeah, I do love her,” he confessed. Love not having a timetable got his attention. “I’m not sure she’s ready to hear it, though. She’s had a lot of pain where love’s concerned.”
“And you’re the perfect person to change her perspective. Now, go get your girl. And tell her you love her. Those words could be the one thing that takes away her doubt and fear.”
Alonzo hugged Sonya. “Thanks, sis.”
“You can thank me by getting me that sister.”
“I’ll see you later. Text me if you need me.” He made his way through the crowd of people vying for vendor attention, dancing to the music that could be heard throughout the vessel, and those lounging around smoking, eating and generally enjoying themselves. Spotting Kenya at one of the ship’s bars, he maneuvered to her side.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Kenya spun around, her smile wide. “Hey, handsome. How did the sales go?”
“They went well. We booked a couple of group spa days, as well.”
“Oooh, I should do that with my mom and sister. They would love it.” She took a sip from the bottle of water she’d purchased.
“You should. We’ll make it extra special.” He noticed something in her hand. “What are you eating?”
“It’s a brownie bite.” She leaned forward and whispered with a giggle, “They’re good, but not as good as mine. Here, take a little bite.”
“Kenya, where did you get that?” He suspected she’d gotten an edible.
“There was a nice lady at one of the tables selling them, but she was nice enough to give me a sample to try when I told her I’d never had an edible before.”
“Baby, you know that has weed in it?”
She nodded. “I only took a couple of small bites, and the woman said it wouldn’t have too much of an effect. But I’m already feeling…happy? Yeah, happy. Try it.” She broke off a small piece.
Alonzo sighed. Most of the edibles tended to be pretty potent, especially for someone with no experience in taking them. He took the bite she offered. As she’d said, it tasted good, but not like the ones she’d made, once they finally got around to eating them. “It’s pretty good, but I’ll take yours any day.”
Kenya patted his cheek. “See, that’s why I like you. You always know the right things to say. Can we go back upstairs? I love looking at the water.”
“Let’s go.” They ended up near the same spot where they’d been earlier. Standing near the railing, he observed her relaxed features. That small portion she’d eaten had made her lessinhibited and he wondered if this would reveal the true woman, the one that had been buried beneath all the pain and betrayals she’d suffered. He stood behind her as she gazed out over the water as the sun started to go down. She swayed to the mid-tempo song playing, the sight of her round butt tempting him to show her another dance, especially when she gyrated her butt against his rapidly growing erection.
“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve heard this song before, but I like it.” Kenya angled her head thoughtfully. “And the words are exactly what I feel with you.”
