Chapter Nine
Takira
I’m debating between two dresses for dinner—which, according to what Lotus told me on the flight here, will be a pretty snazzy affair this first night—when my cell phone rings in my purse. I grab it and continue my perusal of the closet.
“Neevah! Hey, honey. How’s Iceland?”
“So gorgeous. We have to come back together.”
“Well, this time it’s just you and Canon, which is exactly how it should be now that the movie has wrapped. Girl, everyone, and I do mean everyone, is so excited for Dessi Blue.”
“I know! We get asked about it everywhere we go. Now that we’ve locked screen, Canon can finally relax some.”
“And I hope he’s making you relax, too.” I try to keep my voice worry-free, though Neevah’s health scares during shooting probably shaved a couple of years off my life.
“My man is taking good care of me,” she assures.
“He better. Let him know he’ll have me to deal with if you come home wore out.”
“You just worry about getting wore out on that boat for the next two weeks. You there yet?”
Of course, I told Neevah about Naz’s invitation and our past and the sexual tension so thick you could cut it with a pair of shears. Over the phone, I waffled on whether or not to accept Lotus’s invitation and go on the cruise. My best friend was pro-go, but that’s probably because Neevah’s so happy with her man, she wants me to find someone, too.
“I’m here, yeah,” I answer, still studying my two wardrobe options—a slinky pantsuit and a slinky dress. Either way, it’ll be slinky. “Getting ready for dinner.”
“How is it?” Neevah asks, barely disguised excitement in her voice.
“The yacht is huge, and everything is top tier.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Boat nice. Got it, but what about him? How is he?”
“Dangerous.” I flop down onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling. “He kisses like a god and finger-fucks me like I’m his whore.”
“Love that for you. I think the way to your heart will ultimately run straight through that pussy.” Neevah cackles. “But why is that dangerous?”
“I told you how my brother is about him. Cliff just got better. I can’t do that to him. Or at least, he can’t find out what I’m doing. I’m giving in to this for two weeks, and then it’s over. It’s a fling.”
“What if Naz doesn’t want it to stop at the end of two weeks? What if you don’t? Do you just sacrifice your happiness because of your brother’s misplaced bitterness?”
“No.” I close my eyes and release a troubled sigh. “I’ll figure it out. I just want… I need this, Neeve.”
In the silence between us, all the disappointments I’ve experienced over the years convene.
“You know the hell dating has been for me.” I toy with a braid that slipped from my top knot. “Tinder disasters, blind dates, unsatisfying hook-ups, wannabe sugar daddies.”
“Whew, chile. If one more old man tries to pay your rent.”
“One day I’mma take it. Just lemme get tired of paying my own way. RIP to my feminism,” I chuckle.
“Remember that last one offered you his ‘vintage classic,’ as he called it?”
“But why was it a Cutlass Supreme?” I pull my knees up to my chest and roll to my side, shaking with laughter.
There’s nobody I’d rather laugh with than Neevah. We’ve been together a long time. Roommates in New York when we were both scraping and scratching to make it. We’ve supported each other through every tiny break and vowed that when the big one came, we’d bring the other up, too.
And that’s exactly what Neevah did when she was cast in Dessi Blue. It changed both our lives. There’s no one I trust more.
“Neeve, I’ve never wanted anyone like this,” I whisper, the confession slipping out before I can stop it. “I hadn’t been on the ship an hour and this man was knuckle-deep in me.” I sit up straight for emphasis, even though she cannot see me. “Inside me, Neeve, and he could’ve gotten it. Day one.”