“…Okay.”
“Now, you’ve said this more than once, so, I’m going to address it this time around. Just because a guy wouldn’t mind having sex with you, that guy being me, and is sexually charmed by you doesn’t mean he wants easy sex from every lady he meets. Some women you smash and forget. Some women you smash and maintain a loose friendship with for occasional benefits down the line. Some women you take a bit more time with. We make that determination on some shit you probably don’t understand, because you’re not a man, and it might sound chauvinistic, but we think differently than y’all, and that’s just the bottom line. On top of that, English, I’m not screwin’ anyone else right now, but I’d tell you if I was. Now, could I have sex with someone else tonight? Yes, because like you said, we have no commitment to one another.
“We’re dating. Nothin’ more, nothin’ less. Lastly, contrary to whatever you think about me, with my high sex drive and all, because yeah, it’s off the Richter scale, I’m not some wild animal out here humping everything in a skirt. I have self-control. I did all that runnin’ around in my teens and twenties, and I’m over it. I use discretion with who I sleep with because my dick is just as important as your pussy, pardon my French. I’m not trying to get some lady I don’t even like accidentally pregnant, so I’m careful nowadays. I got a little money… a few assets, things like that. I have a lot to lose if I hook my wagon to the wrong horse, but most of all, women get too damn attached to me after sex.”
“Ohhhh, brother!” She burst out laughing. “Welcome to the planet of Ego, where Axel Hendrix is not only a client, but the president!”
“I’m serious! Everything I want to achieve, and that includes bedroom activities and proclivities, I put my whole heart into.” We spend more time talking about the shit, than doing anything about it. She’s always bringing this up. But whatever. “Yeah, I want to have sex with you, that’s a given, but it’s not consuming my mind.” But it sure is consuming yours, English. “And for the record, because this really pissed me off about you, I wasn’t going to try anything on our first date by inviting you to my home, regardless of what you believed.”
“I don’t believe you, but damn, are you smooth. You could talk the skin off a snake.”
“Naw, I’m just a real motherfucker, English. You’re not used to guys like me because we’re rare, so you don’t know how to respond. I’m not pullin’ your leg, or playing games. Every ex-girlfriend of mine can say plenty of shit about me, but one thing they can’t say is that I pretended to be somebody I wasn’t. I’d rather eat crumbs with bums, than steaks with snakes. I can see through people. I can tell who’s real and who’s fake. That’s why I’m still talking to you… because we’ve got some things in common, and I can tell that you’re a good person, and you’re just tryna live a good life.”
“I am… Maybe you’re right. I haven’t met anyone like you. Time will tell.”
“Time always brings out the truth. I don’t like fake clothes. Fake jewelry. Especially not fake people, including the women I date. I don’t surround myself with bullshit. I don’t talk bullshit in serious situations, either. If I tell you I’m going to help you, I am. If I tell you I’m going to fuck you up and make your life a living hell, I’m going to do that, too. I don’t do things that amount to a bunch of bull. Life is too short to waste pussyfootin’ around, being a great pretender. So, here’s my resume. Plain and simple.”
“Why would you need to show me your resume if we’re just dating? I know you’re speaking figuratively, but—”
“Because continuous dating with no plan in place is a waste of my time. I don’t casually date. I deal with women who I think I might be able to get serious with down the road. Now, you ain’t gotta to tell me no more horror stories about exes. I can see through it. I’m sure you weren’t no angel all the time, either. Smart people do the most shit because y’all can get away with it.” The woman burst out laughing and he smiled. “You’re laughing ’cause it’s true. I’m smart, too, and I know the things we do.”
“I was never a cheater, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“Not at all. I’m talking about being manipulative before we grow up and mature to get our way. Creating confusion so we can hide our dirty work. I played games like that when I was younger. Smart people have all kinds of tools of the trade. When you can fool so many, you can use it to cause harm, and I’m guilty of that, too. Just like I said. I ain’t perfect, honey. I can sometimes have a hell of a temper. Been told I am too jealous when in a relationship and micromanage folks at work. I got a mean streak for folks that cross me.”