A handsome smile slowly curves onto the man’s face, causing him to instantly appear much younger than his former placid expression did. He extends his hand. “You must be Rayna,” he murmurs.
“Yes,” I answer as I shake his hand. “Please…come in,” I offer as I withdraw my arm behind me, following it up with a gesture.
The couple saunters in. I can’t ignore the popping of the gum that the woman does though I tell myself to ignore the discomfit of the sounds. They stop midway of the foyer to allow me to gain a lead. I do and walk them to the great room.
Offering them to have a seat, the doorbell rings again, alerting me of the next set of guests. Boy, are they prompt!
“Excuse me…I gotta grab that. Make yourselves comfortable,” I bid before leaving for the front door. I notice both of their nods as I turn on my heels.
On my way there, I notice my heart rate increasing. For the life of me, I can’t pinpoint the reason for my nervousness. I must calm down. A part of the new Rayna is confidence in this man’s world. I belong here, there’s no need to feel out of place or like the novice I am. He loves me I quote to myself before opening the door.
This time, what awaits me is an intriguing man with chestnut skin who immediately leans into the frame of the door, resting his shoulder there. There are two things that I pick up right away, one being he’s alone. I’m expecting another couple. The second thing is his squinty eyes underneath his thick eyebrows. They’re somewhat bushy, but not unkempt. In fact, though he isn’t drop dead gorgeous, in my opinion, I can see what his female admirers find attractive in him are those eyes that narrows in a way that carries a lure to him.
As he ogles me, I take inventory of him as well, only I’m not checking for goods, just his angle. His coquetry is well practiced and emits into the atmosphere, strangling me. I don’t know what to do.
Great! Azmir’s friend is flirting with me without opening his mouth! How do I respond to that? This is why I’m nervous!
“Damn, Divine,” the guy groans.
Whether I like it or not, I have to repel his lascivious vibes. I can’t kick the soiree off this way. How would I get through the evening? Trying to call on my brain that has been frozen by his audacity, I feel my back warm up at a speed that causes me to shiver. Then I smell him.
“I know, right?” Azmir hums into my ear. I can’t decipher if that response is directed at me or his buddy. “And that’s what I’m saying to myself in the rear view.”
I gaze up at my handsome, big guy who smells just as good as he looks in his all black. He’s wearing a cashmere sweater rolled up at the sleeves, dress pants and leather dress shoes. I could lick him. Abruptly, I become aware of my mouth opening.
I close it quickly when I hear, “Well, damn! I ain’t know you were working with all this, D.”
That’s his friend who’s still standing outside of the threshold, gawking at me in the most inappropriate way.
“And trust me when I say, you will never know,” Azmir growls in my ear, but is loud enough to be heard by his friend.
I swear I can feel the priapic heat radiating from Azmir’s friend in front of me and that of Azmir’s behind me, it’s that palpable. Only, I respond to one man’s scent. One man’s heat. And that’s proven by the trembling of my spine underneath him. Having my back bare also doesn’t help.
Azmir brushes against me as he rounds me to greet the man who’s still standing in the doorframe. “Get yo’ ass in here, man!” he jostles as he goes to give him dap. The guy laughs as he reciprocates.
“Glad to see you, D,” the friend returns. “Your digs is fancy as shit! My man!” I can hear the compliment in his words. He has a strong Brooklyn twang as well, provoking Azmir’s.
“Yeah…well…” Azmir humbly replies. The place really is immaculate. Even I haven’t gotten used to the immensity of it after living here for nearly four months. “Where’s your date? I thought you were bringing your ol’ lady?”
“I had a meeting with Def Jam before coming here, so she’s headed from home.”
“Cool,” Azmir mutters. “Glad you could make it.”
We move from the door and I instinctively start my way back into living room, but I can still hear their banter from behind me. I want to get to the other guests as to not be rude.
“So, how long have you been here, D? I thought you were still at the ranch out in Pasad—” is all I heard from his friend before he squeals, “Daaaaaaamn!” At a pitch that sounds as if he’s in pain.
Thinking something has happened to him, I turn to see what’s going on and then notice him hunched over, using the wall table to hold himself up. Has he hurt himself? I turn to Azmir who gives it away as he stands, holding the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed and shaking his head.
“C’mon, man. Is it gonna be that type of evening?” Azmir lightly chides.