“Girl, where you at?”
“In the parking lot waiting for you.”
“I’m inside.”
“Is it thick?”
“Thicker than a Snickers,” she joked, but Bianca was looking around, wondering where they were going to sit. There was literally not an empty chair or table in sight.
“Okay, well, I will be in there in a minute.”
“A’ight,” Bianca said. “Just come to the back near the small bar in the corner. I will be standing over there.”
“Okay.”
Bianca stood in her tight stretch jeans that showed off her curves and her fitted T-shirt, with her Giuseppi studded heels and purse to match, trying to figure out where in the hell they could sit.
“Hi, how are you?”
“Hey, honey,” Bianca said in a friendly manner to the guy standing in front of her with small, shoulder-length, neatly done dreads pulled back in a bun. He had another big, Godzilla-looking guy with him. She didn’t know him from a can of paint, but Ella had always told her and Bella that it didn’t cost a thing to speak.
“You by yourself?” he questioned.
“No, just waiting on my girlfriend to come in.”
“Where are y’all sitting?”
She breathed in, let it out, and calmly shook her head. Her hands clutched her purse, and she kept her trembling on the inside. “The jury is still out on that one,” she said with a flirty smile, not letting on that she was worried.
“Well, you seem like a cool chick. We got a few tables over there. You welcome to come sit with us. All the food and drinks you want are on me.”
“Really?” she said, thinking how that was right on time.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “We right over there.”
“Where?” She looked at him to clarify exactly where they were, because with the big crowd, she could easily lose him in it.
“You see the big dude standing over there in that orange shirt?” he questioned as he pointed through the crowd of folks.
“Do I?” she said. There was no way she could miss the guy, who stuck out like a sore thumb. He had to have stood at least seven feet and weighed over four hundred pounds. “Good God almighty!”
“Exactly,” he said, laughing to himself.
“Okay, cool. So I’m going to go to the bathroom, and hopefully by the time I get out, she will be in.”
“Well, I got you. Just come over when you get wit’ your friend,” he said as he walked off.
By the time she came back from the restroom, there was Diamond. “Perfect timing,” she said.
“But where in the hell we going to sit, girl? This shit is bananas,” she said.
“You ain’t never lied, but listen.” Bianca leaned closer to her friend to tell her the game plan. “I just met this guy. There’s a group of them, and they invited us to sit with them. Now, I can’t front. They look a little big and crazy, but they said it’s definitely somewhere to sit, free food and drinks. We gone make it work.”
“Did you say free food?” Diamond smiled. “And drinks?”
“Yeah, he said he had us,” Bianca confirmed.
“Then why in the hell we still standing here?”
When Bianca started making her strides in their direction, with Diamond in tow, she saw her new friend waving her over to them, while one of his homeboys was passing chairs, placing them down beside where he was sitting. She smiled, thankful for him, because the shoes she had on were not meant for standing.
He directed her to the chair, and Diamond to the one beside her, so that Bianca would be in the middle. Then he said, “Um, hey, friend, this my brother, D. D, this is . . .”
“Diamond,” Bianca spoke up. The brother was happy to get to know Diamond better, offering her a drink right away. Then Bianca turned to her new friend, “And I’m Bianca. You never gave me your name, honey.”
“Rap.”
“Nice to meet you, Rap, and thank you again for inviting us.”
“Pleasure’s all mine. I think you are so pretty.” He looked into her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, taking her seat.
“Are those your real eyes?” he asked of her gray contacts that she’d been wearing for the past couple of days.
She thought for a second and said, “Not today.”
“Oh, well, they still pretty, but you prettier.”
“Thank you.”
“What are you drinking?”
“Water is fine.” She smiled, still taking everything in.
“Water?” He turned his face up. “Baby, you can have anything your heart desires.” He motioned to all of the buckets of bottles of various brands of liquors that were on the table. Some were still full to the brim and untouched.
“I know,” she said, “but I would like to have water, please.”
He didn’t understand her choice, but nodded. “As you wish, beautiful.”
Their section and tables were definitely the place to be, and the fellas she was with were definitely the right people to know, judging by all the people coming over to the table to show respect, give dap, or just stop to drop jewels or jawbone. These guys were definitely in the know, and Rap was definitely a very important man. He was in the middle of everything and calling all the shots. Everybody wanted his attention, but Bianca was the one he was interested in giving his attention to.
“Where you from?” he asked.
“I just moved here like a month ago.”
“You like it?”
“Honestly, it’s not what I really expected.”
“That’s ’cause you hadn’t met the right people.” He lifted his drink to his lips, trying to conceal his smirk. “But you have now.”
“Really?” She smiled, taking a sip of her bottled water.
“Yup.” Rap tried to assure her then took another shot of his Rémy Martin 1738, which he wasn’t slowing down with. He was taking them to the head, shot after shot.
“So you have family down here?” he inquired.
“No family.”
“Where you work?”
“I’m a consultant,” she said.
“A consultant?” Rap questioned with another shot to the head.
“Yes, a sales consultant.”
“That’s what’s up,” he said, knowing good and well he was still unclear about what exactly she did for a living. “So, can I take you
