Olivia couldn’t remember the last time she slow danced with anyone. It had to be when she and Malcolm dated. Olivia allowed her body to relax with her head on his chest which smelled of a hint of Old Spice cologne from the day before. He maneuvered her around the room and rocked her to the beat with each step. “This is nice, Brinson. You’re a great dancer,” Olivia said.
“Thank you. Hey,” Brinson leaned back gazing at her eye to eye, “I know you have things to do today. I want to respect your time. Will you let me come back tonight?”
Olivia’s breath caught in her throat and she stopped dancing. “I don’t know,” spilled from her tongue.
Brinson took her response as a cue to plant a kiss on her lips and hugged her to seal the deal. “Think about it and I’ll call you when we get back from the casino.” He ended the embrace and, in a flash, left her house.
Olivia stood at the door and waited for Brinson to back out of the driveway. He lowered the window of his car and yelled, “Bye, beautiful.”
THIRTY-FIVE
Savvy
“Girl. You aren’t going to believe what I found out,” Savvy screamed through the phone.
Olivia greeted her with a raspy voice. “Oh, hey. Whassup, girl? What did you find out?”
“Why do you sound like death warmed over? It’s three o’clock in the afternoon and you sound as if you are still in the bed,” Savvy exclaimed.
“I’m snuggled in my covers,” Olivia confessed. “I had to get a nap in before I do anything else.”
“Um-hum. That’s what you get for drinking those shots last night,” Savvy scolded. “Let me guess, you have a hangover.”
“Nah. Believe it or not, I feel good. Sleepy though.” Olivia yawned. “So, what’s this news you found out?”
Savvy lowered herself onto the couch. “Oh yeah. About Brinson. I called my cousin who pledged Alpha at TUWO. Girl, he said he didn’t have a line brother named Brinson.”
“Well, could he have had his years mixed up?”
Savvy snapped her fingers. “No. They didn’t have any other Alphas on the yard. Their chapter had been reinstated the year my cousin pledged. They were the only Alphas there. My cousin said he knew a guy named Brinson. He dropped out during their Freshman year. He said he remembers something about Brinson getting into trouble for credit card fraud. Only four percent of the students were Black. So, you know they all knew each other.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Why would he lie?” Olivia asked.
“I have no idea.” Savvy snarled. “You need to stay away from him.”
“Wow. This is crazy,” Olivia moaned. “I sure know how to pick a quality man.”
“Well, at least you don’t ever have to be around him again,” Savvy said. She kicked off her shoes and curled her feet beneath her legs on the sofa. “You haven’t heard from him, have you?”
Olivia cleared her throat. “Huh?”
“I asked you if you’ve heard from Brinson,” Savvy repeated with growing suspicion.
“Oh. Um...ummm,” Olivia muttered with hesitation.
“You have, haven’t you?” Savvy exclaimed and stood in exasperation. “Olivia. What did you do?”
“What do you mean, Savvy?” Olivia stuttered.
“Girl. I know you like the back of my hand. You’re keeping something from me. What did you do?” Savvy pressed.
“You see what had happened was…” Olivia began and stopped.
Savvy let out a huff. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“Dang it, Savvy. Why do you have to act like you’re my mama or somethin’? I’m a grown woman, you know.”
Savvy paced the floor. “Okay, grown woman. What grown woman thing did you do?”
“Okay. Okay, already. Brinson stayed the night,” Olivia said in a rush.
Savvy almost dropped the phone. “And?”
Olivia hesitated. “We slept together.”
This time, Savvy dropped the phone. She stared at it in disbelief for a moment. She could hear Olivia calling her name. Savvy picked it up and pressed it to her ear. “What?”
“I said, we slept together,” Olivia repeated.
“When you say, slept together, are you telling me you had sex with this man we met yesterday?” Savvy didn’t want to believe any of what Olivia conveyed.
“Yup. Call me a ho, if you want to. I did it.”
“Oh. Uh-uh. I’m too through with you. I don’t want you to tell me anything else,” Savvy chastised. “Have you lost your mind? I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
“I didn’t mean to do it,” Olivia explained.
“Stop. I think hearing that makes it worse,” Savvy moaned. “Don’t give me the details. I can’t handle it.”
“Hey. You’re the one who made me go to Austin,” Olivia said. “Staying in San Antonio, minding my own business, would’ve been fine with me. But, no. You insisted I needed to get out and meet some men. Remember?”
“I didn’t tell you to sleep with some men,” Savvy hollered. “Can I get you to act like a responsible woman for once? You are in your forties and old enough to do better.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Olivia’s voice sliced through the phone. “You think this makes me irresponsible now?”
Savvy slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Excuse my choice of words. I’m frustrated about the fact you knew you weren’t interested in him. Yet, you had a one-night stand. This is serious, Olivia.”
“Do you think I don’t know that, Savvy? I’ve been beating myself up about it since he left this morning. I don’t need you to make me feel bad, too. This is why I wasn’t even going to tell you about him.”
Savvy sank back onto the sofa. “Look. I’m sorry if I’m being too harsh with you. I don’t want you to end up getting hurt. You’ve been through enough lately. I can’t help it if I’m overprotective.”
“I know. I’m sorry for getting upset with you. I think I’m mad at myself. I may as well confess everything to you. I’ve slipped into ratchet instead of righteous.”
Savvy moaned in anticipation of whatever Olivia would reveal. “What is it? I
