Hip Hop Heat (8 page)

Lalana was hot, disgusted with herself, and most of all, disappointed. During the hours she spent sitting in traffic which moved like cold molasses, she went over in her head everything she should have said to MC ROC.

"Do you really think I'm about to give you head out here in your car while we drive around aimlessly, just because you asked for it? How come I don't have a number to reach you? If I'd been on your mind like you say I have, how come all I got was a two-second phone call the other night, with no follow-up?

There was so much to say to him. And yet, the moment he smiled at her she lost all nerve. Lalana groaned imagining all the explaining she had to do with her best friends.

"Well, he did say he had a plane to catch," Lalana mumbled to herself. "He even cut his appearance short to be with me." Maybe he really cared about her, but his schedule prevented him from expressing his true feelings. Lalana was desperate to hang on to any sliver of hope.

Walking through her house, glass of wine in hand, she wondered what she could've done differently. Lalana felt herself choking up.
No
, she admonished herself,
no crying over some man
. A small but growing part of her suspected MC ROC was no different from the other men in her life.

When Lalana's cell phone rang, she considered ignoring it. She couldn't bear to speak with Lisa or Tina yet. But when she glanced at the phone, Lalana realized the number flashing back at her didn't belong to either of her friends.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you're home." Logan.

"Ah, yeah, I am," she answered, caught off-guard.

"I was just giving you a call," he stammered, "just thinking about you." His soft and sweet tone made Lalana decidedly uncomfortable.

She didn't know how to respond. She'd promised to call after their evening out, but never got around to it. Was this his way of saying he was tired of waiting?

"Oh?"

"So, how was your day?" he asked.

An image flashed though her mind. If you counted carpet burns on her knees as any indication, one could say her day was interesting. But she was sure Logan didn't want to hear about her giving MC ROC a blow job in the back of his Bentley. Again.

"Um, my day, it was good, I guess, you could say that. Oh, yeah, I went to MC ROC's release at the Grove."

"You did?" Logan chuckled under his breath.

"Yeah, I
happen
to like his music," she defended. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah, I figured as much. I just figured you'd had enough of him by now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lalana countered.

"Oh, no worries," he said. "It's nothing."

Lalana was hot. She didn't like Logan throwing out little comments about MC ROC, then acting as though his words meant nothing.

"Anyway," she said, changing the subject, "besides that, my day was pretty ordinary."

"You got any plans for next Saturday?" Logan asked.

"Um, I'd have to check. Why'd you ask?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me to see your
favorite
rapper," he said easily.

Lalana nearly lost her mind. Was this man playing with her emotions, too?

"He's in concert? I haven't heard anything about a concert on any of the stations."

"It's kinda like a private show. Nothing too big. He's doing a few of his new cuts, real informal, and well, like I said, I was wondering if you wanted to roll. But no biggie."

"No! Of course I'd like to go, I was just curious about why I hadn't heard about a show, that's all."

"Okay, well, should I call and remind you next week?"

"Why you trynta' be funny?"

"I'm just saying, who knows, maybe you might forget," he laughed.

"Yeah, okay, whatever!"

She and Logan talked for a little longer before Lalana came up with an excuse to get off the phone. It took some time, but after a hot shower and another glass of wine, something occurred to her.

What would MC ROC say once he realized she came to see him with a
date
?

"Damn, what am I gonna do?" she questioned aloud. This, she finally decided, would be one to take to the girls. She was sure Lisa and Tina would be able to help her figure out the right thing to do.

Would it be wrong for her to go to the show with Logan, but leave with MC ROC? She and Logan were nothing but friends, she knew that, and she hoped he understood her position. Lalana also decided the next time she saw Logan she would iterate to him that she was not romantically interested in him.

She had already told Logan she wasn't looking for a man. Now her mind was thinking of ways to stress friendship without jeopardizing her ticket to the private show. She was sick with herself, and wondering how she always managed to get herself into such complicated situations.

For a brief moment, Lalana wondered why ROC hadn't invited her himself. She quickly chalked it up to him having so much on his mind.

Lalana returend to the Grove several days later with Lisa and Tina to hit up a few stores.

"You said you were in Coach last week," Tina said as the women climbed out of the car. "You didn't find anything then?"

"Honestly, I was on the phone with you guys, and thinking about ROC, so my mind was all over the place. I say we go back over there before Nordstrom."

"Okay, cool," Tina said.

"So, you told us you got into your boy's ride, but where did you guys go?" Lisa asked.

Unlike the first time she hooked up with MC ROC, Lalana wasn't in any hurry to spill the beans about their most recent encounter. What would she look like admitting she only sat in the car waiting for ROC to sign a few CDs, then gave him head while the driver tooled around the city before dropping her off at her car?

"We just sat and talked," Lalana lied.

"You did what?" Lisa asked. "What'd you mean you just
talked
? Did he say why you hadn't heard from him? And why did you have to go wait for him in the car just so you two could
talk
?"

"So when he came back to the car, what did you guys talk about?" Tina asked. They'd made their way into the Coach store.

"You like this one?" Lalana asked, ignoring the girls' questions and holding up a wallet.

"Too gaudy for me," Lisa said. "So you are waiting for him in the car, he gets there, you two haven't seen each other in a while. What do you talk about, and where does he take you?"

Lalana felt herself getting ready to lose it. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She'd enlisted her friends' advice because she wanted to know how she should handle her dilemma.

It was Tina who walked up, took the wallet from Lalana and said, "I don't get it." She placed the wallet back where it belonged and looked Lalana in the eyes.

"Either you're not telling us the whole story, or something awful happened. Now, which is it? I remember when you got back from your weekend with him. We got all the damn
business
, I mean from the brown and pink color of his dick, to the mole on his inner thigh. Now you're sitting here acting like you have to choose your words carefully. I mean for Godssake, Lalana, you told us how you swallowed the man's sperm!"

"Ssssssh!" Lalana admonished, glancing around the store.

"Well, I didn't mean to go there, but you're trippin' and I don't understand why," Tina exclaimed.

"Let's go get something to eat," Lalana pleaded.

"Oookay," Lisa said.

The three walked out of the store and down toward the other restaurants. Lalana decided to come clean.

"Okay, there was something I didn't tell you guys," she began slowly. As they strolled over to the mall's food court, she gave full details about what happened in the car. She admitted she felt obligated to give him head because he had spoken so highly of her skills and told her he missed her. She didn't come right out and say he only admitted missing her blowjobs, but she told them enough so they could get the full picture.

"So you mean to tell me after you gave him a blowjob he had his driver drop you back at your car? Just like that?" Lisa blurted out.

"Yeah pretty much, but he did say he had a plane to catch and I think they were running late, so that's the reason we didn't hang," Lalana defended.

"Oh, so what'd he say was the reason you two hadn't hooked back up again?" Tina asked enthusiastically.

"Um, well..." before Lalana could finish, Lisa jumped in.

"She probably didn't get to ask him anything like that. She just told us her mouth was full," Lisa quipped.

Lalana was pissed, but she wasn't about to give Lisa the satisfaction of knowing she'd gotten under her skin.

"Let's go to Maggiano's," Lisa suggested. "I wonder if they still serve that mushroom dish you like."

"Yeah, that's cool," Lalana said.

They walked the rest of the way in complete silence. While waiting for a table at the Italian restaurant, Lalana wondered what Lisa and Tina would say about her current dilemma.

"Let's just sit at the bar," Tina suggested. "We can order from there. Besides; I want a mimosa."

The bartender approached. "Will you ladies be needing a menu?"

"Yes," Tina replied. "And I'd like a mimosa."

"Actually, we all would," Lisa added.

"Great, I'll get the menus, and start on those while you decide what to eat."

After placing their orders and while sipping their drinks, Lalana brought up the immediate problem she faced.

"I know we were talking about ROC, but I'm in sort of a sticky situation," she admitted.

"Oh, yeah? How so?" Tina asked.

"You remember Logan, right?"

They both nodded.

Lalana explained his offer to take her to MC ROC's private show. Tina and Lisa's eyes grew wide.

"Wait," Lisa said. "He wants to take you to this private show as his
date
?""You think he believes it's a date?" Lalana asked.

"Um, that's what
I
would think, but you tell us."

"Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you guys about it. How do I go without leading him on?"

"Does he know how you feel about MC ROC?" Tina asked.

Lalana shook her head.

"I think if he knew I had feelings for MC ROC, he'd stop talking to me, then I wouldn't be able to keep tabs on ROC," she admitted.

"Look," said Tina. "I'm not trying to make you mad or anything like that, but why do you even like this guy? I mean, he's sexy as all get out and all, but he sounds like a real asshole." Tina threw her hands up. "Just hear me out, okay? First off, it's obvious the contest was all about him getting some ass. Then he leads you to believe there may be something more there, and the minute you leave you don't hear from him again. Fast-forward to the last time he saw you. He tells you how much you've been on his mind, but oh, wait he just wants a blowjob. Once he gets what he wants, he suddenly has a flight to catch?" Tina shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds to me like you should move on. You said yourself Logan is handsome, he's successful, and obviously he's into you. Why waste your time chasing this loser?"

Lalana was mortified. Of course when Tina laid it all out like that, Lalana seemed like some hopeless, lovesick idiot. but that wasn't the way it was.

Right?

For once in her life, Lalana wasn't happy with the way days flew by. Anxiety haunted her. Should she call Logan and tell him she changed her mind? Was she ready to never see MC ROC again?

The evening of the show, she was glad to take Logan's call. She'd decideed to go, but there was a part of Lalana that just wanted this mess over with once and for all.

"How long will it take you to get here?" she asked after they exchanged greetings.

"I'm about 20 minutes out," Logan said. "You need more time?"

"No, I'll be ready."

Lalana wore a pair of wide-legged navy pants that showed off her curves. She paired them with a clingy yellow sweater that left nothing to the imagination. As she went over her image one last time in the full-length mirror, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming," she sang, stepping into her high-heeled sandals and reaching for her clutch purse.

Lalana pulled open the door and found Logan, standing with stars in his eyes.

"Wow! You look beautiful tonight," he said. "That sweater - the color makes your skin glow."

Lalana smiled. "You don't look bad yourself."

Logan wore a pair of dark, baggy jeans and a crisp white Polo button-down. He accessorized with light brown shoes and a matching belt. His hair was freshly cut.

"You smell good, too," Lalana joked as she pulled her door closed behind her.

"Good to know," Logan joked. "Hey, we don't have to stay for the entire event. Things can get a bit wild in there."

"Where's the show happening?" she asked.

"At the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills."

Lalana tried to hide her excitement as Logan held open the car door for her and she climbed inside. The Four Seasons!

During the drive over, Logan and Lalana talked about his work week, her shopping trip with her girlfriends, and her job.

"You work in PR, right?" Logan asked. "What's that like?"

"Um, it's not the glamorous life. I mean, I'm in charge of in-house stuff. Doing the departmental newsletters, notifying staff of community events, stuff like that. I'd like to move up and do more communty outreach, but they outsource for that right now."

"Well, it still sounds interesting."

Lalana shrugged. She didn't like talking about work, but he seemed genuinely interested.

"The Four Seasons, huh?" Lalana asked. "What - did they rent a ballroom?"

"Oh, no," Logan answered, "he's got the Presidential Suite there."

Again, he spoke of such luxury with the kind of simplicity that told Lalana Logan had grown accustomed to that kind of lavishness. For years, she'd lusted over pictures depicting unimaginable extravagance. Her monthly subscription to Vibe magazine, the Bible of the hip-hop world, stayed paid up years in advance. And now, Logan all but dangled access right before her eyes like it meant nothing to him. She couldn't begin to imagine what a Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons looked like. But she wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

They pulled up at the hotel's main entrance and the car was nearly swarmed by valet parking attendants.

"Good evening, ma'am. Welcome to the Four Seasons Beverly Hills," one man greeted her with a thick accent.

"We're here for the Swanson party," she heard Logan say.

"Yes, sir, to the 16
^th
floor."

Lalana walked with poise as she strolled along the marble floors. She strutted as if she was used to such surroundings. They quickly whizzed into the elevator, and rode up to the 16
^th
floor. Lalana couldn't imagine how ROC planned to hold a private concert inside a hotel room, but she sure was excited to find out.

At the door, another couple stood waiting for access. Logan stood back a bit and soon the door swung open. All Lalana could do was hope her face didn't give any hints as to the wonder she felt. They stepped into a black marble foyer.

From where she stood, Lalana could see out to the spacious balcony overlooking the mountains. There were about 20 people drinking, talking and snacking on a variety of passed hors d'oeuvres, courtesy of young women wearing tight shorts and bikini tops while carrying trays of food. Massive prawns, chunks of crab meat, and even half-shells of mini lobster tails circulated the space.

Nearly everything in the living room was accented with black and gold colors. To the left, near a fireplace, sat a baby grand piano. The young lady who was playing was a member of one of the hottest female groups, but Lalana couldn't think of her name. In addition, she recognized a few other people whose faces where a permanent fixture in the hip-hop world of flashy pictures and equally flashy music videos.

Lalana noticed a mini bar directly across from the piano, staffed by a bartender mixing drinks. Despite this, bottles of Dom Perignon and Cristal sat chilling in standing ice buckets near the sofas.

"Logan, my man," someone greeted.

Lalana stood by quietly as Logan exchanged handshakes and greetings with a group of men.

"Oh, this is Lalana," Logan finally said.

"This is Doug, Shane, and The General," he introduced her to the group.

"This is tight, huh, Dawg?" one of the guys asked Logan.

"Yeah, it's cool." He turned to Lalana and asked, "You want something to drink?"

"Sure," she said.

Lalana took a seat on a black-and-gold wing chair next to the opened balcony door. The artist on the piano was very talented. As Lalana sat absorbing the scene, she couldn't believe she was hob-nobbing with hip-hop royalty. A few people had already spoken to her and introduced themselves. As Lalana sat gloating, another woman joined the piano player. She hopped up on top of the baby grand and started singing an old Anita Baker hit. The girl's voice was like velvet.

"Hope I wasn't gone too long," Logan said over Lalana's shoulder, startling her. He handed her a glass of champagne.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," she answered. "You know, you don't have to babysit me. Mingle with your friends, I'm good."

Logan looked up at the singer. "She's good," Lalana said.

"Yeah," Logan agreed. "Oh, not sure if you've ever had Cristal before, since you didn't specify I figured I'd decide for you."

Lalana didn't want to appear too amateurish, but she was all giddy inside. She was glad he had selected the Cris.

Lalana was restless. She wondered when MC ROC would appear. Almost two hours had passed since she arrived; and Logan had already told her to let him know when she was ready to go. As if she might consider leaving without seeing
him
!

"I need the restroom," she leaned over and whispered to Logan.

"Oh, down the hall to the left," he pointed out.

The suite was even more beautiful than she had imagined. Custom gold drapes trimmed in black lined the oversized windows. All around Lalana the walls were covered with a silk-like material.

Suddenly a skinny model-type stumbled out of a room, laughing. Her cascading mane of rumpled curls was tousled, her lipstick was smeared. Her flesh-colored, silk jumpsuit was completely see-through.

"Hi sweetie," she smiled at Lalana. "The little girl's room is the last door on the left."

"Oh, thanks," Lalana said, wondering why this woman pranced around in loungewear while a party was going on.

The bathroom was a site to behold. It was large and spacious, done in brown and butterscotch with a massive glass enclosed Jacuzzi tub. That area was clearly made to accommodate two. A thick white terry cloth robe hung on a hook near the tub, and rolled-up towels were scattered throughout the room. There was a flat screen TV in the wall and a large brown wine bucket near the tub. Lalana could live in there.

Lalana used the bathroom, and washed her hands at the sink. She wondered if MC ROC would take a hot bubble bath with her after everyone had gone. She made a mental note to ask him once he was done performing.

"You get lost?" Logan joked when Lalana returned. "I thought I'd have to come looking for you."

"No, it's just, this place is so nice," she said. "I was checking it out."

"Yeah it is, but I guess I get used to it, since I've been here so much," he admitted, looking around the lavish room as if noticing the extent of its luxury for the first time.

"Um, when is he gonna perform?"

"Who, MC ROC?" Logan asked as he took a sip from his beer. "It's hard to tell when he has this kind of stuff." Lalana wondered how Logan had been able to work himself into MC ROC's popular circle. Nothing about him was flashy, and he was so quiet and reserved. She wanted to ask, but knew it would be inappropriate.

Lalana reclaimed her seat, and was just getting comfortable when she saw ROC standing in the hallway where she had just been. He had the phone to his ear. When their eyes met, the familiar smile she thought he reserved for her suddenly appeared.