Side Chic 4 (Forever Ratchet) (18 page)

I nearly choked on my drink. “Girl, are you serious?”

              “You’re what?” Mia asked obviously just as shocked as me. “I thought you claimed that you and Corey have been at each other’s throats for the past couple of months or so.”

             
“We have but you know how that goes girl.” Nelle snickered. “One minute we fussing and the next we fuckin’.”

             
“Yeah, I sure do know how that go.” Mia hugged Nelle. “Congratulations cuz.”

             
“Thank you.”

             
“Yeah congrats girl.” I hugged her as well but only not to seem like a hater or look suspicious because I wasn’t the least bit happy for her ass. “Are you done with my make-up?”

             
“Yeah, you’re straight.” Nelle assured me and then stood up. “We need to get downstairs because the guests should start arriving at any moment.”

             
“Alrighty then..let’s go.” Mia said and we all headed for the door.

             
The party turned out to be better than I’d assumed and more people than I’d expected showed up. I’d spent most of the night talking to and dancing with one of Corey’s coworkers. He was a real cutie and seemed to be cool but he wasn’t my type at all. His conversation was extremely boring. I found myself drinking to tune him out. I could tell that he was really feeling me and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I sat through hours of him talking about random stuff that didn’t spark my interest in the least. By the end of the night I was so fucked up I could barely walk.

             
“Mina, I hope that you don’t think you are driving nowhere.” Nelle said to me as I sat on her sofa with my shoes in my hand. I’d taken them off because they’d began to hurt my feet. “You may as well go ahead upstairs and get in that guest bed.”

             
“I’m good.” I assured her slurring my words. “I’m going home and get in my bed.”

             
“Girl, the only bed that you are going to see tonight is the one in the guestroom.” She put her hand on her hip. “I’m not going to fuss with you about it either.”

             
“Nelle, I’m fine.” I tried to convince her but she wasn’t buying it.

             
“Mina come on here and let me help you upstairs.” I stood to my feet and she grabbed my arm wrapped it around her shoulder. “Lean on me.” We started up the stairs while Corey showed the rest of the guests out. Mia and Ron had left early because Mia was complaining that her head hurt.

             
When we got upstairs, Nelle turned the light on in the room for me and led me to the bed. She was treating me like I was stupid instead of drunk.

             
“I am going to go and find you something to sleep in. I’ll be right back.” She said and left the room. While she was gone. I stripped out of the dress that I’d been wearing and threw it over on the dresser. I stretched out across the bed in my bra and panties, not bothering to wait for her to come back. First I laid on my back but the room was spinning so bad that I rolled over on my stomach and closed my eyes. In no time, I drifted off to sleep.

             
A few hours later, I woke up to a pitch black room needing to empty my bladder. I sat up and had to take a few seconds to figure out exactly where I was. I was still feeling the effects of all of the Ciroc that I’d consumed earlier. I got up and staggered out into the hallway, still in nothing but my bra and panties. Nelle had little a nightlight plugged up in the hallway so it wasn’t completely dark like in the room. I made my way to the bathroom not bothering to turn on the light or close the door. I sat there in the dark for several minutes trying to get myself together. My head felt slightly woozy. After a while, I stood up, wiped myself and flushed the stool.

As I was leaving out of the bathroom, I heard the door to Nelle and Corey’s room open and t
hen close. I started back down the hall to the guestroom, trying to make it before whoever it was saw me because I didn’t have on any clothes. I’d made it almost to the door when I bumped directly into Corey wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

             
“Oh shit!” He said obviously startled. “My bad Mina.”

             
“Nah, my bad.” My eyes roamed over his muscular chest and then down to the boxers that he was wearing. I wanted to see what was in them more than anything in the world.

             
“Excuse me.” He told me and tried to walk past me but I stepped in his path. I may have still been a little tipsy but I wasn’t so tipsy that I wasn’t well aware of what was standing in front of me. I finally had my opportunity to make my move and even though Nelle was only a few feet away in the bedroom down the hall, I wasn’t about to let it slip through my fingers.

             
I reached out and touched Corey’s naked chest, slowly dragging my fingers down further and across his abs. “Damn you are one sexy ass motherfucka.” I whispered. “I want you so bad. I find myself watching you and daydreaming about you all the time.”

             
He moved my hand. “Have you lost your damn mind?” He snapped in a hushed tone. “Nelle is right down the hall.”

             
“I know that, we could be really quiet.” I tugged on his arm trying to pull him into the bedroom. “Come on, she doesn’t have to know. I believe that you want to too.”

             
“Nah, I’m good.” He jerked his arm away and shoved me back off of him causing me to stumble back into the wall. Making a light thud. “You are trippin’. I don’t know what type of games you are playing but I don’t want no parts of that shit!”

             
Feeling embarrassed, I snapped being careful to keep my voice down. “It ain’t that serious damn!”

             
“It is that serious, my wife is right down the hall…”

             
“No your wife is right here!” Nelle stood in the middle of the hallway. She flipped on the light switch and walked closer to Corey and me. The pissed expression on her face told me that shit was about to get ugly. She eyed both of us suspiciously. “Does anyone want to tell me what the fuck is going on out here?”

             
“Ain’t shit going on.” Corey didn’t hesitate to answer. “I was on my way to the bathroom.”

             
“Where in the fuck are your clothes?” She yelled getting up in his face pointing her finger. I took a few steps back.

             
“They’re in the room because I’d forgotten that she was here!”
              “Okay so why are you and her out here? And why did I walk up on you telling her that your wife was right down the hall?” She questioned. “Somebody need to tell me what in the fuck was going on out here before I got up!” She looked over at me. “Mina open up your motherfuckin’ mouth! You was talking a few minutes ago. What’s wrong now? Cat’s got your tongue?”

             
“No, I was on my way back from the bathroom and I bumped into Corey. I asked him where you were and that’s when he said my wife is right down the hallway.”

             
Nelle started to laugh, which confused me but not for long. Without warning she slapped the shit out of me and started raining blows in my face and head. “Bitch, I warned you not to ever cross me! You are telling a gotdamn lie! It’s worse enough that you would stoop so low as to try and fuck my husband in my house but then you gone lie to my face on top of that.” She yelled as she continued to swing on me. I tried to fight back but I was no match at all for her. I was glad when Corey pulled her off of me.

             
“Chill Nelle, remember you’re pregnant!” He told her as he restrained her.

“When Corey got out of the bed, I woke up. I was thirsty so I put on some clothes and came to get some water. You was so busy trying to fuck my husband that you didn’t hear me coming. I heard your triflin’ ass
though, talkin’ about ‘she doesn’t have to know’!” She yelled out of breath, her chest heaving up and down and tears streaming down her face. “You ain’t shit! I swear, I have no idea what happened to you but you have turned out to be a very fucked up individual! From this day forward, I don’t have shit else for you to do. I am done with you, period point blank! I should’ve been stopped fucking with you, like everybody else! But no, I tried to be nice and give you the benefit of the doubt. Go and get your clothes and get the fuck out of my house!”

“Nelle it wasn’t like you think.”
That was all I could think to say.

“Just get your stuff and leave.” Corey told me still holding onto Nelle.

I went into the bedroom, put back on my dress, and slipped on my shoes. When I was done I went back out into the hallway, Nelle was leaning against the wall and Corey was standing next to her.

“Nelle…”

She closed her eyes biting on her bottom lip. “Girl, if you don’t take your ass on somewhere!” She warned. “You don’t have shit else to say to me long as you be black. Like I said before, you ain’t shit. You gone try something like that in my damn house with me right down the hall? I believe that you have some type of serious mental issues. You might want to get that shit checked out.”

I knew there really wasn’t anything left to say, to be honest there really wasn’t anything that I wanted to say.
Things hadn’t worked out like I’d wanted them to but I’d tried and I didn’t regret it one bit. I’d known that there was a possibility that things wouldn’t work in my favor. All I could do was chop it up as a loss and keep it moving.

Kisha

             
I sat next to Lavar at the Olive Garden enjoying my salad and nearly killing myself laughing. This was our second date and I have to admit that I was really feeling him. So far I’d learned that he was a recently divorced single father of a twelve year old girl and a five year old boy. He had his own place out in Franklin, VA and worked as a supervisor for the paper mill out there. Both of his parents were still living and they lived in Franklin as well. I was very impressed by how he seemed to have his shit together. That made me want to get my shit together even more.

I ha
d managed to get the job at Walmart so I was very happy about that. I’d been working for the past week and I was really enjoying it. They’d given me night shift. I wasn’t crazy about staying up all night but I wasn’t about to complain either. I had to start somewhere.

Lavar reached over and touched the side of my face. “You have such a beautiful smile.” He complimented me, his eyes roaming over my face, causing me to blush and feel a little uneasy at the same time. It’d been a while since I’d had a man compliment me.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He told me and then his face took on a serious expression. “I wanted to ask you, what you’
re looking for as far as a relationship is concerned. I mean, I’m not trying to rush you into anything but I would like to know so that I will know how to carry things with you.”

I sat
my fork down on my plate and took a sip of my wine before answering. “Well to be honest, I don’t know. I can’t really say that I am looking for a relationship or that I’m not.” I answered truthfully moving my bangs back from my eyes. “I’ve been through a lot over the past few years as far as relationships are concerned. Right now my main focus is getting my life in order for my boys. I am trying to get to a point in my life where I don’t have to depend on anyone else unless I want to, not because I have to. My boys deserve better than what I have been giving them. They deserve stability and a mother who isn’t so caught up in a bunch of drama and nonsense that she can’t properly take care of her children. I say all of that to say, I like you and I would love to continue getting to know you and if this progresses into something more than a friendship…cool. If not…cool.”

“Fair enough, pretty lady.” He replied. “Well I would love to continue getting to know you as well but I can’t lie, I am praying that it progresses into something more.”
We both laughed. “You’re laughing but I am serious. A man would be a fool to not want to lock you down. You are beautiful and seem to have your head on straight. I like that.”

The waitress showed up with our meals and placed them down in front of us. We both thanked her.

“No problem.” She smiled. “Is there anything else that I can get the two of you.”

“No tha
nks, we’re good.” Lavar replied, answering for the both of us.

“Okay then, call me if you need me.” With that she left us alone so that we could enjoy our meals.

              Lavar and I were eating and talking about our kids when my phone started to ring. “Excuse me.” I told him and then opened my clutch and took out my phone. My mama’s name was flashing on the screen. I looked over at Lavar. “It’s my mama. I have to take this because it could be something concerning my kids.”

             
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.” He assured me. “By all means answer it.”

             
I pressed the send button to answer as I rose from the table and walked in the direction of the ladies room. “Hello.”