Page 6

Prosper

“I'm sure you know that I'm off duty right now. Which means we have nothing to talk about.” Ms. Mosley said, yet she took a seat.

I knew then that this was where she wanted to be. She was just fighting it. I returned to my seat, chuckling. “You so mean, but I love that shit."

"You're totally out of line talking to me like this."

I nodded. "You right, but I don't wanna be."

"Want to be what?"

“If pursuing you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.”

Silence enveloped us, with ‘No Chill’ now playing throughout the club.

"Why you sittin’ here alone?" I asked, knowing she had walked in with two females earlier.

"My sisters are dancing."

“So, why you ain’t?”

She rolled her eyes at my question, then glanced around. I’m sure she was trying to see if someone was watching us.

“I’m just not in the mood.”

"You need to let that hurt go. You way too beautiful to be out here pouting and shit over a dumb ass nigga.”

"Why do you always talk to me like you know my life, like you know what I'm going through?"

"Cause you have that same look my T lady had when my pops cheated on her, and she was going through a divorce. Shit tore her into pieces.”

Not only did she wear the look, but I had also overheard her sister on the phone when I approached her in class that day. Coupled with stalking her Facebook, I had it all figured out. She didn’t need to know all that, though.

"It's inappropriate for us to be talking like this, Prosper.”

"I ain’t never been a nigga that followed rules, Ms. Mosley.”

“Trust, I see.”

“But I do respect you, so I try to let you be while you at work, like you asked of me. Right now, though? I can't."

"But you haven’t given me much space there either."

"I said, try ." Silence hung between us yet again as I signaled for the bartender. "This shit fate.”

"Fate?"

"There are over thirty clubs and bars downtown, yet we both ended up here tonight. God put us both here for a reason."

I had a relationship with the man above, no doubt. But I won’t front. I brought Him into it because my Facebook sleuthing had also shown me that she faithfully attended church on Sundays. She was a God-fearing woman, and a nigga like me desperately needed to be saved. Just then, the bartender came over. I ordered my favorite and asked for whatever she had been sipping on.

After she walked off, Ms. Mosley stared off into space, ignoring me. I let her have her peace, not wanting to be too pushy. A few minutes later, the waitress returned, and I settled the bill. Ms. Mosley and I continued to sit in silence, sipping our drinks while soaking in the music. That was until her sisters approached.

“Sis, girl… we done gave you enough time. You ready?” One questioned before glancing over at me. “Oh, wait a minute. Are we interrupting something?”

“No,” Ms. Mosley quickly said, shaking her head. “This is…”

“Prosper,” I interrupted her, feeling like she was about to introduce me as her student. They didn’t need to know that shit so she could try to downplay my role in her life. She had me fucked up. I’m her nigga.

“Oh, wow. Well, hello there, Prosper.” The other woman chimed in who looked more like Ms. Mosley, just a few shades darker. “Is my sister giving you a hard time?”

“She is actually. I been tryna talk to her for thirty minutes now and not having much luck.”

Both women giggled. “Forgive her. She just got out of a relationship, so she’s a bit of a meanie.”

“Shay,” Ms. Mosley scolded, shooting her a warning glance.

Shay snickered. “Well, there goes my introduction. I’m Shay, and this is our sister Stephanie.”

“Nice to meet you, ladies.” I nodded at Stephanie. “Not tryna pressure y’all sister; I just can’t seem to walk away from her beauty. It’s got me in a trance.”

“Oop, okay then... Not you over here mackin’ on my little sister. I love to see it.” Stephanie said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re quite handsome. If I may ask, how old are you?”

“25,” I replied.

Both women exchanged big smiles, clearly finding the moment endearing. Ms. Mosley, however, maintained a serious expression. It was evident that my age had stirred some feelings in her. Sensing the tension, I decided to stand up to leave and ease any discomfort.

“But hopefully, I’ll see you again before the night’s over and I can get a dance, beautiful.” I walked away, leaving her sisters talking and blushing in the background.

An hour later, I found myself back at square one, in the section discreetly watching Ms. Mosley's every move. While my niggas were busy entertaining bitches whose names they wouldn’t remember by morning, I was plotting my next move on the woman of my dreams.

Tired of watching niggas attempt to flock on her, I rose to my feet and headed back down the steps before she made me catch another charge in this bitch. Once on the dance floor, I made my way through the crowd and behind her.

Spotting me, Shay giggled while Stephanie offered me a half smile and watched closely. I could tell she was ready to step in if Ms. Mosley rejected me. Still, I was determined, softly backing her body into mine.

“What the he—”

“Don’t act like you didn’t know this was me.” I whispered against her ear. “I know you recognize my scent.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“I can see how you fidget when I’m only a few inches away. You know when I’m near.”

Guilt flickered across her face as she fell silent.

“Can I dance with you?”

Her body shifted from tense to relaxed, then back to tense, and finally relaxed again. Relaxed when she noticed it was me, tense because it was me.

“Calm down before Stephanie walks over here and beat a nigga ass. She’s watching.”

To my surprise, Ms. Mosley burst into laughter. “Y…you will n…not leave me a…alone.”

That’s when I realized she was quite drunk, her words slurring. She was aware enough to know who I was but buzzed enough not to care too much.

“Aye, hold up… I just heard Durk just dropped some fiya with Jhené. Check it out.” The DJ announced, and shortly after, ‘Can’t Help It’ erupted through the speakers. The ladies in the club went wild.

“.I don't usually be apologizin'. For some reason you got me smilin'. This is how I was raised so tell your parents I'm not violent. This is how I was raised I'm from the trenches, I can't hide it.”

“I can’t leave you alone.” I admitted, my gaze fixed on the side of her face as she swayed. “No matter how hard I try.”

The lights above the dance floor illuminated us, deepening my admiration for her beauty. I leaned back slightly to get a better look at the tattoo on her back and loved what I saw. It added another layer to her allure. Honestly, the shit made a nigga’s heart flutter, and that feeling was foreign to me. From what I could see, it was her only tattoo.

Ms. Mosley didn’t respond; she just went with the flow, her eyes half-lidded. Her body felt amazing against mine, and before I could catch myself, my dick rose long and hard.

“Okay, wa… wait. Um…”

The feeling of it slowly brought her back to reality. She attempted to pull away, but I tightened my grip on her.

“Chill, mama.” I pleaded softly. “I apologize. I promise I ain’t tryna disrespect you. It’s just what you do to me… how you make me feel.”

“Prosper…”

“Please.”

To my surprise, her body relaxed, and she resumed dancing.

“You smell good, baby. And I love this tattoo on you. Shit is sexy as fuck.” I told her.

Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to maintain her breath. “Stop callin’ me that. I’m not your baby.”

“You are ‘cause I say you are.”

“You know, I’ve grown to learn that you are crazy, Prosper.”

“Diabolical ‘bout ya.”

Ms. Mosley fell silent, but her hips continued to move. This time, I didn’t disrupt the moment; I let her body communicate what her words couldn’t. The way she melted into my arms told me she felt the connection too. By the next record, I noticed both of her sisters were occupied, so I turned her around to face me. If she slapped my ass, Stephanie wouldn’t notice and intervene.

Ms. Mosley did not object, but she tried her hardest to avoid looking into my eyes. Sick of that shit, I did something about it. But just as I hooked her chin, gunshots suddenly broke out, plunging the club into pure chaos.

Muthafuckas were running, ducking, and screaming at the top of their lungs. As I turned my head in the direction that I heard gunfire coming from, Ms. Mosley pushed from my grasp and took off. Without hesitation, I hurried after her and fucked around and stumbled near a table, slicing my hand against a jagged piece of glass from a broken bottle. Pain shot through my palm, but I pushed that shit aside.

Finally catching up, I instinctively covered her with my body as I reached for my gun. She continued to scream but I kept my focus, guiding her through the madness. Once we reached the rear of the club, I took a moment to check on her, ensuring she was alright.

“What the hell?” She questioned, her body trembling as she began to fully come to. “Oh my God. Where are my sisters?” She tried to go back around the corner, but I stopped her.

“Aye, nah. You can’t go back that way; it’s too fuckin’ chaotic.”

She thought about it before glancing down at her wrist. “W… where is my clutch?”

“I’m not sure. You probably dropped it while running. Just calm down.”

“I can’t calm down. Someone just got through shooting, and I can’t find my sisters or my phone. I need to make sure they are okay.”

“Aight, you know their numbers by heart?”

“I do,”

“Bet, you can use my phone to call ‘em. Come on.” I escorted her through the same side door that me and my niggas had entered through earlier.

Ms. Mosley's panic slowly subsided as she followed me. I kept my arm around her, ready to protect her if need be. After getting her into the parking lot, I checked our surroundings, ensuring everything was clear before pulling out my phone. Swiftly, she grabbed it and began making calls back-to-back. Unfortunately for her, it seemed no one was answering.

“Shit,” she cursed, glancing around the lot. “Neither of them is picking up.”

“I’m sure they good.” I said, reassuring her.

She nodded, her eyes narrowing as they shifted to my hand. “Your hand is bleeding.” She pointed out.

I glanced down, and sure enough, blood was gliding down my hand and onto my gun, reminding me of the damage the broken glass had caused. Before I could do anything to stop the bleeding, my niggas rushed out of the club one by one, hauling ass. They moved quick tucking their guns away, but I caught that shit and realized that we were part of the problem.

“Hold on, mama. This my people.” I said to Ms. Mosley before I walked over to Peanut. I wanted to create as much distance as possible so she couldn’t overhear us.

“You good, bro?” He questioned before looking me over. “Oh, shit. You hit? Where the fuck that blood coming from?”

“Nah, nah. Just cut my fuckin’ hand. I’m straight.”

“Damn, aight. A nigga was worried. I couldn’t find your ass.” He glanced over my shoulder and noticed where I had been. “Who’s that? She pretty as hell.”

“Mine, so watch yo’ eyes, nigga.”

“Oh yeah?” He smirked.

“Did you get the keys from ole boy?” I shifted the conversation.

“Fasho,” he said, handing me mine and nodding toward the back where the valet guy had parked our cars. “Make sho you hit me once you home so I can put you on game. Josh drunk ass got into it with a nigga.”

“Bet,” We parted ways, and I walked back over to Ms. Mosley.

“My sisters still not picking up. I can’t just stand here. I have to go find them.” She told me.

“Aight, come on.” I took her by the hand.

“What? Why this direction?” She asked, confusion etched on her face as I guided her to the back of the parking lot.

“Get in the car, and I’ll drive you around to the front. You ain’t finna walk around after muthafuckas was just shootin’.” I told her as if it wasn’t just my niggas doing the shooting.

Ms. Mosley sighed, visibly weighing her options before finally giving in and climbing into the passenger seat. Once she was safely tucked away, I slid into the driver’s side and wrapped my injured hand with a shirt I had in the backseat. Gun resting on my lap, I drove around to the front of the club.

“You see ‘em?” I asked her, scanning the area as well.

“No, and I can’t remember exactly where we parked down here.” She sulked, rubbing her temple. “Damn it. I should’ve never had all those drinks.”

After an entire hour of driving through downtown, I finally pulled over to a vacant lot and broke the news to her.

“Look, I’m gonna have to bring you home. We’ve been to damn near every lot I can think of down here and can’t find them.”

She immediately shook her head. “No. No. That’s not a good idea.”

“Well, leaving you isn’t happening. And the club is flooded with the laws by now, so going back there ain’t an option for me. I just got off probation.”

“This is crazy.” She blew an air of frustration. “I can’t go home with no phone, Prosper. I just moved into my place and haven’t had time to get a landline connected. I have to be able to keep trying to call my sisters, at least.”

“You can have my phone for the night. Just keep calling until they pick up.”

“What? No. I can’t take your phone.”

“Well, you coming to my crib wit’ me then? You can keep using it there.” I eyed her, hoping she’d say yes.

Instead, she cut her eyes at me. “Absolutely not.”

“Aight, then. I got another phone. Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it back from you another day.”

Reluctantly, she leaned back in the seat and gave me directions to her place as I pulled off.