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The liquor burned going down. But I welcomed it.

It was the only thing that felt real in the haze I’d been moving through lately.

I leaned up on the barstool, elbows resting on the edge, eyes scanning the room.

Not for anyone in particular, just taking in my surroundings.

Half-naked women drifted past in barely-there outfits while the woman on stage moved like sin wrapped in silk.

Baby girl had the whole club glued to her, hypnotized by the sway of her hips and the way her body flowed up and down the pole like gravity was a choice she refused to obey.

I started to look away until something in me stopped cold.

I tilted my head to the side. The way the light caught her skin caught me.

Her face had been etched in my mind since the first day I was graced with her sexy, feisty ass presence.

Olivia was on the stage, moving as if the music belonged to her and the crowd didn’t exist. Moving like she wasn’t up there half-dressed and fucking up these niggas pockets like she owned the joint.

At one point, her eyes found me at the bar. For a split second, I could see her body still, but she kept her routine. After the song ended, she exited the stage, leaving me stunned, hard and ready to fuck her whole world up with my dick.

I turned back to the bar, where another shot was waiting for me. By the time I drowned the contents, I felt a presence. I turned and our eyes locked, and for the first time tonight, my chest tightened with something that wasn’t guilt or regret.

Olivia.

She smiled, sliding her sexy ass onto the empty barstool next to me.“Fancy meeting you here, Big Bo.”

She wasn’t dressed in the same outfit she had on stage, but it was just as skimpy.

A tight, black crop top that hugged her breasts like a second skin, showing off her many tattoos, and a low-rise jean skirt that didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Her skin glowed under the dim red lights, and she smelled like coconut and something soft I used to fall asleep next to.

I let my eyes roam, slow and deliberate, then met hers. “What’s up, baby girl? I didn’t know you danced.” My voice dropped as I licked my lips, trying not to let too much show but knowing damn well I didn’t give a fuck.

She arched a brow, chin lifting slightly. “I didn’t take you to be the judgmental type.” She took my words offensively. That wasn’t my intention.

I leaned back, letting out a quiet breath. “Nah, baby girl… I ain’t judging you. I’m the last nigga to do that. My past?” I shook my head, eyes again locked on hers. “It’s far from clean.”

“So, you a bad boy, huh?” She smirked, eyes glinting with something between amusement and interest. “That supposed to impress me?”

“From the moment I got your attention, you were impressed. I see how you be looking at a nigga.” I gave her a slow smile.

She pursed her lips. “Is that right?”

“Am I lying?” I questioned with a smirk.

“Hm, I plead the fifth,” she replied with a smirk of her own. “I’ve never seen you here before. I know you aren’t here for the drinks. Club Lex got better drinks, and they are not watered down.”

“Actually, I didn’t know this was a strip club.” I let my words settle as I downed another shot. “All I was looking for was some air and a drink.”

“Hm. So, what’s on your mind?”

I smirked without looking at her. “What makes you think something’s on my mind?”

She shrugged. “The eyes don’t lie. Yours?” She tilted her head, studying me with that quiet kind of confidence women like her had mastered. “They look like they've been through something… still stuck in it.”

I didn’t say anything for a beat. Just rolled the shot glass between my fingers. She wasn’t wrong. Finally glancing over at her, I asked, “You always analyze strangers at bars?”

“For one, I don’t talk to strangers,” she said, her voice soft but sharp. “You’re sitting here like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. I’m a good listener if you want to talk.”

“You are, huh?” I licked my lips, giving her a slow once-over for the third time. I grinned. “What else are you offering?”

“Nigga, don’t push it…” She rolled her eyes. “I may be a stripper, but I don’t sell pussy like some of them. I’m just offering a listening ear. No judgment.”

“I’m good, baby girl. Thanks, though.” I downed my last shot, slammed the glass down on the bar, and stood up. I stumbled a bit as I reached into my pocket and slammed a hundred-dollar bill for my tab on the marble bar top.

“Are you sure about that? Look at you. You can barely walk.”

I tried to wave her off, but before I could take another wobbly step, her hand was on my arm.

“Give me your keys, Bo? I’ll take you home or call you a cab. Either way, I’m not letting you drive like this.” She held her hand out for my keys, no longer giving me an option.

I didn’t argue, though. I handed over the keys, and she led me out of the club. We made it out the door, and the cool night air hit me like a brick wall.

“Third row… all the way down.” I nodded toward the lot.

She helped me walk, her small, strong hands bracing my side, guiding me like I wasn’t damn near twice her size.

She didn’t complain nor flinch. She walked with me like she’d done this before.

Now that we were closer, the coconut I’d smelled before smelled warmer, like a vanilla blended with something else.

I was trying hard not to let my dick brick up.

“Where is your ride?” I asked her.

“I didn’t drive tonight. My ride is getting detailed.”

I looked at her, eyes narrowed like I wanted to protest, but the truth was written all over my body. I couldn’t even stand up straight. And despite the liquor, I could see it in her eyes; she wasn’t doing this to be nosy. She was doing it because she gave a damn, even if she didn’t know why yet.

“All right,” I grunted. “Don’t crash my shit, either, woman.”

She grinned as she unlocked the door and opened it for me. “Relax, Big Bo. I’ve been driving since I was thirteen.” She giggled as I slid into the passenger seat, barely able to throw my legs inside the truck.

Olivia closed the door behind me, circled around, and climbed in like she’d done this a hundred times.

“But have you ever driven something this big?” I asked, side-eyeing her as I put my address into the GPS.

“Please… I’ve handled bigger things.”

“Damn. Word?” I let out a low chuckle, eyes locked on her while she got settled behind the wheel.

She adjusted the seat, fingers smooth and deliberate. Already, her sweet scent, warm, soft, and a little spicy flooded the cab, enfolding around me like she belonged here as if this was her truck, and I was the one just catching a ride.

“Why?” She teased, a wicked little smile playing on her lips as the engine rumbled to life. “You got something big for me to ride, Big Bo?”

I raised an eyebrow, biting back a grin. “I do. But I don’t think you can climb this big tree.”

She scoffed, a playful fire in her tone. “Nigga, please. I climb trees and mountains. I’m certain I can handle you.”

That pulled a laugh straight from my chest. Deep. Genuine. Shit, this girl was a trip.

“Okay, mountain climber,” I said, smirking as I watched the city lights flash across her face while she drove. “Just don’t get mad when you get to the top and realize the air’s too thin.”

She looked over at me, unbothered, full of confidence. “I’ll bring oxygen. And a rope, just in case I need help climbing down.”

“So, does that mean you are gonna give a nigga the draws?”

“I don’t wear drawers. I wear thongs unless it’s that time of the month. Sooo…”

I shook my head, grinning like a fool, but inside? I was impressed. She was quick with it, bold, and didn’t flinch at my energy. Matched it without even trying. And the craziest part? I liked it.

We cruised through the city, windows cracked, the night air rolling in as her perfume lingered in the space between us.

The conversation flowed easily and effortlessly.

We talked about everything under the sun: childhood memories, random moments that made us laugh, and little things that didn’t carry too much weight.

From old cartoons to crazy high school stories, even what irritates us about today’s world.

But the personal shit? The real shit? We left that alone. And honestly, I was cool with that.

We pulled into my driveway a little past three in the morning, and I was still fucked up.

Olivia eased the truck to a stop like she’d been driving it for years.

She put it in park and immediately reached into her bag.

I watched her pull out her phone, thumb-tapping like crazy.

I reached over and snatched it from her hand.

“Ayo! What are you doing?” I asked as I watched her put this cute mug on her face.

“I’m ordering my ride. I did my good deed for today. Now, can you give me back my phone, please?”

“What happened to all that talk about climbing this tree and shit? Don’t tell me you all talk and no action?”

I could see the hesitation in her eyes and her body stiffen before she spoke.“Trust me… I can back up everything I speak on. But I’m not a hoe. I like you and all, but I don’t go around fucking niggas.”

“I don’t mean no disrespect, love, but damn…

can a nigga eat it? Hell! Smell it?” I removed my seatbelt, reached over, and ran my hand up her smooth thigh.

At this point, I was feeling sleepy. The alcohol was about to have me calling the hogs.

But I at least wanted to taste this beauty before I passed out.

“You sure about that, Big Bo?” She reached for my beard and tugged on it, making my dick hard.

I never let bitches touch my beard, but Olivia doing it had a nigga turned on to the max.

“This pussy is known to have niggas crashing out behind it. How unhinged are you, baby?” She ran her tongue around my lips, and I promise, I almost nutted.

“I’m the type of nigga that will cut a nigga’s throat for even thinking about touching my pussy. I’ll fuck the shit outta you in front of his dead corpse before burying his body parts in his mama’s backyard.” I spoke the truth. I was far from a scared nigga.

I thought my words would have her running out of my ride, but instead, this crazy girl looked like she was impressed by my words.

I may have been drunk, but every word I spoke to Olivia was the motherfucking truth.

I’ll definitely crash the fuck out over what I consider mine.

Whether it’s my family, my money, or my woman.

Olivia climbed into my lap, and the moment those golden honey-colored eyes locked on me as she slid that tight, wet pussy down my dick, I knew I was in trouble.

This girl was going to have me shooting up clubs and killing niggas behind her.

But what I didn’t know was that I would be the one hurt in the end.