Careful of the Company You Keep Read online

  I pushed my way through the crowd looking for Danielle. I don’t know why her ass couldn’t have just waited until I had got ready so we could have came together. It’s bad enough I even have to be in this mothafucka.

  Moving through the crowd, I passed a group of girls who barely looked sixteen. The shit they were wearing was downright nasty—skirts that if they bent over showed all their assets and bras they were trying to pass off as shirts. One girl had rolls around her stomach and was running around with a bra that was at least two sizes too small. If that had been Tamara, I would have snatched her ass off that dance floor and taken her home.

  I slowly made it around the building. All anyone did in this place was walk around in a fucking circle and try to be seen. I just wasn’t in the mood.

  I managed to get around a fat chick and made my way over to the bar. I slid onto a bar stool and while I waited for the bartender, I rocked my hips to the beat of the music. 50 Cent was putting it down with his new single. I loved that song, and from the looks of it so did several others. A tall, skinny bartender came and took my order, then came back with my apple martini. I took a sip. Delicious. I tossed another dollar on the counter.

  Glancing across the bar, I caught a dark-skinned brotha trying to get my attention. What the fuck ever. His ass was busted and definitely too damn old to be in a place like this. He was definitely somebody’s grandpa. I rolled my eyes, to make sure he got it loud and clear that I wasn’t the least bit interested in his tired-looking ass.

  I was taking a sip when I felt a tap on the shoulder. I glanced over and my mouth dropped.

  “Oh my God, Landon!” I swung around and gave him a hug. “When you move back?”

  He smiled and appeared pleased that I noticed he’d been gone. In a town this small, who the hell wouldn’t.

  “I’ve been back from Germany almost five months.”

  “You still in the military?”

  He shook his head and said with pride, “Retired army.”

  I nodded and took in everything he had to offer, and that was a whole helluva lot. Landon had been one of those misfit kids in school who always seemed to hang with the girls. He didn’t act gay and shit, just one of the girls. Senior year, he started dating Tonja’s ass and she had his nose so wide open, he followed her around like a lost puppy. A week before graduation, she dumped him and next thing I heard, right after graduation, he had joined the military. Over the years I had seen him from time to time, but this was the first in two decades we had a chance to strike up a conversation. I’m glad I came out. ’Cause Landon was finer than a mothafucka!

  He was wearing a typical military cut. Hair was higher on the top than the side but low just the same. A navy blue turtleneck emphasized every muscle in his chest and his arms. His jeans were loose but not enough to hide his massive thighs. White sneakers set off the look.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Trying to catch a case with the jail bait in here?”

  He frowned. “Nah, Hodges dragged me in here with him.”

  I nodded knowingly and followed the direction of his eyes to his boy standing at the other end of the bar trying to spit at one of those young-looking girls. Hodges was one of those who refused to admit his ass was hitting fifty.

  Landon grinned. “I should be asking what you’re doing in here.”

  “I’m meeting Danny.”

  He chuckled and I joined in. He knew my girl’s taste for young thugs as well as I did.

  “Have you seen her?”

  He pointed to the back of the room. “She’s sitting over there.”

  We stood there staring at each other like two damn fools. I could have continued, but the last thing I wanted was for him to know just how attracted I was to him. I don’t run after men. I like to be chased. “Thanks. I’ll holla at you later.”

  “You do that. Save me a dance.”

  I reached for my drink, then turned and walked away. At least something good was coming out of this night. I moved to where Danielle was sitting. She was wearing this cute Rocawear jean outfit she bought while we were in St. Louis shopping last week.

  There were only two chairs at her table, and neither was empty.

  “Hey, whassup?” I asked with my eyebrow raised as I looked down at Mavis’s crackheaded ass sitting across from her.

  “Whassup, Renee?” she asked as she rose out of my seat. “You got five dollars?”

  I backed up and raised a finger to my nose because I could smell her breath from where I was standing. “Yeah, here.” I reached inside my pocket and slipped off a five. Anything to get her ass away from me. She didn’t even bother to say bye as she dashed off into the crowd. “Ugh! What you doing talking to her?”

  “Girl, you know her ass is a booster. She’s going to come by my house tomorrow with some new DVDs that just came out.”

  “Oh, well, if she’s got anything good, hook me up.”

  Danielle nodded, reached for her drink, and took a sip.

  “Guess who I saw coming in?”

  “Who?” she asked.

  “Landon.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. “Landon Lawson? Hell nah! I heard he was back.”

  “Yep, and he looked good as hell.”

  She gave me that look that said I know something you don’t. “Girl, you know he’s been messing with Leslie’s wide ass since he’s got back.”

  She had my attention. “Leslie who?”

  She smirked and reached for her drink. “Leslie Harris.”

  My eyes grew large. “Hell nah.”

  She sucked her teeth. “Yep, but I heard she started stalking his ass, so he quit fooling wit her.”

  Leslie came out of high school a year ahead of us and was one of those that I never cared much for. She spent too much time in the club getting drunk instead of home taking care of her three kids. I heard she didn’t like me. Why, I don’t know, and really couldn’t care less.

  “I saw her in here earlier, so don’t let her see you talking to her man.”

  “Fuck Leslie’s ass.”

  “All right, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she teased.

  I pursed my lips and swung around in my chair. Danielle knew I wasn’t scared of that ho. One thing I don’t do is back down.

  While sipping my drink, I waved at people I knew as they moved around the building. Like I said, the place is one big circle, so at some point everyone came around at least once. Sure enough I saw Landon, and shortly after Leslie was coming up behind him. I shook my head. One thing Renee doesn’t do is sniff after a brotha. When it’s over, it’s over. If we decide we want to fuck after that then it’s a mutual decision. But I’ll be damned if I ever stalk a mothafucka that doesn’t want me.

  “Danielle, look.”

  I pointed to the bottom of Leslie’s boot. She was dragging a long piece of toilet paper. We both fell out laughing.

  I sat there for the longest time watching Leslie watch Landon. What Leslie needed to do was go home and change her damn clothes. I don’t know why fat people always feel they have to throw on a miniskirt, especially when their thigh is wider than their waist.

  Danielle lightly kicked my leg underneath the table. “Nae-Nae, here comes David.”

  David Lavell. Short, chocolate mothafucka and one of Columbia Police Department’s finest. He looked fabulous in dark slacks and a white polo shirt and white sneakers. But then he looked good in anything he wore. He had a body made for clothes. I tried to give him some last year, but his crazy-ass wife came banging on the door of our hotel room. If I had gotten some before she had interrupted maybe I wouldn’t still be angry.

  “Whassup, Renee?” He gave me his devilish smile and held out a hand. “Come dance with me.”

  I shook my head. “Hell nah! So your wife can come over and start trippin’? I don’t think so.”

  “She’s not here and if she was, she wouldn’t trip about me dancing with a friend.”

  Before I could object further, he took my drink out of
my hand, placed it on the table, and led me out onto the dance floor. The music had slowed down to Fantasia’s new cut. I allowed David to pull me in his arms. I ain’t gonna lie, the married mothafucka smelled good as hell.

  He brushed his lips against my ear. “You know I regret what went down with us.”

  “No, you don’t, ’cause if you did, you wouldn’t have gotten me in that mess in the first place.” I leaned back so he could see my eyes as I spoke. “How could you set my ass up like that?”

  “I didn’t mean to. Really,” he pleaded.

  “Yeah, you just forgot you and her were together,” I replied sarcastically.

  “Nah, I just was pissed at her.”

  “And you tried to use me to get back at her?”

  He offered me an apologetic smile. “Something like that.”

  Laughing, I shook my head, then rested it on his shoulder again. That was something I would have done, so I guess I couldn’t be too mad as long as that shit never happened again.

  “So you want to go to the hotel after we leave here so I can tap that ass for real this time?”

  “David, shut the hell up!”

  He tossed his head back with laughter. “You know I can’t help myself when it comes to you. Renee, you fine as hell.”

  True that, but I wasn’t even going to go there with his married ass. One thing Renee Moore doesn’t do is intentionally mess with someone else’s husband. Your man, yes. Your husband, no. Even though I don’t attend church on a regular basis, I know that there is a God up there in heaven and if He says do not to be drooling over someone else’s husband, then I know better than to disobey Him. Adultery is a sin, which I have been committing for years on my husband, but that situation was different and as far as I was concerned didn’t count. But I never ever mess with someone else’s husband. I didn’t like that shit when I caught my husband in bed with another man, so I wouldn’t want to see anyone else have to go through that kind of shock, ever.

  We danced two songs before I looked over to see Landon. He was leaned up against the bar flirting with some female. As soon as he spotted me, he whispered something in her ear, then headed my way. With his eyes, he asked me to dance. I thanked David, who didn’t look too happy, and moved toward Landon, who wrapped his arms around my middle. Together, we moved to the beat of the music, neither of us saying anything. I closed my eyes and got caught up in the moment.

  “Your body feels so good next to mine.”

  That shit was corny, but for his fine ass I’m going to let that pass. “You feel good, too.”

  “Here we are twenty years later. Who would have ever guessed we’d be attracted to each other?”

  I chuckled at his confidence. It was something the old Landon never had. “Who would have ever guessed?”

  “Ima keep it real, I have always been attracted to you, even back then.”

  “Really?” I said like I didn’t already know.

  “Yep. I was such a cornball back then. Highwater pants, thick glasses.”

  “Yep.” I laughed.

  “I knew back then there was no way I could step to you without having you laughing in my face.”

  I shrugged. “You were like a brother to me.”

  “And now?” he asked, studying my face. He licked his lips and I felt my body quiver.

  “Now . . . when I look at you I don’t think about my brother.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  We chuckled and then I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. For the first time since I left John’s tired ass, I felt that maybe there was a chance for me to finally get it right.

  It was during the next song that I got this feeling someone was watching me. Sure enough, I opened my eyes and spotted Leslie from across the room staring at my ass. I locked eyes with her, then ran my hand up and down Landon’s back. Oh, the look on her face was priceless. It took everything I had not to start laughing while I rained light kisses along Landon’s neck.

  “Mmmm, that feels good,” he murmured.

  I continued to smile over at Leslie, daring her to bring her big booty onto the dance floor.

  “You better quit before you start something,” Landon whispered against my ear.

  I pulled back and stared up at him, then draped my arms around his neck. “Oh, I’m definitely trying to start something,” I purred and looked over my shoulder to make sure Leslie was still watching. She was.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  I smiled up at him. “After the club. My place. I think we have a little catching up to do.”

  He looked surprised by my response. “Sounds like a plan.”

  The song ended and I released him and headed back over to where Danielle was sitting and talking to some short, bald dude. When I got up closer, I recognized him. Christopher Thomas. He and Danielle had dated while in high school.

  “Whassup, Nae-Nae?”

  I jumped back when I noticed his top teeth had packed up and moved the fuck on. “Hey, Chris, what’s been up wit you?”

  “Just trying to hold it together.”

  If his teeth were any indication, he was doing a poor job at it.

  He looked from me to Danielle. “I was just trying to get your girl here to go out with me.”

  I smirked, reached for a chair at the next table, and pulled up a seat. “That sounds like a good idea. Danny, why don’t you go out with him?” She gave me a look that said help me out but I pretended not to notice. “Chris, Danielle loves Red Lobster.”

  “Bet! I can take you there tomorrow night. I think they are having all-you-can-eat shrimp.” He wagged his thick bushy eyebrows, then slid an arm around her shoulders. “How ’bout it, Danielle? You want me to pick you up?”

  She removed his hairy arm. “I don’t think so.”

  I intervened. “What you riding these days?”

  He stuck out his chest with pride. “A Geo Metro.”

  “Geo Metro?” Danielle and I said at the same time.

  “Yep.” You would have thought he said he owned a BMW.

  I shook my head with pity. “I thought they stopped making them in the nineties.”

  “They did. I have one of the last ones that ever came off the assembly line. I don’t know why they stopped. They are economical. Even with gas prices, I can ride all day for little or nothing.”

  “That’s wonderful.” I turned my head to hide my laughter. Chris was definitely a winner.

  “Come on, Danny, let’s dance,” he suggested.

  Danielle choked on her drink. “Uh, I’m not feeling up to it.”

  “Okay, I’ll leave you alone as long as you save me a dance and promise to think about dinner.”

  Danny nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

  Chris said good-bye, then moved into the crowd with his pimp-daddy stroll and I howled with laughter.

  “You need to quit playing so damn much. Ain’t no way in hell I’m going out with him.”

  I was cracking up. “He used to be the love of your life.”

  “That was a long damn time ago. Now his ass looks tired as hell.”

  We laughed, then leaned back in our seats and enjoyed the music. We were on our third round of drinks when Landon pushed through the crowd and joined our table.

  “What’s going on, Danny?” They hugged and he took the chair beside me.

  “Damn, boy! The Army definitely does a body good.” She looked him up and down. “I should have snatched you up when you asked me to the spring dance our sophomore year.”

  He gave a nervous laugh that used to sound so goofy but now was quite sexy.

  For the next couple of songs, we sat there talking about the old days, laughing and shooting the shit. Danielle kicked my leg under the table. Damn, that was a bad habit of hers.

  “Uh-oh, here comes trouble,” she said.

  I followed the direction of her eyes in time to see Leslie heading our way. I struggled to keep a straight face. She huffed over to us and slammed the pa
lms of her hands onto the table in front of Landon.

  “Landon! We need to talk,” she demanded.

  Danielle mumbled under her breath. “Uh-uh, no, she didn’t.”

  “Oh, but yes, I did,” she replied, spacing each word evenly, then bored her eyes at Danielle to show her she wasn’t scared.

  Danielle gave her a dismissive wave and pointed to the other side of the club. “Y’all need to take that shit over there.”

  I started laughing ’cause I ain’t think Leslie had it in her. But here her big ass was, leaning over the table all in his face waiting for Landon to acknowledge her.

  He finally shook his head and got up. “Excuse me a minute.”

  “Yeah, excuse him,” she replied sarcastically. Leslie stormed off and Landon followed.

  I called after him. “Go handle yo business, boo! I’ll be right here when you get back.” Danny and I exploded with laughter. “She would want to do something about her breath.”

  “That wasn’t her breath. That’s her armpits.”

  I started waving my hand in the air. “Hell nah! She smells sour as hell.”

  “I can’t believe Landon was screwing her.”

  I sucked my teeth. “At the looks of things, he probably still is.”

  I watched the two of them in the corner going at it. Leslie was definitely feeling some type of way seeing him with me, but then most women do. Whatever!

  My eyes traveled around the room and I spotted several people I knew who were too damn old to be in this place, but then who was I to talk. I had no business being in here my damn self. This was definitely a college hangout spot.

  I looked over at the door and my mouth dropped. “Danny, ain’t that Ron?”

  “Where?”

  I pointed and she practically broke her neck trying to see who was walking through the door. The expression on her face confirmed my suspicions.

  I ain’t gonna lie, Ron is delicious in a thuggish kinda way. Tootsie Roll dark chocolate. Tall with a muscular build. Straight-back cornrows. He had on low-rider jeans and a white T-shirt.

  “Who’s that girl he’s with?” From across the room she looked vaguely familiar.

  “I don’t know and don’t care,” Danielle answered with straight attitude. She tried to act like she didn’t care, but her eyes reflected her anger and I could tell she was still hurting over him. I tried to cheer her up. “Girl, that bitch’s weave is whacked.”