I wasn’t surprised to see Jade at my next event. It was a hip hop art show, a combination of art, music and culture. I tried my best to focus on my work, but everywhere I turned, she seemed to be in the background.
I watched her bow shaped lips, painted an obscene shade of red, as they wrapped around the rim of her wine glass. Her tongue darted out to lick the glass between each sip, keeping her gloss on her lips, not the glass, where it belonged.
I grabbed my own glass and went upstairs. She was too much of a distraction. I stopped in front of a large painting of Jay-Z. I had to admire the artist’s work. He looked almost attractive in this picture. The women standing in front of me were gossiping.
“You know they are swingers…”
“I heard they seduce these innocent young girls…”
“Yeah, but she’s the one that really brings them in…”
“She’s hot though. I mean, if she asked me I might have to…” Both women collapsed into a fit of laughter. Typical so-called-straight girl talk.
I pondered the thought of Jay and his bride cruising through NYC picking up starstruck little girls. Just naive.
I paused next to another painting where a small group clustered. One of the artists stood in the center enjoying his spotlight. I took a small recorder from my purse on the off chance I could get a good quote.
“If you were nicer to me, I could arrange interviews with all of these artists. You wouldn’t have to catch snippets here and there…” Jade appeared next to me with two full wine glasses. She smiled as she extended one of them to me. “You looked thirsty.” She took my empty glass and deposited it on the nearest tray.
I took a large sip before speaking. My eyes surveyed her face, the slight shimmer over her light, freckle splattered skin. Her dress was thin, nude in color, making her look…well, nude. The dress dipped too low to be considered decent. It was held up by two flimsy straps that tied around her neck. My eyes darted into the shadows of her cleavage. I could have sworn her nipples hardened before my eyes. I looked up into her face. She was smiling. I realized I had yet to speak.
“It’s always good to see you, Jade.” I brought my glass back to my lips. In a matter of seconds, it was empty. She stepped towards me, her hand tracing the long chain I wore from my neck to where the charm rested between my breasts. She had casually, but intentionally brushed against a nipple in her path. She searched my eyes for my reaction. I was sure she saw what she was looking for.
She walked away from me, the dress shifting around her as she sashayed. The hem of her dressed fluttered as it struggled to conceal the treasures that existed below her waist.
I tried to get my mind right. I was here to do a job! Get it together, Life! Just as my pep talk started to sink in, she returned with another full glass of wine and an attractive man on her arm. She handed me the glass before introducing him.
“Life, this is the brilliant mind behind…” For the rest of the night, she kept a full glass of wine in my hand and an artist in front of me.
“We’ll figure out how you can thank me later…”
