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It was eight a.m., so that meant four more hours to go. Anticipation and anxiety bit at his nerves to the point where eating breakfast was hard. But he managed it.
That excitement dulled when he received a call at around nine a.m. from his friend, Nigel.
“Hey, you’re going to that Latin Food Festival, right?” Nigel asked.
Barry and Nigel were together when someone had handed them both flyers for the festival. Nigel had immediately tossed his flyer into the trash. Festivals, or public events for that matter, were not his cup of tea. It was a surprise that he was asking about it now.
Barry said, “Yeah, I’m going.”
“My staff is insisting on making an office fun-day out of it so I might show up.” Nigel, who was a dentist with his own practice, asked, “What time will you be there? We can hang out.”
“I’m not hanging out with you,” Barry immediately protested. “I have plans.”
“Plans with who? Xolani?” Nigel asked. “I thought she was just your friend.”
“She is.”
“Then I’m sure she won’t mind hanging out with your other friends.” The daft idiot repeated, “What time will you be there?”
Despite Barry’s repeated protests, his friend finagled his arrival time out of him.
When Barry got to the events’ location, Nigel and his staff of eight were waiting in the parking lot. Right around the same time, Xolani pulled up in her forest-green, Rayburn coupe.
The coupe was a car that drew attention merely by its existence. But when its driver emerged from it, she became the star of the day.
Xolani looked fantastic.
Her hair was hidden beneath jumbo braids that flowed all the way down to her waist. Some braids had colorful beads attached to their ends. The black, red, green and yellow beads were the perfect match to her vivid yellow ankle-length sundress.
And what a sundress it was!
It was tight at the top to show off her perky breasts and flat stomach, and flowy at the bottom to add length to her already ridiculously long legs. To complete the package, she’d worn brown sandals that showed off her pretty, pedicured feet yet were still perfect for a day of walking.
Barry’s heart leapt in admiration, as did other parts of him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she walked to him. Nigel and his staff were mesmerized too. But all of Xolani’s attention was for Barry.
She smiled brightly as she approached him. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Barry moved without thought, and in seconds, he was hugging her.
Jesus! She smelt just as good as she looked. He almost groaned in protest when she stepped out of his arms.
“Am I late?” she asked.
“Not at all,” someone behind them said, reminding Barry that Xolani wasn’t the only person in the whole world, even if it felt like it.
Barry turned with his arm around Xolani’s waist to introduce her. “Guys, this is my friend, Xo. Xo, that’s my friend, Nigel, and his workmates.”
“Hi.” Nigel stepped forward to greet Xolani, and he was smiling as he did it.
Nigel’s thing was being broody and mysterious. His smile was reserved for people or things he really, really liked. So seeing him smile at Xolani was enough to make Barry tighten his hold on her waist. She was his.
Unfortunately, Nigel wasn’t his only problem.
Xolani was a magnet; she attracted people to her like they were bees and she was a flower with lots of pollen to spare. As soon as the rest of the group introduced themselves by name, one of Nigel’s hygienists attached herself to Xolani like glue.
“That’s the one who’s a lesbian, right?” Barry asked Nigel as they walked behind Xolani and the hygienist.
Nigel nodded. “Yup.”
