Page 43 of Kobalt

“I got the beat, baby.”

“A’ight, pretty girl. Let me see you work your magic.”

I lifted my hands in the air and worked my hips like Shakira. Kobalt released me and stood back to watch me dance. I saw the appreciation light up his eyes, the heavy lust that caused his lids to lower, and how he struggled to contain himself by biting his bottom lip.

I wore a pair of slate-gray, low-rise sweatpants, a slate-gray cropped hoodie, a gunmetal gray beanie, and a pair of gray-and-white snakeskin stiletto heeled ankle boots. My friends often commented about my ability to wear high heels for long periods of time, as well as walking long distances in them. My fascination with heels started in ninth grade, and I never looked back.

Even now, I heard a girl behind me comment, “Damn, she’s dancing her ass off in those heels.”

I dropped down low, still working my hips and ass, and turned around with my back to my man. I looked at him over my shoulder, licked my tongue out, and winked at him. He reached down and slowly pulled me back up, smacked my ass, and pulled me against him.

With his lips buried against mine, he muttered, “That’s enough showing that ass.”

I locked my arms around his neck. “What’s wrong, baby? I thought you would’ve loved my little performance.”

“I do, but that shit’s for my eyes only.”

I glanced around to see that people had their phones up, and they had either been recording or streaming us. A crowd had grown around us, and I was pleased to see that most of the people who approached us after I finished dancing wanted his autograph. Several people asked if I was a professional dancer or gave dance instructions. Upon hearing my answer of no, they offered to pay me for instructing them. The swift, harsh look from Kobalt aligned with how I already felt.

“All right, Shakira. Let’s get you and your twerking hips away from this stage.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and steered me toward the area where the carnival games were.

He played basketball, football toss, cornhole, and a few other games, most of which he won. When we walked away, I held a cute polar bear in my arms, while Kobalt carried an oversized rabbit and a cute dinosaur in his arms for me. We took those things to the car, along with my treats, before we returned to the festival again.

“Come on. Let’s hop in there.” I tugged him to a bounce house where several adults stood in the line.

“Babe, I’m not about to get my oversized ass in a bouncy house,” he grumbled.

“It’s a bounce house for adults, though, babe.”

“I know that, but it’s a recipe for disaster. The wrong nigga gets hit and folks are ready to throw hands or pull out guns. I’m really not on that shit, babe.”

“Pulleeez.” I folded my hands in prayer pose, pouted out my bottom lip, and gave him the puppy dog eyes.

He rolled his eyes, grabbed me by the hand, and pulled me toward the line.

“Furor?” the man in front of us asked after he did a doubletake over his shoulder.

“Wassup, man?” Kobalt replied. His voice was distant, and he didn’t meet the man’s gaze.

“I thought that was you I saw earlier. Aye, can I get a selfie with you, man?”

Kobalt glanced at me, and I could see the hesitation in his eyes. Rather than telling the man no, he asked, “Babe, you mind?”

“Not at all.”

Before I knew it, people were flocking over and asking to take pictures with him. The line kept moving, and in no time, it was our turn to get into the bouncy house.

“Aye, man, we usually let six people in at a time. I’ma shut this down for you and your lady,” the security guard standing nearby proclaimed.

“Word?” Kobalt sounded pleased for the first time since he’d been flocked by fans.

“Yeah. It can’t be easy being you and going out in public you have no privacy. I’ma give y’all that for a few moments.”

Kobalt dapped him up. “Yo, bro, I ’preciate you. Good looking out. When I finish, how about you and I get a quick video together?”

“That’s wassup. My kids will love that,” the security guard replied.

Kobalt helped me to climb inside after we removed our shoes. I looked around and threw my arms in the air and released a loud squeal. The bouncy house was much larger than the normal ones, primarily because it was for a festival, and because it was for adults.