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I chided myself until she returned. Lennox carried a bottle of water and a glass of wine.
She handed it to me, her baby-soft flesh accidentally brushing against my hand caused sparks to discharge in my chest. I watched her spin then drop onto the sofa across from me, those blonde ringlets cascading in the air. Her legs curled beneath her as she opened the bottle of water.
“So,” she exhaled after taking a gulp from the bottle. “I’ve seen the type of deep-dives you’ve done with Raj—well… You’ve told me about some of them. The long conversations, the push for honesty, the heavy disagreements. All of that to get him to be more transparent in his art. If you’re going to work with Dale, what will you do?”
“The same.”
“The same?”
I nodded, thinking about it. “Yeah. That’s all true R&B music is made of: vulnerability, love, hope, expression. It’s hard for Black men to embrace those elements, but it’s what resonates. It’s what sells.”
“Seems like what’s been selling to me is getting high and cheating on your significant other.” Her brows peaked.
“Because your Ragees, Dales, Joes, and John Legends haven’t put out work consistently or concurrently—” I shook my head, quickly having decided I wasn’t articulating myself well. “They weren’t on their posts hard enough. Tank’s been in the fight by himself for that generation. The Luthers, Stevies, and Teddys are not around or interested in new work. A lot of male R&B artists play in pop music equally or to a larger degree. And let’s not mention the extinction of groups. There are none filling that space. All of these components and others answer the question of why the genre has been compromised. It’s the foundation of music, yet no one wants to carry the banner.”
“Except for Tank.”
My head seesawed. “Raj has been doing his part these last two albums. Lucky Daye’s been making some soulful noise. Honestly, there are lots. But when you have legends like Dale, making a resounding resurgence on the charts, the culture is inspired.”
Her intentional attention could send me on a blissful orbit if I didn’t remain grounded. “But first, you have to infuse that inspiration into the artist.”
Slowly, I affirmed, “Bingo.”
“How?”
Getting my shit together, I took a deep breath while sitting up, and reached for the glass of wine. “Like I said. Same shit.” I took a sip, enjoying robust, fermented grapes exploding on my tongue right away. “Convincing him to get open. Maybe trying to pry because, while nobody’s as closed off as Raj’s ass, I still feel like Dale is like Brielle. They’re from that pre-social media, popstar era, heavily reliant on public relations professionals.”
“There was ‘Telling it All,’” she lowkey argued.
“A body of work based on the experience of another man. WhoisDale? Thanks to “Licker,” we know he likes head. But does he enjoy reciprocating? A moody bitch? Does he like to fuck in public or is he rather reserved in his destinations? Does he still have a penchant for older women or, now that he’s arguably a middle-aged man, do women his age catch his eye?”
Lennox nodded. “You think you can get all of that?”
“It’s up to Dale. Will he pay me what I’m worth? Will he do the emotional work necessary?”
“The work,” she echoed in a whisper.
After taking another nip, I emphasized, “I’d be interested in hearing what his needs are.”
“What are your needs?” Her eyes ascended from the water bottle she rolled between her palms.
Was Lennox flirting with me?
“What’s sitting across from me unassured.”
Countless time was stolen over the stretch of two shallow breaths.
Her lips slowly parted as she regarded me, locking eyes. Lennox shook her head, murmuring, “Is that what you think?” I didn’t answer because I had no damn clue. She was here. That had to mean something. “I found my way to my bedroom.” She snorted, dimples forming. “Printed words of affirmation leading me straight to the door. Precious, worthy, desired, enduring, brilliant…I can’t remember them all, but felt each one of them. Protectable. That was one of my favorites. Then black, long stem flowers on the bed, forming a heart around a purpleAndretta’s box.”
Licking my lips, I nodded, fighting for bravado. The last thing I was feeling was confidence. Subconsciously, I busied myself by pulling the wine glass to my mouth. It was tasteless this time.
“I’ve got something in common with Ragee now?” I hardly heard her.
“What’s that?”
“I’ve been stuck in a house with you, and enjoyed your culinary skills.” Her smile caressed my groin. “It was amazing. I had two plates.” Lennox fell into the sofa, laughing at herself.
“Did you really have that much to drink today?”
