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“You sure this is the right place?”
“Yeah, stop complaining and hurry your ass up.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Kaliq before I pushed through the door to enter The Bottom. Just like the last time I’d been there the crowd was thick.
I also didn’t miss the bouncer at the end of the bar as I passed by him. Tonight he was more interested in the woman who stood between his legs versus the one I was here to see.
Still pissed me off that he had the power to make her smile the way he had.
Tonight there was no one on stage. A jazz song rippled through the air like unpredictable waves of the ocean. The bass was a deep steady rhythm setting the tone while a saxophone tapped in silkily smooth, almost unfairly becoming the headliner.
A melancholy voice sang lyrics that were raw, deep, and delivered with a rasp so contradicting, seemingly filled with pain, but in a way that made you want to smile because it felt good, like him.
I felt at home but it wasn’t just the music. My eyes roamed and a frown etched my face when I didn’t see her. Because there weren’t any open tables, Kaliq and I settled at the bar.
Before I could even ask, the bottle I’d started the first night I found this place landed hard against the polished wood in front of me followed by a glass, but only one.
When my eyes bounced between the glass and my brother making their way back up to her, she tilted her head to the side and presented a sexy grin. One I was sure worked in her favor with most men.
“If he’s drinking, I need to see some ID. We might be small but we follow the rules.”
Kaliq’s eyes shot over to me in question.
She serious?
“He’s old enough to drink,” I stated, reaching for the bottle. But she didn’t budge.
“I’m sure he is, but I still need to see for myself.”
Kaliq dug into his pocket, sliding his ID from behind his debit card and tossing it on the bar. She lifted the thin plastic unbothered then slid it back in front of him before grabbing another glass and setting it atop the ID.
“You look like a baby.”
“Doesn’t matter long as I fuck like a grown man.”
Her smile grew wider, more salacious. “I might just have to see that for myself too.” She winked before turning her attention to me. I guess I wasn’t as discreet as I thought I was.
“She’s in the back doing inventory.”
Without giving me time to confirm or deny what had me so preoccupied, she made her way to the other end of the bar and began clearing empties.
“How old you think she is?”
I pulled the bottle of XO to me and filled both our glasses before following his line of sight.
“Do you care?”
He grinned, lifting his glass. “Nah, not really.”
“That’s what I thought.” Chuckling I tossed back my first shot and quickly refilled my glass.
“It’s chill in here. You can’t tell from the outside though. Shit looks condemned like muthafucker. It’s hard for me to picture Drew in here. He hates shit like this.”
“Same thing I was thinking.” We drank in silence for the most part.
By my third shot, I’d learned the name of Cadence’s friend because she and my brother had gotten cozy with one another. She smiled and flirted with him but each time her eyes found me those red painted lips flattened into a tight line.
Me being here meant I was looking for Cadence and for whatever reason, she didn’t approve.
