“You always leaving.” Sharonda said. “You better make sure you here for my graduation, that’s all I know.”

  Niecy kissed her on the cheek while ignoring all the niggas sweating them. “Never baby, you know I ain’t missing that. By the way, don’t tell mama you saw me here, she thinks I’m gone already.”

  With that, she signaled for her girls to come on so they could walk inside to check the party out. Donnell hollered at a few of his people before leaning his backside up against the car with Sharonda’s backside pressed up against his front while music played from multiple cars; the bass vibrating through their bodies.

  “You sure you good?” Donnell asked. “I can drop you off to yo girls if you want me to, ain’t no sweat.”

  Pinky and some of the other girls ended up at the skating rink because Quad City DJ’s and Uncle Luke were out there plus, it was eighteen and older night. Sharonda wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes feeling like she could be with him forever. If she ever had kids from him, she wanted their child to have those same exact eyes.

  “No, I’m fine right here with you.” She winked at him.

  Damn, I love this girl, he thought. “That’s what I like to hear.” He smiled.

  Sharonda and Donnell were wrapped up into their own mood where they saw nobody but each other until they were interrupted by a female who clearly was an admirer. She stood a few feet away from them surrounded by her posse.

  “Heyyy Donnell.” She cooed. “Can we get a picture with you?”

  Donnell never really turned down pictures because his agent always told him that he should be nice to his fans but sometimes he just simply didn’t want to do it. Like now, when he was chilling with Sharonda and that’s all he wanted to do.

  “Go ahead.” Sharonda told him, stepping to the side. She wasn’t the one to stop him from doing his thing although it did get annoying at times. There weren’t many places they went where people weren’t talking to him, asking him questions about ball, or asking to take a picture. She never wanted to be in any of them and every time, she politely stepped to the side and allowed him to do his own thing.

  The girl pulled her digital camera from her bag and held it out toward Sharonda. “You mind taking this picture?” She asked with a fake smile.

  She retrieved the camera from the girl and let them get themselves together to pose. Donnell stood in the middle, so much taller than the girls, but then again, he was taller than a lot of people anyway. They took one photo with the girls being respectful but in the next photo one girl tried to face him and squat in front of them like they were in a club. Sharonda bit hard on her inner cheek to stop herself from saying something.

  Donnell, who was very good with reading the room declined anymore photos. “Nah, that’s it. It was nice meeting ya’ll. I hope I made ya’ll night.”

  They giggled, knowing they went too far but were happy with the photos that they did get, and they couldn’t wait to tell everyone they ran into Donnell ‘Dee’ Williams and had the picture to prove it.

  He looped one arm around Sharonda and smiled showing his gold teeth. “You jealous?”

  She frowned. “No.”

  He knew she was lying through her teeth. He saw the look all in her eyes as the second ole girl squatted in front of him. He liked to see her jealous side though. It turned him on. He looped his other arm around her and leaned over, nuzzling his nose in the nape of her neck, tickling her. “Stop lying. Aww my baby ain’t like that shit.”

  Sharonda couldn’t help but giggle trying to squirm away from him. “Stop playing so much. You ready to go?”

  He looked around realizing that the block was dwindling down anyway. “Yeah, what you wanna do?”

  She paused and swallowed the hard lump in her throat. She knew exactly what she wanted to do and this time she wasn’t backing out. With a confident look in her eyes, she told him what she felt. “I wanna go to yo’ place.”

  Donnell intensely stared at her for a good six seconds to process what she was asking. Sharonda had been to his condo on a few occasions but for simple shit, like if he had to stop by there and get something real quick, or she stopped by there when she got off work since it was around the corner from her job but never had she blatantly asked to go there, especially this time of night.

  He slid her soft hand into his. “You sure?”

  She simply nodded her head, allowing him to lead her to his Lexus and open the door for her like he always did. The ride to his condo was a quiet one. Not even music could fill the awkward void. The entire time, she fidgeted with her finger and nibbled on her bottom lip, but she knew one thing for sure; she wasn’t going into another year a virgin, and she was one hundred percent sure that Donnell was the guy she wanted to give herself to and it wasn’t because of his status, it was because of the way he treated her.

  He found a parking spot and they walked upstairs hand in hand. When they were secure inside, he dropped the keys on the counter and removed his shoes; she did the same. Donnell’s living room was spacious with a high ceiling creating that sense of openness. A large overstuffed sectional sofa in soft suede dominated the space and the bold forest green color topped it off. In front of the couch, a glass topped coffee table brimming with basketball magazines and a Nintendo 64 went perfect. His entertainment center had a nice size tube television and a VCR.

  The walls in the living room were decorated with posters of basketball legends and signed jerseys. He had a shelf that displayed trophies emphasizing his growth in the game from childhood. Sharonda loved the cozy feel of his condo but any other time she came it was extremely quick and they were in and out but never to stay and chill. Most of the time, he was at her house and Benita didn’t mind it at all.

  Without a word he led her to his bedroom which was serene, yet stylish with a king-sized bed covered in a colorful duvet set with a bold pattern. Again, posters of his favorite icons were on the walls. In the corner of the room, he had a small desktop computer and dial up modem sitting on top of it. Donnell allowed Sharonda to sit on the bed while he got comfortable and turned the boombox on, popping a cassette into the cassette player which had all of the slow songs he liked. The sounds of Jodeci ‘Freek ’N You’ filled the room causing Sharonda to lightly chuckle. Donnell was always macking.

  She slightly tilted her head to the side. “Really Donnell?”

  “I mean, I don’t know, baby. This shit is kind of awkward for me right now and I’m trying to set the mood.”

  “Is it always awkward?”

  He walked to the edge of the bed where she sat and glared in her eyes. “Don’t compare yo’self to nobody else cause none ever been like you.”

  Sharonda felt her vagina moistening just from the vibrations of his voice and choice of words. She’d wanted this for so long and now was the time. She stood up slowly and allowed it to come naturally when they began to explore each other’s mouths with their tongues. She felt a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, feeling ready both emotionally and physically.

  With every move, Donnell let her know he respected her pace through his actions as he reassured her with every gesture that he was patient. He removed her clothing until they were both completely naked. When Sharonda glared at his manhood, she almost let out a scream from the size of it, but she held it together. As if it were their first time ever seeing the opposite sex naked, they admired the beauty of each other’s bodies. Donnell had seen plenty of girls naked, but it was because of the way he felt about her which made this time different.

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  Once again, she swallowed that gulp of fear and put it deep in the pit of her stomach. Sometimes she wished that she would’ve given it up long ago like her friends did because at twenty-two years old she felt like this should not have made her nervous. She even had thoughts that maybe had she not been a virgin, Tyrone wouldn’t have cheated on her, but she knew that was so far-fetched. It didn’t matter what you did for a nigga, if he wasn’t shit, he just simply wasn’t shit.

  Donnell laid her on the soft bed as she took her time spreading her thighs trying to control the shaking in them. He was completely gentle and in tune with her as he used his tongue to run it slowly down the side of her neck down to her perky breast. Sharonda’s breathing became shallow, and she bit down on her bottom lip trying her best to control her whimpering when he was barely even touching her.

  Donnell worked his way down to her stomach where he held her waist and teased her there before gliding his tongue across her hairy vagina glad that she at least kept it nice, fresh, and trimmed low unlike some of the other girls he’d been with. They were like straight up werewolves down there.

  Sharonda’s eyes rolled in the back of her head feeling everything she knew it would be just from him putting his mouth on her most intimate part. She could feel her eye ducts filling with tears when she felt herself about to have an orgasm. With her arms to the side of her, she balled up a handful of sheets in her hands and moaned.

  Donnell was satisfied that he pleased her but had to hold her squirming body until she came off of her orgasm. Feeling the precum oozing from his manhood, he removed the condom from the wrapper and slid it on. Sharonda’s face looked so angelic under the lights and the tears in her eyes were undeniable but at least he knew they were happy tears.

  He asked her one more time if she was ready for this and she nodded her head yes. He couldn’t believe that he was about to actually take her virginity because that’s something he had never done. Most of the girls he dealt with were already having sex when he met them. With his body now on top of hers, he slowly eased it in making sure to take his time. Every time he would ask her if she wanted him to stop she would tell him to keep going. While he couldn’t believe how tight she was, she couldn’t believe she was actually doing it and although it hurt like hell, she kept it going.

  The pain she felt down there was indescribable and she couldn’t wait for the pleasure to come. Donnell placed a kiss on her lips when he was halfway in and whispered in her ear. “I love you, Sharonda.”

  She couldn’t believe he was saying exactly what she had been thinking. This moment was everything to her and his comfort only made it easier for her to adjust. “I love you too, Donnell.” She admitted feeling those familiar butterflies. She’d always heard about a female’s cherry being popped and she was sure that he’d popped hers when he continued to enter her because that was the worst part of it but when he had managed to fill her up, she rested her hands on his back and filled the room with her soft moans.

  Donnell knew he had to take his time with her. He was never gentle to this extent with no female ever, but he couldn’t forgive himself had he hurt her in this process. Sharonda was so tight down there she had his toes curling up at the tip trying to refrain from releasing too soon. Damn, this the best I ever had in my life, he thought. Donnell made sure that he caressed and stroked her while getting to know her body and in Sharonda’s eyes he did everything right. She couldn’t wait to tell Pinky that she’d finally done it.

  Chapter Ten

  I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)- Hi-Five

  “Sharonda! Wake your ass up girl. I’ve been calling you all morning long.” Pinky fussed pacing back and forth in her living room. “Somebody robbed our apartment but thank God me nor Stacks was home this morning.”

  Sharonda rolled over in her bed holding the sheets up against her body. “What?!”

  “I bet that got you up. Girl nobody did shit to us, I just need you to wake up and tell this nigga where I was at last night, please. He always thinks a bitch is up to no good meanwhile he ain’t ever caught me doing shit. He’s the one that gets caught.”

  Sharonda rolled her eyes and laid back down. She didn’t understand why Pinky wanted to play all day. She’d just reached home this morning and after making love to Donnell all night she wanted to sleep. She never thought it would take such a toll on her body and she could feel the throbbing and soreness in her vagina. When she waltzed in this morning, Benita was already in the kitchen cooking breakfast and gossiping on the phone.

  Her daughter never stayed out anywhere overnight so the fact that she stayed away overnight only meant one thing in her eyes. Sharonda thought back to this morning and what her mama said to her. “Girl I was born at night but not last night. Don’t you bring no babies in my house and next time you decide to stay out all night it’ll be nice to call your mama and let me know.”

  Sharonda focused back on Pinky and let out a light yawn. “Yeah, here with me drunk as fuck after the skating rink.” She lied for her friend, not even sure if that was the excuse she gave Stacks, but it did make sense.

  Pinky lightly mushed him on the side of the head. “I told you!” She said with a deep roll of the eyes. “Anyway, what do you need to tell me, cause I just know it better be good.” Pinky asked, focusing back on Sharonda now that Stacks was out the way. These bitches be lying like a motherfucker, he thought to himself before taking a seat on the couch.

  With a goofy smile plastered on her face, Sharonda told her what she really wanted to know. “I couldn’t answer your calls last night because I was busy getting my thang stroked and it was gooood. After I got over the pain, I was fine and he was calm, patient, and so gentle.”

  Pinky couldn’t believe what her ears were hearing. Since teenagers when the rest of them started having sex, Sharonda refused to give it up no matter how much they tried to pressure her. Yeah, she was the ‘it’ girl in looks, but scary as hell when it was time to crack those legs open.

  “You did what?! Girl, welcome to womanhood! Finally!” She did a little happy dance right in the middle of her living room floor while Stacks sat on the couch rolling a joint looking at her like she was crazy. He knew something was off with Pinky, but he loved her crazy ass just like she loved him.

  Sharonda chuckled. “Girl please. I can’t wait to see you so I can give you all the details and I’ma give it to you blow by blow.”

  “As long as you know!” She beamed. “So, what’s the plan for today?”

  Sharonda looked at the time. “I gotta work.

  Pinky shook her head. “I’m allergic to that.”

  “Don’t we know it. I’ll hit you up later on when I get off. I better go ahead and get up now girl because I know I won’t be able to go back to sleep any way.” She checked her pager and smiled when she saw the page from Donnell. She stretched her arms above her head and pulled the curtains open. When she saw the sun casting warm, golden rays over the streets, she knew it was going to be a good day.

  Some of the neighborhood kids already had the sidewalk marked up with chalk and ran around with laughter. The old folks sat on the porches sipping on coffee while exchanging the latest news and the block boys already had the music going filling their ears. Seeing how beautiful the day was only made her want to call out of work, plus she felt as though she was walking weird or maybe it could’ve just been her conscience. Benita had gone to work, and she knew Niecy would be nowhere to be found because she should’ve been heading to Cali today.

  She filled the bathroom tub with warm water and slithered her naked body inside while replaying the previous night in her head. Sharonda didn’t feel regretful, nor did she feel like she’d take it back because the truth is, she wouldn’t. She wasn’t sure if Donnell had cut all of his girls off, but she did know she’s the one he’d been with and his actions showed where he was trying to be, which was anywhere she was at.

  After she was done bathing, she scrambled up some cheese eggs and put them between two slices of bread to make a sandwich. She washed it down with a cup of orange juice and headed out of the house. From the inside, the sunny day was a beautiful sight to see but once on the outside it was hell on earth as hot as it was. She waved to those who spoke to her and got in her Acura. The closer she got to work, the more she just simply didn’t want to go. She bopped her head to the music until she was halfway to work and then turned it down when she arrived. Sharonda was tired of driving to Coral Gables and would be glad when she graduated and took her NCLEX so she could resign.

  Inside the workplace, the environment was warm and welcoming as usual. She wrapped her apron around her waist and got to work. Halfway through her shift, she stood at the register when a group of students from the University of Miami walked in. She could tell because they repped the shirts, school colors, and varsity jackets even though it was burning up outside. Some of the cool dudes had their shades on and the girls had on tennis skirts or high waisted daisy dukes.

  They were loud and having a good time while ordering. One dude tried to put the moves on Sharonda, and he was real cute to her. He was tall, dark skinned, and rocked a high top fade. One diamond earring stud was in his pierced ear. He didn’t have a mouth full of gold teeth like Donnell did. Instead, he had his two front teeth gold plated. “What’s up Sharonda, how you doin’?”

  She couldn’t even ask him how he knew her name because the name tag they wore with their uniforms told it all. “Hey, I’m good. What would you like today?”

  He stepped closer to the counter and smiled. “Shit I’m trying to get the digits so I can take you out. What a fine ass girl like you doing working up in a coffee shop?”

  She raised a brow and rolled her neck. “What’s wrong with a coffee shop? Money is money. We all gon’ spend the shit the same and leave it behind when we die anyway. So, like I said, what would you like today? My digits ain’t on the menu, sorry.” She chuckled.