All I Want... Is You (6 page)

~Cori~

“
Did I wake you, Cori?”

I wasn’t about to admit to being tired, even if I was up half the night trying to come down from the high that I was on. I selfishly clung to the covers as I sleep-walked through the conversation with Derrick, trying to get final confirmation about the party later on today.

“No, you didn’t wake me… well you kinda did, but I’m awake now.” I answered him, not caring if he was going to be perturbed or not. I take my beauty sleep seriously.

“Well, I called to make sure that you and the ladies were going to make it out,” Derrick kept the conversation trite. “I really do hope that you all can make it.”

I woke up slightly because for a minute there, I thought that he was showing a little bit of nervousness that we might not head out there.

“No, we’re still going to be there, I just need to know if it is going to be a pool party or something else. I may need to go shopping for something, and the girls might want to know so they can dress appropriately.”

“Well, swimsuits are optional; the atmosphere is laid-back, so just come in something sexy. I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you or the other ladies.” Derrick replied. I felt the smirk spread across his face quickly.

This time, I didn’t mind it as much.

“You are so silly, boy,” I playfully teased. “We’ll see you at the party later today.”

After hanging up the phone with Derrick, I called Tracie to make sure she was on her way over to my place to get dressed and ride over later.

“This party had better not be lame, Cori,” she came out of her face saying. “It really won’t matter if Brian’s fine ass is gonna be there or not, if I’m bored, I’m leaving you there.”

“The party won’t be lame, Tracy. RP is not some broke ass organization, if you’ve forgotten that, and the party will be at the Richton estate. I’m sure Mr. Richton has enough juice for the majority of us, girl.”

“Speaking of juice, it seems like you and that cutie, Derrick, right? Looks like you two are getting a little cozy,” Tracie switched the subject on me. “So, when you gonna fuck him so we can get our recording deal finished? I saw him at the showcase last night, and he has Mr. Richton’s ear and influence.”

The stare that I gave her could have pierced through steel.

“You’re a cold ass bitch, do you know that?” I replied, annoyed that she would even think I would put myself out there like that. “I am not sleeping with Derrick to seal a deal. IF I decide to sleep with him, it will be based on something a lot more important than a record deal.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet, but that shit only works in the movies, Cori,” Tracie tried to correct my romanticized thoughts. “You like him, I can tell that already. This ‘playing hard to get when you already wanna give up the pussy’ cat and mouse shit is cute and all, but we got business to attend to, or have you forgotten that?”

“Please, Tracie, I hardly know Derrick well enough to like him or anything like that,” I lied through my teeth. Derrick was getting to me, and it was just a matter of time before everyone else began to see that, including Derrick. “But if I do fuck him, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Girl, why don’t we just get all dolled up, head to this party, and get our freak on, please?” Tracie finally said. “All of the real ballers will be snatched up, and I’m no one’s sloppy seconds.”

~Derrick~

“
Alright, D, where are your girls?”

Brian was acting like a freakin’ teenager wrapped up in his damn puppy crush or some shit when he walked up on me trying to find out when Cori and the girls would show up.

“They’ll be here, B, what the fuck are your panties in a bunch for?” I asked him, irritated that he’d been acting like such a damn buster.

“Look, D, these phony ass women of Toni’s are starting to cramp my style,” Brian came back at me, looking almost insulted that I would ask. “I just hope they hurry up, I’m about to be bored as hell up in this camp.”

“Look, man, I said they’ll be here, alright?” I felt like I was reassuring a little kid that his favorite toy would be at home or something.

Finally, I saw Cori coming through the back doors, followed by Tracie, Kyra and Candace. Seeing everyone turn their heads to see the girls, especially the wannabes that wanted a piece of them, would probably be enough to make most men sweat about the competition.

Between you and me, I’m not most men.

“Any other questions, bruh?” I asked Brian, watching him slowly lose his mind upon seeing Tracie. “You know how women like making an entrance.”

“You got that right, bruh, and it’s a hellified entrance, to say the least.” Brian couldn’t take his eyes off Tracie, and she locked eyes with him the minute she saw us. “So, we’re hosts, right? Let’s go be hospitable.”

“Come on, playa, you know not to be all eager and shit?” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to remind him of that, or remind myself of what needs not to happen. “Let the ladies breathe a little bit, let them come to us, and we’ll work it from there.”

Brian acted like he didn’t hear me, salivating like a love struck 16 year old.

As much as I tried to calm him down, my own instincts and my body were betraying me. Seeing Cori in a lavender halter top and matching mini-skirt with a pair of open-toed stilettos with straps that wrapped all the way up to her calves was enough to inspire some aggression in me, too. Tracie didn’t slouch either, wearing a strapless pink mini-dress with a pair of t-strapped sandals.

I took a deep breath to compose myself, trying to convince myself that she wasn’t doing this solely for my benefit.

But if they were trying to get the attention of every man in the place, regardless of marital status?

Mission accomplished.

I would have kept them waiting just a little bit longer, until I saw Toni talking to them.

Damn, why did she have to get to Cori first?
I asked myself as I sauntered over to get in on the conversation. Brian followed suit, wondering what exactly was going on.

Toni saw us coming, but she didn’t say anything until we were all together before she finally decided to blow up the spot. “Derrick, baby, these ladies were wondering where you were. They must be VIP to get into my parties.”

A little pop on Toni’s ass reminded her of a few things, like not trying to put me on the spot like I didn’t already invite them.

Tracie’s eyebrow raised quick, as if she wanted to say something to me about what I’d just done. I shot a look back at her to let her know that it wasn’t that type of party.

Not that I haven’t been to those types of parties, but that’s another story.

Toni laughed at me, rubbing the spot that I slapped and told the ladies, “Don’t mind D and me,

ladies. I love him like a brother, but he’s horrible at introductions. Enjoy the party, and if you need anything, come find me if D hasn’t already handled it.”

After Toni left us, I turned my attention to Cori and the girls and soon realized that someone was missing from the group.

Or should I say
two
someones.

It didn’t take long to figure out that Brian had already taken Tracie in tow and found a way to isolate and mack. I caught a glimpse of them at a table by the pool, already wrapped up into each other.

I tried not to look too confused, but I failed badly.

“Was there something I missed? There were two other people that were here for me to take on the tour of the house, right?” I couldn’t get rid of the confused look on my face, and it soon became the source of amusement for the ladies.

“I’m sorry, Derrick, I didn’t mean to laugh, but your expression was priceless.” Kyra mentioned, still trying to stifle a giggle. “You were so serious and calm last night.”

Cori chimed in, “Yeah, D, I would have sworn that you had this all planned out except for your boy throwing a curve ball in your game.”

Candace jumped in to try and save me. “Come on, girls, I’m sure we can still enjoy the tour that Derrick had planned for us. He’s trying to be a good host and all. We can cut him a little slack, right?”

Cori playfully slapped my shoulder and stepped a little closer to me. I was a little surprised by that move, considering she wanted to act like she didn’t want to give up much rhythm even though there was an obvious vibe between us.

“Okay, Mr. Morrow, lead away, we would love to see the house, and then perhaps maybe we can get a little dancing in afterwards?” Cori asked, flashing her eyes up at me.

If she was trying her best to take me off my game and make me pay attention to her?

It almost worked.

Almost.

“
Okay, I have to warn
you, I really can’t dance all that well.”

Cori kept laughing at some of the moves I was trying to pull off during different songs, but that soon changed. I had to thank Toni for teaching me a few moves. It gave me a chance to see how Cori moved those hips of hers, and appreciating the view while dancing behind her at times.

Eventually the girls got together and decided to do their thing as a group, and I tipped off the DJ to let him know to come up with something for them to take it up a notch. My man didn’t disappoint, poppin’ off “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child first to let the ladies get loose.

And get loose is exactly what they did!

Brothas at the bar completely turned their attention toward the choreographed routine that Cori and the girls came up with. It didn’t hurt that the outfits were skimpy enough to leave a little to the imagination, but not too little.

All I did was hang and relax, enjoying the view and keeping eye contact with Cori the entire time she was dancing. The song switched to JT Money’s “Who Dat” and the girls really let go. Cori kept trying to avoid eye contact, but when she did look up and saw me staring, a slick grin spread across her face and she even managed to blow a few kisses before letting the rhythm take over again.

Yeah, this was the side of her I couldn’t wait to see, and I definitely liked what I saw. The sensual energy that exuded from her was definitely on display. Hell, all of the girls were enticing the crowd so much that even the women were feeling the vibe. Even when a few of the fellas tried to step in to break the group up, all they did was point in my direction, letting them know that this was their moment to entertain.

I saw Brian on pins and needles at his table, caught in that zone of whether to stake his claim or just play it cool and let Tracie come back to the table after they were done. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but considering that I was the same way when Stacy and I were together, I couldn’t be a hypocrite about it.

Still, he was losing his player’s card, and she hadn’t even given him a reason to lose it just yet.

The night soon went from high energy to more of a seductive mood as midnight began to creep up quickly. Most of the crowd had begun to make their way home, leaving the rest that had coupled up to get to know each other a little better to enjoy the ambiance that the back yard and pool area had to offer.

I waited for Cori to come off the dance floor, but she took my hand and led me back to the floor instead.

Damn it, why’d she have to go and do that?

“I told you I can’t dance all that well, Cori, what do you want to do, embarrass me some more?” I joked.

“No, but I do wanna slow dance with you, if that’s okay with you?” she replied, winking as she led me further into the sea of couples already getting their groove on.

Feeling her arms around my neck as I clasped my hands around her waist as we danced, I forgot how intoxicating it was to be in close contact like this. It was warm and it felt so damn good it was scary.

But I didn’t feel any warning bells going off in my head.

“Are you having a good time?” I asked, trying to break the silence between us. “We can go sit down and talk for a while. We haven’t really had a chance to do that with all the excitement going on.”

Cori’s eyes held me hostage, and I didn’t know if I wanted that to happen or if I needed to relax and quit over-thinking things.

We danced to a few more songs, inhaling each other’s essence, the connection feeling stronger by the moment. The mix became more seductive and sensual with each passing song, putting ideas in my mind that I wasn’t ready to act on yet. Finally, Cori broke from our embrace, following my lead to one of the tables by the pool so we could talk.

“To answer your question, D, I am having a really good time.” Cori finally told me once we sat down. She still looked a little tipsy, and I pretty much figured I needed to find one of her girls to make sure she didn’t drive home in her condition.

“That’s good, I really hoped you would. So, what would you like to know, I know you’ve been curious about a brotha.” I flashed my eyes for a moment, trying hard to avoid getting caught in her stare again.

Cori grinned, almost as if she knew what she was doing to me. “I want to know a lot, D, but I didn’t want to seem too personal. After all, we haven’t known each other long.”

“I have nothing to hide, ask me anything,” I managed to blurt out. “I’m kinda interested in finding out what’s on that pretty mind of yours.”

“There is something I would like to know, but I think I want to wait until later on tonight.” Cori replied, and I saw her lick her lips as she spoke.

She’s holding back
, I thought to myself.
She wants to find out, but she’s playing hard to get.

I felt her foot stroking the inside of my leg, and I was confused as to what her body language was telling me versus the quiet and demure demeanor she was putting on. She was driving me crazy, and the funny part was that I was beginning to enjoy it.

I was just about to find out just what Cori had in mind when I felt her foot move to my thigh when Kyra and Candace walked over to where we sat with worried looks on their faces.

“Cori, have you seen Tracie?” Candace asked.

“No, I thought she was with you guys,” Cori mentioned, scanning the area to see if she could locate her quickly. “I’ll try calling her on her cell. She and Brian might have tried to sneak off somewhere.”