Flip Side of the Game (16 page)

 

It was a cool day in May of 1994 when we first met. As I entered the building most famous in Washington, D.C. for its political scandals and often seen on every news channel after 5:00 p.m., I felt good.

For some reason, today seemed so good. I woke up this morning feeling more beautiful than ever. As I looked at myself in the mirror of my one bedroom condo on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest, D.C., I must say that I was proud of the reflection I saw. I could tell that the low-carb diet that I've been on for the last month was doing my abs supreme justice. My stomach was almost flatter than Janet Jackson's and my ass was more shapely and fatter than a Las Vegas stripper. Thanks to my mama I had inherited one of her greatest assets. Also, I could see that the Palmer's Coca Butter that I use keeps my golden brown skin as flawless as Halle Berry's. If I was to compare myself to someone famous I'd say it would be “Toni Braxton,” but slightly thicker in all the right places.

In most men eyes I'm considered a perfect ten, a “straight dime piece” is what they call it, and to my surprise not just men but women too, especially the ones who desperately want to sleep with me. I'm always getting indirect invitations from bisexual women, and to tell the truth, these women are gorgeous also. Although it may seem interesting letting another woman lick my pussy, I still decline. I'm not into that and I don't think I ever will be, I'm “strictly dickly.”

I opened my bedroom windows this morning to get a feel of the summer's cool breeze. The weather was nice, it was in the high 70s. As I opened my walk-in closet full of upscale business suits, casual tops and bottoms of the latest fashion; Gucci, Versace, Donna Karan, Prada, Chanel and many more, I thought it would be perfect to wear my new cream Dolce & Gabbana short halter-top dress. I pulled out a pair of medium heel anklelaced sandals by Joan & David, to show off my freshly pedicured toes. Since I felt so good, I planned to wear my hair back and let its tail fall down to crease of my spine, sort of how the famous singer, “Sade” wears hers, and no I do not have a big forehead.

I stepped into the shower and turned on the radio to the station that plays all the coolest jams. I turned the volume up as they played Tanya Blunt's new song, “Through The Rain.” Tanya is also from Washington, D.C. and it's so good to see people from D.C. getting a chance to show their true talents.

When I got out of the shower, I hadn't realized that time had flew past so quickly. I had gotten in the shower at 9:30 a.m. and it was now 10:15, damn that shower felt so good I guess I had gotten caught up and lost track of time, sorta like lovemaking, huh? Anyway, I let the cool breeze from my bedroom window dry my golden brown skin off and then I lotioned my body with my Victoria Secret's Amber Romance body lotion and put on my clothes, pulled my hair back and looked in the mirror one last time. Oh, did I mention I'm also bowlegged.

Here I am, Ms. Sonya Chanell Dunkin, the Assistant Producer at B.E.T. Studios, with a lavish condo in the upper northwest and the proud owner of a new emerald green convertible BMW 325IC, and for the record, I'm single, sexy, and free. I didn't have enough time to grab a bite to eat because my appointment was scheduled for 11:15 a.m., so instead, I grabbed a granola bar, got in my BMW and headed for 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.'s Superior Court.

It was this day that I met the man of my dreams, the most gracious and perfect gentleman I've ever met in my life. This was the day I met the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with. As I entered the elevator and the door was about to close, it opened back up again and “there he was.” There were two other woman on the elevator also, one who seemed as though she was a nervous wreck. I assumed she was an untrained court clerk getting the run around from her boss. The other one was an elderly woman with a pretty smile who wore the worst perfume I've ever smelled in my life. And there he was, just about six feet tall, caramel complexion, jet black wavy hair, which he wore semilow, with the grain. He had a precise shape up, as though his barber had outlined it with a razor, and he wore a light, perfectly trimmed goatee.

It was as if I had x-ray vision because when I pierced my eyes through his clothing, it was obvious this man was in extremely good shape, he had a body similar to the actor Shamar Moore. His face was very handsome, it reminded me of Denzel Washington when he played “Malcolm X.” As I glanced up and down at him, shoes first, I saw that he wore about a size nine? shoe and he had on a pair of black calfskin slip-on's by Salvatore Farrangomo with the silver buckle, a pair of thin black slacks by Farrangomo with a matching black belt. His slacks weren't tight nor too baggy, they fit him just right. When he stood still, the cuff of his slacks would lay over the top of his shoes and when he walked, the cuff would pop up, exposing the buckle of his shoes, which matched his belt. He had made sure that his outfit was perfect. He also wore a thin black long sleeve mock neck shirt, which enhanced his Movado watch.

On the other hand, he had on a plain “white gold” bracelet designed like a bicycle chain. He also carried a small notebook case and his walk was a gracious, cool superior walk, as if to say, “nothing or nobody can fuck with me!” It wasn't a thugged out, I'm trying too much to look hard walk, it was more of a glide with a sense of security, boldness, and assurance.

The elevator reached the third floor and the doors opened. As I was getting off the elevator, I couldn't resist the sensational smell of his cologne. I imagined it might have been “Curve” by Liz Clauborne or “Blue Jean” by Gianni Versace. Before the doors closed, he leaped out of the elevator and followed me as I continued to walk down the hall.

“Excuse me Miss, may I please have a moment of your time?” he asked.

Although I knew he was talking to me, I still played it off. I looked up and down the hall and answered, “Are you talking to me?”

“Yes I am. Hello and how are you?” he asked, his voice sounding smoother than he looked. “My name is Jovan Price and I normally don't go out of my way much, but for you I had to make an exception. It is obvious by my actions that I'm extremely attracted to you. Is there any kinda way that you and I can get to know one another better?”

Normally, I would have told the average brotha that I was either involved or engaged, but with him I respected his approach so I said, “Well, Mr. Price . . .”

“Jovan, please call me Jovan, Mr. Price is my father,” he said, smiling.

“Okay then Jovan, my name is Sonya and it wouldn't be any harm in us getting to know each other a little better, but right now I'm running late. I have an appointment in about sixty seconds, I shouldn't be that long maybe fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“So Ms. Sonya, is it good to say that you'll have lunch with me?”

In my mind I'm saying, “Hell yes, with your fine-ass!” But, as always, I'm too ladylike to be acting like my hood rat cousin, Trina, so I said, “Yes, I will have lunch with you.”

“Good, then you can meet me on the first floor about twelve o'clock, which is a half hour from now.”

“Okay, I'll be there.”

“I'll be waiting Sonya.”

It was now 12:00 o'clock, the busiest time in downtown Washington, D.C. As I stepped off the elevator anticipating my lunch date with Mr. Jovan, I maneuvered my way through the crowd of lawyers, District Attorneys, criminals awaiting trial and busy protesters who often frequent this building. I looked all around for a minute and I still couldn't find him, until all of a sudden I heard that full smooth voice, followed by that familiar sensational cologne scent.

“Excuse me Miss Beautiful, are you looking for someone?” Jovan asked.

There he was standing behind me. I didn't realize he was that close at first, and any other time, when someone crept up on me like that I would have been on some type of guard, but with him for some reason, I felt a sense of security.

“Oh, there you are, so what's up?” I asked.

“Where should we go for lunch? Do you like seafood? I was thinking we could go down to Phillips Seafood Restaurant on the waterfront,” Jovan said.

“Yeah, I could go for some shrimp and a salad,” I said.

“Good then, are you driving?”

“Yes Jovan, I'm parked in the garage over on C Street.”

“Well, I'm parked about two blocks down from you.”

“We can take my car and I can bring you back to your car after we finish lunch,” I said.

“Oh no, you don't have to do that, I'm not due back in court. The hearing is over with. How about we meet each other in front of the restaurant,” he said.

“Cool.” I said.

As I pulled my BMW out of the parking garage, I started to contemplate what I was doing. Should I go to lunch or just head on home as though I never met this man, I started thinking as I retraced every step from the moment we met in the court building. He seemed okay, very sexy, polite, he had good manners and was fine as hell, I would say the perfect gentleman, but when he told me he wasn't due back in court and that the hearing was over, my antennas immediately shot straight up.

Now I grew up in Trinidad N.E., one of the most treacherous neighborhoods in D.C., and there ain't too much you can get pass me. Most of the game niggas run on other bitches out here is so weak you can see right through it. I've done seen niggas talk a virgin into fucking on the first night, so whatever game a nigga's shooting at me, is getting batted down off the break. So I did what most people in my position would do, I took a chance because for one, he could be some type of criminal, which I doubt, or he could have had some type of lawsuit hearing or he may be some kind of lawyer, who knows. I'll never know until I go to lunch and find out more about this man Jovan Price.

As I pulled up in front of Phillips Seafood Restaurant, I could see that Jovan had gotten there first and was standing in the walkway of the restaurant waiting for me. There were four other cars parked at the restaurant, a black corvette, a blue MVP mini van, a 500SL white Mercedes Benz, and a gray two-door Acura Legend. Since Jovan had gotten here so fast, I guessed that the black Corvette was his or maybe the Mercedes. Most guys I know from D.C. wouldn't be pushing a 500SL and wearing a Movado watch, they'd be rockin' a Rolex.

When I got out of my car, Jovan was a complete gentleman, he opened my door, grabbed my hand and helped me out. He even added in a little humor.

“Ms. Sonya, so glad to see you. For a minute I thought you had a change of plans.” When he smiled, I just looked up at him and imagined kissing him on those pretty full lips.

“No Jovan, I didn't have a change of plans, I guess your car is just a lot faster than mine,” I said, giving him the opportunity to tell me which one of those lovely cars was his, but he just smiled and positioned me in the direction of the restaurant.