Hip Hop Heat (9 page)

As far as Lalana was concerned, she and MC ROC could have been the only two people in the room. But their eyes were locked only momentarily; he looked away when a woman rushed up to him, whispered something in his free ear, and kissed his cheek.

Lalana wondered if ROC's thoughts were similar to hers. She wondered if he too wanted everyone else to leave so they could be alone.

She watched him work the room, making small talk and greeting his guests. Lalana wondered what their chemistry would be like when he reached her. Would he be able to play it cool? Or would his face tell the story of something more between them?

There was no bodyguard this time to deliver a message. Lalana waited patiently. It wasn't easy. ROC looked good: Lalana studied his signature sagging jeans and white tank top, his jewels glistening in the light.

Lalana remembered Logan. She looked around the room, wondering where he ran off to. As luck would have it, he was nowhere to be found. ROC approached.

"Whassup, Shorty?" He greeted her as if he'd seen her earlier that day.

"You, it's all about you," she answered.

He chuckled. "You enjoying yourself?" he asked, rubbing his belly under his tank top.

She wondered if he cared.

"I am now," she said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at him longingly.

"Cool, I'm glad," he said. Another woman ran up. "Damn, ROC when you spittin' some rhymes or what?" she asked.

"In a minute, Boo," he said. "In a minute."

It didn't take long. A microphone Lalana hadn't noticed was set up near the open balcony door; and within minutes the piano player and singer blended into the crowd. Everyone's attention was on ROC.

He approached the microphone and started rapping. The crowd cheered. Most people moved to the beat, but Lalana sat perfectly still. She struggled to wrap her brain around her suurroundings.

ROC preformed three songs, then left the room amid thunderous applause.

"You enjoyed that, huh?" Logan asked from behind Lalana. She had forgotten about him entirely.

Lalana watched in horror as MC ROC vanished back down the hall and didn't return.

"Let me know when you're ready," Logan said again.

Lalana smiled, not responding to his comment. Another hour passed. No sign of ROC. Lalana wanted to scream. The crowd had thinned.

"Yo, Logan, ya'all going to the after spot?" someone asked.

Logan glanced at Lalana, but didn't answer.

"Guess I'm weighing my options," he admitted.

Lalana got up and stormed across the room. She could say she was looking for a restroom if Logan or anyone else questioned her. She needed to find her man.

The first door she tried was to a closet; the next, an empty bedroom. Third time's a charm.

Lalana threw open another doorway and caught her breath in her throat. MC ROC was splayed naked on a king-sized bed, legs spread wide. A head full of rumpled curls bobbed up and down between his thighs.

"Damn, no teeth," he seethed.

Lalana swallowed back tears. She didn't know what to do, but something wouldn't allow her to close the door. She stood staring as ROC adjusted the woman's head with his hands, trying to guide her onto his stick the right way.

"Take it easy, no teeth," he warned again. "You try'n'ta bite my dick off or what?"

When he looked up and saw her standing there, a smile appeared on his face.

"Damn, Shorty, I was just thinkin' 'bout you," he said, as if he wasn't sitting there half naked with another woman.

He tried to shove the woman away, but she kept moving toward his crotch. That's when Lalana realized it was the same woman who had come stumbling from the room earlier. Had she been holed up with him all along? Had they been fooling around while a room full of guests sat waiting on him?

"Damn!" He yelled at the girl. "Chill." ROC shoved the woman to the floor. "That's Candy," he said to Lalana. "She wouldn't know how to suck a dick if her life depended on it."

Lalana stood frozen.

"You wanna join us?" he asked. She was too furious to answer.

"Lalana?" the sound of her name being called pulled Lalana from her trance. She turned her head: Logan."I think we should go," he said. The woman on the floor looked up at Lalana.

"I need you," ROC whined as he stroked his shaft. "Candy, invite her in," he demanded. "Make her want to come in here."

The woman stood and moved toward Lalana.

"I think we should go now," Logan said.

"I'm not ready to go," Lalana answered. "I need to talk him."

"You don't have to go in there," he said gently, knowing she would.

"I don't understand," Lalana said, walking toward the bed.

"Nobody does it like you," ROC answered.

"This must be the one you told me about," Candy said to him. Lalana's ears perked up. He had been talking about her? What did he say? Why would he discuss her with another woman?

"He says you give the best head ever," she told Lalana.

"Oh did he?" Lalana answered, her eyes glued to ROC. Tiny beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. He was stroking himself with such strength, she could hear the sounds. Swoosh, slap, swoosh.

"You not jus' gon' leave a brotha hanging, are you?" ROC asked. Candy chimed in. "You take Ex?"

"No, I'm good," Lalana told her.

"Whassup, we gon' do this or what?" ROC asked, irritated. "C'mon girl, I know you ain't scared," he said, rising from the bed and walking to Lalana. He guided her over to the bed. Candy closed the door. She watched as ROC untied Lalana's sweater.

"Just as nice as I remembered," he said, and raked his tongue over the top of her breasts. Lalana wasn't comfortable with Candy in the room, not least because she had been sucking his dick when Lalana found them in the first place. Lalana knew that if she could just spend another weekend together with ROC alone, he'd realize she was right for him. She wanted him to see something more in her.

ROC had Lalana laid out on the bed. He began slopping her neck while massaging her nipples. Each time he reached up to get to her neck, she felt his stiff cock slapping against her thigh. She wanted him in the worst way, but knew Candy was still watching.

"You gonna ask her to leave?" Lalana asked between deep breaths.

"Who, Candy? Nah, she ain't goin' nowhere."

ROC kissed Lalana's stomach while still rubbing her breasts. She felt herself give into the feeling, but stopped as she caught sight of Candy standing across the room.

"I can't concentrate with her over there," Lalana whined.

ROC sighed. He moved away from her with a look of regret on his face. "Okay," he said, getting up from his knees.

"You like what you see?" he asked Candy. Alarm rushed over Lalana as ROC got up and walked to Candy, then began kissing and caressing her. Lalana sat upright as Candy walked toward her.

"I wanna see the two of you get it on," ROC said.

"What do you mean?" Lalana asked.

"I want to see Candy lick you first, then we can really get this party started." ROC licked his own lips in anticipation.

Lalana wanted ROC so badly she could almost taste him. But as badly as she wanted him, she couldn't bring herself to do what he was asking this time. It was one thing for her to cater to his every whim; but now he'd asked her to do something she wasn't comfortable with at all.

Candy had already stripped naked before Lalana could voice her concern.

"I'm not gonna be able to do this," Lalana stammered while eyeing Candy, now completely naked.

"What's the matter?" Candy asked.

Lalana didn't answer.

"She gon' do this or what?" Candy asked ROC. "I ain't got all day." Candy rolled her eyes at Lalana.

Lalana got up from the bed and looked around for her discarded clothes. Her bra was on the floor; the sweater had been tossed up near the headboard.

"I thought it was all about me, Shorty," ROC said straightforwardly.

"I just wish when you pick 'em you at least see what they down to do," Candy snickered. "I sure hope she ain't the one coming out to Malibu this weekend."

"Yo! You need to shut the fuck up!" ROC hollered at Candy.

The two were still arguing as Lalana slipped from the room. She stumbled out into the living room and found it empty.

"Damn," she snapped.

How would she get home? Lalana grabbed her purse and made a dash for the elevator. Lalana wasn't looking forward to a cab ride all the way to Carson, but it was too late to call Tina or Lisa for a ride. Besides; that was not a conversation Lalana was prepared to have just yet.

Once the elevator doors opened in the lobby, she nearly passed out at the sight of Logan. He stood looking at her.

"I was wondering how long you were gonna be," he said easily.

She was stunned. She shook her head, unable to understand. "You waited for me?" Lalana's lips quivered.

"Lalana, I brought you here, did you expect me to just leave up outta' here without you?"

"But I..." she began.

He nodded, "I know, I know, but I figured you just got caught up. I was hoping you wasn't planning on spending the night with the fool."

"I didn't do anything with him," Lalana blurted out. Logan didn't respond. He walked her out of the hotel and gave the valet his ticket to retrieve his car.

"I never asked if you did anything with him," he finally answered.

"I know you didn't
ask
. I just wanted to make it known."

"Well, that's your business. It ain't got nothing to do with me. You're a grown-ass woman."

The ride home was uncomfortably quiet. Lalana was too ashamed to look at him.

When they pulled up at her place, she rushed out of the car. "Um, thank you, and I'm sorry about what happened," she said, fumbling with her keys.

"Lalana, I always have a good time when you're with me. I'm not sure what happened back there, but I ain't into judging and I don't hold grudges. If you wanna' hang again, I'm down." Logan shrugged.

Behind her locked door, Lalana sighed and finally allowed her tears to flow freely. Why wasn't she enough for ROC? Should she have crossed the line? And what was his relationship with Candy, anyway?

Despite how bad she felt, Lalana's mind inevitably wandered to thoughts of when she might see him again. She was so absorbed in this fantasy that when her phone rang, she half-expected it to be him.

"Hello?" she answered, sniffling back her sobs.

"I'm just making sure you're okay," Logan said. "When I dropped you off, you seemed upset."

"I'm good, I'm so sorry about tonight again. And thanks again for waiting on me."

"You ain't even gotta' mention it," he said. "I'm not gonna' hold you. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

Lalana took a hot shower and climbed into bed. If she was lucky, she thought, she'd fall asleep quickly and not have to think about the mess of a night she had. But every time she closed her eyes, images of ROC preparing to go down on her were vivid in her mind.

She'd see him just as clear as if he was in her bedroom. Her legs would spread for him; then he'd look up into her eyes.

"I want some of that," Candy interrupted. Lalana awoke with a start. She was wet and breathing hard. She looked nervously around her room. The digital clock on her nightstand flashed 3:45 a.m.

Lalana couldn't fight the feeling that it was over with ROC. The thought panicked her. Lalana had to find a way to get to him. They needed to talk; she needed to clear the air with him. That, she decided, was the only way she'd get peace.

The next day came faster than she expected, faster than she was prepared for. The phone on the night stand shrilled. Lalana sighed and picked it up.

"Shorty!" ROC's voice screamed in her ear. Was she still dreaming?

"Um, yes, how are you?"

"You know me, I'm chillin', so you and your homies cop that yet?" he asked.

"Um, your new CD," she said.

"Yeah man!"

Lalana felt a surge of disappointment tear through her excitement.

"Say, hold a sec," ROC said.

That second turned into nearly an hour before Lalana finally hung up. How could he just leave her hanging? She was so fired up that when the phone rang again, she didn't wait for it to ring a second time.

"I hope you're ready," Lisa announced. "We're going to Roscoe's for breakfast! "You remember, right?"

Lalana rolled her eyes. Here we go, she thought. It didn't matter if she was ready to relive the night before. Soon, she wouldn't have much of a choice.

"Yes, I'll be there in an hour," Lalana said.

"Um, try again," Lisa snapped.

"Okay, 30 minutes."

Lalana pulled herself up from bed and padded barefoot to the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and hopped in the shower. A few minutes later, she dried and dressed in a Nike tennis dress and a pair of matching sneakers.

Lalana grabbed her bag and rushed out the door.

Lisa and Tina were already seated inside the tiny restaurant and looking at the menu by the time Lalana arrived at the famous Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles off Vermont and Manchester. The restaurant, immortalized in many rap songs, was dark and small. But the food was delicious.

"Look what the cat finally dragged in," Lisa said as Lalana slid into a chair closest to the wall. She was wearing large, dark shades.

"What's up with you?" Tina asked. "How was the private show last night?"

"Oh God! Don't even ask."

Lisa held up a hand, "Wait, don't tell me, Logan found out you were just using him to get next to MC ROC and now you feel bad," she said sarcastically. "Or maybe, you walked up in the place on Logan's arm, and MC ROC was so sick he couldn't perform!"

Lalana rolled her eyes behind her shades.

"Will you cut it out!" Tina yelled at Lisa, then turned to Lalana. "What happened?"

Lalana didn't even know where to begin. The waitress came by to take orders. She was a heavy-set Hispanic woman wearing tons of jewelry.

"Ya'all ready to order?" she asked.

"I'm having the Jeanne Jones Omelette with a waffle," Lalana offered up. "And a glass of water with extra lemons."

"I'm having the Country Boy with a waffle," Lisa said.

The waitress turned to Tina. She skimmed the menu one last time then said, "Okay, I'd like the Carol C. Special, um, and a large orange juice."

"Oh, and add a large Sunrise to my order," Lisa said as the waitress turned to walk away.

"What's a Sunrise again? I always think it's orange and pineapple juice," Tina said.

"Nope, orange juice and lemonade," Lisa told her.

"Eeewww, who the hell wants to mix those two?" Tina frowned.

"You would if you knew what was good," Lisa added.

Tina turned to Lalana, still hiding behind her sunglasses. "Okay, now tell us what happened."

Lalana took a deep breath and removed her shades. "Everything was going well at first. And I swear, I planned to talk to Logan about our relationship, I mean, I was planning to let him know that although he's a nice guy, I don't see him like that."

For the next 20 minutes, Lalana told the story from beginning to end. The women's food arrived as she wrapped up the story. There was silence as they ate. Then Tina looked up and asked, "So, he wanted to have a threesome with you and this chick you didn't even know?"

"He sure did," Lalana confirmed sadly.

"That's deep," Tina said.

"Is he some kind of sex addict?" Lisa wanted to know.

Lalana shrugged.

"Okay, so you left, decided you wouldn't go that far, and Logan was sitting there in the lobby waiting for you?" Lisa seemed astonished by that part of the story.

"Tell me again what's wrong with Logan," Tina said.

Lalana shook her head. She never said there was anything
wrong
with him. She just knew he wasn't the one for her.

"Can you
believe
he sat there waiting on me? I have never felt so embarrassed in my life."

"So MC ROC must think you a freak for real, huh?" Lisa asked.

"Lisa!" Tina balked.

"Whaaat?" Lisa responded.

"What is wrong with you? I mean, Lalana's our girl, did you forget? Sometimes I can't understand your hate. Cut it out!" Tina scolded, then asked Lalana, "So have you talked to either one of them since last night?"

"Logan called later to make sure I was okay. He says he's not into judging or holding grudges. He just wanted to let me know he enjoys the time we spend together. But
he
called me too."

"Who cares that
he
called?" Lisa asked. "He's scum."

"I really think you're being way too hard on yourself," Tina told Lalana. "I mean, that man has some balls, asking you to screw him and his girlfriend."

"She's
not
his girlfriend," Lalana said.

"How do you know that?" Lisa asked.

"How could he have spent a glorious weekend with me if he had a girlfriend? Besides, we never see him linked to the same chick in any of the rags."

"Rags?" Tina questioned.

Lalana shook her head and chuckled, "Oh, I'm sorry, that's Logan's nickname for tabloids. You know a while ago he tried to insinuate that MC ROC isn't new to the whole win-a-date contest."

Lisa and Tina inched closer. "What's that supposed to mean?" they asked simultaneously. They glanced at each other, then looked back at Lalana.

"I never asked. I didn't want to hear it. I figured he was just hating on ROC 'cause he knew I was sprung."

"You mean to tell me you were never curious about what he meant?" Lisa asked?

"Oh, I've been very curious. I've even tried to think of ways to bring up MC ROC, but it's hard to explain. When I'm with Logan, he's talking about everything other than ROC. He wants to know what my day was like, he asks about work, tells me about his, and stuff like that."

"Umph," Lisa said. "Sounds to me like he's really into you. I can't believe that means nothing to you."

"So what are you gonna do?" Tina asked.

"About what?"

"I mean, about MC ROC, about Logan, seems to me like you need to make a decision."

"A
decision
? I just need to figure out a way to get next to MC ROC. I know once I'm alone with him and get a chance to talk to him, everything will be okay."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Lisa yelled. "What's it gonna' take for you to realize this man is no good for you? I don't even know if he wants you! That is, unless he needs some good head. Then we know for sure he wants you. Damn, Lalana. Do you just purposely look for the biggest asshole around and then convince yourself you're addicted to him?"

"Well, shit Lisa, why don't you tell us how you really feel!" Tina snapped.

But the truth was, Lisa couldn't say anything Lalana hadn't already said to herself. Hers was a constant internal struggle. Sure, she could imagine what she looked like to the casual observer. One would probably think she was nothing more than a starry-eyed groupie, but Lalana felt that was far from true. She felt connected to MC ROC.

"Tina, don't worry about it," Lalana said. She didn't care what Lisa thought about her relationship with MC ROC. But Tina was right about one thing: Lalana needed to figure out how to handle Logan. Regardless of how nice he was, the fact remained that Lalana wanted another man.

"Enough about me," Lalana said. "what's going on with you and David, Tina?"

"He's a trip. Sometimes he's available, other times he's not. I'm not trynta' play those games. It's like these men want to be chased

"Glad I don't have to worry about that," Lisa commented.

Lalana and Tina ignored her. Lisa's relationship with Shawn was just like TNT; and it exploded often.

Tina reached for the bill when it arrived. "I'll get it this time," she said.

"What are you guys gonna do for the rest of the day?" Lalana asked.

"I have to go to the garment district," Tina said. "I need to get some fabric."

"You going with her?" Lalana asked Lisa.

"No, I hate going there. It's just too much - too many vendors haggling you, too many people searching for a bargain. I don't have the patience." Lisa frowned.

Lalana suddenly had a thought. Maybe she should go talk to ROC herself, in person. That way, she could get everything out in the open once and for all.