Chapter 12: Kissing

I stared at him over the dim light of the candles. We were sitting at the back of the restaurant in a darkened corner. I wasn't feeling the candles, they were doing the opposite of setting the mood, but there he was with that sexy smile and that playboy swagger, his smell was so enticing. His kissable lips twisted in a smile and he leaned in to me, wordlessly telling me to kiss him. I leaned in to his kiss, his soft lips pressed against mine, his eyes were closed, I kept mine open I wanted to see...what? I couldn't see his face with mine being up against it, I had a view of his ear and the people sitting at the table behind us, an older couple who had gone through two bottles of wine and hardly touched their salmon. His lips parted mine, his warm tongue entered my mouth, tickling my lips and poking at my own tongue. I giggled, this was stupid and weird, why did people do this? He sat back and smiled at me. "What?"

"Nothing." I grinned, I wasn't a girly girl, I'd never dated but I knew better than to tell a guy kissing him felt funny. Maybe I should only kiss him when I was drunk...his kisses didn't feel so slimy and wrong then. Maybe he was a bad kisser? No, he couldn't be, if now women wouldn't throw themselves at him.

"What happens now? It's your call."

I shrugged and sipped my wine, I was going light on the alcohol tonight, I didn't need a repeat of Saturday. "Well, you've already gotten further with me than any man in my history of men timeline. Second base is a record dude. I'll throw the ball back in your court, you're a celebrity, you can pick, choose and refuse women. I've never had a boyfriend before, I've never had sex and that's not something I want to run into, I'm not even sure I like kissing you..." My voice trailed off, I said it. I waited for Flow's reaction, he did seem shocked but there was amusement too.

"You're the kind of woman a man wouldn't mind waiting on and I do want to be your first boyfriend. I want to be the man who shows you the finer things in life, to show you that you're a queen and you deserve to be treated like one."

Cheesy! I thought. What the fuck!?! This man was every woman's dream! What was wrong with me? Was I gay? No, my supervisor made me melt and JQ had caught me staring while he showered a couple times, I was most definitely not gay, I just wasn't feeling Flow. I needed to call London.

"I also don't want to be cheated on, if you're going to be my boyfriend you'll have to commit one hundred percent."

"I'm down for that baby."

Yeah, I bet you say that to all the virgins you turn out. "I guess I can give the boyfriend thing a try." I wondered if he thought this date was as awkward as I did. I stood up, "I've got to finish some designs, maybe we can hang out tomorrow after work."

"I'll be in L.A. tomorrow, I've got an interview. I'll call you though."

"Sure."

I allowed Flow to kiss me again when he dropped me off. I dialed London's cell phone as soon as I entered the building, she answered on the first ring. "What's up in New York?"

"Just got off a date with Flow, I think he's my boyfriend now." She squealed, I moved the phone away from my ear.

"No London, listen, he keeps trying to run tired old lines on me, it's like, he doesn't have to put any effort into getting girls because he's freakin' Flow, but I'm not impressed."

"Wait, was that you in the picture that's all over the internet?"

"Yes, now focus..."

"No fuckin' way! I am so jealous! You've been there a week an you'll already all over the biggest musician around right now..." I sat by the fountain and let my cousin babble on and on, she would listen once she got it out of her system.

"You know what, maybe I'll talk to you tomorrow. I'm tired all of a sudden." I hung up before she could protest and went to my apartment.

"Where is everybody?" I asked JQ who was sitting in front of the TV eating a bowl of cereal. "Coco, Kitty and Scarlet are at work. Dom and Roman went to a movie."

"Why are you here?"

"Because I live here. How was your date?"

I dropped beside JQ and stared at him until he looked at me. "I think I need you to kiss me."

He laughed and then his eyebrows shot up. "You're serious? I can't right now, I've got cereal in my teeth."

"Just do it, I'm not going to instantly fall in love with you. I'm having problems falling in love with Flow."

"It's been one date, I don't think he's in love with you either."

"Just kiss me." I begged and pouted.

JQ signed and muttered something about Roman and murder but he leaned in to me anyway and I laughed, he straightened up and laughed too. I'm not sure what he was laughing at but I was laughing at how much of a punk he was, no wonder Dom rode his ass whenever she was bored. He wasn't even committing to kissing me, he just leaned in and left it for me to go for it, he was like a living, breathing, sex doll that had a brain.

"Come on JQ, this is serious!"

"Now you're pressuring me." He set the bowl down. "Seriously, when I lean in to you don't bust up laughing."

"Okay, I'm ready now."

He leaned in, I leaned in and laughed again. "I'm sorry this is weird. Kissing is so stupid, it's like...licking slime."

JQ pulled my head in toward his and captured my bottom lip between his teeth, he tugged lightly and chuckled. "Y'all wasn't doin' it right." He said with his face centimeters from mine, his breath tickled my lips and nose when he spoke. He nipped my lip again and I bit at his top lip, he chuckled and closed his lips around my top lip, once, twice, bottom lip, once, twice. My lips parted of their own accord, JQ slipped his tongue inside my mouth but didn't rape my mouth with it. His tongue probed the inside of my mouth gently, I followed his tongue to his mouth and he gently sucked it. I could taste the cinnamon from the cereal he'd just eaten inside his mouth, I captured his bottom lip and sucked, his lips tasted amazing! They were sweet, I moaned and he immediately broke the kiss. He was panting lightly. I was panting a little!

"Uh..." JQ picked his bowl back up. "There you have it, that'll be ten dollars, my lessons aren't free." He grinned, my eyes went to his lips, I wanted more but I knew better than to push the limit. I was in a relationship after all...I think.

"I have to go call my cousin." I lied, I was not about to say anything to London about Flow being a bad kisser and how kissing JQ left me weak in the knees and soaked in the crutch. I had caught on to Flow's game, if JQ hadn't shown up Saturday night, I would have been face down ass up in Flow's bed, he would have no regrets while I was left kicking my ass because I'd done something I wasn't ready for. New York was supposed to be the place where I found myself, where I broke out of my comfort zone. Flow would be my experimental boyfriend, I would merely be testing a relationship with him but I would guard my heart and my hymen.

Chapter 11: Out of the Frying Pan...

I spent the rest of Sunday being unconscious, on Monday I felt a hell of a lot better, and I was hungry too. I went downstairs and found Roman in the living room watching the morning news. "Where is everybody?" I asked as I went into the kitchen and pulled out a carton of eggs. Roman came to lean over the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"Everyone else is sleeping, JQ was out since yesterday, how are you feeling?"

"So much better, I think I'm going to walk to work today, I have to practice walking in those heels."

"Remember what we talked about."

"Yeah Roman, I heard you." Although I thought that the entire conversation was a hallucination. I started to feel bad all over again, I hated that Dom didn't like me. I was the kind of person who, although I never got close to anyone, I really, really, REALLY, wanted those around me to like me. It's stupid, I guess it comes from me always wanting to please my mother and failing, I guess I wanted somebody to appreciate me for who I am and what I accomplish. It's stupid, I know.

"What are you thinking?"

I shrugged. "That I'm not surprised." I replied and sighed as I cracked two eggs into a frying pan. Roman looked like he was about to ask me to explain and I held up a hand to let him know that I wasn't in a talking mood. 

When my eggs were done I slapped them between two slices of bread and took a seat in front of the television. Guiliana Rancic was delivering the latest dirt on our favorite celebrities, we only watched E! News in this house, celebrity hi-jinks were funnier than an earthquake in Haiti. It's never cute when babies die. I took a bite of my sandwich, there wasn't anything exciting, Kanye West mouthed off to somebody again, he is arrogant as hell. Justin Bieber was having some more growing pains, surprise, surprise. Lindsay Lohan was arrested again, something we've come to expect. Flow has a new leading lady, he has a new one every week.

"What the fuck!" I shouted when a picture flashed across the screen, "Oh my God!"

There was that picture of the opened limo door and me propped up on Flow's lap with his hand up under my tight skirt, that was right before JQ came and got me. 

"Holy shit..." Roman leaned over the top of the couch. "Good thing you were sucking on the side of his neck that's away from the camera."

I looked down at the sandwich I'd bitten, I'd lost my appetite. I still had an hour before it was time for me to get dressed and head out. I was hoping one of the girls could straighten my hair and help me with my makeup.

"I don't believe this." I scratched my head and started pacing the living room. This was my first week in the city, what got into me? The alcohol, duh. Roman started to say something, I shook my head cutting him off and ran back upstairs to our bedroom. I had to get out of this house. I pulled off my tank and sweats and replaced them with a white blouse and black high-waist skirt. I grabbed my pumps and skittered downstairs to the powder room. Roman sat beside me while I struggled to do a brown smokey eye and dab on red lipstick. Roman wiped away the lipstick smears.

"I shouldn't have let you alone with her, the other girls are in denial just like you."

"I don't need to be babysat."

"Obviously you do." He patted my head, "I'll walk with you."

"No, it's cool." I told him, grabbed my Chanel bag. The office was open from seven o'clock so I would be able to get inside. I waved to the two big guys who always seemed to be at work on my way out the door. It was a chilly New York morning, maybe it was going to rain later. I walked slowly, people bustled past me, most were rushing to work but there were a couple of women taking the walk of shame, still in their skimpy outfits from last night, mascara running down their faces and their hair badly tousled. In a way I was taking a walk of shame myself. I was embarrassed at my behavior, dry humping a man was out of character for me, being drunk at all was out of character for me. And now the media was all over the story of one of Flow's mystery woman. I wondered what he his thoughts were on the situation, would he go on television and say that I was just another wild groupie, would he lie to make himself seem like more of a man and tell his friends that he had me every way possible? I groaned and tossed my bed back in time to receive a big, cold raindrop on my nose.

Security let me in to Kandy Shoppe, I caught the elevator up to my the marketing floor and sat in my tiny cubicle. I had gotten nothing done last week buy my nerves gave me the boost I needed. I had gotten three sketches for a potential bottle done and even came up with a name, after this crazy weekend, Lust would be ideal. It encompassed everything this product stood for, sex, promiscuity, love, desire...there was another good idea for a name, Desire. I penciled in the names on the sketches and booted up my computer.

"Good morning Ms. James." Stone's cool voice said around eight-thirty. He picked up my sketch without my permission and mumbled to himself. "This is nice."

"I'm going to add some color right now." I told him before he could ask. I loved graphical art, creating something on a blank piece of paper and watching it become lifelike.

"You really made a scene on the weekend." He said and I shuddered. "I'm feeling the new look."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Uh oh, someone's getting catty." I looked up at him in time to see him smirk and my heart skipped a beat. No! The last thing I need is to have these feelings for my tyrant of a supervisor. I had to admit though, I do like a man who can take control. Oh my God! Get it together Brooklyn.

"Since you're nearly done with this you can help me plan an event. As soon as I'm done getting the details from Braxton I'll fill you in." He gave me another one of those sexy smirks before disappearing out of my cubicle.

I stared at the naked guy on my screen, this is the most drama I'd during the entire twenty-two year course of my existence and I was having mixed feelings.

"Bring it on NYC." I mumbled to my naked guy and I swear to God he smiled back at me!

Chapter 10: The Morning After

I woke to the sound of loud, angry voices, when I opened my mouth to tell whoever was talking to shut up, a waterfall of vomit spewed out of me. I groaned and fell back against my pillow. I felt terrible, like some crazed miners were putting in work inside my skull, my stomach was doing flip flops and I'm pretty sure I peed at some point.

"Wow, you are fucked!" Roman chuckled and pulled my dress over my head. He wiped my body down with a warm towel and pulled my sheets from under me. "First rule of partying in New York hun, if you leave your drink unattended for more than five minutes order a new one, if someone who isn't the bartender hands you an open drink, turn it down. If you are drunk off your ass, unless you're planning on sex do not get into a car with a tipsy celebrity and his entourage, gang-bangs happen."

"The girls were there."

Roman sighed, "Lemme tell you something, and this stays between the two of us okay?"

I nodded, he handed me a cup of water and three pain killers, I swallowed the pills with the water and hoped that I wouldn't throw up again, I hated puking. "The girls weren't anywhere around, Flow's guy spoke to Dom and that bitch has it in for you."

"Wha?" I groaned, Dom was the girl I spent the most time with and I just got here, she didn't have any reason to hate me, or at least I didn't think she did. "Wha' ah do?" My stomach rolled again and I swallowed.

"You didn't do a thing but be Brooklyn. Dom didn't tell the other girls about Flow's party, I happened to call Coco and she said that the last time she saw you you were with Flow. Lucky for you Starla was staying in that same hotel. JQ's pissed at me."

"Why Dom got it in for me?"

"Because of JQ, my boy is feeling you, but he respect you too much to go there with you."

I laughed at that. I'm not the kind of girl that guys have crushes on, I'm the skinny, awkward girl with the ugly hair. I'm not stupid, usually when a guy came on to me it was because London was using my virginity as a marketing statement. Now Roman is trying to tell me that I have an A-list celebrity and a sexy as sin male stripper after me. That was the funniest thing I heard in a while.

"Dom has been the queen bee of this house since the day she walked in and Scarlet and Kitty who came after her, they never challenged her and Coco doesn't give enough of a damn to. And then along comes you, you're adorable and we all love you, she knew she had a problem when Stone flagged you a cab, he doesn't like anybody but he seems to like you. There's also JQ. They hook up all the time and she caught feelings, so at the back of her mind she thinks that she'll be more than just a booty call."

I gagged and nearly rolled out of the bed, Roman grabbed me and held my hair back while I added some more vomit to the ruined sheets on the floor. Roman said, "Just stay on your toes around her, not everyone who smiles at you is your friend."

"You smile at me all the time."

He chuckled, "I like you Brooklyn, you remind me of me before the world kicked me in the ass. So naive and innocent, hang on to that for as long as you could, don't let anybody pressure you into doing anything you don't want to, now try to get some sleep okay?"

"Yeah." I said, if I didn't have such a terrible hangover I wouldn't be able to get any sleep.

Chapter 9: The Prowl

Club N.E.O.N. was owned by a twenty-something year old millionaire friend of Scarlet. He was certainly no Eric Wells, he greeted us at the door and led us to the VIP section, Scarlet immediately slid into his lap, claiming him as her own and daring one of our girls or any other woman in the club to come near him and try to take what was hers.

The base from the speakers made my chest reverberate and I coughed a couple of times when it felt like I would suffocate. There weren't nearly as many celebrities as there had been at Braxton's events, there were a lot of socialites and wannabes at this guy's club. Things got very awkward when Scarlet started sticking her tongue down Dude's throat, but I seemed to be the only one bothered by it.

"I'll buy you a drink." Dom offered.

"Damn, buy me one too." Coco said and we went over to the bar where Dom flirted with the bartender until all three of us ended up with free drinks. The girls could work a crowd, I knew this since Monday night, but to watch them on the prowl was surreal. They stalked their men, sexy was at the top of the menu but they could sniff out guys with money. Coco disappeared soon after she set her sights on some guy who was sitting in the lounge area. Dom was working the bartender.

The female bartender slid a glass of, whatever the drink was that I still had a full glass of, over to me. "The gentleman in the lounge over there said to keep what you're having coming all night."

"Ohhhh!" Dom grinned, I was too stunned to turn around so Dom checked him out for me. "Damnnn." She squealed. "Oh no boo, he is mine."

I peeked over my shoulder and Flow raised a glass to me. He was surrounded by five women and the rest of his entourage.

"Okay, you're new, I'll let you go."

"Go where?"

"You just acknowledged him, either you stay here and flirt with your eyes or you're going over there to chat with him."

"I can't." I felt a panic attack rising.

"Look, it's Flow, he's cool."

"I'm not."

"Don't freak out. I've got you."

I didn't drink so two shots of tequila had me giggling about everything. When Dom told me to go over to Flow I did, I thought the whole alcohol making your bold thing was bullshit, but right now I felt like I was on top of the world.

"Hey Brooklyn James, I didn't recognize you at first." His eyes probed my body, the strapless dress and some make-up magic by Dom made it look like I had boobs. He motioned for me to come closer and pulled me onto his lap, I shuddered, even in my alcohol haze I wished that Roman was here with me instead of Dom. Who the hell was I to be propped up on this heralding god's lap. Flow's fingers tickled my behind and I smiled stupidly. I was uncomfortable, but the alcohol stopped me from having a full-out freak out.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you since that night at Kandy Shoppe."

"You don't even know me." I slurred.

"But you're intriguing." He smiled and I nearly melted. He voice was so sexy. "You're enjoying New York so far?"

"I am, my roommates are the best."

He looked over my shoulder. "Dom teachin' you any tricks?"

I giggled, Kitty was teaching me how to work that pole in the living room but I was avoiding Dom's teachings. "No. I am not that kind of girl."

"Uh huh?" He chuckled and nipped my neck. Woah! What was this? This hands roamed over my back, my stomach and my behind. One of his boys handed him a drink that he passed along to me. I sipped and then gulped, the alcohol burned its way down my throat to my stomach. By the time my glass was empty I was on cloud nine. He flirted and caressed me and handed me another drink. One of his bodyguards whispered something to him.

"There's a party at my hotel, you and our girls should come up."

"Yeah!" I said far more enthusiastically that I should have. I stood up and stumbled, Flow caught me and chuckled. He told one of his entourage to go and tell my girls where the party was headed and that I was riding with him before I was handed another cup.

The first and only time I was in a limo was at my grandfather's funeral two years ago, if I wasn't drunk off my ass I would've been able to better enjoy the experience, especially with the sexy R&B singer who was showering me with attention. I got a couple of dirty looks from the other girls in the limo, all of them wanted to be me, to have Flow sucking all over them. He was on my neck, my arms, the exposed skin on my back. I was too gone to care, I allowed him to stick his tongue in my mouth, it felt disgusting at first but eventually I got into it. How many girls got to say that their first kiss was with their celebrity crush, once it stopped being awkward and I wasn't worried about screwing it up and having a dude leave me because I was such a bad kisser, I wanted to kiss everyone!

Flow pulled me into his lap, deepened the kiss and trailed his fingers up my skirt, it tickled, I giggled. "You like that?" He cooed.

I was drunk as fuck! I was happy as fuck! I liked everything! I loved everybody!

The car rolled to a stop and one of Flow's bodyguards opened the door and he helped me out of the car. "Wassup my man?" JQ said and gave Flow a brother man hug. "Sorry I have to block man, but Roman is being a real hen about this one and if he calls my phone one more time I'm going to have a white-boy freak out."

"Seriously man? She's a grown woman."

"And I have a grown woman upstairs in a hotel room with her legs wide open, you think I wanna be down here right now? Look, just come to the apartment and court her the right way."

"I'ma see you later bae." Flow gave me a long lingering kiss before handing me over to JQ who graciously lifted me off of my wobbly feet.

"Bye Flow!" I slurred over JQ's shoulder. If I knew what can of worms I opened up I would have stuck with my first thought and stayed home tonight.

Chapter 8: Ladies Day Out

My ringing cell phone woke me at seven o'clock sharp on Saturday morning. I smiled when I saw that it was London contacting me on FaceTime. "Hey!" I grinned.

"Hey yourself, I'm still waiting for you to call me. How's it going down there? Must be pretty damn good if you didn't have a melt down yet."

"It is, I survived my first week and my roommates are amazing!"

"Say it."

I laughed, "Thank you so much London Bryce, you are a life saver and I do owe you big time."

"Like hell you do."

Roman jumped up suddenly and grumbled something about starving to death since JQ still away. He scrambled off the bed and out of the room. "These people are crazy, you'll love them. I met Flow the other night!"

"Flow? My Flow?"

"Yeah, your Flow and trust me he looks so much better in person."

"Damn! He's immaculate."

"Like hell he is." I rolled off the bed. "I'll give you a tour of the house." I flipped the phone around so she could see my room and told her about my awesome roommate. I went down the hall to the other rooms just in time to catch Scarlet and her date sneaking out of JQ's room. Since he wasn't here his room was the unofficial smush room, usually the roommate of whoever had a date would just crash in JQ's room. The spiteful part of me hoped that the did it in his bed.

"That's Scarlet and some dude, trust me, he's loaded, she doesn't do anything less than a millionaire." Scarlet winked at me and followed her date downstairs, I went into the bathroom and showed London just how fancy I was bathing and pissing these days. She squealed about how bad she wanted to soak in the tub and I grinned.

I went downstairs and showed her the main living quarters. "Damn girl! I have to visit."

"When you're eighteen."

"I ordered breakfast..." Roman frowned at the phone.

"This is Roman. Roman, this is my cousin London, the one who got me this job."

"Damn he is so fine!" London squealed and Roman grinned. "You get to share a room with that? I hope y'all sleep at night."

"Babes, I'm gay." Roman peeked at the screen. "Now JQ is another matter...or Stone."

"Nooo!" I shrieked at Roman.

"What are you doing to Brooklyn?" Dom came downstairs, her blond weave was pulled into a ponytail. She was always flawless, even first thing in the morning, and she always smelled like flowers, I'm pretty sure she shits lavender.

"I just told her cousin about Stone, she's fine."

"God I miss JQ, my breakfast would've been ready if he was here."

I switched the camera on my phone so London could see me, Dom peeked at the screen, "Hey hun, thanks for sending us Brooklyn, you won't know her tomorrow." She grinned and walked away whining about how hungry she was.

"The girls are taking me shopping." I told London just as Scarlet walked in with three bags.

"Food's here." She announced, "Where's Coco at? She's usually the first one up."

"I'll got get her and Kitty."

"I'll talk to you later London, tell Ma I said hi."

"Hell no, I'm not getting in your business." She ended the call and I knew it would be up to me to call my mother, maybe on Sunday. We gathered around the table and for the first time had a meal as a family...minus JQ.

I knew these people nearly a week and already I was considering them family, they giggled like brothers and sisters and always had each other's backs. Hell, my real family didn't have this kind of relationship, my mother and her sister smiled in each other's faces and complained behind each other's backs. My grandmother was still young and wild and free and didn't have time to deal with her daughters' drama or spend time with her grandkids, and then there was the situation with my father.

After breakfast Roman went back to bed and me and the girls piled into the bathroom. Dom had already showered, Scarlet and Coco showered while me and Kitty brushed our teeth, then we showered.

"You should get a tattoo." She said and showed off her colorful thigh tattoos. I wanted one but I was worried about how it would look when I was old, when I told Kitty this she scoffed, "Don't worry about it, when you're old and your great-grandkids ask you can say that you had an awesome youth."

I smiled, I didn't think about it that way. We got out of the shower and I pulled on a plain white blouse and not so tight jeans. Kitty wrapped a towel around herself and went to the powder room. I caught E! News while the girls got ready to head out. An hour and a half later we were finally heading downstairs, the took the Escalade, Coco drove, Queen Dom took the front seat and the rest of us piled into the back.

I gazed out of the window while the girls gossiped about Scarlet's date, she never did second dates and this was already the third with prominent lawyer Eric Wells. Dom asked Scarlet if she tried one of her tricks on Eric and the girls squealed. I wasn't surprised when the conversation shifted to me and my virginity, the girls were surprised that I was twenty-two and still had everything in tact and they never spoke about me without bringing up Stone. He was damn fine but Stone made my blood crawl, he was too overbearing and a bit of a bully.

"Alright ladies, leggo!" Coco shouted after she parked. I had no idea where we were, but there were lines of high fashion boutiques. Nobody tried to help me orient myself so I just went with the flow following them into the stores, allowing them to toss outfit after outfit at me and force me into the dressing rooms. They squealed and shrieked about how cute I was and how I looked eighteen rather than twelve. Fifteen shopping bags later the girls were talking about burning everything I brought from home. They even bought me Victoria's Secret underwear. It was crazy but I was having so much fun!

We got a late lunch at three o'clock before hopping into the car and driving a short way to a spa. I'd never done the spa thing and it was just my luck I got stuck in a room with Dom who encouraged me to get a Brazilian wax. Never a-fucking-gain!!! She laughed so hard she peed on the people's table. When we all gathered in the steam room I had to show off my bald cooch to the other girls. After sweating it out for a half hour we showered and went to the salon where we were all booked for mani/pedis and hair styles.

Dom ditched the crimpy blond weave for a long straight red one. I did not enjoy having my eyebrows plucked but the stylist had as much fun as the girls. She cut off about five inches of hair, straightened it and added brown highlights.

"Oh my gosh look at you!" The girls gushed and tugged on my hair and made me spread my fingers so they could check out my mint green colored nails.

"One more stop." Coco said and we walked a short way to the M.A.C store where I was forced to sit in a chair while the make-up artist taught me what colors worked with my skin and what to put where. I ended up with a big bag full of makeup.

We caught a movie and had dinner at one of those restaurants that the Women Who Lunch hung out at. It was fun, we got home at nine and I was exhausted.

"Woah! It's Pocahontas!" Roman shouted when we went into the apartment at ten-thirty. "Lemme check you out Baby Doll." I was wearing one of my new outfits. A white blouse, black pants that stopped at my ankle, red pumps that I could hardly walk in and a blue blazer. "You look like the boss lady now, we're gonna have to change your name."

"Oh shit! Y'all tossed Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge and replaced her with that model from Fashion Week didn't you? What is Roman gonna tell her family?" JQ was perched on top of the counter chewing, Dom immediately went off on him about her food.

Scarlet stared me down, "You do kind of look like that model JQ banged."

"Yeah." Kitty grinned.

"Y'all don't start with me."

Kitty flicked her wrist at me, meaning that I should chill out. "Put on the red dress we got you and come to the club with us."

"Your first official club hop in NYC!" Coco clapped.

Seriously? I was already sleepy. I dare not say no. "JQ just got back, don't you wanna hang out with him?" I said instead.

"Please, I've got a hot piece of ass waiting on me at The W, I'll see y'all...eventually." He pulled one of the bottles of lube out of his pocket. "You don't need this." Then he scurried out of the house.

"And I've got this party so yeah, I'm out too." Roman gave me a quick hug, he smelled so musky and acted so masculine...I was stereotyping I know, but I was sheltered, the few gays I knew worked with me at Wal-Mart and they were far more girly than me. And there was Roman who was all man, hugging him with all of his had muscles was like hugging a brick wall on a summer's day.

"Uh oh, JQ better watch out before he loses his baby daddy." Dom said from the kitchen, she winked at me.

Roman laughed, left the apartment wearing all black and looking damn fine. I guess I was going to the club with the girls.

"Tonight little miss vixen, you learn how to hunt." Dom grinned.

Chapter 7: Go In

I sat on the floor in front of the couch since JQ was sprawled across it, he was fast asleep breathing deeply and evenly. The tattoo on his left side said something in some language I couldn't understand, there was another one on his left breast, Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. If his pants were pulled down low enough there were lipstick stain tattoos on the left and right side of his pelvis. My eyes traveled right back to his face and I was tempted to put a pillow over it. He had given me hell this week because Roman wasn't here to look out for me.

Roman had booked a couple of modeling jobs in L.A. and he left on Tuesday morning so JQ's ass was supposed to get me to and from work. He dropped me to work that morning, ten minutes late, so Stone was all over me. Stone was another pain in the ass, he was supposed to be my supervisor but allowed the other five people in the department to treat me like their go-for. I did so many coffee runs that by the time I left work that evening, the morning and evening staff at the Starbucks knew me by name. Stone immediately put me to the test. He tossed me a folder. 

"New lube and massage gel combo. You've got a sample in that basket on your desk. Your job is to design a bottle, come up with a name and later on you'll come up with an ad campaign. And this needs to be done by Friday two weeks from now."

I looked at him in disbelief as he strutted out of my cubicle like a proud cock. I spun around in the swivel chair, looked at my small cubicle and thanked the heavens I wasn't cluster-phobic, I would absolutely die if I was. My desk took up half of the space in the room, at least I had my own professional laser printer and a computer that was pretty bad-ass. The little section of space that I had left was occupied by the single filing cabinet. I dug in the basket and pulled out the samples, a clear bottle with some clear gel in it. "Awesome." I mumbled. 

I never got to start my work, one of the other guys, Derek, decided that he absolutely couldn't live without a frap, a woman, Bethany, left her purse in her car with her asthma inhaler inside it, her old freakin' Civic didn't have an alarm so guess who was running around looking for Bethany's car, luckily it was pretty cold out. I had to skip lunch because Sarah had to leave, she was planning her wedding and the wedding planner called a meeting. At five o'clock I was more than ready to go home but JQ conveniently forgot me. It just so happens that Stone came out of the building at the same time and saved me from nearly being run over for the fifth time. 

"You have to be pushy if you want a cab in this city." He stepped into the street with his arm raised and one of the yellow death-mobiles screeched to a stop. Stone smirked and held the door open for me, I mumbled a thanks, he paid the fare and sent me on my way. 

When I got home JQ grinned up at me, "You got home, I knew you would."

"You intentionally left me?"

"Yeah, you're so little and cute it's not going to be hard for you to find someone to protect you. How'd you get home today?"

"Stone got me a cab."

"Stone?" JQ chuckled and handed me a bowl of stew and a big cup of juice, my stomach growled and I forgot to be mad at him. "Lil' Thang I think Stone wanna sample them goods." And then I was mad at him again.

"Don't be a dick JQ."

"Girl you don't know me like that." He pouted and then grinned. "I'ma tell you this, Stone don't like people and he smooth as silk, he gon' get that kitty."  

For the rest of the week JQ left me helpless, Stone rescued me and JQ made cat calls whenever I got home. I damn near tackled Roman when he got back home on Thursday evening, the girls let JQ abuse me at least now someone would have my back, or so I thought. 

"Baby Doll, you gotta learn this city." He said gently and I pouted. I would learn the city, just not yet. On Friday I caught a cab to and from work on my own and I have to admit, I was proud of my accomplishment and my crazy roommates egged me on by clapping and cheering. 

The girls, with the exception of Dom, worked nightly, when I got home for work they were either already gone or heading out. JQ and Roman didn't work nightly like the girls did, they were usually on call for celebrity events or special appearances. When Roman came back, JQ disappeared and I must have been crazy for missing him.

The girls got me excited for shopping on Saturday, you cannot imagine what a feat that was since I am not a girly-girl, I do not get squeal like an idiot when it comes to spending money. I think I was more excited to be spending time with the girls, they worked all the time, this would be my chance to get to know them better. There was also the make-over they promised me, I couldn't wait to see what they would come up with.

Chapter 6: Celebrities & Strippers

Kandy Shoppe NYC. The building looked like a small hotel surrounded by the largeness of the city. Mostly dark tinted glass walls on the outside, three stories tall. Coco informed me that celebrity dressing rooms and offices were located on the top floor, the VIP room was on the second floor, it was connected to the ground floor by stairs and an elevator in the back. 

We entered through the back door and separated, the strippers disappeared on the ground floor, Dom caught the elevator with Coco and me as far as the second floor. On the third floor Coco led me to her office where Mr. Braxton and Stone were waiting. "You're late." Stone said to Coco but his eyes were on me.

"I thought it would be good if Baby Doll got acquainted with the business ASAP." She grabbed the paper from Stone's hands, Mr. Braxton was seated behind her desk. "Let's see, R. Kelly should be on now and Roman and JQ just entered the building." She leaned over the desk tossing her round behind in Stone's face he frowned and his eyes came back to me. 

"Are you going to hover in the doorway the entire night?"

I swallowed, Coco said, "Leave her alone Stone. Yes, Jay, Roman and JQ are here, you can announce that ladies night is about to begin.  Yeah, it'll be midnight in eight minutes. Yes damnit! I don't want any bullshit!"  She slammed the black receiver on the cradle and Mr. Braxton chuckled. 

"Well Christina, since you seem to have everything under control here, I'll go entertain my VIP guests. Stone." 

Stone stood up and followed Mr. Braxton out, he motioned for me to follow him, I gave Coco a helpless look, she smiled reassuringly. I followed my bosses dragging my feet. We entered the elevator, Mr. Braxton said, "Brooklyn, darling, I have no problem with what you wear at work on a daily basis but when you are meeting my important clients please make sure you're sexy."

"I don't know how to be sexy." I said out of frustration and then blushed at how stupid I sounded. 

"You're a woman, a professional woman and I expect you to look the part." The elevator doors slid open, when we exited a lovely caramel skinned woman with a Brazilian accent immediately grabbed on to Mr. Braxton's arm, she drawled seductively about something or the other. He and Stone strutted into the crowd of A-listers. Models, actors, singers and Mr. Kelly himself were all smiles. I immediately thought about London, if she was in this room she would just die! 

I found Dom in the crowd, or rather six feet above the crowd spinning on a pole, hundred dollar bills decorated her purple thong, her bra was gone. She did a full split on the stage, the celebrities clapped and cheered, she took a bow and pranced off the stage and over to Mr. Braxton, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long peck on the lips, then she scampered away and threw her big behind on a rapper's lap. Other girls who were topless or completely naked worked the VIP area mingling with the important clientele. They reacted to Mr. Braxton like Christians do their Savior, worshiping the ground he walked on. I wondered just who Howard Braxton was, why did he make it his job to pull people off the streets and make them socialites, because my roommates were socialites. 

"Braxton, Stone, this has to be the best fantasy event ever, y'all outdid yourselves this year." An R&B singer who called himself Flow said. Flow had a sexy baritone voice and when he sang girls melted, London absolutely adored him. He was beautiful, just like everyone else I'd met in the hours I'd spent in New York, six feet five inches tall with low cut hair and gorgeous lips that he licked constantly. 

"Flow, this is our new intern Brooklyn James, she just may be able to top this in February." Stone grinned and pulled me over to shake Flow's hand. His actions were as smooth as his voice, I was flattered when he kissed my hand, yeah flattered, if I wasn't feeling so out of place I would have screamed and fainted.

"She sho' is cute." I'm sure my face must have been as red as a ripe cheery, his Southern accent gave me butterflies. "Well, I'm 'bout to leave now, don't need to see JQ shakin' his dick."  The three men laughed. "Brooklyn James, I'll see you around."

He and his entourage drifted toward the elevator just as Coco told the women and the queens to give it up for the men in uniform. One of Flow's songs came over the speakers and about fifty male strippers descended from poles and dispersed into the main club and the VIP section. There were soldiers, policemen, firemen and even a couple mailmen. As Flow's voice drifted out of the speakers the men moved through the crowd gyrating and grinding on the guests. Women squealed and clapped and cheered. The music shifted to something more upbeat and the men congregated on the main stage and did a fast yet sexy dance, when the music suddenly stopped all shirts hit the floor.

The women in the audience demanded "pants" and begged them to "take it all off". The music shifted again and JQ, Roman and three other guys pranced onto the five tables closest to the stage. They did a slow dance that involved much hips shaking and button loosening. JQ crouched and allowed one of the woman to rip his belt off while another grabbed at his crutch. He and the other guys were all smiles while the women groped them. The music changed again, JQ and his group remained on their tables, he produced a mic from his pocket. "She says she wants me to take it all off." His musical voice said, women cheered. "Okay." He started to shrug his pants off, "sike!" He laughed and loud groans came filled the room. 

"Okay, okay. Roman, Tino, Gift, Mo, what y'all think?"

One of the guys ripped his pants off and the women on his table squealed and grabbed at his dick. 

"G man, I told you we gotta do this is some kind of order. Ladies I'll tell you what, y'all can count down for blast off and I promise when you get to zero, all of my boys will be pants-less. Five! Four!" The women continued the count down and just as he promised at zero all the uniform pants disappeared to reveal bulging drawers. The women cheered again.They must have had some messed up fantasies to want fifty naked men in their beds. 

"Y'all want us to take our drawers off?"  JQ shouted into the mic. The women screamed "yes". "Y'all sure?" Another roar of "yes, take it off". "Alright we'll take em off then, but please welcome Ms. Kelly Rowland to the stage first." There was a mix of cheers and groans as the Kandy Kane boys disappeared back stage and Kelly strode onto center stage singing her single Down for Whatever. Ten of the strippers remained, dancing along with her, the music shifted to Lay it On Me and the guys got up close and personal with the star, at the end of the song the draws dropped, apparently ten erect dicks weren't in the choreography because Kelly gasped and busted up laughing, she was so surprised that she couldn't breathe long enough to sing her next song. Grinning JQ came back to the stage and gave her a hug, the other guys disappeared into the crowd allowing women to touch them. 

"Y'll like that?"

"Woooo! Now take yours off!" One loud woman shrieked. 

"Why don't you come take it off for me?" JQ challenged and suddenly the woman was silent. "Fine, I'ma come to you then." JQ hopped off the stage and Coco came on to introduce the next act. 

Ten strippers in silver thongs came on to stage and danced to very upbeat song. They teased the women in the audience, toying with their thongs, pulling them low, sometimes all the way down only to pull them up again. The song ended and the guys' thongs remained where they were. I have to admit I was getting into the show and was not expecting their underwear to remain where they were. Coco came onto the stage and called for five volunteers. Five women came onto the stage, five rather old women that is. Grandmothers! Coco gave each of them two men to de-thong. I chuckled at the old women peeking into the thongs, blushing and then turning around to giggle at people in the audience before stripping their men. Coco told them to keep the thongs because there would be a raffle later on. What could women possibly win at an even like this?

When Coco left the stage, JQ reentered with a woman, I guess it was his loud mouthed challenger. Roman scurried out with a chair before disappearing backstage again. The woman, a robust, middle aged Hispanic lady sat in the chair. JQ didn't have a mic so I couldn't hear what he was saying but the woman was blushing and hiding her face while he smiled showing off his deep dimples. He grabbed one of her hands and placed it on his chest and ran it down over his abs and eventually folded it over the bulge in his pants. The crowd laughed at the blushing woman, she peeked inside JQ's drawers and covered her face again. JQ leaned over and said something to her, she stood and tugged his underwear low enough that she exposed pubic hair, then she turned and said something to the crowd, they cheered and she pulled JQ's brief all the way down and clapped along with the rest of the crowd. 

I turned away from the glass and came face to face with a beaming Dom. "You've never seen a naked man in real life." The heat inside my face felt like fire. Dom spun me around and wrapped her arms around me so I couldn't move, I wanted to close my eyes but couldn't. JQ stood butt naked on the stage, his penis saluting the crowd, and what a beautiful penis it was. Darker than the rest of his body, circumcised.  His pubic hair was neatly groomed. Looked like chocolate, I wondered if it tasted the same. Oh my gosh! What am I thinking? No Brook, no! How would I ever look him in the eyes again?

"Eventually you'll come to realize that JQ has one of the loveliest dicks around." She giggled in my ear, I swallowed the lump in my throat, I wanted to go home now, before Roman got naked too.

It would be just my luck that Roman ran onto the stage and high-fived JQ. JQ hopped off stage and encouraged the women on the audience to touch him, to stroke him and Roman started a slow, sexy dance. Women tossed dollar bills at him while the queens whistled and hollered his name. He stepped out of the tight thong and continued his dance. My eyes fixated on his groin. Roman was a big guy, well muscled and while he had an impressively fat dick, JQ was blessed with length and girth and beauty. The music ended and Roman joined JQ and the other naked men in the crowd of hooting women. 

That was it, I'd just seen two of the men I would have to live with naked, one I would actually have to share a room with! God I hoped my roommates wouldn't want to talk about this. I hoped Dom wouldn't tell them about how embarrassed I was and how red my face had become.

Act by act the fifty Kandy Kane men stripped down to their birthday suits. It was two in the morning by this time and I was exhausted. I groaned when Coco encouraged the audience to stay and mingle. The DJ played soft jams and the alcohol began flow. I didn't realize until then that Stone and Mr. Braxton had left. The VIPs were beginning to leave as well. 

"Tired?" Dom asked me, I was slumped in one of the plush seats in the VIP lounge, my eyelids were drifting together so yeah, I guess I was tired. The latest I'm usually up is eleven-thirty. "Come on, I'll take you home, I've got to be on set for ten anyway."

I looked up at Dom who was now fully clothe, strippers were one thing, there was no way in hell that I would be following her to work!