Page 33 of Surrender to Love

“I love that.”

“I know, right?” Alex adds.

“I think it’s perfect. We need that here. There’s Seventh Heaven in Crescent Keys but Erogenous will be different. I want to explore more of the Dom and sub culture. Maybe even teach people.”

“Sign me up. I want to explore my dominant side,” I say.

“All women have it in us. Trust me,” Giselle says, then winks.

“Yes, the hell we do. But my lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I’m a CEO twenty-three, six. In Vegas, I’m everything but and love it. Unlike you and Reya, I don’t always need a name with the man. Hell, I don’t even need a face sometimes,” she says, then laughs. “A nice dick, motion, and a perfect tongue do the trick every time.”

“Every-damn-time,” Giselle adds.

I’m intrigued as hell about Giselle’s new place but intrigue is about the furthest I’ll take it. I haven’t reached their level of grown.

“I want to be like y’all when I grow up,” I tease and we all laugh.

“You’re going on your freaky sex trip,” I say, then look at Giselle. “And you’re about to open Erogenous. Y’all are being all grown and sexy and I’m going to The Marketplace in the morning to buy the one hundred ingredients to learn how to make my man’s favorite food. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.”

“Opposite but still good. Life is great. We’re all happy and smiling and that’s all that fucking matters,” Giselle says and Alex and I nod in total agreement. Alex motions for the server and we order another round of drinks. The conversation switches while we wait. “When you get back, Alex, we need to talk about Reya.”

“What’s up with her?” I ask.

“She doesn’t want a baby shower,” Giselle announces.

“What? Why the hell not?” Alex asks, voicing my exact questions.

“She says it doesn’t make any sense because they won’t know the sex of the baby until he or she arrives.”

“No, that doesn’t make sense. Pampers and wipes are gender neutral and she’s going to need a shitload of those. Plus, we can just buy gender neutral things. We have to give her a shower,” I say, truly not liking the idea of no baby shower.

“Y’all know how she is. Her mind is made up. She said they will have a sip and see one month after the baby is born,” Giselle says.

“Then it’s going to be one extravagant sip and see and she will not be able to object to that,” Alex says.

“Oh, most definitely,” Giselle replies and we all nod.

If I had to name the top five things in Shiro’s life that he loves, I could without a doubt say me, his family, his shop, the motorcycle he’s restoring, and Shuga’s Zongo stew. Since I can’t repair any vehicle or restore a bike, I decided to learn to cook his favorite stew. Last week, I went right to the source. I called Shuga and she agreed to teach me.

My cooking skills are less than stellar. Hell, they are really limited to three dishes: chicken bacon ranch quesadillas, ground turkey lasagna, and yellow rice and chicken. I mastered them in college and my mastery stopped there. All other meals are ordered, picked up, or prepared by the hands of cooks I trust. So tackling this stew is a feat I’d gladly attempt for him.

The plan today is simple: get up early, drive to Diamond Falls and shop at The Marketplace there, then be at Shuga’s by nine. According to her, Zongo takes a lot of time, love, and effort and I want to have it done in time to surprise Shiro at the shop for lunch.

The massages last night at FNF were needed and much appreciated. I was so damn relaxed that I drifted to sleep before midnight and beat my alarm clock this morning at six-thirty. I arrived at Shuga’s right before nine and we have been getting it in. Shuga’s a true cook and her knowledge of spices is admirable. She’s also a proponent of fresh ingredients, even her spices.

“Fresh is best, honey,” she repeats as she grinds rosemary, bay leaves, and something called dawadawa. I only bought the meats and veggies; the spices are all from her. We are in the final stages of the process. Because Shiro loves eggs in his stew, we boiled a dozen. I’m peeling the eggs now and the rice is finishing in the cooker. “After these simmer and the oil rises to the top, we’ll skim it off then add the eggs. They need to marinate in the stew for about fifteen minutes,” she says.

“It smells so good in here,” I admit.

“Well, you did good; it should smell good,” she says and I merely smirk.

We both know the bulk of the work was completed by her. I rough-chopped the veggies and blended them and boiled the eggs. The majority of this morning was spent with me watching, listening attentively, and taking notes in my phone. Zongo is definitely a lot.

“I don’t know how you make this as often as you do,” I admit honestly. “This is definitely going to be a birthday treat and that’s it for me.”

Grinning, she says, “It’s definitely a labor of love. I’m just glad you asked me to teach you. I loved when I got your call. You wanting to learn for my Shiro.” She shakes her head then smiles. “I love that. You know, I’ve given my suya seasoning recipe to Mireya. She asked for it for Quintus and now this. I’m so glad my boys have finally found their ones.” She places the lid back on the pot. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have another of these Dutch ovens. You’ll need one on his birthday. Let me get it.”

“Oh no, Shuga. I can buy one,” I say while shaking my head.