Page 45 of Contract With A G

I guess Wilma saw this fine ass man and figured I wanted to see him. I mean damn, Duke did look good, and he wasn’t just in a muscle shirt and jeans as he had been anytime, I saw him around town.

When we got to the truck, Duke opened the passenger door for me before disappearing around to the other side. I grabbed onto the seat, struggling to pull myself up with these heels on and my weak ass arms.

Duke looked over at me from across the cab and laughed to himself.

“What's so funny?” I asked, already knowing damn well what he was laughing at.

He shook his head before hopping out and coming back around to my side.

Before I could say another word, Duke bent down and with one smooth scoop, lifted me off the ground and set me in the seat. He then reached across me and pulled my seatbelt across my body.

“I guess I’ll be lifting your ass in and out of here tonight.”

I rolled my eyes, then finished with a smile.

“Yeah, you might have to, with this tall ass truck. I mean, not many people are as tall as you are, Duke.”

“Not many people are like me at all. Never forget that shit.”

He closed the door.

While Duke made his way around the front of the truck, I looked throughout the inside, taking in the details. From the dirt surrounding the wheels and that loud ass, rough sounding engine, I expected the inside to look just as rough as the exterior. But I was wrong.

The truck had black leather seats trimmed in blue, and a black dashboard with a wide touchscreen radio. Blue lights glowed from the controls, giving the entire inside of the truck a blue glow.

I glanced over the dashboard and noticed a picture sitting above the speedometer. It was Duke with some girl sitting in his lap, kissing her on the cheek from what I could see.

I shook my head before looking away. He must’ve forgotten to take that picture out before picking me up.

Duke put the truck into drive and took off through the parking lot. Not too crazy, but he wasn't exactly driving like he cared about anybody in his way.

I didn't know where we were going, and to be honest, I didn't even know how to ask. From the way he was dressed, I could tell that I wasn't underdressed or overdressed. We seemed to match each other well, though I knew he had on thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry compared to the jewelry I got from my job.

We rode hopping freeways and service roads across the city until Duke turned onto a street packed with cars from one end to the other. His big ass truck rumbled between them, bass vibrating through the windows as people standing outside glanced our way.

After a short drive down that road, Duke started to slow down in front of a building with a Lounge 2620 sign hanging overhead.

The lounge didn’t look fancy from the outside. There were no velvet ropes or bright neon lights like you would find at a club in downtown or some shit. This was just an old building, with a crowd gathered outside. There were old school cars lined up the street, with rims shining way brighter than the sign hanging above the club.

Duke pulled into a spot near the entrance and killed the engine.

For a second, I stared out the window, checking out the spot he had pulled me up to. This place seemed to be jumping, but not the kind of energy that made you want to watch your back like some of the clubs me and Kharti had gone to in our younger days. There was a vibe out here that made it seem like everyone was just here to have a good time and nothing else.

“Wait, I'll come around and get you.” Duke hopped out of the truck.

Judging by the way a few heads turned when he stepped out, I had a feeling we weren't exactly walking into a place where he was a stranger. A few different men approached Duke, all dapping him up before he made his way to my door. He laughed and talked loudly with some of the men who approached him before he popped my door open and held his hand out in front of me.

Duke was tall, but so was his truck, so when I turned to the side, I felt like he was eye to eye with my crotch area, and I squeezed my legs together tightly, not trying to expose what was underneath.

Duke licked his lips and shook his head without saying a word. I’m sure he caught on to me trying to be modest about my underwear.

Once my heels were on the ground, he led me into the building, walking with a heavy limp that told me things that I shouldn’t be thinking about right now.

“Duke the crook. My man.” A gray haired security man stood up and shook Duke’s hand.

“Moe. What it’s looking like in here tonight?”

“Same ol same ol. You know how it is on a Saturday in 3rd ward. Bitches and niggas everywhere looking to get fucked.”