Episode 4: New Girl

Autumn

I shouldn’t be so nervous. I shouldn’t be leaning onto the valet stand so I don’t trip over and fall. 

Butterflies flutter all throughout my middle, making a laugh bubble out of me. I’m twenty-three. I’ve been on dates before. But none of those hoes hold a candle to Dr. Fox.

Fuck.

She’s so sexy, in her teal scrubs that look painted on. Countless times I just stop and stare at her as she administers the best bedside manner to muthafuckas who come in with keys in their stomachs and glasses up their assholes. It doesn’t matter what wild thing a patient comes into the ER with, Dr. Fox has a smile and a calm demeanor that lets them know she’ll take good care of them.

Last week she graced me with her smile as I gave her car a jump. And again the day after, when she took me to lunch as a thank you.

Every night I’ve worked for the past few days, she’s brought me a coffee from the cafeteria. She’s never worked this many night shifts in a row before. Part of me wants to think it’s because of me. That she wants to spend time with me, even if we’re working in the pit all night.

Before I talked myself out of it, I invited her to dinner. G, the old cook at Paradise, finally opened his own restaurant, and tonight is opening night. Might as well see if Dr. Fox can hang with the big dogs–or worse, has history with Turkey–before I let this crush go any further.

A Lexus pulls up, and through the windshield I see her. Even more butterflies set flight as I try to stand on the balls of my feet in these damn Loubs. The valet helps her out, and I have to clinch my thighs.

Her black bandage dress hugs her fit silhouette perfectly. She struts over to me in sky high platform heels, making her nearly my height. Heat flashes in her eyes as she looks me over, and her soft hands skate over my back when we hug.

“Hi, Autumn,” she croons, and I have to hold back a moan.

Dr. Fox oozes sex. She’s like a female Turkey.

“Hi Dr. Fox.”

She smirks at me, eyeing my lips before dragging her eyes back up. “I told you to call me Patience when we’re not at work.”

I lick my lips as my cheeks heat. The slight admonishment in her tone is tightening my nipples.

I thought fucking Turkey yesterday would keep me in control, but it’s like I’m in the desert and she’s a tall, chilled glass of water.

I damn near wanna skip dinner and go straight to dessert.

My emotions must read on my face because Patience pats down her already perfect shoulder length bob, hoods her eyes, and slides her hand down my arm to interlock our fingers. “C’mon. Let’s go eat.”

I nod and lead her inside. As we walk deeper into Guiliano’s, I lean over and let my lips brush her ear, enjoying her shudder.

“I’ll introduce you to my friends and son’s father and then we can sit. It’s a tasting menu tonight, if that’s okay?”

She smiles at me and lifts her chin. “It’s your world, love.”

She squeezes my hand when we get to the private dining area my friends are in. The idle chatter of the restaurant turns into loud laughter and rap music as we enter.

As usual, I find my Turkey first, as he’s lifting a glass of brown liquid to his enticing lips.

Autumn chill, you’re on a date.

Tati hobbles to me first, beaming at me. “Hi Autumn!”

“Hey Tati. This is Patience. Patience, this is my friend Tati, and the guy stalking over here is her boyfriend Peanut.”

Nutty stomps over, grilling me as he pulls Tati into his side. I narrow my eyes at him, pleading with him to be on his best behavior, but I see the challenge in his eyes.

Patience shakes Tati’s hand before shifting to him. “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you both. Congratulations.” She blesses them with a blinding smile and a shadow passes over Nutty’s scowl before his face relaxes.

“Thank you.” Tati cuffs her bump as I pull Patience through the rest of Foe Dub, keeping it light as I walk her through the guys toward Shad, Set, and Turkey.

It’s not that I’m not cool with everyone. G, the owner, has been my dog since back when I was dancing at Paradise myself. Reem and Slime have come in clutch a few times when Turkey and the others were OT. And Ty and I had been friends once upon a time in middle school. But I keep it as cute as possible outside of Rico and Fredo. They’re still Foe Dub, and still quick to report my every move to my baby daddy.

Shad shoots me a cheeky grin as we walk up to him, but turns on the charm and has Patience eating out the palm of his hand like I knew he would. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes though, and I make a note to check in on my little brother and see how he’s been since his grandmother and our friend Sean passed.

“Patience, this is my son’s father, Royce, and his best friend, C. Guys, this is Patience.” 

I try to breathe as slowly as possible. Rico went back to Belize a couple weeks ago, but he can fake being social, not like Set and Turk. They don’t fuck with any outsiders, and I’ve made the mistake of catching feelings for past flings before they prove they can’t hang. Pulling the band-aid off in the beginning is new, but damn if I’m not still nervous as hell.

Especially when Set looks her up and down. 

This was a bad idea.

“Why yo girl introducing me to a random, Dub?” he rasps, stormy gray eyes dismissing her.

A very, bad idea.

“You know Autumn still acting like she like pussy more than me,” Turk replies, smirking that infuriating smirk like I didn’t tell his dumb ass I was bringing her. 

I open my mouth but Patience squeezes my hand, silencing me. When I glance at her, she’s smirking at him. “I’m glad I’m finding out from jump you’re a bitter baby daddy. Now I don’t have to hide my disdain for you.”

Set smirks at Patience’s feistiness, slapping the back of his hand on Turk’s chest. “She really don’t know.”

“Know what?” Patience challenges.

Turk takes a step toward her, invading her personal space. “That no matter what Autumn says, she’s all me. But if you a good girl, I’ll let you get a taste of her pussy. Might even let you get a taste of me, too.”

“Turk–”

Patience grabs his glass off the bartop and throws it in his face, making my eyes buck. I place a palm on his chest, holding him back as she storms out of the room. Everyone’s so stunned she did that, that no one moves until she’s gone.

Turk can make a nun break her vow of celibacy with just a look. It’s why I nearly gave up trying to find a girlfriend for myself. I’m not the sharing type, and for some reason, these Kenton bitches think I’m recruiting a girlfriend for both me and him. And quiet as it’s kept, Turk isn’t the sharing type either. He just likes to see how far these bitches will go in some twisted lesson for me.

“Damn, I ain’t seen a bitch curve you like that since her ass.” Set hikes his thumb toward me before chuckling. 

Nutty, however, cackles loudly as he falls over his cousin’s shoulders. “Damn nigga, you losing ya touch!”

“The hell you say to her?” Shad asks, shaking his head.

“You guys are fucking annoying,” I hiss, pushing Turk away. I turn on my heels and follow her out, trying to drown out their laughs.

I catch up with Patience outside. Her arms are folded and she’s tapping her foot furiously on the sidewalk.

“Patience, I’m so–”

I touch my fingertips to her shoulder and she whips around on me, crashing her lips to mine. Her velvet tongue swipes across my lips and I open immediately, moaning into her mouth shamelessly. Her gloss tastes like cotton candy, lips so soft as they knead mine. Her hands palm the globes of my ass, squeezing, pushing her pelvis into mine like she has a dick for me to feel.

I squeeze her arms to keep me on the ground. Otherwise I’d be lifting off into orbit.

All too soon the kiss is over. She punctuates it with a quick peck, before backing up a half step.

“I know they’re important to you, and I’m trying to be important to you, too. That’s the only reason why I walked away from his disrespect. But you need to get your dogs on a leash, Autumn.”

I nod, still drunk on her kiss. She’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced before, and one hit has me addicted. If she asked me to sign over my car I would, so going up on these niggas about they shenanigans is nothing.

“Use your words, baby,” she mutters, and my poor pussy clenches violently around nothing.

“I-I’ll handle it.”

She squeezes my ass again as the valet pulls her car around. “Good girl. We can go to lunch tomorrow to make up for this. Bring Deuce, too. Goodnight, Autumn.”

Without a kiss goodbye, she saunters away from me, collecting her keys and driving off.

You damn right I’m bringing Deucey to meet his new stepmama tomorrow. Shit, we can go ring shopping after, too.

“You let that bitch throw that drink in my face when you’ve stomped bitches out over me for way less.”

I roll my eyes and turn to face my infuriating baby daddy, smelling like the hennessy drying on his shirt.

“You said you’d be on your best behavior. The fuck was that?!”

He just waves me off like he likes to do when he doesn’t want to admit he’s jealous. Like he’s not fucking most of Paradise still.

“You got thirty minutes to meet me at Dionysus. I seen you kiss her and I know you need to work that off.”

I lick my lips before thinking, and try desperately to find some resolve. “You don’t know shit.”

He steps closer to me, brushing his chest against mine. “I know that pussy begging to be filled the way only I can because I hear her loud and clear. If you not in our room in twenty-eight minutes, you not gone like your punishment.”

He kisses my nose before walking off toward the valet station.

Am I really gonna end my night there again? Flashes of different scenes roll through my mind’s eye like a highlight reel, and I find myself saying, “I didn’t drive here.”

Turk wraps his arms around me, resting his head on my shoulder. “Perfect. You can ride with me. I can’t promise to take it easy on you, but at least you’ll get some good sleep tonight.”

I melt into his chest, and swear to myself this is the last time, so I might as well have some fun. Something tells me Patience is it for me, and I’m gonna do right by her. The next time I pull up to Dionysus will be with her.

An intrusive thought of having them both there flashes, but I shake it away. The universe wouldn’t show that much favor on me, letting me have them both, especially after Turk showed his ass.

A girl sure can dream, though.