Sugar Baby

Nicki stirred her frozen yogart and tried to enjoy her day out with her temporary friends but she was growing irritated. Between the superficial girlfriends that she was forced to hang around and the man following her, she was over this entire day. Nina wasn't that bad because they came from the same place but Amber was a piece of work. She had made a career out of a lifestyle that Nicki was ashamed of.

"So, what does your Daddy do that you need a bodyguard, Nicki?" Amber, a perky blonde with big, fake boobs, asked.

"I don't call him that." She said nonchalantly.

"Well, what do you call him?" Nina, a Latino girl, asked.

"Um, by his name."

"And that would be?" Amber probed. Nicki rolled her eyes when she heard a deep cough.

"Just a second." She turned on her heels and walked towards her bodyguard. "Joe, back off!"

"Ah, Nicki..." He answered in his thick Italian accent.

"I'm serious. Back off!"

"Ok, ok." He threw his hands up. She turned and rejoined the girls.

"So, what does he do?" Amber asked again.

"Amber, Mami, stop being so nosey. Where I'm from, you'd be dead." Nina said.

"Is that the kind of Sugar Daddy you have?" Amber asked, still unafraid. "I've dealt with those kind. Mafia drugloads, drug mules... So exciting!" She squealed.

"I honestly don't know." She answered.

"Do you care?" Nina asked. "I mean, you should know if the door is gonna be knocked down while you're -"

"Going down!" Amber giggled and Nicki rolled her eyes. "What?"

"We don't have sex. This is a business deal. I show up on his arm to events, hang around his partners girls', and my bills are paid."

"And you don't have to give any ass up?" Nina asked.

"Nope."

"Never heard that one." Nina said.

"Are you his mustache?" Amber asked.

"Beard." Nina corrected her.

"I'm pretty sure it's mustache." Amber rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Is he gay?"

"No!" Nicki said defensively then thought about it. "I mean, I don't think so. He's propositioned it. Five thousand for a night."

"Girl." Nina bagan. "That's my allowance for a week!"

"I just dont feel right."

"Is he old? Wrinkly balls can be a turn off but they can't keep it up long. Five thousand for maybe ten minutes, what's the problem?" Amber asked.

"Amber, he's like 30." Nina said. "And fine as hell."

"Nicki, baby... Are you stupid?"

"No, I just have a little more respect for myself than to fuck for money." She could tell that she had hit a nerve in both of the women.

"Nicki-"

"No, Amber..." Nina said. "If she wants to think she is better than let her." She turned her attention to Nicki. "You think people don't know who you are? What you do? Even if you aren't fucking for money, they think you. Look in the mirror, mami. You aren't that different from us."

Nina's tone wasn't harsh. In fact, it opened Nicki's eyes. No matter what she told herself, she was no better than them. Taking money from men. Everything she was doing, she hated. The man who took care of her was a good man, she could even say that she loved him but the inner conflict that she was fighting was tearing her up.

She pulled up to her townhome irritated. His car sitting there only made it worse. She walked in and slammed the door. She found him sitting at the dining room table. She ignored the covered plate in front of him.

"I'm not hanging around those bitches anymore." She said with an attitude.

"Ok." He smiled which pissed her off.

"And I don't need a babysitter!"

"I know."

"I'm grown!"

"I understand." He pulled the top off of the plate revealing a Tiffany blue box.

"And I-" She looked at the box and then back at him. "Is that-"

"Depends."

"On?"

"Come here." She walked over to him and sat on his lap. He opened the box and pulled out a necklace. "Stop yelling at me." He placed it around her neck and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Safaree."

"You didn't enjoy yourself?"

"I did."

"But?" She avoided eye contact as she played with the necklace. "What's wrong?"

"I-" She sighed. "This has all been so fun, but... I just... Well, I'll be moving out of here soon."

"Hmmm." He nodded.

"This just doesn't feel right. Being around those girls... I can't see myself depending on men until one likes me enough to wife me. This was supposed to be temporary but it's almost been a year."

"A year?" He asked with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"Nine months, but-"

"What do you want?" 

"You can't give me what I want." She said frustrated. "You can't afford everything in life, Safaree."

"Who said?" He asked with a cool demeanor which pissed her off.

"I did!" She stood. "I want a real relationship! I want to walk into a room with my man and not hear bitches whispering about how I got there. This-" She snatched the necklace off. "This doesn't mean shit!"

"Nicki-" He grabbed her hand.

"Don't!" She snatched her hand back and folded her arms.

"You think I'm gonna let you go that easily?" He asked calmly.

"Are you threatening me?" She asked appalled. 

"What?" He asked confused.

"I don't give a fuck if you are some big time drug dealer. I'm not-"

"What?" He laughed.

"I mean-"

"Cause I'm a black man with a lot of money I'm a drug dealer?"

"No, I just-"

"That's your problem." He shook his head as he stood. It both turned her on and intimidated her to have him towering over her. "You never tried to get to know me. I throw hints all the time at you but you got your guard up so high..." He shook his head. "This bend stopped being a business arrangement for me... The moment I fell for you, but you never noticed." He shook his head again before walking past her and calling over his shoulder, "Moving trucks will be her by 2."

She turned and watched as he put his jacket on. Her heart beat only seemed to quicken as he made his exit. The slamming of the door gave the cue for her tears. She had noticed the hints but she wasn't sure at the moment if they were indeed what she thought they were.  She felt not only alone, but like an asshole. In this moment, that she thought it to be the worst feeling. 

She could barely feel her feet lifting and falling to the ground as she ran. It was almost as she glided out the door. His name exited her lips like air. The town car continued to pull out of her drive way. She eventually got close enough to bang on the window. The car came to a stop and the back window went down just enough to show his eyes.

"Get out." She said. The window rolled back up. She exhaled slowly as the door opened and he stepped out.

"Nicki-" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her before kissing him passionately. He didn't hesitate to participate. She pulled away shyly.

"I'm sorry. I really, really like you. I might even love you but I don't know because this is the first relationship that I've had where sex wasn't involved but everytime I'm with you my head is spinning and I feel like I can fly and-"

"Shhhh." He kissed her lips lightly. " I love you too." He kissed her until she pulled away.

"Safaree?"

"Hmmm?"

"Take me inside."