“Chance, darling,” Bintu grabbed her attention, tone vibrant. “The explanation is simple; you need to finally get into your hoe phase. That is all this is. And from what I hear from sweet Dessi, this strapping, youthful stick is just what you need to get the party started.” Bintu strutted into Chance’s living room from the kitchen after pouring herself and Chance another glass of Black Girl Magic Red Blend by McBride Sisters. After all these years, Chance’s good friend, Bintu, still had a one-track mind. She thought very little of a man’s worth besides using him to get what she needed sexually or to get ahead in life. She had recently divorced but was still a modern-day success story as an exec for a Black owned cosmetic start-up, Rogue Rouge.
Bintu had been trying to get Chance to let her hair down for years. As far as she was concerned, it was already down. She handed Chance her glass then plopped down on the sofa next to Destiny before continuing, “Unfortunately, you can’t glide down that stick and push it into drive because—and only because—he’s a colleague. My advice is to find the equivalent and jump on him. And after you’re done with that strapper, find another, then another, and another, and anoth—you get the point.” She smiled and popped a black grape into her mouth.
“Dear Bintu, I’m tired of having this conversation with you.” Chance matched her friend’s animation. “I’ve already had my hoe phase. And I think I’m still at the end of it.” Chance lied.
“Bitch, and I’m tired of telling you, that was no such phase. For starters, I’m sure you still know your number, probably still thinking of your last good ‘O’—if you even had a good one. And you have broken the cardinal rule on more than one occasion.”
“And what rule is that?”
“You’re still in contact with that corny, boring, and might I add—ugly, Pete. He was the goofball that was supposed to be a part of your starting line-up.”
Chance’s mouth was open. She closed it and balled her lips before saying, “Peter is not ugly. He has tons of character—had tons of character. That ship has sailed.” Chance waved her hand.
“Really?” Bintu and Chance had these conversations on too many occasions regarding Peter; therefore, she didn’t believe things were over. “We’ll have to see about that, but you were only supposed to find out what his mouth do. You should know nothing of his ugly ass character. That’s when I knew you didn’t have the hoe phase you’ve been lying—only to yourself—about having over ten years ago. You would not be in this horny mess with this Link person if you’d gone through the basics years back. And I don’t mean once a week.” She winked. “That’s where you’re supposed to be now. And we all know you aren’t.”
“Okay, Bintu, stop attacking my cousin.” Leslie stood up and made her way to the kitchen. She, too, was refreshing her drink and speaking while looking through the serving bar, “Let’s keep it a buck.” She looked at Chance. “Chancey-Poo, I know you’re lying as well. There couldn’t have been a real hoe phase or at least getting your cheeks squeezed properly and regularly because you wouldn’t be as smitten by this dude as you are, even though he’s gorgeous.”
“I’m not—”
“Wait! Let me finish. I do agree with what’s your truth. Everyone doesn’t need one. You may be in that group. So, no, you don’t need a hoe phase,” she stated while walking back into the living room, taking a seat on the floor full of pillows.
“Leslie, that’s not my truth.”
“Chance, we are your girls. There is no need to lie to any of us.” She cut her eyes toward Bintu. “Okay. Maybe Bintu because when the bitch goes in, she goes hard.”
The ladies laughed since minutes ago Bintu was on her way there before Leslie stopped her.
“I will say, this dude wouldn’t have your panties knotted up the way he does if you were getting some on the reg. But at the same time, since he does have them as twisted as they are now, and if sir Peter was putting it down the way he was supposed to, maybe this intrigue is a little deeper than you think.”
“Deeper like what?”
“Like real interest.”
“In this kid? Leslie, get fucking real!”
“I am. Okay, put the sex aside. Why wouldn’t this dude be a good candidate?”
“For what?” Chance was indignant.
“A suitor.”
Chance jumped up. “There are a myriad of reasons. Two of the largest being I’m walking the line of his boss, and I’m eleven years older than him! He’s an infant.”
“But he’s a wealthy infant, with connections.” She raised her glass in Bintu’s direction. Bintu raised hers, and they air-toasted.
“Wait, you’re both nuts!” Destiny chimed in. “Bintu with her suggestion of not exploring any options with him and jumping on anything else moving. And you…” She switched her attention to Leslie. “I thought we were getting somewhere when you opened your mouth, Les. But connections?! What about old-fashioned love?”
That statement was met with the heartache of whoops, hollers, and ‘baby-girl, sit down.’ Being the youngest of the crew, Destiny was rarely taken seriously. It never stopped her from providing her input though. From time to time, she was on the money with some of the points she made; therefore, she was allowed to throw her two cents in occasionally.
“Leslie, when I initially told you this child existed, you were telling me to fuck him one good time to get what I needed but don’t date him. Now, you’re saying to do it regul—”
“Yes, I did say that. But that’s before I had all the information and saw with my very own peepers.”
“So, what does that tell you?” Destiny snipped. When no one answered, she answered the question herself, “Chance should continue to get to know him. There are obviously things she doesn’t know about him.”
“Yes, Destiny, but she can’t possibly take this kid too serious.”
“You all are crazy. He’s not interested.” Chance tried closing the conversation. “And neither am I.”
“Chance, stop. He was practically drooling weeks ago at lunch.”
“He was not, Destiny.”
“Uh, yes he was, and I saw you guys on the tour.”
“What’d you see? You were supposed to be working.” Chance squinted and threw a cherry in her direction, catching her forehead.
She chuckled, picked it up from her lap, and popped it in her mouth. She quickly spoke, “Keeping every tab on you is working for me.” She rolled her eyes and turned toward Bintu and Leslie. “He wouldn’t let her have any space. He kept walking into her, finding any reason to touch her arm or shoulder.”
“Uhhhh…”
She shook her head adamantly. “No, nothing inappropriate,” she interrupted Bintu with relief. “But still clear interest. He was making her nervous; it was clear and still inviting.”
“Destiny, don’t make me chain you to your desk.”
She squinted and replied snarkily, “I’m so sure. Who will get your coffee, make your copies, get your smoothies, get your—”
“Shut up, Destiny.”
“Anyway,” she continued, “You guys should have seen how they both were at lunch. I’m sure Big Chocolate felt the same—”
“Who the fuck is Big Chocolate?” Being out of the loop had Bintu missing information.
“Her nickname for Link’s guy.” Chance rolled her eyes at Destiny’s nickname for Sayeed.
“Okay, fuck all of that! The chemistry on the dance floor said it all,” Leslie interrupted.
“Exactly—the dance floor and lunch.” Destiny simpered, “I guarantee Big Chocolate felt like me—like we were on a date with them that started off rocky until Chance was impressed and decided that he had something real going on between his ears.”
“He’s a man, honey. just how smart can he be?” Bintu needed to know.
“I’m not trying to defend-defend but he’s read a book or two. Taught Dessi a nice little lesson on evolution versus change.”
“Oh, whatever,” Destiny snarled, still embarrassed.
“If he has been looking at me…in that way, which we don’t really know if that’s so, I think this young cat is just steeped in that…cycle.”
“What cycle?”
“You ladies know the cycle…” Chance’s eyes met all of her girls in disbelief.
“No,” They said on top of each other.
“That B.T.B.G. cycle.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Leslie was almost irritated.
“Bang the big girl cycle.”
“First of all, who’s the big girl? Second, that ain’t you. And as the president of said club, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the difference between your curves and a true statuesque stallion like myself.” Leslie puckered her lips and brought her right shoulder to them, pretending to kiss it while fluttering her eyelashes. She was an exquisite, leggy, full-figured, five foot-ten inch, two hundred thirty-pound beauty with butterscotch skin. She sported a babyface remarkably similar to her cousin with a lighter hue. Chance was full as well but, in some conversations, she could still be seen as petite. It all depended on the culture. “You are the true definition of the word voluptuous. There ain’t no ifs, ands, or biggity, biggity…” She slapped Chance’s huge butt while she was on her way to the kitchen. Shaking her head, she continued, “…butts about it. And, lastly, where the hell did you get that bullshit from?”
Chance spun and was facing the group when she responded, “Okay, you need to lay off Moesha. I’m not in denial about the way that I look. I do a hell of a job maintaining these flawless curves and there is nothing that is insecure about that!” No matter what Peter says, she thought while she physically shook her curls at that declaration with a sexy twirl in her curvy hips.
The ladies whooped, cheering on her certainty.
She continued after a fit of giggles, “I’m also just extremely realistic.”
“Try judgmental. You have no idea what attracts that man’s eye. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I know what I know. If he could, he’d salivate publicly.”
“No, Dessi.”
“Yes, Chancellor.”
Chance gasped, “You are not saying my whole first name! Did I nick a nerve?” She tittered.
They laughed again at Destiny’s frustration while also finding it cute and sincere.
Once the chuckles slowed again, Chance spoke up, “Ladies, I’m done with this conversation. I’ve made my decision. And for the record, I may not have had a hoe phase according to your standards, but I’ve always felt that was for twenty-year-olds with no direction. When perfection is the choice of life, there is no time for mysterious transgressions that could lead to an unwanted life course. I’ve chosen well with men in the past and will continue to do so.”
Once again, the girls went into a round of hysterics at what they perceived as Chance’s delusions.
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