Succulent (Chocolate Flava 2)

It was a sunny day, cloud-free, that I could notice from the nearby window. The sound of laughter brought me back to my present moment. My feet were hurting because I had been standing on them all day. I was staring out the window looking for Genie, a woman I’d just met. I checked my watch: it was 4:25 in the afternoon. I sucked in my breath and went back to my booth. This is her first visit here and she might be late trying to find the place, I thought.

My name is Aine. I am a natural hairstylist for Natural Beauty Hair Salon on Henry Street. I do braids, twists, dreadlocks, and regular press and curls for the little girls. I just turned twenty-five. I am very good at my job and horny as hell.

I turned away from the window and watched my coworker Keisha. She was finishing up a client’s dreadlocks, and as usual, it was a fine-looking brother. Keisha was laughing and spraying his freshly twisted locks with sheen.

She turned to me and said, “I’ll be ready for my reading in a minute, Aine.”

The man’s ears perked up. “Reading?” He turned to Keisha and asked in a rich baritone, “She does readings?”

Before she responded, I grabbed my purse and walked toward the bathroom near the rear of the salon. After entering, I slammed the door. Admittedly I was a bit irritable, but my period was due any day and I was PMSing like a motherfucker.

The “readings” that Keisha was referring to are something else that I am good at. I do tarot readings at the salon to bring in some extra cash. The clients love it because I am usually accurate. I have met people who have done tarot or “flipped the cards” since childhood and such. That isn’t the case with me. I developed a genuine interest in divination a few years ago, and it burgeoned into a reputable talent. I really get a lot of information from my readings through clairaudience and clairvoyance, which is something I really enjoy because I am nosy as hell. Not to mention the best psychic in town.

I pulled down my pants and underwear to check for any spots of blood. None were there. I bent down and unfolded the folds of my pussy and slowly stuck a finger inside. I shuddered as I imagined how good it would feel to have a strong, thick dick inside. It had been a few months now since I had had such an experience, and quite frankly, the horniness that my PMS was bringing didn’t help any. I pulled out my finger, and though it was covered with my juices, there was no blood.

I was feeling really aggravated then. I checked my watch: it was a quarter to five and Genie still was not there. She was supposed to get her braids done, and that would have been two hundred extra bones in my wallet. With much resignation, I realized that she may have been canceling her appointment. Just as well, I thought, while washing my hands in the sink. Leaving work early for today may be a good idea, especially with a canceled appointment. Those two hundred dollars from Genie would have helped out a lot. I laughed to myself as I thought about a saying from a popular movie that summed up my current situation: Two tears in a bucket, motherfuck it!

I still did not get a word from Genie. I knew the girl had my phone number and it was getting late. I walked from the bathroom and headed toward the front where my booth was located. The salon was abuzz with customers, lighted with vivid gossip, while the smell of aerosol sprays, foamy shampoos, and incense hung in the air like a fog. I got to my booth and began gathering my things. I am outta here, I thought.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. I turned and it was Keisha; she had a pained expression on her face.

“Look, girl, I have to leave early. My son got into a fight at the rec center and they’re calling me to get him.”

She pantomimed choking someone around the neck. Her animated pose made me laugh. She had had problems with Hakimm since he’d started high school the year before. That was why he was enrolled at the rec center on weekends—to keep from fighting.

“I’m gonna have to cancel the reading today. Maybe another time?” Keisha glanced past me to the clock on the wall. “Your client still coming?”

I scowled at the clock. It was five after five and still no Genie. “Nah, I am about to go, girl.”

“Well, hold up.” She turned and beckoned someone to come forth. “He’s a walk-in. I told him about you and he wants a reading.”

I turned around and this fine-ass man whom I had never before seen sauntered up to where we stood. I immediately liked him because he walked with confidence—as if he didn’t let anyone stop him from what he wanted. A bit self-centered, I guessed, but I quickly blocked that from my mind.

Keisha grinned as we shook hands. I realized that he was staring at me but I diverted my eyes away from his burning gaze. He thinks really high of himself, I thought. He doesn’t care what people think of him. He is not bound by social restrictions of any kind.

“My name is Denver.” His voice was like syrup and I felt as if I were being drenched in it while he spoke. “Keisha told me that you do readings. How accurate are you?” He looked at me with excited anticipation.

“Very.” I beamed proudly. “I’m one of the best.” I checked my watch. “I suppose that I can stay to give you a quick reading.”

“Good!” His countenance relaxed as he grinned. He was a good-looking man. His skin remind

ed me of coffee-colored velvet, no cream. His eyes glinted with softness, yet spiced with determination. His nose was positioned perfectly above a sensuously full mouth that was framed by a beautifully manicured goatee. I smiled as I imagined what his sexy lips would look like glistened by the balm of my sleek pussy juices.

Keisha said good-night and left while Denver and I retreated into the employee lounge in the back near the bathroom. I closed the door for privacy. I had my favorite deck of tarot cards in my hands. As we sat at a card table, I smiled because I would have permission to look into his personal business. Especially the business of whether he was single.

What I gleaned from his card spreads was that he had good fortune all the way around. I reassured him that he was going to be fine and that he had recently come into a windfall of money. I warned him not to get upset with the result of the legal issues that he was about to go through (of which he preferred not to talk and which I had surprising difficulty intuitively picking up the specifics of). He nodded enthusiastically to my spiritual advice and beamed. I was a little concerned about his mysterious legal matters, but that was swiftly overshadowed by my strong curiosity and magnetism toward this gorgeous man. He is attracted to me. He loves to fuck. He is guarding a secret.

To say that we got along would be a serious understatement. There definitely was sexual chemistry between us. It was little things such as his staring at me a long time. He would grab my hands and caress them. He even rubbed my arms with his fingertips. Lord have mercy!

The reading lasted for forty-five minutes and my watch read 5:50 p.m.

Another coworker, Tekeyia, poked her head in the lounge. “We’re all going for dinner.” She nodded hello to Denver. “You want anything, Aine?”

I rose from my seat. “Nope, in fact we’re wrapping up this session.”

“Okay,” Tekeyia replied. “You’ll be the only one here. We’ll be back in thirty minutes.” Then she closed the door.

A minute or so later, I heard the other stylists talking while they left out the front door. Soon, it was quiet throughout the salon.