Chapter 2

SHOLA

The club was crammed full with people. It always is, regardless of the time or day.

I was one of five girls seated at the table directly in front of the cage numbered ONE (1) where one of the numerous strippers danced. Mule and Tesoju threw money at her and screamed wildly at the tops of their voices whenever she pulled a strip stunt or brought her panties down to reveal her pubic hair which was shaved in a heart shape. She would crawl towards us but the cage kept us apart. The bars of the cage are wide enough to let money into the cage but thin enough to stop the strippers from coming out.

I sat next to Mule who combed his afro incessantly. In our group, he was regarded as the most handsome. He possessed features that can only be bestowed upon one man by God himself: pink, slim lips, straight nose bridge, narrow nostrils, round large eyes, fleshy eye lids, bushy eye brows and trimmed lashes.

"I think a lost puppy just walked in," Mule said and smiled wryly.

We looked at him. He turned his head to the left and lifted up his long chin. “Look left and forward," he said.

We saw what he was talking about. The Puppy was odd for some reasons. He was tall and stood out from the crowd. He was probably the tallest guy in the club tonight.

"He's not one of us," Tesoju said.

"No one else comes into the club at this time." Mule smiled and bared his fangs.

My eyes didn't leave the "puppy" until he rested at the bar.

"What's that for?" Mule asked. Tesoju had nudged Mule in his ribs when he bared his fangs.

Tesoju raised his eyebrows. "He's looking our way."

"Now is not the time for trouble," I reminded both of them.

"You are always hungry for something like a chicken,” Tesoju said to Mule. We laughed. “He might be someone you don't want to pick a fight with", he added.

"Shola go check him out," Mule said. “He looks like your type of guy," he added with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

They laughed.

The puppy turned around and started talking to the bartender.

I rolled my eyes and I stood up. I straightened my gown and left the table.

I squeezed through several bodies and tried to avoid getting stepped on. It was like walking through a community agitated chimp. I arrived at the counter after so many trips and apologies.

The bartender turned his attention to me and arched his brow.

"A bottle of Jameson, five cans of Coke and a bucket of ice," I said.

"Where are you seated so I can send a waitress over to you with your order?" the bartender asked.

I told the bartender and pointed over to where I sat with the guys.

"What's the occasion?" Puppy asked. His voice sounded like a dog's growl. It spiked my blood pressure.

"Who wants to know?" I asked and turned to him. He had fully grown, well-trimmed beards, a pair of shallow eyeballs, a long nose and wide nostrils. His lips were black as night and the upper one hung out slightly above the lower one. His pupils were as pale as the Moon and his corneas were as white as peace.

"I'm Kelvin, Son of..." he stopped.

"Son of who? A gun or a bitch?" I asked him with a smirk.

"Forget about it," he answered. He turned back to his drink and took light sips from the cup. I realized I might have sounded a bit harsh so I muttered a quick apology. The way his huge palm held the cup reminded me of my father's favorite wine cup designed to look like a hand holding a bowl. The muscles of his arms looked like they ached to tear through his skin shrouded with thick, dark hairs.

"Cash or POS?" the bartender asked.

"POS," I said. "My name is Shola and you're welcome to join me at my table," I said. "I'm seated over there.” I pointed towards my table. "There's still room for one more if you care to come over." I walked away and forced my way through the crowd once again.

I stopped at the isle leading to where I sat. I waited to see if Kelvin was coming behind me. I wasn’t disappointed. He struggled through the crowd but his bulk size wouldn’t let him walk through as easily as I did give how lithe and smallish I am.

He was near the isle before he was pulled back by someone from the crowd: a woman dressed in a glittery crop top and a pair of black leather bum shorts, she was really curvy with a large ass and the breasts of three people. She had those big breasts pressing against Kelvin while he tried to wriggle free from her captivity. I didn't like her. I began to feel an intense desire to protect "my territory." I walked up to her and gave her a light tap.

"He's with someone if you don't mind," I said with a little heat in my voice.

She was way taller than I am. I am about five feet six and she could have been six feet or more. She stood at almost the same height as Kelvin from what I could see. She was more heavily than I am.

"I see you caught a fish," she said and laughed.

I pulled Kelvin away from her embrace and led him to where I sat. The moment Mule saw him, he rose up and shook Kelvin's hand.

I walked around both of them and took a seat. My breathing was intense.

"What was that all about?" Tesoju asked.

"What was all what about?" I asked.

"Don't act like nothing happened", he said. "I saw you struggling with a worm."

"Oh. She was trying to rope the Puppy in", I answered.

Tesoju smiled. "We might not be the only ones who noticed him."

"I swear," I said.

“Language,” Tesoju chided.

"I would have punched the life out of this girl if we weren't warned to stay out of trouble or didn't stand the chance of being grounded," I said, ignoring his jest.

"Relax Kitten", he said. "Take a deep breath and enjoy the party." It was unusual for Tesoju to try to calm me down about a situation like this. He could have done worse. His thick voice relaxed me though.

"I took the picture of the Puppy with you and sent it to OJ," Tesoju whispered in my ear after a long pause. "They haven't found any info on him yet -” he paused “- absolutely nothing."

"Mysterious," I sotto voce.

Tesoju nodded. "The mysterious ones are not known till there’s trouble,” he said. “Let’s do our best to stay away from trouble till we leave here,” he shifted in his seat and sat forward.

Mule turned around and smiled at us. I sank into my seat, ran my fingers through my hair and closed my eyes as my breathing became more intense. Even though Kelvin didn’t look like trouble, I knew we were definitely screwed if anything was to go down in the club tonight. We would definitely be in trouble then. And unsurprisingly, something always does.

Mule ushered him in and introduced him to Tesoju. I wasn’t surprised when Tesoju ignored Kelvin’s outstretched hand when he reached for a handshake. Mule laughed and apologized for Tesoju’s antisocial behavior. Kelvin’s eyes met mine, I shut my eyes and turned my face into Tesoju’s chest. I was hiding the amusement on my face. There's never been a time when anyone has seen Tesoju’s attitude coming. He looks welcoming but he isn’t until there’s something about the guest that piques his interest.

A chubby girl approached our table with our order and a POS device. She looked frightened.

“Anything the problem?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “No, ma’am."

I gave her my card, she inserted it into the POS, turned the device to my face and I punched in my pin.

She stood motionless for a moment with the machine in her hands. I tried to get her attention severally but it appeared she was lost in her mind.

“Is there any further thing to do?!” I yelled out to her.

She nearly jumped out of her skin and shook her head. She stole quick glances, I noticed, at Kelvin while she tore off the piece of paper regurgitated by the POS device. She placed the receipt on our table and hurriedly left.

“That girl”, I said.

Tesoju nodded, sighed, rubbed his hand over his bald head and said, ‘Let the party begin”.

We took turns turning drinks into our various cups. It appeared that Kelvin was not interested in the drinks because he had his attention fixed on the superficial display of flesh by the stripper closest to us.

None of us broke his reverie. We let him enjoy the show.

“I knew he would eventually love the show", Mule said.

Tesoju chuckled.

The stripper had her hands up and the silver jewelry on her fingers had tiny stones in them that glittered as she moved them in the dim lights of the cage, she danced in. Kelvin stood up from his seat and walked to the cage like he was under the spell of a hypnotist.

“First timer’s reactions", Tesoju said.

Mule laughed.

“Someone should stop him", I said.

“We came here to party," Mule said with his arms open. “Allow him to enjoy himself."

I had a premonition that something was about to go wrong. Kelvin held the bars and stared steadily into the cage. It appeared he was totally captivated by the performance. I put my cup down and stood up to pull him away but Tesoju pulled me back into my seat.

“Do not interfere", he said sternly.

I turned to Mule, he eyed me without a smile or a single sign of amusement in his expression. My heart began to jump in my chest. Rose, the other girl in the arms of Tesoju, leaned over him and ran her soft palms over my thighs.

“It’s alright,” she said. Her touch and her words soothed me

I looked from the stripper to Kelvin and then to Mule and Tesoju. Mule was attentive to what was playing out like he was watching his favorite player line up to take a match winning penalty kick. Tesoju was relaxed and grinned all along showing off his long, golden canine.

The stripper slowly walked to the edge of the cage, and still rolling her hips seductively, reached out from inside and placed her palms on Kelvin’s cheeks.