Caught Me Dreaming Read online

  Sha’quan continues to stand his ground.

  Jo keeps his position for a few more moments then says, “Fine, she’s not even worth all that.”

  With that, Jo stumbles off to the other side of the club to mess with some other girls. Sha’quan turns back around and fixes his eyes on me.

  “Thank you, Sha’quan,” I say. “I appreciate you standing up for me again.”

  He nods. “Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna go wash my hands then get back to work.”

  He strolls off in the direction of the bathroom. I watch him as he goes, and I can feel something building up inside of me.

  Damnit, Sha’quan! What are you gonna make me do?

  Chapter Four

  As soon as I heard Jo’s loud, drunk ass, I knew what time it was. That nigga is a real piece of shit. I don’t know why Jermaine hasn’t fired his ass yet. He always starting something with the female employees. That’s why Nikki usually handles them. He was trippin’ hard tonight. I’m just glad I was there to step in for Neeci. I wouldn’t want shit to be fucked up for her show tonight. I’m lookin’ forward to it. She out there, lookin’ good. As I walk to the bathroom, it’s hard for me not to turn around for another look, but I gotta be cool with my shit.

  I slide into the bathroom and straighten myself up in the mirror. Once I pull my uniform back together, I hit the soap dispenser so that I can wash my hands.

  I hear the door open, but I didn’t even I realize I didn’t lock the door behind me. I grab a paper towel and then realize it’s Neeci.

  I’m completely surprised. At first, I think maybe she made a mistake, but she doesn’t seem to be lost. She’s standing there, looking right at me. Just as I’m beginning to wonder what this is about, she says, “Sha’quan, I know I’ve given you a lot of grief, but I really do appreciate how you’ve looked out for me. I wouldn’t be performing tonight if it weren’t for you.”

  “Aw, man,” I say. “It ain’t even all that. Jo was on some bullshit. He’s always pulling shit like that. I wasn’t about to let him mess you up. Besides, I wanna see the show tonight.”

  She steps forward and grabs my hand. I look at her hand, then up at her face and see this really intense look in her eyes. Clearly, she’s tryna make me understand, so I just listen.

  “No, Sha’quan. I need you to get it. I’m really grateful to you. I think this makes up for all of that stuff last year. I’m indebted to you.”

  At that, she steps forward and pulls me into a hug. A really close, tight hug. I can feel her breasts pressed up against me—even through my apron. She is pulling me into her like she’s sending me a message, and I think I’m starting to get it. Well, parts of me are.

  She hangs on for a few more moments, then pulls back to look me in my eyes. I hesitate a minute then slowly draw closer. She’s watching my lips, as I get closer to her. She isn’t tryna stop me, so I keep going until I get just beyond her lips. I hesitate for a minute, but before I can do anything, she closes the final inch and kisses me.

  As our lips meet, I instantly get déjà vu. It’s so comfortable and right. Things start to escalate, really fast. I pull away and hit the lock, then turn back before Neeci can even fully readjust. I pull her back to me and start kissing her again. I push her back against the sink, and she sits on it and wraps her legs around me.

  Oh shit! It’s getting real in here! I think.

  I lose all sense of where we are, and I’m just ready to go. I start kissing down her neck, as she reaches for my apron and starts pulling it off. I give her a lil’ help, as she reaches down for the buttons on my pants. She ain’t playing around. She’s wearing a skirt, so I hike it up and reach for her panties. I don’t even pull them off, I just pull them to the side and feel how ready she is.

  Oh, she’s ready, hot and wet.

  I start running my finger over her clit and lips. I hear her gasp and open her legs a bit more to give me easier access. I start kissing her neck and slowly easing my finger in and out of her. I feel her hips start moving, as she moves with my rhythm.

  Just as I’m about to pull my fingers out and really put myself inside of her, there’s a knock on the door. We both freeze. We look at each other. We’re just frozen in position, waiting to see if the person goes away.

  “Hey, Neeci!” I recognize Nikki’s voice from the other side of the door. “Are you in there? We’re ready for you.”

  Neeci’s mouth drops open, and then she says, “Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.”

  She instantly pushes my hand back and gets up off of the sink. She readjusts her skirt and tries to fix herself up in the mirror. Once she feels like she’s back right, she unlocks the door and walks out. Whole time I’m just standing there, breathing heavy and tryna come back to Earth. I gotta hold off for a minute until this stiffy go down a little bit.

  I start adjusting my uniform, buttoning my pants back up, and I get ready to go back out. I gotta go make sure I get front row center, so I pull it together and go back out. I can already see the crowd starting to pool around the stage, so I make my way over there to get a prime spot. It’s a bit tricky cuz I’m so tall, so I try to get out of the way a lil’ bit.

  I settle in and get ready for the show. Nikki comes up on the stage and starts tryna get the crowd hyped and ready for the show. They put the spotlight on the stage, and Nikki introduces Neeci, who comes out with her guitar and sits down on a stool.

  Neeci adjusts the microphone and says, “Hey everybody, how y’all doin’? My name is Neeci and I’m gonna perform for y’all if y’all don’t mind. Do y’all mind?”

  The crowd says no, and she lets out a soft giggle before placing her hands on the guitar. She begins strumming and starts with a light hum. As the audience catches the rhythm people begin to snap along.

  She starts singing, “Love is a beautiful thing…until it’s not…then it begins to sting…till you forgot that it was ever good…”

  It seems to be an original song; at least I’ve never heard it. Her voice is so beautiful and pure. She has some serious chops, even as she sings softly. She begins to build it up with a hook before launching into a powerful chorus. I look around and see that everybody is feeling it. I know I am.

  Neeci is a star—from the way she plays her instrument, to the sound of her voice. I can’t believe she hasn’t made it yet. She is absolutely incredible. She concludes that song to loud applause—mine about the loudest in there—and then goes into an old Stevie Wonder song. I actually love this record.

  “Seems so long…that the worrrld seems cold…seems so long…since I trusted in someone else…had to see it all for myself.”

  Everybody is rocking along as she throws in some runs here and there. She is killing it. I think I may have just become her biggest fan. I can feel myself leaning into her.

  As she hits the final, rousing note on the song, people begin to stand to their feet, clapping, whistling, and shouting.

  She leans down to take a sip of water before taking some time to ask, “So y’all with me so far?”

  Everybody shouts back, “Yes.”

  She gives another smile before getting more serious and strumming the first few chords of the next song. They sound sad. She closes her eyes and begins to bellow out the words to another original song. This one is about a deep-down hurt from someone that she loved. She sings passionately, and a tear falls from her eye. I can tell that this isn’t just a song for her. This one came from somewhere real. A part of me aches a bit, thinking about having ever hurt her. I know this song isn’t about me, but still, I did hurt her, and it couldn’t have helped her situation. I shake this off and bring myself back into the performance as she goes into what sounds like a whistle. People are breaking out all over the crowd like this is church. She is filling the place with the spirit.

  She takes a short break and walks off stage. A lot of people are there to meet her and tell her how amazing she is. I make my way over to add my two cents. It takes a minute, but finally I make it to her and
pull her off to the side a bit. I get down in her ear some to make sure she hears me.

  “Yo, you are a superstar, man,” I tell her. “Like, your voice is unbelievable. And those songs…the whole thing is just outta this world. You’re gonna make it, man.”

  Neeci smiles. “You think so?”

  “I know so. I know you just made me your number one fan.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. I was nervous.”

  “I couldn’t tell. You’re killing it.”

  She gives me another grateful smile before being pulled away by some more people. I watch how humble she is with everybody. It’s so cool. I think about how cool it will be when she makes it and she’s selling out arenas and stuff, to know that I was able to see her when she was still at this stage. So many feelings are welling up inside of me. It’s like, I already felt something for her, but she’s taking it to a whole other level.

  Damn it, Shanisha Lee! What you doin’ to me?

  Chapter Five

  I can’t believe how much people seem to be enjoying my performance. I know it felt good, but I guess it sounded good as well. And I’m not even done yet. Of all the people coming up to me to give me props, I really felt what Sha’quan said. It felt genuine, like he wasn’t just saying it. It made me blush a lil’ bit, especially thinking about us in that bathroom. If we hadn’t been interrupted, we would have had sex right there. We damn near were. I’m a bit embarrassed that I lost control like that, but it just happened. Now I gotta refocus on the rest of my show.

  I give out a few more hugs, then make my way back up on stage. I grab my guitar again and get ready for the last few songs. I go through Beyoncé’s Resentment before playing one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar, “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever” by Maxwell. I decide to conclude with another song I wrote called “Make It Beautiful.” It’s a real sexy song, soft at some points, but big at others. I hadn’t intended on singing it, but given what happened between me and Sha’quan in the bathroom, I decided to sing him a lil something special. As I work my way through the song, I make eye contact a few times. I see that he’s into it. I do a few extra grunts just to make him feel it even deeper.

  As I take the breath to bellow out the final few notes, I let it completely take over, as I attempt to fill the whole room. I hold onto it a bit longer to show off a bit before drawing to the last chord. I open my eyes to see practically the whole room up on its feet, whooping and hollering.

  I put down my guitar and take a bow, smiling to the crowd and bowing my head in thanks. I wave to the crowd and send out a few kisses, as they continue to applaud. I really feel like a star. A few people start yelling for an encore, but I simply give a final bow, pick up my guitar, and make my way off stage.

  I can barely move as the crowd begins to rush towards me. The security guards try to help me out by doing a bit of crowd control. I look around the room and see Jermaine clapping towards the back and giving me a thumbs up. I smile and wave at him. I can see Sha’quan working his way through the crowd, tryna get to me. Just as he’s about to get to me, a guy in a suit steps up to me and puts out his hand. I take it.

  “You were absolutely incredible,” he says, leaning in a bit so I can hear him. “What record label are you with?”

  “I’m not with a record label,” I answer.

  He tries to say something else, but I can barely hear him over all of the commotion. He gestures towards the back, away from the crowd a bit, and I walk that way. We walk towards Jermaine’s office and stop just before the end of the hall. I finally take a good look at the guy, and he seems to be some kind of business type. He has on a nice suit and is carrying his phone in his hand, which usually means that you’re some kind of executive.

  “As I was saying, Neeci,” he continues, now that I can hear him, “you’re amazing, and it’s unbelievable that you are not signed. My name is Travis Truman. I am an exec over at Richman Music Group.”

  “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of y’all. I tried to get a meeting, but I wasn’t able to.”

  “That’s a shame. I’ll have to look into firing whoever turned you away. Now I can’t make you any promises, but from what I’ve heard here tonight, I think you’re a star. When will your next performance be?”

  “In two days. I’ll be performing Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

  “Excellent. Well, I’m gonna tell my boss about you, and we’ll see if he will come back and check you out at your next show.”

  “Oh wow! Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.”

  “No, thank you for such a wonderful performance. I’m sure we will be in touch.”

  He puts his hand out again for me to shake it. This time it’s not just my hand that’s shaking. I can’t believe at my very first performance, a record exec sees it and may be willing to give me a shot.

  This is crazy!

  I’m too stunned to even cry and just stand, stuck in that spot. It really makes me wish that my people had been able to make it, but they all had to work. I can’t wait to get home and tell them.

  Just as I’m about to walk back out, Sha’quan comes walking up to me. I’m so excited that I jump on him and hug him. He hugs me back, though I’m sure he’s confused.

  “That was a record exec,” I say. “He loved it and is sending his boss to see me.”

  Sha’quan smiles and says, “Of course he is. He’d be crazy not to. You killed it.”

  I hug him again. I can’t believe this night. After such a shitty start to my day, I can’t believe it’s ended like this. Now all that’s left is to get on the bus and go home. I look back out into the main room and see that there are still people waiting for me. Then, I look back at Sha’quan and ask, “What time do you get off?”

  “I’m off now. What’s up?”

  “I’m gonna go back out and shake a few hands and then head for the door.”

  “Oh, we can make it to the bus together then.”

  “Alright, cool. We can head out now.”

  We turn and head back towards the door. I immediately smile at everybody still standing out there. I grab my guitar and put it back in my guitar bag. I give a few more hugs and handshakes as I head towards the door. Sha’quan opens it for me, and I step out onto the pavement.

  There are a few people outside who tell me I was great, and I smile and wave at them. Sha’quan and I make our way over to the bus stop. I go to put my guitar on my back, but Sha’quan grabs it from me and carries it. Before we can even begin talking, the bus pulls up. Sha’quan waits for me to step up, then he follows.

  I think, Look at him being a gentleman. Or he’s tryna look at my ass. Either way, he’s really surprised me tonight. He’s been sweet and supportive. Maybe I was too hard on him. I mean, yeah, what he did that first weekend was pretty fucked up, but everybody makes mistakes.

  We are lucky enough to find a seat at the middle, which is especially surprising since we got this big-ass guitar. Sha’quan situates it between his legs before turning to me, and then we start talking about the show. Sha’quan says he really liked the original songs that I performed. Then he says that I performed one of his favorite Stevie Wonder songs, which is amazing because it’s one of my favorites, too.

  “Yeah, and now you about to get a deal and be all big time,” he tells me. “You’re probably gonna forget a nigga once you get on.”

  “Ha, ha! No, I won’t.”

  “You say that now, but once you’re selling out shows, you’re gonna play me to the left. Probably hook up with a rapper or athlete or something.”

  “Whatever, Sha’quan. We’ll still be cool.”

  “I saw you singing that song to me. Had me feelin’ some type of way.”

  “I was singing it to everybody.”

  “Uh huh. Like you weren’t thinking about what went down in that bathroom the whole time.”

  “I don’t know where that came from. That is not what I went in that bathroom for.”

  “I know where it came from. It came from that thi
ng we got between us that we can’t deny.”

  “Oh, is that right?”

  “You know you feel it. We both felt it in that bathroom.”

  “I certainly felt something.”

  “I guess I’ll have to hold onto the memories once you blow up.”

  “Whatever, boy. I was thinking we could celebrate.”

  “You mean pick up where we left off in that bathroom?”

  “I didn’t say all that.”

  “How about we go back to my spot and see what happens next?”

  I don’t say anything. I just push the guitar out of the way and sit on his lap. He puts the guitar in my now empty seat and wraps his arms around me. I lean back and close my eyes. He feels so big and strong under me. I want him…bad. I know I said I was gonna keep it professional, but that pretty much went out the window in that bathroom. At this point, we might as well go the rest of the way. I settle into his lap a bit more, and he rubs his hand up and down my thigh. I already know when we get to his place, it’s goin’ down.

  Sha’quan’s stop is next. I climb off of his lap and get ready to get off the bus while he maneuvers the guitar out in front of him. I’m still battling with myself a bit. It feels wrong and right at the same time. My mind is telling me I shouldn’t, but I can’t seem to stop myself. I look back at Sha’quan and that does not help. Finally, we’re at his stop, and I step down off the bus. I wait to see which direction he goes and then walk after him. He reaches for my hand as we walk up the street. See, it’s sweet shit like that that got me going to this nigga’s place now.

  Sha’quan walks just two buildings up before he turns into the walkway. He stands the guitar up on the gate and reaches for his keys, unlocks it, and pushes it open, stepping aside to let me through. All this gentleman shit is stirring my pot, I think.

  I walk ahead of him, and he closes the gate behind him. He walks up ahead, leading me up the stairs. When he gets, to the top he makes a left and walks to the last apartment. He leans the guitar against the doorjamb and unlocks the door. Once he pushes the door open, he steps aside again, and I walk in ahead of him. It’s dark inside, but what I can see looks pretty nice. He hits the light on the wall, and I’m able to get a better look.