Well, I still didn’t get a chance to respond to her yet.

She said, “And I don’t know how it is with you and most of the women you deal with or whatever, but if you invited me here, then I expect to be able to talk to you. Or did you, like, invite everyone here with a whole bunch of tickets?”

I guess she wasn’t letting me off the hook after all.

I finally answered, “No, I gave you the only tickets I had.”

“Well…”

She was putting me back in dog mode, so I had to give it to her straight. She was asking me for it.

I said, “I told you earlier, when this night is over with, I want to leave with company.”

She said, “I heard you.”

“And you understand what I mean?”

“Of course I understand, I’m a grown woman.”

I leaned back and said, “Well, excuse me.” Then I figured I would lighten things up a bit. I said, “But I’m telling you now, I’m not planning on playing any late-night card games or anything when I say company.”

Victoria started smiling. She said, “I think I can handle myself.”

“But what about your friend?” I asked her.

“She knows how I feel. We’ve already discussed it. So she’s gonna get her own cab.”

I was impressed. She didn’t even bring up anything about race. I guess she had been with black men before. Nevertheless, her bold decision was bound to put me in more trouble. How the hell was I supposed to get away from everyone else?

Without looking around, which would have made our intentions too obvious, I told Victoria, “Look, I need you to shake my hand, tell me that you’ve had a nice night and that you’re leaving early, then find your girlfriend and walk out with her.”

She followed my logic and asked me, “Then what?”

“When you get outside, you ask the limo drivers for the Swissôtel car for Terrance Mitchell, and then you wait for me there. I’ll be out in less than ten minutes.”

She nodded and said, “I can do that.”

“Okay, let’s do it then,” I told her. “Let me see your acting skills.”

She laughed and went right into it with her hand extended.

“Well, Terrance, I really had a great time here tonight, but I have to get up pretty early tomorrow morning, so I’m going ahead and leave now.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I appreciate you coming out tonight. And you make sure to give me a call.”

“I’ll do that.”

I walked away from her feeling giddy as a kid. I was going to tear fire to that girl, she just didn’t know it yet. It was going to be a good night.

Rachel caressed my arm before I could make it back to my table.

“What are your plans for the rest of the night?” she asked me. She had a drink in her hand, and I suspected she had downed several others.