****Umm so I found this video of this dude doing a cover of Porn Star and I must say it's the best thing I ever heard. Like, I never knew someone could sound so good. SIKE!!!!! This dude is a f'ing mess. He looks a mess and he sounds a mess. This made my day.
Also Idris in the m/m for those that don't know who he is. And yes, Idris does live in Atlanta for real. ****
AMBER P.O.V. -
“Congressman Lewis.” Idris’s eyes shifted from me to Congressman Lewis and he shook his hand.
“I want you to meet your future mayor.” Congressman Lewis said.
“This beautiful young lady right here ey?” He looked at me, then back at Congressman Lewis.
“No, but if Mr. Parker plays his cards right, she could be your first lady.”
“Well in that case I look forward to it. You don’t mind if I…” He took my hand and looked at Nate asking for his permission to kiss it.
“I do. But in your case Mr. Elba I’ll make an exception.”
“Very well then. Nice to meet you gorgeous.” Idris kissed my hand.
I just kept telling myself, Amber don’t faint. Amber please don’t faint and embarrass yourself in this room full of people.
I couldn’t get a word out so I just smiled.
“You have great taste.” He looked at Nate. “And you are my man?” He shook his hand.
“Nate Parker.”
“Wait a minute. Your grandfather is the governor of Georgia?”
“Norman Parker. Yes, that’s him.”
“I worked on his campaign you know. The first black governor of Georgia. I had to be apart of that history” Idris put his hands in his pocket.
“Is that right?”
“And you’re following in his footsteps?”
“I am trying to continue to carry the torch of greatness my family has set before me, yes.”
“Well Atlanta needs a new mayor. You and I both know the current one isn’t doing much for the city. And you seem like you’re very capable of doing the job. Here’s my card. When you get your campaign rolling give me a call. I’ll make a donation.” He handed Nate his card.
“I will do that sir.”
“Gentlemen. Lady.” He bowed his head to me. “Enjoy your night.”
“You’re outta here?” Congressman Lewis asked him.
“Yeah. Early morning flight to L.A. Start filming. Don’t forget to call me.” He looked at Nate.
“I won’t.” Nate replied.
Idris smiled at us then walked off.
“Okay Mr. Parker, I need to go find my wife. She’s somewhere around here running her mouth. But you and Ms. Riley enjoy yourself. There’s food in the dining room.”
“We will sir. And we are grateful for your hospitality.” Nate gave him a hand-shake.
He nodded to me, then walked off.
I quickly snatched my arm away from Nate. He laughed.
“You’re a great actress. Gives me even more confidence in your ability to do the job. That is what most politics is about. Acting.” He grabbed a drink from a tray a butler was holding.
“Nate, I came here to do my job. Not to make you look good. ”
“Your job is to make me look good.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I convinced my father to send you to speak before the committee. He was adamant about Omari but when I told him this would be the perfect opportunity to announce my candidacy, he pulled some strings.” He took a sip of his drink.
Is he being serious right now?
“So me being here is just a cover-up for you?”
“Not entirely. I really do think you’re capable. But my father not so much. If you think I’m chauvinistic, you should see my father. I see you like the dress I bought you. It looks good on you by the way.” He nodded to some people that passed by.
“Nate let’s get something straight. I am in a relationship. A relationship that I care a lot about.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“It means I’m not going to let you or anybody else ruin it for me.”
“I wonder how he’s gonna feel when he finds out we’re sharing a hotel room.” He straightned his tie.
“What?” I whipped my head in his direction
“The suite you’re staying in. It’s my fathers. They reserve it especially for him when he takes trips to D.C.”
I took a deep breath, I should’ve known this was too good to be true.
“As soon as I get back, I’m going to get my own room.”
“All the rooms in your price range are booked. On top of that, all the hotels are period. Everybody’s in town for this conference there having for the Department of Homeland Security.”
“You son of a bitch!”
I yanked his drink out his hand, threw it in his face, sat it on a table near by and stormed out. I didn’t care that people were looking at me. How dare he manipulate me.
Nate yanked me and pushed me in a bathroom. He locked the door behind us.
“Nate I will scream. Open the door.”
He cornered me into the wall.
“You embarrassed me out there.” He said through clenched teeth.
“I don’t care.”
He looked me in my eyes and pointed his finger at me. “Do you know the repercussions if this gets back to my family? Let alone the Press!”
“Fuck you. Fuck your family. Fuck the press!” I pushed him into the wall, unlocked the door and went outside to find my driver.
Unfortunately he was nowhere to be found. I tried calling a cab, but all the cab services said they didn’t come this far out.
I saw a Black Phantom pull up. The passenger side window rolled down. Of course, Nate’s big head ass appeared.
“This is the only way you’re going to get home. “
“I’m not riding anywhere with you.” I folded my arms and looked away.
“Fine stay out here on Congressman Lewis’s doorstep.”
“I’ll do that.” I sat on the bottom stair.
“Amber stop being stubborn and just get in the car. You can sit in the back.”
I ignored him.
“I didn’t do any of this to play you alright. I see how hard you work, and I brought you here because I felt like you deserved it. No other reason. If you don’t want to talk campaign stuff while we’re here. Fine. I won’t. And if you’re that uncomfortable with sharing a room with me, although I personally feel you wont even know I’m there it’s so big, I’ll sleep in my car. Just please get in.”
Knowing there was no way for me to get home in the middle of nowhere, I sighed, got up and got in the back.
He put on Lauryn Hill’s That Thing and drove off.
Why was this starting to make me reminisce about when August first drove me home? I looked at my phone to text Aug, but it cut off, my battery had died.
“You like Lauryn?” Nate looked at me through the mirror.
“I don’t’ feel like talking.”
“Just saying she’s going to be here in a couple of days at the Howard Theatre. If you want to go just let me know and I can set it up.”
I knew Aug loved Lauryn just as much as me and if I was going to go to her concert, it was going to be with Aug. Nobody else.
The rest of the ride was silent. We pulled up to the hotel, Nate let me out. I went upstairs.
I got all my stuff out the bedroom and took it to the living room area. I decided I was going to sleep on the couch. Far, far, away from him. I heard the door open and Nate walked in and looked at me.
“What are you doing?”
“Sleeping on the couch.”
“No. You can have the room. I’ll sleep in my car I told you no big deal.”
“Nate please. It’s stupid to sleep in the car. It’s your hotel room, you get the bedroom.”
“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I am a gentleman. You can have the room.”
I didn’t move.
“Please I insist.” He took off his suit jacket and sat it on a bar stool. “By the way are you hungry?”
I was. I didn’t have anything since eating some McDonalds at the airport. But I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“No I’m fine.” I got up and went to the bedroom and locked the door.
I plugged my phone up to the charger and debated how I was going to tell August this. It was 10 pm, and if I didn’t call him, he would probably assume the worst.
I had to tell him something. I concluded, it might as well be the truth. And it was no need of waiting, I need to tell him right now. The longer I procrastinated, the worst it would probably get.
He was so honest with me, I had to be honest back. So I just got up enough courage to do it. I facetimed him.
“Ey babe.” He answered smacking. He was shirtless in his boxer-briefs.
“What are you eating?” I laughed at how obnoxious he looked chewing.
“An Italian Beef.” He picked peppers off the sandwich and ate them.
“August!” I gasped. “You’re eating that greasy shit on my bed!”
“I’m not gon waste nothing. Chill.” He licked his fingers.
“You better not.” I warned. He knew I hated people eating in the bedrooms. That led to bugs and mice. I do not want them where I sleep!
He smacked louder, being funny.
“Guess who I just met?”
“Who?” He took another bite.
“Idris.”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes, not believing me.
“No seriously. He was at this fundraiser. And he called me gorgeous.” I said in a dreamy voice.
“That means I’mma have to take a trip to London and beat his British ass.” He ate some fries.
“Whatever. You know he lives in Atlanta? I didn’t know that.”
“That’s even better. I ain’t got to go that far.”
“Shut up.” I laughed. “You making me hungry.”
“You ain’t eat?”
“Nah. I’ll probably order some room service or something.”
“They didn’t serve food at the fundraiser thing?”
“They did I just didn’t get a chance to eat. Babe, I need to have an honest moment with you right now.”
I could feel my stomach turning.
“I’m listening.” He wiped his mouth.
“There’s this lawyer that I go against. His father is the head of my department, who sent me on this trip.”
“Aight.”
“He has been pestering me about working on his campaign and I told him no…”
“The son or the father?” He cut me off.
“The son. And I told him no because I’m moving to Philly with you. But he will not let it go. Comes to find out, the son played a big part in getting me this opportunity.”
“Opportunity is opportunity baby. No matter how you get it. But don’t let him talk you into shit you don’t want to do.”
“I’m not.”
“I’m glad you told me though.”
“That’s not it. This hotel room is his father’s and we’re sharing it. All the other hotels near by are booked because of this conference and I can’t afford the open suites in here.”
He paused for a minute and I saw him clench his jaw. He was not happy.
“Baby I had no idea. If I knew, I wouldn’t have come.”
“I’mma be real, I’m not comfortable with you sharing a room with another nigga. At all. Where he sleeping at?”
“The couch in the living room downstairs.”
He took another pause, laying with his back against the headboard. He scratched his head in frustration.
“And you ain’t no nothing about this shit?”
“No. Not until today baby. I promise.”
“A relationship without trust ain’t worth having. So I’m trusting you to do right by me Amb. Stay away from this nigga. I don’t care who fucking paying for it, lock that mutha-fuckin door while you sleep. Only communicate with his nigga in the common areas. Don’t dress in front of this nigga. Nothing.” He ran his right hand down his face and sighed.
“This is not gon be a regular fuckin’ thing. I’m just doing this because it’s a big opportunity and I know you deserve it. And I wouldn’t want to stop you from taking advantage of it.”
“I know and I will not betray your trust baby.”
“Don’t Amber. Don’t.” He warned with probably the most serious face I’ve ever seen him give.
“I promise.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
“If you hear anything about me being his campaign manager, it is a total bold face lie. I am not! So don't believe it if you hear it or read it. That's everything.”
“Aight.” He rubbed his face again. I could tell he was heavily stressing out about this.
“Baby stop stressing.”
“I can’t. I’m a nigga and I know how niggas are. They can give two shits if a woman got a man. They only respect boundaries if you set them. Set the fucking boundaries Amber.”
“I will August.”
“If he try some shit you call me and I’ll be on the first plane to D.C. to whoop that nigga ass. I don’t care who he is or who his family is.”
“I know.” I slightly smiled. “I love you so much baby.”
“Love you too.”
“Good night. Muah” I kissed the phone.
We hung up.
I took a quick shower, and threw on some jeans and a shirt so I could go downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant. I was starving.
“I cooked for you.” Nate said as I came down the stairs. He was laying on the couch still in his suit reading some book.
“It’s fine. I was gonna check to see if the restaurant was open.”
“Their closed. Things close early up here. The foods on the stove.”
I didn’t want anything he had, but I was starving.
I went to the stove behind the bar and laughed at what I found.
“Are you serious?”
“What?” Nate sat up serious.
“Who burns a frozen pizza? Especially when the instructions are on the back.”
“It said cook for 20 minutes and let it stand for 5.”
“Did you take it out while you let it stand?”
“Doesn’t stand mean keep it in the oven? I let it stay an extra ten minutes, in case it wasn't done.” He put the book down and walked over to me.
“Have you ever cooked in your life?” I threw the pizza away. It looked disgusting.
“No, my mother always cooked my meals.”
“And how do you eat now?”
“I have a chef.”
I just shook my head and looked to see what was in the fridge.
“Let’s keep it simple with spaghetti.” I got out the ingredients. “You can sit down.” I told him as he was all over my shoulder.
I cooked up the spaghetti and fixed me a plate. I sat at the bar eating.
He looked at me, like he was waiting for something.
"What?"
“Aren’t you going to fix me a plate? In my family the women fix the men's plates.”
“I'm not in your family. You got legs and hands. Fix your own food.” I gave him a stank face.
He seemed upset, but he got up and fixed himself a plate. Damn he was a spoiled brat.
He went and sat back on the couch eating and reading his book.
“Thank you for this by the way.” He said wiping his mouth.
“You’re welcome.”
There was a mirror facing me behind the bar and we shared a few glances through the mirror but neither of us said a word.
I whispered a prayer, Dear God, Please don’t make break August’s trust this week. Please. He’s too important to me. Amen.”
I got up. Emptied my plate. Went up stairs. Locked my door and went to bed.