Everything That Glitters Ain't Gold, Danielle Martin [best books to read all time .TXT] 📗

Chapter 1.

“Stop, drop, shut 'em down, open up shop.

Ohhhhh, noooooo. That's how Ruff Ryders roll.”

The old school DMX jam pumped loudly from the speaker boxes. The bass was strong. The music was jumping.

“Niggas wanna try

Niggas wanna lie

Then niggas wonder why

Niggas wanna die

All I know is pain

All I feel is rain

How can I maintain

With mad shit on my brain?”

29-year-old Ava Hazel Sweeney bobbed her head to the music while swaying her hips to the left and the right. Her long silky jet black hair brushed against the top of her ass as she danced. She stood at the bar alone lip-syncing the entire song word for word and clapping her hands to the music.

“I resort to violence

My niggas move in silence

Like you don't know what our style is

New York niggas - the wildest”

Ava sipped on her cognac as she rapped the lyrics effortlessly. She hadn’t heard the song in ages and commended herself for remembering the words so well. While bobbing to the music, her eyes quickly scanned the 5000 square foot building which was dimly lit and filled to the max. It was 90’s night at Club Whiskeys and the place was packed from wall to wall. Immediately, her lips curved into a smile as she noticed everyone in the club singing along as well. The night was young. The crowd was mature. Couples littered the dance floor, dancing and gyrating on each other as the D.J switched the song to a Missy Elliot Joint.

“Is it worth it, let me work it

I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it

Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup”

Immediately, Ava threw her hands in the air and began to twirl her hips even more. “Yessssss! This is my song!” she shouted to herself over the music while dancing. She twirled her body seductively, noticing immediately several pairs of eyes watching her dance seductively. She smiled and shut her eyes, losing herself in the moment. Club Whiskeys was the place to be on a Thursday night. The music was jumping. The food was finger licking good. And the drinks were strong. The nightclub was large and spacious with a beautifully lit dance floor, an elevated VIP section and a decadent atmosphere with towering ceilings. Ava danced to the music, running her hands down her curvy waist which happened to look extra slim in the tight black dress she wore. Her flat tummy was exposed. Her smooth chocolate skin glistened underneath the club lights. Ava couldn’t help but look around the room noticing several men gawking at her. She smiled and continued to twirl her hips pretending she didn’t see them. Little did they know, the attention made her feel good. At almost 30, she still had not lost her spice.

“Aye Hazel! Hazel”

Ava could hear someone calling her by her middle name over the loud music. She looked to the right, noticing a young man leaning against the bar waving to get her attention. She stopped dancing and turned to the person waving her down. The man smiled from ear to ear, licking his lips as he made eye contact with her. She tilted her head to the side and scanned the familiar face watching her from across the bar. “What you want?” she asked in a sarcastic tone.

The man smiled, revealing a deep dimple in both cheeks. “Can I get my usual?” he asked while winking at her.

Ava couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh. He always showed up at the same time every Thursday night. 11 o’clock on the dot. She turned her back facing the opposite direction. “Hennessey and coke? No ice?” she asked over her shoulder, knowing exactly what he wanted.

The man laughed over the music. “You know me so well, Hazel. I really dig that.”

Ava laughed while rolling her eyes as she stood at the bar preparing to make his drink. She placed a glass on a coaster, filled it with half a can of coke and half a glass of Hennessey. She was careful not to make the drink too soft, knowing he liked his liquor strong. Learning her customers made bartending so much easier here at Club Whiskeys. Although this was not Ava’s ideal job, she was damn good at it and earned some pretty good tips. She had been working at the bar part time a little less than 6 months and quickly mastered the job as if it were easy. She turned back to him with a freshly made glass and placed it in front of him. “Here you go, Blake.” She called the man by his name and sat the glass down in front of him.

Blake nodded his head then slid a crispy $50-dollar bill across the table. “Keep the change.” He winked at her while sliding the money in her direction.

Ava eyes dropped down to the bill which still lay on the table. She sarcastically smacked her lips and shook her head. “Come on, Blake.” She challenged him in a sarcastic tone. “Why do you always overpay??? The tab is 10…” she tilted her head and stared at him sternly. In return, he clenched his jaw and stared back, obviously stuck with no answer. Ava had learned Blake’s tactics very well. He would show up at the bar every Thursday night, order the same drink, and pay up to 400% over his tab as if it would grab her attention. Little did he know, his money was not impressive. Ava worked hard for her own money. She watched Blake dejectedly shrugged his shoulders. He had been caught up in the middle of his own game. “Why do you treat me like that, Hazel?” he asked in an almost pleading tone. “What happened to us??? We used to be so close.” Blake eyed her intensely. Ava narrowed her eyes back at him. She was having a good time tonight and he was about to spoil the mood.

“What are you saying, Blake???” she asked with a slight attitude. “We are still friends… Maybe not like we used to be, but we are friends!” she hoped he would finally catch the hint. Things had changed over the years. 11 years to be exact. Ava wasn’t the same woman he had met a long time ago. She was a different person now. Blake shook his head, picking up on her persistence to brush him off.

“Not like we used to be.” He continued to talk to her over the music. He was adamant on getting his point across. “We were so close back in the days. Best friends forever??? Do you remember that????”

Ava couldn’t help but laugh. She burst into a chuckle as the word best friend slipped past his lips. She did remember. In fact, she remembered very well. Her mind could not help but reminisce. Blake Abel Weiss is his name. She could still recall the day they met 11 years ago. It was her freshman year of college at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Although Blake and Ava both attended the same school and shared a lot of the same classes, they never crossed paths. The two were like night and day. He was an extremely handsome, athletic and witty law major. Blake was outgoing with a confident ambience that always floated around him. Ava on the other hand was a shy, quiet book worm. She majored in political science and didn’t have a lot of friends outside of the classroom. Instead of hanging with her peers or attending college dorm parties, she spent her spare time TV binge watching, studying for class and burying her face inside books. Ava would never forget the day Blake approached her inside the school library. She used to spend a lot of time there back then because it was conveniently located right across the street from her off campus apartment building. She sat at a reading table fishing through a stack of old cartoon drawings and comic books. Ava sat alone which was typical. She was so deeply indulged inside her novel, she didn’t see or hear Blake slyly approach from behind. He had appeared so suddenly, peeping his head over her shoulder asking her what she was reading. She jumped in her seat, his sudden voice startling her. Ava could still remember turning finally locking eyes with the handsome young man standing over her. He was extremely attractive. His skin was smooth and his teeth were pearly white. Marvel comics and Japanese anime was her answer. Surprisingly, Blake smiled from ear to ear. He did not run away like most. He knew about the comic very well which took Ava by complete shock.  Tokyo Godfathers and Grave of the fireflies were his favorites. Ava was surprised by his response. Very seldom did she meet anyone who shared the same interest as her and she was overall shocked by his knowledge of Japanese anime. Together, they sat at that reading table and talked for hours, discovering the two actually had a lot in common. Ava was impressed. Not only was Blake a good looking young fellow, he was intelligent with good conversation. From that moment on, they were like Bonnie and Clyde. Practically inseparable. Best friends forever. That was their vow. Ava laughed to herself as the old college memories came rushing back. Truth be told, times with Blake was good. Together, they practically ate, breathed and slept next to each other. Now years later, Ava understood exactly why his friends believed they were dating. Little did they know, they were wrong. She had never been romantically involved with Blake. They were strictly friends and that was it. Nothing more nothing less.

She looked up, narrowed her eyes and got straight to the point. “You know exactly why we aren’t close anymore Blake… You were my best friend… But you wanted more from me…. I couldn’t give you that…” she spoke solidly, telling what she had already told him before. In fact, she had repeated herself many times.

In return, Blake laughed at her while shaking his head. He knew where she was going with this. Secretly, his laughter gave her some sort of relief and she was glad he was making light of the situation. For years, Ava had a soft spot for him and had no desire to hurt his feelings. But she had to be honest. Blake’s attraction to her became too much to handle. To him, she was much more than just a best friend.

He looked her up and down scanning her from head to toe. “Damn, Hazel.” Blake smacked his lips while gazing at her as if she were irresistible. “You can’t expect to come around me looking that damn fine and think I’m not going to try and get at you!” he motioned towards her dress which fit her body extra tight. Ava couldn’t help but blush. For some reason Blake had a way of complimenting her, which made her blush every single damn time. Although she had become used to it now, back then his flattery made her uncomfortable. It started off innocent with a compliment here and there. Then the compliments turned into flowers. The flowers turned into dinner requests. The appropriates turned into inappropriates.  Blake was adamant on wining and dining her, doing everything underneath the sun to prove he was able and make her fall for him. But she never did. Instead, she ended the friendship after it all became too much. And now 11 years later, he still had given up. Blake still had hope.

Ava examined him on the sly. He gazed back at her intensely without breaking eye contact. For a second they had a staring game. She stared at him silently and began to wander… Ava had no idea why she never gave Blake a fair chance. She had run from him for