Free Basketball Jones by E. Lynn Harris

with a wink.
    “Does Reggie Bush live in New Orleans?”
    “I don’t know. But I’ll find out. I plan to FedEx one of my pictures to him at the Saints office. I know it’s not a fresh idea, but it’s a start and will get the ball rolling. If that doesn’t do the trick, I’ll find out the name of the club where the players hang. I might have to go out with one of his teammates first, but trust me when I tell you I will meet him, you know what I’m saying?”
    she said, raising her cup. “But in the meantime I need to make some money so I can get the right outfit. That way I’m ready to dress like money when that time comes. Real ballers aren’t attracted to broke bitches. And I’m not attracted to broke brothas with good dick.”
    “You strike me as the kind of young lady who gets what she wants,” I said, grinning.
    Jade smiled back and took a sip of her coffee and then had a surprise question for me.
    “So who are you dating?”
    “I don’t talk about my personal life,” I said a little too fast.
    “Oh, baby, I heard that. But you’re gay, aren’t you?”
    I didn’t mind answering that question. Plus I didn’t want any advances from Jade in case she didn’t land Reggie, so I nodded and smiled.
    “I knew that, and believe me, Aldridge, it doesn’t matter to me what box you check. But I appreciate your being so honest with me. You hear what I’m saying? I meet a lot of these down-low brothers and they make me sick with their lying asses.”
    “I hear you.”
    “Just tell me what side you butter your toast on so neither of us wastes any time.” She leaned in and said, “Don’t mean we can’t still be friends, right? You never have enough friends, especially when we both new to the city. But you a nice-lookin’ man so you probably got a lot of boyfriends or whatever you call them. I had lots of gay friends when I lived in Los Angeles. I used to have coffee with some of them every morning at the Starbucks in West Hollywood.”
    “I’m very happy,” I said. An image of Dray lying in bed popped into my mind.
    Jade pulled her cell phone from her purse to check the timeand practically jumped up. “I gotta run. I’m meeting somebody about some big money.” She finished off the last of her coffee and folded her newspaper, then stuck it in her bag.
    Before she put her cell phone in the bag she handed it to me and told me to punch my number in. I did and gave it back.
    “Now give me your phone so I can put my number in it. Maybe we can meet for lunch or dinner sometime soon. That way I can keep you posted on my job search and you can make up lies about who you dating and who you not. But I bet you are like me and like jocks.”
    “You might be psychic, but I know you’re crazy, Jade,” I said, laughing. I pressed my number into her cell. I was growing fond of her. She was almost the only friend I had in town.
    “That’s why I like you. It didn’t take you long to figure that out.” Jade threw me an air kiss and headed out the door.
    Later that evening I was in my office looking over sketches for some designs I wanted to show the people at Brad Pitt’s organization, when my phone rang. It was Jade. She was crying and asked me if I could meet her at the bar at the Ritz-Carlton, which was one of the hotels that was running full tilt. I’d been to the hotel a couple of times since it was only about three blocks from my house.
    When I walked into the bar, I saw Jade nursing a glass of white wine.
    “Jade, is everything okay?” I asked.
    “Thanks for coming.”
    “No problem. Are you okay?”
    She gave me a peck on the cheek and said, “I’m okay, AJ. I just needed someone to talk to. I had a date with this guy whostood me up. I guess dudes down here are just like they are in Los Angeles. Plus my landlord is on me for my rent, and not without letting me know that if I give him a little pussy we could work things out.”
    “Are you serious?” I hoped Jade didn’t call me down to borrow