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but all he had to do was ask me once and my panties would be gone.
    He chuckled. “ Trust me, I got a-plenty. But today, sweetheart, it's all about you. ” I took a breath; I was ready to stand up and pull my dress down. “ Buck tells me you're getting married. ”
    It had been at least a year since I'd seen Hines, but the thing was, I'd been engaged to Kenny for a year and a half. “ You knew that I was going to do that. ”
    His nod was slow and steady and his eyes bore into mi ne like he was studying me hard, making my temperature rise. “ So, you're really gonna marry the ol’ dude? ”
    “ Yeah, ” I said, as if he should have known that I was going to keep my word.
    Hines wasn't the only one of my “ dates ” who knew about Kenny. I’d read once in Essence magazine that when a man cheated, he never told the woman he loved about 'the others,' but 'the others' always knew about the one he loved, as if secrets were only kept from those you cared about. It seemed like twisted logic to me, but hey, it was from Essence so I went along with it, figuring that the same equation should work for women.
    So everyone knew about Kenny … and Kenny knew about no one. My proof that he was my one and only. The men I danced for and dated may have had their hands on my body, but Kenny held my heart.
    I said to Hines, “ I told you a long time ago that I was in love with Kenny. ”
    Hines did his slow nod once again as his eyes became clearer, like he was finally believing me.
    “ So, this is why you came down here? Just to ask if I was really getting married? ” I was pissed with myself for letting my mind take me to that other place. Hines didn't want to sleep with me, and now I was going to have to find a way to dispose of all this sexual stress he’d built up in me.
    “ Yeah, ” he said. “ To ask you that and to give you this. ” He slipped his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a black velvet box. “ This is for you, sweetheart. Sort of a congratulations, going-away present. ”
    His words gave me chills and sent a thrill through my body. Hines had given me lots of gifts over the years that I'd known him, but a girl never got tired of getting something new. When Hines flipped back the top of the box, my eyes got as big as the diamond that shined in front of me. I hadn't seen a ring this beautiful since Princess Diana's engagement to Prince Charles a few years back.
    “ What is this? ” I whispered, as if I couldn't tell it was a ring.
    Without a word, he lifted my left hand and glanced down at the engagement ring that I wore. For a moment, I wanted to snatch back my hand and hide what was on my ring finger. But then, I lifted my hand higher, like I was proud of the diamond chip that Kenny had given me.
    I was proud. My baby had done the best he could. And once we were married and I was really able to get him moving in his career, I would be getting an upgrade -- believe that.
    But my pride didn't mean a thing to Hines. He chuckled, then before I could say anything, slipped the chip off my finger and replaced it with the rock.
    “ What are you doing? ” I asked, raising my voice. Even though I had lots of questions, it wasn't like I tried to stop him, though. I just let him put that ring on my finger.
    He laughed. “ Don't trip, Pepper, ” he said, calling me by my stage name. “ I'm not trying to marry you. I ain't that kind of cat. ”
    Well, I didn't want to marry him either. Not really. “ So what's up with this ring? ” He kissed my forehead. “ Like I said, it's a good-bye gift for the best dancer … and date … this side of the moon. ”
    I glanced back at the ring. It was beginning to feel heavy (it had to be at least four carats) on my finger. There was no way that I could keep this, could I? I mean, what was I supposed to tell Kenny?
    As if Hines could hear the questions turning over in my mind, he said, “ I don't expect you to wear it. This is just something special between you and me.