About that time, Neil stepped up on sheer principle. "Back off my lady, man. It's not that type of party." Lela did walk up to the door at his side and, had she been his girl, what Spanky did was straight up disrespectful.
Lela turned around, surprised to see it was Trey's friend standing up for her honor.
Trey, on the other hand, was busy being courted by the same group of women Neil fled from earlier. When he caught wind of the commotion, he walked over to see what was going on.
"Go on in and get us a table, babe," Neil told Lela, while giving Spanky a look that said "you don't want to see me like that" as he walked by him and into the club. If it weren't for the realization that Spanky was armed with a glock, Neil would have rattled his jaw two minutes ago.
"Lela," Spanky sneered, "I know you not going to play me off for this punk nigga!"
Lela frowned like she had a sour taste in her mouth. "Who you calling a nigga? He has more going for himself than your still living at home with your momma butt ever will. If you don't chill out, you and your momma are going to be homeless. I'll make sure Tiny knows you're out here tripping, and you won't have your little job working this door. Have you forgotten who you're messing with Spanky? I can jump just as crazy as you are."
That said, Spanky dropped the matter and waved for the next couple to enter the club. "Go 'head on then," he said, like he could care one way or the other. "You wasn't all that anyway."
Inside, Lela found a table for four in the VIP section, which had plush maroon booths with candlelit, gold-plated tables. Once seated, Neil ordered a bottle of Courvoisier. Usually, Lela didn't drink when she went out, but after the day she had, she sipped on the glass of liquor like it was her lifeline.
After relaxing for a while, she announced to the group, "I'll be right back. I'm going to the ladies room."
Before she could gather her purse off the floor, Neil was on his feet. "Hold on. Let me get that for you." He pulled her chair out and helped her from her seat.
She unconsciously raised an eyebrow. A keeper? It wasn't until she came back to her seat to find him standing there, holding it out for her that she was sold on the idea.