I have been fucking Howard's circle of friends long enough to know them all pretty well, and none of them showed up tonight, which was unusual. Typically, I see the same faces at most parties, with only one stranger in a given evening. I always assumed Howard just wanted to have complete control of the situation, but he never really spelled it out for me. We rarely went out, but the apartment is so luxurious, I didn't mind at all.
The four black men who arrived at the apartment were all new to me. They arrived together, all very well-dressed and very formal in their manner, but as Howard greeted them and introduced me, he picked up his jacket and gave me a casual wave and left. Needless to say, I was more than a little shocked. We stood in the entrance, an awkward silence hanging in the air, when Javon finally said,"You look fantastic, Lena. You are everything Howard said you would be and then some, but I didn't come here to watch no fucking football game, so get on your knees."