Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Saniya.
I smiled at my phone, examining the images on the screen and sipping from the glass tumbler the assistant handed me after my facial. The mint, raspberry, and cucumber water was so pretty. Seconds after the concoction was in hand, I removed my phone from the pocket of my thick, comfy, waffle-textured robe after swearing to completely disconnect for the day and snapped a few shots. The drink was staged perfectly in my hand while I held my phone at chest level, capturing the visual from an angle that included my crossed legs, with a slight peek at a slither of brown skin, disposable Massage Elements slippers, and the glass propped on my knee.
I planned on posting the pictures later, along with the shots I captured of me and Sameena in the locker room and tagging Massage Elements for promo.
She and I did couples massages, then were separated for our facials. I was done and waiting on Sameena to finish so we could have lunch. We were completing our day of pampering with mani-pedis before heading home.
When taking photos for their site, I was able to experience the luxury of the place but today I got the experience hands on and they did not disappoint. I would have to splurge and come back, or hope that my sister’s boss handed off more gift cards she didn’t need. I was addicted to the service and ambiance.
Before I could lock my phone to refocus on my relaxation, a text came through that had me grinning from ear to ear. Instead of being thrown out after sex, Grand invited me to stay the night, and the next morning there was a lot more sex.
We didn’t discuss him going to prison. Neither of us circled back to his past and I was okay with that. I also had no clue what we were doing but I was enjoying our vibe enough to go with the flow. The past two days our conversation had been in heavy rotation and I was enjoying things so far.
Busy later?
I was thinking about invading someone’s privacy, but I need to run through my contacts to see which ex I can hit up to get me in somewhere I don’t have access to. So for now, undecided.
Those jokes are gonna have your pussy sore and swollen…
I blinked at the message and I shifted in my chair…
Well fuck.
Jokes???
You want me to keep fucking you?
Ummm….
Fuck you mean ummmm? That’s a yes or no question Saniya.
Yes…
Let’s face it. I most certainly wanted him to continue fucking me and based on the way my pussy was thumping, she agreed.
Then that shit was definitely a joke. The only contact you pull up when you need a favor better be mine.
That sounds very commitment like…
I bit my lip and waited. We hadn’t discussed what we were doing and it had only been two days since we agreed to have sex and not ask questions but a part of me needed to know if I was the only one he was having sex with.
When his response came through it didn’t provide the clarity I needed which stung a little.
We’re chillin…
But the next one that followed did.
And if I’m only chillin with you, you’re only chillin with me
I loved the message and locked my phone, but not fast enough. My nosy ass sister was grinning as she stepped from behind me holding a tumbler that matched the one now sitting on the table next to me.
“You have a man and you didn’t tell me.”
“He’s not my man.”
“He’s definitely your man. Your fingers were moving fast as hell when that ‘play with me if you want and I’ll stop fucking you’ text came through.”
Okay, so she’d pretty much read the entire conversation.
“So you just said fuck privacy?”
“Girl, you’re my sister. Nothing about your life is private when it comes to me.”
“Only because you don’t understand boundaries.”
“I understand boundaries. I just don’t give a damn about yours, which should not be surprising since you know me better than anyone. So who is Grand?”
“My business.” I stood and stepped around my sister. “Can we eat now?”
“Ny, are you seriously not going to tell me?”
“Nope.”
“Fine…” She fell in step with me as we left the lounge area and headed back to the locker room to get dressed since the café and nail salon were attached to the rear of the spa. Both provided access to customers who just wanted to utilize their services and not get the full pampering treatment. We could walk through the building to get to them, which worked in our favor.
After we ordered and were seated in a booth that provided a picturesque view of the lavish glass and wood design of their café, which was also decorated with lush greenery to provide a serene and relaxed atmosphere, my sister removed a phone from her purse, powered it on, and began tapping and swiping at the screen.
In casual conversation, we both gushed over our experience at Massage Elements with Sameena half-distracted with what she was doing on her phone until she finally grinned and slid the device across the table.
It only took me a few minutes to realize what the hell she had been doing for the past ten minutes and I could have strangled her.
“What the hell, Meen? Why are my texts on your phone?”
She lifted her raspberry lemonade and pinched the straw between her lips, sipping in an unbothered manner before she responded. “I have your cloud password.”
I quickly did a mental inventory and remembered getting locked out and using her iPad to login to reset my password. She must have saved my information.
“Why would you save my password?”
“You’ve known me my entire life. Are you seriously asking me that? The better question is why wouldn’t you just tell me you have a new boyfriend…”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Right, my bad…” She grinned. “You’re just chillin’ .”
“You are unfucking believable.”
“I’m your baby sis. My sole purpose in life is to mind your business and since you didn’t want to willingly share, I used extreme measures to get the intel I needed. Technically my involvement in your business is your fault. You brought me into your sexcapades when you shared your location to have a dick appointment. One that apparently did not disappoint.”
“You sound like a crazy person. Like do you seriously hear yourself right now?” I grabbed the phone so I could delete my account from the device. “I’m removing my stuff and changing my password.”
“Relax, I have to erase it again anyway so I can turn that phone in when we leave here. That’s my old one, which was how I was able to download your stuff so quickly. I upgraded and don’t trust the process of mailing it back so those stupid ass people can act like they never got it and charge me for it.”
Made sense considering there was nothing on the device and all the apps were still downloading, likely from my last update. I wanted to be mad but I wasn’t surprised. This was typical Sameena behavior. The baby of the family, expectant and spoiled. She did not understand the concept of minding her own business. Once I erased my information and reset the phone to factory settings, I gave it back to my sister.
“When do I get to meet him?”
“You don’t.”
A smile split onto her face. “Damn you’re hiding the goods. Either he’s butt ugly or you like him.”
I leaned back to provide space when our food arrived. She placed my grilled chicken and strawberry walnut salad down in front of me and a smoked turkey wrap in front of my sister.
“How the hell did you come to that conclusion?”
“If he was fine and temporary, you would have been pulling up his social media to show me. You’re being very secretive which means either the dick was commendable but he’s a lights off kinda bed buddy or you don’t want me to meet him because you really like this man and want to keep him all to yourself.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You should spend more time analyzing your life and not mine, Meen. It’s really not that deep.”
“When a man flips your joke about pulling up on an ex and uses it to threaten the wellbeing of your kitty then it’s definitely that deep. And, when that threat whips your ass all the way into compliance then it’s definitely that deep.”
“Mind your business.”
“Why, when I can mind yours?” She flashed a bratty grin and I rolled my eyes.
“He’s new, I don’t know what we are. The sex is amazing but his life is complicated. That’s all you get.”
“Fine. But if I don’t meet him soon, I’m doing my own recon and will randomly run into him somewhere.” She winked, lifted half her wrap and enjoyed a massive bite. I cringed, knowing that my sister would absolutely find a way to insert herself into Grand’s life, but for now, she had nothing to go on, so I was safe.
By ten after nine I was anxious because Grand was running late and I needed something to keep me occupied. He very well might have changed his mind about coming to my place and since I suggested it because chillin’ felt more level if we were doing so on an even playing field, then I needed him to show up.
I was far too invested in this which also made me anxious. For some reason, my father’s words weighed heavily on my spirit. I found myself questioning whether or not I truly wanted what he and my mother had, a solid marriage, kids, a future with a man who looked at me the way he looked at my mother. Once my thoughts shifted into that space, the natural progression of those thoughts was if I did want those things, who could I envision having them with. Again, my father’s declaration was on heavy rotation.
“…Regardless of what package he comes in, if he loves you the way you deserve to be loved, shows up for you, then that’s good enough for me…”
The reality hit too close to home because I didn’t care who the man was as long as he loved me the way I deserved and showed up for me. I witnessed my father love my mother properly but I also witnessed the mundane life they shared which had me chasing an always temporary high. The attraction to the high was temporary when I realized it was surface level. Grand didn’t possess the ideal “packaging” but something about him made me believe he would show up. He was fiercely loyal to his son’s mother to the degree that he kept himself closed off and likely wouldn’t offer anything but a physical connection.
I hated how much I was willing to accept just the physical knowing it would never be enough. To keep my mind occupied, I grabbed my iPad and sank onto the sofa, pulling up Inside Track, curious to see what type of traction the story on Yara was getting. The photos had been up for a couple days which meant they had time to circulate.
“Shit…” I mumbled and grinned taking in the six point four million views and twenty thousand comments on the post. One in particular had me smiling from ear to ear.
… Y’all really put too much energy into trying to dissect my life. I was on some chill shit. Nothing deep but shout out to Saniya for the cuteness of these pictures. I look flawless. You’re always on point. I have no clue how you got these photos but respect sis.
I needed to demand a bonus from Joe for the traction this post was getting. I found another link that led me to the Tattle Tales blog, which was based in Crescent Falls. The headline stated, Saniya Montgomery Strikes Again, with the insider information on Yara creeping with a mystery man at Hef’s Palace. They also quoted Yara’s comment on the post which had my smile expanding.
I was about to do a deep dive to see if my photos ended up anywhere else but a knock at the door had my stomach tensing. I tossed the iPad on the sofa, raked my fingers through my hair, and adjusted the shorts of my matching set on the way to the door. It was a pale blue, cropped, off the shoulder long-sleeved top and matching cable knit drawstring shorts, soft and thin enough to be comfortable, cute, and sexy.
When I was face to face with Grand, I held onto the door for support because fuck, he looked good. Dressed in black joggers, a plain white pocket tee, and Yeezy slides, I almost laughed because his fit screamed fuck boy and mine screamed fuck me .
His eyes moved from my face to the white polish on my toes then back up where he offered me a smug grin like he might have realized the same thing. Even that was sexy.
He entered without an invitation and stalked right to the sofa where he landed directly in the center. I locked up, and joined him, watching while he lifted my iPad and studied the screen
“This you?”
“Yep.”
“That’s ol’ girl from the other night, the singer?”
“Mmhm.”
He nodded, frowning as his eyes moved over the screen, then he smiled. “You were all in her business but she shouted you out. This shit is crazy.”
I grinned and shrugged. “I made her look good.”
“While putting her business on blast.”
He tossed the iPad beside him and reached for me. His eyes moved over my body before he lifted a hand and brushed his finger across my stomach. “You been out minding people's business today?”
“Nope, spent the day with my sister at the spa. When I got home, I cooked dinner, edited some pictures, and now I’m here. What about you?”
“Put up drywall for eight hours straight, loaded trash into a portable dumpster until my back ached, and went by my mother's house to see my son before he went to bed. That’s why I was running late. His little ass hustled me so I ended up playing the game with him when he was supposed to be sleep, then I had to run by my place to shower and change. I’m sure you didn’t want me up in your place smelling like the day I had.”
I leaned into him and buried my nose into the curve of his neck, placing a hand on his thigh to balance myself. “You smell good. You did this for me?”
When I leaned back, he stared with a neutral expression. “Is this for me?”
His palm met my thigh and glided up until he was able to tug at the hem of my shorts. “Nope, for me. I like to be comfortable.” His eyes remained on where he was still holding onto the hem of my shorts but a smile spread across his handsome face.
It took a minute before I had his eyes. “I see my son isn’t the only one running game tonight.”
“He lives with your mom?”
“Yeah.” I noticed the way he tensed slightly.
“You don’t have to talk about him.”
Grand remained silent but his expression relaxed. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about him…”
“Just not with me. I get it and I promise it’s fine. We’re just chillin’.” I offered a smile, hoping to lighten the mood, but his expression remained tense. His fingers mindlessly grazed my thigh as the thoughts that plagued him shifted through his mind.
“I loved Aleah,” he began and paused like the words hurt. I was sure they did, so I kept quiet and allowed him the space to navigate whatever he needed to say. After a long moment of silence he continued. “I don’t know how to do this without feeling like I’m being disloyal, but I also know that I can’t stay in this space of loving her and not moving on with my life. So it’s not about me not wanting to talk about him with you but more so about what that looks like.”
“I’m not expecting anything. You warned me to stay away. It’s not your fault that I didn’t.” The words felt like a lie as they left my mouth. I wasn’t expecting , but I was hoping . Grand was demolishing that hope and I didn’t have the right to be angry or disappointed.
He loved her, which meant he couldn’t love anyone else or want me…
“You damn sure didn’t listen.” He smirked, shaking his head. “You have the right to have expectations, Saniya. It’s only fair, because conflicted or not, I have them too. I’m glad your hardheaded ass didn’t listen.”
I felt my cheeks warm from the heat of his gaze. “You love her and you two have a son, which means she’ll always be present. I would never try to compete with that part of your life.”
Grand’s eyes turned hard. “You can’t compete with how I feel about her, but we can be what we are. I’m not going to deny that I want this to be something.”
Something .
The hope was back.
I lifted both knees onto the sofa and climbed into his lap, dropping my arms onto his shoulders, linking my fingers at the nape of his neck.
“I’m good with this being something .”
My gaze lowered.
“Can we be something with less clothes on?”
He laughed lightly. “Nah, not tonight. I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“I have...”
He frowned hard, gripping my thigh to stop me from moving off his lap. “I’m not fucking behind another man, Saniya.”
“You’re the first person I’ve been with in over a year.” I glared and he gave me a deadpan expression, as if my statement was offensive.
“Did you buy condoms with the intent of being with me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you serious?”
“As a muthafuckin’ heart attack. I’ll bring some next time I come or you can buy a new pack and we’ll break that shit open. We can use every single one if that’s what you want, but I’m not fucking behind your last man. That’s like me buying lingerie for another woman then handing it off to you with the intention of digging in your pussy. Would you be cool with that?”
A wave of irrational anger spiked through me at the thought of secondhand intentions before I smiled.
“You had condoms that night at your house. Did you buy them for me?”
“Yes,” he stated bluntly.
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. You are the first person I’ve been with since I got out. I bought condoms a few days after you came looking for me that night at The Pit. Even if I knew this was a bad idea, I still wanted to fuck you.” He smiled arrogantly. “And I knew I would because your stubborn ass wasn’t going to stay away.”
My mouth dropped open and he gripped my neck, bringing me down into a kiss. When I pulled back, I narrowed my eyes playfully.
“You have a very loose and overly exaggerated point.”
“It’s not loose, it’s valid as fuck. You just don’t want to agree because you want this.” He lifted his hips, pressing a rock hard dick against my ass.
“If we’re not having sex, what are we doing?”
“Chillin’.” His smile was sexy and taunting. I despised how easily my body reacted to that smile. Rough hands moved up my thighs to my waist and under my shirt until I felt the brush of those calloused fingers at my side. Slowly, they glided to the small of my back. “Now talk to me.”