Chapter 6
KAREEM
My luck had everything to do with the Big Homie upstairs.
If I didn’t believe in God before, I damn sure did now.
Be clear, though. I definitely believed in God before.
Gloria and Idris Spivy made sure of that.
I grew up in the church. People might not have known it because of how I acted sometimes, but that didn’t change my truth.
And God sure enough showed the hell out today.
Arielle Nichols.
I snorted as I navigated my truck down the highway along the coast. I loved my hometown and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
I actually tried moving to California for a few months but brought my ass right back here.
My mind wandered to Arielle. I wondered if she grew up here too.
The world was already small as shit that she lived here now.
If she really grew up here, too, and we hadn’t crossed paths until we were out of the country, then that was wild.
Shorty hadn’t texted me at all since we last saw each other earlier, even though I texted her to check in.
I chuckled at that thought as I switched lanes.
It was all good. Her little ass didn’t know I had no issues popping up.
I knew she had a long day moving, which was why I had picked up food and some wine.
Her long day wasn’t about to stop me from popping up on her.
Now that I knew where she was, I wasn’t about to let up. Fuck that.
I pulled into the apartment complex building and parked in one of the leasing office spots.
Pride hit me as I got out of the car. It always hit me when I pulled up to one of my properties, but this one especially.
This wasn’t the first property I owned, but it was the first building.
Before buying this one, I had owned several homes that I renovated and then either sold or rented out, but this building right here?
This was my first big step into real estate and setting myself up financially in a legitimate way.
I was beyond proud of my decisions, and the fact that Arielle now lived here felt like a good omen.
I grabbed our food and made my way into the building. When I stepped onto the elevator, my mind wandered to Arielle and if her people were still with her. I wondered if she was finished moving all her things. I figured as much since the U-Haul from earlier was no longer here.
My next thought was if I should use the master key in my pocket to walk into her house without knocking.
It was what I wanted to do. In my mind, she was mine, so what the fuck did I have to knock for?
I had never felt this way about a woman, so why wouldn’t I help myself to unlimited access to her?
But the more rational part of my mind, the super tiny part of my mind that sounded just like my damn mama, told me not to do that shit.
I knew better than to disrespect people’s privacy like that, especially since I could get sued for just walking into one of my tenants’ homes.
I had a feeling Arielle wouldn’t do that.
I also had a feeling that her feelings for me matched how I felt about her, no matter how her little ass tried to hide it.
When I made it to her door, I lifted my first and knocked. I waited patiently, though I really wanted to walk up in that mothafucka and wrap her legs around my neck.
Finally, the door flung open, and she stood before me in a new outfit and smelling like roses and the color pink.
Don’t ask what pink smelled like either.
Fuck if I knew. All I knew was that was exactly what Arielle smelled like as she stood in front of me with her curly hair thrown on the top of her head in a messy bun.
“You’re here.” She stated the obvious, and I chuckled.
“I’m here and with food.” I held the bag up and looked at her expectantly.
Her brows rose in surprise, and she finally slid to the side so I could enter.
As expected, the place looked like a disaster with boxes all over.
I moved toward the island in the kitchen and placed the bag down before I pulled out the to-go boxes and asked, “How did the move go? I see ya ass ain’t text me back. ”
With a frown, she grabbed her phone from where it charged on the counter.
She groaned as she tapped on her phone. “I’m sorry.
I didn’t even see your text. It’s been a long day.
My parents texted and called too.” She mumbled the last part.
I eyed her as she tapped some more on her phone and then sighed before she put it down again.
“I’ll let it pass, mama, but you gotta make sure you respond or answer when I hit you up.”
Her brows pulled in as she cocked her head to the side. “And why is that?”
“Because I’ll spazz out about you, so if I don’t have access to you or know what you’re doing or where you’re at, I’ma think something’s wrong, and then I’m tearing the city up behind you. Feel me?”
“I . . . uh . . .” I watched as she struggled to find her words before she ultimately closed her mouth. She stared at me for a couple of seconds before she finally asked, “Why? We just met.”
I took a step toward her. “Because you found me, and I ain’t ’bout to fumble that.”
“Oh.” She swallowed, and I grinned. I had her flustered, and I kind of liked that.
I took a step back toward the food and handed her a box. “Steak tacos. I figured I could actually get you some Mexican food this time since last time we skipped the meal.”
I just knew her pretty ass had a deep blush under all that pretty melanin skin.
She grabbed the container from me. “Thank you. Do you want anything to drink? I have soda and water. I need to go grocery shopping at some point this weekend.”
She turned around and busied herself with opening the refrigerator.
“I’ll take a soda, mama.”
She grabbed two out and handed me a can before she gestured toward the barstools next to me at the center island.
“I have a dining room table and chairs coming in a few days, so we’ll have to sit here.”
We sat down and dug into our food. I knew this should feel awkward or a bit tense from me bullying my way in here, but it didn’t. I felt right at home, and not because of this apartment building. My heart recognized that it was because of her.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she muttered after finishing off her first taco.
“Real shit, me neither, but I’m glad I am. You happy I’m here, Mermaid?”
She nodded shyly. “I think so. Just shocked.”
“What will help you get past that? Because I’m tryna get to know you since ya ass snuck out on me the last time . . .”
“About that . . . I’m sorry. I felt a lot of things that night, and I thought it was better to leave than to stick around and . . .”
One of my eyebrows lifted. I had a feeling her little ass felt the same shit I felt, and she ran. Instead of bullying that answer out of her, though, I decided to let her live. We had a lifetime to tell our truths.
“You good. I know that night was . . . intense. But back to my first question. What’s gonna help you get past the shock?”
She shrugged. “You being here is a start.”
I could tell it would take time for her to loosen up around me.
She didn’t know how to act around me, and I couldn’t blame her.
It surprised me that I knew how to act. With any other chick, I wouldn’t be so automatically invested.
With her, it felt like I just knew to apply all the pressure and where to apply it. I had faith that she would catch up.
We continued to eat in silence for a few minutes before she asked, “How long have you owned this building?”
“Few years. I own several complexes, homes, and luxury condos through The Bay. I’m looking to purchase some commercial properties soon.”
“I’m impressed,” she said with a soft smile. Something about her praise made me feel soft as hell on the inside.
“Appreciate you, mama. What you do for work?”
“I’m an anesthesiologist.”
“Damn, for real?” It was my turn to be impressed.
She nodded. “For the past few years. I went to college right out of high school and med school right after that. I got a job right out of med school and been there ever since.”
“That’s what’s up, mama. I love that, for real.” There was nothing more attractive than a smart woman. And she was pretty as hell? My heart knew I hit the jackpot. “You must like what you do?”
“Thanks, and yeah, I do. A little too much, if you ask my family. They’re the ones that sent me to that resort. They think I work too much. That and they knew I was stressed about my recent breakup.”
I had so many questions. My thirsty ass wanted to know everything about her, but I played it cool.
“Crazy. My family sent me to the resort because I work too much.”
She giggled. “We might be a perfect match then, huh?”
“I don’t know, mama. Now that I found you, I might find some reasons to work a little less.”
She nodded once as her face focused on a space behind me. “I might find reasons to work a little less now, too, especially since I’m no longer taking care of a full-grown nigga.”
My eyebrows shot up. This was the second time she mentioned an ex, so I would take the bait. “Wanna elaborate?”
She blew out a breath. “Niggas just ain’t shit,” she muttered before she ate the last bite of her last taco.
I finished off my food and pushed the to-go box away. “I’d agree wit’ that, but they just ain’t shit until they meet the one they want to handle wit’ care.”
That was the truth. I knew there was a long line of women who thought I wasn’t shit, but somewhere deep in my mind, I knew that Arielle wouldn’t be able to claim that about me.
She would see a whole different side of me that no other woman could claim they got.
I didn’t even fully understand how I knew that, but it didn’t make it any less truthful.
She averted her eyes with a smile. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I am,” I assured before I stood up and threw our to-go boxes in the black trash can up against the wall.
When I turned around, I reached for her waist and pulled her up.
I tried to be a gentleman, but my patience only went so far.
She would have to get used to me, because the truth about Kareem Spivy was that I pretty much did whatever the fuck I wanted, and right now, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her pretty lips. So I did.
She immediately leaned into me as my lips locked onto hers. My mind flashed to her spread wide open for me on the desk in the leasing office, and my already hard dick ached.
I lifted her onto the center island, and she opened her legs for me. “You ready for this dick, Mermaid?”
“Yes.” She gasped when my hand ran down the middle of her leggings where her hot ass pussy was.
“Yeah? What you gonna do to him?”
A naughty glint flashed in her eyes, and I had to stop myself from moaning.
“First, I’m gonna suck the soul out the tip, and then I’m gonna squeeze the life out of him with my pussy.”
“Oh yeah? You sound like you missed daddy.” I kissed her neck.
“I did.” She moaned.
“You gonna run from me again?”
“No,” she muttered.
“That’s my good girl.” I picked her up, and she squealed with a giggle as I walked toward the master bedroom. I slapped her ass before I kissed it, ready as hell to give her this nut she earned and deserved.