Chapter 8
eight
Christian.
I pulled up at The Offices at Paramount hoping Jhorie would give me what I needed. Ezekiel had built the business park for his wife after she started Heart of the Block, which focused on advocating for community resources in less fortunate areas.
In the past couple years, a small idea had turned into a thriving community resource.
We all donated generously because it was such a great cause.
And if I had to write a check today to gain the access I needed, then I was more than willing to do so.
I didn't necessarily mind but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
When I entered the building, I smiled when E'siah's little face was the first one I noticed.
His tiny voice was infectious as he ran away from his mother, likely assuming he was moving fast enough to escape.
The only thing that saved him was her unhurried pace behind him, letting the kid get away from her.
"Fass."
Jhorie grabbed him around the waist and lifted him into the air.
He giggled and hugged her neck before he twisted enough to work his way out of her arms. She managed to get him on his feet before he crash landed on the floor.
That was when they both noticed I was near the door and he took off in my direction. "Kichen."
That shit got me every time. Christian in his childlike gibberish. He crashed against my legs and I scooped him from the floor and hugged his tiny body.
"What's up, Siah?"
"Fass." He grinned and I chuckled.
"Yeah?"
He nodded wildly then twisted out of my arms just like he did with his mother. I handled him with less finesse than her but managed not to let him land on his ass.
"Fass." He stumbled away from me and clumsily moved around the lobby before he made his way back to me. I kneeled down and brushed a hand over his head. "You are very fast. High five."
"Fihh." He bounced on his toes, threw his tiny hand against mine, and took off again.
Jhorie walked over after warning him to be careful to which E'siah yelled "K, Mama." but clearly had no intention of being careful based on the reckless way he climbed onto one of the lobby chairs and jumped off.
"That child is determined to break something before his father comes to get him." She groaned, watching him for a few seconds longer before she focused on me.
"Did I miss something? I hope I didn't double book."
Jhorie walked over to me and gave me a hug. I hugged her back and dropped my eyes to hers when we separated. "You haven't missed anything. My visit isn't planned. I'm here to ask a favor."
"Shit, good. I swear pregnancy brain was supposed to be over once I had him. E'siah is a toddler and I still can't pull my life together."
"That bad?" I chuckled and glanced at him.
"You have no idea." She glanced at her son who had her complete face with very few traces of his father then turned her eyes back to me. "And favor? You sure you have the right Omari?"
Jhorie arched her brow and I nodded. "Yes, right Omari. Ezekiel can't do shit with this but I'm hoping you can."
"Oh…" She frowned. "I'm afraid to hear this."
I chuckled and followed Jhorie across the room where she began picking up a scatter of toys. "Don't be. I just need access."
"Access?" She clutched a plastic truck and frowned my way.
"Yes, you're meeting with Scotlyn Whitney this morning. I want to join the meeting."
"I can't help you with that. It's not my meeting. I'm just offering a space. You need to ask Samiya or Zoree."
"You're a member…"
"Member. They're President and VP."
"You're a respected member and I need in on that meeting. If you cosign me being there, no one will disagree with you."
She studied my face for a minute then shook her head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because Scotlyn requested the meeting to ask for our support with a property acquisition. If you're here trying to sit in on that meeting, I'm going to assume she either has something you want or is trying to take something you want. We're not getting in the middle of that."
She definitely has something I want but it is no longer that damn property.
"I know better than to ask a group of very relevant and powerful women to take my side over another very relevant and powerful woman." When I smiled smugly, she rolled her eyes.
"The answer is still no. I can't help you."
"I know good and damn well you're not in here asking my wife for favors, Christian. That shit goes through me."
I grinned at the sound of Ezekiel's voice behind me. "Dada."
I turned and watched as E'siah took off toward his father and Ezekiel met him halfway, grabbing him at the waist then launching his son in the air. E'siah squealed and laughed, hugging his father's neck after he was securely in his arms. Unlike when I had him, he didn't attempt to escape.
Ezekiel then moved beside Jhorie and dropped a kiss on her. She grinned and I had both of their attention while he stood protectively at his wife's side. A side effect of the way he loved her, not a concern from fear that he needed to protect her from me.
"The fuck you want with my wife, Christian?"
"Access to the meeting she's having here today."
"The meeting with Scotlyn." Christian smiled smugly and nodded. "Damn, she's got your ass calling in favors. Did you really let a woman outmaneuver you?"
"Excuse you?" Jhorie asserted and he grinned but kissed her cheek.
"Relax, I'm just giving him shit." He turned to me, adjusting E'siah in his arms. The kid was squirming but not exerting any effort to get down.
He was perfectly content in his father's arms and that shit twisted in my gut because Aja cheated me of that type of connection. "I'm guessing she outbid you."
"She offered twenty percent above the asking price."
"That much?"
I nodded, annoyed and impressed by how she played things. The property was worth fifty percent above market because of the potential to make money once it was developed.
"Put in a higher offer instead of showing up here to harass my damn wife." His tone was light but still laced with a protective edge.
"I'm going to fall back. For whatever reason, getting the property is important to her."
"Then why do you want to crash the meeting?"
"He's on a pussy chase." Ezekiel laughed.
"Oh hell no." Jhorie shook her head and glared at me.
"Why the fuck would you tell her that?" I smirked, cutting my eyes at Ezekiel.
"Am I wrong?"
Definitely not wrong…
When I didn't respond right away, he laughed and shook his head. "That's what I thought." He turned to his wife. "I'm about to head out. Hit me up when you're done and we can grab lunch. I'll come get you."
"I can meet you."
He gripped her chin and kissed her like I wasn't standing there. "You're more than capable but I said I'll come get you."
She blushed and rolled her eyes. Shit like this was when I felt the void the most. The disloyalty from Aja cut deeper when I witnessed the people I cared about in love, but truthfully, aside from the first year of our marriage, we never really had this.
"Love you."
"Love you too and if you decide to help his ass out, make him pay. Isn't it time for annual donations?"
"That's fucked up," I mumbled and Christian shrugged, unbothered, before he left with their son.
"Oh, he's right. I was just finishing up our donation letters. Might as well save me the postage for you." She smiled and held her hand out.
"I don't walk around with checks. Who the fuck even uses them?"
"You're right, but I have your card on file. Two fifty sounds like a good number."
"I hope you mean two hundred and fifty dollars and not thousand." I glared, knowing exactly what that number was. She was upping my last donation by a hundred grand and actually I didn't mind. The money went to a good cause but damn.
"You want in on the meeting or not?"
"Your ass hasn't been an Omari that long, Jhorie. You shouldn't be strong-arming people like this."
"This has nothing to do with me being an Omari. I'm an advocate for the people by any means necessary."
"Yeah, you've been married to Ez for too long."
She grinned and shrugged.
"There's coffee and bagels in the break room. Make yourself comfortable. Everyone should be here in an hour or so. I have some things to take care of before we get started. Oh, and you're explaining this to Zoree and Samiya. If they don't agree, it's a no go and the donation still happens."
The way she walked off like she already knew my decision amused the fuck out of me.
Mostly because she was damn sure an Omari now but also because she was right.
I walked my ass right to the conference room and prepared to see Scotlyn's face when she walked in.
She would power through the meeting because she wanted the waterfront property and there was no way in hell she would back down.
Regardless of how beautifully she'd submitted to me last night, Scotlyn was very much a confident and capable business woman.
She could handle her own and I looked forward to watching her boss the fuck up the way I knew she could.
Zoree Kincaid was the first one to show up. After I asked for persimmon to sit in, she stared at me for a minute then angled her head to the side.
"You have never once shown interest in anything we have going on. What's this really about?"
"Business opportunity." I kept it vague because explaining I'd spent time with Scotlyn in a suite at Erogenous last night and couldn't wait to see her face when I was sitting across from her in a professional setting wasn't going to grant me access.
Women stood by each other when it came to shit like this.
Whether they knew her or not, they wouldn't give a green light for me to fuck with Scotlyn.
"She's making a pitch for your support today. "
"And?"
"And we put in an offer for the same property. She's an outsider. I want to make sure the deal is in the right hands."
"Meaning your hands." She arched her brow.