Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Indiri
Right when I was done with training, I looked up and spotted Selah talking to Jordyn. Lowkey it was about time they’d met. Now I didn’t have to ignore Jordyn when she asked questions about Selah. She was meeting her for herself.
A brief conversation from Unc later and I was moving toward the two giggling women. I didn’t know what was amusing, but whatever it was had both so engrossed in conversation that neither saw me coming until I was standing right in front of them.
“You’ve really been hiding her from me, Indi.” Jordyn grinned.
“Apparently. It’s really nice to formally meet you, Jordyn.”
“Likewise, and please let me know if you need anything. I’m definitely around.”
“Thank you.” Selah was nice as fuck, grinning and smiling and shit.
We walked through the garage into the kitchen and the first thing I smelled was what Khia was cooking. It had my stomach growling. I had long ago worked off that breakfast smoothie. I would definitely be eating right after my shower.
“I should be fighting your ass right now, but I’m too tired.” Selah talked shit as she moved into the bathroom, pulling the sports tank over her head. I was given a clear view of her shoulder tattoo. That motherfucker was so sexy against her skin.
I laughed. “You’ll be good. We’re running in the morning.” Seconds later I heard the shower come on. Food was now the furthest thing from my mind.
“Oh no the hell we aren’t. You are and I’ll be somewhere asleep,” she tossed out from the bathroom just as I heard the glass door open.
I stripped down, dropping all of my clothes on the way to the shower room.
She was comfortable under the water, hair and all, with her eyes closed. I didn’t know why that turned me on.
When I opened the door, she spoke before I could even step in with her.
“No need to come in here. I’ll be out in a few. I’m not messing with you like that right now,” she damn near growled.
“Damn, you not? I was tryna reward you for your hard work out there.” I stepped closer to her.
She snorted. “Indiri.”
“That’s a no? You don’t want your reward?”
“You’re so full of yourself.”
“Nah but I’m tryna fill you up with me right quick.”
“Boy, bye.” She chortled but created no space between us.
My hands found her hips, pulling body closer to me. “So that’s a no?”
She giggled, no longer able to hold on to how fake mad she was at me. “Depends.” She turned around.
“On what?”
“What you’re willing to do.” She grinned deviously.
When we finally made it out of the shower, lunch was sitting on the island. I made it out first, while Selah was still in the back moving slightly slower.
“Didn’t you say you had an all-white party this evening?” Selah’s voice had me turning around to see her as she stalked into the kitchen.
“Yeah, we do.”
She tilted her head to the side, looking at me like I had confused her. “Then I need to go Uptown because I don’t often wear—”
“Jordyn picked you some shit up. It’s in the closet. You were too busy giving me your ass to look at the bags in the corner.”
“But how did she know my size?” Shorty was stumped.
“She didn’t have to. I did.” A grin creased my lips as I found my way to the late brunch calling my name at the island. It was decked out and I was grateful, even though Selah wanted to keep playing twenty-one questions.
“How did you?”
I cut my eyes from the feast in front of me to her. “You really wanna know that or you gonna come eat?”
She crossed her arms. “You guessed?”
“No.” My eyes moved down her frame slowly. “I know.”
She didn’t say anything else but instead joined me for brunch. By the time both of our plates were made and we were getting ready to sit, she had a whole other line of questioning.
“So, what is this all-white party for?”
“The sports agency is celebrating its fifth year in business. I really don’t feel like being there, that bed is calling my name.” I shook my head honestly.
“Then why are you going?”
“Because you show up for those who show up for you. Rem and Journee are like family. Shit, they are family. They had my back when I didn’t know a damn thing about this game.”
She nodded. “I get it.”
“Pops was about to kill me when I told him I’d dropped out of school, especially after he’d drilled that tech shit into me.
Fucking hated it, and after about a month, I knew I couldn’t do it.
Then Remy scheduled a fight and invited Pops.
It wasn't anything big, just some local gym shit. But after I beat ol’ boy’s ass, Pops said I got lucky but I had heart.
After that fight he was in my corner all the way, keeping it a buck with me and even getting Unc to train me.
He said if I was gonna do it, I had to be the best, because he hadn’t raised me to come in second place. ” I shrugged.
She smiled. “He sounds special.”
“He was.” I grinned, thinking deeply about my father. Some days I missed him so much my chest hurt. I always wondered why we didn’t have more time…why he didn’t have more time. The evilest motherfuckers lived for the longest time, but those who gave this world meaning were taken too soon.
The highlight of my day was watching Selah try on all three dresses Jordyn had picked out for her. The simple realization that my guess about her size was on point, that I’d actually paid attention to her beyond her lips and looks. It was as if she realized I actually fucked with her like that.
“Why are you grinning to yourself?” she asked, leaning into my space.
After working the room for about an hour and a half, we were now seated at our table.
I was lowkey glad she got to meet Rem and Journee, that way they’d both get off my ass about me hiding somebody from them.
Of course Jordyn kidnapped her for a few, but she was returned to me bubbly and just as beautiful as she left.
“Nothing, just thinking.”
“And being antisocial. What were you thinking?” she quizzed.
My eyes went from her lips to her exposed neck. I always felt like I wanted to bite that motherfucker. That was her fault, her skin always enticed me. “About how much I’d like to be up outta here and in you.”
She was caught off guard completely and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Indiri.”
“Don’t be asking what I’m thinking about when you’re obviously not ready to hear what I’m thinking about.”
She giggled then sat back in her seat, fanning herself with her hand. “Nope, especially not if it sounds like that. Not right now at least.”
I licked my lips, then leaned into her space. “Keep it PG then, baby.”
“That wasn’t me, it was you. You’re the one who doesn’t want to be here, so you’re mugging the air.”
“How the fuck am I mugging the air, Selah?”
She shrugged, then pointed to my face. “Like that.”
I laughed.
“How about we play I Spy?”
I looked at her like she was crazy. “We’re grown as fuck, Selah. The fuck are we playing I Spy for?”
She shrugged. “I play it with my niece when I need to focus her attention on our surroundings.”
“I’m not your niece.”
“You’re right; you aren’t, but I need to focus your attention. I spy a massive sign.”
I cut my eyes at her before I glanced around the room looking for what she saw. I found it after a few seconds, on stage behind the podium. I tossed my head in its direction. “There.”
She nodded. “Good, your turn.”
I allowed my eyes to slip around the room, taking in the chandeliers above before my eyes landed on her. “Something fine as fuck.”
“Indiri,” she said, bricking my shit up. Something about the way she pronounced every syllable.
I looked from my watch at her and she was mugging me. “Fine man, damn. I spotted a sign.”
Confusion swept those beautiful delicate features. “A sign, can you be more specific?”
“Yeah, it’s red with four letters in caps.”
She was looking around for what I described for a while. I could tell the exact moment she spotted it because her eyes lit up. “The exit sign.”
“Yep, now let’s go use it.” I was on my feet in seconds, with my hand extended for hers.
“But I thought we ha—”
“I told Journee we’d be here for two hours. Two hours just passed thirty seconds ago. Now let’s go.”
Selah giggled, but damn sure took my hand. She was ready to go as well but being too damn polite to say it.
Once she was standing and I had her hand in mine, I led her to the door. Bigs was right there with a plate in hand. “Y’all headed up?” he asked.
I nodded. “You’re good to stay down here. Just bring the bags up when you get the chance.”
He laughed. “I already handled that. Jordyn said you were cutting out soon. So I handled that before I got my second piece of cake.”
I chuckled. “Good look. Tomorrow then.”
He nodded.
We were walking past him when he spoke again. “Good to see you, Ms. Baker Lady.”
Selah giggled. “It’s good to see you too, Bigs.”
When we reached the elevator, I was glad it happened to be open already as an older woman stepped off.
Selah stepped on, body occupying the left corner.
Once the doors closed, I scanned the PH fob and backed up against the wall.
I reached over, pulling her into my embrace, feeling like I had to be touching her.
It was strange, because for the life of me I couldn’t understand when I’d gotten like this.
I felt drawn to her, like magnetically pulled to this woman.
We couldn’t be in the same space and I did not look at her or touch her.
Even when I was looking at her, I couldn’t do that for too long.