Chapter 8
“This must be serious if you got us on a three-way call,” Talia said.
“I hope it’s good and juicy,” Indira added.
“I met someone,” I blurted out.
“What do you mean?” Talia questioned.
“Met someone as in a man?” Indira asked.
“Yes. I met a man, and if one of you don’t talk me out of it, I’m fucking him tonight.”
“Hold up!”
“Wait a minute!”
They spoke simultaneously.
“I know it sounds crazy, and it’s out of my norm, but this man . . . whew!”
“Lani, please give us more details,” Indira said.
“Please do. I don’t even know what questions to ask at this point,” Talia added.
I gave them the run-down on how I met Rowdy. By the time I parked in my designated parking spot, they knew everything I knew about him, which wasn’t much.
“Have you seen him around here before?” Talia asked.
“Never. Believe me, I would’ve noticed and remembered. He kinda reminds me of Russell.”
“If you’re talking about Russell Rush, that’s one fine specimen,” Talia said.
“He sure is, but I don’t know, Sis. I mean, none of us are saints, but taking a stranger back to your place on the first date seems a little crazy,” Indira reasoned.
“You wanna hear something crazy? I know it’s a risk, and I still wanna do it. I want this man like I’ve never wanted anyone in my life. Honestly, I don’t know why I called y’all because I’m still gonna do it.”
“Lani, what’s gotten into you?” Talia questioned.
“Nothing yet, but I hope it’s Rowdy’s dick soon.”
My sisters gasped.
“Okay. This is too much. Someone has kidnapped our sister and replaced her with a horny risk-taker. I’ve never heard you talk like this,” Indira concluded.
“Gimme a break, y’all. I haven’t had sex in months, and I haven’t had great sex in years. The Lord is telling me this man is going to give me exactly what I’ve been missing all these years.”
“Umm, I feel you, Sis, but you can’t be putting the Lord into your shenanigans. I’m pretty sure He wouldn’t sign off on this,” Talia countered.
“Ha! That’s true. My bad, God.”
“It sounds like this is about more than just your libido,” she continued.
“Maybe, but let’s not disregard my libido. She is very much a part of what’s happening because I’ve never dated anyone with tattoo sleeves and plaits.”
“Are you saying he doesn’t appear to be your type?” Indira asked.
“Yes . . . No . . . Well, maybe. Hell, I don’t know.”
“Hmm . . . That’s interesting. Not too long ago, you said you didn’t know what your type was, but you knew what it wasn’t. Where does he fit?” she pressed.
“I don’t know, but I have to let him scratch this itch or I might go crazy.”
“Okay, here’s the plan. Before you go anywhere with him, I want to know where you’re going, a picture of his driver’s license, license plate, the make and model of his car, and all of his social media handles.
Also, make sure you take your gun and make sure he knows you shoot first, and ask questions later,” Talia offered.
“I got you, Sis. Let me get ready. I’ll send everything to you before we leave.”
“You know what? Maybe we should come over and—” Indira began.
“No! I don’t need y’all to come over. I’ll send everything Lia said before we leave. Love y’all.”
“Love you too.” They chimed before the call ended.
I thought I would chicken out by the time I finished showering, applying a light beat to my face, and getting dressed. Instead, I was more excited about spending time with Rowdy than I had been before.
“Your sisters don’t play about you, huh?” Rowdy asked as he drove us to Luxor, an upscale restaurant downtown.
“My family don’t play about each other, but I can protect myself if need be.”
I patted my purse while smiling knowingly. Rowdy glanced down, and when he realized what I meant, he nodded with a smirk.
“I would never guess you were carrying, but that’s good. It’s still nice that your family looks out for each other. I’m the same with my mother and sister. It’s been just us for most of my life, so I’ve been their protector since I got a lil weight on me.”
“How old is your sister?” I asked.
“Seventeen going on thirty. She’s actually going to OC High School for her senior year. I need you to keep an eye on her because she can be more than a handful.”
“What school did she attend last year?”
“We just moved here about a month ago from Savannah.”
“Oh, really? I guess that explains why I’ve never seen you. What made y’all move here?”
“My uncle is preparing for retirement, and he wants me to take over his shop. I’m as close as he’ll ever get to a son because he doesn’t have children.”
“That’s awesome. Congratulations.”
“It’ll probably be a couple of years before he retires and thinks I’m ready to take over, but thank you.”
“You’re welcome. What does your mom do?”
“She’s on the janitorial staff at the hospital.”
“At OC General?” He nodded. “It’s known as the best hospital in Georgia. I’m sure she’ll enjoy working there.”
“As much as one can enjoy cleaning up after people,” he mumbled.
“Umm, it doesn’t sound like you like your mother’s career choice. What’s that about?”
“It’s a job, not a career, and what man wants their mother, or any woman they love, cleaning up after other muthafuckas for a living?”
I nodded. “Point taken.”
“She’s never made enough to pay all the bills. I’ve been doing what I could to help her out since I was ten.”
Ten? There aren’t many ways a ten-year-old can earn money. I wonder what kind of things he did.
“That’s very admirable of you. Is that why they didn’t stay in Savannah?”
“Partially.”
“What’s the other part?”
“Damn, you ask a lot of questions. We won’t have shit to talk about at the restaurant,” he said with a smile.
“You’re right. I’ll chill until after we order our food.”
I told him as much as I could about Onyx City for the next few minutes until we arrived at the restaurant.
Once inside and seated, we took our time reviewing the menu, discussing items we could order and share.
After we received our drinks and placed our orders, I returned to my previous line of questioning.
“So, what was the other reason your mom and sister didn’t stay in Savannah?”
“Enough about me. How about I ask you a few questions?”
I wasn’t sure if he was avoiding the question or if he was tired of talking about himself, but I assumed the latter.
“Go for it,” I agreed.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight. You?”
“I’ll be twenty-nine on October thirtieth.”
“Hmm . . . a Scorpio.” I never dated a Scorpio.
“You got a problem with Scorpios?” he questioned.
“How could I have a problem with Scorpios when I’m one too? My birthday is November eleventh.”
“Interesting.”
“Very. Celebrating our birthdays together could be a vibe.”
“Look at you, planning for the future. I agree. Do you have any other siblings besides your sisters?”
“I have an older brother, and both of my sisters are younger. It’s just you and your sister, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“What do you mean, pretty much? Do you have other siblings?”
“My father has three other sons, all older than me. I heard the one closest to my age passed away.”
I narrowed my brows, confused by the second part of his statement.
“You heard he passed away?”
“That’s what I said.”
“I’m guessing you aren’t close to your older brothers.”
“They don’t want anything to do with me, so they don’t exist in my world.”
“Wow. I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know why?”
“Our father says it’s because I’m the product of the affair he had with my mother. He was married to their mother when I was conceived.”
“But what your parents did has nothing to do with you,” I reasoned.
“I know, but I’m not gonna force a relationship with people who want nothing to do with me. I’m good. So, how long have you been teaching?”
“I’m a social worker. This is my fifth year.”
“Social worker, huh? You’ll definitely meet my sister.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Is she . . . troubled?”
“You could say that. She claims to be ready to turn over a new leaf, so we’ll see.”
“What’s her name?”
“Ramina Noble.”
“I’ll be sure to call her down to my office and introduce myself.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
The server arrived with our food, and after everything was placed on the table, I extended my hand to Rowdy. He hesitated briefly before taking it. I closed my eyes and bowed my head to bless the food, and I could feel his eyes on me.
“Bow your head and close your eyes,” I requested without looking up.
When I no longer felt his gaze on me, I blessed the food.
“Lord, thank You for sending this handsome angel to rescue me today. I’m grateful for the time and money he sacrificed, and the care he put into ensuring my safety.
May You continue to cover and protect him from anything meant to cause him harm.
Thank You for the food, and bless the hands that prepared it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
We lifted our heads at the same time, and our eyes connected. His eyes were soft yet intense, and made my body hot all over.
I cleared my throat. “You good?”
He nodded. “I don’t think any woman besides my mother has ever prayed for me.”
“Oh. Did I overstep?”
“No, but you may have a hard time getting rid of me.”
“Good, because I think I want you to stick around.”