32. Azalea
32
Azalea
Kevin Jones’ house was a swamp.
The carpet was so dirty, I was going to have to buy new work flats. They were only $11.99 on Amazon, and made out of pleather, but still.
His dogs were cute and friendly, but his cat lived up to the orange stereotype. I tried my best to steer clear of her chaotic ass.
“How many people live here with you?” I asked when we got back to the living room.
“Six.”
“How is that, for you?”
“It’s all my girlfriend’s family. They’re annoying as shit.”
“Would you be interested in exploring other housing options?”
He scratched the back of his neck. “How much?”
“It depends. Some may be subsidized.”
His eyes moved around the cluttered living room. “Yeah. I’ll think about it.”
“Good. I’ll send you some links. I want to see you in a place where you have peace.”
“Yeah, ain’t shit peaceful about this motherfucker. Excuse my language.”
“It’s okay.”
He held his body in the defeated posture of a man who had nothing to live for. I saw it all the time, and it broke my heart. All these people needed was an opportunity. If I could snap my fingers and provide it, I would, like a fairy godmother from a Disney movie. But, alas, life is not a Disney movie.
Did I say that?
“You’re good people, Officer. Gaither was alright, but he didn’t care all that much.”
“It’s my job.” I reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You can do this, Kevin. And I’m here to help you with anything you need. Okay?”
He nodded, and I jotted down some notes on my pad. As soon as I got back to the office, I was going to get right to work. For Kevin.
Isaac opened his door and stared blankly, like he barely recognized me.
I smiled. “Hey.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to let me in so I can make you dinner.”
His eyes dropped to the grocery bags in my hands. “That sounds like a bribe, Officer.”
I chuckled and took a step closer. “Maybe a little one.”
“Get your fine ass in here.”
He grabbed the bags out of my hands and stepped aside to let me pass, frowning when he got a look at my feet.
“Where are your shoes?”
“In the car. They got messed up at a client’s house.”
“How?”
I followed him into the kitchen. “The carpet was all sticky, and literally black in some spots. Might have been mold.”
He set the bags on the counter and left the room, returning shortly after holding a pair of Adidas slides.
“Put these on. My mama said it’s bad luck to cook barefoot.”
“Mine said that, too, but I’m wearing socks.”
“Then put them on in case you drop something. Protect them toes. They’ll probably be in my mouth later.”
I laughed at that. “We need to talk.”
“I know, but it can wait. You get started, and I’ll be right back. Where are your keys?”
“Is your car not running?”
“It is. Where are your keys?”
I pointed to the table and watched him leave, wondering what he was up to, but not worrying about it because I trusted him.
Isaac’s kitchen wasn’t outfitted as well as I’d hoped—shocker—but I made do. I prepped the salmon and potatoes, then chopped the veggies and set them aside. I was preparing the cream sauce when he returned and dropped two pairs of beauty supply slippers on the kitchen floor.
“I didn’t know what color you would like better, so I got you two.”
I stared at the red and green pairs and laughed. “Really, Isaac?”
“Just to get you home.”
“I couldn’t wear your slides home?”
“If they fit, yeah. What, you too good for beauty store shoes?” he said with a grin.
“That was sweet, but yeah, I am.”
He laughed. “They can be your driving shoes. Also, I filled up your tank.”
I wrapped my arms around him and pecked him on the lips. “Thank you for looking after me.”
“It’s my job.”
He nipped my bottom lip, then backed up a step. “Do you understand why I was so pissed off the other day?”
“Male ego?”
“Nah.” He blew out a sigh as he took a seat at the kitchen table. “Something happens to a man when he cares about a woman. That shit is just instinct. But it’s more than that. I feel like…I need to know that when I’m not around, you can protect yourself. And the fact that you let that nigga grin in your face after he put his hands on you makes me feel like you lack self-preservation skills. That ain’t a good feeling.”
“But…I don’t belong to you.”
“Yes the hell you do.”
“Isaac.”
“ Azalea .”
I snickered. “Not my government name.”
He eyed me curiously, then sat up straight like he’d just realized something big.
“You know why you didn’t tell anybody else? Because you wanna keep the peace. You know everybody that loves you would react the same way I did, and you can’t handle that.”
“You a therapist now?”
“No, but I’ve been going to one.”
“You have?”
He nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We’re not on me right now. Come here.”
He pulled me into his lap and pecked my lips.
“Asking me not to feel protective over you is like telling me not to breathe.”
I sighed. “I appreciate that. I just don’t understand why you can’t take me at my word when I say I’m over it.”
“Are you over it, or did you gloss over it? Cuz those are two different things.”
“I feel like you’re not listening to me.”
“I’m listening. I just don’t believe you sometimes.”
I went to stand, but he gripped me tighter around my waist.
“It’s okay to process shit. It’s okay to feel it, good and bad.”
“I did.”
He gave me a skeptical look. “Alright. I’ll shut the fuck up about it. But I meant what I said the other day.”
“Which part? You said a lot.”
“I’ll never be in the same room with that motherfucker.” He kissed me again, this time slipping his tongue between my lips. “Sorry to break it to you,” he said against my mouth. “You won’t be, either.”
I pulled back. “Seriously?”
“Dead fucking serious. Your brother-in-law gotta pick a new best friend.”
It was so absurd, I burst out laughing. “You’re on one.”
“Damn right, I’m on one. Matter of fact, I’m on ten. When it’s about you, I stay on ten. You ain’t goin’ near him ever again, Zay.”
“So, you waited until you got me wet to slip that in there, huh?”
“I didn’t know I got you wet.”
“You always do.” I stared down at his lips. “Even when you don’t do anything. Just being around you is enough.”
His dick rocked up beneath me. “Do I eat dinner, or do I eat your pussy? Decisions, decisions.”
I stood to put some distance between us. “I need to finish dinner.”
“Says who?”
“How else will you eat tonight?”
“I been surviving all this time. I think I can manage.”
“I wanted to do something nice for you.”
“Well, just for the record, I never need you to do anything. Just you being who you are is good enough for me. You get what I’m saying?”
“I do. But I already started.”
“And after I make love to you, we’ll finish dinner together. Okay?”
I walked back to him and straddled his lap. “You’re amazing.”
“Am I?”
I answered with a kiss.
He slid his tongue into my mouth, while his hands found a home on my ass. The urge to grind on his dick took over my body. The desire to cum invaded my mind. Forgetting the food, I rocked into him over and over again, crying out when his fingers moved under my shirt and found my nipples.
“Shhh. You gotta be quiet. My neighbor hears everything.”
“So? Let him hear. In fact, tell him to come watch.”
He burst out laughing. “ Now who’s on one?”
“It’s your fault. Your dick makes me crazy.”
I stood and peeled myself out of my work clothes, tossing them on the floor next to us. He reached into his sweatpants and pulled out my giant bestie, his eyes needlessly pleading with me, because I didn’t need any encouragement to do what came natural. I sank down on him and rode him slow. Funny, I was the one who had to remind him to be quiet, finally resorting to covering his mouth with my hand to muffle his groans.
With one nipple in his mouth and the other between his fingers, I bounced myself to an orgasm right before he gave me his warning.
“I’m ‘bout to cum, baby. Get up.”
“Nooooo,” I whined. “Cum inside me.”
“ Fuck . I can’t.”
“Yes you can. You know you want to.”
“Oh, shit. Baby, get up.”
“You really want me to?”
“Fuck, no. Ohhhh, shhhhhhhhit.”
He felt so good throbbing inside me, flooding my pussy with his warm seed while our tongues wrestled and tangled and fucked.
After I cleaned up, while we finished cooking together, I realized Mina was so right. I didn’t care that he was a criminal. I didn’t care that he had no job. He was HIM, and his dick was IT. Nothing else in the world mattered. And I was okay with that.
“Something has come to my attention, and I need to talk to you about it.”
I stared at Henry, mentally cycling through my reports. I’d written about Tori McDonald’s accusation of plagiarism by one of the teachers in her GED program, but it was just a sidenote, not something I was writing her up for.
Oh. Josh Hinton. Had to be him.
“If this is about Josh, I can explain.”
Henry’s eyebrows lifted. “Please do.”
“We had words. Well, he had words for me, and he was a little on the aggressive side. I didn’t report it the first time because I knew he was just venting his frustrations. I ended up putting it in my referral to the psychologist because I figured it might help give context to his mental state. I apologize for the discrepancy. I’ll amend the first report right away.”
Henry nodded. “I’ll be honest, I do find that troubling. If something were to happen, God forbid, there needs to be a paper trail. From the beginning.”
“You’re right. It won’t happen again. I didn’t want to stop his progress, but, well, anyway, it won’t happen again.”
“Good. But that’s not why you’re here.”
“It’s not?”
“Unfortunately, no. There’s a more serious issue at hand.”
My stomach dropped.
I should have known.
This wasn’t about Josh at all. Or Tori. Or anyone else.
This was about Isaac.