Chapter 15
PERSIA
As I neared my office door, my jaw slacked.
“What the fuck?” my head whipped from left to right as I looked around the small plaza.
No other places of business had been vandalized except mine.
Tears swam in my eyes as I took in the splatters of paint on the windows and the words stupid bitch spray painted on the door.
David had to be the culprit, and I was pissed beyond measure.
I was so embarrassed as I scurried inside.
I walked straight to the supply closet and grabbed cleaning supplies.
In a purple and blue, flowy DKNY dress, I was standing outside trying to scrub the profanity off the door, and the words weren’t fading at all. Tears spilled over my eyelids as I scrubbed in vain. I hated David.
“What the hell?” a familiar voice sliced the air.
I turned to look over my shoulder and saw Kastian standing there holding a large Chanel bag along with a Louis Vuitton bag.
“You crying?” anger flickered in his eyes.
“I can’t get it off,” I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“I can have my people get that off in no time. Go inside. Let me call my man Truce.”
Kastian passed me the bags, and I walked into my office.
Once again, he’d come to the rescue and saved the day.
David had been too quiet. Silly me I thought that was a sign that he was going to leave me alone and maybe even cooperate with the divorce.
Instead, his lame ass vandalized my office like a rebellious teenager.
It was truly an embarrassment to be married to him.
Minutes later, Kastian walked into my office. “He’s on the way. Truce is the best to do it. He can have your windows and door looking brand new.”
“Thank you. Once again, you saved the day.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” His tone was low.
Serious. I was falling hard for Kastian, but no matter how safe or good he made me feel, I couldn’t.
I was asking for trouble. My life was still filled with drama from the past, so how could I even think about moving forward with someone else?
I had no idea the length of time that I should remain single, but I knew it was longer than a few months.
“Open your gifts.”
Even though I was extremely upset, my jaw dropped when I pulled the white Chanel purse from the box. He had already bought me the red one, and I loved it. “This is so nice. Thank you.” When I opened the purse, my head lifted, and I looked at Kastian. “You’re the definition of extra.”
“You haven’t seen nothing yet.”
I eyed the three stacks of money that were in $1,000 increments tucked neatly inside the purse. Inside the Louis Vuitton shopping bag was a green duffel bag that I could use for traveling. Inside that one was a blue box. When I lifted the lid, my eyes almost jumped out of my head.
“Kastian.” I was still staring at the watch when I called his name.
“You got me an AP?” I was stunned. I didn’t have the heart to ask him how much the watch had cost. I had seen AP’s for as much as $83,000.
I doubted he’d spent that much on mine, but she was definitely iced out and had to have cost a pretty penny.
“I got my little sister an AP for her eighteenth birthday. That shit ain’t nothing.”
“Okay Mr.” I kept staring at the watch.
Kastian had for sure done a great job of making me forget my troubles.
He was also making it hard to keep my mind open to dating other men.
My birthday date, Omar was someone that I’d gone to high school with.
We reconnected on social media and when he found out I was single, he begged to take me out.
He was so fine in high school, and he still looked good, but his ass was aging for sure.
We all had to get older, however. Omar was cool.
He was divorced and had custody of his two daughters.
Even if I wanted to take someone seriously, I wasn’t sure it would be a man with two dead beat baby mamas that had full custody of a ten- and four-year-old. That would be a lot to take on, and I wasn’t sure I was up for it.
“I just went off the fact that most women like bags and jewelry. If you want something else let me know, and I’ll get it.”
Blushing, I smiled at him and shook my head. When I met David, my ass thought he was a big fish. He wasn’t broke, but Kastian was on another level. His ass was a shark.
“What you got me is more than enough. Thank you.”
“Yeah, with your hiding birthdays ass.”
“When is your birthday?” I giggled as Janet walked into my office with furrowed brows. She stopped in her tracks when she realized I had company. She gave me a strange look and it was more than likely because I was smiling.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. I didn’t know you had company but um, you saw the door, right?”
“Yes, I did,” I sighed. “Someone is on the way to fix it. If I had to guess, I’d say it was probably my idiot ex.”
“Wow. Okay, I’ll be in my office. Let me know if you need anything.”
Kastian looked down at his phone. “He’s here. I’ll go out and holla at him.”
All I could do was nod. My gut churned as fear that he wouldn’t be able to get it off took over.
David didn’t know where I lived, but he knew where I worked.
He was going to be a thorn in my side until he decided to move on.
Shit was sad. And I still wasn’t giving him the $15,000 back.
I forced myself to look over some emails while Kastian and Truce were outside.
Twenty minutes later, he came back into the office.
The smell of his cologne was still lingering in the air even after he left the office, but it was subtle.
The smell came back full force as he entered.
“I have to run.” He walked around my desk and kissed me on the lips. “You’re as good as new again.”
“Really?” relief oozed off me. “Oh my God, thank you so much. Tell him I said thank you. How much did he charge? You just spent a grip on me. If you paid him, I’m reimbursing you and not taking no for an answer.”
Kastian frowned. “Picture that. And that’s my homie. He didn’t charge me, so you don’t have to worry about that. Bye.”
Staring after Kastian, I bit the inside of my cheek.
I didn’t want to get in over my head, but he was making it so hard not to.
Kastian was everything that any sane woman would want in a man.
Between the two bags and the watch, I was sure he hadn’t spent less than $40,000.
That much money on three items was insane.
It wasn’t just money. Kastian could have bought me ten Chanel bags, but if he was arrogant, disrespectful, rude, etc.
I would have told him he could keep them.
But the fact that he was rich, single, didn’t have kids, charming, and sexy as fuck man I wanted to thank his parents for creating his ass.
If love and another relationship were on the agenda, I’d be trying to snatch him up.
I made myself feel better by reminding myself that if we were meant to be, he’d still be there when I was ready.
“Damn, he was fine. Who was that? Is he single?” Janet asked, and I raised my brow.
“He’s very single, but I’m on my good bullshit with him while I get over my relationship. You can try him out but fair warning. I’m not coming up off that dick.”
Janet tossed her head back as she laughed. “I know that’s right. Do your thing Boss Lady. I’m not even mad at you.”
Bev sipped her wine and set her glass back on the table. “I don’t know friend. I think a month maybe two months tops is enough time to heal. You depriving yourself of a man like Kastian is absolutely insane.”
“I absolutely can’t be one of those women that can’t be happy unless she’s with a man. I was with David for a long time. It would be crazy to go right back to being tied down.”
“Yeah, it would if you were running into a ton of great options to have fun with. I condone sometimes whorish behavior because shit, we only live once. But the dating pool is trash. There’s debris, pee, and a lil’ feces in it.
You wouldn’t be missing anything by being with Kastian.
I’d hate for you to realize that then find out he’s been snatched up by another woman. ”
“But I would be missing something, Bev. It might seem odd to you, but I have to get to know myself. I need to figure out who Persia without a man is. Relationships are beautiful, but they’re also a lot of work.
I just want to be happy. And happy doesn’t always have to mean a man.
It’s okay to just be by yourself sometimes. ”
“I hear you, and I love the fact that you’re trying to find yourself. But damn friend. I just don’t want you to miss out on a big ass blessing.”
“Shoot, I don’t want to miss out on a big blessing.” I laughed. “But if we’re meant to be, he’ll be there when I’m done healing.”
Bev picked her glass back up. I’ll drink to that.
On the way home, every time I thought about Kastian, a smile a wide long stretched across my face.
Bev and I met up for drinks and appetizers, but I had food at home in my slow cooker.
I had plans to invite Kastian over for dinner, and I was nervous.
Why I was nervous to invite a man to dinner that had literally eaten my ass from the back was crazy.
Kastian gave me butterflies. He made me feel things I hadn’t felt in a long time.
He made me feel things that I’d never even felt for David.
My husband. My gut knew that David wasn’t the one for me.
Silly me went along with the scenario because it was the safe thing to do.