7. Colony Miles
I hadn’t seen Keondra since that night I’d let him finger fuck me in his kitchen, and he’d been on my mind heavily. Even though we hadn’t seen one another, we talked every day. Whether it was a text or phone call, Keondra always reached out first, making it a point to let me know I was on his mind.
Something so simple had me giddy.
Probably because it’d been far too long since a man had shown me attention like Keondra did. I was partly to blame for the missing male interaction, but I had my reasons.
“Girl, who has you smiling like that?” Riley interrogated, sauntering into my office. She’d better be glad the door to my office was open from the way she came in and plopped down on my couch.
“Well, aren’t you nosy.”
“We’ve already discussed that, so are you going to tell me or not?”
“Tell her what? I want to know,” Olive stated with our lunch in her hands.
Texting Keondra back, I set my phone down and went to my connecting restroom to wash my hands.
Neither of the girls said anything. They waited for me to come back, never taking their eyes off me.
Out of everyone, I trusted Riley the most. Olive was a given, being that she was my best friend, but I needed to be sure no one else knew about Keondra and me.
“Close my door,” I instructed Riley. The way she hopped up so fast and almost fell had me and Olive cackling. Her ass could be so dramatic, but I loved her.
Riley took a seat by Olive with her chin resting in her hand. “Okay, we’re listening.”
Expelling through the circle my lips formed, I sat back in my seat and tapped my fingers against the arm of my chair. “So, I’m kind of seeing someone.”
Olive’s eyes flared. “Kind of? Girl, how does that work?”
“Because we haven’t been on our first date yet, but we’re going this weekend.”
“Who is it?” Riley quizzed.
“It’s . . . Don’t judge me, y’all.”
“Oh, please. Who are we to judge?” Olive waved me off. “You know all my dirty secrets, so don’t act like that with me. Now, Riley is a different story.”
“Don’t do me, Olive. You know Colony and I have our special relationship too. And before you say anything, I know no one can replace you. I’m just saying that Colony trusts me too, or I wouldn’t be a part of this conversation.”
I had to agree with Riley. “She has a point, Olive.”
“Whatever.” Olive flitted her eyes upward then focused on me. “Who is he?”
“He’s one of the kids’ fathers.” The collective gasp from the girls almost made me regret telling them, but I shook it off. “Trust me, I’m just as shocked as y’all.”
“Well, are you going to tell us whose father it is, or are you going to make us guess?” Riley inquired.
My gaze went to Olive who was staring at me with those brown sugar tinted eyes, smirking.
She leaned forward, resting her forearms on my desk with her head tipped to the side.
I tried to avoid her stare, but it was too intense.
My bestie was reading me like a book, letting me know she’d already cracked the code.
Brushing her bangs from her face, Olive ran her tongue over her teeth before stating, “I can bet you I know who it is.”
“Who?” Riley sounded like an owl with how high-pitched her voice was.
“Is it the man you called and asked me about? The one who was late picking up their child?”
As I expected, Olive was spot on. I’d forgotten about me calling her and asking about him. All I could do was bite my bottom lip and nod my answer. Olive squealed and bounced in her seat.
“I knew it!”
Riley kissed her teeth. “Damn. Is anyone going to fill me in?”
“It’s simple.” Olive turned to Riley. “Which child has the finest father?”
“Shit. We have a few of them if we’re being honest.” Riley tapped her finger against her chin then her eyes lit up. “Oh, bitch! Is it Keondra?”
“Ding, ding, ding!” Olive dramatically beat her hands against my desk.
My hands shot to my face as the two of them went on and on about how fine Keondra was. Trust me, I knew. I could never get enough of staring at that man. He was a little rough around the edges, but his glasses gave him a unique look, one that made my insides quake whenever he was around.
“Colony, girl. How did you crack the code?” Riley wanted to know. “I mean, I can’t tell you how many women have tried their hand at his fine ass, and he didn’t budge. What the hell did you do?”
I hunched my shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Well, I’m all for it,” Olive expressed, grinning. “I hope he breaks your back in, in the best way.”
“Olive!”
“What? Girl, don’t act like it hasn’t been a year since you’ve had sex. You deserve good dick with good company. My senses tell me Keondra has both.”
“If you don’t want to test drive, I will.”
We all laughed at Riley’s crazy ass. I thought about letting them in on what transpired between Keondra and me but decided to keep it to myself. Olive would eventually find out.
I listened to them talk while I ate my lunch. Not too long after, Riley left to go back to her class, leaving me and Olive alone.
Putting the top on her food, Olive questioned, “You’re scared, aren’t you?”
“I am, but I’m honestly trying to go with the flow. I feel like I’m going to fall hard and fast for this man, Olive. Loving his daughter the way I do is probably going to make it worse.” I sighed. “It’s like, I want to open my heart up, but I’m hesitant. I know he is too.”
While I didn’t know the intimate details to Keondra’s past love life, I knew heartbreak when I saw it.
He was bringing out a different side to me, one that was rare.
Never had I been the one to pursue a man, but I felt like that was what I was doing with Keondra.
He was fragile which meant he needed to be handled differently.
It was odd to me, but deep down, I didn’t mind it. Something told me he was worth it.
“All I can say is continue going with the flow and don’t overthink it. You haven’t dated in a while, Colony, so everything you feel is valid. Just try not to self-sabotage, okay? Give yourself and Keondra a chance. You never know where things could go.”
“Why do you sound like Serenity?”
Olive snickered. “You know we give you the best advice because we have your best interest at heart. Take heed to what we’re saying. We might know a thing or two.”
There was no reason for me to doubt her or Serenity. They’d given me the same advice, and I was taking it to heart. Still, I had my reservations, but I’d continue going with the flow because I was truly interested in Keondra Daily.
Saturday night . . .
My nerves were in a bunch as I put the finishing touches to my look.
Keondra was on his way to pick me up, and with each passing second, I could feel myself internally spiraling.
Not in a bad way, but in a way where I prayed I was on my best behavior and truly had a good time with Keondra.
We’d been alone before, but it would be different tonight.
All I could do was pray everything went well.
Earlier in the day, Keondra told me to dress cute but comfortable.
I’d scoured through my closet and didn’t like anything I had, so I went out and got the cutest two-piece short set.
It was bright pink, and I loved the way it looked against my skin.
I paired it with my favorite white sandals to show off my freshly pedicured, white toes and silver jewelry.
My hair was brushed out my face by a white headband, giving the perfect view of my light makeup.
My doorbell rang, and I briefly froze. Closing my eyes, I whispered a prayer that everything would go well and for God to keep us safe, before grabbing my things to meet Keondra. I blew out a breath and opened the door, only to be met with the most beautiful bouquet of bush lilies I’d ever seen.
“Oh, Keondra. These are beautiful. Thank you,” I expressed, taking them from him and sniffing.
“You’re welcome. Kehlani told me your favorite color was orange, so I thought those were fitting.”
“They are. Do you want to come inside while I put them in water?”
“Sure.”
Keondra entered my home and followed me to the kitchen.
His eyes were burning into my back, and I couldn’t help but put a little extra switch in my step.
Setting the flowers down, I searched my cabinets for a vase.
The only one I found was high up. Keondra came over and got it down without me having to ask.
I turned to thank him to find him smothering my personal space.
His fingers met my chin, lifting it for our lips to meet. The kiss was soft and sweet, enough to leave me satisfied while also yearning for more.
“Thank you, Keondra.”
“You ready to go?”
I nodded, and his hand found mine, lacing our fingers together.
He led me out to the front, waited for me to lock my door, and made sure I was safely in his truck.
For the first few minutes, our ride was silent, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
I believed we were both lost in our thoughts, processing what was going on between us.
“How was your day?” Keondra was the one to break the silence, glancing over at me.
“It was good and busy. I went to see my parents earlier. I hate taking that drive sometimes, but they’re worth it.”
“How far away do they live?”
“Thirty minutes away.” Keondra side-eyed me, and I snickered. “What?”
“That’s not a bad drive. I thought you were going to say two hours or something.”
“For me, that’s a bad drive because I don’t like driving. I’d much rather be chauffeured around, but then again, I don’t know if I can trust other people’s driving either.” It was my turn to side-eye him, and he chuckled.
His tongue trailed over those soft lips of his. “You don’t have anything to worry about with me. I’m carrying precious cargo, so I’m following the law.”
“Aren’t you sweet.”
“I try to be.” He switched hands on the wheel. “Tell me about your last relationship, Colony.”
“Do I have to?” I half-joked.
“Not if you don’t want to. I’m simply trying to get a better look into your world.”