Chapter 11 Farrah
What am I asking for? I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
It felt a lot like flirting, except I didn’t even like Mekhi Venzant to flirt with him.
But that didn’t explain why he was standing between my legs, his hands possessively gripping my thighs.
And it sure as hell didn’t explain why I liked the feeling of his touch.
Tilting my head, I looked up at him. This close, I could see how clear his chocolate brown eyes were, smell the mouth-watering scent of his cologne, feel how warm his skin was.
Mekhi was an asshole, but he was a sexy one.
“I’m just asking that you watch my back until you figure all this out,” I said finally.
It was crazy that my interactions with him might put me at risk, considering we weren’t on friendly terms at all.
But I couldn’t forget the scary incident with the tulips.
I had no idea who was behind that. I agreed it had to be because of him.
I hadn’t had a secret admirer before all this.
Plus, this would keep Ajani off my back and lessen the chance my parents would hear something that alarmed them.
I really didn’t want to ruin their trip.
He frowned, like he was considering my request. His thumbs began to draw slow, tantalizing circles on the insides of my thighs as he thought. Heat spread from his hands to my body and zinged straight to my center.
“Mekhi—”
My voice was almost a moan. His thumbs kept moving as he caught my eyes, a smirk playing around his mouth. He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Trying to ignore it, I spoke again.
“Well?” I pressed.
He hesitated another moment before speaking. His next words caught me by surprise.
“I got you. But what I say goes. When I tell you to move, you move. If I tell your bougie ass to be still, you do that. Ain’t gon’ be no socializing with a bunch of people, especially if I don’t know them, until I figure out who did this shit. Understand?”
“But—”
He shook his head. “This shit ain’t negotiable, shorty. I’ma do what I think is best to look out for you and you gotta trust me for it to work.”
Sighing, I nodded. For some reason, I did trust him. I barely knew him, I didn’t really like him, but I trusted him. Made no sense.
“Can I go back to my cousin now?” I asked.
He didn’t say anything, but he did let go of my thighs and take a step back.
It wasn’t really enough room for me to get my thick ass down, but I wasn’t about to beg him to move.
Instead, I eased off the car, inhaling sharply as the front of my body slid down the front of his.
I already knew how solid he was from the day of the drive-by when he’d been on top of me.
He gave me a knowing little smile before stepping back a little bit more.
I rolled my eyes and walked around him, ignoring the lingering tingles from his touch.
He fell into step beside me as I made my way back into the complex. We headed toward Field Six, and I smiled when I saw Mariah where I left her, Seth sitting in front of her. Mekhi followed me up the bleachers and sat next to him. Seth smirked at him.
“Thought you didn’t have time for the game?” he said.
“Fuck you, nigga,” Mekhi responded.
Mariah pointed at him, then pointed at me.
I shook my head hard as hell. She narrowed her eyes and flipped me off.
I’ll tell you later, I mouthed. She nodded.
I didn’t know what the hell I was going to tell her, though.
I hadn’t mentioned to Mariah about the drive-by because I didn’t want my MiMi to hear about it.
She’d tell my mother and all of them would be worried.
My eyes cut to Mekhi. He was nodding as Seth talked to him in a low voice. Even his profile was perfect. Damn, I had to remember that I hated him. Pitiful, I thought. I should be aggravated at him but, instead, I was damned near drooling over him.
Kera’s team finally took the field and minutes later, the game started. I watched intently, ready to cheer my girl on. Suddenly, I felt Mariah’s elbow digging into my side.
“Ouch! What, bitch?” I snapped.
She pointed toward the bottom of the stands.
My gaze followed her finger, and I saw Lincoln Hays waving at me.
I smiled and waved back. Lincoln grew up in my grandparents’ neighborhood, so I’d known him forever.
He’d tried to shoot his shot when we were teenagers, but he was too wild for me, too heavy in the streets.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t flirt, though.
Lincoln was fine. He crooked his finger at me, telling me to come here. Before I could stand up, Mekhi spoke.
“Nah, you good right there,” he said.
His eyes were on Lincoln, but there was no doubt that he was talking to me. I frowned at him.
“I’m just going to say hi.”
“You already said hi.”
“You can’t be serious!”
He looked at me then and I realized how serious he was.
“Mekhi—”
“I don’t know that nigga,” he cut me off.
I sucked my teeth. “But I do!”
He shrugged and started talking to Seth again.
This man was impossible. He really thought his word was law.
I didn’t know who had his head so gassed, but he had me all kinds of fucked up.
I wasn’t for a repeat of his drama, though, so I looked at Lincoln and waved bye.
He had seen the whole exchange with Mekhi, so he just winked at me and walked off.
“What’s up with you and him?” Mariah asked softly, her eyes on Mekhi.
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
She sucked her teeth. “Lying ass.”
“Whatever. Watch the game.”
Kera’s team won easily—eight to two. Mariah and I waited near the fence to congratulate her, Seth and Mekhi still close by.
Mekhi kept shooting me looks, like he was daring me to walk away from his line of sight.
Maybe I had asked for more than I could handle.
If he thought he was going to dictate my every move, he had another thing coming.
I let his ass make it today, but we were going to have a talk ASAP.
I changed my focus as Kera walked off the field. Her shoulder was wrapped up, but she was smiling big as hell. I couldn’t help grinning back at her.
“You saw your girl out there throwing like Shohei Ohtani?” she asked, bumping our fists right quick.
“I’on know about all that, but good ga—”
My words cut off, and I let out a soft little shriek as a pair of masculine arms slid around me from behind. The inviting scent of Tom Ford’s Noir Extreme teased my nose and the chest behind me was solid.
“Your man not gon’ trip about an old friend getting a hug, is he?” Lincoln whispered near my ear.
I turned around and threw my arms around his neck.
“You a mess,” I told him.
“Damn, you looking good, girl,” he complimented me, his hazel eyes moving down my body.
“You don’t—”
“Farrah,” Mekhi’s cool voice came from behind me.
I felt Lincoln tense, and I lifted a hand to his chest to calm him.
The last thing I needed was these two fighting.
Mekhi sounded calm but scary. Dangerous.
And despite what he thought, I’d been around here enough to have heard the whispers about just how perilous he was.
I didn’t want to look like a pushover, but I didn’t want to be on the wrong side of his anger, either.
“Mekhi—” I began.
“You with him for real, fam?” Lincoln asked, gesturing toward Mekhi.
Mekhi chuckled. “That’s not ya business, and she not ya fam.”
He looked at me expectantly. For one minute, I almost ignored him.
But I had no doubt that Mekhi would take this shit next level, and I’d never known Lincoln to back down, either.
Giving Lincoln an apologetic look, I stepped out of his embrace and moved toward Mekhi. Lincoln glanced at me and nodded.
“Understood,” he said, before strolling away.
But it wasn’t understood, because I didn’t even understand the pull Mekhi had over me. Kera’s mouth had dropped open when I did what he said, and I heard Mariah mutter something. Glaring at them, I walked closer to Mekhi. I lowered my voice, hoping only he could hear me.
“You are so fucking extra,” I hissed.
He acted like I hadn’t said anything. “You ready?”
Wordlessly, I turned around and started striding toward the parking lot. I was sick of Mekhi Venzant and ready to be out of his presence. You asked for this, my conscience reminded me. I was starting to regret the request. Mariah and Kera fell into step beside me.
“Bitch, you know you owe me an explanation,” Kera whispered.
“Get in line,” Mariah told her.
I waved a hand, then ignored them. I wasn’t about to try to explain with Mekhi just a few steps behind me.
“Farrah—” Kera pressed.
“In the car, Bestie,” I told her.
She frowned, but we walked to my car in silence. I had gotten in and was strapping on my seatbelt when Mekhi knocked on my window. I looked at him for a minute before reluctantly letting it down.
“What?” I asked sullenly.
“Go home.”
“Mekhi—”
“Bye, Farrah,” he said, turning to walk in the direction of his car.
“Ugh!”
My car was completely quiet for a minute. Suddenly, Kera and Mariah were talking at the same time.
“Bitch, what the hell?”
“So, now you doing what Mekhi says? You can’t even stand him!”
Sighing, I closed my eyes. “Y’all—”
“Nah, spill it, heffa,” Kera demanded.
“Fine.” I turned around in my seat so I could face Mariah. “Riah, you can’t say anything to MiMi.”
“I won’t! I promise.”
I didn’t say anything at first, just started my car and pulled off. Finally, I told Mariah about the drive-by, before talking about the deal that I had made with Mekhi. Mariah’s eyes got big, but Kera nodded her approval.
“I like it. Seth’s been keeping up with me and Aunt Janine for the same reason. I’m glad Mekhi is looking out for you,” she said.
I huffed. “Girl, but if he’s going to act like that—”
“Let him handle it, Farrah. He knows this situation better than you do. Just listen to him.”
“He’s too damned bossy.”
“He’s a boss nigga. All this time y’all been acting like you don’t like each other—”
“I don’t like him!” I cut Kera off.
“Mm-hmm,” she said.
“He’s fine as hell, Cousin. Let him put more than his eyes on you,” Mariah teased.
I sucked my teeth. “Girl, I would never. That nigga is rude, arrogant, and—”
“Sexy as fuck,” Kera finished.
I glared at her in the rearview mirror, but I couldn’t deny what she said. Instead, I turned on my radio and drowned them out. Mekhi Venzant might be fine as hell, but I wasn’t interested.
At least… I didn’t think I was.