Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
F ranklin
“Aye, Q, let me go in here and get this paperwork. I’ll hit you back later,” I told my homeboy Quan as I walked to the front door of my doctor’s office.
“Aight.”
Quan and I had been friends since we were kids.
My parents wanted things a certain way, and they tried to shelter me from almost everything, but that didn’t work.
When I was a teenager, I had gotten into trouble, so we moved from Trenton, New Jersey, to Spring Oaks.
I didn’t like it at first because it was a big difference from Jersey, but eventually, I got used to it until it was time for me to go to college.
As soon as I could, I was on the first thing smoking to South Carolina, where I attended South Carolina State University.
Once I graduated, I moved back to Spring Oaks, and I brought Quan with me.
My folks weren’t too happy about it because they didn’t like him.
They had money, and they flaunted it every chance they got.
They tended to be snobby toward people they felt weren’t on their level, and I hated it.
They were my parents, and I loved them, but I kept my distance, except for a weekly phone call and monthly dinners.
I put the phone in my coat pocket and pulled the door open. As soon as I walked in, I noticed the receptionist sit up straight in her seat and open the little window. She watched me hard as I walked toward the desk.
I heard her whisper, “Something about a man in glasses is sexy,” as I approached the little open window.
She said it low, but it was obvious she wanted me to hear it, or she wouldn’t have said it out loud at all.
“Hi. I’m here to pick up paperwork for Franklin Brown.”
She damn near pushed her breasts up in the low-cut blouse she wore.
“I’ll get them for you.” She stood from her chair and put a little extra switch in her hips as she walked over to a file cabinet.
When she reached the cabinet, she bent over in a way that emphasized the shape of her ass, and I damn sure looked.
She was a little too thirsty for my liking, but I was a man with four eyes that could appreciate a fat ass.
After grabbing whatever she had to get, she walked back to her desk but walked slowly as hell. I guess she wanted me to see everything she was working with.
“Here you go.” Her titties damn near fell out of her shirt. “You’re really handsome.”
“Thanks,” I said as I took the papers from her hand. I didn’t miss how she tried to rub her hand over mine.
“You are welcome.” She smiled, showing all of her teeth.
I shook my head and smiled back, then left. I wasn’t a stranger to women flirting with me, but very rarely did I flirt back. I had a demanding career and didn’t have much time for dating. My last relationship didn’t work out, and I wasn’t in a rush for another one.
My ex, Aliana, and I were together for a couple of years until I realized I loved her more than she loved me.
She only loved the things I could do for her as I moved up in my career.
We broke up a year ago, and I hadn’t thought about dating since.
There was a married chick I messed with, but we ended things a few months ago.
Since then, I’d been chilling and working.
It had been a while since I enjoyed the company of a woman because I didn’t stick my dick everywhere.
My hand and porn had become my best friends whenever I got the urge.
I left the doctor’s office, then headed to the pizza place to get a cheesesteak for dinner. After that, I headed home. I was tired and wanted to eat dinner and work on this car I had been building.
Being a biomedical engineer was tiring as hell.
Most of the time, I worked or was at home relaxing or building model cars.
It was something I picked up when I was young, and I loved it.
Building shit was a passion for me, that was why I got into the profession I was in.
I worked for a company that built artificial body parts and medical devices.
I would have never thought I would go into something like that, but I enjoyed it. The money made it even better.
Once I got home, I pulled into my driveway, grabbed my stuff, then got out of the car.
“Bye, Leo!” I heard my neighbor yell as I walked up my steps. “I told you to leave.”
Our houses weren’t attached, but they were close enough to hear what they said. They weren’t exactly quiet anyway.
“This shit not over!” The dude shouted as he stomped down her steps.
I didn’t even bother looking in their direction. It was too cold to be outside arguing.
“That ain’t my business,” I whispered as I unlocked my front door. It wasn’t my place to step in, but if things got out of hand, I would intervene.
I did peek out the window to make sure the dude didn’t do anything crazy, but he was already gone. I typically didn’t get into domestic disputes because I’d seen women get abused then get mad at someone when they tried to help. I never understood that, but it wasn’t for me to understand.
My neighbor and I only ever said hi to each other. I knew she was with that dude, and I wasn’t trying to step on anyone’s toes. I was a quiet dude who sometimes got mistaken for being corny, but that wasn’t the case. I was educated and liked to keep to myself, but I had a reason for that.
The neighbor seemed like she was outgoing, and I wasn’t. I’ve had women complain about my laidback nature, but I wasn’t going to change it for anyone. Only someone meant for me would accept me the way I was.
I made sure my blinds were closed, then went into the kitchen to wash my hands and sit down to eat.
At the table, I pulled out my phone and noticed a text message from an unknown number.
712-561-3002: Hey. This is Sharelle from Doctor Jamison’s office. I think you are very handsome, and I would love to get to know you better.
I shook my head. “Damn, she bold as hell.”
I put the phone down to decide how I should respond to her and took a bite of my sandwich. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to engage or not because her forwardness was a little bit of a turnoff, but it had been a minute since I entertained a woman.
After taking another bite, I wiped my hands and picked my phone back up.
Me: Thank you. I’ll lock your number in.
I quickly updated her contact info.
Sharelle: Call me anytime.
I sent back the thumbs-up emoji. I probably wouldn’t use it, but I kept it just in case. If I did hit her up, we would have to meet at a hotel because I didn’t let just anybody know where I lived.
As I ate the rest of my food, I thought about my next-door neighbor.
I wasn’t sure what she did for a living, but I noticed she usually wore business attire.
The weekends were the only time I saw her wearing jeans or sweats.
Not that I was watching her, but I noticed her more than I would admit.
I didn’t understand why she was with the dude she was with because it seemed like he didn’t do anything with himself.
Every time I saw him, he looked at me like he had a problem, but I didn’t pay him any mind.
I wasn’t sure what his beef was, but he didn’t know me.
I guess he thought I would take his girl from him, and I would with no problem.
I wasn’t a cocky dude, but I knew what I had to offer.
When I got done with my food, I went into the front room and looked out the window again.
I hoped the neighbor’s boyfriend didn’t come back starting shit.
Our neighborhood was quiet, but he seemed like the type that would disrupt it.
Seeing that the street was clear, I went upstairs to shower and change.
The rest of the night would be spent in my garage until it was time for bed.