Chapter 7
“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen.”
I extended my hand and shook theirs before leaving the warehouse floor and heading back to my office. My team would handle loading the shipment of various weapons into the back of the vans. I’d secured a million-dollar deal with an overseas company. The payment had cleared, and they’d come to collect.
Back in my office, I adjusted the inventory on my computer, lit a blunt, and poured myself a glass of whiskey to celebrate. As I sat there, a call came through on my phone. I picked it up to see Peach calling. She was right on time. There was nothing like celebrating a win with some deep throat and some wet ass pussy.
Sitting back in my chair, I answered.
“Wassup?”
“Hey, baby,” she said, sounding all seductive and shit. “What are you doing?”
“Handling some business.”
“You too busy to come through in a little bit? I could use a little tune-up.”
I chuckled. “You couldn’t wait for our session this week?”
“LJ isn’t feeling good, so I’m working from home this week.”
“You want me to come over while that lil’ nigga is sick?”
“He’s knocked out from the cold medicine, and I need you and that dope dick to come put me to bed.”
I smirked. “I got you. I’m leaving here in a few.”
“I’ll be waiting. Bye, baby.”
“Bye.”
I disconnected the call and finished adjusting the inventory. Twenty minutes later, I was walking out of the warehouse and headed to my car. Inside, I cranked up my playlist and pulled out of the parking lot. It was nearing nine, still pretty early. Peach didn’t live too far away, so it would take me no time to get there. With time to spare, I took a detour and drove past Romi’s.
Unbeknownst to her, I’d driven through her neighborhood a few times since she told me her story to check on her. It didn’t sit right with me that she was in that house alone with everything going on. Add the fact that she was pregnant… yeah. I didn’t like that shit.
I turned into the neighborhood and reduced my speed to a slow roll. As I neared Romi’s house, I could see her rolling her trash can to the end of the road. The closer I got, the slower her strides became. I’d just reached the driveway when she took off running.
“This girl is gon’ break her damn neck,” I mumbled, throwing the car in park. I swung the door open and hopped out. “Ro! It’s just me.”
She stopped and turned around, squinting. “Devin?”
“Yeah.”
“What the fuck are you doing driving by here so goddamn slow! You scared me!”
“My bad, love. I was just driving by to make sure you were good.”
She crossed her arms under her breasts as she frowned. She was out here in some little ass shorts, a T-shirt, and some fuzzy slippers with a bonnet on her head.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Park and come inside.”
She stormed back into the house, leaving me outside my car. I chuckled as I climbed back inside and pulled into the driveway. After ensuring the car was locked, I headed up the front steps, where she was waiting at the door. She opened it wider to allow me in. The moment I was on the other side, she shoved me.
“Don’t do that again.”
I raised my hands in mock surrender. “Don’t hurt me, now.”
She rolled her eyes. Her face softened as she looked up at me. “This isn’t the first time, is it?”
“Nah. I drive by when you cross my mind. If I don’t see anything, I keep it pushing.”
“That’s… nice of you.”
“A nigga can be nice sometimes.”
“I bet. You want something to drink?”
“I’m good.”
She motioned to the couch. “Well, have a seat.”
She walked over and took a seat as she grabbed the remote. I copped a spot next to her.
“What were you in here doing?” I asked, stretching my legs out.
She shrugged. “Bullshitting. Watching bad reality TV.”
“Why do women love that shit? Just a bunch of catty ass women starting drama.”
“It’s entertaining. I might as well look at other people’s drama to distract me from my own. What are you doing out?”
“I had some business to take care of.”
She eyed me skeptically. “At night?”
“What’s wrong with conducting business at night?”
“Nothing. It’s none of my business anyway.”
“If you must know, I’m a weapons dealer outside of the gun shop.”
“What kind of weapons?”
“Any kind you can think of.”
“I want to ask a question, but I feel like I might offend you.”
I waved her off. “I’m not offended by curiosity. Now, blatant disrespect… that’s another story. Ask what you want to know, love.”
She bit her lip as she looked at me, contemplating what she was about to say.
“Is the gun shop a cover-up for the weapon dealing?”
I laughed because the look on her face was so serious.
“No, it’s not. Both are very legal ventures. I’m not a complete criminal. Is that what you think of me?”
“See,” she said, raising her hands, “That’s why I didn’t want to ask.”
Again, I laughed. “Relax. Considering what you probably already know about me, that’s a valid question and assumption.”
“I never said I heard anything about you.”
I gave her a look that said be fucking for real. She didn’t have to lie to me. I was well aware of the things people said about my family.
She sighed. “Okay, so maybe I have heard a few things.”
“Yet this is twice that you have let me in your house.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Devin.”
“You shouldn’t be. I would never hurt you.”
She smiled softly. “I believe that. I will say I wasn’t expecting you to be as nice to me as you have been. Honestly, I thought you would be sick of me and my crying by now.”
I chuckled. “I’m getting used to the crying.”
She picked up a pillow and smacked me with it.
“I’m pregnant, hormonal, and traumatized. I get to cry.”
“That’s fair.”
My phone started ringing. Pulling it out, I saw that it was Peach calling. I stared at it for a moment before silencing the call.
“Girlfriend?” Romi asked.
“Nah, I’m single.”
“Oh, well good. I don’t need any smoke from any woman with ties to you about you being over here.”
I kissed my teeth. “Who’s gon’ check me on my whereabouts? I’m a grown-ass man.”
“Alright, Mr. Grown Ass Man.”
It was my turn to hit her with the pillow. As I swung it at her, she raised her hands to block it.
“That’s assault on a pregnant woman, you know.”
“You hit me first, so it’s self-defense.”
She giggled as she rubbed her belly. “Whatever. If you were gonna come stalking my house, you could have at least brought me a snack.”
“You hungry?”
“I’m always hungry. I swear I think this girl is gonna be a big one. It’s a wonder I don’t weigh a ton with how much she has me eating.”
“What kind of shit do you crave?”
“I know it’s stereotypical, but I love pickles. Especially with marshmallow fluff.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“It’s so good!”
“I’ll let you have that shit.” I stood from the couch and fished my keys out of my pocket. “What do you want from the store, woman?”
“You’re really going to go get me a snack?”
“It’s the least I can do.”
“I’ll text it to you.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“How can you offer to get me snacks and tell me not to overdo it?”
I chuckled. “Text me, woman.”
She giggled as she picked up her phone while I walked out the door. The corner store was close, so it didn’t take me long to get there. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, a text came through from Romi.
Doritos. A hot pickle. Cosmic brownie. Pork rinds. Cheese dip. Strawberry lemonade.
I shook my head as I climbed out of the car and headed inside. As I was grabbing her items, another call came through from Peach. I swiped the phone to answer.
“Yo.”
“Are you still coming?”
“My bad, baby. Some shit came up.”
She kissed her teeth. “Really, Smoke?”
“Yeah, man. I got you next time.”
“So what am I supposed to do with all this wet pussy?”
I laughed. “I got you. I promise. I gotta go, though.”
She didn’t even say bye before she hung up in my face. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and headed for the counter. After paying for Romi’s shit, I made my way back to her house. As soon as I stepped on the front porch, she opened the door to let me in. No sooner than I was on the other side did she snatch the bag from me.
“Well, damn. You’re welcome, greedy.”
She giggled as she stood on her toes and kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”
She went back to her spot on the couch and dug into the bag. I shook my head as I went to join her. Snatching up the remote, I turned from that ratchet shit she was watching to find us a movie or something.
“Excuse you!”
“I’m not watching that shit, woman. I’ma find us a classic or something, but I can’t take that fuckery.”
She rolled her eyes as she opened her cheese dip. “So you won’t watch ratchet TV, but I bet you like ratchet pussy.”
I laughed out loud. “You’re too pretty to have a nasty mouth. I, in fact, don’t like ratchet pussy. I like low-maintenance women. Ones that don’t require much and know what it is.”
“Red flag.”
“Whatchu’ mean, red flag?”
“How do you feel about commitment?”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with it. I mean, my daddy can’t seem to commit, but my mom and stepdad have been in a committed marriage since I was a teenager. My brothers are committed to their wives?—”
She placed a finger to my lips. “I asked about you.”
I playfully bit at her finger, causing her to thump my lip.
“Answer the question, Devin.”
“I can commit. It just has to be someone worth it. My mama always told me I’d commit when I found a woman that knew she was more than a piece of ass and made me treat her as such.”
“Your mama sounds like a wise woman.”
“My mama is a mess. Don’t let her fool you if you ever officially meet her. She may look innocent, but she stays hitting my ass.”
Romi laughed. “I’m sure you did something to warrant it. If I had to guess, it’s your mouth.”
I chuckled. “I can get a lil’ reckless at the mouth.”
“I can tell.”
“What about you?” I said, playfully nudging her. “You look all innocent and shit, but I know you can give a nigga hell.”
“I don’t. I mean, I’ve only dated two men my entire life.”
I kissed my teeth. “You lyin’. As beautiful as you are, you telling me only two niggas have ever touched you?”
“I’m not a conquest, Devin. I was with Korri’s dad for a long time. He was my first everything.”
She looked sad, and I wondered what that was about. Where was that nigga, and was she still in love with him? I decided not to ask. It wasn’t my business anyway. I decided to change the subject.
“What concoction are you about to make out of this shit?” I asked, motioning to her snacks.
She smiled. I watched as she crushed the bag of Doritos up. Grabbing the hot pickle pouch, she tore it open, dunked it into the cheese dip, then rolled it in the chips. She took a big bite and closed her eyes like it was the best thing in the world.
“Mmm…” she moaned.
My dick twitched at the sound of that, forcing me to adjust myself.
“That hit the spot,” she said as she swallowed. “All I needed was some ranch.”
“You gon’ fuck around and have the bubble guts. Baby girl is about to be mad as hell.”
She laughed. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll give it fifteen minutes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Put something on,” she said, motioning to the TV.
I flipped through until I settled on Dead Presidents and relaxed into the couch. The sound of Romi crunching on that damn pickle could be heard over the movie. She was fucking it up until the last bite. I heard the bubbling of her stomach. She set the food down and sat up straight. When her hand flew to her mouth, I knew I’d been right. Standing from the couch, I helped her up. She immediately sprinted to the bathroom and slammed the door.
I shook my head as I listened to her throwing her guts up before opening the door and going into the bathroom. While she threw up everything she’d just eaten, I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under some warm water. Beside me, Romi flushed the toilet and sat on it, trying to catch her breath.
“I’m not gonna say I told yo’ ass,” I said, squatting in front of her.
“Shut up,” she mumbled.
I chuckled as I cupped her chin and gently wiped her face. I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she was. She peered up at me with those captivating eyes that screamed how innocent she was. She said she could curse like a sailor, but her vibe gave good girl. Funny, sweet, and could probably raise hell, but a good girl.
“You feel better?” I asked.
She nodded. “I need mouthwash,” she said faintly.
I stood and helped her to her feet. After moving out of her way, she opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the mouthwash. Once she was done rinsing her mouth out, she shut off the light, and we headed back into the living room. I took a seat on the couch and guided her to the spot next to me before placing a pillow in my lap.
“Come on and lay your ass down so we can watch this movie.”
“You’re bossy as hell, you know that?”
I didn’t even say anything because she made the comment as she made herself comfortable with her head in my lap. We settled into the movie once again as comfortable silence fell between us. I smirked to myself. I really gave up sliding in some wet ass pussy to be here.
Ironically, I was okay with that.