Chapter 14
“Are you okay, bossy lady?”
I jumped as I looked up from my computer to see Laurel standing in front of me. I’d zoned out so bad that I didn’t even hear her come in. My anxiety was at an all-time high. There were drugs in my shop… drugs. And not just any drugs. There were several bricks of cocaine. I couldn’t wait to get this shit out of here.
All week long, I’d been terrified of being here. In my mind, a cop or someone was going to show up, search the place, and I’d be spending the rest of my life in prison. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t even gone to my training session with Devin because, what was the point now?
I was wracking my brain trying to figure out which one of my employees fucked Patrick—not because I cared, but because I needed to know who was feeding him information. Every time one of them spoke to me, I looked for a sign of betrayal in their features. So far, I hadn’t been able to pinpoint the culprit.
“I’m okay, Laurel,” I said softly.
“I’m worried about you, Romi. You don’t look well.” She came in and closed the door. “Is there anything you need?”
I chuckled. “What I need… what I need, you can’t help me with. But thank you for your concern. I promise, I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
She sighed. “Okay. Well, there is someone here to see you, and he said if you don’t come out, he’s coming in.”
I frowned. “Who is it?”
“Girl, that fine ass Smoke Dillinger. Is he giving you problems?”
“No, girl. Devin is nice.”
Her head jerked back. “Nice! Girl, do you know who that is? Ain’t nothing about that man nice. You have to be careful, Romi.”
“You can send him back.”
She looked like she wanted to protest but didn’t say anything as she stood and left the room. I tried to gather myself before Devin made his appearance. Just as I finished taking a few deep breaths, the door opened, and he stepped in, dressed in all black from head to toe. For a moment, my eyes perused his big, solid frame as he peered down at me with those piercing brown eyes.
He closed the door and came to stand in front of my desk. Placing both hands on top of it, he leaned in close to me. The scent of his cologne swept around me like a warm hug. My God, he smelled delicious.
“Ms. Romi… is there a particular reason you missed my class?” he asked in a low, deep voice.
“You make house calls to everyone that misses a class?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here? “
“Because I can be. Now, answer my question.”
“I… I may discontinue our sessions.”
“Why?”
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t want him to know that I’d been a weak ass pushover yet again.
“Romi,” he said firmly. “Look at me and tell me what happened. Did that nigga roll up on you again?”
I remained quiet.
“Did he show up here?”
“Devin—”
He held up a hand to silence me. As he stood to his full height, he pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call.
“Jaeda, I need a favor… I need you to access the camera footage from Pure Glow Beauty Bar downtown.”
“Excuse you!” I said, jumping to my feet. “You can’t?—”
He snapped his fingers, silencing me. “Yeah. I need that ASAP. Everything from the past week. If you see something suspicious, send it to me. Thanks, sis.”
He hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. Rounding the desk, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I wasn’t sure what he was doing until he began to examine me. He started with my arms, gently running his hands along my flesh as though he were searching for any imperfection.
Slowly, he lifted the front of my shirt and checked my sides. When his hand lightly caressed my pudge, my breath caught in my throat.
“The little one okay?” he asked, peering up at me.
“Yes,” I answered in a faint whisper.
He nodded as he turned me around and lifted the back of my shirt. Again, his hands traced my flesh as though he were reading braille. Pulling the shirt down, he gathered my locs in his hand.
“Devin, please,” I begged, trying to pull away from him.
His arm came around me, and he pulled me against him.
“Be still,” he commanded.
Tears slipped down my face as he lifted my locs to look at the back of my neck. Bruises from where Patrick had grabbed the back of my neck were still visible. He inhaled sharply. A deep growl rumbled in his throat as he touched the bruises.
“He do this to you?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Here?”
Again, I nodded. He released me and turned me to face him. Upon seeing the tears on my face, he wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs.
“I’m not gonna make you relive that by asking you to speak on it out loud. I’ll see it for myself. Are you okay? Mentally?”
I shook my head no.
“Get your things. You’re coming with me.”
“I can’t. I have appointments?—”
“Have your assistant reschedule them. As a matter of fact, I’ll tell her while you gather your stuff and meet me out front.”
He walked toward the door, then stopped and came back to me. He peered down at me with serious eyes as his hand came to my chin. Cupping it, he tilted my head up, leaned in, and pressed his lips to mine. The act shocked me. I gasped as he pulled away and left the room without another word.
I stood there for a moment, gathering myself before I could will my feet to move. After grabbing my purse, I left the office and locked it up before heading out front. Laurel sat at her desk, watching Devin like a hawk with a frown on her face. Her gaze drifted over to me as I became visible.
“You’re leaving?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“With him?”
“We got a problem, love?” Devin asked, looking over at her.
“I just want to make sure she’s good,” Laurel shot at him.
“The safest place she can be is with me. Come on, Romi.”
I sighed as I looked over at my receptionist. “I’m good, girl. Please make sure you reschedule my appointments for as early as possible, and give them my apologies. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded reluctantly. “Okay.”
Devin reached for my hand, and I walked over to give it to him. He led me out of the salon and to the parking lot.
“My car?”
“I’ll bring you back to your car,” he stated as we approached a beautifully restored Chevy Chevelle.
“This is your car?” I asked.
He chuckled as he opened the door for me. “I wouldn’t be driving anybody else’s, love. Yes, this is mine. I did all the work on it myself.”
“It’s nice.”
“Thank you.”
I slid onto the smooth peanut butter seats, surveying the car as he closed the door and rounded the driver’s side. The engine roared as he cranked up the car, making me smile.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked.
“My grandfather had one of these when I was a kid. He used to take me and my sister for rides on a dirt road in the countryside. We put the windows down and stuck our heads out while he sped down the road, kicking up dust. My mama used to be so mad when she had to wash our hair after that.”
“Ahhh… a country girl. I like that.”
I blushed. “Not a full country girl. Just partial. We spent weekends and breaks in the country with my grandparents. Every holiday, the whole family would gather at their place. It was always a house full.”
“Sounds like my people. It’s a vibe every time we link up.”
“I can tell y’all are close.”
“Closer than most, considering we’re all neighbors.”
“All of you live in the same neighborhood?”
“Something like that. We have a family compound.”
“Korri would love something like that, being able to walk out of our house and run next door to her aunt and grandparents. Do y’all have golf carts or something you ride around the compound on?”
“Actually, we do. It’s a big plot of land and a lot of us muthafuckas on it. Nobody is walking that shit.” He looked over at me. “Maybe I’ll show you one day.”
“Oh, you all allow visitors?”
“We’re selective about who we bring around. Can’t be too careful.”
“I get that.”
“So… how is lil’ mama doing? I ain’t forget about her calling me a big nigga.”
I covered my mouth and laughed. “She’s good. I’m sorry about that.”
He grinned. “It’s cool. She called it like she saw it. I am a big nigga, especially to her little self.”
“How was your sister’s photo shoot? I never asked about that.”
“It went good. She’s excited to get them back. She’s also excited because I bought her a car for her birthday. Spoiled ass.”
“Something tells me you’re the reason she’s spoiled.”
“Well, it isn’t all on me, but yeah. I am. That’s my lil’ baby. If her brother has it, she has it.”
“I can see your own kids being spoiled as hell. Wait, do you want kids?”
“I wouldn’t mind a few at some point. Now that my brother and his wife are expecting, my mama is starting her shit about me settling down, finding a wife, and giving her grandbabies too.”
“How do you feel about marriage?”
“I’m not against it. It just hasn’t been on my immediate agenda.” He peered over at me again. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“This nigga… is he baby girl’s father too?”
“No. Korri’s father passed away in a car accident four years ago.”
He nodded. “You have any other ties to him besides this baby?”
“No. To be honest, I wouldn’t care if he just fucking disappeared.”
“Duly noted,” he said as we pulled into the parking lot of a barbeque spot.
“Devin.”
“You hungry?”
“I could eat, but Devin, what does that mean?”
“They have the best fucking ribs here. Ms. Janice don’t play around in the kitchen.”
He completely ignored my question as he got out and came around to open my door. My mind was reeling with thoughts that I’d inadvertently put a hit out on my baby daddy. Did I want Patrick gone? Yes. Did I want Devin to do it? No… yes. Maybe?
After helping me out of the car, we headed inside where the hostess immediately sat us in a secluded section. My belly and I eased into the booth while Devin slid in next to me. Our server appeared and grabbed our drink orders before leaving us with menus to look over.
Devin leaned back and tossed his arm over the back of the booth. “You got a taste for anything?”
“Um, could you recommend something?”
“I can order for you.”
“Should I trust you with that?”
He chuckled, and that panty wetting smile produced a dimple I hadn’t noticed before.
“Don’t I look like I eat good?”
His question had a hint of sexual undertone. At least I thought it did. Either I was horny, or I was tripping. I thought back to our first training session when I felt his dick against my stomach. This man would absolutely ruin my walls if he ever slid inside me.
Then there was the kiss. That kiss, as innocent as it was, it did something to me. Looking at him now, my eyes drifted to those soft, juicy lips on his face. If he’d really kissed me, I just knew I’d be weak in the knees. I bet he sucked a mean cli?—
“Romi?” he called, interrupting my dirty thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“You good?”
“Yes,” I whispered. I cleared my throat. “You said something about ribs?”
“The honey chipotle are the best flavor. Pregnant women can eat spicy food in moderation, right?”
“We can. Sides?”
“The redskin mashed potatoes, grilled corn, and baked beans are good too.”
“I’ll take that.”
Our server returned, and he placed two orders of the same thing, plus a few extras. My mouth watered as he listed each item. It reminded me that I hadn’t really eaten much in the last couple days. I ate enough to curve the hunger pains, but even that was forced. I prayed that this meal didn’t make me sick.
Devin turned to me when the server was gone. Our eyes locked, and for a moment, I sat still, just staring at him. He was such a beautiful man. The things I heard about the Dillingers didn’t seem like they could possibly be true just by looking at him. He looked like any other handsome black man, not what some called a menace.
“What are you staring at?” he asked, shifting in his seat.
“You’re staring at me.”
“You’re staring at me to know I’m staring at you.”
I giggled. “But why are you staring at me, sir?”
“Because I think you’re beautiful, Romi. I uh… I think about you a lot.”
My eyes widened. “You do?”
He nodded. “The shit is foreign to me, you know. Thinking about a woman when I have no plans of sliding between her legs. But you…” His eyes perused me slowly. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Is… is that why you kissed me?”
He nodded again as he slid closer to me. “These lips.” He reached out and traced my bottom lip with his thumb. “I love these lips. I had to taste them.”
Leaning in, he pecked my lips.
“So soft.”
Peck.
“So juicy.”
Another peck.
“So. Fucking. Perfect.”
This time when he kissed me, he sucked my bottom lip between his. A moan inadvertently slipped from my lips as he used his tongue to part them. When it slipped into my mouth to caress mine, my body submitted to his command. His large hand palmed my face as his arm slid around my waist and slid me into his space.
I was lost. Done. A fucking goner. My nipples hardened against the lacy fabric of my bra as he deepened the kiss by kissing me a little rougher. I could feel the slickness pooling between my pussy lips, and if I didn’t stop, I was going to nut on myself right here in front of all these people.
Sensing my need, Devin pulled back slightly, staring deep into my eyes. He wiped the corner of my mouth and smiled.
“You’re gonna be trouble for me, Ms. Romi,” he said, lowly. “I’m good at handling trouble.”
Jesus, be a fence.