Chapter 4
I had a long day full of meetings and piles of paperwork to secure some smaller investments. My entertainment came from watching Trouble lead a protest outside of my business like she was right. The one time I’d made myself known when I was leaving for lunch, she’d gone out of her way to flip me off. It was the funniest shit. She was really beefing with me for nothing.
Aisley trailed behind me as we took the elevator down to the ground level. I was too busy on my phone ordering a steak dinner from Aria’s to notice that it’d gone quiet outside. The chilled air greeted us as we stepped out. I pocketed my phone, making the trek to where my driver waited when I realized there was a lone car still positioned in front of the building. I remember seeing Trouble standing on it through the cameras.
Ignoring Aisley and whatever she was saying, I made my way over there. Bending down to peer into the window, I found Trouble fast asleep in the front seat. Her mouth was wide open, and I could bet money she was in that bitch snoring. I guess being a menace was tiring after all. I stroked the hair on my chin as I debated on how I should handle this.
On the one hand, it would be best to wake her up and send her on her way. She’d made it her mission to spend her day smearing my business in the worst way. Yet, a part of me couldn’t deny how at peace she looked when she was sleeping. I made my decision in a split second.
Turning to Aisley, I gave her an order. “Call Big Ned and have him tow this car to my house.”
She nearly choked, trying to get her question out. “Your house?”
“Did I stutter?”
She shook her head adamantly. “I mean no, but why would you do that?”
I returned my attention to my phone and placed a second order for a steak dinner.
“That’s not your business. Just do what I asked, and go home for the evening.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, wanting desperately to say more, but I didn’t allow it. Folding my arms over my chest, I leaned against the side of her car waiting for Big Ned to come pick her up. I decided to use the downtime while I waited to take a deep dive into the things she was saying online about me. After the first post, I locked the phone. Her heart was in the right place, but she was going about this the wrong way. A simple search on my business would show her the truth, but she was adamant on trusting herself. Obviously, her judgments weren’t worth shit because she was so far from the truth.
Thankfully, Big Ned was in the area, so I only ended up waiting about ten minutes. She hadn’t stirred inside her car once, and I had a feeling she wouldn’t for a while. She was obviously exhausted. Since I respected the grind, I was going to allow her to sleep as long as she wanted to.
Once he had her hooked up and they were pulling away, I walked to the open door of my blacked out Eskimo truck.
“To Aria’s,” I instructed Austin. That steak dinner was calling my name in an alluring voice.
The entire drive my mind kept drifting to the midget with the fiery hair. It was time we had a real conversation, and I nipped her little tantrum in the bud. I wasn’t even sure if she knew there was another buyer, and they were the ones she needed to worry about. I could already taste the sweetness of her apology. The words I’m sorry were going to look so good rolling off her tongue.
Austin dropped me off in front of the house. I debated on what I should do with Lovie who was still fast asleep in her car. Either she was tired or slept harder than a bear in hibernation for fun. I was such a light sleeper there was no way I could sleep through my car being towed. I opted for placing a note on the door instructing her to come inside whenever she stirred.
Going inside, I kicked off my shoes by the door before venturing deeper into my four-bedroom home. It was fully equipped with a gym, movie room, and spa on my basement level. On the top floors were three guest bedrooms and two full baths. My master suite was on the ground floor along with my home office I loved to work out of on slow, rainy days where traveling into the city didn’t seem necessary.
Most nights, I didn’t mind getting into the kitchen to whip something up. Tonight wasn’t one of them, and my mouth was nearly watering for my steak dinner. I decided to take a shower to unwind first before indulging. That dinner was likely going to put me straight into a coma coupled with the fat blunt I was going to roll.
Heading into my bedroom, I stripped out of my clothing then dumped them in my dirty clothes hamper. The heated floors in my bathroom kept my feet cozy as I waited for the shower to auto-adjust to my desired temperature. Like most things in my home, it was customized to my needs thanks to the technology of an up-and-coming programmer named Gorgeous, something I never had growing up in a bug-infested home.
I allowed the water to cascade down my body in hopes it’d wipe away the memories attempting to tear my mental apart. There was enough weight on my shoulders from my past without having to relive the worst days of my life again. If being abandoned by a cracked-out mother taught me nothing else, it was to look out for myself. I was the only one capable of taking care of my needs and when it came to them I didn’t half step.
After my shower, I briskly walked about my room settling down for the night. I opted to wear a pair of pajama pants while I lounged around. I couldn’t get to the kitchen fast enough to warm up my food. A quick cycle in the oven had everything heated perfectly again and ready to fill me up.
I sat at my bar, reached for the remote on the counter, and turned on the TV mounted on the left wall. ESPN was the first channel to pop up, and I left it there to get a recap on my favorite sports. Out of them all, I loved baseball the most. It was so underrated just like me. I ditched my plate momentarily to grab a can of Cheerwine from the refrigerator. I was typically a clean-eating person, but soda was my weakness. I had to have one with every meal.
After I was stuffed, I migrated to the living room. Kicking my feet up, I went to the BET Plus app to get caught up on Zatima . I went into my ottoman for my rolling tray, stash of weed, and papers. When my joint was as thick as I wanted and I released a thick cloud of smoke into the air, I sank deeper into the couch.
I didn’t move from where I sat when I heard the front door open not too long after I sparked up. The camera alert on my phone already showed me you know who was awake. The crease in the middle of her forehead, when she appeared, said she was on straight bullshit.
“Where the fuck am I, and how did I get here?” she fumed in the entryway.
The weed had me thinking only of her fiery hair and shapely body. She had the perfect amount of ass and titties. It was enough to hold on to while I took her on the ride of her life.
“Uh, hello! I know you hear me.”
I snickered seeing the vein in her forehead pulse to life.
“You got me fucked up. Nigga, you know this is kidnapping right?”
I shrugged. “Maybe, or did I remove you from private property for trespassing?”
I took another pull from my blunt before extending it to her.
“You smoke?”
Her face scrunched up as she covered her arms over her chest.
“Ugh, no. I have asthma, asshole.”
I grunted but opted to put the joint out as to not disturb her respiratory system. Leaning forward, I placed my arms on my knees and watched her intently. Her eyes could hardly stay still as she took in my home.
“Are you hungry? I brought you some food.”
Her attention snapped back to my face.
“What kind of kidnapper are you?”
I chuckled. “I’m not a kidnapper. I needed to talk to you, and you were passed out in your car from all the ruckus you were causing at my place of business. Believe it or not, I don’t have it out for you, Trouble.”
Before she could respond, her stomach growled loudly. A wide grin spread across my face.
“You are hungry.”
I didn’t wait for her to confirm or deny as I moved to the kitchen to warm up her food. I don’t know how long she stood in place before following me. She stood near the entryway looking as uncomfortable as before. Despite her nasty attitude, there was something about Lovie I trusted. I had no worries about her grabbing a knife and stabbing me in the back for some reason, even though every encounter we’d had told me she was very capable of doing so. Once the food was warm, I placed the plate in front of a bar chair.
Pointing to it I said, “Sit and eat.”
“You’re crazy.” She laughed while looking around again as if at any moment cameras and a crew were going to appear. “Like, are you some kind of weird axe murderer? Do you have girls tied up in your basement?”
I shrugged. “Not unless they want to be.” All the color drained from her face sending me into a fit of laughter. “I’m just joking. Relax.”
Even from where I stood, I heard her stomach growling again.
“Your food is getting cold, Trouble,” I teased while inching the plate a little closer to where she still stood rigid as a statute.
Her nostrils flared before her arms crossed over her chest.
“What did I tell you about calling me that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t remember, and I don’t care, Trouble.” Her body tensed so I chilled on my teasing. “Just come eat your food and relax. Everything is all good. I promise.”
Eventually, she tossed her arms in the air. “Oh well, if it’s poisoned, it smells amazing, and I’m hungry as fuck. If I die, I die.”
“Which you won’t. I don’t want to harm you,” I informed her. “The food is from Aria’s.”
I pressed my weight into the opposite counter to give her some space to enjoy her food in peace. She ate like a homeless person who hadn’t been lucky enough to have a meal in days.
“Got damn, little lady. Maybe I should’ve gotten you two dinners.”
“Ha, ha,” she said in a flat tone before flipping me off.
“You love doing that. Let me find out what you really want is some dick.”
She paused her eating to pin me in place with a death stare.
“You wish.” She rolled her eyes then went back to stuffing her face. “You got anything to drink up in here? I’m a little thirsty too.”
Going into the fridge, I pulled out another soda for her.
“Hm, never had this before. What does it taste like?”
I shrugged. “Taste it and find out.”
She gave me that pensive stare again, but she did as I said. The expression on her face said she liked it even if she wouldn’t openly admit the words.
“So, you ready to tell me why you kidnapped me now?”
I laughed while lifting myself on the counter.
“I already told you I didn’t kidnap you. I removed you from my business, which I have every right to do. There are no rules on where I can tow your car. I don’t normally invite people into my home, but I thought it was a good way to show you I only have good intentions.” I stroked the hair on my chin admiring her when something else popped into my mind. “You sleep too hard.”
She shrugged. “I was tired.”
“Of causing mischief I hope. The bashing online has to stop. It’s clear to me you haven’t done your research on me, but I admire your dedication. So, I want to make you a deal.”
She eased her can of Cheerwine on the counter, eyeing me suspiciously.
“What kind of deal? You into some freaky shit or something.” She began looking around the room as if someone else was going to appear out of thin air and tie her up.
“No,” I replied plainly. “Now that you have my full attention, I want you to tell me why I shouldn’t tear down that community center.”
I was really just pushing her buttons because I honestly had no intention of doing that, but she’d already made up her mind about me. Might as well drag this out as long as I could. It was going to make that apology I was owed so much better.
Her mouth moved in small circles as she began to chew slower. “I can show you better than I can tell you.”
I smiled. “I’m okay with that. How about tomorrow?”
She sliced into the last bit of her steak then scarfed it down like a savage and not a lady.
“Okay, tomorrow it is.”
Walking closer to her, I extended a hand across the counter.
“But in the meantime, you have to stop posting about my business online and no more protesting out front. Deal?”
She eyed my hand for longer than I’d liked, but eventually, she placed hers in mine. It set my soul on fire in a new way. Her skin was supple and soft despite her hard demeanor.
“Fine. Deal.” She scrapped the last of the mashed potatoes off her plate then sat back rubbing her full belly. “Now that that’s settled, am I free to leave?”
I nodded. “Of course. It was never my intention to hold you hostage.”
She leaned into the counter with her hand tucked under her chin.
“Hmm. Well, can I have dessert first?”
I waved to the fridge. “Sure. See what’s inside.”
Leaving the kitchen behind, I returned to the living room to finish my unwinding for the evening. I was barely comfortable before she came and plopped down beside me with a bag of Tru Fruit strawberries.
“Those are my favorite.” I frowned.
She shrugged. “You didn’t say anything was off limits.”
In the next instant, she snatched up my abandoned joint and sparked it.
My frown deepened. “What about your asthma?”
“Oh, I lied.”
“Wow, and you were worried about me being the bad person.”
“Hey, I don’t know you. For all I know, this shit was laced with fent or something.”
“Well, if you think so lowly of me, then why are you still here?”
“When I was in the kitchen, I looked up where I was. I don’t feel like driving home. I hate driving long distances, so unless you’re going to tow my car back where you found it, I’m staying here tonight.”
I laughed, realizing she was dead serious. I figured since it was my fault that she was so far away from home, that it was the least I could do.
“You can stay in one of the guest rooms, but it gets really cold upstairs. It might be best to just sleep down here. In my bed with me,” I teased.
“You wish I would get close to you.”
She side-eyed me like it was the craziest desire in the world when she was damn near sitting in my lap with how close she’d cuddled up to me.
“I’m the type of man whose wishes come true.”
The look in her eyes when she turned to face me froze me in place. She tried her best to resist, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from easing down my chiseled chest. Her breathing increased, drawing my attention to her breasts. They looked amazing in the low-cut shirt she wore. When she finally looked back at my face her chunky cheeks were damn near off her face. She eased my joint between her lips. They were so juicy and plump, this was the only time I hadn’t seen them coated in thick clear gloss I just knew was sugary.
“Are you the type of man who grants wishes too?”
I smirked. “It depends.”
I didn’t realize how close we’d drifted until her next words were a warm caress on my cheek.
“Well, I wish you would leave the community center alone.”
“What are you willing to do for it?”
When she eased closer, my dick couldn’t get any harder against my thigh. Everything about this girl was new to me. If I let her have her way, she would unravel me completely until the man who craved love deep inside of me was exposed. She took another pull from my joint and inched even closer. I was almost certain she was going to give me a shotgun when she released the thick cloud of smoke right into my face.
“Stand outside of your business and protest until I’m hoarse.”
I burst into a hearty laugh loving what she did there.
“Touché. We’ll see how tomorrow goes then.”
The most dazzling smile appeared on her face.
“Perfect. Now stop talking and start the show back up. I just know this nigga Zac not about to cheat on my girl Fatima.”
As I did exactly as I was told, I couldn’t stop my eyes from constantly drifting over to Lovie. Eventually, she stopped chiefing the joint, passing it back to me. The weed made my tiny obsession with her no better. If I wasn’t careful, this girl was going to do more than save a community center. She was going to save my heart too, and that was a scary place to be for a typically guarded man like me.