Chapter 13
Samari missed her girl and wanted to make up for her absence. It had been three weeks since that night Asao spent at her apartment, and since that day, every free second either of them had was spent together while Sheree was busy being a wife and mother.
Today Samari and Sheree were kicking it, so when she noticed the navy SUV easing into the driveway and pulling to a stop next to her car, a smile blossomed on Samari’s face as she hurried out of the driver’s seat prepared to hug her favorite people.
As much as she’d missed her girl, she’d missed the miniature version of Sheree even more.
So the bubbly ten month old was her first stop.
“She’s growing so fast. How are you so big?” Samari moved to the rear of Sheree’s SUV and lifted her goddaughter from the car seat. A slight pout found its way onto her face. She felt as if she had missed so much in the little beauty’s life.
“You don’t have time for us anymore so you’re missing everything.” Sheree’s hip bumped Samari’s before she reached around her girl to grab Jomie’s diaper bag.
“Don’t do that. I always have time.” Samari kissed the toddler’s fat cheeks then focused on Sheree. “You want me to be the bad guy when you’re the one who not so gently pushed me toward the person who’s been taking up all my time.’
Sheree’s eyes rolled heavy but she donned a smile. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be petty and give you shit.”
“I brought goodies. Will that make it right?” Samari smiled at her friend and motioned toward her vehicle.
“Depends on what you brought.” Sheree moved around the rear of her girl’s BMW and yanked the passenger door open.
A goofy smile spread across her face when she noticed the bags of their favorite things—Chicago Mix popcorn, two bottles of sweet red from Divine Vines, and cake pops from Seasonal Sweets.
“This is a start but we’re not cool until I get all the details on your new man. Starting with what that dick do.”
Samari dropped her mouth open and pressed a hand to the side of Jomie’s face, bringing her tiny head to her chest, pretending to dramatically shield her tender ears from her mother’s foul mouth.
“Why are you trying to taint my baby? She doesn’t need to know…”
“That her godmommy is a hoe?” Sheree cut in with a smirk in place before she grabbed everything from the passenger seat and bumped the door closed with her hip. “Because that better be what you were going to say considering the only thing that should have kept you from us was good dick.”
Samari followed Sheree to the door and narrowed her eyes when her girl glanced over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out right before keying the code to grant them entry.
After they were inside and Jomie was occupied close by with toys, Sheree began removing what she needed to make dinner. She’d marinated chicken in a butter, rosemary, and garlic blend that morning. When Samari realized what her friend was doing, she smiled widely.
“Aww, friend. You love me real bad, don’t you?”
“Bitch, no. I love my man. You’re not the only one who loves my butter chicken and curry rice.”
“But he has to work overnight.”
“You act like he’s not coming home, hoe.
” Sheree playfully rolled her eyes while she moved through the kitchen preparing dinner for her girl.
While she cooked, Samari kept her company between keeping Jomie out of trouble.
With wobbly steps and a curious mind, Jomie moved around the kitchen and living room finding interest in everything other than her toys.
Yet another reminder of how much had changed in Samari’s absence.
The ten month old was now mobile and learning to be independent.
The friends talked shit and chatted while dinner was prepared.
Samari fed Jomie baked chicken and rice her mother prepared on the side knowing the butter chicken and curry rice would be too rich and spicy.
While Sheree put the final touches on their dinner, Samari bathed her goddaughter and got her in bed, moving through two short books before the toddler was out cold.
By the time she made it back into the living room, a plate was waiting along with a glass of wine. The friends sat on the floor with the massive leather ottoman centered between them while they devoured their food.
“You done talked your ass all the way around the one thing I want to know.”
Samari smiled smugly at her girl before she slowly chewed the mouthful of food, swallowed, then lifted her wine. After a large gulp, she shifted her expression to one of mock offense. “You don’t want to know how things are going with reviving my career? I thought that was a priority.”
“Hoe, it is, but the details I need right now are whether or not you’re riding the dick of the man reviving your career. Run that and I want all the dirt, like whether or not you hopped off that dick to make sure you’re still a good friend.”
Samari choked on a laugh. “There’s no dirt, friend, and no I didn’t hop off his dick to come see you. That man’s dick hasn’t been anywhere near me or in me.”
Sheree paused her fork midbite, lowered it, and stared at her girl with a gaze that could rival the most accurate lie detectors. After a moment of thorough inspection, Sheree’s mouth dropped open briefly. “You haven’t fucked him yet.”
“No, which I just told you.”
“Shit, I thought you were lying, trying to keep it all secretive. Friend, what am I missing? That man is fine as hell, he’s pretty much giving you the one and only thing you want and can’t get for yourself, and again, he’s fine as hell. That alone is reason enough.”
Samari rolled her eyes. “Not too much on how fine he is, Ree.”
“You’re telling me to back up off your man but you’re not claiming him. You aren’t making sense, Mari.”
She was feeling Asao, and over the past couple weeks spending time with him had only intensified those feelings, but the one thing she refused to do was allow her pussy to cost her another opportunity to live a dream that was reality for a brief moment.
The situations were very different. Cobra wanted between her legs for selfish reasons. He was a greedy man who used power to take, control, and break women like her. No matter how little she knew about Asao, she would bet her life’s earnings that he would never do the same.
That wasn’t in his demeanor. She wasn’t na?ve by any means nor was she unknowing about the type of man he truly was.
She could feel his turmoil, sense his turbulence, and understand the wrath he had the potential to unleash.
That just would never be their story. She was safe with him, and while others should tread lightly when it came to Asao, she could find peace in his world and under his protection but…
The fear of crossing lines with the one man who held her fate in his hand scared her. If things went wrong, there was still a chance, even if very small, that he could snatch back all the promises he’d made and she refused to allow that to be her reality.
Sex complicated things. Emotions blurred lines and caused the most loyal men to betray when they felt backed into a corner. A man’s heart was complicated enough, but a man like Asao who was rooted in the struggle he’d had to navigate to stay alive was damn near an abyss of danger.
“I don’t want to mess this up.”
“What do you mean?”
Sitting across from her girl gave Sheree full access to all Samari’s inner turmoil and conflict.
“I want this bad, Ree. Sex is just sex but sex attached to a future I never thought I would have access to again is scary as hell.”
“You don’t trust him?” Sheree asked, needing to know exactly where her girl’s head was before she voiced her opinion.
“No, I do, which is crazy because I don’t know shit about him,” she huffed, speaking her feelings out loud.
Since the day they’d met, Samari had felt a pull to Asao that she didn’t understand.
He had her head and heart at war because nothing about the way she wanted to be wrapped in his world proved to be logical.
She trusted him, would follow his lead, and felt that whatever path they navigated together would bring a happiness she couldn’t even process at the moment.
But that meant betting with her lifeline.
With Sheree’s patient but concerned eyes on Samari, she sighed.
“I lost my career because I wouldn’t sleep with Cobra.
I don’t want to risk losing it if I sleep with Asao. ”
Sheree understood but knew it was deeper than that. “Is it just losing your career that you’re fearful about?”
When Samari didn’t respond right away, Sheree added for clarity, “I know you’ve got this thing about men always letting you down, Mari, but there are good ones too. I married one.”
Sheree smiled thinking about her husband and Samari grinned too. “What if Cantor’s the only exception?”
“What if he’s not?” Sheree shrugged and lifted her wine.
“But he could be that one in a million and I’m pretty sure you’re not trying to share so…”
“Bitch, no. I love you but come up off thoughts about my man.” Sheree playfully narrowed her eyes and Samari laughed.
“But y’all are good though?”
Nodding, Sheree’s smile surfaced again. “We’re good.
My baby has been all gas, no brakes with me since that night.
He said he never wants me to ever feel like I have to question or doubt him and the way he’s been throwing dick at me is exhausting.
” She sipped her wine and smiled smugly.
“But that doesn’t stop me from catching it. ”
“Please don’t.” Samari frowned. “But I’m glad y’all are good.”
“We are. We agreed to check in more and not let stuff linger because we’re in this for life.”
Samari exposed a goofy grin, loving the way her girl was in love and being loved. “Aww, Ree. Y’all are so cute.”
“Bitch, you could be cute too if you hopped on that man’s dick.”