Chapter 16
Niles pulled into the spot next to his boy and Samari grinned, taking in the man who had her heart fluttering and her mind in a loop of possibilities.
Dressed in tan sweat bottoms and a graphic tee, his posture looked relaxed as he leaned against the side of his Jeep.
His sneakers were replaced by wheat Timbs and a hat hid the waves on his head and shadowed part of his handsome face.
She grinned at how sexy he looked. The hood’s finest. When Niles came to a complete stop, Asao was at the passenger door, letting her out. She felt the heat from his eyes on her while he dapped up his boy.
“How’d that shit go?”
“Straight. You know Beauty isn’t gonna let you keep dodging her,” Niles informed Asao.
He and Beauty were cool. They had kicked it in the past at clubs and events, but to date, Asao had yet to be a guest on her show.
Press wasn’t his thing. People had a way of twisting words and creating their own narratives or perspectives.
Silence was his preference because that shit couldn’t be misquoted.
“Let her get the exclusive for the festival and she’ll be cool,” Asao offered as a compromise with no intention of being a guest on her show.
Niles chuckled and nodded, heading back to his car. “You’re gonna have to stop dodging her or she’s going to keep your music off her show. I’ll holla at you later.”
The thought of not having his songs in rotation on her playlist wasn’t even a threat worth offering consideration.
Her listeners wouldn’t stand for it, which gave Asao the upper hand.
He always made things right by meeting her in the middle with early releases for new music that kept their relationship in a good place.
“You had me delivered to you.” Samari’s sultry voice put a smile on Asao’s face. His tall frame moved in closer and hovered over her, bringing a smile to her face when she was blessed with the blend of his pheromones and the cologne that enhanced them.
“If I gave you a choice, you would have had a million and one reasons why I couldn’t have your time today and I wanted it.” With a cocky smile, he yanked at the hem of her shirt. “What do you know about The Manor?”
“Enough.”
Smirking, Asao shook his head. “Come on. We have some shit to handle.”
Samari blinked, having to reset after falling under his spell so quickly.
The smooth drawl of his voice and natural cadence used when he spoke was enough to put any woman into a trance, but being blessed with his handsome face and sexy smile had her pussy thumping and her heart twisting like an addict in need of more.
Once they were settled in his Jeep, Samari’s eyes blazed the side of Asao’s face.
“You didn’t tell me we were recorded in the booth.”
Having sex…
The curve of his lips had her eyes narrowing. “You knew that.”
“Yeah but it wasn’t intentional. I really didn’t think about that shit until Dom brought it up.”
“Can you promise me you’ll delete it?”
The urgency in her voice had Asao’s eyes on her. “It’s done. We don’t get down like that, Mari. I would never purposely put you in a situation that would fuck with your integrity or your brand. Dom wouldn’t either. He deleted that shit the minute he realized what it was.”
“But he talked to you about it. Niles knows.”
His eyes narrowed, taking her in. There was something deeper than she expressed, which had his protective nature on alert.
Cobra wasn’t shit for sure but there had never been rumors or whispers of anything past him using sex as a bargaining tool for fame.
Samari had already shut down implications that she’d traveled that road and Kolby backed up her truth, but he still asked, just in case there was something he had missed.
“You will never get judgment from me about things from your past, Mari. You need to tell me something?”
“What, no?” She tensed and he caught it, studying her for a minute longer before he nodded, pressing pause on the conversation but placing the details in a space he would revisit later.
Samari’s energy was off and he needed to feel the pull she had over him.
He had no idea how she controlled his free will so easily, but her vibe had become one of his favorite things, only second to her voice.
“You see how the city is fucking with you?” Asao asked.
The light was back in her eyes and that loosened the anger that had found its way to his chest at the thought of someone doing her dirty. “You been on Beauty’s page?”
“Yeah, those comments are wild. They’re showing you love. How you feel about that?”
She smiled, damn near making her eyes close from how high her cheeks lifted, and Asao almost fucking laughed. “I feel good. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been a while.”
“You thought that would matter?” He had his eyes on her longer than safe considering he was darting in and out of traffic but Samari had him so wrapped up in everything about her that Asao no longer had control.
He was addicted to her smile, her voice, her presence… Shit, he was just fucking addicted.
“I didn’t think anything because you didn’t give me a chance to.”
He chuckled at the lack of notice he’d provided prior to the interview with Beauty.
It took no time at all for Asao to learn Samari was confident when it came to her music.
Her ego surfaced with little effort. The problem was when she let herself believe that this shit was happening, she pulled back, because the fear of having it snatched away again would follow.
“I’ll get you out of that. You can’t be my rider if your confidence is lacking.” Her eyes rolled.
“Who said I wanna be your anything?”
“I’m a perceptive ass muthafucker. I know all and see all.”
Samari blushed from the way he always spoke with a confidence that didn’t allow her to question or second guess anything he told her.
“Where are we going?”
“To spend my money.”
“On you?”
“On us?” he clarified, knowing she was about to give him pushback.
“I don’t need anything.”
“This isn’t about what you need. We’re chillin’ today and I’m in the mood to spend money. You gonna tell me I can’t?”
“You can do whatever you want, doesn’t mean I have to be a part of it.” She shrugged and Asao nodded.
“You mean what you told Beauty about doing things your way this time?”
She frowned, curious to know if he’d listened to the entire interview, but didn’t ask. “Yes, why?”
“You can’t be on some new shit still embracing your old.”
He drove them to The Shops at Crescent Falls.
When he elected to bypass valet parking, she teased him as they made their way to the entrance.
“You’re in the mood to spend your money but you’re not going to start out here.
” She pointed to the valet stand as they passed it.
Asao nudged her forward so they could enter the rotating glass doors together.
The two were so close that his chest was at her back.
“Hell nah. You know them muthafuckers hire anybody to park your shit.”
“Parking a car isn’t that complicated.”
“I’m not fucking with it. Not out here. Your feet work just fine and so do mine.”
She grinned when they entered the mall but tensed when he dropped an arm around her shoulders, making them cozy. Midday on a Friday didn’t change the fact that the crowd was thick. Bodies moved around with bags in hand like nine to five jobs didn’t exist.
Their first stop was at Kamren Taylor. As soon as they entered the store, every female associate tracked them.
The hat on Asao’s head hid half of his face but he looked like money.
As simple as his attire was, it radiated the presence of status.
His walk told a story of the weight that hung between his legs and his vibe drew folks attention as if a spotlight followed his every move.
Hood certified with money and a phenomenal dick game.
Although all eyes were on them, only one woman had the confidence to approach. She threw Samari off when the vanilla-skinned woman with sandy brown ringlets bouncing around her slim face bypassed Asao and stepped to her.
“That shirt is cute but what do you know about The Manor?” She flashed Samari a smile which allowed her to relax.
“A lot. I didn’t live there but I grew up there.”
“Same. My best friend Tione lived in Crescent Ridge and I spent damn near all my time there.” Samari nodded in understanding.
Her experience had been the same. While she grew up in Crescent Pointe in a nice but modest home, Samari spent ninety percent of her time sharing a twin bed in Sheree’s tiny bedroom in Crescent Manor.
They were both raised by single mothers who worked more than they parented their girls, so neither had restrictions on where they lay their heads. There was never any excitement in the suburban neighborhood where Samari lived, so the hood always won.
“I’m Ju’rae, by the way. Now are we spending your money or his?
” Ju’rae glanced at Asao who chuckled, already knowing what was about to go down.
Pending the answer, Ju’rae was about to assist Samari in running up a tab, but he was cool with her conspiring to help Samari spend his money because that was his intention.
Maybe this way he could get her to relax and let him empty his pockets.
There was enough in the bank to replenish them with very little effort.
“Mine,” he said smoothly, which had Ju’rae nodding while she mentally put a plan in place. She gave Samari a thorough inspection before dragging her to the back of the store where their exclusive black label filled the racks.
“We just got these in. Wait right here, I’m going to pull some stuff for you.”
Samari had no leg in this fight so she decided to go with the flow. “You didn’t ask what I needed.”
Ju’rae waved her off. “Girl, that man just gave you permission to run up a tab. Don’t nobody give a damn what you need. We’re hitting all reasons and seasons. Now let me do what I do.”