Chapter 27
V Saint
“That shit sat wrong with me the second her legs went up.”
Iwoke up remembering Sade was working alone on a Saturday, so I turned on the surveillance to check on her.
I walked to the kitchen with my iPad, watching her.
This woman was so into this project; it touched a nigga heart a lil.
I watched her go unit to unit, opening boxes, setting tables, putting up curtains, and all I could think was she needed a vacation, something tropical.
But I knew I wouldn’t be the nigga to make that happen, especially after what I saw next.
I sat down to roll up and maybe order food, but I was caught off guard when a man walked in and greeted her.
Her nigga.
On my fuckin’ site, putting his hands all over her.
What I saw next, I wasn’t ready for.
The scene didn’t play out intimately. I could see it in her eyes; she didn’t want it.
But I knew niggas, I was one. I never manipulated a woman to fuck me or please her, so the shit was cringe.
I watched him take off her leggings and push her legs up.
As soon as he went down on her, I frowned, but I wasn’t sure what I felt in that moment.
Maybe jealousy, maybe anger, maybe…
Why me?
My body moved faster than my mind did. Before I knew it, I was doing ninety on the freeway to Crown Heights. Now I had to dig into this nigga’s life and see who the fuck he was.
By the time I got there, my mood was on ten.
I walked through the building, fast as fuck, heart beating harder than it should’ve been over a woman that wasn’t mine.
When I got to the unit, I heard movement inside.
I stepped in.
Sade froze immediately.
Her eyes widened like she already knew.
Dude was gone, but the energy was still there.
I looked around the room before my eyes landed on her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked carefully.
I laughed once under my breath. “You tell me.”
She swallowed hard. “Vaughn…”
I held the iPad up. The surveillance video sat paused on the screen, but I hit play, right on the part where her legs were over his shoulders.
Her face went pale instantly. “Vaughn, I—”
I smirked devilishly, even though I was mad as hell. “What? Thought that I wouldn’t find your virgin, horny ass getting head on my countertops?”
Her face dropped.
“It’s not even like that,” she said quickly.
“It looked exactly like that, tho’.”
She looked away from me completely now.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
I stared at her for a second.
Sorry.
That word pissed me off because why the fuck did she feel like she owed me an apology? She wasn’t my woman.
I had to remember that.
Fast.
“You got this nigga in my building eating pussy before noon,” I said dryly. “That’s impressive. I ain't even fucked in this muthafucka.”
“Please don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Act weird.”
I laughed again, but it didn’t sound funny this time.
“Weird? Your nigga damn near took your virginity on my property.”
She looked like she wanted to cry now, and that softened me immediately, but I was too deep in whatever this feeling was to stop.
I walked around the room, looking at the setup she had been working on earlier.
“You know what,” I finally said calmly, “no more access to the buildings.”
Her head snapped toward me. “What?”
“No more working alone on off days either.”
“But—”
“Nah.” I looked at her seriously now.
“You’re being irrational.”
I looked away from her before I said something stupid.
“Oh, trust… I’m not. This is still a workplace. Business gotta stay professional.”
“That’s what I was doing.”
I looked back at her immediately. “Bullshit.”
“Why are you talking to me like this?”
Because I’m fuckin hurt, I thought. But that’s not what came out.
“Your nigga can’t come in my buildings no more, and if I catch you getting dropped off or picked up by the nigga again, I’m gon’ beat him the fuck up.”
Sade now looked completely caught off guard.
I stepped closer without realizing it. “And stop acting like he ain’t violate you either.”
“What?” She frowned immediately.
“You told him you wasn’t ready.”
Her eyes widened. I continued before she could answer.
“But as soon as he started eatin’ that lil pussy, all that shit went out the window.”
“That’s not fair,” she whispered.
“Neither was me watching it.”
That slipped out before I could stop it.
The room suddenly felt too small.
I stepped back first. “Just leave, Sade, before I suspend you. I’ll see you Monday.”
She stared at me for another second before grabbing her things.
Neither one of us spoke while she packed up.
By the time she walked past me toward the door, I still couldn’t look directly at her.
She paused before leaving. “I never meant to disrespect you.”
The door closed.
I sat down on the same counter her body was just on and rubbed both hands over my face hard.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
Sade wasn’t mine, just my employee. So why the fuck did I feel like somebody took something from me?
My mind kept going back to the fuckin’ video. Her face. That nigga touching her. The way she looked after I walked in.
I sat there too long, looking around the unit she helped build.
Million-dollar project. Luxury, everything in the heart of Compton.
And somehow, I still felt close to losing my shit.