Chapter 9 Zora
Zora
The sun was finally setting, bouncing off the asphalt and making the air feel thick.
Cars were lined across the lot—hoods open, engines humming, people crowding around with drinks and cameras out.
Bass shook the ground every few seconds, and laughter carried over the noise.
The Barbies were out front where they always were—loud, confident, and ready to make a statement.
I leaned against my Charger between Tiana and Nia, watching the crowd. The smell of gas and burnt rubber hung in the air, but it didn’t bother me one bit. It smelled like… home.
“Look who just walked up?” Tiana voiced.
I followed her gaze and caught him right away.
Semi moved through the crowd like he had all day to get where he was going.
His daughter, Samerah, was right beside him—talking, laughing, and pointing things out that she deemed interesting.
Behind them were his brother and nephew.
Semi stopped every few steps, shaking hands, speaking to people, but his eyes still found me.
I didn’t move… just watched him until that small smile hit the corner of his mouth.
By the time he reached me, the noise faded into the background.
“Wassup, mama,” he greeted, low and smooth.
“Hey,” I answered.
Before I could blink, he leaned in and kissed me… slow, and deep. It wasn’t for show, but people definitely noticed. I heard Tiana mumbling something slick beside me, but I didn’t care.
When he pulled back, Samerah was grinning up at me, hands on her hips like she’d been waiting to speak. “You’re really pretty,” she said matter-of-factly. “Daddy said your car’s fast. You gonna take me on a ride one day?”
I laughed, crouching, so we were eye level. “Oh yeah? You think you can handle that?”
She nodded without hesitation. “I can handle anything. Right, Daddy?”
Before Semi could get a word out, I spotted my brother and Kaia coming through the crowd. He had that look letting me know he was about to get in my business, and Kaia was right beside him, eating a snow cone and talking his ear off.
“Aye, who is this?” he asked, eyeing me and Semi. Semi never broke eye contact with my brother while he grilled him.
“Q, this is Semi. Semi this is my brother, Quentin, and my niece, Kaia.” I introduced the two who still in a stare-off.
He nodded slowly, studying him for a beat before shaking his hand. “Aight. I guess the nigga cool if he got you out here displaying public affection and shit.” He smirked. That caused me to hit him in the chest and Semi to smirk.
“Hi,” Kaia spoke to Samerah as if she was feeling her out.
“Hey,” Samerah countered. “I like your hair.”
“My TiTi Zo did it for me,” she revealed causing a small smile to grace my face.
“Daddy, can I have pink hair?” Samerah looked at her daddy with those big doe shaped eyes of hers.
“We’ll think about it, Peanut,” he assured.
Samerah introduced her cousin CJ to Kaia, and his little mannish ass was showing all his teeth in my baby’s face. The next few minutes consisted of the three of them talking about any and everything like they were old friends. I knew right then that those three would be inseparable.
I looked over and saw Semi and my brother off to the side engaged in a conversation while the kids talked. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but when my brother nodded and Semi looked at me with that coochie melting grin, I knew I had to be good.
The sound of engines rolled over the crowd again, and Semi leaned close enough for his breath to touch my ear. “You need anything?”
“No… I’m good.”
His hand brushed the small of my back before he stepped aside with Merah, giving me space but still staying close.
By the time the races wrapped up, the crowd started thinning.
The noise dropped from chaos to a low hum—people packing up, engines cooling, the smell of rubber still thick in the air.
I leaned against my car watching everything slow down.
Tiana and Nia walked back up looking like they were ready to start their shit.
“So, I see y’all were serious about seeing where things go. That man came up to you like he didn’t care what nobody had to say about it,” Tiana probed.
“And didn’t,” Nia added.
“Y’all making it more than what it was,” I deflected. I know I agreed to do whatever this is that we’re doing, but I wasn’t expecting him to go full force with it.
Nia chuckled low. “You can play hard all you want. We ain’t seen you let nobody that close in a minute.”
I glanced toward the track, giving them silence instead of an answer.
“Don’t mess it up over old habits, Zo. Let it be what it is.”
I didn’t say anything. Just nodded once, because she was right and I didn’t know what to do with that just yet.
The day was coming to an end, and people started heading out. Semi stood off to the side with his brother, while he had Samerah tucked closely under his arm. When he looked my way, I felt exposed and shied away from his stare. He said something to her, then broke away, walking straight toward me.
“You leaving?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He nodded before placing his hand at the small of my back, walking me to my car. When we reached my car, he stopped close enough to not leave any room in between us. “You looked good today,” he complimented. “Been fighting the urge to bend you over that hood all damn day.”
“That would’ve been welcomed,” I flirted.
“Come over tonight.”
“You sure about that?” I quizzed.
“Yeah.” His tone left no room for doubt. “I want you there.”
For a second, neither of us said anything. Then I nodded once. “Alright.”
He leaned in, kissing me slow before he pulled back. “I’ll hit you up when I’m home.”
“Okay.”
He kissed me one last time, then walked off toward his Case, his son and Samerah. I stood there longer than I meant to, watching him move through what was left of the crowd.
I wasn’t sure what tonight would be. But for once, I wasn’t running from it.
***
When I pulled up to Semi’s house, I could see that the lights were already low…
like he had already settled in. He had a nice size house for it to be just him and his daughter.
After I parked in front of his garage like he instructed, I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and trekked up the small walkway before I made my way to the front door.
I rang the bell and waited for him to come and let me in.
Moments passed before I heard the locks turn and his tall stature was standing in front of me.
“Hey,” I said.
“Wassup, mama,” he greeted as he took my bag from me and pulled me into his embrace.
“Where’s Samerah?” I asked once he released his hold on me and escorted me further inside.
“Knocked out,” he said, locking the door behind us. “Girl went nonstop all day. She passed out soon as we got home and she showered.”
“Sounds about right. My brother said the same thing about Kaia.”
“We need to get them together soon.” He pulled me close to him before snuggling his face in the crook of my neck. “Follow me,” he instructed once he removed his face from my neck.
Doing as I was told, I followed him upstairs to his bedroom.
It was the first bedroom as soon as you got to the second floor.
As soon as he opened the door and I crossed the threshold, I was taken aback by the size and ambiance of the room.
Like most men, everything was big and solid.
Before I could compliment his room, he had me pressed against the wall and his tongue down my throat, letting his tongue explore my mouth while his hands explored everything else.
Without breaking the kiss, he scooped me up by my thighs and carried me to the bed, where he took a seat with me still in his lap.
“Get up out this shit,” he ordered as he attacked my neck.
He didn’t even give me time to do it before he was doing it himself.
Once he had my shirt over my head, he flipped me over on my back and kissed me passionately before trailing his kisses further down, taking my shorts and thong along with him.
Once I was completely naked and under his spell, he slurped my pussy into his mouth and made love to me with his tongue.
By the time he was done with his tongue, I had cum three times and ready to go to sleep, but he clearly had other plans once I felt the head of his dick push through my throbbing folds.
“Gah damn, Zo,” he groaned as he stalled. The feeling of him filling me up caused my walls the vibrate around him.
“Shit,” I breathed out as he started stroking me at the perfect rhythm.
I was damn near delirious by the time he finished with me. I lost count of how many times this man made me cum, but damn sure wasn’t complaining. If this is what I had to look forward to giving this relationship thing another try, then I definitely won’t mind as long as it’s with Semi.
***
Semi’s body was the first thing I felt before my brain even booted up.
His body was warm, yet heavy, but I didn’t mind one bit.
Sunlight was slipping through the blinds, falling straight across his chest, and the man had the nerve to look peaceful after the way he dragged my soul all over this mattress last night.
I stretched, slow and quiet, but he opened his eyes anyway, looking directly at me. “Morning,” he murmured, voice still rough.
“Good morning,” I countered.
He leaned in and kissed me… morning breath and all and was about to take it further when there was a knock at the door.
“Why is the door locked?” Samerah’s small voice boomed through the door.
Semi blew out a quiet breath, dropped his forehead to the pillow for a second like he needed strength, then answered, “I’ll be out in a minute, Peanut.”
“Okay,” she called back.
He looked at me, eyes low and amused. “We gotta get up before she brings her nosy ass back up here interrogating.”
“You’re right. I don’t want her mad at me already.”
No sooner than we made it inside of the bathroom, Semi had me bent over the sink before we handled our hygiene and actually showered.
I knew Samerah was going to be mad, but once she got older, she’d understand.
Once we were done, I threw on a pair of leggings and a cropped tee.
By the time we made it downstairs, Samerah was curled up on the couch with some cartoon on full blast.
“Took y’all long enough,” she blurted.
Semi shot her a warning look. “Don’t start.”
I bit back a smile, because if this was chaos… it was the kind I didn’t mind waking up in again.
I decided to fix the three of us a light breakfast, and now we were in the living room letting it digest. Samerah was seated between me and Semi watching TV while talking a mile a minute about the sleepover I told her she could have with Kaia.
Loud, rapid knocks silenced us as I looked over at Semi.
“You expecting someone?” I asked.
“Nah,” Semi muttered under his breath before getting up and trekking toward the front door.
Once he got to the door and opened it, I heard a woman’s voice. “Where is my daughter?”
“Why are you here, Morgan…uninvited at that?” he quipped.
“I’m here to get my daughter,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“You don’t get to pick and choose when you want to get her. You have scheduled visitation for a reason… visitations that you’on give a fuck about.” I could hear it in his voice that he was pissed.
Morgan ignored him and made her way further inside. Her steps halted once she saw Samerah sitting beside me. She froze, eyes cutting straight to me with confusion first, but it quickly switched to anger.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“None of your damn business,” Semi spat.
“It is my business if she’s around my child,” she snapped.
“Cut the shit, Mogan. I’m not in the mood for your shit, and you need to leave.”
“Not until I have my daughter.” She turned her attention to Semerah. “Go get your things, Merah.”
Semerah didn’t move. She looked at Semi instead, with pleading eyes that broke my heart. Poor baby didn’t even want to go with her own mother.
“She’s staying here,” Semi said with finality.
Morgan’s head whipped back toward him. “You don’t get to make that decision.”
“I do,” he said. “That’s what custody means.”
She stepped closer. “You’re not keeping her from me.”
“You’re keeping yourself from her when you put yourself and everything else before being her mother.”
“Oh, so now you’re perfect?” she shot back.
“I’m far from it… but I’m present.”
All the back and forth was getting to Semerah, so I decided to step in.
“Y’all need to calm all that down. She’s right here.”
Morgan turned toward me and gave me a stare that would’ve killed me if she had the ability to. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Yeah, but somebody needs to be the adult here,” I said. “You’re upsetting her.”
“And you are… what, exactly?”
Before I could answer, Semi stepped in front of me.
“She’s someone who respects my kid,” he said. “More than I can say for you right now.”
“Don’t push it, Semaj,” she warned
“You walked in here pushing it,” Semi said. “If you want to see Samerah, do it the right way.”
Morgan looked between the three of us before giving her attention back to Semi.
“This conversation isn’t finished,” Morgan insisted.
“It is today.” He opened the door. “Get the fuck out.”
She stared at him, then at me, then at Samerah, jaw tight. She finally walked out without even acknowledging her daughter.
Semi slammed the door and locked it before he came back to the couch and crouched in front of his daughter.
“You good, Peanut?”
She nodded and climbed onto his lap once he sat down.
The room went quiet again, but the tension still clung to the air.
Semi held Samerah for a moment, letting the room settle around her before he shifted his focus anywhere else. His hand moved slowly along her back, grounding her, making sure she was okay.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” he said. “She came in here on ten, and you didn’t deserve to be dragged into it.”
I shook my head lightly. “You don’t owe me an apology. I just didn’t want her sitting in the middle of all that.”
He nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders loosening. “Still… thanks for stepping in the way you did.”
Before I could say anything else, Samerah shifted, stretching out so she could lie across both our laps, one small hand resting near my knee while her legs draped over Semi’s. It was her way of pulling the room back together, claiming the space again.
Semi rested his palm on her back, steady and warm, and I moved a curl away from her forehead. The house finally felt calm again, the earlier commotion fading into the background.