Chapter 5
Deshona
What I didn’t expect was to find myself tossing and turning after being woken up by an unexpected person entering my apartment.
It took me nearly two hours to calm myself enough to fall back to sleep.
The problem with that is it wasn’t based solely on knowing there was a stranger in my house.
Said stranger was a problem, yes, but baby, I’m struggling with how freaking fine and sexy that man is.
I have never been attracted to men with hair, because I have no commonality with those types of men.
But I be damn if that man didn’t waltz his fine ass in my room with hair hanging just as long as mine.
His bronze skin glowed brighter than the sun, and even after the first strike of my bat, I got distracted by his physique.
His intruding ass walked up into my room in all black, and I found myself momentarily stuck searching for his damn dick print.
Who the hell swings and stops because they lose sight of the threat before them due to how attractive the target is?
Me. I did that foolish, birdbrained shit that had me pausing to remember who raised me.
Roslyn Edmonds would be so damn disappointed.
Being raised by a strong woman whose aversion to men has always been challenging, and that damn man showed a kink in my armor.
My pussy thumped, and I had to fight to focus on the threat that man was and not his thin beard, penetrating eyes, bushy eyebrows, and the hoop earring in his right ear.
Lord, have mercy. I’m in trouble. My legs shake as the visual I wasn’t supposed to memorize about my intruder resurfaces in my mind.
Light knocks on my door cause my legs to stop and my breath to slow.
“Aye, slugger. I don’t know if you care or not, but I think it’s time for us to go sort out this discrepancy.” The unfamiliar deep baritone that gives me Michael McCary vibes echoes through the barrier between us and hits me dead center in my pussy.
The traitor that she is purrs and mewls like a kitten seeking milk, and disgust causes my face to contort.
“Coming.” I grumble and kick off the blankets I’m tangled up in.
Yeah, we should be cumming on his face, but you want to be stubborn and strong.
That statement increases my grumbles, and I quickly throw on some clothes, grateful that I took a shower before I climbed into bed last night. I pull my bonnet from my head and quickly throw my hair in a messy bun. I slip into my shoes and walk to the door, unlock it, and pull it open.
“Shit!” I jump when my eyes connect with the merriment that shines in the eyes of the man who has made my night difficult.
“Well, good morning to you too.” I want to slap the smirk from his lips, but instead, I roll my eyes and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.
Ugly ass nigga about to get on my nerves already.
Girl, imagine living in a delusion that has you disputing the effects of this man’s presence in your space. Ha. That’s cute or whatever.
The counter-dispute from my conscience to my statement has my disposition tanking more than when I walked out of my room to see the irritant invader leaning against the wall.
It takes me no time to take care of my morning hygiene, and then I meet the man at the door.
Wordlessly, we leave the apartment after he secures the front door, and the action spikes my frustration.
The elevator ride down and the subsequent walk to the rental office are silent as my fury simmers with every step we take.
I cut off the man and snatch the door to the office open as he chuckles behind me.
“Good morning.”
“Oh, there is nothing good about this morning, sweetie. We need to see whoever is in charge,” I say with a curl of my lip and a bite in my words.
Ordinarily, I’m not nasty to unsuspecting or undeserving people.
But right now, I’m out of sorts and a little sleep deprived.
The woman’s pale face instantly reddens as her eyes widen and her mouth drops open.
Her hand goes limply to her chest as her eyes bounce from me to the man beside me. He steps forward and speaks.
“Um, excuse my um—friend. We have a little situation with our unit and need someone to clear up the mishap. My name is Alijah and this is—” His humor-filled eyes shift from the woman to me as his brows hike in expectation.
Alijah.
I store his name, all without uttering a word, as I provide my name for reference to whatever context he’s about to complete.
“Deshona,” I grumble.
“Yes. It seems that someone accidentally rented an apartment to Deshona and me. We need whoever is in charge, please.”
Hm. I don’t know why you’re being so nice about this mess. Somebody fucked up, and I’m about to hand them their ass for it.
“Oh my. Alright. Follow me.” The woman’s face flushes as she ushers us to follow her toward the back.
My heart drums in my ears as Alijah and I follow the click-clack of the woman’s heels. It takes us a minute or so to reach the closed office door, where a gold plate with the word “Manager” rests on the wood.
“Give me just a minute to bring them up to speed,” the woman says before she opens the door and slips inside.
Her slim body didn’t pose much of an obstacle to her entering the office without giving us a chance to see who occupied it.
A minute passes, and the door opens as the woman waves us inside the office.
A woman with tight lips, overly bleached blonde hair, and a blouse that’s too tight for work stares with an assessing gaze.
The first woman nods and makes a beeline for the door, which she closes lightly behind her.
“According to Marva, you two rented the same unit but have an issue with it.”
I’m not sure which affects me more: the woman’s dismissive tone, or her indication that we’re the problem. A humorless laugh escapes my mouth as I shake my head while I fight for a semblance of control of my tongue.
“Actually, our situation has been miscommunicated. Ms. Deshona and I are strangers who had no intention of renting the same apartment. But it seems that money has been collected from both of us, and the apartment shows us as tenants. I’m unsure how this sort of thing happened when neither of us was completing the application or selecting the unit at the same time or location.
” Alijah’s voice is calm and even as I stand by with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
I can’t explain why I’m comfortable with him speaking for both of us on this matter, but here I am, letting him take the lead.
“Hm. It sounds like our system glitched then. Your only recourse is to either receive a refund and vacate the premises, or stay and fulfill the lease,” the woman says deadpan.
“Oh wow. That doesn’t sound right or fair,” I say.
The woman shrugs, and my blood boils at her nonchalance as she speaks.
“Maybe not, but it’s the reality of this situation. We don’t have any available units, so those are the only two options I can offer you.”
What the entire fuck? This woman lacks professionalism, decorum, empathy, and basic conflict-resolution skills. She must have sucked her way into her position.
“We need to discuss our options and will get back with you,” Alijah interjects, and my face wrinkles as my head swings toward him fast enough to get a kink in my neck.
“What?” I ask as my brain processes his words and the woman’s unapologetic demeanor.
“Alright. We’ll be in touch,” Alijah says as if I didn’t just pose a question to his previous statement. Then he smiles at me before guiding my hesitant body toward the exit.
My body is in a frenzy from the heat that radiates within me from his touch.
The overwhelming and unexpected contact has my brain short-circuiting.
What in the entire hell is wrong with me?
My mind dipped and a fog of sexual tension filled me to the point of delirium as Alijah wordlessly led us out of the manager’s office and then the main office altogether.
Air slaps me across the face the second we’re outside, and I rip away from Alijah and stagger into him.
“Who gave you the right? Who—why did you . . .” My words trail off as I desperately fight to regain my right mind and a semblance of control that will let me think rationally.
“Ssh. Let’s go to that little breakfast spot on the corner, and we can discuss this with full bellies. My treat,” Alijah says in a too calm voice that somehow settles the storms brewing within me.
I nod, unable to verbalize my agreement, as I turn and walk toward the location Alijah had just suggested.
Twenty minutes and a half of a cup of apple juice have passed, and Alijah and I have yet to discuss our present dilemma.
I clear my throat and speak first so we can remove the elephant from the room.
“So, how should this issue be handled?”
Alijah’s intense gaze slams into me, reminding me once again of my attraction to him.
“My bad about catching you off guard last night. I can tell that shit shook you up.”
“Thanks. So how are we gonna proceed?”
“Don’t you want to apologize too?” His bushy brows hike as humor dances within his eyes.
“I have nothing to apologize for.”
A low chuckle falls from his mouth that causes me to clench my thighs together from the thunder that soars to my lower region.
“Wow. That’s crazy. You damn near dislocated my shoulder with that bat, and you’re not sorry?”
“Hell no. You said it yourself. You caught me off guard. You’re lucky I didn’t hit you over the head and keep swinging until the white meat showed,” I say as my shoulders lift and drop nonchalantly.
A boisterous shout of laughter falls from Alijah’s mouth, and it’s contagious, causing me to join in. After a couple of seconds, I shift the conversation back to the topic at hand.
“Seriously. What are we gonna do? I’m new to Kaigood and already love that apartment. I don’t want to uproot my life again so soon.” I swallow down a sob that hits me out of nowhere at the thought of making another change to my reality.
“Okay. Can we at least share this apartment until I get something else lined up? This wasn’t on my relocation bingo card, and I ain’t beat for sleeping in my ride.”
Wow. We have something in common.
At that thought, my mind sings an old-school R&B song by a singer whose life was cut short far too soon. But how can I be sure that sharing space with this stranger won’t be detrimental to my health?
Tuh. You mean detrimental to your pussy. Say what you mean and mean what you say, girl.
“We don’t know each other, and you could be a serial rapist, killer, or anybody. How can I be assured of my safety and your pure motives?”
“You aren’t afraid to use that bat of yours, so keep it near you. Keep locking your door. I’m not a threat to you. But I understand you want safety.”
Something about the way his voice dropped an octave when he mentions any part of me shot me like a dagger in my pussy. Jesus.
“Okay. You can stay, but stay out of my way, and I’ll try not to get in yours,” I say before I can fully process the words that leave my mouth.
“Deal. It’s temporary, so we’ll manage without it being too much trouble.”
“I’m sure. For now, we’ll be distant roommates.”
I don’t know whether I’m in my right mind or being possessed by another force, but agreement rolls off my tongue easily.
Alijah and I engage in a stare off for several minutes, and as our eyes war, the only thing in jeopardy of danger is my libido.
It’s a good thing I recently bought new battery-operated toys, because it’s clear I’m going to be spending many nights with my hands between my legs.
For now, I’ll proceed with prayer and caution as I anticipate his departure from my life.