Chapter 7
Kannon
As soon as my Apple watch went off, I stripped a pair of latex gloves from my hands and hurried to the sink.
I had been on the clock sixty-nine minutes longer than I was scheduled, and I refused to hang around an extra second.
From administering medicine to fitness hour for our patients, every part of my day seemed hectic.
Mid-way through my shift, I snatched off my wig, and by the end, I had sucked the moisture from my lips.
In dire need of a bath and Vaseline, I rushed out the building.
Even though the sun welcomed me back to the real world, a subtle breeze made me tighten my Alo jacket as I rushed through the parking lot.
Out of breath, I flopped down in my truck right as my phone started ringing.
“Hi, pretty lady,” I sang, answering Yari’s call.
“Are you still coming by to get your hair done?”
I palmed my forehead. “I forgot. I just got off of work, but I’ll head to the shop now. If I slap on this wig another day, people are going to think I stole the bike, Holiday.”
“I mean, you said it. Not me.” She laughed. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
I wasn’t close by Yari’s shop, but thanks to a clear road, I reached my destination in thirty minutes.
Along with her best friend, Yari opened their beauty shop four years ago.
Her books had the names of every hood nigga’s baby mama, and the cosmetologist had added a few celebrities to her client list. Kinship aside, getting an appointment with my cousin was scarce, which was why I typically went to get my hair done during the week.
“What’s up, bitches?” I spoke as I entered the pink paradise. “Did y’all miss me?”
“Always, but didn’t I do your hair a week ago?” Yari tapped her salon chair.
“Yeah, but I messed it up a few hours after I left the shop,” I admitted, thinking of my night with Neptune.
“See, and that’s exactly why I make you pay. You don’t take care of your hair.”
The instant her fingers touched my scalp, I shut my eyes.
“How could you forget your appointment when you’re walking around with your head looking like this?”
I shook my head. “I know. I’ve been working crazy hours, and self-care has been on the back burner.”
“Mm. I love that you’ve been going hard. Does that mean you’ve accepted your fate, Nurse Blackstone?”
“Fuck no. I’m padding my bank account since my daddy is still acting funny. He doesn’t fund my lifestyle, but over the years, he’s had my back if I fell short. Now, I’m building my cushion.”
“Damn. You guys haven’t spoken since he went off?”
“Mostly through text, and you know that’s not his specialty.”
“I hate to hear that, especially since you apologized like he asked.” The scalp massage she gave me came to a halt. “What ever happened with ol’ boy? You haven’t said much about him since y’all met up to talk.”
I shrugged. “He’s around.”
“Kannon, you can’t be serious! Is that why your ass has been missing in action?”
“Something like that.” I glanced around the shop. “Let’s talk about it later.”
“Yeah, okay. We are going out for drinks as soon as I’m done with your hair.”
My cousin ushered me to the shampoo bowl, and seconds later, I was knocked out.
By the time my hair was clean and dry, I spotted my sister enter the salon.
Kasey walked over and spoke to a stylist, then spun around and laid eyes on me.
A few shades lighter than me, Kasey’s complexion and eyes were a golden brown.
She was dressed in expensive threads and smelled like money, and she could be dingy as hell.
Over the years, we made attempts at getting close, but her snotty ass tested my patience.
Had I known my sister was going to show up, I would’ve rescheduled my appointment.
“Baby sis! I’ve been calling you,” she said in a valley girl cadence. “We need to get together so we can plan Daddy’s birthday party. I know his birthday is months away, but I want to do something big.”
I rolled my eyes. “What’s the point, Kasey? We both know you don’t want my input.”
“My therapist said I should. If you don’t want to help, I can handle it. Though I think it would be good for Jeremiah’s girls to work together.”
“In a month and a half, I’ve heard his voice twice. You really expect me to plan his party?”
“Of course! Can you blame him for being pissed? You crossed the line. It’s not your place to jump into men’s business.”
I inched to the edge of the seat like a pressing comb wasn’t in my head. “What does that mean?”
“You know. Shooting guns. Late nights in the streets. Drugs. Leave that mess to the boys. I don’t know understand why you can’t just appreciate being around. Things were getting better, and you’ve set the family back. Again.”
“If you’re referring to how I was shipped to Slyde City after my mom died, I wouldn’t say that was my fault.”
“Stop being sensitive, Kannon. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I don’t know anything, and stop calling me sensitive for having feelings about your slick remarks.”
Kasey pleaded her case, but the notification on my phone easily stole my attention.
Tune: If you keep ignoring me, I’m going to come in the shop and get you.
Annoyed and amused, I gnawed on my bottom lip.
I didn’t take his threat lightly, but I still didn’t respond.
Mr. Delano’s party was a week ago, and by the time we left, I believed we’d mended the damaged bridge between us.
However, after Neptune took me to a hotel instead of his house, I was certain his mean ass held resentment that may forever keep his guard up.
Tune: Stop fucking playing with me, Kannon.
You first.
Tune: I’ve been calling your stubborn ass.
For what? Our next event isn’t for a week.
Tune: Are you trying to piss me off?
I pressed the button on the side of my phone, making the screen go black. I tried to doze off in Yari’s chair, but the sound of the door opening pried my lids open.
Heavy.
That was the first word that came to mind when Neptune’s frame fell into my view.
His steps were heavy, the chains around his neck were heavy.
The ball in the pit of my stomach, . . .
heavy. I closed my eyes to avoid eye contact, but Neptune didn’t let me find peace.
He slammed one hand on each side of the chair, then leaned down, locking our eyes.
“What are you doing in here?” I wondered aloud.
“You read my message. Didn’t I tell you to come to me, Kannon?”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Neptune.”
“You rarely have a problem when I tell you to cum.”
His comment locked a grin on my face, but not out of shame. I just couldn’t think of a comeback.
“I’m getting my hair done.”
He stood upright and looked at Yari. “How much longer does she have?”
“About twenty minutes.”
Neptune grabbed a wad of cash from his pocket, then slipped the bills between my fingers.
“Meet me outside when you’re done. If you don’t, I’m going to come back inside and carry yo’ ass out of here.”
Unable to speak, I nodded. All eyes were on me when the bold man exited the building, leaving me to deal with the consequences of his presence.
“Bitch!” Yari slapped my shoulder. “Why would you have him meet you at my shop?”
“I didn’t! I wouldn’t do that to you.” I sulked in my seat. “He . . . found me. Again.”
My sister stared back and forth between the exit and me. “I know that’s not the man Daddy told you to apologize to.”
“Kasey, please don’t make a big deal out of this. Neptune and I are . . . friends.”
“Seriously? Who do you think you’re fooling? No man is giving a friend hundreds for a hair appointment.”
“My friends are.”
Yari snatched the cash from my grasp. “Make that nigga your bestie if he’s going to pay this much for a fresh pixie.”
A woman of her word, Yari had me out of the chair in under twenty minutes. I wanted to ask Kasey to keep what she saw to herself, but she had her phone in her hand before I could dust loose hair off my pants.
A second after I stepped outside, Neptune’s passenger door was pushed open from the inside. I stomped over to the sports car like I wasn’t happy to see him, though on the inside, I was impressed by his tenacity.
“Don’t do that shit again.” I groaned as my butt melted into the peanut butter interior.
“Then don’t ignore me.”
“I was busy, Neptune.”
“You should never be too busy for me.”
His cocky comeback rubbed me the wrong way. “See, and that’s why I’ve been leaving your ass on read. You like to play with my head. There are enough men in my life trying to do that.”
“Like who? Tell me the problem, Kitty.”
“You and me . . . having sex. We have to stop. We have an arrangement that doesn’t include a real commitment, but somehow it includes us fucking.”
“I’ve never made you do anything you didn’t want to do.”
“I’m saying I shouldn’t have wanted to do it. This is business, and I feel myself slipping.”
His eyes found me. “You don’t think I’ll catch you?”
“You will hardly kiss me, Tune. One minute, we’re enjoying each other’s company, and I think we’re getting somewhere.
Next thing I know, we’ve had sex, and a car is waiting to take me home.
You didn’t ask me to be your girlfriend, but I don’t want to be your fuck buddy. I don’t think I can handle that.”
As if my words fueled his car, Neptune backed out of the parking lot.
“Did you hear what I said? You’re not going to keep fucking with my mind then—”
He slammed on the brakes, cutting off my rant.
“Neptune, what the hell? Are you trying to—”
Wild and void of intimacy, Neptune kissed me. The gesture was unexpected and underwhelming.
“Are you happy now?”
“No! That shit was wack, and you know it. I mentioned affection, not aggression.”
“I’m not big on that. I don’t know how to show you I’m falling hard and fast when I’ve never felt anything close to what I feel about you.”
Disbelief caused my brows to bunch. “Really? What happened to the lady you were with before now?”