Chapter 13
Kane decided to close the clubhouse for a couple of days while he processed the news. I didn’t have anything to do since he was at work, so I told Candace we could hang out. We hadn’t had a chance to catch up on what had been going on in each other’s lives, so it was the perfect time to.
Things with Kane and I were going well. He called me every morning when he woke up, and we talked on the phone at night before bed.
He would tell me about his clients. We talked about goals and aspirations.
He mentioned opening another tattoo shop, but he wasn’t sure of which area.
He even convinced me to get a tattoo, but I was still trying to decide what to get.
I knew I wanted something to honor my brother. I’d figure it out at some point.
Candace and I decided on getting pedicures, and instead of her driving to my house, we agreed to meet there. We went to Jayden’s shop since she and her girls were the best around.
“Hey, girl.” I greeted Candace when I walked into the shop.
“Hey.” She stepped back and looked at me. “You look different.” Her eyes moved up and down my body before she leaned in close. “Bitch, did you get some dick recently?”
Heat flooded my cheeks as I had a flashback of Kane and me having sex on his couch a couple of days prior.
Candace grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side.
“Spill it.”
I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about the progression of my and Kane’s relationship.
“Kane and I have been doing things.” I blushed. “We talk on the phone all of the time. We’ve spent time together. And we had sex multiple times, and God.” I fanned my face.
Every time Kane grabbed or even touched my neck, it turned me on. I didn’t know what it was about my neck, but he couldn’t keep his hands off it.
“Are y’all, like, together? I thought we didn’t like him.”
“We aren’t together, and at first, we didn’t. Now.” I smiled. “Now he’s different from what I thought he was. He gives me butterflies. He makes me feel safe. He gives me confidence.”
It didn’t matter who was around, Kane’s eyes always found me, no matter where I was in the room.
I hadn’t seen him entertain any of the groupies that hung around the clubhouse.
Now that Drizzle hadn’t been around, I noticed some new chicks who tried to get Kane’s attention, but he only had eyes for me. He’d done a complete 180.
“Speaking of,” I said when my phone rang. I held it up to show Candace it was Kane calling.
“Hello.”
“What’s good, Munch?”
I noticed he greeted me the same way whether we were on the phone or in person.
“Nothing. At the nail shop with my best friend.”
“Oh, word? What color you getting?”
I looked up at the wall of nail polish and knew it would take me probably at least ten to fifteen minutes to decide. Sometimes I let the nail tech decide.
“I don’t even know,” I said as I bit my lip. Candace stared at me with a smile on her face. She knew that if I entertained Kane, he was cool. I think she was just happy that I entertained someone and didn’t allow myself to get lost in my grief. Each day, I felt less and less sad.
“I think you should get blue.”
Without seeing him, I knew he smirked.
“Oh, I should, huh? You think Tay will like it?”
“Munch, don’t get you and that man fucked up.”
I cackled at the seriousness in his tone.
“I’m just playing. It’s cute that you get jealous.”
Kane chuckled. “Munch, ain’t nobody jealous. That nigga can’t have you, and neither can anyone else.”
“Okay, Kane.” I rolled my eyes like he could see me. I couldn’t hold back my smile if I tried.
“I ain’t gonna hold you up. Make sure you get blue, though, and come show me later. I might want to see what they look like wrapped around my dick.”
Immediately, my faucet was turned on. I didn’t need to be in this nail shop getting wet because Kane wanted to be nasty.
“Bye, Kane.”
“Bye, Munch.”
The call was disconnected, and as I slipped my phone back in my bag, it chimed. My eyes ballooned when I looked at the notification. Kane had sent me over three thousand dollars and told me to pay for me and Candace and do whatever else we wanted to do with it.
I wanted to call him back, but my name was called.
As Candace and I walked to the pedicure bowls, I told her about the money.
“Okay, big spender,” she said as she took her shoes and socks off.
“Girl. Why would he send that much money?”
“It doesn’t matter; just say thank you and let’s get on with our day.” She shimmied in her seat, then closed her eyes.
She knew that I would look out for her with that money. That was a part of our friendship. We never hesitated to treat each other.
Before the nail tech came over, I pulled out my phone to text Kane.
Me:
Thank you. I wasn’t expecting it and certainly not that much.
Kane:
You’re welcome, Munch. I know I pay you well, but I don’t want you to use your money if you don’t have to.
I read the message three times before I responded.
Me:
Okay. (heart emoji)
He informed me that he had a client coming in and to call him when I was done with Candace. I said okay, then relaxed in the chair.
A few hours later, Candace and I had got our nails and feet done.
Afterward, we went and got something to eat and did a little shopping.
It was freeing being able to spend someone else’s money.
I had my own money, since I worked and didn’t have any real bills to pay, but I was trying to save as much as possible.
At some point, I wanted to get out of my parents’ house, but I wasn’t in a rush.
With the shift in my and Kane’s relationship, I wanted more privacy.
It wasn’t a problem going to his house, but I wanted him to come to me sometimes.
Plus, I just wanted to walk around naked.
Or not have to worry about putting a robe on just to get a cup of water.
When I lived by myself, I used to walk around naked or with almost next to nothing on.
I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that in my parents’ house.
I needed to stop to get gas, so after I dropped Candace off at her car, I drove to the gas station.
I listened to one of my favorite R instead, he was on high alert. “Munch, where are you?”
I looked around because I wasn’t sure where I was. When the truck followed me, I just drove. “I’m on Second Street.”
“Come to me, Munch. You can drive, right?”
“Yes.”
My hands were shaky, but I was sure I could drive to his house. I realized I wasn’t that far from it.
“Come to me. I’ll even stay on the phone until you get here.”
Even though Kane stayed on the phone, we didn’t talk.
He listened to the music that played on my radio.
My hands shook as my heart raced. I kept checking the mirror, but I didn’t see anybody else out of the ordinary.
I had no idea who could have done that to me.
I didn’t bother anybody. I couldn’t tell my parents or Candace, because they would assume it had something to do with the Vipers, and I didn’t need them to think that.
Kane was on his porch with his hands in his pockets when I pulled up. The second I got out of my car, he was by my side.
I fell into his arms and cried. Like I weighed nothing, Kane picked me up and carried me bridal style into his house.