7. Blackout #2
Shaking her head, she snatched her keys off the dresser near the door and let herself into the hall.
She had to bypass the kitchen to leave, where she spotted Kong seated at the counter with Nay, sharing coffee.
He was mighty comfortable in his sweats and t-shirt as she sat beside him in her soft pink satin pajamas.
He wasn’t smiling or being over affectionate with her just…
attentive. Something she took note of. It was like a checklist for him. Obligation.
Eyes drifting past Nay, he spotted Inari at the door and sat up. After excusing himself from her, Kong joined Inari in the hall.
“Hey. You good?”
“Well-rested,” she replied, a tight smile on her face. “Thanks for letting me sleep it off here.”
“Is Ayla awake?”
“She is. Scrambling to get dressed. I guess she didn’t set her alarm. I’m heading home. Make sure my son hasn’t thrown a party in my damn house.” She inched away from him.
“I’m not trying to hurt her.” Kong disclosed, voice low and tinged with what she perceived as pain.
“Then leave her alone.” Inari voiced. “Do that for her. You clearly have other duties. She doesn’t deserve that. But she likes working here. She adores your kids, and I kind of feel like they need her too.”
Kong bowed his head shamefully. This was exactly why he didn’t want to give in to temptation with her. He knew it would only cause more chaos. Nodding, he lifted his gaze to Inari.
“I don’t not like you, Kong. Overall, you seem to be a solid dude who was dealt a bad hand.
You’re trying, and you’re showing up. Don’t think that doesn’t count.
I understand loss and how it changes you,” Inari clarified.
“But I can’t as her sister sit back and allow you to do her any kind of way.
So, yeah… I told her not to pursue this, and if she couldn’t work here and be around you, then she needs to find another job.
Her content creation is picking up. She’s got recipes and videos going viral every single day, which means she’s getting to the bag all on her own. ”
“She’s smart. She’s creative, and she’s very talented,” Kong complimented. “All the shit I can’t resist about her, but... given how things are unraveling around here, I can’t allow my focus to shift. So… you’re right. I told her that.”
“You can’t just tell her, Kong.” Inari sighed as keys rattled in the front door and Moose let himself into the family home. “No more of that creeping into her room shit like last night either. You have to set boundaries.”
“You have my word that I will do whatever it takes to protect her. Like you said, my kids need her, and I care about her too. Not just because of what happened between us. Your sister is one of the best people I know.”
“Don’t be around here saying shit to her like that either or looking at her like she’s the only woman who exists. Show versus tell,” Inari drilled into him. “What the hell is wrong with you Blackmoor men?”
“What’s up? You good?” Moose approached, only catching the last part of their conversation.
It didn’t surprise him that Kong was sniffing after Ayla.
It was only a matter of time. While Mozzi and Moose had a weakness for the slick talking, extra types, Kong was the opposite.
He preferred his women meek and sweet with a touch of spice.
Ayla was all those things he found sexy in a partner.
She was also young and pure compared to him.
Unlike Mozzi and Moose, Kong never knew his birth parents.
He’d been in the system all his life. The very first family that adopted him was killed during a police raid when he was only three years old.
Since they didn’t have any family, Kong ended up in foster care before arriving at Haven House six years later.
“I’m a little hungover. I’m going to grab some breakfast and head home to Dane.”
Kong excused himself to return to Nay in the kitchen. Moose looked after him, deciding he would get with him later about the Ayla situation, and focused on Inari. He could tell something had her tight, and he didn’t like that shit.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m good,” she lied, eyes drifting to the ground.
“You ain’t gotta cap with me, mama.” He reached for her hand, pulling her attention to his face. Searching his warm chestnut eyes, something fluttered in her stomach.
“It’s just been a long time since I’ve had idle hands. Dane’s pretty much grown and finishing summer school this week, so he’ll be off with his friends. Ayla lives here. I’m not working until further notice. I don’t know what to even do with myself.” She threw her hands up.
“Well, what do you want to do?” Moose queried, pulling her into his arms and sealing the space between them.
“I always wanted to open my own private auction house. Like exclusive, rare shit. I’ve got a secured storage unit where I have a lot of stuff I’ve collected over the years.”
“Okay, so what you need to get the ball rolling on something like that?”
“A building for one. It has to be the right space, though. I’d have to get all my clientele together and all the licensing for it, then I could plan an opening event. Maybe I could reach out to some of my parents’ old contacts and try to find some locations.” The wheels spun in Inari’s head.
She could sit around dwelling and dreading the call from her boss telling her she’d have to let her go, or she could start working on doing her own thing.
“I also need some connections that can help me obtain even more pieces.”
Moose took note of everything. Kneeling, he pressed his lips against Inari’s in a sweet kiss.
“How about you do that, and I’ll start figuring out that other shit for you. I know people. My family does too. I can hit up Desiree. She’s got a lot of European connections with all her traveling. I’m sure she could hook you up with a hell of clientele list.”
Inari lit up at the prospect. She hadn’t considered any of that, but now Moose had her hype.
Grabbing both of his arms, a slow grin spread over her juicy lips.
At least she’d brushed her teeth. She was sure she looked a hot mess all hungover from yesterday, but the way Moose’s hooded brown eyes admired her, she couldn’t tell.
“Oh, my God, that would be amazing!”
“Say less.” Moose’s hands wandered down to her backside and squeezed her cheeks. “So, when you gon’ let a nigga take you out again? Just us this time. You pick the destination.”
“Hmm, you shoot pool?”
“I got a big ass table at my spot.” He took his bottom lip sexily between his teeth. “You should come through. We can chill, sip, smoke, and watch a flick in my theater.”
“Theater? Oh, so you Netflix and chill for real?” Inari teased, throwing her arms across his shoulders.
“Big shit.” He sloped forward, and she stood on her toes, falling into the kiss.
“Okay then. Date night at your spot. Let me go home and clean myself up. I’m sure I smell like bad decisions.”
Inari grabbed breakfast from Morning Delight with her usual white mocha and chocolate iced coffee and headed home.
Whipping her car up her driveway, she peeped Dane’s vehicle on the curb with a silver Mercedes coupe S series parked behind it.
She couldn’t say for sure, but she took a few guesses as to who she thought it could be.
Sighing, immediate annoyance took over as she grabbed her purse, food and to-go coffee cup before she got out of her car.
She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone other than her son.
She was glad he and Danilo were building a relationship, but why the nigga have to keep coming around her?
Unlocking the front door, Inari let herself inside.
The living room was empty, and there wasn’t anything out of place as she listened to the voices and laughter coming from her kitchen.
Strolling in that direction, she stopped in the doorway to take in the scene.
Danilo at her counter cooking like he belonged there and Dane seated at her kitchen table with Danilo’s auntie Mira across from him.
“When I tell you I smacked the hoe from here to Sunday, I was not playing that shit!” Mira jested.
Dane roared with laughter, and Danilo peered up from the eggs he was scrambling.
“What’s up, Ma!” Dane perked up in his chair and grinned.
Mira turned, her short pixie cut laid like always as her dark, slanted, oil-black irises drifted over Inari. It was obvious from her disheveled appearance that she’d been out all night.
“Look at you doing the walk of shame.” Mira snickered.
“I actually spent the night with my sister,” Inari corrected her.
“And how is our sweet, innocent girl?” Mira queried, although there was a taunting in her tone that only Inari and Danilo picked up on.
“She’s fine. What are you doing here?”
She tossed her purse on the counter and set her food and drink beside it.
Inari hadn’t laid eyes on Mira in years.
She still remembered how she dismissed her the day she told her she was done.
She’d made her last reup and sent her birds flying within a few days.
Mira made a killing selling pussy. She rented bitches from top shelf escorts to strung out walkers on the stroll, gathering a percentage from everything.
Of course, the next best thing to selling ass was dope.
Naturally, she didn’t want to see one of her top earners walk away.
She’d rather Inari did a bid like Danilo or end up in the dirt before she got to leave.
She gave her a pass, but that never stopped Mira from watching.
It also didn’t hurt that she was one of few people privy to some very incriminating information on Inari.
“Seems like you aren’t too happy to see me.” Mira sniggered, swiping her brow of some of her hair out of place. “I can’t imagine why. There are no hard feelings, Nari. I promise.” Mira threw up both hands, flashing her bangles, Van Cleef bracelets and diamond rings with her super long acrylics.