Chapter 9 #4
“What do you think of this?” Royal picked up a dress off the rack and faced Coast.
It was a black lace polka dot dress, and underneath was a one piece since it was see through. Coast loved it. When she popped out, it was always on the risqué side.
“It’s gorgeous.”
“That shit look transparent as fuck!” Mozzi objected.
Coast stepped forward and went through the rows of shirts, dresses, two-piece sets, and admired every piece.
Royal was damn sure good at her job. She had Coast’s tastes down to the letter.
She preferred darker, rich colors, like navy, black, burgundy.
If it was a bright color like orange, she preferred it to be burnt orange or olive green, maybe emerald.
There were designer jeans and graphic t-shirts for when she wanted to be on her chill shit and even a few satin pajama sets.
She couldn’t help but examine the price tags still attached to each item as she added up what this must have cost Mozzi.
“Next time, bring me some jogging suits, big ass t-shirts, and baggy jeans. The fuck.” He went into his pocket and retrieved a few rolls of cash that he set on the counter.
Brim threw his head back in laughter. Mozzi kept a bad bitch around him, and he never once tried to regulate what these hoes wore. He’d never even indulged them by shopping. He was on a different type of time with Coast.
“Everything is dope. You’ve got good taste.” Coast toyed with the material of one of the other dresses and inspected the label. Prada.
He’d spared no expense.
“Did I nail your personality?” Royal questioned, pausing at the counter to gather the bands Mozzi arranged for her.
“Pretty much. You a psychic or something?”
“I have my ways.” Royal batted her eyes and opened her Birkin bag to drop the cash inside.
Her long, blood red stiletto nails and gold jewelry matched her entire personality. Coast just knew she was extra and hood, but she had her hustle down.
“You must be special. Mozzi ain’t never had me shop for a woman outside of his grandmother.”
“Be easy on my boy.” Brim chuckled and slid up behind Royal.
“I’m just saying. He had me worried he was gon’ be that uncle popping up twenty-four seven needing a plate because ain’t nobody feeding him at home.
Only thing Lin, Roni, or Gill know how to do is order out.
Roni be trying, but let’s be for real, she be faking.
Ordering food and pretending she cooked that shit. ”
“You talking too much now, Yal. Let’s go.” Brim snatched her by the waist and tugged her away from the counter.
“Fuck them bitches.” She sucked her teeth. “I’ll see you around, Coast. Let Mozzi know if you need anything else.” She reached for her bag and let Brim lead her away.
He threw up two fingers at Mozzi on his way to the door, and Coast paused at one of the rolling bags that was open on the floor. It was filled with all types of accessories.
“What is all this?”
“I want you to be comfortable.” Mozzi brought his blunt to his lips and sparked what was left.
“You know you can’t buy me, right?”
“That ain’t what this is.” He tipped his head back and exhaled.
“Then what is it? You doing a lot for somebody you just met. I’m very much pregnant, with another man’s baby—”
“That’s my baby.” He took another puff and set the blunt back in the ashtray. “Let’s establish that now. For anybody asking. You keeping it too.”
“You don’t get to dictate a damn thing over here. I’m not sure what I’m going to do—”
“So, you gon’ climb up on that table, spread your legs, and have them suck life out of you?” he challenged, closing the space between them and looking down into her eyes. “That’s what you on?”
Coast’s bottom lip quivered. Lost for words, she squared off with Mozzi, hating that he was right. She couldn’t see herself doing that.
“Nah, that’s what I thought.” He nodded. “You don’t even know it yet, but you want this.” He placed his hand against the small pudge in her stomach, and tears stung her eyes, clouding her vision.
“Why are you doing this?” Coast whispered.
“Doing what?”
“Making me question everything?” She blinked away her tears and tried to stand her ground against him.
Mozzi slid his arms around her waist and pulled her in. Locking them together behind her back, he knelt so that they were eye level. Coast never had a man look at her like that before. Like he saw something in her that she was missing.
“You comfortable with me?” he asked.
“For some reason… yes,” she admitted.
“I want you to trust me too.”
“That’s asking for a lot considering you already have a roster of women gunning for me.” Coast looked off to the side.
Tipping her chin upward with his index finger, he forced her gorgeous doe eyes to fixate on him.
“Let me tell you something, Trouble. I’ll make a movie with yo’ ass, put my mouth all on that sweet pussy, and let you send it to any bitch you think I’m fucking with.” Sloping toward her, his lips hovered over hers briefly before smothering her in a kiss that took her breath away.
Mozzi’s tongue slipped into her mouth with ease, and Coast kissed him back.
Melting in his embrace, she allowed his thick, muscle-bound arms to pick her up and carry her up the stairs.
He kissed her gently the whole time, leaving the seat of his briefs ruined with her juices.
She expected him to take her into his bedroom, but instead, he stopped in his game room and sat with her on the couch.
“I’m ordering some Snack Shack. You want something?” he asked, fishing his phone from the pocket of his shorts.
“Wings. The honey haberno ones. Twelve piece with some fries.” Coast dug her own cell from her pocket to check the time.
It was almost five-thirty.
“Twelve piece.” Mozzi tittered. “Little ass greedy.” He pressed his back against the arm of the sofa and tapped at his screen with a slight frown.
Coast draped both legs over his, and when he was done ordering, he picked up the remote to his TV from the coffee table that looked like a big Rubik’s cube, and his PlayStation controller.
“Where’s your mama now?” Coast wondered aloud.
“In prison,” he answered, flicking through channels until he decided to play his game.
Coast didn’t know if she should pry. His revelation left her more curious about him.
“Do you talk to her or see her?”
“I try not to. Not a whole lot she can say to me.”
“I know that feeling.” She allowed her head to fall against the back of the couch.
Half an hour later, their food arrived, and the two ate before Coast slipped into a food coma. Mozzi smoked another blunt and got comfortable with her up under him while playing NBA2K.
About an hour later, when her phone alert went off, he got curious. She’d received an email from a doctor’s office confirming an appointment for next week. He made a mental note of it before peeking at her sleeping face. Setting her phone on the table, he went back to his game.