Kenyon
“How much do you need?” My voice crept up behind Zara as she got dressed.
“Sydney and I agreed on a stack.”
“How much do you need ?” This time, the huskiness lingered in my tone because I refused to ask for a third.
“Two grand,” I replied.
“You’ll have it in the morning.”
“Thank you,” she replied, gathering her belongings like I was letting her walk out of here tonight.
“Sit tight. I need to holla at Sydney.”
She had the same thought because I shut the door behind me, but Sydney was walking toward me with a full head of steam.
“What the fuck was that?”
“She didn’t have any business here in the first place.”
“She called me, not the other way around,” Then Sydney’s finger flew up to add one more thought. “And don’t give me that nothing bullshit. We’re tag team champions of the world, and you blocked me at every turn tonight. That’s something.”
“I don’t care who called who. Zara is off limits,” I declared.
Sydney’s eyes widened, confusion flickering across her face for a split second before realization dawned. “Zara?”
The name hung in the air like a weight, the sudden silence around us.
“I guess that answers my question about Zara ! You like her. You really fuckin’ like her!” Sydney shoved me in the chest. “You fucked her like you’re making love! You’ve never been that intimate with another woman.”
“She was in over her head. If you weren’t so obsessed, you would’ve seen that.”
“So your solution was comforting her with your dick?” Sydney yelled, pacing the floor, “Kissing her in the mouth.” she paused to make her point, “No condom! Whispering in her ear like nobody else exists but the two of you!”
Sydney shoved me again. And again releasing all her pinned-up aggression. I didn’t deny it because if I had it to do all over again, the only thing I’d change was intervening sooner.
“She’s off limits from here on out.”
“Or what?” Sydney sobbed, and I finally let her go.
“Leave her alone, Syd. I mean it.”
She slammed the door as she stormed out, the sound echoing in the suite like the last punch thrown in a fight. Just because I defended Zara didn’t mean I wasn’t still pissed. Stepping onto the patio, I stared into the darkness, trying to settle the burning fire under my skin.
Minutes passed. Maybe more. My mind kept circling back to what the fuck could be that important to Zara when I heard a soft creak behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Zara. The way her presence changed the air gave her away.
At first, Zara didn’t say anything, just stood there, like she was testing the waters.
“What’s going on with you and Sydney?” I asked.
“Nothing. I needed the money. That’s it.”
“Do you know the danger you put yourself in? What if I wasn’t the man I am?” I grimaced at my words, sounding like one too many speeches Pops had delivered.
She looked away again, biting her lip, her walls slowly crumbling as I stared her down.
“But you were here!”
“What if I wasn’t? Every nigga ain’t me and won’t give a fuck about how you feel. That shit is dangerous and can break you in ways you’ll never recover from.”
I expected another rebuttal justifying her decision, but instead, she roped her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest.
“I get it,” she murmured.
“If you want to fuck women do it, but don’t ever compromise yourself for anything or anyone.”
Her neck fell back enough to look up at me.
“ Keyes has a ‘lil jealous streak, so I don’t think he’d be okay with that,” She had even gestured her manicured fingers to drive her point home.
“Now who’s playing too much?” I asked, pulling her head back against my chest.
Zara sighed, “That sounds good in theory, but it’s not real life. Sometimes shit happens, and people have to do what they have to do. That’s all it was.”
“I’m not talking about people , Zara Nicole. I’m talking about you . The next time shit happens, you call me. Not Sydney!” I fussed, plucking her neck.
“Ow! You become more and more of an asshole every day.”
“Ready to tell me why you needed this money so badly now?”
She recalled how Brandy had loaned Otto money that he never paid back, putting them in a bad situation. I nodded, somewhat shocked by her selfless explanation. From the little she shared, her relationship with Shana seemed strained, and looking into her eyes, I wasn’t sure she could handle losing anyone else.
“I’m sorry about your Nana, but next time, put that number to use instead of pissing me off.”
“I answered your question. Now you have to answer mine.”
“What?”
“Why does any of it matter to you?”
It seemed like the obvious had never crossed her mind, so I decided to put her out of her misery.
“I get real delusional when I have a crush on somebody. That’s why I keep my feelings to myself because I don’t know how to act,” I revealed, and her eyes widened like it was the first time she’d considered I had feelings for her outside of lust. “You can’t tell when a nigga likes you?”
“With most men, I can, but you’re not most men,” she replied honestly.
“Well, now you know, so you have twenty-four hours to give Romello his notice.”
A chuckle rumbled from her chest. “While you do whatever you want. , please.”
“The only thing I’m trying to do is you, Babygirl.”
“Does Sydney know that? Do all the others know that?”
Babygirl wasn’t as naive as I thought, just misinformed. There weren’t any others that mattered.
“I’ll make sure they get the message,” I flirted, pecking her lips.
“You get some pussy and start talking crazy,” Zara rolled her eyes, dismissing my statement.
“I’ll be good. Besides, you need me to watch over you. You clearly get into shit when I’m not around.”
“You get into plenty of trouble on your own.”
“Get your stuff. We’re going home.”
The ride back to my place was quiet, but not because of tension. Zara sat next to me, more relaxed now. Her fingers traced along the edge of her shirt as she stared out the window.
We picked up food and returned to my house, where Zara wanted to shower first. By the time she hiked downstairs in another designer t-shirt, I was damn near done, but she insisted that I sit with her.
“Nice shirt. Is that one going to grow legs, too?”
“It might. How much did it cost?” Zara asked with one foot perched on the edge of the seat, stuffing fries in her mouth.
“Can’t remember.”
“Must be nice.”
“What made you grab that one?”
Zara looked down at the t-shirt, searching for answers.
“I like the details. I didn’t take you for the bedazzled type, though,” she chuckled, trying to smother her snort.
It wasn’t shit bedazzled about the Amiri t-shirt she was wearing. Zara liked to fuck with me the same way I did her.
“ Vete a la mierda .”? *
Her neck fell to the left asking. “And what does that mean?”
“Fuck you,” I said, slowly enunciating each syllable.
“You did that already,” she retorted, sticking her tongue out.
Zara rose fluidly from the chair like only a dancer could, collecting trash from the table. She walked into the kitchen and realized she didn’t know where the trashcan was. Pointing at the cabinet, Zara hesitated as if she had never seen a trashcan behind a cabinet before.
“Time for bed,” She announced, making me laugh. “What’s funny?”
“Moms used to do Pops the same way. Whenever she was tired, it was bedtime.”
“And how long were they married?”
“A long ass time.”
“Then you should follow suit,” Zara suggested, snapping her fingers.
“Damn, jumping straight to marriage?”
“Baby steps. You’d have to ask me to be your girlfriend first.”
“Ask you to be my girlfriend?” My face scrunched up and showed Zara exactly how I felt about that.
“Let me guess. Keyes doesn’t ask. He just tells women they’re his, and they agree because they’re so enamored with him?”
But that wasn’t it at all. Somehow, Zara’s presence forced me to admit the truth.
“I wouldn’t know. I never had a girlfriend before.”
My confession made Zara tilt her head, deciphering if I was fucking with her or telling the truth.
She wiggled her dainty nose to camouflage her smile. “Who said you have one now?”
“Me, because I tell people what to do, and they fall in line,” I mocked.
“That’s not how this works. You have to ask.”
“For what? I don’t see you objecting.”
“You don’t know that because you didn’t ask. "After going around the mulberry bush to make her point, her tone sounded identical to Mom’s.
I set the alarm and headed for the stairs while Zara’s point hung in the balance. This idea of formally asking Zara to be my girlfriend as if we were back on the playground trading lunch snacks was stupid.
Zara and I settled in bed, she pulled the comforter up to her neck because she had been complaining about the temperature since she walked in. I had given Zara a lot tonight—more than I had given most. I wasn’t adjusting the thermostat.
“Is it an ex-boyfriend out there I might have to shoot?” I asked, resting my arm behind my head as her toes slid underneath my leg.
“Nope. I’m pretty sure he’s not thinking about me.”
“As a nigga who can’t stop thinking about you, I disagree.”
“Goodnight, .”
I leaned over and pecked her lips, thinking that would be enough, but it wasn’t. After the first taste, I was hooked, so I reclaimed her lips, demanding more this time.
“Goodnight, Zara Nicole.”
Zara’s first full night sleeping over left me exhausted. She tossed, turned, and repositioned all night. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I patted around, looking for the bandit who hijacked my sleep, but it was empty. Downstairs, I rounded the corner, stopping dead in my tracks. Zara turned my open floor plan into a dance floor, giving her ample space to move.
Her body ebbed and flowed with the music, every turn and extension executed perfectly. It looked that way, but she wasn’t satisfied, so she stopped resting her hands on her wild mane and visualized the correct movements. Zara started over again, her focus so intense that she hadn’t noticed me yet. Her dedication was one of the many things I admired about her.
“Oh, good morning,” she breathed out, slightly out of breath. “I hope I didn’t wake you, but I couldn’t sleep.”
“I don’t know why when you were the one rolling around all night.”
Zara didn’t deny or object but followed me into the kitchen.
“How long are you holding me hostage today?”
“Depends. What do you have to do?”
“Pay off Nana’s account and finish this routine for Rajah.”
“It’s stressing you out that bad?” I asked, noticing the distant look in her eyes.”
“A friend of Nana’s owns a studio. She called in a favor whenever she’s back in town. If she even comes back. I don’t even know if it’s a sure thing. I’m just,” Zara rambled.
“Nervous,” I replied with the word she couldn’t seem to get out.
“I don’t even know why. This is all I’ve ever wanted. Now, it could be happening, and I’m scared. What if this is my one shot, and I fuck up?”
Oddly, I felt the same about Zara, so I offered her the same solution I’d come up with.
“Trust yourself. Anything you care about, you’ll find a way to take care of. Just don’t lean over too fast. That forehead might make you tumble, and there’s no coming back from that.”
“You are so annoying. What are you doing today?”
“I have some business to handle, but I want you here tonight.”
“Hmm, I have to check my schedule. I’ll get back to you on that,” Zara flirted before spinning back into the living room.
* ? Fuck you.