8. Khaleya #2
“Don’t make this a big deal. I know this relationship is part of a deal, but we need to be ourselves. If you feel it, say it.”
I stopped at the red light and then glanced at the screen.
“Are you not worried that somewhere along the way, your view of us might get a little blurry?” I asked.
“Nah, because if either of us fell, I’m sure neither of us would allow the other to hit the ground.”
He sounded so sure, so confident. But he was right. I didn’t have to think long about that answer, and that bothered me. I would just think of it as me being a decent person, but I knew better.
“Am I right?” he asked.
I must have been quiet for too long.
“You know the answer already,” I replied hesitantly.
“I do, but let me hear it,” he insisted.
I was trying to hold back my smile, but I couldn’t help it. This man was so damn demanding, but I liked it.
“Yes, Big. I got your back. Happy?” I asked with a pop of my lips.
He chuckled, then spoke to someone in the background. My stomach tightened at the thought that it was another woman. But I needed to keep my damn emotions in check.
“What woman are you over there whispering to? Does she know you’re taken?” I asked.
He chuckled again. “Am I, Doll?”
“I’m getting ready to hang up on you and tear that little contract up that’s sitting at my place.”
“Come on, now. If you must know, that’s my associate at the shop. Airyanna, come speak to my girl real quick.”
My eyes widened. “Yeah, tell her to come over.”
Myheir laughed and then shuffled a bit. It sounded like he was handing the phone over.
“Hi, Ms. Khaleya. Myheir has told all of us about you, and I would be more interested in you than him,” Airyanna said.
My brow rose. “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” I joked, causing her to laugh.
Myheir was in the back, telling her to give him his damn phone back.
“Woman, stop playing on my phone. I have to finish this meeting, but let me know when you make it home. I’ll check in with you later, and let me know if you have any problems with the paperwork.”
“I hear you, Big. Have a good meeting.”
“Mhm, we gone talk about that Big shit later.”
I giggled as we ended the call. I was driving on autopilot while talking to him. I was about five minutes from my house, and normally the drive felt like it took forever whenever I came back from a trip.
Soon I was parking outside of my building, then letting myself into the apartment. It was like a breath of fresh air to be back home. No matter how nice the location I visited was, it would never be my home.
Da’ana came from the back, waving the envelope in her hands.
“I’ve been practically waiting by the door for you to get back. I did the honors of reading it for you. It’s pretty standard, but I still think you should get a lawyer to read over it. You don’t want to be signing your soul over to this man.”
I dropped my bags at my feet. Myheir made sure Dom had both Birkin bags in the car for me to take home.
“Hi, I’m so glad to see you, too. My flight was great. Any of those would do, hoe.”
“Now you know damn well I don’t care about none of that right now. My best friend is practically living in a romance novel. I need to get all the deets.”
I shook my head and took the contract from her. I scanned a few of the things he’d placed in here. It was mainly everything we talked about.
Keep our deal between us.
“Well, we broke this first one already.”
“All? Yeah, no. Do you have a red pen?” I asked Da’ana.
Da’ana held her hand out and materialized a red pen out of nowhere. I lifted a brow, then pointed down at the pen.
“Where the hell you get this pen from?”
Da’ana smiled and placed the pen in my open hand.
“I came prepared. I knew you were going to need this.”
I tapped my two fingers together in the clock-it gesture. Then I made my way over to the table to have a seat to really look over the contract. I continued to read over the rules.
Da’ana tapped the contract. “He gets a gold star for that one.”
“Agreed. Now this one, I don’t know. Do you think we should involve our families?” I asked, pointing down at number 4.
Da’ana walked into the kitchen to grab two wine glasses, then the bottle from the fridge. I looked at the clock over her shoulder that read 4:00 p.m. I shrugged, and she walked over, placing the glasses in front of us before filling them.
“Well, you really can’t hide it, and you know how your people are. They aren’t going for you flaunting this man on social media but never meeting him. Not to mention, they know you never introduce a man online more than once.”
I groaned.
I knew she was right, but I hated feeling like I was doing all of this for money. I was essentially getting their hopes up that I’d found someone, only for it to not be real. I also knew this was something I should have thought about before I texted them.
“You’re right. Now this one is something I can get behind,” I said, pointing at number 5.
Da’ana and I looked at each other. “Spend dat shit!” we said in unison, then burst into laughter.
I picked up my glass of wine and took a drink. I would be crazy not to sign this damn thing. He wasn’t a hard man to pretend with.
“I think I can amend my disdain for number 2, for rule number 8. So I’m just going to turn this red check into a heart.”
Da’ana was taking a sip of her drink and practically choked. I knew she’d just read number 8.
“Yeah, go head and make that adjustment, sis.”
I went back up to the checkmark by number 2 and turned it into a heart, then I colored it in. I had to. I couldn’t be sitting around here leaving boneless hearts.
Finally, I made it to the last rule.
I sat with this final rule for a moment, then skipped the rest of the legal jargon and signed my name on the dotted line next to his.
“Um, Sista Cat. So we just signing shit now?” Da’ana asked with a lift of her brow.
I shrugged.
“The man isn’t the damn devil. It should be fine, and I’m winded with all of this. Everything seems straightforward.”
“I’m sure it does. Until that man is asking you to hand over some of your goods because it was on line fifty-five of the contract.”
I stood from the table with a shrug, then grabbed my wine glass.
“Well, I’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now, do you want to do this movie day or not?”
Da’ana rolled her eyes and took another sip of her wine, then shooed me.
“You know I do. I need to tell you about this new storyline I have too! You’ve become an inspiration, girl. Now go get changed.”
I glanced down at my uniform and then back up at her.
“Okay! I’ll be right back.”
I stood from the table, then grabbed my bags by the door and went to my room to get comfortable. I knew I was going to need this, because my life was getting ready to become very different.