Chapter 15
I had never slept so good.
It was the perfect prelude to the rude awakening that was my phone going off Saturday morning. It was early, I could tell by the sound of birds chirping outside and the pre-dawn creeping in through Nastasia’s curtains. That and the time on my phone said it was just after seven.
I scrubbed my hand down my face and got out of bed. A blur of black almost sent me into panic, until I fell completely out of my sleepy state and recognized Scorsese. Unlike Sadé, he was cautious, but he wasn’t mean or unfriendly like Shah could get around strangers.
Nastasia was still in bed, laying on her side all curled up. The TV was on, a rerun of that old show, The Golden Girls. It was quiet, except for the sound of my phone.
I answered it, knowing without reading the screen it was Pops. “Hello?”
“Well, good morning,” he greeted me in an even tone. I couldn’t tell if he was upset or not, and that made me nervous. “Why don’t we meet for breakfast? Let’s say…at Jam in an hour?”
“Yes, sir,” I said.
He chuckled, amused by my use of an honorific. “Don’t be late, Isaiah.”
Jam was the breakfast and lunch spot we’d met at before when he wanted to give me the night off for my birthday. Being summoned there again after skipping work last night had me anxious.
Pops usually left everything in my hands, knowing Cease and I could run BLVCKJVCK without any problems. My first two years working for him was under heavy surveillance, and gaining his trust hadn’t been easy, but now that I had it, I always made sure things went to plan.
It wasn’t like me to avoid BLVCKJVCK. I put it before everything. Usually. Last night I’d slipped and fallen asleep after eating and talking to Nastasia. An honest mistake that hopefully Pops wouldn’t be too pissed about.
“Everything okay?”
I hadn’t meant to wake her, but by the sound of her voice, I knew Nastasia was up and alert.
A look over my shoulder confirmed it as she was leaned up on her arm, watching me.
“Yeah, that was Pops,” I said.
Nastasia’s eyes ran down my person, as if she were checking for a sign of a lie. “I should have an extra toothbrush somewhere in my linen closet. Unless you wanna head home and get ready.”
When I’d been making my way up to bed last night, I hadn’t really been paying attention to all that her house held, but I did stop in the bathroom out in the hall. There was also an en-suite bathroom attached to her master bedroom I realized after I came and laid across her bed.
Before I could second-guess what I was doing, I just started talking. “I was going to make you breakfast…”
“It’s okay, I don’t really eat breakfast,” Nastasia said as she laid back down.
I blinked. “It’s the most important meal of the day.”
“So they say.”
“You can’t not have breakfast.”
“God, you are an old man.”
I was only three years older than her, but her need to poke fun at my style was kind of adorable. Little Miss Fashionista was always noticing what I had on. And now she was getting on my encouraging her to start her day right.
“Come out with me. We’re getting breakfast,” I said.
Nastasia shook her head. “Blah.”
“Maybe he’ll go easy on me if I show up with my codefendant,” I quipped.
“Codefendant? So now I’m guilty?”
“You knew what you were doing with that Thai food and this soft-ass bed.” I looked down at her, wanting nothing more than to get back in and doze off.
Nastasia snuggled under her comforter. “It was good, right?”
I rounded the bed so I could see her. “Bomb.”
She peeked an eye open.
“Most important meal of the day,” I insisted.
She gave me a thumbs-up. “Great.”
“You’ll feel better if you eat before you go in.”
“Fine,” she huffed.
I grinned. “Cool, I’ll run out to my car to get a change of clothes.”
I leaned down to shake on it and she lazily reached out to meet me halfway. We fumbled, ending up with my trying to pound my fist against hers, and her going in for a high-five at first. The next attempt saw me trying to high-five her with Nastasia going for the first bump.
“What are we doing?” Nastasia giggled.
“Think we just made a handshake. Here, let’s try again.” It was corny, but we sat there and configured a signature move. We bumped fists twice, and after the third we turned our knuckles and made matching hang-loose signs. It wasn’t coordinated smoothly, yet, but we’d get it down.
“Now take your morning breath and go so I can get myself together,” Nastasia said with a dismissive wave.
I let the sass slide, especially because she was cute with it.
I went out to my car and grabbed a change of clothes and my gym bag so I could shower. Nastasia had gotten up and left me a brand-new toothbrush on the bathroom sink. The door to her room was closed, and I knew she was at least up and getting ready.
In the shower, I ran over the events of the previous evening, unable to believe it myself. I’d gone to bed with her, literally.
We’d slept on two different sides. Neither of us trying anything. So much for seeing where the flow took us. The second thing I’d noticed when I came to her house was what she had on. Tiny red shorts that had a great view of her ass and a tank top. At the time, I was on one, too riled up to flirt.
And then I ate good, watched that movie, chatted it up, and fell asleep. Twice.
It had been years since I’d stayed the night at a woman’s house. It was something I avoided, to not cross wires and confuse situations. But then with Nas, I’d been so comfortable, I hadn’t been able to stop myself.
I put all my sexual frustration and the tension on the backburner as I dressed for the day and went and knocked softly on Nastasia’s bedroom door. We were about to meet with Pops, and the last thing I needed was to be on go.
“It’s open,” Nastasia said loudly from the other side of the door.
She hadn’t even locked it.
We were strangers, but at the same time, I didn’t think twice about sharing food with her, and she felt comfortable enough not to lock me out of her room while she got dressed.
I meant it when I told her I didn’t want to hurt her.
It made me feel relieved and good to know she trusted me to not just waltz into her room.
Beside her dark rose-colored bed, was a vanity setup, complete with a bulbed-mirror. Nastasia was seated on the stool as she leaned in close to her reflection. One thing I spotted right away were freshly applied lashes.
“Okay, I see you with the minks on,” I complimented as I took a seat across from her on the bed.
She peeked back at me and fluttered her lashes. “You like?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I especially liked that she chose a natural looking pair. I couldn’t stand the kind that made me question how the woman could see they were so thick and feathery.
“I’m just doing a little something to be presentable,” Nastasia informed me. She lined her lips with a tube of lip balm and turned off her lights. Simple yet pretty as hell.
She’d put on a dress. A form-fitting maxi dress that was between mustard yellow and gold. It dripped down her body, emphasizing her curves. I wanted nothing more than to drive my hands along her winding roads and crash into her center.
But I didn’t. Like a good boy, I simply sat and waited.
“Ready when you are,” I let her know.
“So, wait.” She seemed to pause as she turned and assessed me. “You had a complete change of clothes in your car?”
I only dry-cleaned my pants and shirts. “Nah, just some shirts and slacks.”
“So, you’re like…commando?”
“Didn’t really have a choice.” I definitely intended to fix that as soon as I got in from this meeting.
Nastasia appeared thoughtful as she rose to her feet and came over to me. Before I could guess what she was up to, she was turning and sitting down on my lap.
Shit.
She leaned back against me, reveling in my undoing, because all of me was at attention just then. Her skin, her sweet smell, her nice body molding perfectly against mine, it all hypnotized me.
Fuck.
Nastasia’s soft lips grazed my cheek and soon were at my ear. “For the record, this would’ve been a more important meal to start my day.”
And then she was gone, leaving me hanging. Literally.
Ten minutes later I was still somewhat stiff as I climbed in behind the wheel of my ride. Nastasia was in the mirror again, checking her appearance as if she hadn’t just placed me under her spell.
My shit was almost a brick and now I was supposed to attempt to focus on whatever it was Pops had to say to me.
“Don’t do that shit again,” I warned.
She tossed me a grin that had me halting in my annoyance. She had some nice teeth and a pretty-ass smile. She was a whole siren.
One way or another, I’d get her back. I’d bring her close and leave her as unfilled as I felt.
For now, it was time to link with Pops.
I started up my car and found The Love Below on my phone. To properly introduce Nastasia, I put on “Prototype” as I chose shuffle.
“Welcome to The Love Below,” I enlightened her as I backed out of her driveway and hit the road.
Nastasia bobbed her head to the melody and a slow smile captured her golden-brown face. The song was an easy record to fall into. Shit, the whole album was a melodic breeze. No wonder it won album of the year with its sister album Speakerboxxx.
“This better be the best damn breakfast I’ve ever had,” Nastasia said as she snuck me a serious look.
After hearing the breakfast she would’ve preferred, this would have to do. “It will be.”
“How you know?”
“Because it’s with me.” I flashed her a smile that made her blush and roll her eyes.
For the rest of the drive over to Jam, Nastasia sat back and listened to the magnificent André Benjamin and pleased me by liking the songs she was hearing.
Pops wasn’t in sight in Jam’s outdoor café, so after giving my keys to the valet, I took Nastasia’s hand and walked with her into the main floor of the bistro.
Inside, it was early, not too busy as I quickly found my father, who wasn’t alone as my mother was beside him at a booth toward the back of the establishment.
This changed things.