Chapter 16
I hated to admit it, but Ezekiel was right. After getting breakfast with his parents, I felt up and ready to conquer the day.
Ezekiel dropped me off and I got in my own car and hurried over to Shéc.
It was almost ten, and we would be running late for the day.
Ezekiel had pointed out that I was the boss, and bosses could make their own rules.
His easygoing approach made me rush less as I pulled into the South Strip lot and drove for our section.
Judging by the missed calls and texts from Paisley, she was feeling better and would be at the shop today. That and seeing her car parked in her usual space.
Good, I could rehash my morning and evening after getting down to the bottom of her being MIA all day Friday.
“Nastasia!”
My plans slipped from my mind at the sound of my name being called as I approached Shéc’s front doors.
He had some nerve.
Corey crossed the crosswalk and met me at Shéc’s door. He didn’t even look ashamed of himself.
“Really?” I asked. “Again?”
Corey scowled. “What was last night about?”
“The end of us. Now leave me alone, I’ve got work to do.”
Corey just didn’t get the message. No, he followed me into the store and when I shook him off, he still persisted.
“Go away!” I snapped.
“Nah, not until you hear me out,” he demanded.
Out of nowhere Paisley materialized beside us, looking perfectly healthy as she folded her arms and glowered at Corey. After the first time he broke my heart, she had never forgiven him or liked him. Her grudge hadn’t yielded yet.
“What up, P?” Corey lifted his chin in her direction.
Paisley snorted. “Don’t talk to me. Leave.”
Corey hung back. “Oh, it’s like that?”
“Yeah, it’s like that.” Paisley wasn’t afraid to get close, to invade his space.
I held my arm out and pushed her back. “I got this.” To Corey, I stood strong, not about to relive the past. “I said all I needed to say last night.”
“So that’s it, huh? You happy with that dude? ’Cause you crazy if you think he ain’t choosin’ up in the club every night.” Corey blatantly laughed at my expense, like I was na?ve to think a man in Ezekiel’s position could want me and be faithful.
I wasn’t dumb. We’d had breakfast with his parents, where his father spoke so lovingly about his mother.
Ezekiel hadn’t been moved or inspired by their love.
He wanted one thing: to work. When he’d called me his “friend,” it fit because it was an easy explanation to his parents, and it was the only real thing we’d ever be.
Beautiful women frequented BLVCKJVCK; I’d be a fool to think Ezekiel wasn’t privy to his available options.
“Who I’m seeing right now and in the future is none of your business,” I declared.
Corey sized me up. “Oh, you giving it away?”
What was it with men who thought they owned you after you slept with them? Community dick always wanted private coochie. The irony wasn’t even funny.
“And loving it,” I lied through my teeth.
“Want me to call security?” Paisley asked. “I’m tired of this repeat.”
Corey glared at her before coming back to me. “I’m willing to prove to you how much I want this.”
“You’re too little too late for that.”
His feelings were hurt, so his pride took over. He was at the door, shaking his head at me and wagging his finger like he knew something I didn’t. “Don’t come crawlin’ back when he plays you.”
I pretended to yawn as I wiggled my fingers at him.
Corey stared at me, hurt, and in another second, he finally got the message and walked out of my life. Hopefully forever.
The status quo resumed and I took in the empty state of Shéc, the music playing in the background, and my very curious best friend waiting for some type of detail.
Uh-uh.
I shook my head and went past her for the backroom. “You first, missy.”
Paisley sighed and then groaned. “I know, I know, I owe you.”
I went and stored my purse in the back before coming out and eying the sales floor. Product was missing in a few places, but other than that, I’d done a bang-up job closing last night.
I removed the hair tie from my wrist and gathered my hair and pulled it up into a bun. There was work to be done. As soon as I got the 411 from Pay.
Using my hand, I summoned her over to the suede chairs on the left side of the room and settled down. It was still early, we’d be hit for sure for the lunch crowd rush, but for now, Paisley had all of my attention.
She sat perched, with her knees crossed and her hands placed on top. Her back was straight and she wouldn’t look at me as she seemed lost in thought.
“It’s your fault,” was the first thing she said as she leaned over and swatted at me hard.
“What’d I do?” I challenged.
She narrowed her eyes. “You spoke him up.”
“Him?” I racked my brain and came up empty on who and what she was talking about.
Paisley deadpanned. “Sloan.”
Her ex. He was the reason she missed work and ghosted me all day?
“Spill,” I demanded.
Paisley cringed. “Well, after I left early Thursday, my mom called me over. Sloan was there.” She rolled her eyes. “My momma love that man and couldn’t help but invite him to dinner. I wanted to die.”
“That bad?”
“He looked that good,” she clarified. “Ugh, time was a friend to him. He’s filled out and more grown now, and one look had me ready to fling my panties.”
I knew what she meant. When Ezekiel stepped into my room after his shower this morning, smelling good and looking good I wanted to forgo all his plans and have him for breakfast. He probably hadn’t bullshitted me.
One look at his member would make me want to lick it.
Because feeling it beneath me when I sat on his lap? Good God.
“Anyway, Yovanna was going on and on, and the whole time I could feel that man looking at me. I told her I had to go, and she had the nerve to mention my Ladies’ Night gig,” Paisley said.
“He showed up?” I asked.
Paisley frowned. “I was so good! I was preachin’ and tellin’ them women what to do and how to do it, and then my ex shows up and all that empowerment went out the window.”
I felt bad for laughing. Damn. Sloan Strickland had to be fine to get Paisley like this.
“You guys hooked up, didn’t you?” I could read it on her.
She nodded shamefully. “It was just like before, but better. He touched my soul, Nas. I have never had dick that good.”
I felt my sex clench at the thought. It had been too long and I needed to get laid. I was definitely not hating or shaming Paisley for getting it good.
“Get that dick, girl, don’t let it get you,” I told her, putting my own spin on a famous line from Ice Cube’s The Player’s Club.
Paisley loosened up finally and let out a loud laugh. She swatted at me again. “Stop!”
“I’m for real. It’s a damn drought over here. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Mmm.” Paisley moaned, clutching at her chest. “He was sucking on my toes while he was strokin’ it nice and slow, and I haven’t had it like that in a long time.”
“Damn,” I let out.
“Right? You can’t fuck someone that good and deep and then act casual. That’s foul and demonic.” Paisley was like I’d never seen her, almost hysterical and unfastened. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said Sloan was the one man who could subdue her.
I jabbed my hand out, palm up. “I need picture proof.”
Paisley rolled her eyes as she gathered her phone and scrolled through it. She actually didn’t scroll for long, because she was soon holding her phone out with an intimate image of a man topless in bed on the screen, facing her with a cheeky gleam in his eye.
Shit.
Sloan was gorgeous. Smooth caramel skin, hazel eyes, and an easy crooked smile that told me all that I needed to know about his word game.
“Now what?” I wanted to know, fully prepared to support whichever way she was taking this.
“Now he wants to go out for dinner and to catch up further,” Paisley said.
“And pretend the past never happened?”
“Oh no, he owns what we went through and the choice he made.”
Wow. Paisley was the unforgiving type, hence her not believing in second chances via my relationship with Corey. I was leaning in that direction now myself, but at the same time, Sloan was older now and he wasn’t afraid to own up to his mistakes.
“Does it make me a total sap and romantic to think you should go for it? You’re twenty-six, you’ve changed from when you were twenty. There’s no telling if he’s evolved as well,” I offered. “I mean, was it a ‘Let’s hook up for old time’s sake,’ type of energy, or were there real words exchanged?”
“He just wanted to come by to see how I was doing after seeing me home from the club. Nas, his nearness was just too much. He was talking about a tour of my apartment, and I swear, we weren’t in the door a full minute before he was picking me up and removing my panties.
“He just touched me once, and I swear, fuckin’ Niagara. It wasn’t just sex, though. He kept telling me how much he missed me, and I could tell he wasn’t just talking about intimacy. After, we laid there and talked until the sun came up.”
“And then your fake ass called off on me,” I added.
Paisley frowned. “I did. I needed time to marinate on that.”
“So…?”
“We’re going out. He’s single, no hang-ups, I’m single, no hang-ups, and we both want it back, I can tell.
” She was vulnerable as she fiddled with her hands.
“I think this is the only man I’ve ever loved and I’m scared to dive in again, but I love how it felt to be with him.
I’ve dated other men and I’ve never felt as comfortable as I do with Sloan. ”
I reached out, patting her hand, feeling my eyes getting misty. “Go for it. I’m here no matter what.”
She sniffled and we hugged, and I hoped this worked out for her because Paisley deserved a good guy.
She snapped out of her emotions as she wiped at her eyes and sat up. “Okay, enough about me. I also meant to tell you I met someone who would be great for you.”
That came out of nowhere.
“What?”
Paisley chuckled. “He’s filling in at the station. Real good dude. Single. Childless. Polite—”
“But…Ezekiel?” I stumbled to say.
Paisley perked a brow. “Isn’t looking for a relationship. That’s a waste of time, and you know it. Gray is a nice guy. Serious, too.”
It was odd how I wanted to defend Ezekiel. He was all those things and more.
And also not looking for a serious relationship.
“It’s just an idea,” Paisley said gently. “It’s good to have him in your back pocket. You’re not dating Ezekiel. You’re allowed to see other men, per your weird little arrangement.”
It was true. I could go out with this “Gray” guy should I want to.
I nibbled on my lip, unsure. “We just had breakfast with his parents.”
Paisley blinked. “Come again?”
“He spent the night and—”
“What the fuck, Nas!” Paisley whacked me hard, and I had to massage the wound. “Why are we just now getting to this?”
I looked outside at the sunny day in progress. Cars were filling up the lot from our view of our portion of the strip mall’s parking area.
“I was worried about you, actually,” I said. “I called Zeke up and Corey came over and barged in during our phone call. Ezekiel didn’t like that and came over.”
“A man,” Paisley noted.
I nodded. “Definitely. We got some Pad Thai and watched a movie and fell asleep. Nothing happened.”
“And now you’re meeting his parents,” Paisley pointed out.
“That wasn’t on purpose, I’m sure,” I said. “I know it’ll never work because we both want different things, but it feels so right. I feel safe with him and that’s so scary, Pay.”
“He is a member of the male species.”
I relaxed, almost laughing. “Yeah, an almost perfect member.”
Paisley sighed. “I like Eazy, he’s cool and respectful, but he’s up-front about not being that guy.”
“I know.”
“So be careful.”
“I will be.” I knew Ezekiel wasn’t right for me, no matter how much I liked being around him.
Paisley stood and glanced at her phone. “I think we both deserve some time off.” She put her phone away and faced me. “Next weekend is the Belmont Fair. What do you think about taking the week after off for a much-needed vacation?”
Taking the first week of August off? We’d been running Shéc nonstop for almost three years. A vacation would be nice. And after the successful month we’d had, we could afford it.
I didn’t know what I’d do with time off, but I supposed I could always find out.