Chapter 17 #3
“Teach your body that you can be trusted. You have to tell him. Otherwise, you’ll just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that’s no way to live. You deserve real happiness, Navie, and I think Treason wants to give it to you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and I’m here if you need anything. You hear me?”
“Yes, Daige. I hear you,” I smiled, and even managed a chortle.
“Good, now go upstairs and take a shower. Order some dinner because it’s been a day, and nobody is cooking. Then cuddle up with your man and tell him.”
Something compelled me to lean over and hug Daige. She didn’t have any children, but she possessed a motherly spirit that soothed me. Climbing out of the car, I pushed through the heavy glass doors and entered the lobby.
Rylo was behind the counter, coaching the new familiar face. I missed hanging out, but I wasn’t in the mood anymore. I needed solitude to recharge before Treason came home, and realized something was broken. Unfortunately, Rylo didn’t give me space.
“Hey, boo! Do you have any more pasta left?” he asked, following me to the elevator. “Your man was bragging this morning about his packed lunch with the cute note.”
He didn’t take my silence as a response. Instead, he was on my heels.
“What’s wrong? You’re quiet today.”
“Long morning,” I replied, forcing a smile, “Aren’t you supposed to be at your post?”
“If the new girl can’t handle it for a few minutes, her ass needs to be fired. I’m hungry.”
“I don’t know how your ass isn’t fired yet.”
Rylo waved a hand at me, “Girl, please. This building would crumble without me,” then stepped off the elevator, walking straight to the kitchen.
“I’m going to change. Make yourself at home.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice because Rylo was already in the damn refrigerator.
Shutting Treason’s bedroom door, I rested my back against it.
I tried to break the chain of negative thoughts, trying to convince me not to tell Treason.
They said he wouldn’t understand. He would see it as a distraction.
Broken. They advised me to flush it and move on with the day, so I began with the clothes.
I could still smell Lorenzo in the fibers, making me want to vomit.
Tossing on a pair of shorts and Treason’s NSU Law t-shirt, I walked out of the bedroom pretending the morning was a bad dream.
“Marissa, I left it next to the computer!” Rylo yelled into the intercom, massaging his temple.
Marrisa didn’t know who she was arguing with. Even I knew how meticulous Rylo was. She quickly learned yelling, “Oh, I found it.” Meanwhile, Rylo rolled his eyes at her high-pitched voice.
“You better get back down there before the building burns down,” I sang, after he pressed his index finger so hard on the button to end the call.
“Her ass wants that check, she’ll learn today. Playing dumb will not get me to do your job. I barely wanna do my own shit.”
“You are crazy.”
“This food is good as hell. Can I take a to-go plate?”
“Nigga, how hungry are you?” I laughed.
“You need to let me take it. All this cooking got your man looking round.”
“No the fuck he’s not! Don’t even play like that,” I defended.
Rylo was laughing, but threw his hands up anyway, “I’m for real. That shirt was a little tight this morning.”
“Just for that, no, you can’t take a to-go plate. Leave my baby alone.”
“I see y’all made up defending him like this.”
“We’ve been good.”
“Not for nothing, y’all both look happier when you’re not fighting.”
“I wanna do something nice for Tre.”
“Like what?”
I never met a man I wanted to do something nice for, so I had no clue where to start.
“I don’t know, but he works so hard and he is so patient with me. I just don’t want him to feel like everything is one-sided, you know.”
“A baddie has met her match. Aww!”
“Don’t be weird, or you’re getting out.”
“Whatever you do, I hope you’re nicer to his ass.”
“Help Rylo! I don’t know what to do,” I pouted, stomping my foot.
“Calm down. You’re overthinking the shit. Men are simple.”
“Tre isn’t most men.”
“Hate to break it to you, but all men are slow, baby- including yours. It just shows up differently.
“Including you?”
“Especially me,” he laughed, and I couldn’t help but join. “Men like Treason are used to doing for everybody else. The thought counts more than what you actually do for him. And as long as it ends with him getting some pussy he’ll be happy.”
“So just fuck him to show my appreciation?”
“Make it cute bitch damn, do you like him or not?”
“Well, tell me how! I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Aww, this is your first big girl relationship. That explains a lot,” Rylo sighed, leaving his plate on the counter, “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”
Rylo sprang into action, ordering everything needed for a romantic night in.
Maybe having friends wasn’t so bad because I didn’t think about this morning once.
We laughed, joked, and then laughed some more.
Never mind that Rylo was technically still on the clock.
His energy helped me navigate a tough day without even knowing.
“I guess you earned those leftovers,” I smiled, sealing the top.
“And I’m keeping the bowl too. Y’all got the good Tupperware.”
The elevator opened, and Treason stepped off like he had all the time in the world. Arms swinging loosely, just enough to balance his stride. He looked so good, I bit into my lip watching him peel off his suit jacket. Head up, eyes forward on your target —me.
“Hey,” I greeted when he was close enough.
“You feeding another nigga is gonna get you fucked up,” Treason groaned.
“It’s Rylo.”
“Bitch what does that mean?” Rylo countered in a way that even made Treason chuckle.
“You don’t wanna fuck me.”
“Oh.” Rylo’s head bobbed side to side, “I don’t know, those thighs might turn me straight.”
I sucked my teeth, “Don’t get him started.”
“You’ll starve too. Watch it nigga,” Treason warned.
“Fine, I don’t wanna fuck because this pasta is too good, but you better keep her happy or we’ll both starve. The last one didn’t cook.”
“Oh really?” I smirked, craning my neck at Treason.
“Hell no. It was take-out getting delivered every damn night.”
“I pay you to tell me everybody else’s business. Not mine,” Treason scolded.
“You haven’t been doing that lately either, and boy was it a morning around here,” Rylo instigated.
“Don’t bullshit me.”
“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not,” Rylo shrugged dramatically.
Treason’s eyes skirted to me for a second opinion, but you could never be too sure with Rylo, so I shrugged.
“If he’s lying, don’t feed his ass again,” Treason groaned, setting his bag on the counter to dig in his pocket.
“Oh I’m not lying and Elgin can confirm it,” He said referring to the building handy man, “Mr. Johnson got caught sneaking the pool boy to the top floor. Then tried to lie and say he was checking the shower. Nigga’s are so stupid.
Oh, and Daniel’s side piece showed up, and they got into a screaming match in the elevator.
And come to find out it’s Rita’s ass stealing people’s shit then regifting it at Charity Galas. I can’t stand a wealthy, cheap bitch.”
Satisfied that he’d gotten his money’s worth, Treason left to take calls from his office, reiterating the need to execute my plan.
He’d worked all day and still had more shit to do.
He rarely complained and never made excuses.
A vast difference from his predecessor, who would’ve launched dinner across the kitchen, all because the meeting didn’t go the way he wanted.
See, we can trust him.
The intercom went off, with Marissa damn near in tears, while Mrs. Johnson screamed in the background.
Rylo jumped to his feet, almost leaving his leftovers, racing for the elevator.
I stepped into Treason’s office, and without thinking, I draped my arms around him from behind, resting my chin near his shoulder.
“Morris would like to meet, but you’re booked this week. I can schedule it for next week.”
“Morris and his check are getting kicked off the arc if he keeps bitching. He doesn’t run shit.”
“At this point, I think he just likes being reminded of that. You’d think he learned by now.”
Treason shifted, turning enough to sit me on his lap. I could almost hear him thinking, What’s going on in that crazy ass head of yours?
“You’d think. Anything else?” Treason asked into the speaker.
I used the stolen moment to ask, “Are you almost done for the night?”
“A few more things to wrap up. Why? You got something better for me to do?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s called a surprise.”
He glanced at me with a smirk while I bit back a grin. Fallon cleared her throat at the excitement he tried to hide with curiosity.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Nope, he’s all yours for the next hour. After that, work can wait until tomorrow,” I clarified.
“Blue has spoken. We got an hour to knock this out.”
“I guess we better get to work.”
Leaving Fallon and Tre to work, the gravity of putting myself out there dragged me to the kitchen.
Pulling the cabinet open, I stared up at all the glasses too high for my petite frame to reach.
Usually, I would’ve pulled Tre from his desk to grab it because I’d fussed too many times about putting things so high up.
Pulling the cork from the bottle of Brandy, I gulped it.
The stinging in my chest didn’t compare to my painful morning.
I took another swig, hoping to settle the butterflies that were anxiously floating around my stomach.
Dragging the bottle along like an extra set of hands, I ambled to the bathroom to finish setting up.
I stood at the counter, lighting candles, chuckling to myself. All this for a man. A very deserving man. A patient man. The most attentive man I’ve ever crossed paths with. Still, he was a man, and I couldn’t believe myself, but love was tricky like that.
Then my reflection caught me staring back with wide eyes in disbelief.
Girl, you love that nigga?