Chapter 7 Maja
MAJA
"What the fuck was that?” Heir demanded to know.
I ordered myself a drink while trying to come up with a good lie to get Heir off my back.
Vonshae had no right to follow me into my section.
What was crazier was that I felt him and smelled him before I even saw him.
His scent shouldn’t have been stronger than anyone else around me, yet it was.
My hair stood to attention like an assassin was after me.
However, there was no assassin on my trail. It was Vonshae Gunner.
“How do you know Vonshae?” she asked. “He wasn’t around when you…” Heir’s voice trailed off. What she meant to say was that Vonshae wasn’t around when I came into the Bell fold.
Smiling, I patted her cheek. “We sort of bumped into each other at the bank.”
“Oh,” she replied. “Well, watch yourself with him. He used to be so handsome and now he looks mean as hell.”
Chuckling, I hoped she’d just drop it. Then again, I stated, “What’s his story?” Not that I was intrigued or anything.
Something flittered through Heir’s eyes, but she grinned past it. “I’m not telling you.”
I scoffed. “That’s not what sisters do.”
“You’re right. Sisters look out, and that’s just what I’m doing.
The woman who handed Vonshae his drink seemed to smile even harder the longer she stood there and talked to him. They had to know each other. It was in the way she kept touching his arm every time she laughed. Here I was all in that man’s business, and he wasn’t anyone to me.
He’s No One, girl. I shook my head.
Averting my gaze, I found Heir sitting inside Kody’s section. Hopefully, my girl got what she came for.
Signaling the bottle girl over, I ordered myself a drink. There was no way I would actually enjoy my night void of being in my feelings, unless I calmed my thoughts down. As if to mock me, my eyes strayed to the section next to mine. Vonshae stared at me, so I stared back.
“Here’s your drink,” the bottle girl said. Her lips were set in a straight line, and she didn’t even try to smile. “Just so you know, my girl said to stay away from Von.”
Smiling, I took my drink. “Did she now?”
“Mm, hm.”
“Well…” I tipped my glass Von’s way. “It’s a good thing I don’t want your friend’s man.”
Dumbfounded, she blinked.
“Don’t be surprised,” I told her. “Oh, and please tell your friend, I don’t do well with threats, veiled or otherwise.”
Again, I got the same dumb-ass expression.
“Thank you for the drink,” I remarked, dismissing her. Wordlessly, she walked away, glancing back at me a couple of times as she did so. Rolling my eyes, I forgot about her and reluctantly found myself looking in Von’s direction.
There were a few other men in his section, but my eyes were on him. He was so damn sexy dressed in designer jeans and a cream shirt. He’d smelled so good too. I wanted to inhale every inch of his skin he smelled so good.
Breaking eye contact, I had to pull myself together. No man had ever gotten to me the way he did. His entire existence screamed danger and safety at the same time. He was a giant, yet his fingertips on my chin were gentle. It was quite interesting. He was quite interesting.
Heir waltzed back into the section, took my drink clean out my hands, and downed it.
“Well?” I asked.
“He turned me down,” she stated, then plopped on the couch next to me. Surprise showed on my face. “Fuck him, though. Judging by the hoes he had in his section, he’s probably walkin’ around here with a dirty dick anyway.”
I burst out laughing, and so did she. As long as my girl took it okay, then I was okay.
For a couple more hours, we vibed to Majesty’s haunting vocals. This was my first time here, and it didn’t disappoint. The drink was fire, the music was fire, and the view was even better.
Most of the night, I observed Vonshae doing the same thing I did. He never left his section and only vibed to the music and had a couple of drinks.
You’re treating him like a mark.
My mind tripped a minute. This type of observation, I was used to. Watching how people moved was what kept me alive when I was in situations I surely should’ve ended up dead in. However, I escaped. Every single time, I hit my mark and went on about my life like killing someone meant nothing.
Truth was, every time I took a life, it took a piece of me. There was nothing in my heart for anyone outside of Bell Estates. Everyone I loved prior to moving to Bell Estates died at the hands of abusers who happened to wear a badge.
I couldn’t trust this cold-ass world. Not for shit.
“You ready?” Heir questioned. I hadn’t noticed that she was staring at me.
“Yes,” I replied. Grabbing my clutch, I stood to exit the section.
As we approached Vonshae’s section, he came to stand by the entrance.
His hand reached out to snag my hand, causing Heir to audibly gasp.
I didn’t even resist when he pulled me to his chest. Tilting my head back, I invited him to look into my eyes again.
Traitor! I shouted inwardly.
“I let you have fun without me.” His lips hovered over my ear. “Yes, I’ma blow ya phone up ‘til I lay eyes on you again. Yes, I want you to blow mine up, too.”
Giggling over anything a man said was never in me until I ran into this man. Vonshae made me giggle far too much every time he’d been in my presence. In the middle of me giggling, his lips touched my ear in a soft kiss. It made my heart pound heavily in my chest.
He leaned back and brushed his fingers down my cheek. “Text me when you make it home,” he requested.
Dazed, I nodded like a fool. Vonshae’s energy attached itself to me. So much so that I walked away and still felt his touch. Even the richness of his deep voice played along the fibers inside my ears. Deeply, my entire body felt him.
Heir practically snatched me closer so that she could glare at me. Once we were outside, she said, “I knew you were full of shit! Earlier, you said Vonshae was no one. Remember?”
“And he isn’t,” I countered. “Besides, I don’t know that man.”
“I know him. Well, I knew him before he moved out of state.”
“Oh,” I said as our sedan slid up the curb. When the doors closed and cloaked us in the safety of the bulletproof car, I added, “Tell me about him.”
Heir shook her head. “Nope. Obviously, he wants you. I’m not about to tell you a thing.”
“That’s not what a best friend would do,” I countered.
“You’re right. A best friend would make sure that—no matter what—you give this man a simple chance to have you.”
“What happened to forgetting these niggas?” I questioned.
“Well…that still stands.”
“Exactly,” I mumbled.
“However, Von used to be cool people. I imagine he’s still cool. At least let him hunch on you.”
I burst out laughing again. “Will you shut up about it?”
“Nope. Now, I’m going to find me another dick to hop on, while you give Von a chance.”
Chuckling, I slapped hands with her. Forty-five minutes later, we made it back to Bell Estates. Heir and I hugged each other good night, then I went into my room to undress and shower. Afterwards, I would check in with Poppa and Mama Maddie.
Allowing the water to wash away any thoughts of Vonshae Gunner, I stayed in the shower a little longer than I intended to.
Once I was done, I dried off, moisturized, then padded naked into my room.
The light buzzing of my phone distracted me from walking to my closet.
I picked my phone up and viewed the message I’d just received.
No One: According to my GPS, you should’ve been home by now, baby.
Reading Von’s message made my face heat up.
Sighing, I reluctantly pressed the button to reply to Von’s text. Before I could do so, my phone vibrated in my hand. He was calling. Suddenly nervous, I worried over my bottom lip. On the fourth ring, I answered.
“Maja, Maja, Maja… I was ‘bout to pop up on yo’ ass,” he drawled sexily.
Von’s deep voice washed over me like water after working in the sun all day. It nourished me, bringing my skin to life. Literally, every hair on my body reacted to his voice.
“How do you know where I live, Von?” I questioned.
“I took a wild guess.”
“A wild guess, huh?” I sat on the edge of my bed and asked, “What are you, a psychic?”
His low chuckle stirred my soul. “More like a detective. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Adir ain’t letting you stray too far from Bell Estates.”
Detective rolling off Von’s lips shook my entire foundation. Everything inside my room started spinning. In my ears, my heart pounded.
“Wait… You’re a detective?” Maybe I didn’t hear him correctly.
“Homicide,” he informed me.
My stomach felt queasy. You like him. Shit! I did! Now... Now I wouldn’t even be able to stand the sight of him. In fact, the sound of his voice wasn’t even sexy or soul-stirring anymore.
“You got really quiet on me,” he stated. “What’s on ya mind?”
With a passion I felt to the tips of my toes, I uttered, “I hate the police. Matter fact, fuck the police.”
Never in my life would I be caught falling for any man that wore a fucking uniform. Not ever.