He stood, grabbing his crisp white T-shirt and pulling it over his head. Rio pushed his tattooed arms through the sleeves and pulled it down over his stomach. She studied him, anticipating the next question of his interrogation.
“What time you off?”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Rio, why is it never a conversation with you? How come you interrogate me like a damn detective?”
His glower was sharp as he stared at Cali. She knew what she was to him. In spite of being his wife of five years, she was also his pain in the ass. A woman who caused him great stress just because she could. He’d often tell her that if she would cooperate, his life would be smooth sailing. Yet, Cali didn’t believe in being a man’s peace. She wanted to snatch his soul.
“Maybe if you wasn’t so damn sneaky, I wouldn’t have to ask you this shit. Now what time you get off?”
Cali released a sigh, while the couple participated in a stare-off. Despite her actions, she had love for Rio. He was the perfect representation of what women desired in a partner. Loyal, protective, and considerate. He spoiled her without protest and ensured that she received anything her heart desired. Being with a lieutenant in The Legacy Mafia gave her all the perks. She was treated like royalty due to her affiliation with Rio, which Cali loved, still there was a part that she wished she could alter.
“I’ll be done around five. Why you ask?”
“Because I need to know that you're safe. Besides, we need to talk.”
Cali’s stomach suddenly felt like a bottomless pit. “About what?”
“Something serious. Just come straight home when you get off.”
Gulping deeply, Cali rummaged through the pointless thoughts in her head, trying to figure out why Rio wanted a sit down.
Does he know?
No, he couldn’t know what she had been up to in her leisure time. Cali had been thorough, covering her tracks like a skilled serial killer. She was so certain that what she did behind closed doors would never reach him. Rio entered her personal space, peering down at her with his chestnut eyes, he leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. Cali turned her face, hating how ticklish the gesture made her.
“Be here, Cali,” he warned. “Don't make me come look for you.”
She nodded, watching him grab his phone and wallet off the nightstand. Following him out the room, they entered the living room where his homeboys, Cee and Slime, were sitting on the couch.
“Damn, it took your prissy-ass long enough,” Cee complained, standing up.
“Shut your lame-ass up. It ain't like you had shit to do,” Rio retorted.
“Aye, Cali, check your man about the amount of time it takes for him to get ready. I thought I was waiting on my bitch for a minute.” Slime snickered.
“He always takes long,” Cali added, causing Rio to snap his head toward her. “What?”
“Don't go against me for these niggas, Cali. Remember who butters your bread, baby.”
He smacked her ass just before heading toward the front door with Cee and Slime in tow. Once the door shut, she shuffled to the bay window and watched him pull out of the driveway. After the coast was clear, Cali grabbed her purse and keys before making a dash to the garage. Getting inside her Benz, she drove away and headed toward the north side of the city, bumping KenTheMan the entire way.
Twenty minutes later, Cali pulled into a complex where there were several townhouses. While Rio thought she was on her way to clock in for her job, she was actually on a quest to see her love. She parked in front of a townhouse on the corner and got out the car. Strutting up the walkway, the front door open and a smile tugged on her lips. Whenever her gaze drunk him in, it felt like New Years Eve. Explosions, glee, and a joyous feeling infected her like a disease she never wanted to be cured from.
“What took you so long?”
Before she answered him, Cali stood on her tippy toes and kissed his lips. If her heart had an address, it would reside with Braye. She’d been an actress during the last three years of her marriage, rivaling the performances of Angela Bassett and Viola Davis. Playing the doting wife while also being a girlfriend came with exhaustion she couldn’t put into words, but the fatigue was worth it whenever she fell into the arms of Braye.
“You know I had to wait for him to leave. I came here as soon as I could.”
Braye pulled her inside the house, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his torso as he carried her to the counter.
“I’ve missed you,” she moaned as his lips traveled to her neck.
“Shit, I can’t tell. A nigga ain't seen you in like three days.”
Cali sighed when Braye removed his lips from her skin. He peered at her with his hickory brown eyes. She always told him that his pain lied within his irises. That agony was what attracted her to him. He had a story that she’d desperately wanted to hear. This bond they’d formed wasn’t an average one. In fact, it was more potent than the covenant she shared with Rio.
“Babe, you know my situation. I can’t be out here moving sloppy. Did you forget I was married?”
