“Yes Sir,” I pouted, already knowing that I would do anything for his old ass. We talked about a few more random things before his eyes quirked like he just remembered something.
“You’ll never guess who I ran into last week,” he mused, a huge grin spreading over his face.
“Who?” My eyes rolled to the back of my head as an anxious feeling washed over my body. I knew where this train was headed before it even left the station.
“Malcom,” he said, pleased grin still plastered on like I was supposed to swoon and pass out at the mention of that man’s name. If he only knew.
“Daddy, he and I don’t speak, and I really wish he would stop trying to get in touch with me through y’all. It’s been years. He doesn’t even live in New Dawn anymore!” I whined with a soured expression on my face.
“You still never told me what happened between you two.”
I never planned to either. I told my daddy almost everything, but if I had a choice, that particular secret would go with me to my grave because if I didn’t, he would probably send that nigga to his on same day delivery.
“It just didn’t work out,” I said, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible. Malcom didn’t know just how much it took for me to spare him, professionally and personally, but if he kept trying me, I was gonna let him find out.
“Okay, Baby Doll. You want me to heat you up some food?” he asked, making me smile. All the tension from before was immediately forgotten because of the way that man spoiled me. If a nigga couldn’t take care of me like my daddy did, he couldn’t bemynigga.
“I’m okay, thank you. I’m about to pop up on Momo and see if she wants to do lunch.”
“Tell my other child that she needs to bring her tail over here to see me! How’s she doing?”
“I mean… better, I guess. She hasn’t called me crying since she went to the funeral. Maybe that’s what she needed?” I shrugged. I wanted to be there for her, but she had been dodging me and throwing herself in her work. To be honest, I had orgasms that lasted longer than that damn relationship, so I knew she would be okay.
“Okay, good. Tell her to call me if she needs anything.”
I said my goodbyes and headed out. The moment I started driving, my dash lit up with a call from none other than Chase Andrews. I let it go to voicemail, and it immediately rang again. I swore I could hear my daddy’s voice echo“For me?”and it scared me so bad that I quickly hit the button to accept it and turned around to make sure he didn’t sneak his ass into my backseat.
“Yes, Chase?” I huffed, picking up on the third ring.
“Amaya!Pleasedon’t hang up!” I paused, my brain at war with my hands because I wanted to end the call immediately. When I didn’t, he took his cue to continue. “Okay, I fucked up—I mean, I messed up. I was way out of line for how I spoke to you the other day, and I sincerely apologize. Even if you don’t decide to take me on as a client, I had to tell you that because I can’t let that meeting be your last impression of me.”
“They told you to say that, didn’t they?” I couldn’t hide my chuckle.
“Yes,” he replied with a chuckle of his own. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t mean it. Listen Amaya, I’m not always an asshole-”
“Somehow I doubt that!” I interrupted, making him laugh.
“Ma’am, I’m trying to apologize.” I shivered, turning down the volume on the call because something about the bass in his voice coming through my speakers made me want to start taking my clothes off right there on the highway.
“Go ‘head.”
“Thank you. But listen, I’m really not like that. I just… This whole thing is really messin’ me up. Chanel is the last person that I ever expected to play me like this. I just need you to know that I’m genuinely sorry, Amaya.”
I paused, the urge to be a smart ass was completely demolished by the sincerity in his voice. Doing what I did gave me a built-in lie detector, and I wasn’t getting any indicators that he was playing me, but I kept my guard up.
“I’ll consider it, but I have to ask you something, and don’t lie to me,” I said, tapping the steering wheel anxiously.
“What is it?”
“Did you do it? I mean even once. Have youeverput your hands on her?” I felt my breath quicken in anticipation of his answer—my nerves were on edge likemyfuture was on the line.
“I… I thought you weren’t supposed to ask me that?” He cleared his throat.
“Usually I wouldn’t… but it’s important to me. Did you?”
“No. Never. Not even once. That shit goes against everything that I believe in, and I would never touch a woman like that. I never hit her, pushed her, grabbed her too hard… I rarely even raised my voice at her, and usually that was only to calmherdown.”
“Okay.” I nodded to myself, believing him for some reason. “For the record, I still meant what I said about part of your brain being melted.”
