Page 28 of Solomon’s Temple

“You listened,” he noted.

I smiled at him. “I did.”

“I love that.”

“I'm glad you do.”

He kissed my forehead, and I wished he'd kiss my lips. I had no clue why he always hesitated to put those beautiful lips on mine, but I didn't press.

Maybe he's not a kisser.

“Come on,” he said, pulling me along. We made it to the gates, and I had the attendant scan our tickets on my phone, then we found a seat on the bleachers.

Chevrolets, Mustangs, Fords, Pontiacs, and GMCs were lined up to start the races.

The only races I'd ever been to were the illegal street races on West Warren and Livernois. Those started after club hours, and I knew Solomon wouldn't have been interested in that, let alone stay up that late to watch it.

He seemed like the type to be in bed before nine p.m. if it didn't require work.

“This is about to be good.” He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for bringing me here. I haven't been here in years.”

“You're welcome. You want anything from the concession stand?”

“If they have those Italian sausages, I'll take two of those and a bottled water.” He reached inside his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

“It's okay. I got you.”

“Nah. You don't ever have to reach in your purse when you're with me. Ever. You paying for these tickets was enough, and I plan to hit your account for the reimbursement.”

I laughed lightly. “They were only ten dollars.”

“Doesn't matter, love. I'm a man with money and no one to spend it on but my moms. I’m trying to change that. Now go get your snacks, baby. I'll be here waiting for you to return.” He handed me his card as I took it and smiled. He was just like a man. I never asked a man to do anything for me because after a while, they would start to feel entitled, like you owed them your life for the shit they did for you.

It was why Nate thought he could slide on me whenever he saw me, and I had to check into his ass on multiple occasions.

Solomon was different, though.

I could tell.

His Christian ways aside, I knew he wasn't the type to spend money on me and expect me to give it up by the end of the night. That only made me want to give it up more.

Instead of sliding his card to the side like I originally planned, and paying for the items myself, I kept my money in my purse and bought the items with his card. Besides, I was sure he got notifications on his phone.

I retrieved our snacks, then went back to our seats. The races began, and I watched as he conversed with a few of the attendees about which car they thought would win. He made sure to engage with me every so often and explained each car and its stats.

I didn't think I'd be as interested as I was, but seeing his smile and hearing his laughter made me happy that I chose this place for him.

By seven, the races had ended, and we headed back to the car. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid inside, getting comfortable.

Solomon entered next and took my hand, kissing the back of it as he smiled at me.

“I realized where I may have gone wrong with our date. I should have asked what you liked to do before I took you out, but I was just excited to be with you. You can tell me all the things you like on our way back to the city so I can store it for future use.”

“I got you.”

“And I got you. Always. This was fun, and I appreciate you for bringing me here.” He kissed my hand again, then started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. We talked for a bit before silence took over, and my mind drifted to what occurred earlier.

I loved my job. It was the only sense of normalcy I had going on in my life aside from spending time with my family. I loved helping the children and adults who had cognitive impairment and learning difficulties. Those people and children were like my second family, and a slime-ass pervert wanted to take that away from me.