AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He said to her, “I promised that I would never lie to you.”
“So don’t.”
He sighed and answered, “I’m a hustler. But I don’t plan on staying in the game long.”
“So you sell drugs.”
“Yes, I sell drugs. Why, do you have an issue with that?”
“I don’t judge anyone. I love you for who you are, not what you do.”
“I have a plan, Chanel. I want to start my own company and go legit someday. I’m gonna invest in real estate and business. I’m even studying the stock market and some shit called cryptocurrency.”
“It’s good to have goals. I like that.”
“I promise that I’ll give you a better life, baby—a life that you deserve.”
She smiled. “I know you will.”
He took her hand in his across the console and held it in adoration. She exhaled and smiled. Her heart fluttered. God, she didn’t want to leave him, but she had no choice. She still had her life in Brooklyn and he had his in the Bronx.
The Range Rover pulled up in front of Chanel’s building. The locals were outside, and when they saw the pretty white truck come to a stop, their curiosity was piqued. Who could it be inside the SUV? Among those loitering outside the project building was Charlie hanging with a few of her girls from around the way. Claire was seated near the bedroom window and she too noticed the Range.
Chanel saw that the block was busy with people, including her sister. She sighed heavily.
Mateo noticed her apprehension. “You want me to walk you upstairs?”
“No, I’ll be okay. This is home.”
“You sure?” he said.
She nodded. “I want to keep you a mystery. They don’t deserve to see you or know anything about you. Shit, they probably didn’t know that I was gone for nearly three weeks. They don’t care about me.”
“Well, you k
now I do.”
She smiled. “I know, baby.”
Before her exit, they looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. He moved closer to her, smiled, and pulled her in for a fiery and passionate kiss. The kiss sent shivers down her back. Mateo was intoxicating and addictive. It was going to be hard to leave him and go back to her family.
When their kiss ended, she exhaled and grinned. Damn! “That was nice,” she whispered.
“It was. I could kiss you forever,” he said.
The feeling was mutual. Finally, she made her departure from the vehicle and headed toward the building carrying numerous shopping bags. Mateo stayed parked and would watch her leave until she disappeared into her building. All eyes were on Chanel, wearing a designer crop top and pants, carrying a Chanel bag, and her long hair flowing naturally down her back. At first Charlie and Claire didn’t have a clue that it was Chanel who got out of the Range, but once they recognized her, they had a million questions. Chanel ignored Charlie and marched into the apartment and ignored Claire, who was now in the living room staring at Chanel like she was an alien. The sisters became jealous of her newly noticed beauty and her straight hair. Claire accused her of having it permed, but Chanel explained it was a simple blow-dry.
Chanel went into her bedroom and went to the window. Mateo was already gone. She groaned. She was already missing him, but she knew she would see him again soon. Chanel lay across her bed and started to daydream about how her first time would be with Mateo.
Chapter Twelve
It was a beautiful day outside, but Chanel didn’t feel so beautiful. She felt forgotten, unwanted, and lied to. It was early September, and she hadn’t heard from Mateo since he dropped her off. She didn’t want to be angry, but she had strong feelings for Mateo and she thought they were mutual. He had told her he loved her. So how could he not contact her for two weeks? Every time she tried to call him, his phone went straight to his voicemail, and Mecca said she hadn’t seen him around Harlem lately. Chanel went from floating on cloud nine to misery and upset. She was back in school, but it was hard for her to focus when she couldn’t stop thinking about Mateo.
Charlie didn’t make things better. When she saw Chanel, Charlie would constantly tease, “Where’s ya baller nigga at now, bitch?”
Chanel tried to ignore her, but Charlie was persistent in trying to make her life a living hell. And Claire didn’t miss out on the verbal abuse. Although she was away at school, she would call and taunt Chanel about how dumb it was to get involved with a hustler. “I’m only going to date doctors and lawyers,” she admonished. “You see a street nigga don’t care nothing ’bout your dumb ass!”
Claire had become more egotistical since her acceptance into Harvard. It was still a hard pill for Chanel to swallow. She felt that Claire had to suck or fuck some nigga to get into such a prestigious school. Others believed it was possible, because Claire put up a front by always reading and looking like she was studying something. Though Claire wasn’t an idiot, Chanel remained skeptical, believing that her sister wasn’t Harvard-smart.
