My eyes pop open. “It can’t be,” I groan.
“Janine! Open the door.”
“Holy shit!” I sit up in Emanuel’s bed and toss his blanket off of me. I don’t even think as I start toward the front door.
“You’re going to answer naked?”
I glance down at my body, and sure enough, I am one hundred percent in the nude. Looking around the floor I spot my jeans from the previous night and Emanuel’s button-up shirt. I quickly snatch both off the floor and put them on, still buttoning the shirt as I race to the front door, just in time to hear loud banging from across the hall.
“Janet!” I hiss as I pull the door open, trying not to be too loud as it’s early in the morning on a Sunday.
My mother jolts in the six-inch heels she’s wearing, turning to face me, the extra long, light brown and black curly hair she’s wearing flowing wildly.
“Oh,” she says, looking back at my door—the very one she was just knocking on. “I thought you said three twenty-one was your apartment.” She walks toward me, nearly pushing me out of the way to gain entry. She stops short, blinking when I don’t move, continuing to hold firmly to the door.
“What are you doing here?” I question between clenched teeth.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I told you I was coming for a visit.”
I shake my head. “No … you didn’t.”
“Janine, we just talked about this. And what are you doing? Let me in.” She pries my hand from the door and barges her way in.
I’m too thrown off by the moment to even make it known that this isn’t my place.
“Well, hello,” my mother suddenly says behind me in that flirtatious purr that I’m all too familiar with.
I spin around from the door to see Emanuel standing there bold as day, in nothing more than a pair of black boxer briefs as he grins down at my mother. Immediately, I move in front of him, blocking her view, but that doesn’t stop her from stretching her neck to look around me.
“And you are …”
“The man who owns this place.”
My mother’s chocolate eyes widen before her gaze drops to me. She gives me an admiring look. “Janine, you didn’t tell me you were living with a man. I see you’ve done well for yourself since Matthew dumped you.”
I wince at my mother’s words as she steps around me, continuing to ogle the man behind me.
I spin around. “Idumped Matthew,” I get out through a clenched jaw.
My mother doesn’t even acknowledge my words.
“And what’s your name?”
“Emanuel. And you would be?”
“Whoever you want me to be.” She lets out an annoying ass giggle.
“Okay, that’s enough.” I turn to Emanuel. “I’m sorry. I have to go tend to my mother, apparently.” Grabbing my purse from the table, I pull out my keys. “Janet, here. This is the key to my apartment. Use it. I’ll be over in a second.”
She begins stammering, still looking back at Emanuel as I practically push her body out the door. I close Emanuel’s door in her face, not giving her the opportunity to respond. I practically sprint to Emanuel’s bedroom and put the clothes I was wearing the day before on and head for the door.
It’s that moment when I find Emanuel casually leaning against the doorframe, his big body blocking my exit.
“So that’s your mother?”
My shoulders slump. “That’s her. Speaking of the devil really does make it appear, apparently.”
“You should invite her over for breakfast. You, me, and her. The three of us.”
