“Baby, what are you doing here?” I asked, squealing, jumping up into his arms.
“I came to take my woman to lunch.” He said it loud enough for Tessa and Sametra to hear, then looked at them. “Y’all don’t mind if I steal her for a minute, right?”
“Not at all,” Sametra said, way too amused.
“Take your time,” Tessa added. “Take all the time you need.”
“I’m sweaty,” I said. “And what happened with your business trip?”
“I cut out for a bit. I’m going back after I spend some time with you. I needed to see you.” He grabbed my hand. “I missed you.”
“You saw me three days ago.”
“Exactly. Three days too long. You put that pussy on me, and now I’m addicted.”
Tessa and Sametra were both grinning at me like idiots, and I shot them a look before letting DaVinci pull me toward the door.
“Bye, Halo!” Tessa called out.
“Have fun!” Sametra added.
“Nosey hoes,” I called back with a laugh.
DaVinci laughed as we walked out into the parking lot. His car was parked right out front, a black sleek car I’d never seen before, windows tinted, looking exactly like something he’d drive.
“What kind of car is this?”
“A Pagani Huayra. I don’t drive it much, but this shit is my baby.”
“Nice. I can’t believe you showed up to take me to lunch. I didn’t think I’d see you for another couple of days,” I said as he opened the passenger door for me.
“Where are we going?”
“I got a spot. It’s outside the city, though. You got time?”
“I got all the time for you.”
He smiled, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed toward the highway. The music was already playing when we got in.Poppin My S*** by Justin Bieber flowed through the speakers.
“I put you on, huh?”
“Man, you always want credit. I may or may not have heard this in the background.”
“Just say I put you on. I’ll make you a playlist. Hand me your phone.”
He handed me his phone, and I started adding some of my favorite songs. Songs that reminded me of him, myself, and this newfound journey we were on. Something as simple as him handing me his phone without hesitation made me fall harder and deeper. DaVinci was a vibe, a vibe Icouldn’t stay away from. I could trust him. He could trust me. He was a man who said what he meant and followed through.
I reclined, and he started singing—not loudly, not showing off, just vibing—and his voice was actually good.
“What?”
“You sound kinda good. I wouldn’t go to American Idol, but I’d let you sing in the church choir.”
“Thank you, baby.” He beamed, reaching over and taking my hand. “Now sing with me. Come on.”
I gave in, and we sang We Belong Together by Mariah Carey off-key on my part, perfectly on-key on his—and it felt easy.
We drove for about thirty minutes, the city falling away behind us, replaced by open roads and trees. He kept my hand in his the whole time, only letting go to change lanes or adjust the volume.
