“That’s true.”
They arrived at the restaurant, and Block told the driver he could remain in the car. He exited and walked around to open the door for Symphony. Clearly, she couldn’t judge him by their first encounter because everything about him on their date screamed charming, gentleman like, and protective. Symphony could tell he was the type that went above and beyond for the people he cared about and that alone had her panties moist. She had her shit together, so of course, she wasn’t going to date a broke man. But Block’s thoughtfulness and his personality won him more points with her than the Rolls Royce.
Inside the restaurant, she ordered a lemon drop and lobster bisque for starters. The champagne had given her a warm fuzzy feeling, but Symphony wasn’t a light weight. Her freshman yearin college, she drank like a grown man. She had since slowed down, but it was rare that she got buzzed off one glass of anything. She felt completely sober and didn’t think a lemon drop would hurt.
“What made you want to become a doctor?”
“I used to always want to play doctor as a kid. I went from having stuffed animals as patients to making my sister be my patient, but I felt that was pretty normal. A lot of kids say they want to be doctors but the older I got, I tried to think of things I would be interested in doing, and doctor was the only answer that ever seemed right. Even when people told me how hard it would be and how smart I had to be, that didn’t deter me.”
“That’s what’s up. We need more doctors that look like you.”
“What did you want to be when you were growing up?”
“A drug dealer.” Block answered her with a straight face. She could tell that he was serious as a heart attack. “Even before I realized my father was a drug dealer, he just had this swag about him. The way he talked. The way he walked. My pops was the true definition of a boss ass nigga. He stayed fly, took care of home, and kept big wads of cash on him. And he was smart. There wasn’t a problem that he couldn’t solve. I wanted to be everything that nigga was.”
“I can get that. Right, wrong, or indifferent, our parents are our first role models.”
“Your pops around?”
“No. When I was nine his mistress followed him home one night and murdered him in cold blood on our front lawn.”
“Dead ass?”
“Dead ass. And his ass was dead.”
“Bro,” Block was used to crazy comments from his brothers, but Symphony had a sense of humor that he could fuck with.
“It was then that I knew that cheating wasn’t worth it.”
“Hell nah, it’s not.”
From the time they sat down at the table until they were back in the car, there was never a lull in conversation. Block may have been a drug dealer, but he was smart. He had also proven that he could be romantic and considerate. The more she drank, the more aroused Symphony became, and it was on the tip of her tongue to make him aware that she wanted to give it up on the first night, but she refrained.
Symphony didn’t feel the need to play the good girl role. It wasn’t like she thought he’d be her husband one day. They were adults, and he’d already made how he got down clear. But when the driver pulled up at her home, Symphony knew she would be going inside alone to sleep off the alcohol she’d consumed. Block walked her to the door.
“This was fun,” she stated as they peered into one another’s eyes. When he licked his lips, her yoni ached.
“Yeah, it was. We have to do it again. Maybe something less formal next time like bowling or a picnic or some shit.”
Symphony’s brows rose. “A picnic or some shit? Wowwwww. Never judge a book by its’ cover.”
“Yo you are insane, shorty. You gon’ stop all that judging me and making assumptions.” He inched closer to her, and Symphony’s body temperature rose. “I’m that nigga. But I can show you better than I can tell you.” He winked at her before turning to leave.
Symphony unlocked the door and crossed the threshold of her home. Hot showers were her favorite but tonight, she needed a cold one for sure.
CHAPTER NINE
Blak pulledfrom the blunt he was holding anxiously. Naomi had been standing in front of him nagging for the past ten minutes or so, and he was over it. “Man, this isn’t what I signed up for,” he shook his head. “Got damn. Some shit came up and I missed the cake tasting. I never told you I wanted to be involved in this wedding planning shit anyway. This wedding is for show. It’s for you and your people to flex. I don’t care ‘bout none of this shit.”
“But you care about having my father on your team and the perks that come with marrying his daughter. It’s notjustfor show. You and your uncle stand to gain a lot from this as well, so it would be smart of you to be on your shit and not have me out here looking crazy.”
Blak frowned. “Hold up ‘cus you acting too much like this is a situation where I need to be kissing you and your pop’s asses. He might have more than me, but I’m not a slouch. If I was, he’d never let us get married. So don’t act like I’m some lowly peasant, and I owe my life to y’all or some shit.” He was clearly offended, and Naomi checked her attitude.
“I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that my father is very connected. We’re both well-known, and he doesn’t wantthis to look like an arranged marriage. We both have to play our parts.”
“I get that, Naomi. It was one appointment. Fall back off me, please.” Blak was beyond agitated. Naomi was bad, and her pussy was good, but he didn’t want this shit. Not anymore.
“You seem stressed. You want me to handle that for you?” her tone switched from angry, to apologetic, then seductive all in a matter of minutes.
