East looked down at Joi then up at Vega. “Yeah I’ll holla at her about that. You good?”
“Gucci.” East offered a nod. He had no issue with Vega and wasn’t worried about him as far as Joi was concerned.
“She good with him?” East nodded at Ria. Knowing she was important to Joi made it his responsibility to assure her wellbeing. East barely knew Vega but he didn’t know Dix at all.
“Yeah she’s straight. They’re about to be out anyway.” East and Vega shared a look of understanding.
“Aight, be easy.” East dropped his arm around Joi, tucking her body under his, and walked away. Nothing else there was his concern so his focus was on handling his own situation.
13
Joi glanced at the house where she and East sat in the driveway. It was nice, not excessive but new and had a cozy type feel. She assumed it was his since he brought her there. They hadn’t said much to each other during the drive. She spent most of it on her phone, texting Nyelle and Ria. Joi half explained her situation with East to Ria because she couldn’t escape the interrogation after abruptly leaving with him but Ria received minimal details. Ria had just recently come back into Joi’s life and she wasn’t sure she trusted her with intimate details yet.
The rest of the drive Joi discussed how Vega acted with Nyelle, the things he said to her about his pursuit of her friend and how he behaved while she was around. That left little room for Joi to give East her attention, which was the goal.
He didn’t mind or interrupt her attempt at ignoring him. East had his own thoughts to work out in his head, like what he was going to say to Joi about his recent behavior. He had rehearsed a few things that seemed childish now that she was in his presence. Grown men handled their business and he hadn’tdone that properly with Joi. East’s hesitation about what he was feeling was the reason behind his absence but that was on him.
“You coming inside or would you prefer to stay out here all night talking shit to your girls about me?”
Joi’s eyes rolled over to him quickly to find East with an unreadable expression that was still sexy but had Joi at a loss for how to react. He hadn’t smiled since they left the pool hall and she could sense East was annoyed, however she didn’t care. She was too, but she was the only one who had the right to be.
“If Iamtalking shit, you gave me plenty of reasons to, so…” She shrugged and East chuckled.
“Come on Grinch before I mess around and fuck that attitude right up out of you in this car.” He got out so quickly Joi didn’t have time to respond, however her body damn sure reacted. Joi was positive that her panties were currently soaked and her nipples were so hard that her shirt brushing against them put her dangerously at risk of a mini orgasm.
When East found his way to her door and pulled it open, she sucked in a deep breath and gave a pep talk herself under her breath. “Don’t fall for it, Joi. Talk. That’s all you’re here to do.”
“What’s that?” East’s smug grin couldn’t be missed.
Shit, he heard that.
Joi got out and stepped away so East could close the door and he nodded for her to walk ahead of him. Her body pulsed when he gently tapped her side after they stepped on his porch. East used the keys in his hand to unlock the door then waited while she entered first. Once inside, Joi did a quick visual sweep and inhaled deeply, taking in the clean citrus scent that damn near smacked her in the face. She hadn’t expected the home to look and smell so clean but it was a welcomed surprise.
“You live here alone?”
“Yeah, why?” East tossed his keys on the table next to the door before locking up and setting the alarm. Something he didout of habit. Joi’s eyes quickly went to his then the alarm, feeling as if he were locking them in instead of keeping them safe.
“Chill, with those crazy-ass thoughts. I’m not trying to hold you hostage. Whenever you want to leave, you can leave…”
Joi offered a second look that immediately planted a smug grin on East’s face like he read her mind.
“…after you hear me out. But after that, just say the word and I got you. Come on.”
In true East fashion he walked away expecting Joi to follow his lead, which she did. They moved through his home with Joi admiring the surroundings. Although the style was simple, and very manly, the house was fully furnished. That put Joi at ease and her body relaxed. This was his home, he wouldn’t dare do anything crazy to her where he lay his head.Wait, why would I have that thought. Am I physically afraid of this man?East did have a coldness to him that had Joi wondering about his dark side, she knew he had one, but she trusted him. Why, she had no idea, but she did. Well with her well being. Not necessarily with her emotions because he proved he would certainly mishandle those.
Once they reached the back of his home, he opened a door that led them downstairs to a basement. It appeared to be a separate living area, just as nice but had a little more detail. The entire place was decorated in black and browns with a massive leather sectional she knew would feel like heaven. There was a fully stocked bar next to a kitchen that looked just as nice as the one they passed on the main floor, a pool table in the corner, and a sectional forming a U faced a wall that housed a massive screen similar to those in movie theatres, only not as big, however it did take up the entire wall.
“Man cave?”
East chuckled and nodded. “Something like that. I spend the majority of my time down here so I invested a little more in thisspace. Can I get you something?” He glanced at the bar. “I don’t have any Cîroc. I only drink brown but I’m sure you can handle it.”
Joi rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, I’m good. I’m just here to talk.”
East chuckled again and made his way to the sofa, taking a seat first. Joi followed after kicking off her shoes and pulling her feet up, crossing them at the ankles. She wasn’t right up under him, choosing to take up the corner while he was somewhere in the middle.
“Damn, it’s like that?”
“It is until I hear what you have to say,” she stated firmly.
