Boom.
Boom.
My heart beat wildly. My thoughts ran too far too fast. I closed my eyes, desperate to regain control of my nervous system. It was shattered and the cameras weren’t the culprits. It was him. It was the time we had on our hands. And, it was the uncertainty of what was next for either of us.
I wasn’t a woman who went with the flow. I was the flow. I created it and I ended it. Somehow, I was no longer in a position to do either.
“You knew they’d be there.”
I hadn’t heard the volume of the music lowered. But, I heard Ishmael clearly. He commanded my attention. Listening wasn’t a choice I had to make. It was made for me each time he parted his lips to speak.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Because–” I paused, running a hand through my hair, loosening the curls. I stared out of the window. “I knew you’d come. And, I knew they’d follow you.”
“How’d you know I’d come?”
“You’re not too far removed from your past, Ishmael. You try to remain level-headed, but that fire inside of you is the same fire I fight every day.”
“Every day?” He sniggered.
I nodded.
“Besides, I didn’t disable the tracker on my car to be sure you found me.”
Silence trailed my statement. The small black tracker was hardly noticeable. However, no stone was unturned. I discovered the device the same day it was attached to the barrel of my wheel.
“Have you eaten, Royce?”
“I haven’t.”
His handsome face was angled perfectly. I lost my way in the intricacies of his perfect skin, thick beard, and beautiful Black features. There were parts of the Black man that were significant to us. And, there was hardly nothing more I loved witnessing on a man than those features that distinguished us from the others.
“What is it?” He asked, taking his eyes off the road for a brief second.
“Since I’m your woman now, I assume you can feed me.”
“I have every intention of stuffing you, Royce.”
I clenched my pussy muscles. My walls pulled inward, tapping against each other. My stomach knotted. My throat thickened. And all the air in the SUV was sucked right out.
The volume of his stereo heightened again. I melted against the seat. My elbow rested on the door handle. I peered out of the window, praying peace rescued me. Ishmael refused to letme have any in his presence. It was as much of a gift as it was a curse.
No parts of me desired companionship with a politician, but this man was making it abundantly clear he was not the average politician. Ishmael was a refined street dweller in a black suit with an extensive vocabulary who observed more than he spoke. And, it was no secret that I was a sucker for a street nerd. I just couldn’t have this one.
My fingertips grazed the olive green tile. There wasn’t a single one misaligned. Neither was there a flaw in sight.
Perfect.
The bar was incredible. Pots mingled in the background, disrupting nothing more than Ishmael’s nerves. I was unbothered by his culinary struggles. Though I loved exploring dishes, Ishmael’s kitchen was no place for me.
Don’t be a wife to a boyfriend.
Don’t be a girlfriend to a man you’re dating.
Don’t ever give a man more than his actions have shown you he’s capable of reciprocating.
