“I respect you, Nor, but other than the arrangementweagreed on, I don’t have much else for you.”
“I’m not trying to force you to marry me, Emery. But it only makes sense for us to be together.”
“Normani—”
“Just hear me out, baby.” She stood and walked over to me, holding my hands. “Don’t think of this as just a business deal. You can still do what you want on the side, and I’ll mind my business. Just keep it away from me and out of the public.”
“You shouldn’t want that shit, Nor. You should want a nigga that’s about you and only you. Fuck what ya pops’ and mine want. They don’t get to choose who we should be with?—”
“I’m choosing, Emery. It’s not just what my dad wants. It’s what I want.”
I sighed deeply. “Look, you’re a good person, Normani, but I’m just not feeling it. I want to be in love with the woman I choose.”
“But that woman can’t be me,” she stated, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
“It can’t.”
“What the fuck is the issue? I’m not ugly or broke, so why is it so hard for you to want this with me?”
“I’m not doing this with you, mama. I gotta go.”
“It’s okay for you to fuck me, but I can’t even get you to try to see me as your wife, hell, even a potential girlfriend!”
“If I remember correctly, you begged me to fuck you, and I shouldn’t have taken the bait. But it’s all good. Let’s end this shit here. You be smooth, shorty.” I kissed her forehead and headed for the door.
“You’ll regret not choosing me, Emery.”
“I’m sure I won’t. Have a good night.” I left out the door, not giving Normani shit else. I didn’t want to treat her like that, and I was going to let her down easy, but she made the shit hard to do with her trying to force a nigga to be in some shit he didn’t want.
I knew it was partially her pops influencing the shit behind the scenes, on top of her truly falling for me. I couldn’t dwell on that shit though.
The woman I was going to marry was somewhere out there waiting for me to come back for her. I let her get away, but now I was coming to collect what always belonged to me. Normani could never take the place of the woman who walked into my life twenty years ago and made my complicated, complex life seem eons away in her presence.
Yumi Clark had left an impression on me like no other, and no matter what I had to do, I had to get back what was mine by any means.
Chapter
One
YUMI CLARK
(U•me Cl•ark)
My heels pressed into the granite flooring as I hurried toward the conference room of the federal building. I had to pee badly, but I couldn’t make a detour, or I’d be late to the meeting my boss, Attorney Salah George, said was mandatory. I wouldn’t have been late if my boyfriend, Liam, hadn’t stopped me for a quick session this morning, which wasn’t quick at all. He detoured my morning routine, so moisturizing my skin and doing a light beat had been derailed by his dick in my spine. I didn’t mind, but I couldn’t be late for my meeting.
As I breezed down the hall, I spotted Langston Collins hurrying toward the conference room as well.
“Hey, Langston. How are you?” I greeted.
“Oh, hey, Yumi. I’m doing well.”
“I see we’re both in a hurry today.” I tittered.
“Girl, I swear I hate being late. DJ had an ear infection and kept me up all night. The fact that he didn’t want his daddy made it even harder.”
“Aww, I wish I could feel your pain.”
She chuckled. “No, you don’t.” We both laughed as we finally made it to the conference room and entered just as the rest of the defense team were walking in. I loved and hated my job. I loved it because, since I was a little girl, my father and I would watch all the crime shows together. It was our bonding moment, and I loved it. I would pretend to be a lawyer with my stuffed animals and dream of defending the innocent.
