“Smelling myself?” A maniacal cackle erupted from her. “Ezekiel, do us a favor and stop while you’re ahead. I promise, this isn’t what you want. I am not the same naive girl you usedto fuck with, but I’m still that bitch who shot your ass. Don’t call me again.”
“What the hell is your problem, Kennedy?! We talked, and shit was straight. Is it about our kiss? Did it bring up old feelings, so now you have to act like you hate a nigga again.”
“Nobody gives a damn about a kiss that you initiated, Zeke! You kissed me, and I pushed you away. Don’t forget that part.”
“Look.” He sighed into the receiver, and she clenched the phone tighter. “I didn’t call to argue. I wanted to check in on you and Tek, but you’re treating me like an enemy.”
“Because that’s what you are! The enemy. A fucking opp who let my—”
She caught herself, shutting her eyes to regain a sliver of the composure she was losing. Ezekiel was begging for her to deal with his ass—to make him feel her pain in the worst way for setting up her brother. She had tried to let it marinate and set in because it was the hardest truth she’d had to swallow, but Ezekiel was forcing her fucking hand. Kennedy hated to do her first love dirtier than she’d done already, but he was leaving her with no choice.
“An opp who let what, Kennedy?” Ezekiel pressed. If she didn’t know better, she would swear she heard pain in his voice. “What did I do? What do you think I did?”
“I think you need to not call my phone again. I mean it, Zeke.”
She ended their call with that, powered off her phone, and then flung open the door. Kennedy slapped a hand on her chest when her heart tried leaping out of it at Jahleel’s ass standing at the door with an empty expression.
“Your other phone was ringing. It was Relic,” he told her as she walked out. Kennedy played it cool.
“Did you answer for him?”
“No, but he called my phone. He said he’s pulling up and to open the door.”
“Well, did you open the door?”
“Oh!”
His eyes shot wide, like he’d forgotten that part, and then he took off as Kennedy laughed while slyly rushing behind him to drop her phone into her purse. Just as she closed it back, she heard the door open and Relic booming instructions to Jahleel. Before she could check what they were doing, the door slammed, and Jahleel reentered the kitchen, lugging two handfuls of bags that put a smile on her face she couldn’t contain if she tried. Relic sauntered in behind him, effusing the pussy arousing fragrance of citrus and rich amber, while his silk shirt he’d rolled up to his elbows exposed his muscles protruding as he carried in more gift bags.
If Jahleel wasn’t in the room, she might’ve dropped to her knees to suck the skin clean off Relic’s dick. Nothing was sexier to Kennedy than a fine, rich nigga who cashed out his woman without making her beg.
“Why you always gotta to outdo me, Relic? You think you better than me or something?” she quipped, propping a hand on her hip as he scoffed.
“My money is longer, so of course, I’m better. I guess we had the same idea in mind. It’s a truce, Larenn?”
“Yep, because I don’t know about you, but I need—” She paused, lifting a hand to shield her lips from Jahleel before she mouthed, “I need some dick, nigga.”
Relic cracked up as he dropped the heavy bags beside the boxes on the island and then swaggered to her, taking in her outfit before he frowned and sent a hard slap to her ass that sat nicely in her jeans. He clasped a hand onto her waist and tugged her against him.
“Where’d you go besides work today?”
“What makes you figure I went somewhere else?” she asked, reaching around him for a bag to open.
“Because you don’t wear heels to work unless you go somewhere before or after. You wear sneakers and those thin ass pant sets that make your ass jiggle too much when you walk.”
She giggled while digging into a white bag with black lining and black ropes for its handle. Kennedy tugged out the black box with a white Camellia flower and matching logo, pushing it open to grab the dust bag that she rushed to tug apart for the purse inside. She tried not to gush too hard at the burgundy quilted, jumbo classic flap bag with gold accents.
“You have heels that color you haven’t worn yet. I did a little digging,” he admitted, making her beam.
“Oh, you get bonus fellatio for that. You picked it out yourself and made sure I had stuff to match it. How many more did I get?”
“You’ll see after you make my plate. Chop, chop.” He smacked her ass, and she grilled him but went to the stove to do as he requested like a good little girlfriend.
“You want me to cut your steak, too,” she murmured, rolling her eyes when Relic and Jahleel laughed.
“Nah, I can manage. You still haven’t told me where you went today, though, Larenn.”
“I sat at Jah’s game,” she told him, omitting her exam at the doctor. “He’s getting better each time I see him play. I think we should put him in a league or send him to camp with kids on his level. He can’t grow on that team.”
