“Sao, wake yo’ ass up. I told you I have shit to do and you told me she was gonna be ready. We have to be at the studio by ten, and if she doesn’t open this door in the next two minutes, I’m kicking that shit in and dragging her up out of here. Call me back.”
Samari jumped when a fist landed on her door more aggressively. When she heard the heavy thump of footsteps, she lifted onto her toes and squinted through the peephole again, just in time to catch a very large man with a scowl dragging a hand over his head and down his face.
She recognized Asao’s friend from the night she’d run into Asao at the club and chewed her lip before she huffed and unlocked her door. She peeked around it, hoping her instincts were on point. The only way he could have known where she lived was if Asao had sent him to her.
“’Bout fucking time,” the man mumbled, glaring at Samari before he officially addressed her. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
“Why would I be and who are you?”
“Niles and ’cause you’re supposed to be downtown in less than an hour. So again, why the fuck are you not dressed?”
“Downtown for what?”
“Stop asking questions and go put some clothes on ’cause I’m not trying to have his ass spazzing the fuck out because you’re around me half naked.”
Samari wanted to be angry but Niles’s reaction had a smile surfacing. He very intently focused on her face only. She stepped back, allowing him space to enter, but he shook his head.
“Nah, I’m cool. Just get dressed and hurry the fuck up.”
“Can you tell me where I’m going?”
“Radio station.”
Asao’s words about doing press last night pushed through Samari’s mind along with the fact that she’d agreed to have Niles manage her. What she hadn’t expected was for Niles to be at her door a few hours later demanding her to go with him to an interview.
“Where is Asao?”
“Asleep apparently, but the interview is set up for just you.”
“With who?”
“Bruh, can you stop asking questions and go put some damn clothes on?”
She grinned and nodded when he crossed the hall and leaned against the wall facing her door. She no longer had his attention because it was focused on his phone, so she closed and locked the door, heading back to her room.
Twenty minutes later she was freshly showered and dressed. Knowing most radio hosts liked to take pictures for their guest wall, she selected barrel jeans and a boyfriend tee that read The Manor Ain’t Teach Me No Manners, repping Crescent Manor. The T-shirt was black with white and red print so she paired her fit with Chicago 1s.
When she stepped out of her front door, Niles allowed his eyes to touch more than her face and gave her a once over before grunting, “Let’s go.”
She locked her door and followed him out of the building where he walked right to a blacked out BMW. The windows were so dark they had to be illegally tinted. He walked to the passenger door and yanked it open before rounding the rear to get into the driver’s side. She grinned before getting in because as disgruntled as he had been since showing up at her door, he was still a gentleman.
After he pulled into traffic, moving faster than necessary, she turned her eyes on him. “Can I ask questions now?”
“No,” he said, balancing his attention between texting and apparently trying to get a speeding ticket.
“Did I do something to you?”
He cut his eyes her way then dropped them back to his phone while tapping out a one-handed text.
“Other than having my boy out here wearing capes and shit? Nah.”
“If that reference is in regards to him saving a hoe, take that up with the hoe he saved because it damn sure isn’t me. I’ve never been loose with my pussy.”
Niles’s eyes were on her quick as hell and he chuckled, nodding. “You got that.”
His foul mood was due to a woman but not the one seated next to him. The source of his contention was the woman who’d disappeared on him and refused to return his texts and calls so he decided to let Samari make it.
“Weren’t you with Sao last night?” he asked, glancing at her now that her focus was on the device in her hand. He could see why his boy was ready to step behind her. Samari was pretty as hell and she tugged at his protective nature. It didn’t make sense because they had barely even exchanged words but he knew hewould be ready to step behind her too. That reminded him of how quickly they’d all fallen for the last woman who had Asao’s nose wide open and it was all making sense.
