After letting her rant, I cut in. “That man has an open assault charge against a woman he’s been having sex with, Mom, but you want me to reconsider ending my engagement?”
“Excuse me?” I applied my face scrub and listened to her gasp. “What do you mean he has anassault charge? And what woman? All I know is he came over to the house, saying you’d ended the engagement and won’t take his calls. What the hell happened?”
As I washed my face, I told my mother about Lisa coming by the office and sending me photos of her and TJ together. I could hear her gasp when I told her how long Lisa said she and TJ had been having relations, along with other women. By the time I was done, my mother was speechless.
“Wow…” I glanced down at the phone and noticed her sitting there in shock. She was in the middle of eating breakfast when she called, and I was sure it was cold by now. “I didn’t know, baby.”
“Mom, I love you, and I know you want me to have the type of love you and Daddy have, but you have to let me find that. We can’t force it just because a man looks good on paper.”
I picked up the phone and walked back into the hotel room. Stacy was going to be here soon, and I needed to finish getting ready if I wanted to make it to our appointment on time. We’d been docked at the island since yesterday, and I wanted to take full advantage of today before we had to board the ship again.
“I appreciate you looking out for me and wanting what’s best for my future,” I said, trying to wrap up the phone call. “Trust me. You raised me to be level-headed, and I’m not going to just settle for anyone. TJ and I are over, and I need you to respect that.”
“You’re right.” She sighed heavily. “I just want you to find love and be happy, baby.”
“I know, Mom. Besides that man, how is everything else?”
My father was gearing up for election season, and I knew he and my mother were coordinating their press runs. I knew, between the campaign managers and my father’s lengthy career, the election would result in his favor. The only thing, or person, who could throw a wrench in his plans was Rowan. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about my brother. He and I hadn’t spoken since the gala, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if he was okay. I knew I should’ve been upset and washed my hands of him for the way he acted and the things he said, but at the end of the day, he was my brother.
“Oh, dear, everything is as it should be here. We can talk more when you’re home. I’ve taken up your time with enough foolishness. Enjoy the rest of the trip and tell Stacy I said ‘hello’.”
"I will. I love you, Mom. Kiss Dad for me.” Disconnecting the call, I dropped my towel to throw on my clothes.
I didn’t know why Stacy suggested the Virgin Islands of all places to take a vacation, but I was more than happy she did. Yesterday, we completed our list of places to explore on the island after the jet skis. I had multiple shops I wanted to visit that I’d found on TikTok, and we managed to make it to each one before it got dark. We also went on a tour of the historic buildings and houses on the islands. No matter where I was, I was a realtor first.
Not only was the island beautiful, but I was able to see the fine-ass doctor again. I couldn’t believe I’d let him convince me to drive that jet ski. No one had ever been able to persuade me to participate in deadly activities, but there I was, driving a watercraft in the middle of the ocean. Since the night at the hot tub, my body tingled at the mere thought of JJ, and when I wasseated between his firm thighs, I could’ve blended in with the water, being as wet as I was.
I’d never seen him in Milly Grove before our meeting at Grove’s Café and knowing he’d been this close to me all this time sent chills through my body. He seemed familiar to not only me, but my soul. It was scary, and I felt as if I needed to stay away from him. At the same time, I didn’t want to.
“Friend, you'd better have your ass up!” Stacy hollered as she entered my room. She and I decided that we would get pampered and have a little reset at the luxury hotel. “Our massages are in an hour.”
“I’m putting on clothes now. I just need to find my scarf and change bags,” I responded as I pulled my tank top over my head, foregoing the lotion since I was about to be oiled down. “Can you check the main email and see if we have any urgent messages? As much as I love being disconnected from home, I need to make sure business is alright.”
“Sure. Give me your phone. I deleted the app from mine,” Stacy said as I handed her my phone before walking back into the bathroom. “Okay, let’s see…” She hummed before popping her lips together. “Friend, it’s nothing but home inquiries that we can schedule when we get back. I already set the automated reply to let any potential and current clients know we were out of the office. No one should be expecting us to contact them for a few more days.”
“I know… I just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything when I looked yesterday.”
Stacy sucked her teeth at my need to be on top of things, even while on vacation. When she sucked her teeth again, I popped my head out of the bathroom and asked what happened.
“Ain’t nothing happened. It’s all these missed calls and voicemails from cheetah, cheetah!” Hearing her voice get closer to the bathroom, it didn’t take long before she was standingbeside me. “Block that nigga, sis. After the shit he did to you, there shouldn’t be anything else to talk about.”
Taking my phone from her outstretched hand, I met her concerned eyes. “He can beg and plead all he wants, Stace. I’ve moved on from that relationship mentally and physically. The calls don’t even faze me.”
As I finished looking through my toiletry bag for my headscarf, I thought about what Stacy said, and she was right. Not giving it anymore thought, I grabbed my phone from the sink and blocked his contact.
Walking from the bathroom, I began transferring the things I needed from my Christian Dior tote to my Louis Vuitton wristlet. “Done,” I said, causing Stacy to look up from scrolling Instagram with a smile.
“I hope you moving on includes being with that sexy-ass medical examiner.” I glanced over my shoulder and found her wiggling her brows at me. “I can’t believe your little freaky ass let him finger fuck you in that hot tub.” My eyes went wide as she beamed like a proud parent. “He and his brother both are fine as hell.”
“They are handsome,” I agreed, trying to hide my smirk. Grabbing the wristlet, I ushered her out of my room. We needed to get a move on if we were going to make it to our appointment on time. “I just left one situation. I don’t need another one right now. Plus, a man that fine has someone that doesn’t play about him, I’m sure.”
As we stepped onto the elevator, my mind went back to JJ. He and I were having dinner tonight, and I was so excited to see him again. I wanted to be in his presence, almost craving it, which made me ashamed.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Stacy asked as we made it to the lobby of the resort. The massage parlor was also located on the main level. “Are you nervous about your date?”
“I am. He makes me feel… different,” I answered as we made it to the parlor. The aesthetic was so nice and peaceful that I began to get excited for our appointment. Once we were signed in, it didn’t take long before we were escorted to the back and given robes to change into. Settling onto the massage table, I started to doze off once the masseuse began working his magic, but of course, Stacy wanted to be a chatterbox.
“Look, friend… I ain’t trying to tell you what to do, because at the end of the day, you’re grown, and it’s your choice.” I propped my head on my elbows and gave her my attention. “If you’re attracted to him, and he’s attracted to you, it’s okay to act on it. Climb on his big ass and mount that muthafucka?—”
