If Kareem had only known this board was nothing compared to the entire wall I had for him in high school. I smiled and dropped my head just thinking about it. I was obsessed with Kareem, and had prom not completely changed everything between us, I probably still would be to this day.
I most certainly never got over him or the night we spent together. There had never been another boy or night like that one since. I hadn’t realized it until just now, but I never made space in my life to experience what we had again.
My entire existence since leaving home had been trying to prove to myself that I was more than where I came from. And yes, I had done well for myself, but now that I was nearing my mid-thirties, I wondered if all the work I had put in was even worth it.
Most of my friends were starting families and getting married, but I was still chasing a dream that I may never catch. How well I did on Kareem’s project would be the determining factor in my life. With that in mind, I gave Kareem one last nod.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
Chapter
Six
Kareem
“We’ve seen what your company can do. I mean, the weapons you guys produce at K&K Solutions have quite literally changed the market and blown your competition out of the water.”
“Mr. Sheffield, that is not us just blowing smoke up your ass either. We are impressed by how far you have come in such a short time. At the rate you’re going, this will not be your last billion-dollar move,” the Asian and white men sitting across from me spoke one after the other.
They were both top representatives at their companies. Every tech and weapons company was trying to set up meetings with me, and I was selective about who I accepted.
One thing I would always do was remember those who shut doors in my face because when it was time for them to come backaround, I would remind them. Luckily for the men sitting across from me, they weren’t in that group.
When I was a young black man fresh out of the Army, few business owners wanted to take a chance on me. I had to work twice as hard and prove myself at every turn to even get people to listen, but now I was the one calling the shots. I had to admit that shit felt good.
“I appreciate you boys for always having my back. Few people would have taken a chance on me twelve years ago. However, you two saw my vision and went to bat with me for funding and recognition.”
“There was no way I could turn you down at that summit all those years ago. You may have been just starting out, but I knew what you were planning to do was revolutionary.”
Aiden was probably the coolest white dude I had ever met, and that was saying a lot. I had met a few during my time in the Army, but none of them were willing to put thousands of dollars on the line for a startup headed by a twenty-three year old, who they didn’t know would make it.
“I…”
Before I could finish my sentence, I caught a glimpse of Karina out of the corner of my eye. She was wearing a red dress that stopped just above mid-thigh. Her thighs, shining against the red dress, were what stopped me mid-sentence.
My eyes traveled from her thighs up her frame, savoring every angle of her. She was giggling at something one of the other women said, and I couldn’t help but smile too. Karina’s laugh seemed to shake her whole body, and the smile stretched across her entire face.
This was the happiest I had seen her since the last time she rode shotgun in the beat-up Ford F-150 my granddad gave me on my sixteenth birthday. That smile made me wish time would stand still, and we never had to leave the McDonald’s parkinglot the last time we stopped there to grab her favorite at the time — a Big Mac with an Oreo McFlurry. I was sure her palate had changed since then, and I couldn’t wait to find out just how much.
Karina placed the curl that had fallen in her face behind her ear, and I didn’t know why that turned me on, but it did. I imagined that same curl wrapped up in my fingers. I imagined her smile to be something I alone had caused.
It was true. I stalked Karina when we first got out of high school. Seeing her disappear online during my early Army days may be what sent me into a spiral. I wanted that girl more than I wanted to breathe back then, and the fact that she was doing everything to avoid me broke my heart.
Aiden and Ben were still talking, but listening to them had become impossible. Karina had invaded my thoughts and taken them motherfuckers completely over. I thanked God we weren’t here to close a deal tonight because I probably would have blown that shit. She was the only thing on my mind, and I wasn’t apologizing for it.
I watched her excuse herself from the crowd, and I did the same. Karina was on her way to the bathroom, and I couldn’t stop my feet from moving in the same direction. I hadn’t fully decided if I was going to wait until she walked out or go in after her, so I stood to the right of the door, trying to calm myself.
The pull Karina had on me was some shit I had never felt with another woman, and honestly, I didn’t want to. If she told me to jump right now, the only question I would ask would be “How high?” If a nigga ever thought to disrupt her peace, and I found out about it, I would end their whole fucking existence.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were waiting on me. You ready to go?”
Karina had come out of the bathroom and pulled me off the dark road my mind was trying to take me down. Instead of saying anything back, I pushed her against the wall and coveredher lips with mine. They were sweet like cherries, and to my surprise, she leaned in to receive me.
I deepened the kiss and pulled Karina’s body into mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and we kissed hungrily. I could feel myself rising against the pants of my suit, and I could also feel the heat radiating off Karina’s body.
“Was it anybody else in the bathroom?”
“No. Just me.”
