Captivated, I watch in appreciation the way his back muscles ripple as he turns this way and that, looking at the art we collaborated on over the last two weeks since I opened my shop.
Working on his back had let me know I’ve been way too sheltered. Getting my shop has opened my eyes to all the possibilities of the hard-charging country boys out here I’ve been missing out on being locked down in the el Diablo compound. Still, when I’m alone at night and even I touch myself, the only one face looms in my mind — the visage of the meanest motherfucker in the county.
I don’t know what my problem is, but it has a big-ass Snake constricting around it.
“Aye,” his gaze snags mine in the mirror, an incandescent smolder. “What you doing later?”
“Resting my hands from all the work I’ve put in on all those muslces you got from bootlegging.”
He throws his head back in the sexiest chuckle known to man, making the tendons in this neck stand out. I swear I can’t help the little laugh bursting from me as I join him in flirtation.
“You’re something else, you know that?” he smiles with genuine appreciation as he pulls out three stacks, dropping them on my station.
“Whoa, that’s too much.” I protest holding my hand up in protest.
She shakes his head real slow, tsking. “Know your worth, sweetheart.”
Shaking my head, I proceed to take care of his artwork, reminding him how to take of it. “No picking with it. If it gets inflamed or you feel a fever coming on, go straight to Dr. Everything. It should be fine if you don’t do nothing crazy.”
“Got it.” He says, shrugging on the plaid cambric shirt he wore into the shop, leaving it open so nothing rubs against his skin. “Well, if you ever want to get into something now that you’re in town, come on down to The Shack. Ms. Queen’ll take real good care of you now that they are back open.”
He’s kind enough not to add that I’m one of the reasons the town’s main watering holes is only now just getting back on its feet. It seems Snake and Angel made any kind of business with the Love family near impossible, including one of the town’s only juke joints, The Shack By The Track.
Once Ezekiel-Jane and I were back, the embargo lifted and business allowed to continue as normal. Angel was even said to pay restitution for all the harm he caused the community since none of them were hiding us. No one knew where we were except the women in the Love girl’s clubhouse and a two-year-old little boy who learned quite a few spicy phrases that day thanks to his second cousins, Kandie and Ozymandias.
“I will once I get a regular clientele.” Business is good, with some people even wanting to use the back entrance because they don’t want their fellow churchgoers to see them coming to me to alter God’s creation.
I remember back how I thought it was hilarious until it wasn’t. Folks were truly fearful of being judged for getting tattooed.
He heads toward the main entrance then pauses for a long moment then seems to say fuck it. “I know you’re people are Haitian, there’s a nun at the Catholic church on the Shelby side, I met when I was setting up their IT. She was excited to learn there was another girl in town. Thought you’d like to meet her.”
“I sure would.” There are no other Haitians in this area, I’d love to meet someone from my homeland. I give him a blinding smile giddy with the possibility.
“Alright sweetheart, you take care and it anybody gives you any problems, you just call Big B or one on my brother’s if I aint around. We don’t scare.” The steel that slips into his steady gaze lets me he means it and that includes the el Diablo.
“Thanks, B.” I can’t stop the blush so I tuck my head getting busy wiping down my station.
***
“Ohmygoodness” sitting up in my clutch my my racing heart. “Damn.” Wipping my locs out of my face I grab the bonnet that’s slip off to the side.
I freeze when my eye fall to the gleam of boots that shift in the in chair that’s sits in the far corner of the loft.
Scrambling back, I press my body against the headboard. The alarm should’ve gone off. I don’t say shit just grab the handle of the bowie knife that was in the sack of my things Snake.
“I doubt that you’d get one swipe off before I got it out your hand.” Comes the sneering words from former gaurdian.
“What?” shaking my head I rid of the confusion away. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” I ask, watching as he rises like a storm from the darkness of the room, coming toward me in a slow, easy stride, like this is his place instead of mine.
“You know better than to ask that.” His face emerges, a harsh mask in the moonlight.
“Okay, then why are you here?” I ask, noting his cut is off and so are his boots. How did I sleep through all that? He always moved like a phantom, but I’d have thought I’d be a little more vigilant now that I was on my own.
“To watch over you. Did you think I would ever just allow you to leave me, ti dezòd?” he huffs out a disdainful laugh like I should know better.
“You’ve been here —”
“Every night.” He slides his gaze to the side then lasers his on me with unwavering honesty.
