“I don’t need my mother’s permission to go or do anything, Righteous,” I say in a condescending tone. My eyes pinch, and my stomach knots with fury when a smirk slides into place before he slow claps.
“A house mouse is all you’re worthy of becoming. I would fuck you in every hole before I pass you off to several of my brothers. You look like the type to enjoy letting the members of Baxtown Iron run a train on you. I don’t mind sharing as long as I can slide in that little pussy first.”
A gasp falls from my lips as my head jerks backward once Righteous stops talking. Bile churns in my stomach that instantly kills my appetite. For countless seconds, all I can do is stare at the man across from me. His hard, blank eyes peer intently into me, and a chill settles within my bones.
“What’s the matter? Your pretty ass isn’t used to someone like me? Maybe that’s your problem. You’re not as ready to take a walk on the wild side as you think, huh?”
A shadow appears in my peripheral vision that prevents me from replying as I turn to see an unfamiliar waiter at the booth. In his eyes is danger and unmasked threats that have me unable to speak.
“What y’all want to order?” the man asks with attitude and boredom.
“Ladies first.” My date grunts with a shit-eating grin that feels like a taunt and causes my eyes to pinch.
A frown forms, and my neck tenses as my eyes bounce from the waiter to the man across from me.
“Can you give us a minute?” I ask the man who huffs and walks away. My eyes return to my date, and I stare for countless seconds. “Is this how we’re going to handle this date? I’m prettysure from my interactions with your sister that your mother raised you better than this.” My hand motions up and down in his direction as I fight the urge to cower when his eyes darken.
Righteous leans toward me with tight eyes and a hard glare before his lips move to respond to my questions.
“What you need to learn right now is that I’m nothing like my sister and that’s all in thanks to our mother; father, too, if I’m being honest. You also should have thought about this before you walked your narrow ass into this diner looking for a prince charming. I will never be like that mothafucka, so again, you came to this side of town for the wrong fucking reasons.”
The coldness of his words causes a sting in my armor because this is not what I had in mind. Yes, I wanted to walk on the wild side, but this man might be a little out of my depth. For the first time since I’ve been old enough to show interest in the opposite sex, I’m uncomfortable. I have always been confident in the type of woman I am and can occasionally be a little forward in my pursuit of what I want. But this man seems anything but interested, and I don’t know how to handle him. I fidget with my hands as a thought hits me, and I decide to approach this encounter differently.
“Why do they call you Righteous?” I ask out of curiosity.
My desire to disarm him takes over and collides with my attraction, despite the slight terror that rises within me. Righteous gives me multiple reasons to throw in the towel. But intrigue fills me, and I can’t help but want to push through the tension between us. Maybe I need my head examined. Perhaps I’m a little thirsty. Nevertheless, my interest and attraction have not yet dissipated. So like a hardheaded kid tempted by the spark of a lighter, I slowly proceed into dangerous territory.
“You’re something else. They call me Righteous because it’s the opposite of the man I am. It’s the opposite of the religiousinstructions I rebel against. It’s the name and characteristics my parents didn’t choose for me but wish I would walk in.”
“Oh. I’d like to learn more about you.”
“I’m sure, but the truth is, you need to stay your ass away from my side of town. Over here, I’m everything but the type of man you’re used to, or this setup wouldn’t be necessary. With a man like me, you would only pray for a moment of clarity after experiencing my lack of righteousness.”
“That might be true. But how about you take my number anyway? Maybe I’m tired of being safe.”
Another low chuckle falls from Righteous’s mouth as he wordlessly nods before he removes his phone from his pocket.
“What’s the number?”
“I thought you would see it my way. The number is: 380-728-1120.”
I should run for the door and pretend like I never met this man. I should return to the mundane life Mom chose for me. But instead, I settle into my seat, my thoughts on getting lost in this conversation with Righteous. If all I have is this moment, then I might as well prepare to enjoy what it feels like to get burned.
Nearly Two Hours Later . . .
How the fuck did Nicole’s sneaky ass neglect to tell me that her friend isn’t a regular woman on the prowl? In an effort to carry out the mission to scare away my date, I staffed the diner with folks who would give my date anything but a warm welcome. I entered my diner like a regular person and had Stephanie point me to the person I was looking for. The fucking joke was on me when I stood beside my link-up for the night.
The naïve woman Nicole wanted me to scare off was none other than Mayor Owens’ daughter. What’s worse is that Jariyah Owens is a fine mothafucka. From her sparkling green eyes, which most would believe were contacts to the light freckles that dance around her nose enhance her smooth, toffee skin,Jariyah’s beauty radiates from her effortlessly. Jariyah is a woman any man would course-correct for.
Jariyah’s full, glossy lips had my dick twitching and my mind pondering if I could kiss it off. The small glimpse of her shoulder, thanks to the shirt, had me wondering how to strategically ease it from her body. My jaw tightens, and my teeth grind as I sit unmoving in the parking lot at the clubhouse. The image of Jariyah’s slender nose, pretty but real eyelashes, and the starry gaze she spent the night giving me has me out of sorts.
While I did my best asshole impression to try and turn Jariyah off, I wanted to kick my own ass every time her breathing changed with the harsh words that left my mouth. It took me until now to calm my dick enough for it to return to normal. Fuck making Jariyah a house mouse; I want her for my own selfish pleasure. No matter how much I tried to act neutral and unbothered in her presence with one date, Jariyah’s ass has me about to risk it all because I’ll be damned if I don’t want her little ass.
“Well, if it ain’t my Righteous. You look like you could use something to take the edge off.” The house mouse I now know as Thumpiana smiles while she rubs her fingers over my biceps, and my frown not only surfaces but deepens.
“Haven’t your people taught you not to touch things without permission?” I snap.
My aggression is a mix of offense with her being too comfortable with me and my mind still being on Jariyah’s beautiful ass. How the fuck did I go on a blind date with the intention of scaring the woman, only to find myself in a mean chokehold? I’m a fucking G, and this shit isn’t in my blueprint.
