“What will help you get past that? Because I’m tryna get to know you since ya ass snuck out on me the last time . . .”
“About that . . . I’m sorry. I felt a lot of things that night, and I thought it was better to leave than to stick around and . . .”
One of my eyebrows lifted. I had a feeling her little ass felt the same shit I felt, and she ran. Instead of bullying that answer out of her, though, I decided to let her live. We had a lifetime to tell our truths.
“You good. I know that night was . . . intense. But back to my first question. What’s gonna help you get past the shock?”
She shrugged. “You being here is a start.”
I could tell it would take time for her to loosen up around me. She didn’t know how to act around me, and I couldn’t blame her. It surprised me that I knew how to act. With any other chick, I wouldn’t be so automatically invested. With her, it felt like I just knew to apply all the pressure and where to apply it. I had faith that she would catch up.
We continued to eat in silence for a few minutes before she asked, “How long have you owned this building?”
“Few years. I own several complexes, homes, and luxury condos through The Bay. I’m looking to purchase some commercial properties soon.”
“I’m impressed,” she said with a soft smile. Something about her praise made me feel soft as hell on the inside.
“Appreciate you, mama. What you do for work?”
“I’m an anesthesiologist.”
“Damn, for real?” It was my turn to be impressed.
She nodded. “For the past few years. I went to college right out of high school and med school right after that. I got a job right out of med school and been there ever since.”
“That’s what’s up, mama. I love that, for real.” There was nothing more attractive than a smart woman. And she waspretty as hell? My heart knew I hit the jackpot. “You must like what you do?”
“Thanks, and yeah, I do. A little too much, if you ask my family. They’re the ones that sent me to that resort. They think I work too much. That and they knew I was stressed about my recent breakup.”
I had so many questions. My thirsty ass wanted to know everything about her, but I played it cool.
“Crazy. My family sent me to the resort because I work too much.”
She giggled. “We might be a perfect match then, huh?”
“I don’t know, mama. Now that I found you, I might find some reasons to work a little less.”
She nodded once as her face focused on a space behind me. “I might find reasons to work a little less now, too, especially since I’m no longer taking care of a full-grown nigga.”
My eyebrows shot up. This was the second time she mentioned an ex, so I would take the bait. “Wanna elaborate?”
She blew out a breath. “Niggas just ain’t shit,” she muttered before she ate the last bite of her last taco.
I finished off my food and pushed the to-go box away. “I’d agree wit’ that, but they just ain’t shit until they meet the one they want to handle wit’ care.”
That was the truth. I knew there was a long line of women who thought I wasn’t shit, but somewhere deep in my mind, I knew that Arielle wouldn’t be able to claim that about me. She would see a whole different side of me that no other woman could claim they got. I didn’t even fully understand how I knew that, but it didn’t make it any less truthful.
She averted her eyes with a smile. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I am,” I assured before I stood up and threw our to-go boxes in the black trash can up against the wall. When I turned around, I reached for her waist and pulled her up. I tried to be agentleman, but my patience only went so far. She would have to get used to me, because the truth about Kareem Spivy was that I pretty much did whatever the fuck I wanted, and right now, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her pretty lips. So I did.
She immediately leaned into me as my lips locked onto hers. My mind flashed to her spread wide open for me on the desk in the leasing office, and my already hard dick ached.
I lifted her onto the center island, and she opened her legs for me. “You ready for this dick, Mermaid?”
“Yes.” She gasped when my hand ran down the middle of her leggings where her hot ass pussy was.
“Yeah? What you gonna do to him?”
