Or it should’ve been.
We were halfway down the main hall, almost to the room I had set up for her, when a door down the corridor swung open.
I heard her before I saw her.
And then Mallory stepped out into the hallway wrapped in nothing but one of my sheets, her hair was everywhere, looking like she had just woke up and decided drama was the answer.
She stopped when she saw us.
I stopped and shook my head at the sight of her standing in the doorway of my bedroom. Looking exactly like she did when I left her. She wasn’t supposed to be here still.
For about three seconds nobody said anything.
Then Mallory’s whole face shifted when Tatti took her own blindfold off to see what was going on.
“Kaseem.” She said my name slow, drawing it out, her eyes moving from me to Tattiana and back again. “What the hell is going on? Who is this?”
I didn’t answer her. I turned to Sam.
“Why is she still here and you had instructions to send her home hours ago. You know bitches ain’t never laid up in my shit all day,” I said.
Sam straightened up. “She wouldn’t get dressed, sir. I asked her twice and she—”
“Who is in charge around this muthafucka, Sam?”
He dropped his head. “You are.”
“So when I say send somebody home, what does that mean.”
“It means send her home.” He paused. “I apologize. It won’t happen again.”
“And that much, I know. I’ll deal with you later.” I looked at two of the other men posted near the end of the hall. “Get her out. Now. And don’t forget to blindfold the bitch. Don’t give her phone back either. She can get another one.”
That’s when Mallory found her voice all the way.
“Are you serious right now? You gone give me my phone back. You not that damn crazy. Or give me the $1800 I’ll need for a new one.” She pulled the sheet tighter and stepped forward, not even trying to lower her volume. “Then, to top shit off, you gone bring some bitch up in here while I’m still in your bed? You playing in my face for this?” She looked Tattiana up and down, her lip curling. “This big, uncomfortable ass bitch?”
I almost laughed. I had to press my back teeth together to stop it because Mallory knew better. She had to know better. Tattiana was thick in every place a woman was supposed to be thick and put together in a way that Mallory knew that she couldn’t match. Three years I’d been messing with Mallory off and on and it had never been anything more than what it was. A fuck.
She knew that. She’d always known that. The fact that she was standing in my hallway, hours after her ass should have been gone, in a sheet trying to claim me like I was her nigga orsomething, that told me she had gotten confused somewhere along the way and I was gone have to clear that up.
But before I could open my mouth, Tattiana stepped forward.
“Watch your mouth, that’s connected to yo ugly ass face,” she said. Her voice wasn’t loud. It was flat. Direct. Like she was too tired and too done with her day to waste energy raising it. “I’m already having a bad enough day. Don’t make it worse for yourself. This ain’t even what you think it is with me being here. So please, don’t get yourself fucked up over nothing.” she looked her directly in the eyes when she spoke. I loved how she could speak up for herself, because the fat comment was unnecessary like a muthafucka.
Mallory blinked. I don’t think she expected that.
I know I damn sure didn’t.
“Baby, you better check your little—”
“I’m sure he’s not your baby. Any nigga that wanted or respected you wouldn’t be throwing you out they house on yo head like that.” Tatti said, cutting her off clean. “And I’m not little. And he don’t know me well enough to be checking anything, but you called me out my name twice now and I don’t play that. So however this goes from here is on you.”
Mallory laughed. That sharp, disbelieving laugh women do right before they do or say something stupid.
“This raggedy bitch,” she said, and took two steps forward while swinging and missing.
Tattiana didn’t wait for a second.
