Page 89 of Own It

“I knew it was ya lunchtime,” I said, handing Daylin the food plus the roses and shutting her office door before taking in the environment.

She had this shit smelling and looking nice. I loved everything about her.

“How?” She immediately began unboxing her meal. “And you got my exact order.” Her brows kissed.

“You told me all that shit on the phone, and I guess without realizing it.” I sat across from her.

“I sure did.” She chomped down on the contents of the bowl while ripping the paper off the straw to shove it down into her drink. “You are sneaky.” She took a sip, and even that shit turned a nigga on.

“I like clever better.”

“This was so sweet though, Rah. I know my staff is gonna be all over me because they’ve never witnessed me with someone.”

“Yo’ nigga ain’t never dropped by?”

“No. He works all day pretty much.” She stabbed the food with her fork and ate some.

I kept my thoughts to myself, but I knew a nigga like Shaun wasn’t working all damn day. And if he was, he needed to quit and clock in somewhere because a muthafucka working twenty-four hours a day and still living like him wasn’t making no real bread.

I didn’t know everything about Shaun, but I knew enough from when I had him looked into, and he was a typical local hustler, block hugging and taking up small hood jobs here and there to make some cash. By saying that, the muthafucka had more than enough time to buy his girl some roses and lunch.

“This for you too.” I set the bank bag on her desk.

“For what?” Her eyes mushroomed.

Shrugging, I said, “Shit, for whatever. I know you said there were some designers you wanted to do a line with, but you knew they’d charge a pretty penny, so do that.”

Daylin didn’t say anything right away; she just watched me, chewing on her food.

“I must’ve done something really good for God to lead me to you.”

“Or maybe I did.”

Getting up from her chair, she put the top on her bowl and rounded the desk to descend into my lap.

We kissed before she said, “Shaun is out of town, but he will be back in three days, so that is when I will talk to him. I think in person is best.”

“I’ll be around.”

“What do you mean?” She giggled while wearing a confused expression.

“Fuck it sound like? While you breaking up with that nigga, I’m gon’ be in the cut.”

Chuckling nervously, she replied, “Shaun is harmless though.”

“I’m gon’ make sure he stay harmless. Don’t worry, baby, you won’t even know I’m there.” I kissed the corner of her mouth as her eyes stayed pinned on me.

I could see the cocktail of emotions swimming in her expression, so I smiled.

* * *

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER . . .

I sat at the writing desk, waiting in the dark as the hotel room door opened and closed. Shaun exhaled heavily, then turned on the light before damn near jumping out of his skin.

“Sit down.” I kicked the other wheeled chair toward him, and he stood frozen. The sound of me taking the safety off my gun got him moving a little quicker though.

“F-fuck is this?” He sat gingerly in the chair as I stayed relaxed, gun still in hand as I watched him. “Nigga, is you crazy?” he questioned with a creased forehead.