Page 58
no, bossy-ass.
Get dressed
La’Belle
…
See you in thirty
1 Play talk you through it by kwn f/ FLO
14 LA’BELLE EVANS
Siani and I were out for a much needed girls’ day. Between work and Cardez trying to monopolize all my time recently, I hadn’t been able to have real quality time with her.
We were at our favorite nail salon uptown, feet soaking, two mimosas deep. The place was busy enough that nobody was paying attention to our conversation, which was exactly how I liked it.
“You don’t think Tariq is a little young for you?” I asked her as I flipped through the sample colors.
“He’s established and focused,” she said. “Comes from money and is surprisingly mature.”
“Mm.”
Siani was thirty-six. As long as I’d known her, she’d always gone for older men with at least one divorce under their belt. I hadn’t determined if her dating Tariq was a sign of growth or a cry for help.
She held two nude shades up next to each other. “Which one?”
“The warmer one.”
“We fucked,” she whispered, leaning closer to my chair.
My eyebrows shot up.
“Last weekend.” She bit her lip. “It was—yeah.”
“That’s all I get?”
“Did I ask you about all the hunchin’ you did with Cardez in the Bahamas? A lady’s gotta have her secrets.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Speaking of which…what’s up with you?”
“What about me?”
She cocked her head. “Lala, you came back from the Bahamas all glowy and shit. Then the nigga is at the lounge, calls you up to his section and you come back ready to beat his ass, but you’re still spending time with him.”
I looked down at the nail tech who was scrubbing the hell out of my feet. “I don’t know. Cardez is…” I searched for the right words. “An anomaly. I did take something,” I admitted, knowing she’d read between the lines. “But I don’t know if I want to take any more.”
Siani swirled the last of her mimosa. “You don’t know if you want to take anymore, or take from him specifically?”
The money was sitting in my account, and Jody was ready to move again whenever I gave her the word. But every time I thought about taking a little more, something in my chest pulled me in the opposite direction to make me stop.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“Not really,” she said. “You feeling guilty?”
Was that what this was? Guilt? I picked up the sample of nail colors again and pretended to be looking for a new color. I’d never felt anything when I took from these men. It was their fault for being too naive, too trusting, thinking they were untouchable. But Cardez wasn’t any of those things, was he?
“I’m starting to think the risk-reward isn’t worth the headache.”
“Uh huh.” Siani looked at me sideways. “Since when did you let a nigga you were working over give you a headache?”
