Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
A mixture of anger and astonishment now showed on her face.
“Sir, that’s not how relationships work. I think you need to—”
“I’ve got a lotta shit going on in my life right now, Nadia. Good and bad.” He zipped up. “I have faith though. I’m a praying man. Just like I told you. I asked God to show me a sign regarding somethin’ I’m dealing with. The next day, you were sitting at the bar drinking a glass of red wine. Hadn’t seen you in over ten years. God knew how I felt about you… that every now and again, I thought about you, and I ached. He sat your pretty ass right down in front of me. May as well put a bow on your head. That’s all the answer I needed.” The waitress came over, and he handed her his credit card. “I have to get going. I said what I needed to say. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“You are unbelievable! You were always blunt, a little cocky at times, too, but this takes the cake!” The waitress handed him back his card, and he quickly signed the receipt. “Here I was, worried you didn’t want to be friends again, or that you planned to tell me off for some transgression, but come to find out, it was the exact opposite—and not in a good way.”
“Like I told you, you read too much into shit. Men are simple creatures.”
“And like I told you, I am not interested in no damn boyfriend right now. Hell, I don’t even know you the same way anymore! You could be some psychopath!” She laughed, but it was obvious she didn’t find this the least bit funny.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” he whispered, leaning close to her ear. “Fuck a friend. I got enough friends… you were always supposed to be mine. I gave you time to get your shit together. Now, it’s game on. Oh, and one more thing. I was never auditioning to be your boyfriend. Not back then. Not now. My resume is better suited for the role of husband.” He kissed the top of her head.
And with that, he walked out.
CHAPTER FOUR
It Take Two to Tango
Nadia sat back in her black Ford Fusion at the red light, anxiety sputtering through her like a lawn sprinkler on the fritz. She couldn’t stop thinking about the dinner. About him. About everything.
The black, tree-shaped ice-scented car air freshener waved about as she punched the air in frustration, hitting it in the process. She shook her head and stared out of the driver’s side window. Just the other day, she’d seen a man who’d occupied her heart and mind for years walk away from her, get into his big silver Chevrolet Silverado, and drive off without a word. He didn’t give her an ultimatum. Rather, Lennox had told her what the future would be. She hadn’t spoken to him since that night at the soul food restaurant, but she knew that this wasn’t the end of it. Not by a long shot.
When he said he was going to do something, he did it, even way back when they were in their early twenties. When the light turned green, she pressed her foot on the gas. She turned up the radio in the car and bobbed her head to the sounds of Tanner Adell’s, ‘Buckle Bunny.’ Rapping the lyrics, she found herself smiling from ear to ear as the music proved to be a perfect distraction. When the song was over, she seized the half-crumpled bottle of water from the cup holder, twisted the cap, and took a deep swallow of the warm liquid. Now it was all empty.
She checked the time, then her fuel gauge. Minutes later, she was at the filling station, in need of some gas, an ice-cold Pepsi and a packet of hot Cheetos before heading to Sweet Soiree, the gentlemen’s club where she worked.
After filling up and grabbing her goodies, her phone rang the moment mehro’s, ‘K3TAMINE’ started to play. She looked at the Caller-Id and her stomach clenched.
“What do you want?” she blurted as she turned the radio down. It was her ex-boyfriend. A terrible relationship she wished she could forget.
“I want my fucking money. You been dodging my calls for months.”
“Boy, I don’t owe you any money, and the judge already ruled on this! Is this the best you can come up with? I knew I shouldn’t have answered this phone.” She made a left, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
“That shit wasn’t fair, and you know it.”
“Life isn’t fair. Being with you wasn’t fair. The judgment though was definitely fair.”
“You lied to the judge. Eight thousand, not includin’ interest, is what you owe me, and I’m gonna keep my foot on yo’ neck until you give me my mothafuckin’ money, Nadia. I don’t give a damn what the courts say.”