“I really don’t wanna see him—”
“Why? Still got feelings for him?”
“Hell no!”
“Then look that nigga in his eyes and serve him his walking papers! So you and Raven can get started on making them pretty black-Asian babies.”
A giggle hid behind her smiling lips as heat rushed to her cheeks. “Z… oh my goodness…” Me and Raven having babies?
An image of Raven rocking a bundle of joy they created together flashed in her mind. A warm tingling sensation arose between her legs. Raven was sensitive, caring and comforting. He would make an amazing dad, and an even better husband! Jesus! She dropped her face in her hands. The thought was too much to handle.
Zion’s voice snapped her back to reality. “The sooner you get it over with, the better. So, if he wants to meet today. Do that shit and be on your way. You’ve made Raven wait long enough.”
“Damn…” she sighed, reclining on the couch. “You’re right.”
“I know I’m right. Now are we done here? Can I go back sucking on this big, juicy, black cock I’m holding.”
A man’s husky laughter rumbled in the background.
“Hol’up—what?” Naturi lurched back up to an upright position. “Why you—oh Gawd! You could’ve just NOT answered the phone, slut!”
“Bitch, you called twice in a row! That’s code for an emergency. For all I know you could be dying in a ditch somewhere.”
“You are just too much.”
A smile laced her voice. “I aim to please. Okurrr!”
“Girl, bye.”
“‘Til the next time, sis.”
Naturi hung up and laughed. She always admired Zion’s sexual openness and the fact that she just didn’t give a shit what people thought of her. The family had plenty to say about her lifestyle, but Zion laughed it off and continued to get hers.
If only I could be that sexually free.
For a minute, she stared at Luca’s text messages, not even a little eager to see his face again. How should she approach this conversation? ‘Let’s meet somewhere public,’ she replied.
‘Where are you? With him?’
Rolling her eyes, she groaned. ‘You want to meet or not?’
The bubble with the three dots appeared, indicating that a reply was on its way. Felt like it took him forever. ‘How about the Optimist? 6p?’
The Optimist? “Ooo, that’s a clever move.” The Optimist was not only her favorite seafood restaurant. It was also where they had their first date. He was trying to turn this into some romantic rendezvous. “But that’s not gonna work.” She responded with a thumb’s down emoji and the word, ‘Nellys.’
‘No! I can’t go to Nellys. You know Connie will get all bat crazy if I walk thru that door.’
‘Sounds like a personal problem. Nellys or no deal.’
The three dots reappeared. Minutes passed and he still hadn’t replied.
“Whateva.” She grabbed her stuff and headed inside.
By the time she got upstairs to her bedroom, his response popped up. ‘OK. 6:30p?’
‘Cool. 6:30p it is.’
It was fifteen past four. Nelly’s was a little more than an hour away from here, but she wasn’t about to rush.
Naturi stepped into the shower to clean off the chlorine and wash her hair. After shaving her lady bits, she dried and styled her afro. She wasn’t trying to do anything fancy, considering she would have to wear her helmet. She brushed her hair upwards, getting it as smooth as possible, then wrapped a fashionable scarf around it, leaving the top open so her afro could burst out. Hopefully, her helmet would fit with her hair styled like this.
It didn’t take long to figure out what to wear. Probably because she wasn’t going to get all dolled up. Why bother? This was a breakup date, nothing more, nothing less.
She slipped on a pair of ripped jeans and a tank top with a dragon imprinted on the front. With her boots tied tight, she grabbed her jacket and made her way to the garage.
Her phone dinged as she climbed onto her NightOwl. She grinned when she saw it was Raven.
‘OMWB’ He added a kissy face emoji to his message.
On his way back, huh? She paused. Maybe doing this now wasn’t such a good idea. Tonight was supposed to be for her and Raven.
‘Need me 2 bring anything back?’ he asked.
Decisions, decisions… She wanted to wait for Raven and just spend the night fixing her friendship with him. But, Zion had a point. No need to put off tomorrow what you can do today.
’Actually, I gotta run out,’ she texted back. ‘Be back in a couple hours.’
‘K,’ he responded. ‘Have a surprise 4 U.’
‘Can’t wait.’
‘Ride safely.’
Took about an hour and a half to get to Nelly’s bar. Wouldn’t have taken that long had she not made a pit stop. Connie wasn’t working the bar at Nelly’s tonight, so Naturi went to her side job at a gay bar in Alpharetta. The reason for this pit stop was to get info. She wanted to know exactly what happened between Raven and Luca while she was out of town. Raven would remain tight-lipped about it, and Luca definitely wasn’t going to tell her anything, so she had to go to Connie to get the deets. As always, Connie was more than willing to spill the tea.
Apparently, Raven visited the bar the day after he left Florida, the day after Naturi vomited her insecurities all over him. Luca chose the same day to approach Raven about his relationship with her. In so many ways, Raven warned him to leave him alone. Luca, being a stubborn asshole, persisted. Raven lashed out. That was after Luca threw the first punch, which missed its target. Raven swept Luca’s legs from under him, caught him by the neck, then slammed him into the nearby table. The impact must have damaged Luca’s hip. Hence why he had a limp in his step now.
Freakin’ men and their testosterone.
When she pulled up to Nelly’s, Luca was propped up against his car, waiting for her. It was seven-forty. She was pretty damn late, and she was never late for anything. But this… this was deliberate.
Despite her tardiness, he smiled when he saw her. “Damn, ma! I forgot how sexy you looked on a bike.”
“Thanks,” she said, dismounting. “Ready to do this?”
He nodded and gently took her hand. “Naturi, I thought—I thought you—”
“Changed my mind?” She pulled her hand out of his grip and headed for the door. “I almost did.” She walked in with Luca swift on her heels.
Nelly, the owner of the bar, looked up and smiled. Then just as quickly, the smile leached from his bearded face. “Naturi, I love you, girl. But the company you keep…”
“It’s cool, Nelly. We’re just here for a drink and a little conversation. He promises not to start any shit.” She glanced back at Luca. “Right?”
Rolling his eyes, Luca huffed, “Right.”
With skepticism written all over his face, Nelly grumbled something under his breath. “Alrighty then. Jimmy Beam?”
Her tongue danced behind her lips. A glass of hard whiskey on the rocks sounded real good right about now, but she had to stay level-headed to do what she needed to do. “Not tonight, fam. I’ll take a bottle of sparkling water.”
“And your company?”
“White Russian,” Luca announced.
Lips twisted, Nelly hummed, “Mm-hm.”
“Thanks, Nelly!” Naturi made her way to the booth at the back of the bar, away from all the commotion.
Luca helped her take off her backpack, being all gentlemen like. Funny to see him this way. Obviously, he was eager to impress. He unbuttoned his sleek jacket and slid into the seat across from her. “Water, at a bar?”
“Yep. I like to be sober when I ride.”
“Then why did you wanna meet here?”
“I like the atmosphere.” Truth was, she wanted to avoid any romantic settings at all cost. In her heart, she was done with Luca, but he still had a silver tongue, and he knew how to use it. He was good at manipulating her, and twisting sc
enarios, which was why she didn’t want to meet with him in the first place. In the past, when she’d try to break things off with him, she always found herself right back in bed with him. It wouldn’t go down like that tonight. That’s for damn sure!
As always, he looked good. He’d trimmed his curly hair down into a fade and his goatee was groomed to perfection. “So you’re gonna make me drink by myself, ma? That’s so unlike you.”
“You’re all jazzed up,” she said, quickly changing the subject. “I like the suit.”
Grinning, he popped his collar. “I wanted to look good for you.”
Mm-hm, right. She slipped her jacket from over her arms, baring her shoulders and dragon tank. “You got me feeling underdressed.”
Eyes zoned in on her cleavage, he licked his full lips.
Wow. That shit used to make her knees weak. But now…
“Naw, you’re good, ma. You’re always good. That’s the thing about you. You can sport a baggy shirt and a pair of overalls, with not one drop of makeup on and you still look like a goddess.”
She offered a small smile, even though, inside she was giving him a hard eye roll. “I hate to say this, but you can save the sweet nothings, Luca. Flattery will get you nowhere.”
His grin faded. “And why is that?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
Chapter 19
Dragon’s Lair
“Nat!” Raven called out as soon he stepped into the house. He moved further in and headed for the kitchen, toting two grocery bags. “You here, bae?”
He received no answer for his efforts. She wasn’t home yet. That meant he had time. Or did he? 7:50 beamed from his phone. Good thing it didn’t take long to cook steak. She liked medium-rare, so it would take even less time.
Before he started prepping for the meal, he sent a text message to Naturi. ’Drop me a line when you’re on your way back.’
Several moments passed before she replied with an OK emoji.
He unpacked all the ingredients from the bag, including the candles. It was a sappy, romantic move, but he wanted tonight to be perfect. This was it. I will make her mine. He was almost there. All he had to do was cast away any doubt that had been placed in her mind from previous relationships. He wanted to be with her and he was pretty damn sure she felt the same way about him. She was just scared. Hell, I’m afraid too. Mainly because he’d never felt this way about anyone before.
His thoughts ran on Zion. That crazy woman read him from head to toe during a voice message she left more than a week ago. He hadn’t spoken to Naturi in nearly two weeks. He avoided her phone calls like the plague. He even refused to listen to her voice messages. But after talking to Zion, he realized how foolish he had been.
Yes, Naturi hurt him, but he’d hurt her too.
Thinking back on that conversation with Zion made him smile.
*****
A week and a half ago…
The buzz from his phone pulled his eyelids open.
Raven reached over to the nightstand and ran his hand over the wooden surface until his fingers found the vibrating device. He brought the screen to his face and blinked a few times before making out the message. A voicemail?
Please don’t let it be from Naturi again. He wasn’t ready to hear her voice yet. His heart wasn’t ready…
He tapped on the notification and put the phone to his ear.
Zion’s loud, high-pitched timbre shot through. “Really, nigga—reeeally?” Her tone was slightly slurred, but her voice no less demanding. “So you just gonna ghost us ‘cause you and Nat had a little spat? C’mon, bruh. You’re better than that…”
Slowly sitting up, he carefully grabbed the arm that was sprawled across his chest and moved it aside. As he went in search for his jeans, he continued to listen.
“Okay, so yeah, she fucked up. She said some shit that she wishes she could take back. Aye, we’ve all been there before. When we come out the side of our neck with some shit that hurts the other. But bruh, forreal—you know she didn’t mean it. I can’t tell you what was going through her mind when she went off like that, but I can tell you all the shit she’s been through to get to that point. Darius really fucked her up. He fucked her up so bad, she’s been in a relationship with a slimy-ass-nigga for the past three years ‘cause she thinks that’s the best she can do. Darius shot her heart to pieces, and when she saw his ass, all that pain came rushing back at her…”
At the foot of the bed, he found his jeans. He paused the message, then quickly and quietly got dressed. He hooked the Bluetooth headset over his right ear, grabbed his helmet, and dashed out the door. The second he stepped onto the elevator, he pressed play.
“…She’s been a mess since that night—crying like a blubbering baby ‘cause you won’t talk to her. I get it, bruh. You gotta lick your wounds. But it’s been almost two fuckin’ weeks. How long are you gonna make her suffer for a little fuck up? Time for you to face…” She pulled in a deep inhale, then huffed out an exhale on a hacking cough. “Da hell? This grass is potent as shit, bruh,” she strained. A guy’s voice mumbled something in the background. “Betta not be anything extra in this gush—”
The message cut short. He frowned, feeling kinda bummed out. Zion was his connection to Naturi. She was his way of reaching out to her without really reaching out to her. Fuck, I’m such a pussy.
As he walked through the lobby, he tossed a nod to the front desk clerk, then headed out to the parking lot.
“Raven!” came a strident call behind him.
Without a word, he tossed a hand up, offering the peace sign, and continued on his way.
By the time he mounted his bike, Miriam was standing before him, her hair disheveled and her clothes barely on. “Hey… Where are you going?”
He quirked a brow with a smile as he started the engine. “You’re not allowed to ask me that, remember?”
Nibbling her bottom lip, she shuffled in place. A desperate, pleading glaze rose in her emerald eyes. “When can I see you again?”
“You’re not allowed to ask me that either. Take care, sweetheart.” He slipped his helmet on, offered yet another nod, and sped out of the hotel parking lot.
Several miles down the road, his phone rang. He pulled into a nearby lot and killed the engine before answering.
“What was I saying?” Zion slurred. “What was it? Oh yeah, Naturi… She’s crazy about you, she loves you. You know that, don’t you? Almost two weeks without you got her on some ultimate depressed shit. It ain’t looking good. She can’t open her eyes without crying. And I bet you aren’t faring that well either. How many chicks and dudes have you angry-fucked since y’all’s little spat?”
How would she know that? Not that he went on a crazed fucking spree or anything, but he did drown his sorrows between the legs of some random beauty he met on the flight back to Georgia.
“One knows the behavior of a fellow Scorpio,” Zion continued. “Sex is how we cope. Trust me, it won’t help. It’ll only make you want her more. That could either be a good or bad thing at this point. Good thing ‘cause you love her, bad thing ‘cause you wish you didn’t. Sheeit, I know that feeling. Rave, on the real, I’m tired of hearing her cry. I’m tired of dudes breaking her down to tears. And that includes you. But see, this time she’s crying over someone who’s fuckin’ worth it. You two are good together, even though neither one of you i’gnant-ass-fools will admit it. So, put your hurt feelings aside and stop being a gigantic dick. Call her.”
Briefly closing his eyes, he shook his head. “I want to,” he admitted softly. “But, I—”
“Yooo, hold the fuckin’ phone! Niggaaaa… I thought I was leaving a voice message. Da fuck? How long have you been listening to me babble like an idiot?”
He chuckled. “You’re high, aren’t you?”
“Bruh, I see satellites.”
“I heard you got that good gush.”
She harped out in laughter. “Why don’t you come join me.”
“Would love to, but I’m kinda far away.”
“Yeah, but you’re not too far to make a damn phone call, right?”
“No,” he sighed. “I’m not.”
“So, do that shit. Aye, I’m not supposed to tell you this,” she said, sounding anxious to tell him. “But Janice, Reg and Aaron caught that smoke.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Nat got all up in that ass!”
“What?” he damn near screamed. “You’re kidding!”
“Not kidding! Janice came ‘round, talking shit about that money again. Nat was all emotional over you, so she was carrying some built-up frustration. Janice got in her face, thinking Nat was on some light-weight bullshit just ‘cause she was depressed.” She paused and pulled in a deep breath then blew out a heavy exhale, indicating she’d taken a pull from her drug of choice. “I was trying to tell that hoe, not today, but she wasn’t listening. Then whoo chile, Janice caught that dragon hard! Nat dragged and torched her ass from one side of the neighborhood to the other.” She erupted in delirious laughter. “She thought somebody was gonna help her. My neighbors set up lawn chairs and watched her ass get dragged. Bruh, the shit was entertaining as hell.”
Raven couldn’t do anything but listen in shock with his mouth gaped open.
“Then two days later, her trifling ass brothers came over on some bullshit. Round two and round three—asses handed to them. Nigga, I had my popcorn ready that time, ‘cause I had a feeling they were gonna get that smoke too.” She snorted and snickered. “I don’t blame Janice for not knowing she was stepping into the dragon’s lair, but her brothers shoulda known better. They know as well as I do that Nat was raised in the streets—we all were. She was draggin’ hoes back in grade school for looking at her the wrong way. Yeah, she’s soft-hearted and sweet when it comes to her lovers and people she cares about, but you don’t wanna cross her, ‘cause bay-bee, when she snaps, she mafuckin’ snaps!”
“Oh my God,” he heard himself mutter.
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