“I wanted to talk to you about something that I need to stay between us. Don’t go running your mouth to your sisters and cousins. And let me finish before you interrupt,” Lyric said, shaking Melody from her thoughts.
“Okay, what’s up?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve been dating someone for the past few months,” Lyric confessed.
“Yes honey. I’m about to get me a grandbaby!” Melody yelled.
“Didn’t I just tell you not to interrupt? And no, you are not about to get a grandchild any time soon,” Lyric corrected.
Melody held the phone and listened as Lyric ran the entire story down to her about how she met Javier. She knew that her daughter had reservations about dating and she understood her feelings. When Lyric told her about the meeting with his parents the night before, Melody wanted to snap, but she kept her composure and let her daughter finish her story.
“Fuck that bitch! That hoe got the right one. And why did you go meet his parents before letting him meet us?” Melody questioned angrily.
“It wasn’t even like that with us, ma. I was going to let y’all meet him eventually. I just wanted to be sure that he was the one. I like him and all, but I’m not too sure about a relationship anymore,” Lyric confessed.
“Why not Lyric? You can’t let what his mama said make you feel some kind of way about him. If you really like him, I think you should give it a chance. From what you’re saying, he’s a good man and he treats you well. I’ll deal with his mammy if it ever comes down to that. That bitch can catch these hands or these legs if I feel like kickboxing. You know it’s whatever with me,” Melody threatened.
“I did tell you that his mother is a lawyer and his father is a judge,” Lyric reminded her.
“And? My husband will bail me out of jail just like he did when I karate kicked his bitch. I don’t appreciate nobody coming at you sideways like that. She don’t even know you that well to be assuming shit,” Melody fumed.
“I know ma, but I don’t know what to do. Javier has been calling and texting me like crazy, but I’ve been ignoring him. I’m still in my feelings about the way he handled things. I can’t be with a nigga and his mama too. He needs to put her in check or she’ll always be a problem.”
“And you need to tell his ass that. He can’t be sucking on his mama titties and yours too,” Melody argued.
“This lady here,” Lyric said as she fell out laughing.
People often wondered where her disrespectful mouth came from, but she already knew. Melody was a fool with words and Lyric was happy that she took after her.
“That nigga buying cars and Birkin bags and shit. You didn’t tell me all that. His ass is a definite keeper,” Melody pointed out.
“I know you didn’t just say that. You’re the main one who always told me to have my own, so I won’t have to depend on a man for nothing,” Lyric reminded her.
“Accepting gifts and depending on a man are two different things. You can let him spoil you and still have your own shit. As long as you can make it without him, you’re fine.”
“So, you think I should talk to him?” Lyric questioned as she pulled up to the gym and parked.
“I think you should talk to him and tell him everything that you just told me. If he wants to be your man, he needs to start acting like it. I’m a mother so I would never want anybody to disrespect theirs, but he needs to stand up to her ass. If he can’t do that, then you have your answer,” Melody replied.
“Thanks ma. I appreciate you so much. I’m about to head into the gym, but I’ll call you later. I love you and tell my daddy the same,” Lyric said.
“I love you too my baby,” Melody said before they disconnected.
Lyric grabbed her water bottle and towel from the back seat and headed inside the gym. She was happy to see that the kickboxing class was about to start and she didn’t miss anything. The class was only thirty minutes long so she decided to hit the treadmill after that. Lyric had music blasting in her ear, so she didn’t hear when a man walked up behind her and said something. She was working up a sweat when someone tapped her on the shoulder and made her jump. Lyric pulled the ear buds out of her ears, ready to snap on somebody. When she turned around and saw the Trey Songz look alike from the law firm, her anger slowly melted away. That nigga was fine as hell standing there shirtless with tattoos covering his body like a second skin. She could tell that he had just got done working out because he was just as sweaty as she was.
“Sorry sweetheart. It seems that I’m always catching you off guard,” he said, flashing his perfect white teeth.
“Yeah, but it’s cool,” Lyric replied as she stopped her machine.
“I obviously didn’t get a look at you when we first met. You got a lot going on back there,” he said while pointing at her ass.
“Don’t remind me,” Lyric said, shocked that he was being so forward with her.
“You’re talking like that’s a bad thing,” he replied.
“When you’re jumping around the room like a rabbit trying to pull jeans up over it, sometimes it is.” Lyric shrugged.
“Shit, if you ever need some help, I’m only a phone call away,” he smirked.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Lyric laughed as she grabbed her water and drank some.
“What is it that you do at the law firm?” he asked.
“I’m the administrative assistant to Mr. Malone,” Lyric replied.
“The big man?” he questioned with raised brows.
“Yeah,” Lyric answered with a head nod.
“That’s your people or something?” he questioned.
“No, but it’s a long story,” Lyric replied.
“You got somewhere to be?” he inquired.
“No, why?” she countered.
“Let’s talk,” he said as he took a seat on the bench.
“First off, what is your name?” Lyric asked.
“My fault sweetheart. My name is Bronx and you are?” he questioned.
“Lyric,” she replied.
“Bronx and Lyric. That shit sound good, don’t it? Come sit down and let’s chat,” he said as he gestured to the spot that was right next to him.
He listened as Lyric told him all about how she got her job at the law firm. It was crazy to her how she was telling a stranger so much of her business, since most of the people that she worked with didn’t even know. Bronx was impressed when he learned that she was a twenty-four year old home owner with a degree. Most girls in the hood didn’t even have an apartment by the time they were twenty-four. Lyric wasn’t just a nice body and pretty face. She really had her shit together. He found that to be even more attractive than the physical part of her.
“What were you doing at the firm that day? Am I sitting here chatting with a career criminal?” she asked him.
“Nah, nothing like that. I had to meet with a few people about a few things. I’m trying to make my money make even more money. I want to learn about the stock market and shit like that,” he noted.
It was her turn to listen as Bronx told her a little about himself. His appearance screamed thug, but he was smart as hell. He had a hood swagger, but he spoke with intelligence. Lyric was just as impressed with him as he was with her. The things that he was putting his money into was guaranteed to keep his bank account right.
“That’s what’s up,” Lyric said once Bronx finished telling her a little about himself.
“Now that all of that is out of the way, what are we doing later on?” Bronx asked her.
“Who is we?” Lyric blushed.
“Don’t even try that hard to get shit with me my baby. I see your pretty ass over there blushing. Let me take you out to dinner tonight,” Bronx offered.
“First off, how many girlfriends, wives, babies, and baby mamas do you have?” Lyric asked him.
“Damn girl. What kind of niggas do you deal with?” he asked her.
“I don’t know you well enough to tell you,” Lyric replied.
“I’m trying to change all that though. Give me your number,” Bronx requested.
“Give me yours,” Lyric challenged.
“I can already see that you got a mouth on you. It ain’t nothing that I can’t handle though. I love a challenge. And for the record, I don’t have any of the above,” he said, referring to her earlier question.
“How do you know if I have a man or not?” Lyric asked.
“If I gave a fuck, I would ask,” he said, making Lyric wet and not from sweat.
She had always dated straight laced business men, so Bronx was different from the norm. None of the men that she’d been with before him had tattoos and his body was covered in them. Lyric was done resisting. She grabbed his phone and put her number inside. She didn’t want him to know where she lived, so she agreed to meet him at a restaurant later that night. They talked for a while longer before they both left and went their separate ways. Lyric was all smiles as she walked to her car and thought about what she was going to wear on her date with Bronx. She couldn’t believe that a man that fine was single without kids, but so was she.
When she got into her car and started to back up, she got pissed when a black and silver trimmed G wagon blocked her from going any further. The windows were too dark to see who was inside but Lyric was pissed.
“What the fuck! Move out of my way stupid ass!” Lyric yelled as she repeatedly blew her horn.
She was ready to get out of the car with her gun and start shooting. She had terrible road rage and the expensive truck that was blocking her was about to find that out the hard way. The ringing of her phone was the only thing that stopped her from making a stupid move. Lyric didn’t recognize the number, but she decided to answer it anyway.
“Stop blowing your horn and relax,” Bronx said when she picked up.
“Is that you blocking me?” Lyric asked him.
“Yeah. I had to make sure you gave me the right number before I let you go. I would hate to come to your job and cause a scene. Lock my number in,” he replied.
“What kind of crazy ass nigga are you?” Lyric laughed.
“Don’t worry sweetheart. Give me a few more weeks and you’ll find out. I’ll see you tonight,” Bronx replied before he hung up.
Lyric probably should have reconsidered having dinner with him after that comment, but she was intrigued. Maybe something new wasn’t such a bad thing. She still hadn’t figured things out with Javier but she didn’t mind having a little fun in the process. If one dinner was all that she and Bronx had, then that was fine with her. She couldn’t miss what she never had.
Chapter 7
“Have a good day beautiful. Call me when you get some free time,” Bronx said when Lyric told him that she had just pulled up to the office.
Their date the night before was nice and she didn’t mind seeing him again. Bronx was easy to talk to and his sense of humor was refreshing. Javier was so serious all the time. He rarely smiled and everything was all business with him. Bronx was outspoken just like Lyric, so they never had to wonder what the other one was thinking.
“Thanks, I will,” Lyric replied before they disconnected.
Before she got out of the car, she checked Mr. Malone’s calendar on her phone to see exactly what she had to do that day. Her calendar was in sync with his and he sometimes added things without telling her.
“Fuck!” Lyric hissed when she saw that Mr. Malone was scheduled to sit in on one of Javier’s meetings.
She was hoping that he would be there on time because she was not in the mood to do it for him. Javier had been going crazy with calling and texting her. She was going to talk to him when she was ready but she didn’t want to be forced to do it.
“Good morning,” the security guard spoke when Lyric entered the building.
“Good morning,” she spoke back with a smile.
Before she had a chance to get on the elevator, Jared came running to catch up with her. His mail cart was full, just like it always was in the morning.
“What’s up Lyric?” Jared asked as he got on the elevator with her and pressed her floor.
“Nothing much. What’s up with you?” she countered.
“I made my move with Nova,” Jared said with a bright smile on his face.
“You did? What happened?” Lyric asked excitedly.
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Jared answered, right as the elevator doors opened.
“What do you mean you don’t know? Either you asked her out or you didn’t,” Lyric said while looking at him in confusion.
“Lyric!” Nova called out while waving her over.
The beautiful pink and white flower arrangement that was on Nova’s desk was a dead giveaway as to what she wanted. Javier had obviously sent them for her, but that was nothing new.
“Hey cousin,” Lyric spoke.
“I have something for you,” Nova said as she reached under her desk and pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift.
“Where did that come from?” Lyric questioned.
“I don’t know. It was sitting on my desk when I got here this morning. You keep your office door locked so they couldn’t put it in there,” Nova replied.
“Is that for me too?” Lyric asked while pointing at the flowers.
“No, those are mine. And the answer is yes,” Nova blushed while looking over at Jared.
“Alright nah, Jared. My friend is on his grown man shit. Let me get on out of y’all way,” Lyric said as she grabbed her gift and walked away.
As soon as she got into her office, she opened the card that had her name on it. Javier had written a long note apologizing for what happened and begging her to forgive him. She opened the box and smiled when she saw the Louis Vuitton purse and wallet that matched the briefcase that he got her a while ago. Lyric felt bad for shutting him out, especially since he was trying. She was kind of hoping that Mr. Malone didn’t go to the meeting so that she would have a reason to be around Javier. All hope was lost when she heard his loud voice as he entered the office a few minutes later.
“Lyric, come see me when you get a minute,” he requested as he stuck his head in her office door.
“Good morning to you too with your rude self,” Lyric joked.
Over the past three years, Mr. Malone had become like a second father to her. He and his wife loved her just as much as their daughter did. Lyric did the things that he didn’t want to be bothered with. He was too busy to keep up with the receptionists’ vacations and such and that’s where Lyric came in at. She took a lot of the slack and he didn’t realize how much he needed that. His secretary had enough on her plate, so Lyric was his go to person for a lot of things.
“And bring me some coffee before you come,” he replied, ignoring her smart remark.
“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” Lyric assured him.
She put her things away and grabbed her notepad and pen before heading to the break room. Lyric had to refrain from rolling her eyes when she saw Sabrina and Jena standing near the water machine. She ignored them both and proceeded to make Mr. Malone some coffee.
“Did you get my email Lyric? I was trying to see if I could have next Friday off,” Sabrina spoke up.
“I haven’t checked Mr. Malone’s emails yet, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I do,” Lyric replied.
She didn’t even know if Sabrina had any time left since she called off so much. Mr. Malone didn’t pay attention to anything but Lyric did.
“Okay, thanks,” Sabrina said.
“But anyway, girl, Spencer got me the Michael Kors purse and matching wallet that I wanted. He said I deserved it for being such a good girlfriend. The best one that he’s ever had as he put it,” Jena said, talking loud enough for Lyric to hear.
She was being petty, but Lyric was the queen of playing games. Jena was a nobody in her eyes, but she was tired of giving her so many passes. She’d obviously forgotten the beat down that Lyric gave her a while ago. Maybe she needed to be reminded.
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Sabrina said, oblivious to what Jena was doing.
“Yeah, he said that he loves doing little things for me because I don’t ask for much. I’m not like most women who need expensive labels and stuff to make them happy,” Jena went on to say.
Lyric was tempted to say something until she saw Spencer walk into the room. She knew how to hit Jena where it hurt and she was ready to play.
“Good morning Spencer,” Lyric said as she smiled at him.
“Shit, it’s a very good morning any time you’re speaking to me,” Spencer replied as Jena rushed over to him.
“Hey baby. Do you want me to make your coffee?” Jena asked as she turned his head away from Lyric and towards her.
“Uh, yeah, you can do that,” Spencer replied as he discreetly looked over at Lyric again.
He was shocked but happy as hell that she said anything to him. He thought that Lyric hated him, but things had obviously changed. If he thought for a second that Lyric would take him back, he would drop Jena’s disgusting ass in a heartbeat. Jena wasn’t all useless though. She cleaned and cooked better than the average maid and he needed someone like her around. She wasn’t marriage material though and Spencer would be embarrassed if anyone outside of the office knew about her. He would never introduce her to his family because they wouldn’t approve.
Spencer was the only one in his family to graduate college and make something of himself. His parents held him to a higher standard than his siblings and bringing Jena home would have been a big disappointment. They were upset when he and Lyric broke up because they loved her just as much as he did. Spencer wasn’t used to getting so much female attention and he thrived on it now. His good looks didn’t hit him until he got older and he didn’t know how to act once they did. He didn’t think he could have just one woman and he never really tried to.
“By the way, they sell Michael Kors on the Walmart website now. I pay more to have the oil changed on my Porsche,” Lyric said as she blew Jena a kiss and walked away.
She went straight to Mr. Malone’s office and knocked before she was granted entry. She handed him his coffee and watched as he took his first sip. He was a perfectionist and no one knew how to make his coffee like Lyric.
Heartbreak And Past Mistakes Page 8
