Page 16 of All She Ever Wanted Was a Real One
“Move, Oak. This ain’t even your apartment!”
“It’s mine while I’m payin’ rent. So, yo’ mean ass can either kill the attitude, or get comfortable standing out there.”
The look on his face told me there’d be no arguing with his tall, strict, fine, chocolate ass.
I huffed. “Fine. I’m sorry,” I apologized, knowing my mouth and my attitude combined were like a double homicide waiting to happen when I was feeling a way. “I feel like I’m losing my mind but chillin’ at the same time. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.”
He peered down at me. “What’s wrong with you? And where’s your ring at? I thought you had a nigga.”
I rolled my eyes before looking down at my empty ring finger. I’d taken the ring off at my apartment and refused to put it back on until I heard from Pat. “I thought I did too.”
“Problems in paradise?”
“Something like that.”
“You wanna talk about it?” he offered.
My brows knitted together. “With you?”
He sucked his teeth before finally stepping aside to let me in. “Nah, by yourself. Yeah, me, Lex. Who else is here right now to stop you from committing murder?”
I paused for a second, debating whether to spill my piping hot tea with the man who took my virginity or wait for Liv to arrive.After all, she was the keeper to my secrets, but in a way, he was too.
“How long will she be?” I inquired.
His broad shoulders rose and fell. “I don’t know.”
I let out a swoosh of air. “Fine,” I said, pulling my phone out of my back pocket as I walked toward the couch. “But I’ll warn you, it’s . . . graphic.”
He immediately held up his hand to stop me. “You know what, I think I’ll pass.”
“What? Why?”
“You know I’m crazy, Lex. So don’t play me no shit that’s gon’ make me wanna run down on yo’ nigga.”
He was right about that. Oakland was a certified alpha male, dripping in chocolate and emotional intelligence. He didn’t play behind his family or the people he cared about, and he never was the type to play games.
I drove out a harsh sigh. An ass-whupping for Pat sounded like a good time to me. “Fine. I won’t play it.”
“Just tell me what happened.”
“If I played you the voicemail, you’d know exactly what happened,” I muttered.
“What? He was on there fuckin’ or somethin’?” he assumed. We traded silent glances, and his eyebrows rose toward his crisp hairline. “Oh shit. You forreal?”
“Got the pornstar screaming on my voicemail to prove it.”
“Damn. You talk to him?”
“Nope. Not yet. I came here to talk to Liv first to make sure I don’t do nothin’ that’s gon’ land me behind bars for fuckin’ his toxic ass up.”
“That nigga don’t sound toxic. He sounds fuckin’ stupid. I could’ve told you that the night I met him. Somebody like you only belongs in the hands of a real nigga.”
I swallowed hard. There was something about the way he spoke that had me staring at his lips. Suddenly, I wanted to do more than vent. But before I could respond, he spoke up again.
“You heard him on that voicemail?” he inquired.
“No. Only a woman.”
