Page 88 of Me For You
I glanced at Somee, allowing my eyes to travel over her and she rolled her eyes, lifting her hands again.
“Hands on the steering wheel, Ryland.”
I tossed my chin and decided to choose my battles.
When we pulled up at She’s Elite Cutz, Somee leaned forward, looking up at the sign then shaking her head.
“What’s up?”
“Your barber is a woman?”
“Yeah, Nyla, why?”
“You have a problem hiring men to work for you?”
I grinned.“Shouldn’t you appreciate that I respect women enough to have a team of them handling my career? I thought women were always on that girl power boss shit. And for the record, Nyla doesn’t work for me. This is her shop. My name isn’t on any of the paperwork.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do and you don’t have to worry. I’m cool with Nyla but all she can get from me is a stack after she gets my fade right. She also doesn’t want shit else from me because she is very much married. I told you, I don’t get down like that, and her husband A-A-R-I-C-K is my people.”
“Family people or just people, people?”
“Just my people. Why? You trying to meet the family already?”
“You just don’t stop, do you?”
“I told you by any means necessary, come on.”
“I can wait here and take a nap. You have an appointment, right? It shouldn’t take long.”
“It’s cold as hell out here and you’re not about to burn up all my gas trying to stay warm. Come on. Plus, I’m trying to show off my dime piece, because your fine ass definitely needs to be seen.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes but got her pretty ass out of the truck.
Chapter 16
Somee
Me: What’s after level ten? Asking for a friend.
Marlee: First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes Somee with a baby carriage.
Me: I didn’t say I was the friend.
Marlee: No new friends hoe. If you’re not asking for yourself then you can’t get my advice. Now what’s the tea?
Inavigated to my images and selected the pictures I snapped of the roses Ryland got for me and Rylee, attached them to a text, and hit send.
Me: He got us flowers for Valentine’s Day.
Marlee: Damn frennnn, he’s already staking claim. You better give him some as a thank you.
Me: Too late. I already did
I looked up long enough to see Ryland’s sexy ass grinning in his barber Nyla’s face. They were engaged in conversation while she cut his hair but nothing about their interaction was flirty or out of line. Nyla was a beautiful brown skinned woman with a pixie cut I wished I could pull off. She had tattoos up her neck and down her arms. I could tell she was a whole vibe. Nyla had the type of energy that made you want to be in her space but the two of them were truly just friends.
She was no more enamored by Ryland than the other customers and staff in She’s Elite Cutz. People loved Ryland Parks, the man and the Sharks player, because they were certainly two different people. The Ryland I knew was chill and easygoing, a far stretch from the celebrity fans were used to. Ryland the Sharks player was the people’s champ. His personality was hype and full of charm.
