Page 61 of Own It
He laughed again, and my goodness.
“Good eye.”
“So what do you do now since you don’t box?”
“Kidnap nosy, pretty girls.”
I giggled at the comment and the compliment.
“Hmm, was LaMia the only relationship you’ve had?”
“Is Shaun yours?”
“No. I had a high school boyfriend up until last semester of senior year, and then another my freshman year of college before I met Shaun years later.”
Smirking, he said, “Just answered that shit quick than a muthafucka, huh?”
“Yep. Now, your turn.”
I usually never cared about the next person’s business, but I was bored, and this man was so intriguing that it was hard not to. So instead of coming up with my own assumptions, I figured I would ask the source.
“She was the only for real relationship. Every other woman was just on some friend with benefits type shit.”
“I figured.”
“That nigga don’t seem like a good fit for you,” Rakim admitted, taking me in for a bit.
“How? He’s a handsome man, makes his own money, and he can be smart on occasion.” I chuckled, and Rakim joined me at the sound of my last comment. “That’s most women’s type.”
Nodding as he glanced off for a moment, he regained eye contact with me, then said, “You’re extremely beautiful and sexy on top of that. Not to mention you got a lil vibe about you. The way you walk, talk, and carry yaself. When you enter a room, it’s like a fucking magnetism you possess without trying,” he expounded, and with every word, the sound of my heart became louder and louder. “By saying that, a nigga gotta be ready to turn the fuck up ’bout you ’cause niggas gon’ look, and niggas gon’ try some shit. Shaun don’t seem like he really on that. He’ll do a lil bit to check a muthafucka’s temperature, but he not gon’ send a nigga’s teeth through his cupid’s bow for simply licking his lips at you.”
Rakim kept very strong, unwavering contact with me the entire time he spoke, and no matter how much I tried, I didn’t possess the brain power to look away as I listened to him speak. I didn’t realize he was done, and we were just staring at one another for a while.
“Is that what you thought when you first saw me?”
“You asked me why I took you instead of ya sister when she’s your pop’s favorite, and that was definitely part of the reason,” he answered, and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to say too little and make him think he wasn’t worthy of the feeling being mutual—especially when he was—but I also didn’t want to let him know the feeling was mutual out of respect for my relationship, so I kept it mute. “I don’t wanna kidnap nobody for real. The few times I have, they ain’t live past a day. But the least I can do, if I gotta hold somebody, is make sure she’s beautiful.”
I tried my best not to react to his words, but the simple smile broke through my face unwillingly. He took my hand in his, caressing the back of it with his thumb as he stared down at it, seemingly in thought.
Deciding to break the ice with a joke since I couldn’t think of anything else appropriate to say, I asked, “So since I’m beautiful, do I get some dinner and conversation?”
“We’ll see.” He smirked, releasing my hand, and oddly, it felt wrong for him to. “What you wanna read next so I know where to look?” he questioned, rising from the bed.
“Oh, umm . . .” I had to snap out of it. “I can get with fantasy sometimes, so long as it’s not too intricate.”
He paused for a moment, big hands sunken down into the pockets of his joggers and his brown eyes sparkling some. I watched his tongue glide across his full bottom lip in slow motion, or maybe slow motion in my head.
“Aight. I got you.”
Then, he swaggered off toward the door to exit, leaving me to thoughts that had me smiling for no real reason.
FOURTEEN
rakim
“How you feeling, nigga?” I sat down beside Talid’s bed in the area that resembled a more comfortable hospital room, just within his home.
“Feeling alright. Alright enough for them niggas to allow me to go home after weeks of begging.” He adjusted himself in the bed. “Told me it’s temporary though.”
