Page 16 of Lemon Drop

“Ain’t it, though? He calls at any hour, and you answer, ready to go.”

“I work for him.”

He leaned down into my face. “Yeah, and you love every second of giving him what he wants.”

Saadiq moved forward. “Back the fuck up off her.”

Adam gave him a cold smile. “Or what?”

“Adam,” I snapped as Saadiq laughed lightly,

I recognized the warning. But Adam… I wasn't sure that fool did. He turned back to me.

“What? You want to pretend everybody don’t see it? You more in tune with this nigga than you ever have been with me.”

I shook my head, hurt. His words made me doubt myself just enough for it to sting. Adam saw that, too, so he tried to cut deeper. He should have stopped, but he didn't know how protective Saadiq could get of me. He stepped closer and glared at me, contempt burning from his furious brown eyes.

“Maybe if you spent half as much energy keeping your man happy as you do pleasing this nigga, I wouldn’t have needed to find a woman who knows how to make time for me.”

For the first time that night, tears welled in my eyes. Saadiq’s jaw tightened.

“A’ight. I tried letting you get all that jealous ass bitching off your chest so she can see how weak you really are, gaslighting her cuz you fucked up. But that’s it,” he said.

His voice was calm. Those turbulent brown eyes were not.

Adam sneered. “Nigga, don’t act like you ain't been waiting to get this chance. Probably already thinking about how you can fuck on her,” he spat, ignoring my loud gasp. “Then again, way she keeps yo’ dick in her mouth, you probably already are.”

And… welp… that was a wrap. Saadiq knocked the fuck out of him. There was no warning. One second, Adam was standing in front of me, and the next, Saadiq’s fist connected with his jaw. Adam’s head snapped sideways, and his body crumpled, dropping to the pavement. I stared down at him in shock.

“Saadiq!”

He stood over Adam, lazily shaking out his fist. “Say, young man,” he invited calmly, “run that back for me.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I scolded my boss.

He shrugged. “He was disrespecting you,” was his simple explanation.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I heard him.”

“Then you heard enough to know that he deserved that shit.”

“I also know I didn’t ask you to hit him! You can’t go around hitting people, Saadiq!” I fussed. “You have a reputation and way too much money and… and…”

My voice trailed off as Saadiq’s attention shifted fully to me. His rage at Adam remained in his brown eyes, but worry for me was there, too.

“You okay?” he asked for the second time that night, brushing past my weak protests.

And I had to admit, even if it was only to myself, it felt good. I knew this wasn’t the time, but his concern, his overprotectiveness, hell, even his violent defense of me, felt good. I spent so much time taking care of everyone and everything that it was just nice when someone took care of me… even when it was problematic.

I couldn’t focus on that, though. Adam was a lawyer; suing was second nature to him. Saadiq was a powerful businessman whose name meant something. This shouldn’t be happening. I sighed as I wiped a bead of sweat off my temple. Texas nights were hell, and all this drama wasn’t helping. “No, I am not okay. I just caught my boyfriend with another woman, he blamed me for his cheating, and my boss knocked him unconscious outside a restaurant.”

Saadiq’s shoulders lifted nonchalantly. “I mean, he ain’t quite unconscious.”

As if on cue, a dazed and confused Adam moaned from the ground. Saadiq glanced at him, then back at me. “See?”

I stared at him until he looked sufficiently chastised. I knew the look was fake, but still.

“I don’t need you to solve my problems, Saadiq,” I said.