Page 59 of Promised To A Menace

He laughed like he’d said something funny, but I didn’t see a damn thing amusing about it. He knew good and damn well we weren’t even on that level.

“Well, I won’t be staying under there long.”

“Who said you wouldn’t be? Did I say you could leave?”

I rolled my eyes. “Cassian, what the hell do you want?” I asked, smacking my lips.

“Keep all that smacking of them lips, and I’m gone have something for yo’ lil’ fine ass to smack on and suck on.”

I let out a deep breath and glanced over when I noticed Courtney looking in my direction. His nosy ass was probably trying to figure out who I was talking to.

“Nigga, what the hell do you want? I’m at work.”

“You not working.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Shorty, if you was working, you wouldn’t be answering my phone calls.”

“And if I didn’t answer, you’d be calling Banks and telling him to hand me his phone.”

“You right.” He laughed.

I knew I was right because he’d already pulled that shit once. When I told him I couldn’t talk, his ass ended up showing up at my job. I didn’t need him doing that again, especially with Courtney around. He’d have everybody in the office asking me questions before the day was over.

“I know I’m right. Now, what do you want?”

“I was calling to see what you cooking for dinner tonight?”

I frowned. “You called me for that?”

“Yup. So what you cooking?”

“I don’t know yet, Cassian.” I glanced towards my doorway as my next patient walked in. “But let me go. My patient just got here.”

“Aight, baby mama. I’ll talk to you later.”

I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. I shook my head and ended the call before he could say anything else.

It had been a minute since I had a real conversation with my father, and I honestly didn’t have intentions of changing that. His ass had been calling my phone nonstop, but after finding out what he’d done to my sister, I wanted nothing to do with him. That shit made me look at him differently, especially when I started thinking about what would’ve happened if Kaylen had been born a boy. Since I would’ve been the only girl, would he have handed my ass over instead? Just knowing that was a possibility made me sick to my stomach.

And let’s not even talk about my mama because she wasn’t fucking with his ass either. Even though we all lived under the same roof, I made it my business to avoid him whenever I could. If he was in the living room, I’d walk right past him without speaking. If he was in the kitchen, I’d take my food upstairs and eat in my room. My mama did the same thing, and I knew he was feeling it. But what the hell did he expect after pulling some shit like that?

I shook my head and turned my attention back to my laptop, reading over my essay for my Women’s Studies class one last time before submitting it. I’d been stressed like a motherfucker trying to get that assignment finished, especially with everything going on at home.

Once I made sure everything looked right, I submitted it and reached for my phone.

Kaylen and I had been texting since she got her phone back, but we hadn’t had a real conversation since that first night. Every time I called, she was with a patient or I had something going on with school. The texts were cool, but I needed to hear my sister’s voice and know she was really okay over at that man’s house.

I pulled up her contact and tried calling again. This time, the phone rang about three times before somebody answered.

“Hello?”

The moment I heard Kaylen’s voice, I sat up in my bed, feeling some of that worry ease off me. She sounded like herself, and that was what I needed to hear.

“Bitch! Where the fuck you been?” I damn near shouted into the phone.

“Girl!” she started laughing.