Heir
“So let me get this straight,”Kayla said with a low tone.
Her chuckle was void of amusement. She’d been my best friend since college, and I knew she wanted to explode. I’d finally made her and my favorite cousin, Onesty, aware of my current situation. While Onesty demanded I share my location with her and check in every couple of hours so she’d know I was safe, I was pretty sure Kayla would get off the phone and try her hardest to find Jay to make him pay.
“Not only did he link you with this man who’s dangerous, but when Iman said to kill you if you didn’t comply, Jay didn’t put a bullet in his head for even saying that shit?”
“Yep, that about sums it up.”
“Have you talked to him? It doesn’t matter, but I’m curious as to why his dumb ass thought this shit would work.”
I laughed and looked down at my twinkling toes. Thanks to Marz, I’d been pampered all day today. He had a self-care glam team come over. My hair, nails, and brows were done, and I’dgotten a facial and massage. He’d also hired a private chef who had taken care of breakfast and lunch and would be back to cook dinner once he arrived. The gesture definitely made being locked in this house easier to manage. I couldn’t wait for him to get back so I could thank him properly.
“He said he wanted to put more money in my pocket and prove himself to Iman in the process. I haven’t heard from him. Honestly, I thought he’d at least try to call and explain himself more or even apologize, but that was silly of me. The man was cool with killing me. I’m still not sure why I expected him to care about how I felt.”
I couldn’t stop myself from sounding sad, even though I was truly in good spirits. It shouldn’t have bothered me that I hadn’t heard from Jay, but it did. Maybe it was the fact that I’d gotten used to having him in my life, and now, he was just… gone. And what was worse was the reason he was gone. I would never give him a chance again, but I don’t know. Maybe I had too much respect for him. Maybe I expected too much.
“Well, regardless of the betrayal, you have been in a relationship with him for the past two years. It’s normal to expect some kind of explanation or check in. Just as long as you don’t allow that to lead to apologies, amends, and being with his ass.”
“Oh hell no. I think I just wanted to hear him apologize but the truth is the apology wouldn’t matter. Nothing he can say could make what he did okay, and I will never get back with him. I’d never be able to trust him or respect him again. This shit is driving me crazy.”
“Why don’t you just reach out to him? Maybe cursing him out will make you feel better.”
Giggling, I shook my head. “You know what? That might be all I need. That situation was left open and I didn’t get to spazz on his ass for the betrayal. I think that might be why I’m waitingfor him to reach out to me… just so I can. But I can’t call him. Marz wants me to have nothing to do with him until this situation is handled.”
“And are we passing by the fact that the man you’ve been dreaming of for years just so happens to be the same man that saved you? Because if that wasn’t fate bringing you back into each other’s lives…”
“I knowww,” I almost sang, smiling widely. “He’s… everything, Kay. For real. I’m trying my hardest to take things slow, but I really, really like that man. All the feelings I had for him that night came rushing back to the surface, and spending these past few days with him have only made them deeper. Never mind the fact that he saved—” At the sound of Marz’s voice downstairs, I hopped out of bed. “I have to go. He’s here. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay! Please be safe. Love you. Call me in the morning!”
“I will! Love you too!”
After looking myself over in the mirror, I headed down the stairs to see my man. He was in the kitchen talking to Tim, but at the sight of me, his words turned into a smile.
“Wassup, Wifey?” he spoke, pulling me into his arms for a hug.
“Hi,” I replied bashfully, feeling silly over how happy I was to see him.
“These are for you.”
I accepted the bouquet of roses he offered and lifted them to my nose to smell.
“They’re beautiful, babe. Thank you.”
As Timothy headed to the living room, Marz asked me about my day. I told him it was great, which led to me thanking him for what he’d put together for me. He told me that he had something special planned for when the private chef arrived, though I honestly didn’t need anything else.
Aware of his routine, I started the shower for him and laid out some lounge clothes for him to put on after his shower. While he showered, I put a towel in the warmer, then joined him and washed every inch of his body. Once he was fresh and relaxed, we got out of the shower, and I gave him an oil massage, then he got dressed. He’d fallen asleep twice, and that was all I needed to see to know just how tired he was.
“Did everything go okay today?” I asked, lightly scratching his scalp as he rested his head on my lap.
“Yeah. I met with Iman.” My movements paused and picked back up when he started talking again. “He made an offer. Two actually. The first was for you to work for him without getting anyone else involved and he’d let you live. Of course I told him that wasn’t going to happen. The second was for me to work as his enforcer as we originally discussed in exchange for you no longer working his account or having to worry about him, Jay, or anyone else trying to kill you.”
“And you said no right?” When he didn’t respond, I gently pushed him off me. “Marz…”
“I told him I would consider it.”
Scoffing, I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not letting you work for him for me. You’ve already done enough. You made the choice to have nothing to do with him, and I want you to honor that.”