Page 11 of Session 33

As I exited the office, I ran into Naomi. She shook her head. “You’re a hard-headed fuck,” she said, bumping me with her shoulder as she pushed past.

I turned around and grabbed her arm, my grip tight—but not tight enough that Jonas would try and beat my ass. She was pissing me off. I hadn’t forgotten about the bullshit she’d pulledat breakfast a couple of weeks ago. She had been trying to embarrass me. “What’s your problem right now, Naomi? You ain’t never acted like this before.”

She yanked her arm away, her face hardening. “My problem? Angel is a good girl, Cassius. She’s not experienced enough for you. And though I love you, you’re not a good guy.”

“Funny, you never had a problem hooking me up with the rest of your friends,” I snapped, my voice rising with each word.

“Yeah, friends who have enough sense to know you’re for the streets and not get their hearts involved,” she shot back, her eyes blazing.

I balled my face up in anger. “Fuck you, Naomi!” I spat.

“Fuck you back, Cassius!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the hallway.

We stood there, glaring at each other. Finally, Naomi turned on her heel and stormed into Angel’s office, slamming the door behind her.

My chest was heaving like crazy. This wasn’t how I wanted things to go, but I couldn’t help how I felt about Angel. And Naomi… Naomi would just have to deal with it. Fuck her.

Over the next few weeks, I made a point of stopping by Angel’s office regularly. Sometimes I brought lunch, other times coffee, or small gifts that made her smile. Each visit, I pushed myself on her a little more, coaxing her into considering me.

One day, as I walked into her office with a bag of her favorite ribs, she looked up, a question in her eyes. She didn’t even know I’d been let up. I’d come so often, none of the secretaries even bothered to check me.

“Why are you doing this, Cassius?”

I set the bag down and met her gaze. “Because I like you, Angel. And I think you like me too.”

She bit her lip, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “It’s not that simple.”

“Nothing ever is,” I said, taking a seat. “Let’s eat this food real quick. I got something to do after lunch.”

She nodded and got up to serve me. I liked that. She did it often.

After lunch, I slid into the driver’s seat of my car and sat there for too long, my phone resting in my palm. I gnawed at the inside of my cheek, my thumb hovering over the screen.

Angel’s face flickered in my mind. The way her dimples deepened when she laughed.

I dragged my hand down my face and exhaled.

I knew better than to do what I was about to do while aggressively pursuing Angel, but knowing better didn’t stop me. Finally, I swiped and dialed Keisha.

“Aye, meet me at the hotel in an hour,” I said, the words leaving my mouth before I could think too hard about them. I hung up without waiting for her reply.

The thing is—I liked Angel. More than I had planned to. But I wasn’t used to being patient, and Angel was all patience, all restraint. I told myself it wasn’t a big deal what I was about to do, that it didn’t mean anything. Keisha was a habit, not a priority.

But with Keisha, I didn’t have to be two people. I didn’t have to worry about who I was pretending to be. She didn’t ask questions.

I stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror. I frowned. Something about my own face pissed me off.

Maybe because Naomi’s words kept running laps in my head. That little voice of hers whispering that Angel was too good, too soft, toonot for me.And yeah, she might’ve been right. Especially since Angel made me feel like two different versions of myself—the guy who wanted to be better, and the guy who knew better wasn’t in his DNA. Not right now, at least.

With everyone else, I was consistent. No pretense, no pretending to be more than what I was. But with Angel, I was different. And I hated that Naomi saw it before I did.

I let out a frustrated sigh and started the car, heading toward the hotel. I couldn’t help but wonder if Angel would like the real me—the guy who didn’t know how to slow down or wait or choose something good for himself. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ruin her before I could even figure it out.

Chapter nine

As soon as the elevator dinged open to the garage, I exhaled, relief flooding through me. My feet were screaming, my arches on fire, the price of trying to impress the board members with designer heels I had no business wearing all day. I rounded the corner, already reaching for my keys, and froze.

Cassius was leaning against my car like a scene from a movie. He looked too good—casually put together in a fitted shirt and surf shorts.