Page 10 of Mister Fireman

I stared at her for a few seconds before turning my back and getting comfortable in bed. “Now, Enjell. I’m tired.”

As she muttered under her breath, Enjell did as I said. The second she was within reach, I pulled her into my chest. Already, her closeness allowed me to have a peaceful rest.

“I should’ve known your ass was going to be crazy,” she mumbled, locking her arm around mine.

“Only about those I love and care about, and now, that includes you.”

I heard the smile in her voice when she said, “Good night, crazy.”

Chuckling, I kissed her head. “Good night, baby.”

I didn’t want to leave Enjell this morning, but I knew that was for the best. Regardless of how great things were between us yesterday, I felt like she’d force herself to want to push me away, even if that wasn’t what she needed. I made it easier for her by waking her up and letting her know I was about to head out. After stopping by the coffee shop she mentioned yesterday, I headed home to freshen up and switch out of my clothes. It was just my luck my annoying ass little brother was at my spot waiting for me.

“How in the hell do you keep getting into my spot?” I asked as he adjusted himself on my sofa.

My loft apartment was small and had a simple, modern design. Because I was only here half of the week to sleep, I didn’t put much thought into the décor. And since it was just me, there was no point wasting money on a lot of square footage. It was in a nice apartment complex that had a gym and pool plus a concierge service, so I loved it.

“I wouldn’t have to break in if you gave me a key.” Chuckling, I walked over to him and shook his hand before pulling him into a brotherly hug. “Why you got on the same clothes as yesterday?” Aspen asked.

“You tellin’ me our parents paid all that money to put you through college and you don’t even have common sense?”

Aspen sucked his teeth and snatched his phone off the sofa, then followed me into the kitchen.

“Nigga, I know yo’ ass ain’t come home last night. I want the details as to why. I also want to talk to you about buying that building downtown for the salon suite, which is why I’m here.”

“Have you linked up with Coop to see what the owner is asking for?” I asked, grabbing a bottle of water for the both of us.

“Yeah. Good thing is the bank owns it. It was foreclosed on, so it’s significantly cheaper than what the last owner paid for it. He thinks this is a prime location for the salon suites and that we need to act now. A building with that many square feet, already broken down into individual rooms, will not last long, big brother.”

Though I teased Aspen a lot, I trusted his wisdom. He was great at spotting business investments. Aspen was the reason we had the parking lot and office suites building now. Our first investment was the parking lot a year and a half ago. We flipped the money from that and used it for the down payment on the building for the office suites four months after purchasing. Now, we were pocketing profit without having to put any of our income toward either of the businesses, which I was grateful for. If things went well with the salon suites, we’d be millionaires at least four to six months after they opened.

“Aight, if you think this is the one, I don’t even need to see it. Just tell me what to pay and when I need to go to his office to sign.”

“Cool, cool. Now… what shorty was you with last night?”

He was grinning like it was his story to tell, and that made me laugh.

“Mane, gone on. You about as bad as a woman with this gossiping you be tryna do.”

“I ain’t tryna hear all’at. You ain’t gave nobody no play since Dreya, so this had to be somebody special. Who was it?”

Since it was clear he wasn’t going to let it go, I told him, “I’ll tell you about it tonight. You still linking up with me, Supreme, and Antonne?”

“Yeah, but I might be a lil late. Merc wants to meet up. I think he wants me to take on some of his clients.”

The protector in me immediately started to rise. Though my brother was well trained and more than capable of handling himself, he was still my little brother. Every time he took on a job to be someone’s bodyguard or a part of their security, I became anxious. I wouldn’t be able to rest fully until the job was completed. I was grateful he didn’t do it full time. Art was his true love, which was how he’d gotten into tattooing.

“Aight, slide through here and you can ride with me. I’ll tell you then. I need to get out these clothes and get some actual rest.”

“Aight, bet. I’ll be at you.”

We shook hands and hugged again before he was on his way. I chugged my water down then texted Supreme and Antonne to make sure tonight was still good for them, then I hopped in the shower and got back in bed. I only had one more day off before I had to go back to the station, and I wanted to take full advantage and get me some uninterrupted sleep.

6

Enjell

Things looked and felt different in the light of day. I could admit my pain made it easier for me to open myself up to Dejvi. Though I didn’t regret giving myself to him, I did feel guilty about having him in the home I shared with Gino. Even with Gino basically abandoning me and leaving me all the responsibilities of the household, that was a reflection of his character—not mine.

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