Page 20 of Fervor

“If they call, I am. I’m not turning down no easy money. Charmaine will push my ass right out the door to go get that money.”

I chuckled. Charmaine was his woman. They weren’t married, but they had been together a couple of years. She was a go-getter herself. She did hair, makeup, and took pictures. Her business was lucrative. She had a studio and everything. She stayed booked because women liked to book everything with one person. That kept them from having to drive all over town for different appointments. It was a one-stop shop.

“A’ight, nigga. Thank you for holding shit down. Eventually, we’re gonna go to the courthouse and make some changes with the company. You’re proving that you deserve to own a piece of this shit. I’m proud of you.”

“That’s what’s up, bruh. I appreciate you.”

“I love you, man. See you in a few days.”

“I love you too. We all we got.”

I smiled slightly and ended the call. We used to say that shit all the time as kids. Even before Mama died, we depended on each other more than we depended on her. She was always working. Her stress levels were so fucking high, trying to take care of us on her own. We didn’t bother her with stuff we felt like we could figure out on our own. She had enough on her plate.

She constantly questioned her life decisions, and sometimes, I felt like she wished she didn’t have us. She would quickly correct herself and say she could never regret Harlan and me. She just regretted choosing Mo to fertilize her eggs.

I questioned her decision-making skills every time I saw that big ass nigga. He looked like Notorious B.I.G., but even uglier, in my opinion. Maybe his personality made him uglier. Her next boyfriend wasn’t much better. She let them both go in and out of her life like it was a fucking revolving door. I slowly shook my head as I thought about her. When my phone vibrated in my pocket, I pulled it out. When I saw it was Arranged Hearts, I got a little nervous. It was only Tuesday. They’d already matched me?

“Hello?”

“Hello, Mister Moore. This is Joan from Arranged Hearts.”

“Yes, ma’am. How are you?”

“I’m great. I wanted to inform you that we have found a match for you. Typically, we allow the bride to decide the date. Is that okay with you?”

“Damn. That was fast. Umm… that’s cool. As long as it’s at least two weeks away, I’m good with whatever she decides. Do I get to know anything about her?”

She chuckled. “No, sir. You will meet her at the altar. Don’t be nervous… unless you weren’t honest in the questionnaire.”

“I was completely honest. One thing I’ve always done is keep it real. So we don’t have that to worry about.”

“Good. I’m happy for you. I can’t wait to call you back with details. The honeymoon details are on you. You said you would like to travel outside of the country. Icantell you that she does have a passport. So you’re good to travel the world.”

I smiled slightly as I watched the man clean my SUV. I took a deep breath and said, “I’m ready, Miss Joan. Thank you. I look forward to the updates.”

“You’re welcome, baby. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You too.”

I ended the call, thinking about Yunique and what happened Friday night. That would have to serve as a fond memory. I should have fucked her. I hadn’t heard from her, so I was more than sure she’d changed her mind once she sobered up. As I waited, I ordered a mixed arrangement of flowers to be delivered to her tomorrow. On the note portion, I typed in,Friday was nice, and I wish it could have been more. Thank you for giving me pieces of you, although that shit has me craving the whole masterpiece. Take care, Yunique.

“Mister Moore!”

I looked up to see that Darryl was done with my ride. Standing from the bench, I slid my phone back in my pocket. I felt like that bouquet to Yunique would offer both of us closure so we could be free to embark upon the journeys ahead. I just hoped that we had both made the right decisions. I couldn’t be fucking up those people’s success rate. This marriage would get my best effort.

I made my way to my ride, beginning the mental preparation to meet my bride in what could be as soon as two weeks from now. Being that I was matched so quickly, this had to be right. After tipping Darryl, I got in my ride and headed to Ma’ Dukes Grab and Go to get my food order. Today, I would do something I’d never done. I would plan out everything I planned to doimmediately after the marriage, factoring in the get to know you stage.

Hopefully, I would have a freak, because my shit was completely backed up. Whatever happened, though, I was preparing myself to put in work to make sure it worked. I didn’t want to waste the money I had put into this, so I hoped to be able to make the best of it.

“Istill can’t believe I was ready to fuck that man in a public setting. Big Nique was in full effect, and it was your fault, ho.”

Keke hollered over the phone. “How in the hell was that my fault? Ain’t nobody told you to get that drunk! You owe my man for carrying your ass out the club and taking you home.”

I laughed along with her. I closed my eyes as I sat in my car, eating lunch. Normally, I ate lunch in my office, but I needed this private conversation with my sister. Saturday, we couldn’t really talk since we were around everybody. Plus, I had a headache from hell. I didn’t throw up or anything, but I had definitely surpassed my alcohol limit Friday night. The worst part was that I remembered every fucking thing I did.

The way I bucked on that man’s fingers was seared to my brain and literally made me touch myself every time I thought about it. He turned me on so much, and my drunken statewouldn’t allow me to fight it. My restraint was nonexistent. In one instance, I was glad he restrained himself, and in another, I wished he would have taken full advantage of the situation. I didn’t regret a thing about that night, and that was so unusual for me.

I was usually a damn stick in the mud. I’d never behaved like that since I’d been in Tallahassee. In Houston was a different story, especially when I made trips home during my early college years. My mind had been consumed with Harlem since then. I didn’t reach out to him, though, because typically, I wasn’t a fast mover. The bigger issue was that his past hadn’t affected me like it did the first time I met him. I supposed that wasn’t an issue. That was a good thing. The issue was that I was still waiting on a match, and I was lusting over another man.

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