Page 48 of Breaking the Rules
“Smoochin’ Sassy.”
Sincere rose his brows. “Smoochin’ Sassy, huh?”
“Mmhmm,” Areli hummed before jumping into the two feet of water and going about her business.
“Who is Sassy?” Sincere questioned, turning to face Noble. “She crazy?”
“She got it in her eyes. I am not going to test the waters, though. I’m not your dumb ass.”
Sincere studied him. “She changing you.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“Nah, nigga, not at all. Dare I say it, the shit is beautiful. You got off that flight from Majestic Heights lookin’ like the life was draining from you. Dare I think the lover boy has fell again?” Sincere teased.
“You gon’ live a sensible life vicariously through me?”
“Yeah, ‘cause I ain’t doing it,” Sincere stated. “Bachelor life for me forever. Anyway, off that soft shit. I’ve been listening to the streets.”
“Aight…”
“Some nigga named Manny set up the drop. They said Kym never had product anywhere near Areli so finding it in the house and in her car and all that shit in the café was a set up. Now you got to exercise that muscle. What you want to do?”
“Manny, huh?” Noble questioned, sitting down. He recalled the name spoken by Savanhi, what he resonated with more was the eerie feeling he had about her out of his space and the car lurking.
“Yeah, apparently he felt slighted by the nigga Zayden, he was working with and put the plan in motion with a nigga named Brixx and the sitter. I had them niggas go out lookin’ for Brixx, we can’t find him, but Manny…”
“Brixx will come. Go ahead and cut Manny’s water off. Anyone else who had anything to do with it, put them out of their misery. The shit is simple.”
“Still got that dawg in you.”
“Baseball is business. This is family. You ain’t a man if you let anything attack that. Let me know how much to send. Make sure it’s handled.”
Noble leaned back in the seat and watched Areli splash around, perfectly at peace. With his life, he would make sure that she always knew peace. He would always slay the dragons.
SIXTEEN
After waving at the last student of the evening, Savanhi sauntered from the door to her bags stowed behind the desk. She pulled out her phone and smirked at the text from Noble. After a full day together, they’d finally exchanged numbers and Savanhi shared her full name. Proper introductions were damned weeks ago but now seemed fitting.
Deuce: Areli and I are parked, I’ll be at the door in five
“God, don’t let this be a front,” Savanhi muttered, putting her bags and phone on top of the desk.
As she straightened up, she thought about all the times she whispered prayers of actually meeting a man who knew how to be a gentleman. In the environment she settled in, finding a man who wanted to be a man and not just a thug was hard. And then she put herself in the belly of the beast and none of the men who came in and out were men she wanted to build life with.
With Brixx, building seemed to be far and few between. He wanted to rise in the drug game and she just wanted more – to spread joy. To see girls in the neighborhood aspire to something more than being the dopeman’s girl. She was standing at the edge of more with Noble and had to come to terms that she could and did deserve more. She was worthy of everything her heart desired.
“Savanhi.” Her name was sung from the back of the building. Tamrah, the owner of the studio, rounded the corner and gave her that smile. The one with the pursed lips together like her payment for the week declined or she was raising studio fees, which meant she would have to raise prices to afford it.
She braced with a look she tried to disguise. “Hey, Tamrah, what’s up?”
“First, let me say, I’ve been watching the progression of your classes, and I have to say you and your students have come a long way, and your classes have almost tripled,” Tamrah gushed.
Savanhi knew never to fall for the trap of compliments. This was exactly what people did before pulling the rug from under you. “Yeah, so much so I’ve had to add more classes.”
“I know,” Tamrah said. “That’ why I wanted to be the first to tell you, I’m selling the studio. I’ve recently got engaged and my fiancée is taking a job in Emerald City. I wanted to give you first dibs on it.”
Savanhi curled her toes in her jazz shoes. She knew that whatever number Tamrah was getting ready to say, she wasn’t going to have. Especially with the money from the club not being at her fingertips. “Okay, how much?”
