Page 29 of Inadmissible
Her smile shot straight to my dick. “Okay. Just tell me what time you want me to come when you get here.”
“I will. Have a great day, and don’t let him or anyone else stress you out.”
“Yes, sir. Bye, baby.”
“Bye.”
After ending the call, I ordered lunch for her and Emilia to be delivered along with an electronic gift card for my sweetheart’s favorite spa. I didn’t like the idea of Gregory stressing her out or being petty and childish, so I wanted her to treat herself to a spa day this week. It took every ounce of discipline I had not to call him and tell him what would happen if he denied her request again, but I chose instead to let her handle it on her own. But if he tried that shit again, he was gon’ have to see me.
Men like him bullied women because of the perceived power they believed they had. Taj didn’t seem to share work situations with her brother, or I was sure he would’ve been pulled up onGregory. I needed her boss to know she wasn’t alone and that she had a few crazy niggas behind her, because my guys wouldn’t let me handle anything alone though I could. All I could do was pray it didn’t come down to that, because knowing how Taj had been treated by men in the past had me overly protective of my sweetheart, and I refused to let anyone hurt or disrespect her again.
The Day Before the First Date
“I appreciate you reaching out,” Tyler said as we both got comfortable in our seats. I’d secretly gotten his number from Taj’s phone and asked him to meet me atPuff Cigar Lounge.
“Of course. When Taj told me she cared more about your opinion of the man she’s with more than anyone else, I knew I had to make it happen. We go on our first date tomorrow, and I plan to make things official when we go to Lake Como, so it was imperative that you and I meet.”
We took the time to cut our cigars and order our drinks before the conversation continued with me mentioning, “AK. Wassup with that?”
Tyler laughed before taking a sip of his whiskey. “I knew that shit was coming.” He rubbed his palms together as he sat up in his seat. “She told me about what you said to Destin about you knowing how to get away with murder. It reminded me of the show and Annalise Keating, so I told her I’ma call you AK since you a man and shit.”
Hearing his explanation had a volcano of laughter erupting from my gut. By the time I was done laughing, I had tears in myeyes. I had been trying to figure out why he’d called me that, and that never would have crossed my mind.
“Yo, you’re crazy as hell,” I said as the last of my chuckles escaped me.
“Man, say. When she told me you said that, I was like yeah. He can be around my sister. I already had respect for you from helping her at the hotel that night. I know any nigga can have a noble moment from time to time, but I can tell it’s really in you, not on you. You seem like a solid dude from what she tells me about you.”
I told him a bit more about my background to build his trust in me. I shared that my parents were still alive and married. Most importantly, in a healthy marriage. They raised me to be a man of integrity and respect . . . for myself and others. In exchange, he gave me more understanding on their upbringing and their parents.
“I haven’t told Taj this, but I had to box that mane out last week,” he said, referring to their father. “I took Ma to his house because she was upset that he’d let the deadline pass yet again without signing the papers. She’s the one that filed for the divorce and hired the attorney, so every time he doesn’t sign, her lawyer charges her to do the paperwork all over again. She was so upset I didn’t want her driving, and I was glad I went with her.
“The mane called himself getting in her face yelling and shit about how she didn’t run nothing, and he’d divorce her when he wanted to, if he did it at all. When she tried to walk away, he grabbed her and yanked her back to him, and that was it for me. Knocked his ass out with one punch, and I’on regret that shit either.”
“Was he abusive toward her before that day?”
“Yeah, but we didn’t know until after the fact.”
“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad your mom decided to finally walk away. I can see how their marriage affected the both of you.”
His head shook as he took a gulp of his whiskey. “Yeah, Taj more than me. I just detached and decided I didn’t even want to get married. Her taste in men got worse over the years. At one point, she was dating an abuser that I beat so bad he left the city. It’s refreshing to see her with you. You being good for her is good for me, because I don’t have to worry so much. At one point I was sure one of her exes was going to make me catch a murder charge. On me.”
“I feel that, and I wanna make it clear I’m here to carry the load of being her protector. I know you’ll always be there for her and I’m not trying to stop that, but you can rest now. I got her, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt her—not even me.”
We ended up staying for another hour or so, and by the time we left, we made plans to hang out again. I felt good about the meeting. Not just because it gave me a better understanding of my sweetheart and Tyler’s approval, but also because I gained a new friend.
Taj
Our first date had been absolutely perfect. Instead of going for fancy and intimate, he picked fun and laid-back. Tristan started our date with a trip to the bookstore because I told him I loved reading. He made it fun by giving me five minutes to grab as many books as I wanted. I ended up spending like three hundred dollars the first time. The pressure of thinking about the clock had me overthinking my selections, but I had such a fun time racing down the aisles. After that, he let me take my time going down every aisle to get everything else I wanted.
Next, we had dinner, then we went skating. I had an absolute blast and laughed more than I had in a really long time. We then went downtown to bar hop. At the first place, we planned a trip to Mexico for April. I realized in that moment he was checking off every hobby on my list, and that made me like this man every more. After the travel plans were made, we hit about five or six bars, getting one drink and appetizer before heading to the next place.
The great thing about the downtown area was you never knew what you would stumble across, so by the time I was good and tipsy, a live band was out in the square. We danced andsang and enjoyed the vibe until well after midnight. My cheeks were hurting from me smiling so much as I got comfortable in his car. I reached across to open the door for him before getting comfortable. There was no doubt in my mind that when I got home, I was going to take the quickest shower in life and have the best tipsy sleep of my life.
“Baby, this was so much fun!” I told him as he started the car. “This was the best first date ever. I loved it. You did so well.”
“Good. I’m happy you’re happy. I really enjoyed myself with you.”
“You’re like . . . a real friend.” He looked at me curiously, and it was probably because he was trying to see if I was drunk. “You know sometimes, you’re in a relationship and you don’t have anything in common with that person. Or, you say y’all are friends but you’re really not friends. You’re really my friend. We have fun together, we can chill together, we can work together, and we can be intimate—physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve never had a man that I could have this much recreational fun with. You’re like perfect for me.”
