Page 36 of Reckless Forever
The way he just manhandled me, but with caution, was sexier than I wanted to admit. But I felt his presence loud and clear. It was like a warning shot; it was Judah’s way of letting me know that he owned New York and had staked his claim on me, too.
“This is so good!” I said as I ate from the plate with my eyes closed. Judah had me downtown for the fifth time in six days. After the first day of the conference, he took me to a soul food restaurant and let me try “candied yams,” and I had been hooked ever since. Every time he asked me what I wanted to eat, I would ask if we could stop and get a side of them.
“You ain’t gone try nothing else, while you’re here?” He asked as he held my feet, which were crossed across his lap in the back seat of the truck.
“I mean, I have. I just want to eat this with it. Back home, these are just roasted. Not sweet. I’ve been missing out.” I said as I took another forkful and put it into my mouth, and did a shimmy.
“Don’t eat all that, we still have dinner tonight,” He reminded me.
Tonight was technically my last night in the States, and I genuinely had the best time of my life here. I felt so free, and if I had to be honest, I didn’t want to leave Judah. Our connection was unlike anything that I had ever felt before, and I didn’t want it to end. If I had to go from being catered to like a princess and slutted out like a nympho back into the walls of that harem, I’d probably be next to Emilio in the rotation for whatever drugs he had. I would lose my mind.
Judah was everything he told me he wasn’t. And normally that’s a bad thing. But this time it was a pleasant surprise. He told me all the things he had never done and all the things he might not do, and he was doing them.
The moments that we spent here were some that I will remember forever. The kind that you sit on the edge of your bed at seventy and tell your grandchildren about.
“What you over there smiling about, Shorty. Them damn yams got you that happy?” He questioned, jarring me from my thoughts.
“No, you have me this happy,” I admitted with no hesitation. I had no reservations about letting Judah know that I was the happiest girl on the planet right now.
“I’ll make you feel like that for the rest of your life.”
He said it without thinking. My breathing hitched, and I just continued to eat my food while gazing. I appreciated that Hollow took different routes home; I knew it was a security tactic, but for me, it allowed me to see different parts of the city.
“What’s up, OG?” Judah said into the phone as he took a call.
“I’m busy right now, I just finished drops. Fuck! Aight, I’ll handle it.” He said before he disconnected the call. I wanted to ask if everything was okay, but I had learned to mind my business.
He dropped my feet from his lap and slid over to the window as if we weren’t still in the same car as he placed another call.
“Why didn’t you stop at the checkpoint?” His voice was sharp, barely recognizable. He got straight down to his reason for calling. No greetings, no formalities. I could hear a faint voice on the other end of the phone struggling to find an explanation.
“It’s not going to be a next time,” he said. I knew that it was a warning, and it sent a chill down my spine as he disconnected the call and sent a text message.
He didn’t slide back over; instead, he took deep breaths while my eyes just took in the large buildings, busy streets, taxi cabs, and shops along the way. Then he took a final deep breath and placed my feet back in his lap and off the seat.
“You, okay?” I raised an eyebrow. He was way too tense not to ask.
“Hell no,” he chuckled as he continued to type away on his phone.
“Anything you care to discuss?” I had to give him the option. He supported me through all of the bullshit that I had going on. If he said no, I would drop it.
“I was sidetracked today, and I missed something major. I’ll fix it, though.” He kept it short, and I nodded and gave him a slight smile.
“You can’t be everywhere at once, give yourself some grace,” I tried to reason as I leaned forward and rubbed the back of his head as she continued to send rapid-fire messages. But I knew that it was easier said than done. Someone had to die because of the mistake that was made. Another reminder that Judah was so layered.
We pulled into the estate, and the gates opened for us. He opened the door and guided me out.
“You want me to carry you?” Judah asked me. My feet had been hurting in this specific pair of shoes, so I had taken them off and was now barefoot.
“No, it’s only a couple of steps, I got it.” I declined as I walked up to the door.
It clicked and unlocked no sooner than we had made it close. There was some sort of body detection on it. Judah was heavily into tech and security. The way this house was set up, like something from the future, surprised even me.
“Go ahead and get dressed, baby. I need to make a few calls. I’ll be up in a second.” He said as he blew out another breath and disappeared into the backyard. I shook my head and walked up the stairs. Whatever it was, it had him stressed out.
I ascended the stairs and turned on the water before I stood in front of the mirror and wiped off my makeup. Once I wasdone, I stepped into the shower and let the water cascade down my body. Underneath it, I thought about how much I didn’t want to return to the hell that awaited me in Bolivia.
An hour passed, and Judah still hadn’t come up. I showered, got dressed, and was sitting around waiting for him while he handled business.
