Page 32 of Treason's Temptation
“You made a public declaration on television, but I can’t meet her?”
“Of course you can, Mama. I just didn’t say when. A lot is going on right now. Be patient with me.”
“She’s beautiful,” Inez complimented as if she expected anything less from me.
“Thanks. How was your day?” I asked, changing the subject before Inez asked more questions I hadn’t sorted out. “Did the gremlins give you hell?”
She chuckled at the nickname I gave the kids at her school. Inez started as a teacher and eventually transitioned to being an assistant principal. She was tired of being tethered to a classroom, but being in leadership didn’t seem much better.
“They tried. We had three teachers out today, and they thought it would be a free-for-all.”
“I know you shut that down.”
“Sure did. They know better anyway.”
“I need to check on Navie. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, give her my love.”
“Will do. Love you, Mama.”
“Love you too, baby.”
Talking to Mom made me jot down a few notes to address tomorrow. If she had questions, so would everybody else, and right now, I didn’t have the answers. I ordered takeout for dinner before walking across the hall. Navie put her stubbornness on display, refusing to respond or answer the door.
Then she repeated that behavior for the next forty-eight hours, locked in the room like I was the fuckin’ Boogey Man. I tried my luck and knocked with a peace offering. Each one ended with the quiet rustle of sheets or the muffled sounds of her ignoring me. I was trying to be patient, but Navie was really pushing it.
The phone hadn’t stopped ringing since news broke about my relationship, but I had meetings and other shit to prep for. It wasn’t ideal, paying Rylo to babysit, but he was loyal to his pockets, which meant he was loyal to me for the right price.
Stepping off the elevator, I heard the door slam shut while Rylo sat on the couch, snickering.
“Is she still running from me?”
“Like Trump from the IRS. You got a side baby on the way?”
I laughed, pulling my tie off, “She told you that?”
“Nope, but I can only speculate the way she talks in circles. Whatever you did, she’s pissed.”
“What did she say?”
“Oh, that’s going to cost you,” Rylo replied, holding his hand out.
“I already paid you top dollar to sit on my fuckin’ couch all day.”
“Nobody told you to get your side bitch pregnant. That’s on you.”
“Nobody is pregnant. Say it again and you’ll be fired. Desperate, I dug in my pocket and slid the free bills into his hand. “Spill it.”
He counted the bills, smiling at the total.
“Just that y’all fought. You’re moving too fast, demanding things she’s not ready to give. She doesn’t trust you. You’ve been single for a minute, so let me remind you relationships aren’t shit without it.”
“I shouldn’t trust her, but I’m here.”
“She needs to feel it, otherwise it’s just smooth talk,” he coached, leaning against the counter, “Navie’s been through some shit. You need to meet her where she is if you want it to work. Once a baddie resents you, it’s no coming back from that.”
“She told you that?”
