Page 66 of Heart of a Savage
He chuckled. “You got my word, baby.”
I kissed him again as my heart beamed. I prayed that by relinquishing my heart to him, this would be the start of something real, true, and pure.
I desired that.
“You serious?”Mayani asked me as we walked into the Versace store. I was currently at Somerset Mall, trying to find something for this impromptu trip. I couldn’t lie; I was nervous as hell, but excited nonetheless.
“I am,” I replied.
Paige smiled at me. “I love this for you, Arie. Explore something different; it won’t kill you, sis.”
I rolled my eyes at her. Her ass wanted me to fall in love so bad because she was in the love bubble.
“What if this shit doesn’t work out, P? I swear… I’m going to go to jail if this man hurts me. Daddy already pierced my shit by getting locked up and then telling me years later that he doesn’t want shit else to do with u?—”
“Arie, please stop,” Paige said, rolling her eyes. Mayani and Megan snickered.
“Whatever, you know I’m right. Anywho, I do like him, so that should tell you that I am open to exploring more with him.”
“Is it him or his dick?” Megan asked.
“Considering him and his dick are synonymous tome, I guess I don’t have a choice but to likehim.” I walked over to where the swimsuits were, finding a multi-colored, two-piece bikini. I held it up, deciding on that one before moving on to find two more. Messiah made his instructions clear. He wanted me in bikinis the whole vacation.
“Arie…” Paige called out to me. I looked over at her, and she had a serious look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, now concerned.
“Nothing. I just want you to really enjoy yourself. You deserve good things to happen to you, and if you’re falling for Messiah, it’s okay. I pray he doesn’t fumble this and that you allow him to show you what love feels like.”
Mayani laughed. “This bitch ain’t falling in love. You wasting your breath. Chick been heartless since we met her ass ten years ago. What makes you think she’s going to change for this nigga?”
I could sense a little jealousy in Mayani’s tone. Her ass needed to get over whatever little crush she had on me. Although I found her extremely beautiful, I was not into women. That one time was the first and only time, but apparently, Mayani was still holding on to the possibility of my consistent no’s turning into a yes.
I watched as Paige’s eyes squinted, and her lips turned up in a scowl. “First off, I know we’re cool and shit, but you need to know your place. You may be a part of the wedding, and I may even consider you a good associate, but at the end of the day, you stillworkfor us. Our personal lives don’t need your input, andyou can kill that fantasy in your head about being with Arie. It’s never going to happen, so cut it the fuck out.”
How the fuck did she know about that?
I never told anyone about our little rendezvous, but when I looked at Megan and her eyes faltered, I knew she had to be the culprit.
“I-I wasn’t saying it like that, P. I was just pointing out what I’ve seen over the years,” Mayani replied, stuttering.
I knew she had to be shocked that Paige was talking to her like that. Paige had never exerted her authority when dealing with them—I was always the enforcer. Nevertheless, I knew how my sister could get when she was irritated, and it wasn’t a pretty sight to see. Paige probably wanted this for me more than she wanted to say “I do,” and for Mayani to say I wasn’t going to try with Messiah triggered her annoyance.
“Yeah? Well, you’re stepping out of order. You two are dismissed. Go wait outside the store.” Without protest, they both walked away, and I looked at Paige and smirked.
“It’s not that serious, Paige,” I said, laughing now that it was just her and me.
“It’s just that serious. I don’t know why you would have sex with her, anyway. You don’t even like bitches.”
“I was just having a little fun. Mayani knows what it is.”
“Does she? That little jealousy drippin’ in her words says otherwise. But anyway, as I was saying, I love this for you. I want you to have fun. Did he say where he was taking you?”
“No. He just instructed that I bring three bikinis. That’s it.”
A gleeful smile spread across her face, and I shook my head.
“I can’t wait to hear all about it, Arie!” she all but screeched out.
