Page 41 of Only if You Catch Me
“I need you to focus, sir,” she laughed.
When my gaze lifted and landed on her face, I peeped the suitcases in her living room. She had been back from Golden Waters for a few days, but maybe she hadn’t unpacked.
“Those from your return or you leaving again?”
“You did like I asked and kept the entire day open, right?”
“Yes,” I answered slowly as my brows hiked.
“Okay, I lied. I don’t need you to help me clean out my storage unit. I don’t even have a storage unit. I’m taking you to Miami for your birthday. I wanted to do Cancun, but I wouldn’t have been able to keep that one a secret because you would have had to bring your passport here with you.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “When are we going to Miami?”
“We need to be leaving for the airport in the next fifteen minutes. It’s only going to be two nights. Something quick, but if I wanted it to be a surprise I had to find a way to get you to not be busy but not be suspicious. That’s why I asked you to keep your day free and do brunch with me tomorrow. So, if you haveanything planned for tomorrow evening, I don’t know what to tell you.”
Chuckling, I looked at the two carry on suitcases. “You need two of those, and we’re only staying for two nights?”
“One is for you. We can go to the mall after we check into the hotel, and you can get an outfit, but I bought you two outfits, underwear, socks, shoes, and personal hygiene items, so you’re pretty much set.”
All I could do was stare at Persia. Women had done nice things for me before, but nothing of this magnitude. I’d never had a girlfriend, but of course, I’d bought a few bags, shoes, paid for hair, nails, massages, etc. It wasn’t unusual for a woman to buy me cologne or a pair of sneakers to show her appreciation, but no one had ever surprised me with a trip.
“I had to choose this weekend because I don’t know if you have plans on your actual birthday.”
I walked up on Persia and pressed my body into hers. “When we get to Miami, you’re getting all this dick.”
The way she laughed made my fuckin’ chest swell. She deserved to be happy. She deserved to be protected and treated right. Persia’s laughter faded, and she hit me playfully.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you did at the strip club. David’s mother called me upset. I had to tell her ass too many times that I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.”
“Fuck that nigga,” I replied with a frown. “I just asked him why he wouldn’t sign the papers, and he got disrespectful.”
“I don’t know if I should hit you again or thank you because he signed the papers. Now, let’s go.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I grabbed the two suitcases while Persia got her purse and locked the door. In the elevator, she told me that our plane would land in Miami at two pm, and she had dinner reservations at The Versace Mansion at five pm. At the airport, I realized thatwe had seats in first class, and I leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“You got a nigga flying first class. I’m eating that ass tonight.”
“It’s that easy?” she laughed.
“Damn right.”
The flight had barely taken off before Persia was asleep. She must have been tired, so I let her get a nap in. The flight was less than two hours, and I planned to have her ass up half the night, so she needed the rest for sure. I didn’t have plans for my birthday. My gift to myself was purchasing a property to use for an Airbnb. I kept my promise to myself and walked away from the dope game with enough money to put $300,000 down on the Airbnb property and have plenty left over. My next big goal was to pay off my house. I was setting myself up for retirement. I had spent years and countless hours hustling like a maniac, working as a real estate broker, and stacking my bread. It was time to work smart not hard.
I was getting into commercial real estate, and that would be a big financial gain as well. I was the kind of person that liked to stay busy, but I was adamant that I would retire at forty. Working until I was old as hell and only having a few years of peace before I croaked wasn’t on the agenda. I wanted to travel and enjoy my life while I was young enough and in good enough health to do so.
If I ever had kids, I didn’t want to have to miss school functions and important milestones because I was always at work. The day my child was born, I’d see how long I had to wait for him or her to get a passport. My child would speak multiple languages and go to private school. I hadn’t just hustled and risked my freedom for myself. I did it for the generations to come after me. Damn right my kids would be spoon fed. That was always the plan.
Persia woke up when we landed and after getting off the plane and exiting the airport, I pulled out my phone to request a rideshare to the hotel. Inside the car, I rubbed Persia’s thigh through her leggings. I wouldn’t even be mad if we skipped dinner, ordered room service, and stayed in the room. But putting that shit on and going to a nice dinner with Persia didn’t sound bad either.
“Damn you doing it like this?” I looked around the presidential suite that we walked into. “Let me find out.”
“I’m definitely not a broke chick.” She started twerking, and I enjoyed the show.
If a woman asked me out on a date, I wouldn’t even let her pay. Gifts were cool, but it was rare that a woman spent money on me, and I didn’t need her to. I spent a grip on Persia for her birthday, so I could get why she went all out for me, but it wasn’t even the fact that the trip was expensive. It was the thought behind it. It didn’t take much to get a nigga some cologne or some shoes, but to plan a trip, fly first class, and book a presidential suite. Persia did it big, and she damn sure matched my fly.
“I’ll take my shower first. That way you can shower while I’m doing my makeup and hair.”
