Page 6 of Only if You Catch Me
“I would love to live in a gated community. I also want something kind of new. It doesn’t have to be brand new, but I want it to be less than five years old. Hardwood floors. I have a dog, so I’d prefer no carpet. And I absolutely love high ceilings.”
“Okay. None of these things will be hard to find and actually, I have maybe three listed right now that might meet all of these. Give me one second.” I placed my pen on top of my notepad and pecked the keys on my computer to pull up my listings.
After finding one of the houses I was looking for, I turned my computer screen, so Tesha could see it.
“Oh, I love that,” her sad eyes brightened a bit. I leaned back in my seat, so she could look over the details of the property.
While she was studying the screen, I picked my phone up, so I could check my email. My phone was on silent, so I wasn’t aware that a text message had come through. David was home, and he wanted us to go out for dinner. My fingers moved swiftly as I told him that I was down. I had responded to one email when Tesha announced that she was done.
“I definitely like the kitchen and the ensuite bathroom in that one, but I don’t like the guest bathroom.”
“Gotcha,” I gave a quick nod. “Okay, let me find the other one.” Turning the screen back around, I scrolled through the listings until I found one that I felt met Tesha’s needs.
She looked over nine houses before she decided on four that she wanted to see in person. We scheduled times for the viewings, and I was done for the day. David told me he was going to make us reservations for seven. That left me four hours to get home and get changed. Since I had plenty of time, I stopped by At Home and the grocery store. At that point, I shopped for my home almost as much as I shopped for myself.
I was always picking up décor for the living room, guest bedroom, my bedroom, or my home office. The throw on my sofa got switched out every season. I also changed the color scheme of my bedroom at least once a year. David not only paid all of the household bills, but he put anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 a month in my account. When I decided to start my own firm, he paid the rent on the building for one year. He always said as soon as I blew up and started selling million dollar houses like hot cakes, he’d be comfortable leaving the streets. He was also in the process of starting a small construction companywith his cousin. David wasn’t the type to do manual labor, but he’d invest in a person all day long.
He was going to purchase everything his cousin needed from a work truck to tools and materials. Since I hadn’t eaten all day and was starving, I grabbed a salad on the way home. At home, I’d just gotten out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body when David entered the bathroom. The moment our eyes locked, he smiled.
“It’s going to be at least a month before I go out of town again,” he trekked in my direction. “That means I got to get all I can while I’m here.” Licking his lips, David ogled me as if I was naked rather than cocooned in a plush towel.
“You’re going to be home for an entire month?” I asked with wide eyes. “That’s never happened,” I joked.
“You know daddy be getting to the money, but I’m really ready to slow down.”
While rubbing lotion into my skin, my eyes narrowed at David. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”
Chuckling, he gripped my waist and peered into my face. “I’m serious. I’m getting older. I’m ready to start having some babies.”
My breathing stalled as David leaned in and kissed my lips. Babies. I wanted babies. But for whatever reason the thought of babies with my husband terrified me. “You have to do more than slow down in order for me to be comfortable with getting pregnant. I’d rather you be one hundred percent out of the streets.”
“If we start trying right now, by the time you have the baby, I’ll have enough money to pay off the house. Once the house is paid off, I’ll be more than happy to leave the game. This construction thing is going to be big. Jaron has been in the business for years, and he has solid connections. He’s not evendone with the website, and he’s already been paid deposits for three big jobs.”
“That’s wonderful,” I forced a smile. I wanted to talk about anything other than babies.
I married David for stability. I did love him, but it wasn’t that head over heels fairytale type of romance. He was a provider. David loved me and treated me well. He was faithful and respectful. There wasn’t a lot that I could complain about. For the most part, I was happy with my life and the way it was. Despite the fact that I did love David, I was hesitant to have a child by him. Questions such as, ‘do you love him enough to have his child?’ plagued my mind.
I hated when I was unsure. Life was fine the way it was, so there was no need to overthink and get in my head about things.
“Yeah,” David pressed his body into mine. “I’m on my way to making that legal money, so you can get ready to give me some big head babies.”
“Okay, if we’re going to make these reservations on time, I need you to back up before you get started. Secondly, you at least get halfway to your monetary goal andthenwe’ll start trying for a baby. Deal?”
“Deal.”
David left me to get dressed, and I eyed my reflection in the mirror. There was no need to bitch up now. He was my husband, and we both wanted kids. So, what was the problem?
CHAPTER 4
KASTIAN
I walkedinto my office and found Ryder waiting for me. He texted me before my meeting and told me he was stopping by. My receptionist was made aware that if he arrived before the meeting with my realtors was over, he could wait for me there. With Ryder I never knew if he was stopping by on business or personal shit. We didn’t talk anything illegal over the phone. Just like I had my real estate company and brokerage firm, Ryder owned a protein bar. Customers could go in and get a variety of protein shakes, smoothies, protein bowls, healthy snacks, and various supplements. He also owned a pet grooming business. Both his businesses did well. People didn’t play about their damn dogs and anytime he went to check on the business, he always seemed to run into some gorgeous woman that was coming in to get her dog groomed. There wasn’t a shortage of beautiful women that patronized the protein bar either.
Ryder had come a long way. He wasn’t one hundred percent faithful, but I could give the man credit for trying. For the most part, he put his whorish ways to the side, and he was trying to be a better man for Tesha. Well, fucking strippers in his car aside.
“What’s going on fam?” I rounded the desk and took a seat.
Eye contact with Ryder put me on high alert. Sitting up straight, I braced myself for bad news. As stressed as he looked, I was willing to bet money that we had to go kill somebody. “What is it now?” One thing about running a drug empire was that it was too close to running a damn daycare.
