Page 5 of You Make Me Feel

She seemed more outgoing than me and wouldn’t have a problem telling me exactly what she thought of me. I needed to have my ducks in a row and know exactly what I would say to her. My mind was already coming up with possible responses to whatever questions she could ask. The obvious questions would be simple, but other questions, like why I wanted to go out with her, could be asked. I wouldn’t hesitate to answer, or she would call bullshit quicker than I could count to five.

Next Sunday, I would make sure to be where I needed to be to talk to her. I couldn’t let her escape any longer. She had to be mine.

Chapter 3

Kinisha

I was in the office reviewing a financial plan for one of our clients. The day went by quickly because we’d been busy the entire time. Mr. Taylor had taken on two more clients, and we were stretched to our limits. However, he knew that we could do it. I loved working for him because he didn’t hesitate to get in the trenches with us to ensure we met deadlines and handled our clients’ businesses efficiently.

After tweaking some numbers, I set the folder to the side. When the door opened, I looked up to see Mrs. Shannon walk in. She was Mr. Taylor’s sister-in-law and was married to his brother, but she was also his wife’s sister. She was funny as hell and loved to give Mr. Taylor a hard time. “Hey, Kinisha. How’s it going?”

“Hey. It’s been busy.”

“Devin is a fucking overachiever. He and Sidney married each other for a reason. I always have to tell them I’m not set up like them. They will work themselves to death and think everybody else wants to do that shit too.”

I chuckled. Every time she came in here, it was the same shit. Before I could call Mr. Taylor to the front, he came down the hallway. “Hey, Shannon. What’chu doing here?”

“I came to get my statement to pay these damn taxes. I wish I could tell Uncle Sam to kiss my fat ass.”

“Uh-huh. You do that, and Big Bertha gon’ be kissing your fat ass too. Keep it up,” Mr. Taylor said.

She cut her eyes and playfully pushed him. I was twice her size, so I didn’t know why she always said her “fat ass.” She had a nice shape, and her butt was slightly bigger than proportionate. I wouldn’t say it was fat, though. I could clearly tell she worked out by the definition in her arms. I went to the filing cabinet to get her folder and handed it to Mr. Taylor.

“Thank you, Nisha.”

I nodded and returned to what I was doing while they talked about their weekend. I didn’t want to come to this job this morning, so I was grateful the time was flying by. Last night, I’d tossed and turned nearly all night, trying to get comfortable and get my mind to stop racing. All I could think about was sliding down Jarod’s dick. I swore I was a fiend and hadn’t even had him yet.

Yetbeing the key word. I would have him eventually, even if I had to resort to bending over in his face. That shit wasn’t beneath me one bit because I knew he wanted it. He just needed a little persuading to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him. While Ramsey and Ki had warned me about him, I still had hope that maybe he’d changed. There was such a thing as a reformed ho. I’d changed and wanted things I didn’t want a few years ago. Why couldn’t he?

As my thoughts got away from me, my cell phone rang, bringing me back to the present. I silenced it and noticed it was my mother. She probably wanted to go to lunch. I checked the time to see it was only thirty minutes before my lunch break. As I returned to what I was doing, it chimed with a text.

Hey, baby. Do you want to go to Richard’s for lunch? Ki will meet us there.

It was probably Kiana’s ass that wanted Richard’s. We rarely frequented soul food restaurants simply because we cooked it at home. However, that type of meal was reserved for Sundays. Here it was, a big Monday. Nobody had time. Well, my mom probably did. That wasn’t the point, though. It just didn’t sound right to cook that much food on a big Monday. I chuckled to myself at the thought.

I typed out my response. Hey. That’s fine. See y’all in about thirty minutes.

As soon as I put my phone down, it chimed again. “Damn. You got a hotline today,” Mr. Taylor said.

“It seems so. All the times have been my mother. So, I’m not popping like you think I am,” I responded with a chuckle.

Mr. Taylor was so laid-back. I loved this job. He didn’t micromanage. He had nothing to say about what I did as long as I got my work done in the allotted amount of time. I took pride in my job, so he knew I would be efficient and accurate.

I checked my phone again, expecting confirmation about lunch from my mother, but it was a text from a number I didn’t recognize. I frowned slightly and opened the message.

Good morning, Ms. Jordan. This is Jarod Speights. I got your number from the church directory. I hope you aren’t offended. I would love to call you later this evening to get to know you better.

The heat settled around my ears. I was shocked because I wasn’t expecting him to reach out. I figured he would wait until the next time he saw me. “Well, clearly, yo’ mama ain’t got your ass blushing like that,” Shannon said.

She and Mr. Taylor laughed at my expense and embarrassment as he walked her out of the building. My gaze returned to my phone, and I typed out my response. Good morning, almost afternoon, Mr. Speights. I’m not offended; just a little caught off guard. Yes, you can call any time after six.

I set my phone on the desk and returned to work to finish what I was doing before going to lunch. My mind was wearing me out, wondering why he hadn’t approached me yesterday. I would much rather have in-person interactions than phone ones. Text messages didn’t require much effort. I tried to engage more in person with someone I wanted to get to know so they would see my effort. Maybe he wasn’t as forward as I assumed him to be.

My phone chimed again. Talk to you at six thirty. I can’t wait to get to know you better, beautiful.

I was too excited for words, so I didn’t respond immediately. I could imagine he was sitting at his desk, doing little to nothing. He was an insurance agent, selling car, home, boat, and life insurance. After I calmed down a bit, I responded. I look forward to it.

Once I finished my work and had filed the client’s folder, I grabbed my purse to head to Richard’s. Since I was a few minutes behind schedule, I sent my mama and Ki a group text, letting them know I was on my way and would be there in ten minutes. As I was about to walk out the door, Mr. Taylor was walking back in.

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