Page 13 of Sparks Will Fly

“Whatever. Can we go in now? I need to get set up before the girls start arriving.”

He extended his arm as if to say lead the way, so I did. I’d already fished my keys out of my purse, so I inserted my key then twisted to the left to unlock the door. I went to pull the door open and was rewarded with a smack on my hand from Romani. A frown covered his handsome face as he looked down his nose at me.

“What did I just say, Trouble?”

The mixture of his tone, facial expression, and amber scent had my head spinning. I tucked my lips figuring this wasn’t a battle worth fighting. There was no way he was letting me win.

He opened the door, allowing me to enter inside. It was a little chilly, causing me to rub my hands together. Going to the thermometer in the office, I adjusted the temperature so it’d be comfortable by the time everyone started shuffling in.

“So, y’all are open on Saturdays?”

I nodded, but when I glanced up to find him gazing at the fliers on the wall, I realized he didn’t see.

“Yeah. We’re open from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.”

Romani stroked his chin deep in thought, calculating the way he always seemed to do. I kinda wished I could take a dive into his thoughts. His body lightly pressed against mine as I shimmed out of the office. My heart skipped a beat from his strength and warmth. That cologne was so addicting. It called me to me every time he moved.

Going to the back room, I flipped the switch to turn on the lights. Without pause, I went into the supply closet. I grabbed trays of nail polish to begin laying out on the table.

“Can you grab those foot massagers and set them up in front of the seats along the wall?”

I figured if he was going to be here, he might as well help me out. He silently moved into the closet to do as I asked. It was hard not to watch him, especially once he came out of his coat, exposing his thick and corded arms. I’d gone to bed dreaming of the tattoos I’d seen with his shirt off last night. The art was so beautiful it told a story I was fighting the urge to learn. Pulling out my phone, I figured some music would distract me from the brooding yet gentleman across the room.

I connected to the Bluetooth speaker and went into one of my favorite Saturday morning playlists. I swayed as the beat to “Ex-Factor” exploded around the room. I set my phone on the table before getting back to work.

After the nail section was set up, I started laying out hair supplies. I had barrettes, beads, and any other accessory us Black girls used to spice up our hair.

“Shoot,” I fussed, realizing I didn’t have any rubber bands.

The huge tub was finally empty, and I’d forgotten to refill it thanks to the news of the sale coming out.

“What is it?” Romani asked as he erased the distance between us.

“I’m out of rubber bands, and I’m definitely going to need them.”

He pulled out his phone and opened a text message thread. Handing the phone to me he said,

“Tell her what to get. It’ll be here before you open.”

I tapped his phone against my hand fighting the urge to question his generosity. The girls were way more important than my insecurity. Unable to help myself, I read the name at the top.Aisley…I wondered who she was, but a quick violation of his privacy by reading the thread gave me my answer. I shot her a quick text.

Hi, this is Lovie. I’m out of black rubber bands. Romani said it was okay to text you about it. Could you please grab a huge container from the hair store and bring them to the community center?

After I hit the arrow to send the message, I handed the phone back to Romani. He read it over with a chuckle.

“What?”

“You’re polite to everyone but me, Trouble. What’s up with that? I ain’t did shit to your little ass.”

“You really piss me the fuck off, you know?”

He shrugged. “If the shoe fits, wear it, Trouble,” he said slowly, knowing it was the reason I was even fussing in the first place.

I tucked my lips, trying to hide my smile. “Whatever. I’m not your ‘trouble.’”

Romani stepped a little closer, disrupting my ability to think with that mouthwatering cologne. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he intentionally wore it to make a bitch’s pussy wet.

“When I call you Trouble, I don’t mean it in a bad way. I think you and the trouble you cause is exactly what this place… these kids need.”

---