Page 24 of Deeper

I opened the door and Victoria wasn’t on the other side.

Roderick.

My gut told me to slam the door in his face, to run and hide and protect what was left of me. But inside this apartment was nobody but me, and I was tired of being so lonely. Rod was a familiar face, a welcome distraction from the bitterness of it all. He knew me, he loved me, or at least, he said he did.

His tall frame filled the doorway, his high-priced clothing making him instantly out of place as it always did, and his handsome brown face staring back at me caused me to go dumb and weak. He was clean, he smelled good, and I could just tell he’d gotten a fresh haircut.

“Hey,” I let out, frozen in place.

Roderick took me in, licking his sexy full lips and bobbing his head, liking what he saw. “Hello, Bia, been a minute.” He invited himself in and I found myself stepping back. His gaze surveyed the tiny space of my living room and then the kitchen across from it. “And I see you got my flowers.”

“Yeah, I just got them today. It was very thoughtful of you, thanks,” I said.

His soft hand was on my chin, lifting my head to meet his eyes. “You look good.”

I took a step back. “Thanks.”

Rod’s response was a grin. “Listen, like I said, it’s been too long. Let’s hop in the whip and go grab something to eat. I wanna sit down and talk. I miss you, and I know you miss poppa.”

While some of us could be confident with our low points of insecurity, Rod always thought highly of himself. As successful as he was, I couldn’t exactly blame him.

Still, I hugged myself, unsure. “Rod—”

He held his hands up, appearing serious. “I fucked up before, and I see that now. You special, Bia, and I didn’t really appreciate the gem that you are until I lost you. If you’ll have me, I’d like to spend as much time as I can to make it up to you.”

Did he mean it, or was he feeding me bullshit?

In his dark eyes, I saw what looked like sincerity. Call me a fool, but a part of me wanted to believe him.

“Okay.”

Rod grinned, stepping to the side and gesturing out the door. “After you.” His eyes danced along my body, examining my T-shirt and jeans. “Unless you’d like to change.”

This was Roderick; he only dined at the best.

A chime came from his pocket and he fished out his cell phone. His eyes were impassive as he read over his text and responded quickly.

Was it someone else?

“Are you even single-single?” I had to know.

A corner of Rod’s mouth curled up. “Bianka, I know in the past I wasn’t the best, but I know now to come correct.” He held up his phone. “This was just business. I’ve got an event with a couple of rappers coming up and I’m RSVPing the location. I promise.”

Hope was all I had, and so I went into my bedroom and put on a little black dress to join him for lunch.

In the parking lot, Rod led me up to the passenger door to his tricked-out Escalade. His eyes were on my body as he helped me inside.

Rod came and slid into the driver seat, flashing me a smile that felt safe. “Ready?”

Was I?

I crossed my fingers and held my breath, wishing for some truth.

He pulled up to a five-star restaurant and was generous as he slid the valet a Franklin. The place was extra nice, and he’d already made reservations as the host requested his name as soon as we were in the door.

Intimacy was the theme, as there were various rooms filled with only five or six tables each I could see. We were ushered to a room with large floor-to-ceiling windows, the outside view of the sunny day we were having setting a nice ambiance for our impending meal. The tables were small, square shaped, and seated only two each.

The white tablecloth, single candle in the platinum candleholder, the fine cutlery and wineglasses made a statement.

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