Page 24 of The Love of Priest

"Furnace and have them clean up these floors too. I don't wanna see no signs of these niggas in here," Priest gave detailed disposal instructions. Kaymen and J'Ru okayed him with a nod of their heads. Priest navigated toward the elevator. Stepping inside, he pressed the buttons to bring him back up to ground level. Upon the doors gliding shut, the sound of multiple rounds being sprayed settled into his ears. A light chuckle filtrated out of him since he expected J'Ru and Kaymen to both knock the wind out of those niggas.

Exiting the building, Priest got into his car and traveled in the direction of his penthouse. The drive wasn't too long since traffic wasn't much of a pain. He silently thanked the man above for the emptiness that was now the front of his building. The reporters seemed to have gotten restless and impatient awaiting for him to come down, unaware that Priest had managed to escape their invasive presence earlier that morning. Parking his car alongside the rest of his vehicles, Priest got out and took the elevator straight up to his penthouse. He rolled his fingerprint against the scanner, granting him access without going through the security of the building.

The aroma of fresh-cut lemon and clean linen struck his nose. The smell was definitely inviting, and it caused a light smile to dance along Priest's face. It was Saturday, which meant Priest's penthouse had been thoroughly cleaned to his liking.

"Good day Mr. Justice," Ms. Paulette offered her warm and inviting smile to him while she sanitized the countertops.

Priest trekked his way into the kitchen, being mindful that she had just cleaned it from corner to corner. He embraced her in a nice hug, causing her to laugh since she had grown accustomed to Priest and his good treatment. "It’s been a while," Priest sighed.

Ms. Paulette was the cleaning lady Priest had hired after one of the fellow penthouse owners in his building referred her. At the time, he was doing more than he needed to with the late nights and early mornings, and Ms. Paulette kept his home spotless. As more time fell on his hands after he began enjoying the fruits of his labor, he had fewer areas in the penthouse to clean, not to mention he was barely there. Now that his trial had brought him back to the penthouse, Priest made it a requirement to have Ms. Paulette back. She was the only one he trusted to be in his home for long hours of the day and not touch a thing that belonged to him.

Ms. Paulette and Priest had also managed to build a bond over music. She was a soulful woman who could sing her ass off. Priest always loved hearing her sing so gracefully and effortlessly while tidying up the penthouse. He had a good ear for music, which ultimately resulted in Ms. Paulette telling him all about the passion she had for singing. They'd been close since.

Ms. Paulette nodded her head, agreeing with Priest. "It sure has. Since Jazzy's been gone, you don't seem to have the time to stay in this place."

"Eh," Priest shrugged. "You know how it is."

Ms. Paulette nodded her head. "I sure do know how it is. You make sure you stay out of trouble, Priest." She gave him a warning eye.

Priest chuckled while nodding his head. "You have my word," he asserted with his right hand rested on his heart as a promising smile graced his face. "I only came in to clean up a little bit. It was nice seeing you, Ms. Paulette."

"Nice seeing you too, Priest,” she replied.

Priest was sure he had taken up the majority of the time he had appointed Britain to get dressed. J’Ru was accustomed to Priest’s tendency to be late, but he had been on a nice streak of being on time when it came to Britain. Before getting into the shower, he sent her a text.

Priest:Cool if I take another 40 mins? I got caught in something. My apologies.

Moments later, his phone chimed with a text back.

Britain:Take your time. I’ll be waiting.

Priest was grateful that she was understanding.

Priest:That’s real. I appreciate it.He replied to her before he began getting ready.

After cleaning all evidence of the harsh actions he had committed just a few moments before, Priest got dressed and was due to head out. Before he exited the penthouse, he managed to slip a thick envelope into Ms. Paulette's bag without her knowledge. He said goodbye to her once more before leaving the penthouse and driving straight to Britain's apartment.

Once he arrived, he issued three knocks against the door. He stood waiting for a moment before the door was opened, revealing Britain. The day had managed to slip from their fingertips, causing Britain to prepare for a night out type of vibe. Although Priest adored her when she was in her natural state, he had to admit that Britain looked stunning standing before him. She had slipped on a mocha brown, thin strapped, mini dress that stopped right at the brim of her rounded ass. The dress hugged each dip and curve of her petite frame, triggering Priest to bite down on his bottom lip. She had dropped her hair from the top knot bun she had been wearing and pressed it bone straight. Her jet-black tresses cupped her gorgeous face, styled with a sharp part down the middle. Britain's choice of attire was more than alluring to the eyes, and she managed to keep her look subtle and not take away from the dress with an excessive amount of jewelry. Around her neck was a necklace with butterfly pendant that stood as a statement piece, just like the chopsticks in her hair a few days before.

"You look gorgeous," Priest complimented her as he entered the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

Britain grinned up at him, her cheeks hiked up so high that they were causing her feline-like eyes to squint. Her face had grown warm, and if she wasn't compiled of all that gorgeous melanin, Priest would have seen she was blushing.

"Thank you. You clean up nice," she complimented him. Priest was dripped out in a pair of black Amiri jeans that he sagged slightly, matching it with a graphic Chrome Hearts hoodie. His feet were adorned with a fresh pair of cocaine white ones that he had laced to his liking.

Once Britain composed herself from the urge to smile goofily the entire time, she reached her hand up, examining one of the three diamond flooded chains Priest had on. The piece that looped through the iced-out chain was a raging bull that was also flooded in onyx black diamonds.

"I'm a Taurus," he enlightened her. His hands had gravitated to her waist. She had yet to put on her heels, so she still stood at her normal height, which allowed him to tower over her.

Britain’s thumb caressed the well-crafted piece of jewelry. "I'm a Cancer," she replied. He watched as she gathered all her hair on her right shoulder, turning around so he could set his eyes on the small tattoo that inked the nape of her neck. The black ink made out the constellation of the Cancer zodiac sign.

"We're compatible," Priest added with a lick of his lips.

Britain could feel herself growing weak in Priest’s hold as he peered down at her. If she remained a second longer, she would be at his mercy to do as he pleased with her.

"Let me go put on my heels, and we'll be all set," she informed him as she began drifting away toward her bedroom to retrieve her shoes.

Her journey to her bedroom was halted by the restriction of Priest's hands at her sides. Looking over her shoulders at him, Britain couldn't help but to turn around to face him. She stood before him with her head craned up to maintain strong eye contact. She felt a sudden shudder rattle her spine as his intense gaze shifted from her orbs to her full set of lips that were fancied in the brand of lip gloss he loved so much.

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