Page 2 of Finesse
His men were in dark-colored suits and matching shades, looking like a beefed-up version of Jodeci while he looked like their business manager. I knew how Finesse got down; he was the boss and his boys were his security.
I focused on his eyes; those deep brown eyes that could read what I wanted before I knew. My eyes moved down to those juicy, plump lips that used to suck the soul out of my pussy on a nightly basis. I didn’t have to imagine what was beneath his clothing because it was tattooed on my brain.
His long and thick cock made me scream for hours. I remember my favorite position was getting on top and riding him. He showed me how to do it. He guided me until I was comfortable. He never made fun of me or put me down. He encouraged me to take that dick and that I did.
Now my heart is angry while my thighs are anxious to spread apart for him. My fists, however, want to sock his ass one good time. I walked away from him with a clean break and he has the audacity to show up at my daddy’s funeral?How dare he.
Did y’all hear me? The audacity. This fool doesn’t realize that I’m Taylor Hendrix Gray, daughter of Lamont Gray, grandbaby of Cecil and Sharon Gray, and I’m not on his time or anyone else’s. Just like what Auntie Maxine has said, I’m reclaiming my time and I want no parts of him.
And of course, I’m totally lying through my teeth.
Two
Running a coffee shop is not as easy as I thought it would’ve been. Granted, I didn’t think it was easy to begin with, but after taking over Daddy’s shop, I didn’t realize how much work he’d put into it.
Three months later after the funeral and way after people forgot about who you are and the calls stop coming, I’ve been busy. I met with Daddy’s business managers and accountants. I also met with his other accountants he secretly hired to watch the first ones. I also met with the third ones he hired to watch the first and second ones.
What can I say? Daddy was a boss.
Daddy left his entire estate to me, much to the chagrin of his girlfriends and their spoiled-ass brats. I was shocked to receive the inheritance because while Daddy wasn’t poor, he didn’t flaunt.
This man carried no more than sixty dollars in his wallet at any given time and drove the same beat up Toyota Matrix for years, even when he could afford a Mercedes or a Bentley.
He lived modestly in a three-bedroom home. Other than sporting events, and hanging out with his friends, my daddy kept to himself. Of course, he had a ton of girlfriends, but none were ‘I’m about to marry you’ type.
So, to see his estate was worth one million dollars, let’s just say a bitch was in a state of shock. And I haven’t even touched the insurance payout, which was also very generous.
Low key, I don’t think Daddy ever wanted to get married again after the stunt my womb-holder pulled. He didn’t want to subject me or himself to that again and I can’t really blame him. I’ve seen my birth mother a total of ten times in my entire life and I can count each of those times.
I need to explain something about Laurie. She’s not a bad person. I can’t say a bad thing about her. Calling her mother is a stretch because let’s face it, she wasn’t one. She knew motherhood and being a wife wasn’t her calling.
The last time I heard anything about Laurie, she was on her ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ shit and traveling all over the world. Again, I can’t hate on her because she’s doing what she wants to do. I just wish she remembered she had a kid.
I have no time to cry over any of that. I have to get Fresh Espresso and its other shops up and running in the same way my Daddy did. He opened up the main shop, while his employees opened up the others. They all opened and closed at the same time and there was no favoritism between the stores.
Everyone had too much respect for Daddy to participate in the bullshit and he wouldn’t have any of it.
As I pull up the large roller shutter door and the bright sun hits my face just right. The sun only shines on our coffee shop before the others and I know it’s Daddy saying hello to me. I’m feeling blessed and inspired. Today is going to be a great day.
I turn on the stereo and the sounds of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly blare through the speakers. Grabbing several bags of different coffees, I brew them quickly before the workers arrive. It’s a small shop so only six of us are here.
My father didn’t want a lot of employees and loved the small town feel of his coffee shops. It’s why he was always the local favorite despite the national brands moving in. People wanted service with a touch of home. They didn’t want to be another number.
I go in the back and look over my appearance before I start work. My long hair is straightened in a tight Ariana Grande-esque ponytail. I’m wearing short shorts to show off my eating-too-much-brioche-bread-and-it-shows thick thighs and a complementary pink tank top.
My face has the natural look of makeup, though I’m secretly wearing a ton of it. Topping off my look are a few spritzes of lemongrass, lavender, and jojoba oil on beautiful black skin that is kissed by the sun and ancestors and not by a tanning salon.
As the scent lingers in the air, my body groans as I think of the scent and it reminds me ofhim.
“Excuse me!” A lady behind a booth calls out to us as we walk down the farmer’s market. “Do you want to try this? Free samples!”
He looked over at me and shrugged. “It’s free.”
“Well, you know I like free!” I almost skip over to her. She spritz some spray on my forearm and rubs it in.
“It’ll heal your spirit while brightening your mood.” Her voice is smoother than hot tea. “You won’t regret it.”
I bring my arm to my nose and sniff it. My mood is already relaxed and I barely took an inhale. He took my arm and sniffed it as well. “Two bottles.” He pulled out a twenty. “Thank you.”
