Page 20 of The Perfect Verse
“What nigga?” She smirked, her cell vibrating yet again.She quickly bid X goodbye as she made her way out to the hallway.
“Fuck it. Here goes.”
Kaleela: I need to tell you something. After I do, if you still want to fuck with me, cool. If not, that’s cool too.
Bitch Boy Cuzzo: I’ma still fuck with you no matter what. I’m a loyal ass nigga. You’ll see, So, what’s up? I need to see you.
Kaleela: Now?
Bitch Boy Cuzzo: Slide.
He then dropped his location like the bossy nigga he was. Luckily for him, she did want to see him, and he could ride with her since she’d been holding off on something she needed to do for quite some time. She had less than a week and was no closer to finishing up the assignment Shawn had challenged her to complete.
Chapter 9
Verse Nine
Pulling up, Chaney became excited. She hadn’t seen her man all day. She’d completed three sew-ins, two installs, and one re-twist, which had her wrists tender from the constant rolling. Usually, when that happened, Donovan would soothe her ache with some rubbing alcohol while she rattled on about her day.
He wasn’t like most men she’d dated before she started dating women. All they wanted to do was eat, smoke, eat and smoke some more, talk about themselves, and then have sex. They were boys who were only interested in superficial conversations that often left her feeling empty. She may have been ratchet, but since she was a little girl, Chaney always dreamed big.
Donovan, thus far, fit the bill. Some days, she’d leave her salon exhausted, yet she would still come through the studio to see him. He’d quickly take a break to check in on her well-being, from a quick foot rub to him ordering food. If she wasn’t sleepy, he’d sit her on his lap and love on her until her eyes grew heavy.
She’d never been with a man who found everything she did to be just as important as his career goals. After leaving The Palace,once she and Kaleela broke up, Donovan was the first one she shared with that she wanted to open up her own salon.
Without hesitation, he called up a few realtors he’d done business with before they secured their current studio. It was in the heart of the hood, too, and close to downtown Miami, which was deemed prime real estate. It was also a hot spot where tourists and celebrities frequented, which was strategic. In his eyes, his girl’s name and skills warranted that level of clientele, and for the first time in her life, celebrities knew her name.
Still, no matter how much money she made, Chaney was comfortable in her own skin. She knew she was a hood chick and made no apologies for it. She smoked, drank, ate hot sausages, pickled eggs, and loved a good chicken wing and fry dinner from the corner store.
However, when she had to tone it down, she knew how to after she’d learned a few etiquette tips over the years from Shonasia. She was still cordial toward to her, despite her breakup with Kaleela. Still, she was grateful. In the future, she hoped she and Kaleela could become friends, but for the moment, no contact at all was best, and Donovan agreed.
“Oh, hell no! What the fuck is really going on?” she released in disbelief.
She watched with a lowered jaw as his ex-girlfriend, Sashay, zoomed past her with a wiggle of her fingers. Even if she hadn’t acknowledged her, she’d recognize that bright, fiery-red Ford Focus with her eyes closed. It was beyond tacky. She also concluded that red was Sashay’s favorite color. It had to be since she constantly sported red, nappy-haired weave and baby hairs that practically covered her eyebrows. Hopping out, Chaney took off and barged inside the studio when her eyes landed on her man.
“Donovan,” she said with a growl through gritted teeth. Her chest heaved up and down as she approached him. “May I have a word with you in private?”
She heard his boys snicker under their breath, especially since she called him by his government name and not Dread Man, the one the streets called him. It was also a sign she wasn’t too pleased with the current love of her life. Neither was he, at the tone she’d taken. He didn’t care about the audience. He cared about respect, and she’d interrupted his session with negative energy.
Scratching his head, he pushed out a puff of air as he followed her into the spare room he used as a place to rest. He plopped onto the bed. With a tilt of his head, he took in Chaney’s flushed skin. She paced back and forth until he grabbed her hand, then pulled her between his legs. He despised arguing, and because that was all she’d done with Kaleela, he didn’t want to repeat history.
“Talk to me, baby.” He licked his lips as he admired her thick ass, hips, and thighs.
“Don’t,” she cautioned him. When she tilted her head back, tears rained down her cheeks. “I can’t do this shit again.” He knew then that she saw Sashay, and he felt like shit. It was more than what it looked like, but he’d never dismiss her feelings.
Kissing her slightly exposed stomach, he whispered, “Don’t trip.”
He kissed her slightly exposed stomach a few more times before he wrapped his arms around her waist. If nothing else, Donovan’s love language was physical touch. She was used to it, but with Kaleela, she was only fond of it in private.
“Look at me.” He swiped her cheek as she grunted, but she gave him her eyes. “She was only here a hot second. That’s it. I had to shoot her a band to handle something.”
“A band? For fucking what?” She took a few steps backward before he pulled her back in. “Bitches with dry ass weave like that ain’t spending a band on hairdos, Donovan!”
“Girl, lower your fucking voice,” he warned her, looking at the door. He never pillow-talked when it came to him and Chaney, even where Scooter was concerned. He’d done enough of that with Sashay, which was one reason that they weren’t together. She wanted to be one of the boys, which also meant getting her hands dirty. He’d rather she didn’t, but once she jumped off the porch, it wasn’t much longer before she was caught while transporting for him.
“Her granny asked me for it the other day when I was on her street, picking Speedy up, or that’s what Shay said when she saw us. It slipped my mind, but when it hit me, I just told her to come through. Better I see her here than at her spot or mine.”
“Fucking right,” she agreed with crossed arms.
