Page 16 of The Hellcat Barbies: Zora
I forced a laugh. “Y’all swear you know me better than I know myself.”
“Because we do,” Tiana said flatly.
Their words lingered heavy, so I cut it quick. “Change the subject before I hang up.”
They groaned, dragged the call out with gossip, and then finally let me go. When I set the phone down, the quiet came rushing back in.
They weren’t wrong. Semi wasn’t like the rest. And that was the exact reason I couldn’t let him too close.
6
Semi
“Peanut,” I started, setting my phone down on the counter. “Your mama hit me up.”
Semerah froze mid-bite, her spoon clinking against the bowl. “For what?” She frowned.
“She said she wanna see you.”
Her eyes narrowed quick, and she shoved the bowl away. “I’on want to.”
I exhaled slow, leaning on the counter with my arms crossed. “Semerah—”
“No, Daddy,” she cut me off, shaking her head. “I’on want to see her. She always says that, and she never comes. She lies… every time.”
Her little voice cracked, and it damn near ripped me in half. I walked over, crouched down so we were eye to eye. “Look, I’ain gon’ sit here and act like you’re wrong. She’s been slipping… bad. But let me tell you something… you’on owe her shit. You’on have to go nowhere you’on want to.”
“So I’on have to go?” she asked somberly.
“You don’t,” I countered. “If you ever decide you do wanna see her, that’s on you. That’s your call… not mine… not hers. Nobody’s forcing you into nothing.”
She blinked, her shoulders loosening just a little. “But what if she comes, anyway?”
“Then I’ll handle it,” I told her. “You let me handle her, and you continue to be the prettiest lil’ girl ever.” I smirked.
“Okay, Daddy,” she simpered.
I kissed her forehead and stood. “Good. Now finish your cereal so we can get outta here.”
Minutes later, we were in the car, headed toward the school while she hummed along with the radio. Her mama popping up didn’t change shit. I’d protect Semerah from every letdown, even if I had to stand in the gap for the rest of her life. She deserved consistency, somebody she never had to question, and if that meant I carried the whole load, then so be it.
But as I watched her through the mirror, that carefree hum pulling me out of my head for a second, Zora crept in. That same smart-ass mouth, the way she moved like she refused to need anybody, and she still managed to hook me, anyway. I told myself I wanted things to stay casual, but the truth was already rearing its ugly head. I wanted more than her body. I wanted her time, her attention, her trust, even if she swore she wasn’t giving it.
That shit was dangerous, because I knew once I decided she was mine, there wasn’t no turning back. I’d chase it all the way down until she gave in, and then it’d be too late for either of us to act like it was light.
By the time I pulled up at Semerah’s school, my chest was tight with the weight of it all. Protecting my daughter was the only thing I couldn’t bend on. But wanting Zora? That was a risk I could already feel myself willing to take.
***
The shop was active with clippers buzzing at every chair. Me and Case moved around while the prospects worked on live cuts. That was the only way to know if they belonged here—how sharp their hands were, how clean they finished, and how they talked to whoever was in the chair.
Case leaned over one dude’s shoulder, pointing. “Your fade’s crooked. Fix that line before you spin him around. Clients peep that shit first.”
The kid nodded quick and tried to tighten it up.
Two chairs down, the female barber had her client laughing while she worked, clippers moving smooth and steady. She asked questions, cracked jokes, and kept him engaged while her cut came together clean. I kept my eyes on her, noting the way she controlled the entire space.
“She’s got it,” Case muttered to me.
