Page 59 of Sweetest Temptation
A Week Later
I pulled up to Zanova’s bakery, parking right out front. A second later, my sister’s car pulled in behind me. She hopped out, slamming the door with attitude already written all over her face. She asked me to come with her to pick out my niece's cake. Her fuck-ass baby daddy was supposed to bring her, but the nigga canceled at the last minute. She was lucky that Zanova had an open slot to make the cake since she stayed booked.
I followed her inside, the bell over the door chiming, as that familiar sweet scent of frosting and pastries hit me in the face. The place was busy, like it always was on a Thursday afternoon. Customers were lined up, with a few of them sitting at the small tables, enjoying their treats. I spotted Zanova behind the register, smiling too damn hard for some square-ass nigga posted up in front of her. I don’t know what he was saying, but whatever it was had her cheesing like he was funny or some shit.
Now, me being who I am, my first instinct was to walk over there and crash the fuck out. But I caught myself. This is Zanova’s place of business, and I wanted to respect that. So I just stood back and watched to see what happened.
Just then, Zanova's eyes shifted to me. That smile seemed to get brighter for a split second before she turned back to square dude. When he leaned in and whispered something to her, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I walked around the counter. Her eyes widened when I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers. I turned to the dude with a smirk covering my face.
“Samir, what are you doing?” Zanova whispered, clearly embarrassed, though that little smile creeping at the corner of her mouth told a different story.
“I don’t know. You tell me?” I said, eyes shifting from the dude back to her.
“Okay, love,” the dude interrupted. “I need to get out of here. Thanks again. I’ll be seeing you soon.” The guy glanced between us, smirked like he’d just picked up on the vibe, then winked at me before grabbing his coffee and heading for the door.
As soon as it shut behind him, Zanova turned to me, arms folded. “You really just did that in front of my customers?”
I leaned against the counter, lips curving. “What? I was just saying hi.”
“No, you weren’t. You were trying to have apissing contestwith a customer.”
I waved her off. “No, I wasn’t. That nigga was smiling too hard in your face. I was just letting him know that he didn’t have a chance.” I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.
“Aww, bro! You were jealous…” Jamila said.
I shot Jamila a hard look, trying to keep my cool. “Man, ain’t nobody jealous.”
Zanova pulled to the side, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “You’re a mess, Samir. But I gotta admit… It’s kinda sexy, watching you squirm.”
“Sexy, huh? Maybe I should’ve knocked the nigga out.”
She rolled her eyes, but her tone softened. “Samir, we were talking about his wedding… to hishusband.”
Jamila began laughing like shit was funny.
“All right, Mir. We’re here to order Joya’s cake. Stop hogging her so we can get started. I don’t even see why you needed to come anyway. Dang!” Jamila huffed, rolling her eyes as she nudged me toward the door.
“Shut up, big head-ass girl.” I playfully mushed her.
Zanova laughed, the sound light and easy as she untied her apron. “You two are something else,” she said, shaking her head.
She led the way through the back, the smell of vanilla and sugar following us down the short hallway. Her office was small but cozy, notes and sketches pinned to a corkboard, and a few framed photos of her cakes on the walls.
Jamila plopped down in the chair across from the desk, already pulling out her phone to show pictures of the cake inspiration. “Okay, so I’m thinking something pink and gold. Maybe a little crown on top? You know, princess vibes.”
Zanova nodded, grabbing a notepad and pen. “Got it. How old is Joya turning again?”
“Three,” Jamila said proudly.
I watched Zanova as she jotted notes, her brows furrowed like they always did when she was focused. She looked goodin her element. Every now and then, she’d bite her lip, eyes narrowing as she concentrated on her drawing. I swear it took everything in me not to kick my sister out and bend Zanova over her desk.
Jamila kept talking about colors and themes, showing pictures on her phone, but I barely heard a word. My focus stayed locked on Zanova. The way she smiled when she noticed me watching her, an idea clicked.
She looked up, catching me in the act again. “You okay over there?”
I cleared my throat, playing it cool. “Yeah, I’m straight. Just making sure you’re paying attention to my niece’s cake and not getting distracted.”
She laughed softly. “Trust me, I can multitask.”
