Page 15 of A Million Boss Kisses

CHAPTER SEVEN

Yaseer Haynes

I went back to my hotel room and did my research on Marissa to come up with a few ways to win her over, since my first attempt was a bust. Then I took a nap.

The entire weekend was draining as fuck, and I couldn’t wait to get back home.

My parents interrupted my nap to invite me to an early dinner, so I obliged.

After showering, getting dressed, and calling my driver, Wayne to pull my truck around, I met my parents downstairs.

“Ole man trying to dress like me,” I stated, sneaking up on them from behind.

We were both dressed in the light blue Casablanca shirts that Amill bought us for Christmas last year.

I paired mine with a pair of white linen pants and the university blue Dunks, while my dad wore khakis and a pair of brown leather Allen Edmonds oxfords.

My mom, never one to be outdone, had on a matching blouse, white slacks, and a pair of baby blue heels that brought her nearly eye-to-eye with my father.

They spun around to face me with smiles wide enough to light up a dark room.

My father released the grip he had on my mother’s hand and greeted me with a hug.

After he released me, I embraced my mother in a long hug.

My parents had the type of marriage that I aspire to be in.

No real drama between them, just the type of love that would bounce off them and onto others.

Forty years of marriage wasn’t the norm but they were partners, lovers, and friends.

I smiled at them because something about this weekend made me crave that.

Always the perfect gentleman, my father helped my mother into the truck, and I claimed the front passenger seat. Then it hit me.

“Oh Amill thinks she slick,” I noted. “She told me she was going to stay at your place tonight, but y’all staying at the hotel this weekend. Oh hell naw!” I sputtered as Wayne eased into traffic.

“Relax, we are having an early dinner because we already planned to go home with Amill. We are going to have a movie night before y’all go back to Tampa in the morning. We didn’t get to spend much time with her this weekend because she wanted to spend time with her cousins,” my mom announced.

“Then it just hit me that Dad wasn’t out on the boat with them,” I noted as Amill’s answering machine picked up.

“When she goes out with her cousins, I don’t go out with them anymore. Nobody wanna listen to them say ayeeee a thousand times with loud music playing. No thanks. They know how to swim, and I trust my captain with my life, so he takes them out alone all the time,” my dad explained.

“Oh hell naw, see this why she be wanting to spend the summers down here. Y’all let her do what the fuck ever.”

“Boy hush. They want to be young and carefree. Twerk to some music, take pictures, and stuff,” my mother replied, making my chest tighter.

“She is not even answering her phone,” I complained.

“I’m sure they are fine,” my dad stated, tapping around on his phone for a few seconds until loud music blasted from his speakers, followed by a chorus of girls yelling, “I’m talking about in itttttttttttttt!” followed shortly after.

“See, twerking and having a good time,” my mother snickered, turning the phone around so I could see the security footage. After a brief glimpse, I looked away and turned back around in my seat to relax.

When we got to the restaurant, we secured a table, discussed a few business matters, and enjoyed our meals until my eyes landed on her.

Marissa was glowing more than she was the last two times I saw her, and jealousy coursed through me at the thought of another man being the reason for that extra glow.

I sat my fork down and sat up straight in my chair, watching her skin and grin in the next nigga’s face.

I thought I made my intentions clear earlier, but maybe something got lost in translation.

Since we were in such a public place and I recognized that my earlier actions could seem a little nutty, I didn’t want to go full scorched earth like I normally would.

The man Marissa was sitting with passed their waiter the checkbook without taking his eyes off of her.

She was mesmerizing, so I couldn’t be mad at him for seeing the same shit I saw in her.

His experience was coming to an end, though. Smiling, I stood from my seat.

“Is everything okay?” my mother queried.

“Oh yeah, I’m good. I’ll be right back. Have the waiter bring me another drink if he comes back before I return,” I requested.

The waiter was walking in my direction, and I followed him past the row of tables until he went to the waiter station behind the bar.

“Hello Carl, how are you?” I greeted him after reading his name tag.

“Ugghhhh, how can I help you?” He inquired, confusion flashing across his face.

“You wanna make some money?” I pulled a small knot of hundreds out of my pocket.

His blue eyes lit up at my words, and he brushed his blonde curls out of his face and scanned the restaurant that was now packed to the brim. “If you are trying to secure a table without a wait, that isn’t possible. We just had a rush and every table is occupied.”

“Nah, something a little different. I’m going to cover the bill you just took from that table, but first, I need you to take the card back to the table and tell them that his card declined.

Of course, he’s going to say it’s a mistake, but you gotta sell this shit.

Tell him you ran in three times and ask for another card.

He’ll probably produce another card, and you run that scheme until he runs out of cards. ”

“Nah man, I can’t do that.”

“I got five racks for you right here,” I discreetly flashed the money in front of him.

“Alright, but I need the money upfront,” he requested. “And I can’t run your card. Just in case he gets rowdy and asks to speak with a manager, they’ll try to run his card.”

“Shit, you ain’t said nothing.” I passed him the money and firmly held onto his hand. “Please know if you don’t do what you are paid to do, I’ll make sure you don’t make it home tonight.”

“Naw man, I got you,” he smiled, sliding the money into his pocket.

I returned to my table as Carl strolled over to Marissa’s like he was ready to put on the performance of a lifetime. He cleared his throat and leaned in slightly, just loud enough for nearby tables to overhear.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said with a frown. “But the card declined.”

I could see the shift in both of their energy. Marissa was embarrassed to be on a date with a nigga whose card declined, and he was shocked at the card declining. The dude blinked like his soul had just tried to leave his body. Marissa froze mid-sip, slowly placing her wine glass down.

“Nah, that can’t be. Run it again,” he urged. “Yeah, I ran it three times. Even wiped it off on my pants because it’s rare that we have this happen here.”

Carl handed the card back like it was diseased.

Dude pulled out another card trying to remain confident.

He quickly passed it to Carl, and he scurried off, smiling at me as he walked past our table.

A few minutes later, Carl returned again, lips pursed like he was annoyed.

Our waitress returned with a new drink for me, and I sipped, enjoying the show.

“Unfortunately, that one declined too.”

“Do you know them?” My mom whispered to me because they were watching the show too.

“Wait, that’s the young lady that slapped you last night,” my dad noticed.

“Shhhhh, she is going to be my wife one day, and y’all are ruining the show.”

Marissa exhaled like she was cleansing her spirits of the good time she just had with the nigga and pulled her card out.

“No, I got it,” he urged. Standing from my seat, I sauntered over to their table, allowing Marissa to get a good look at her knight in shining armor. I placed my hand over hers as she lifted her card for Carl to take.

“You out here giving broke ass niggas a chance behind my back?” I inquired, placing my Black Card on the table. Carl scooped it up and scurried off to finally make the payment.

“Who is this?” He questioned Marissa.

“Your mouth should be just as quiet as your pockets lil dawg.”

Marissa let out a soft breath, her eyes still locked on mine. I probably didn’t even have to go the extra mile to make dude look broke because once her eyes landed on me lil man didn’t exist.

“He ain’t even offer to feed you dessert, did he?” I pried after scanning the table and not a sweet in sight. “She’s mine, run off lil nigga.”

“What?”

I looked down at him like an annoying gnat that I needed to swat away.

“Get the fuck up and give her space,” I snatched him out of the chair, sick of being cordial for the sake of my parents.

If they weren’t here, this shit would’ve gone a whole other way.

He stood, and now that he was out of his seat, I had at least a foot on dude.

Marissa was probably about the same height as him when her heels were off.

“Yaseer,” Marissa hopped up, standing between us. “Ummm, Benjamin, I’m going to call it a night.”

“Alright. I’m sorry about the mishap with the payment. I promise I…”

“Save your broke boy excuses and bounce,” I ordered. Marissa nodded, signaling it was okay. Benjamin grabbed his wallet off the table and made his way out of the restaurant.

“You should’ve known he ain’t have it when he came to the date in them cheap ass loafers,” I noted, shaking my head in disgust.

“Yaseer, please,” she smirked, turning her head to catch a glimpse of his shoes.