Page 47 of He Thugged Me First

I looked at the card then back at the flowers before I shook my head.

I had been avoiding King since I’d fixed whatever this was with Mazzier.

Then when I was with Mazzier and I saw that this man’s name wasn’t even King, that shit scared me.

I mean Mazzier didn’t tell me the extent to which he knew this man, but I could tell there was something up with the meeting he trusted me to sit through with him.

Then it made me think about when I first saw him at Canez months ago, could this all be connected.

Blinking my eyes a few times, Immediately my eyes went to my opening door.

Damn nobody knocked anymore. The moment I looked up, I locked eyes with Mazzier.

As always he was walking into my office looking good enough to eat with something to eat.

“Why do you look like you see a ghost?” He asked, sitting the food on my desk and looking me over. He stepped into my space, looking down at the flowers on my desk before he reached for the card in my hand and read it aloud. “This nigga still hitting you up?”

“Yes, but I don’t respond and no I’m not going to dinner with him.” I looked up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I know you ain’t. Tell me something I don’t know.” He studied the card for a few seconds longer before he focused on me.

I giggled at the expression on his face. “Your friend stopped by.”

He threw his head back, confused. “Who? I ain’t got no friends, G.”

“Your female friend that I hope isn’t still your friend. She stormed in here and didn’t even know why she was here. She was?—”

“Childish as fuck because she pulled up on me at Canez today and?—”

I put my finger to his lip shushing him. “Nope I don’t wanna know, what did you bring to eat?”

He laughed and stepped back. “So, you don’t wanna know what happened?” he said, using his index finger to tilt my head and make me look up at him instead of at the food.

“Nope, I don’t because something tells me that you don’t wanna have problems with me.”

His laughter filled the room. “Beef with you? You ‘dont want beef with me.” he shook his head and playfully mugged me.

Once again I found myself here. I found myself in this space where I was trusting him with so much of me.

Even after he’d fumbled twice, why was I so easy to trust him with me?

His tongue was sincere and his heart was pure.

That was what I kept telling myself, but was it true?

I couldn’t be lying to myself because everything with us felt so right.

It felt like this between us fit and nothing could affect the magnetic pull that kept us here, in this space.

Mazzier and I had chemistry before either of us knew what chemistry was.

The ringing of his phone pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced up at him while chewing my food and his serious expression drew concern from me.

“That’s nothing, just make sure all the locks are changed and I’ll be through to pay the man.

That’s ya responsibility now, I trust you.

” He responded to whomever was on the other line.

I watched him as he finished his conversation while I reached into his food grabbing a fry because I’d eaten all my own.

He talked for a few moments longer before he hung his phone up and glanced my way.

“I called myself getting you extra fries, but I see that didn’t work.

He knew me so well. He knew that no matter what he got to be my main meal, I’d eat all my French fries and save the rest for later.

“Well.” I shrugged as I sat back and rested my hand on my full belly.

“Ain’t even shit there, yet.” He winked his eye before glancing over at the clock. That caused me to look over at the clock myself. I had a little while left to whine down. I caught what he said, but I decided to hold off on questioning it.

“I performed a surgery today.” I smiled widely. I was simply excited about being back in the field.

“How long has it been?”

“Two years, but field work on you didn’t count.” I shrugged like it was no big deal, but it was a huge deal. At one point I worked my ass off through med school just to be able to perform groundbreaking surgeries. “It just feels like I got that tingle down my spine and?—”

“You missed it. What are you gonna do about that?”

“I don’t know.”

We talked back and forth for a while before I promised for the second time that I’d be at his house today after I got off. He agreed to meet me and even have dinner laid out when I got there. I guess that was a win-win. I just had to get through the rest of my day.

The moment I got off work, I rushed toward my car and sped toward Mazzier’s. During my drive I checked on my grandmother and even called my sister who didn’t answer. Then I ended up calling Autumn who always answered my calls.

“Why haven’t I heard from you, heffa?” I asked.

“Because you’re too busy dating this mystery?—”

“We have to have dinner. I have to update you. Because that’s the furthest from what’s actually going on.” I responded.

“Oh lord, update me now. Messing with your schedule I won’t get an update until next week.” She was right because my schedule was hectic and so was hers.

“Nope. I’m free tomorrow morning for brunch, are you?”

“That’s fine. Wishbone?” she asked.

“Duh.”

“I’m gonna drag your stubborn ass sister with me too,” she responded. My sister was the exact human who could hold a grudge forever. Usually she would get over things, but now I see she actually planned to have an attitude with her grown ass.

“That’s fine.” We ended up talking during my whole ride to Mazzier’s home until I had to call him and tell him I was down the street.

The funny thing is I didn’t even trip about the drive to his home, because he had the most comfortable bed.

When I pulled up to his home, he had the garage open and he stood there shirtless leaned against the doorway.

This man was freaking gorgeous and he knew it.

Once I pulled into his garage, he pushed the button near the door and the garage door closed behind me.

I opened my car door as he closed in on me with a smirk on his handsome face.

“You must’ve sped to me, shorty.” He pursed his full two toned lips.

“No, I sped to your shower, then your bed.” I laughed as he stepped further between my legs. There was no way I could hop down from the car and get out with him right here. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips. “You must’ve missed me and you wanna carry me in.”

“Hell nah, I missed you, but not that much.” He screwed up his face like I was heavy or something.

I giggled. “Fine then move. What are we eating?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Didn’t I just feed ya greedy ass like four hours ago?” he stepped back, but made sure to grab my bag from my hand so he could carry it into the house. He waited until I was fully out of the car and I had the door closed before he led the way into his house.

“First of all I’ve been on my feet since you left, so excuse me if your drive-by lunch is depleted by now.” I was so busy talking shit when we walked into the door, that I almost missed the beautiful platter of food laid out on his center island.

“Now your ass is quiet.” He mugged me once he sat my jacket and bag down on his sofa across the room. He walked back over toward me and pulled the stool out for me to sit in after I washed my hands.

“You just like to bicker with me.” I cut my eyes his way as I finished washing my hands.

“I like to do some other shit to you too, but right now I’m just tryna date you. Can I do that, G?” he asked, walking over to take a seat in front of me.

The smile on my face grew as I took a seat staring at him. Then I looked at the spread before us. There were rolls, Cajun shrimp and broccoli alfredo and a side platter of shrimp. “I guess you can do that, as long as you’re feeding me too.”

With a laugh he nodded. “How was work, G?”

“Time flew because all I could think about was that surgery. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I was getting scrubbed up to go in.” I shrugged.

“So why not go back in if you love it that much?”

“Because running the hospital became my surgery. I mean I miss it, but I also love the space I’m in. I’m just being indecisive, how was your day after you left me?”

“It was straight, I went to look at the space for the next Canez. It’ll be up north in one of this old converted garage.”

“Are you excited?” I asked. I noticed that he rarely talked about anything he was working on. He was always so engrossed and attentive to whatever I was doing. I definitely loved that about him.

He shrugged. “It more so solidifies the idea that I’m stepping into a different space into my life. Feels like I’m growing up right before my own eyes. Feels overdo”

I nodded. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah, transition and change are just difficult at some points. It’s not always smooth sailing. For so long I ran the streets and damn near spent my life there, now I barley know what the fuck to do with myself half the time.”

I nodded halfway understanding what he was saying. “What do you wanna do, I means something you haven’t been able to do because of everything you’ve had going on?”

He chewed his food and just looked me over. “How the fuck Imma know that, G?”

I laughed at the serious expression he gave me. “What do you see, Mazzier. Have some sight.”

“I mean I see myself making ya ass happy until we both die and all of that shit you wanna hear,” he said while looking at with that piercing stare. “You good with that?”

“I’m fine with that.” I smiled at him as I reached for my water and put it to my lips.

“How many kids are you gonna give me, G?”

I damn near choked on my water as I put it down and looked at him. I didn’t even know how to respond. This was the second time he’d mention children or babies today. “You want babies?” I asked, peering at him.

“I mean yeah, you don’t?”

“I do, but this is definitely the first time we’re talking about them.” In actuality it was, I couldn’t even remember a time where Mazzier seemed like he even thought about the idea of kids.

He shrugged. “I never thought about them until you came galloping ya ass back into my life. Now I want about six, but I’m tryna respect your career. The thing is, I can wait and I ain’t in no rush because I see a life with you, G.”

I don’t know why a big ass smile covered my face, but it did. The fact that he saw a life with me made me feel all warm inside.