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“ M ama, have you talk to Merci? Her plane landed yesterday, but I hadn’t heard from her.”

“You know how her ass does. She’s fine.”

“If she doesn’t call me tonight then I’ll be concerned. She hadn’t called the whole time she was gone. That may be normal for you but that’s not normal for us. We try to talk to each other at least once a day.”

“Did you ask Perc?”

“He said he talked to her the day she left but that’s it.”

“Don’t stress about it. You just worry about being able to date this other man without getting Lucky upset.”

I was about to go out with Capone for the first time.

I thought it was best for me to move on from Lucky so when he did find out about me stealing from him, he wouldn’t feel some type of way about it.

Well, he was going to feel how he wanted to feel but at least I would be able to not feel guilty.

Capone was giving me everything I needed right now.

Lucky was so used to having me that he thought things would just go back to the way they were, but it wasn’t that easy.

“What am I supposed to tell him if he calls me?” My asked.

“Just tell him I was here but I stepped to get you some groceries or something. I don’t know just think of something mama.”

“I don’t like this at all but you grown.”

“Thank you.” I kissed her cheek and rushed out of the door.

I first started cutting hair Capone when I first had my son.

He was from Texas and was funny about how he wanted his hair cut.

He gave me a hard time the first few times, but he kept coming back which let me know I was doing something right.

Capone started paying me more than what his haircut was and he started having conversation with me.

He told me he owned a few car dealerships if I ever needed a car to come see him.

I bought my first Benz from me, and we been kicking ever since.

He was a longtime client and friend. Conversation just flowed with us, and we had a lot in common.

I felt like myself around him. He understood that I loved what I did for a living.

I parked my car and headed into the restaurant to get a table.

He wanted to take to a fancy ass restaurant but all I wanted to do was enjoy a few drinks and some good food.

I didn’t have to dress up to be here. Lucky went through a lot more to get time out of me than I made Capone do.

Maybe it was due to Capone not being a stranger to me unlike Lucky.

“I didn’t expect you to beat me here,” I spotted him towards the back of the restaurant.

We both agreed to find a table away from the bathrooms and front entrance.

It just kept us both from dealing with confrontation.

Capone was laid back in real life. He didn’t fight or argue with no one about anything.

“I figured I would pick the table to take the tension off you. I know this is a little out of the norm for your ass.” He looked so good. To be almost ten years my senior, he didn’t look like it.

“I’m a bit nervous.”

“I’m just glad you said yes. All of them FaceTime calls and text messages was getting old. You know I like spending time with you when you cut my hair. My main question is what you doing with your baby daddy? Are y’all together, plan on getting back together or what?”

“We taking care of our son and that’s it.”

“I’m asking ‘cause I don’t wanna beat his ass ‘bout no dumb shit. You know I don’t argue and shit.

I’ll quit fuckin’ with you first. That’s why me and my baby mama couldn’t work out.

She was fuckin’ with me and another nigga.

I told her ass to go to that nigga. She ran to his ass and we share custody of my daughter. I like my life simple as fuck.”

“I’ll try my best to keep all my problems away from you. Now I said I was going to try but I know how my baby daddy can be. If we got to stop kicking it, then I’m cool with that.”

“I don’t want that to be the case so let’s enjoy this while we can. How are you enjoying being a mama again? I’m glad to see you out of that depression you were in. You damn near made me want to give you a baby just so you could take you mind off the death of your son.”

“That’s funny. I love my son so much. He’s spoiled but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I just took him off breast milk since I’m ready to go back to work. His daddy hates it but he doesn’t have to have a baby constantly attached to him.”

“I’m with him with that one. Let him have it as long as you can. His ass will be healthier than most children. Consider letting him go up until the age of one.”

“What about your daughter?”

“Shit, what about her. All she does is spend all my money and have her face in her phone. Your time coming just wait,” we shared a laugh.

The waitress came and took our drink and food order. I ordered first and then checked my ringing phone while he ordered. I hit the ignore button and turned my phone on vibrate before sticking it back in my purse.

“You need to answer?”

“No, he can leave a voicemail.”

“I would hate to be your baby daddy right now. You the real savage ‘round this bitch.”

He got up from his side of the booth and slid in on my side.

My pussy tingled as his skin brushed against my arm.

I wasn’t sure why he turned me on so much.

Lucky did the same thing to me. This shit with Capone had everything to do with the thrill of having a nigga want me besides Lucky.

One that I didn’t have to worry about Lucky pushing away.

“If you only knew how long I been trying to get this close to you without you cutting my hair. All of them hundreds I would stick down in them titties paid off.”

His teeth were perfect, his breath was fresh, and his skin was clear. Where the hell this nigga come from, heaven? I looked down at his nails and noticed how clean they were. Was I turned on by him because he was just like Lucky? Lucky kept his nails clean as well. Nothing like a clean man.

“I can’t be bought,” I looked in his eyes.

“Not trying to buy you just some of your time outside of business. What you plan on doing now without out the shop?”

“I got a suite I just signed the lease for. It’s a little more private and I’ll only be able to take one client at a time until my insurance comes through.”

“Man, take that shit out of the hood. Fuck that riding for the hood shit. If they want you, they’ll travel to you. Take it somewhere that you know they gon’ call the police if something pops off.”

“I was thinking the same thing but until then, I’ll be in a small as space.”

“If you need anything, you know I’m here.” He ran his finger down the side of my face and lifted my chin to kiss me softly on my lips.

The waitress brought our food before I could react or respond to what he had just done.

I could feel my phone constantly going off in my purse but all I wanted to focus on was the man sitting next to me giving me his full attention.

He hadn’t pulled his phone out not one time.

Everything was about me first and he listened.

Who the fuck had time to argue with their baby daddy when a nigga this fine was sitting next to me?