Page 7

CHANIYA

“ O h my God! Oh my God! You didn’t tell me you were gonna be taking part in killing little fishes. You’re a murderer,” I say while backing away from Germayne, who’s wearing a Cheshire grin.

A week after the robbery, with Germayne and I sitting on the phone for hours, I let him talk me into going on a date.

The problem is I didn’t think he was serious about the type of date we would be having until last night.

Germayne instructed me to wear my oldest clothes and some beat-up tennis shoes, yet I thought he was joking.

Caleb was with Kenyatta, who had a sleepover for two of his sons, so I didn’t have to worry about asking Mom to keep him again.

I haven’t told Germayne about Caleb yet, because whatever this is between him and me isn’t serious.

If things change, I’ll talk with him about the fact that I’m a single mother.

One of the problems with Dedrick is that I let things move too quickly and allowed him to meet Caleb within a month of us being together.

Dedrick hadn’t proven anything to me in that short timeframe, so I shouldn’t have been so careless with my son.

“Come here, girl. These little fish ain’t gonna bite you. Look, he’s harmless,” Germayne tells me, dangling a small fish in his hand.

“It’s bad enough that you got me in these woods without something to protect my hair from the bugs and spider webs.

Now you want me to mess up my aloe vera soft hands by touching those.

Um, how far is the parking area? I gotta get my out-of-place ass out of these woods.

This can’t be God’s will for my life.” Ranting, I turn left and right, wondering if I can remember where Germayne parked before leading me into temptation.

Thunderous laughter echoes around the area, causing me to turn and look at Germayne to see him reacting to my statements like he’s at a comedy show.

“Man, I needed that damn laugh. Bring your scary ass over here. I put it back in the bucket.”

“I ain’t scared. I just don’t see why you have to kill that little fish like that. I thought you said this was a date, anyway. I ain’t ever been on a date where the man tortured me. You might need to learn what it means to invite a woman out, because this isn’t it.”

“Awe, poor Chaniya. Come here, suga. A little kiss will make it all better.” The sinister grin Germayne’s wearing has me folding my arms over my chest while staring intently.

“Nah, playboy. I don’t trust you. I’ll stand he—ah! Quit playing! Quit playing!” Screaming, I dash through the woods’ opening when Germayne charges me with a minnow in his hand.

My heart is beating erratically, and my arms are moving like I’m running a race, seconds away from passing the baton. Crackling and swooshing hit my ears as I ran from side to side, trying to avoid Germayne.

“Okay. Okay. Come back, Chaniya. I’m done. I’m done.” Germayne’s humorous voice penetrates my ears, but it takes me a minute to register that he’s no longer chasing me. “Whoa. Wat?—”

“Oh shit!” I shout when I run into a tree branch that slaps me in my face, causing me to fall back and land on my butt, hard. “Ow.”

“How’s that feel? Better?”

Nodding, I lift to look into Germayne’s concerned eyes after he finishes putting the Neosporin on the scrapes on my palms.

“Next time you want to plan a date, . . . don’t. From now on, I’ll be handling all of our outings. You suck at first dates, mister.”

Leaning in, Germayne places a light kiss on my lips before standing to his full height, and I repeatedly blink from the soft caress of what shouldn’t be categorized as a first kiss.

Yet, the zing of electricity flowing through my body from the minuscule contact of our lips lets me know that I didn’t imagine it.

“I’m guessing you’re done, and our fishing adventure is over, huh?”

Snapping out of my brief haze, I pout because surely this man doesn’t want me to return to the crime scene.

After falling, Germayne scooped me into his arms and carried me to his SUV to retrieve the first aid kit.

My comfort with being in Germayne’s arms shouldn’t have been as easy, yet I held onto him like a damsel in distress.

This is crazy because I can’t stand weak women, but to be held by Germayne, I will happily put on airs.

“Let’s make a deal, Ms. O’Neal.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of this, Mr. Malone.” Emphasizing his last name is necessary because, why are we adding them right now?

“If you allow me to erase how this began by starting over, I’ll let you plan our next date.”

“Hm. How’s that a deal when I already stated you won’t have the privilege?”

“The deal comes with me cooking for you to ensure that everything but our do-over sticks with you after today.”

Hm. Intriguing, because I have never had a man cook or offer to cook for me before.

Germayne steps closer, removing the space between us, which charges the air when his eyes glisten with seduction and merriment, making it difficult for me to resist.

Mm. You’re a charmer, I see.

“What do you say? If you allow me to fix this, I guarantee it won’t be something you regret.”

Damn.

The husky, gravelly, and low octave Germayne is using hits me dead center of my lower region, making me give in, despite my reservations.

“Okay.” The single-word answer is breathy and unpreventable from my inability to deny this man.

“Good?”

I blink slowly after Germayne removes his finger from my mouth after allowing me to taste the sauce he’s making.

After stopping at a small grocery store to grab things for Germayne to make us dinner, I’m sitting on his counter, taking it all in.

The meal is simple yet one Germayne makes appear elegant despite me cooking it often.

Caleb is a fan of salmon, so I make salmon alfredo with broccoli on a monthly basis.

However, I never take the time to make the sauce from scratch because I don’t have time, and Bertolli is my BFF.

Yet, watching Germayne move around his kitchen, chopping fresh broccoli, pan-searing the salmon, and then expertly making alfredo sauce, has me thinking I’ve been shortchanging my poor son.

“Is it good, Chaniya? Or do I need to add something else to it?”

Between Germayne’s smirk and his finger still hovering near my mouth, I’m struggling to get myself together.

My juices are making their way to the seat of my panties, which isn’t something I need right now.

Yet, my body is overheating, just experiencing this man making what most, including me, throw together within thirty minutes or less.

“I-it’s good,” I answer, crossing my feet at the ankles, hoping Germayne isn’t aware of my chest rising and falling or my labored breathing.

“Bet. Let me get everything mixed, and we’ll be all set. You can head to the table, and I’ll bring our plates momentarily.” Without preparation, Germayne lifts me from the counter before placing me gently on the floor.

Okay. Okay. You cannot sleep with this man on the first date, Chaniya. You’re trying to remove reckless living from your character. Lock it down. Clink! Clink!

My conscience begins chanting the last two words like a mantra with every step I take to the table Germayne has in his large kitchen. I’m unsure of the time between my arrival at the table and Germaine’s approach with our plates, because I’m unsure how present I am with reality.

“Alright. What would you like to drink? Do you need parmesan cheese?”

“Water, please.” Cooling this heat in my body is imperative, or I will swipe everything off this table and be your dinner, sir. “Oh, parmesan cheese would be great. Thanks.”

“Here you are. Let’s bow our heads for a quick prayer.”

“I like him, but is it too soon? I just ended things with Dedrick. I don’t want to become fodder for gossip.”

“Girl, bye. Dedrick’s been needing his walking papers,” Isis says.

“Okay. Besides that, fuck anybody who can’t be happy for you. Unless they’re gossiping about the shit stains in their underwear, we ain’t got time to entertain bullshit,” Riele adds.

“Riele Parker, I know you better stop moving like that while holding my child.” East’s statement comes through the receiver, causing me to smile.

“You better tell her, brother-in-law,” Isis instigates while snickering.

Riele begins pleading her case with East, causing me to laugh when East doesn’t ease up on how she’s handling their child.

This is the kind of man and father I should have had when I became a mother. Maybe God will give me a do-over so I can get it right the second time.

“Anyway, . . . back to our conversation. Tell me what he looks like, Chaniya. Is he fine enough to make you sit up in your bed while high-fiving God post-sex? Have you been able to see a print or nah?” Riele questions.

“I see you want me to crash out in here. Why are you asking these dumb-ass questions, Riele?” East’s deadpan voice incites Isis’s hysterical laughter.

“I’m sorry, baby. It’s this six-week drought we’re suffering through. I need some dick,” Riele whines, and I burst into laughter upon hearing her words.

“Penetration isn’t the only form of sex, bae. You don’t talk about another nigga in retaliation. Matter of fact, hang up and let me get you right,” East says.

*beep, beep, beep*

“Wait, did this bitch hang up without saying anything?” Isis asks the rhetorical question that the beeping in our ear already confirmed.

“What’s worse is my ass is over here rolling my eyes from jealousy. Hell, I want a man to boss up on me like that. Make me throw away the doctor’s postpartum instructions in the diaper genie,” I say.

“Well, we’re gonna send up some prayers now that the Risen Savior will deem you worthy of such a man. I’m only praying for one to fill me with multiple orgasms six out of seven days a week,” Isis states.

*bzz, bzz*

A Kool-Aid grin fills my lips upon seeing Germayne’s name flashing on my screen, interrupting my ability to respond to Isis’s foolishness.

“I gotta go, girl. This man is calling, so maybe God is already working things out for me. Tootles.” Disconnecting the call before greeting Germayne, hoping I don’t sound as cheesy as I feel. “Hey, you.”

“Did you get hijacked, kidnapped, or some shit, Chaniya?” My thighs clench subconsciously upon hearing Germayne’s aggressive tone penetrate my ears.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m guessing you’re hard of hearing and incapable of comprehending.

Let me remind you, though. When you left my house, I specifically remember asking you to call or text me when you got to your crib.

It’s been an hour, and from your relaxed tone, I’m assuming your pretty ass is comfortably lying in bed. ”

Germayne and I met up at the Supercenter at the start of today’s date because I wasn’t ready to give him my address.

Instead of taking two vehicles for our fishing expedition, I rode with Germayne, which also made it easy for me to accompany him to his house for dinner.

However, I was kicking myself when Germayne drove me to my car, and I had to drive home on a full stomach.

Getting a call from Riele and Isis to catch up had me forgetting to call or text Germayne after getting home.

“Chaniya?”

“How old are you, Germayne?”

“Thirty, but what does my age have to do with this present inquiry?”

“I’m just wondering why a man with your career and credentials speak with such heavy Ebonics. It seems highly inappropriate.”

“What’s highly inappropriate is you not following simple instructions so the man you’ve spent the day with doesn’t have to lose his mind over worrying about you.

To answer your question, just like the knobs that control the water that flows from my faucet, I know how to turn my professional versus non- professional dialect on and off.

I’m still waiting for your answer to my original question, though. ”