Page 30 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“Well, I don’t have that kind of money, so what am I supposed to do?

I have three children, and I depend on this car to get us back and forth.

I’m barely making ends meet as it is. If I pay you that kind of money, my children and I will be sleeping in that car by the end of the month.

” The woman cried. My heart went out to her because I couldn’t imagine being in that situation while having children.

“If you don’t have the money, you won’t be able to pick up the car today.

We can hold the car for up to two weeks, but then after that, it will go to the impound.

” Although the man at the front desk was only doing his job, he didn’t seem to have an ounce of empathy or compassion for what she was going through.

The only solution he had was for her to pay in full or lose her car in the end.

I had some cash on me, and I considered giving it to her, but the sound of his voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Hey, Rondo, what seems to be the problem? I came out here to a pretty woman crying, and you know I can’t have that.

” Soul stood there looking fine as ever wearing a pair of overalls that carried the company’s logo.

It wasn’t until I saw him that I realized the name of the company was his last name as well.

Taylor Auto Shop. Wow, I never even put two and two together.

His eyes were soft and concerned, something I wasn’t used to seeing from him.

“There’s no problem, sir. The young lady is here to pick up her car, but unfortunately, she is unable to pay her balance. I’ve explained her options to her and?—”

Soul held his hand up to stop the man from speaking. His eyes peered over to the young mom as she held onto her sleeping child.

“How are you doing, miss? I’m Soul Taylor, the owner of this shop.” He held his hand out for her to shake. His smile almost made me blush, and he wasn’t even talking to me.

“Hi, my name is Iris. I’m sorry for causing a commotion, but I wasn’t aware that the repairs were gonna be so expensive.

He says that we talked over the phone, but I don’t remember agreeing to anything like that.

The payment is more than my rent and utilities put together.

” Soul allowed her to speak her grievances while he eyed her sympathetically.

“How much are you able to pay today?” he asked with a warm tone.

“I can pay $700 today and then maybe get on some type of payment plan. I just picked up a second job, so it shouldn’t take me long.

” She rambled as she adjusted the small child on her shoulder.

I studied Soul as he stood there with an unreadable expression on his face.

The women behind me were whispering about how fine he was and what they wanted to do to him, but I wanted to see his heart.

Even though we were nothing more than two acquaintances, I needed to know what type of man he was at his core.

“Rondo, how much were the car parts by themselves?” Soul asked without even looking back at him. The man at the counter typed a few things on his computer before answering.

“Six twenty five.”

“Alright, bet. Here’s what we’ll do. You pay for the parts, and we’ll call it even.”

“A-Are you sure? I don’t want you to think that I was trying to take advantage of you because that’s not it at all.

We’ve just hit a rough patch lately, and I’m trying my best to stay afloat.

I don’t mind paying off my debt.” You could tell the lady was in shock by his offer, and it made me emotional to witness.

The world we live in can be cruel, and it was nice to see people doing nice things for others.

“I don’t think that at all. I can look at you and tell that you have a good heart and that you care about your children.

This is a one-time offer, so don’t think you’re gonna get a discount every time you come here.

I just so happen to be a sucker for children, and I don’t believe in knocking anyone down when they’re trying to keep their life in order.

Rondo will take care of you.” The woman reached out to hug Soul, and I could tell that it caught him off guard.

I snickered as he stood there frozen for a second before finally returning the gesture.

“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. You really didn’t have to do this.” She wiped the tears from her eyes, and Soul stood there awkwardly with his hands in his pockets.

“Don’t mention it. And I mean, really don’t mention it. The last thing I want is a bunch of women coming in here trying to get a discount. I’m only soft on occasion. You just happened to catch me on a good day.” Soul joked, although I had a feeling that he wasn’t lying.

“Well, I’m grateful that I ran into you on the right day.

I wish you many blessings in your life.” Soul nodded in response as she stepped forward to pay her balance.

Another worker called Soul’s name, so he turned to speak with them for a moment.

The lady behind me wouldn’t stop talking, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable.

“You can tell by his print that he’s carrying something big. I have money for my repairs, but if he took another form of payment, I would gladly give him something else.”

“Girl, who are you telling? Pure and Soul are some of the finest men I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve never met their parents, but I know their daddy is fine. Hell I would fuck him too if I had the opportunity.” I rolled my eyes as I listened to them talk.

“You are dead wrong, Ty. From what I remember, both their parents are dead. You ain’t lying though. They definitely have some good-looking genes. Even their sisters are gorgeous.”

“Oops, my bad. Well, in that case, I guess I’ll just stick to them.

A friend of mine said that she almost hooked up with him at a party, but it got so busy that she ended up losing him.

I told her she was a damn fool because I would’ve stayed around until everybody left and followed him in my car.

That is one dick I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on. ”

“Let the church say amen. I brought my mama’s car in to get fixed because I needed an excuse to come in here.

There’s nothing like a fine, rich man who isn’t afraid of a little hard work.

He looks like the type that fuck you good and ruin your credit.

That’s just the type I like.” I could feel myself getting irritated as if they were talking about my man.

Hell, for all I know, Soul could’ve been a hoe out here in these streets, so I needed to chill.

Besides, he wasn’t my man, so I had no right to get upset.

As I stood in line, I felt the heat of someone’s eyes burning into me.

Turning my head to the right, I was met with curious eyes.

He stood there, pretending to listen to the man next to him while he eyed me up and down.

I felt naked under his gaze as if he could see something that no one else could.

When I glanced back up at him, he wore an arrogant smirk on his face.

A part of me wanted to crawl under a rock for what I’ve done.

Surely he would never let me live it down.

Once he finished up his conversation, he swaggered over to me. My breathing grew rigid the closer he got to me, but I kept my face neutral.

“Come talk to me.” His request sounded more like a demand, and I didn’t take so kindly to those.

“Are you asking or telling me, because I don’t recall you saying please?

” I folded my arms as we stared at one another.

My eyes focused on his lips as he licked them.

Something about that simple act turned me on in a way I couldn’t explain.

I needed to hurry up and get my ass out of here before I ended up doing something I wasn’t supposed to.

He whispered in a low tone, closing the space between us. “Why do you like to test me, huh? Why can’t you just do what I tell you to do without asking so many questions? You like being difficult, don’t you?”

“Because I don’t belong to you. You’re not the boss of me, so you can’t tell me what to do.

Now, would you like me to come talk to you, or would you prefer to continue this back-and-forth dialogue that we’re so good at?

Personally, I have more important matters to attend to, so I’d really like to speed this up. ”

“Please. There isn’t shit in your life more important than me.

Now bring your ass on before I throw you over my shoulder and make you.

I don’t like to repeat myself.” I bit down on my bottom lip, trying my best to remain calm.

Internally, my body was betraying me in the worst way, but I didn’t want him to see me sweat.

That would only give him more ammunition.

Soul’s head was big enough, and I refused to let him think that he could get over on me.

“Now I know you’re lying. Your skinny ass would embarrass yourself if you tried to pick me up right now.

The way these ladies drool over you, I would hate for you to embarrass yourself in front of your fans.

” I challenged. I should’ve kept my mouth shut because before I could register what was going on, Soul tossed me over his shoulder and carried me down a hallway and into his office.

“Put me down!” I shrieked.

“I didn’t hear your ass say please,” he replied, obviously getting a kick out of this.

“Put me down, please, and do it softly!”

“I should drop your ass right here on the floor. You’re gonna quit talking to me like you’ve lost your mind. I’m not one of those motherfuckers that you can walk all over. When I tell you to do something, you need to fucking do it.” I rolled my eyes at his demand as he placed me down on my feet.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”