Page 48 of Disrespectfully, Relic
She waved a hand to welcome him inside while thanking the men as they exited. Once she locked up, she turned to him and smiled.
She and Lomar had been messaging here and there, but outside of flirty banter, nothing had come of it. The one time he’d invited her out, she cancelled on him because the workers remodeling the salon were taking their precious time, so she’d shown up to light a fire under their ass. He hadn’t asked her out again since. Kennedy had felt bad about it, so she kept their line of communication open and had mentioned her event the other day. The last thing she expected was for Lomar to pop up, but she could admit that he was the perfect distraction from Relic.
“So, this is you?” he asked, nodding his head in approval as he peered around the chic salon with neutral colors, gold accents, and bright lighting. “This shit is nice. Some money was put into it, for sure.”
“I just manage it, but yes, the owner dropped a nice bag on bringing it to life.”
“It’s the same nigga that started a record label from this area, right?”
Kennedy frowned at the sudden interrogation. Instead of responding, she took the flowers from him to place on the booth next to her purse since the other bouquet took up the entire receptionist desk.
“How do you know about him?” she asked, turning to Lomar with crossed arms and a distrusting gaze. Her circle’s notoriety made it hard to decipher genuineness from ulterior motives, and she’d learned that valuable lesson from Ronnie.
“Shit, how else you think? The net. I was looking up your salon for the address to surprise you, and they were in the comments debating if he owned it. Was talking ‘bout the nigga like he was a ghost or some shit. I ain’t ever seen him around myself, but I ran the same circles as P at one point. Someone mentioned that was his family.”
“Who hasn’t run with Pierre? Everyone knows his ass,” she replied with a roll of her eyes as he laughed.
“I take it, you don’t fuck with him.”
“He’s not my favorite person, but he’s dating my lil’ boo and is label mates with my nephew, so I tolerate him.”
Lomar angled his head, piecing together her statement before he deduced, “Big Tek is your nephew. Damn, it’s a small world. Here I am, thinking I met a regular ass girl, and you’re connected to rappers, record label owners, and shit.”
“Restuarant owners, too. My friend, who’s in back and probably eavesdropping on us as we speak, owns a restaurant. The building next door is run by my girl who’s an esthetician. Her grand opening is today as well.”
“A clique of female bosses. I fuck with that. No wonder you ain’t got no kick it for a normal nigga like me. I ain’t yo speed, huh?”
Her eyes bucked at his assumption. “That’s not true! I know I seem standoffish, but my last relationship was a while ago, and he fucked my head up a bit, so I’ve been iffy on niggas. Trust me, you’ve lasted longer on my line than most. Not to mention, I was so focused on preparing for today that it took precedence over everything. I’ve yet to even get my damn car fixed.”
“Well, shit. What better time than right now. Give me your keys.”
“Give you what?”
She’d heard him, but his request caught her off guard. Kennedy was beginning to realize Lomar was good at that—taking her aback in a good way because most men didn’t care to solve the simple problems that made women most appreciative.
“Let me get your car key. I can leave my shit here and take yours to the shop. By the time you’re done with your event, it’ll be fixed. Then maybe, you’ll let me take you out afterward to celebrate your accomplishment. You still owe me a date, mama.”
“I do, don’t I?”
She cracked a smile at his determination before grabbing her purse—fishing her keys out to remove her car key from its ring. She held it out but retracted when Lomar reached for it.
“I’m trusting you with my baby. Don’t bring her back looking worse than when she left.”
“I got you, and I’ll even get her detailed. How long does your event last?”
She dropped her key in his palm before answering, “It’s from twelve to five. Be back on time, and know where you’re taking me by the time you get here. I don’t want to deal with the back and forth of us figuring out where to go. I will take my ass home and get in my bed.”
“Don’t worry about none of that. Focus on your day and enjoy this shit, mama. I know you’re busy, so I ain’t gon’ hold you, but let me feel you up right quick before I head out.”
Kennedy burst into laughter before giving a playful roll of her eyes while Lomar wrapped his strong arms around her waist, copping a feel of her ass that sat nice in the simple joggers clinging to her like a second skin. He released her and fixed her baseball cap that’d shifted during their embrace.
“How you some fine shit even when you chilling, mama? Goddamn.”
“There you go, laying it on thick again. Bye, Lomar.”
“See you later. Don’t let them muthafuckas tire you out either, ‘cause I’m getting my time by hook or by crook.”
He kissed her cheek with that assertion and then swaggered out while Kennedy watched him head to her car, hopping inside like he’d driven her shit before. Once he pulled off, she spun around and clamped a hand on her chest at Savvy standing beside the booth with a teasing grin.
