Solace II Sneak Peek: Chapter Two Snippet

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*UNEDITED*

Chapter Two

Hendrix

There used to be only three things I needed in life to be happy: money, basketball, and my freedom. In the blink of an eye, Cassidy had suddenly taken precedence over my need for freedom, and I didn’t put up a fight about it. After seeing her again and spending the week with her on that island, I knew fate had stepped in and expedited our feelings for one another. When I got back, I knew that I was done with all the nonsense that came with being single. I wanted her to be mine. Cassidy was the type of woman that made a nigga flex his brain. Everything about her made me want to go harder. I never expected to ever want to move mountains for her fine, stubborn ass. Yet, life was just better with her.

“How’d the interview go, babe?” I asked as soon as I answered the phone.

I made sure not to answer her Facetime call before having her call me regularly.

“Why didn’t you answer my Facetime call?” She inquired.

“I’m just leaving practice and my service is shitty. Tell me how the interview went,” I said, changing my question into a statement.

“Not so good,” she confessed.

“What do you mean? Walk me through it. What did they ask and what did you say?”

“They asked everything I thought they would. You know like, which programming languages and software I knew, and asked if I was ready to lead a team. Everything we went over.”

“Okay, so what was so bad about it?”

“I don’t know why I feel like I bombed it, but I just do. You know how you can just catch a vibe when you walk into a room? I didn’t get a good feeling. It was like they already had their mind made up on who they wanted for the promotion, and I was just them checking the box.”

“Did they say anything at the end, like when you could expect to hear something?”

She let out a frustrated breath. “They said they’d be in touch. That’s never a good sign.”

“Don’t feel that way, baby. Just think positive.”

“How about you think positive, and I’ll continue to think how I think,” she replied, tone dry as a bone.

“Or you could look at yourself in the mirror and see what I see.”

“And what exactly do you see?” She probed.

“I see a woman who knows how to make a man pay attention. Look at what you’ve already accomplished. All you do is inspire. And these hoes gon’ hate and make you feel like you ain’t on their level, but they need to get on yours. With a face like that and that gorgeous smile, plus brains—you a triple threat. I’m your number one fan, Cass. You a real one. I know it and you know it too.”

I could hear her cheesing through the phone. “Thank you, baby.”

“You know I always want to see you smiling and at your best.”

“I know. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. Where you at?”

“On my way home. I stopped by the store to get a bottle of wine and some roll ups.”

“What you got planned when you get in the house?”

“I’m going to pop the cork on this lovely bottle of Pinot and take a nice, warm bath, and I’m definitely going to roll myself a blunt.”

“It’s been that type of day, huh?”

She sighed. “Yeah, it really has, baby.”

“I wish I could see you and make it all better.”

“You on top of me would be goals right now,” she confessed.

I kept her on the line until I heard keys jingling in the lock and stood to my feet. She opened the door to a trail of bright red rose petals leading from the front door all the way down the hall to her bedroom. Dozens of candles aligned her floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the view of city lights in her living room.

“What’s that you said about goals?” I asked, holding the phone in one hand and a bouquet of roses in the other.

She looked at me in awe before dropping her phone inside her Louis Vuitton bag. “Hendrix? W—what are you doing here?”

“I've been waiting on you.”

“I can see that. And not that I’m not happy to see you, but why are you here?”

“I came to celebrate with you,” I said, walking over and presenting her with the roses before pulling her into my arms.

She encircled my neck with her arms. “Celebrate what? I didn’t get the job yet. It was just the interview, remember?”

“So what?”

“I just can’t believe you came all this way to surprise me. You’ve got rose petals and candles.”

“And I got some rosé on ice and even got you a blunt rolled. You can get as high as you want tonight, baby.”

She flashed her eyes up at me and grinned. “You thought of everything, huh?”

“I think so.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she said, running her hand down the side of my face. “You don’t know how much I missed you.”

“I could hear it in your voice earlier in the week that you were stressing about today, so I wanted to make sure I came to you and realigned your chakras and shit.” I smirked.

I scooped her into my arms and carried her down the hallway and into the bathroom where I had a warm bubble bath and her blunt waiting for her. I sat her on the edge of the bathtub and slid off her heels one by one before rubbing the soles of her feet.

She dropped her head back and opened her mouth. “Mmm. That feels so, so good, baby,” she groaned.

“There’s more where that came from when you get out. Go ahead and take your bath, smoke, and unwind. I’ll be waiting for you in the room whenever you’re ready,” I told her before gently kissing her lips.