Loving Dasia

by Ana’Gia Wright

  He was still sure she wasn’t ready to move their relationship in that direction, but intimacy didn’t always have to revolve around the act of sexual intercourse. There were many other ways they could share each other, and he was hoping she’d be open to some of them. He’d follow her lead for the night, not anticipating anything, but rather living in the moment.

  The two snuggled up on the couch, and Dasia started the movie.

  G nuzzled closer to her. “What are we watching?”

  “Scent of a Woman.”

  “Never heard of it.”

  “Then you’re not a true Al Pacino fan.” Dasia punched him in the arm playfully. They’d discovered early on that they both loved Al Pacino movies. They’d watched Donnie Brasco, Heat, and Carlito’s Way more times than either of them could remember. They agreed that Carlito’s Way was the best.

  “Hey, I like a little Al in my life. I’ve just never heard of this one.”

  “Then you haven’t been paying attention.” The movie was starting, and Dasia didn’t want to miss one minute of it. “Now, be quiet, so we can watch the movie.”

  “Make me.”

  Dasia did just that. She turned to face him and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on his lips before turning back around and settling down to watch the movie.

  As the credits began to roll, G nibbled Dasia’s ear. “That was good,” he whispered to her.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. So are you about to go home?” She rolled over to her other side so that she faced him.

  “That’s up to you.” G gave her an Eskimo kiss as he stared into her beautiful brown eyes. “Do you want me to stay?”

  “I’d like that very much.” Dasia smiled at him, her cheeks warming with a tinge of embarrassment.

  “I do have a little bad news before we retire for the night.”

  Dasia shifted so that she was in a more comfortable position. “What’s that?”

  “Do you think you’ll be okay with me out of town for a week or so?”

  “Of course. I know you have clients you have to take care of. I’m a big girl. I’ll be okay. Besides, I know you’ll have Katina spying on me every waking minute.”

  G snickered at her comment. In actuality, he had more people watching her than just Katina. She’d met most of his bodyguards, but he wasn’t sure she knew they were watching her as closely as they watched him.

  “You know, if you need anything, just give her a call.” G’s hand slid over her side, and his hand came to rest on the small of her back as he pulled her into him.

  “I know, I know. You’ve told me again and again.” Dasia inched back just a little, putting some space between herself and G’s obvious erection.

  “I just want to make sure you’re going to be all right.”

  “I will, so stop worrying.” Dasia propped her head up in one of her hands. “Now, are you ready to go to bed?”

  “That all depends. Am I sleeping in the spare bedroom, or with you?”

  Dasia got up from the couch and stretched. She began making her way toward the master bedroom. “That’s up to you.”

  G joined her beneath the covers. He swung his arm over her side and pulled her close.

  Within minutes Dasia felt his breathing change. She turned around ever so slightly, only to see him sleeping like a baby.

  Chapter 15

  The next few days dragged on like molasses. Dasia missed her man. He called every night to make sure she was okay and to find out how her day had gone. He’d sent her flowers and candy and the cutest e-mails, just to let her know he was thinking of her. It was halfway through the week, and she still had two more days before she’d get to see him.

  Dasia decided to stop by and get some movies on the way home. She needed a little laughter to fill the empty space, so she rented a couple of comedies.

  By the time she got home, dusk was quickly approaching. She was ready to settle down in a warm bubble bath with a glass of wine before nuzzling in a cozy blanket in front of the television to watch her movies. Her day had been long, and she planned on enjoying her night.

  She slid her key into the door and walked into a dark apartment. She hesitated for a moment, sure she’d left the lamp on the end table on before she left for work. Thinking maybe in her haste to get out the door she may have forgotten to turn the lamp on, Dasia flipped the switch to turn on the light in the hall and made her way into the kitchen. She dropped the bags on the counter and turned on the radio.

  As Dasia opened the bedroom door, she noticed a figure moving in the shadows by the window. She slipped her hand into the drawer of the armoire and pulled out the .45-caliber pistol G always kept there. She aimed at the figure and called out for him to step into the light. She slowly backed up as the figure crept closer to her.

  When she had her back against the wall, she caught the glimmer of a blade coming toward her.

  The man said, “I won’t let him have you.” The blade grazed her extended arm, missing her wrist by inches.

  But she didn’t miss. The sound of the gun firing rang in her ears. She watched the figure grab at his arm and run toward the front door.

  Dasia didn’t know how long she’d stood there, but the next thing she knew, Katina was prying the pistol from her hands. She’d heard the shots and witnessed the man dressed in all black dash out of Dasia’s apartment and down the hall.

  “Dasia! Dasia, what happened?”

  Dasia turned and seemed to look right through Katina as she walked past her into the living room and collapsed on the couch in tears.

  Katina picked up the phone and called Chaos. By now, Ms. Johnson and many of the other neighbors were gathering around Dasia’s door. Katina knew there’d be many more soon. Wanting to preserve the crime scene, she asked Ms. Johnson to keep everyone out until the police arrived.

  G looked down at his cell phone for the third time. His phone had been ringing off the hook. He’d tried to ignore it, but Chaos kept calling. After the second time, G figured it had to be important, but he wasn’t able to get to the phone sooner. This time, though, he excused himself from his client and took the call, giving her some time to look over the million-dollar home.

  “Okay, Chaos, I’ve gotten every message you’ve left in the past two hours. What is so important that I have to drop everything?”

  Chaos was anxious. He’d been trying to reach G for hours, but he wasn’t answering his phone. He’d left messages and tried to wait, but this situation needed to be tended to immediately. “Yo, G, you need to come home. Now!”

  “Now you know that’s not possible. Can’t you handle whatever it is?”

  “No!” Chaos yelled. He glanced over his shoulder and realized Katina and Dasia were sitting right behind him. He really didn’t mean to yell, but G didn’t understand the severity of the situation. In as much of a calm voice as he could muster, Chaos tried again to relay the urgency of the situation. “Look, G, you need to handle this.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to give me more information than that. I pay you all well to take care of things while I’m gone.”

  “Aye, hold on. Let me go outside.” Chaos walked past the swarm of police officers and paramedics and out into the hallway of the apartment building. “G, you still there?”

  “Yeah.” G was starting to get irritated with his friend. “Now what is this about?” Chaos was hiding something, and G wanted to know what it was.

  Chaos dreaded telling G what had happened, but he needed to know, and Dasia needed him here. After a long pause, Chaos finally let the words fall from his lips. “Somebody broke into Dasia’s apartment and attacked her.” As the words drained from his mouth, he could only imagine what G was thinking.

  G was hoping for the best. He was trying to remain calm. There wasn’t much point in getting angry. Nearly six hundred miles away, there wasn’t much he could do for her, and getting upset wasn’t going to change anything. “Is-is she—”

  “She’s pretty shook up. I think she shot whoever it
was. He got away though. There are splotches of blood leading out the apartment and down the stairs into the parking lot. It’s not a lot. By the looks of things, the bullet probably just grazed him.”

  “Where is she now?” G needed to hear her voice. He needed to assure himself she was alive and well.

  “She’s in the apartment with Katina. The locals are still taking blood samples and fingerprints. She’s not sure where she shot the guy, but my men are checking the area hospitals to see if anyone has come in with any type of unexplained gunshot wound.”

  “I need to talk to her.”

  “Hold on a sec. Let me go back in.”

  G listened as Chaos made his way back into the apartment to find Dasia. He heard the voices of the police officers and paramedics, but not Dasia’s. He wondered who’d been watching the apartment. Someone was always supposed to be watching to make sure she was safe. Heads would roll for this breach of security, and someone was going to lose more than just his job.

  “H-h-hello?” Dasia’s greeting was filled with sniffles. She’d tried to compose herself enough to talk but discovered she couldn’t manage it right now.

  “Hey, baby. Are you okay?”

  “Oh, G . . .” Before she could get out another word, emotion overwhelmed her and she began to cry.

  Katina took the phone from Dasia’s trembling hands. “G, you need to come home. Things are getting crazy around here, and I don’t know how much more of this Dasia can take.”

  “Katina?”

  “Yeah.”

  Relieved that his sister could at least be there for a little while, G took a deep breath. Though he remembered the vow he’d made about allowing another woman into his house, his heart overruled that declaration. “Do me a favor. Pack as much of her stuff as you can. I’m going to have Chaos take her to the house.”

  “Anything else you need me to do?” Katina continued to rock Dasia.

  “Just make sure she gets everything she needs. I don’t want her to have to go back to the apartment. I’ll make arrangements to get the rest of her stuff moved to the house once I get back.”

  Dasia’s wails were making it hard to hear. Katina needed to get her calmed down. “How soon can you get here?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m out with a client right now, and she’s a real you-know-what. I’ll finish up with her as quickly a possible, and I’ll get the rest of my appointments re-scheduled. After things are squared away, I’ll be on the first available flight.”

  “Hurry, okay. She’s not looking too well.”

  “Did the paramedics check her?” G didn’t like the way his sister had said that. He knew Dasia didn’t handle stress well, and he could hear her anguish.

  After the migraine attack, Dasia had fought hard with him and the doctor about taking medication for possible panic attacks. If things kept going like this though, he was afraid that they’d have to face that discussion again.

  “They checked her a couple of minutes ago. I think she’s starting to show signs of shock though. I’ll have them check her again before we leave. I’ll make sure she’s all right and she gets settled into the house, okay.”

  “Thanks, Katina. I owe you big for this.”

  “We’ll settle up later. Hold on, here’s Chaos.” Katina handed the cell phone to Chaos.

  Chaos walked away. “So when are you coming back?”

  Katina turned and asked Dasia if she had a suitcase. With a little encouragement, Dasia began helping her fill the bags with the things she’d need for the next few days.

  “As soon as I can. I need you to take Dasia to the house. Make sure she gets whatever she needs. Under no circumstances should she be left alone. Understood?”

  “Got it.”

  “Katina is going to go with you to make sure she gets settled into the house.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of. I’ll call as soon as I have flight information. Let me speak to Dasia again.”

  Chaos again handed the phone to Dasia.

  “G, I’m scared.”

  G could hear the fear in her voice. He blamed himself for leaving her there alone. He’d asked if she was sure she was going to be all right while he was gone, and she’d assured him she was. He’d already hated to leave her, and now this happened.

  “Don’t be, baby. Chaos is going to take you to my house, and Katina is going to stay with you to make sure you get settled in. Make sure you take anything you think you may need from the apartment.”

  “Who would want to do this?” Dasia had no idea who’d want to hurt her. This didn’t make sense. Not only that, something about the man’s voice felt familiar.

  “I don’t know, baby, but I intend to find out. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with Katina and Chaos. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “And, Dasia.”

  “Yes?” Her fingers wrapped tighter around the phone. It was safe. Something for her to hold on to. G’s presence on the other end also gave her just a little comfort.

  “I love you, baby.” This was the first time G ever told a woman he loved her. It was comforting for him, verbalizing the feeling he’d been keeping bottled up.

  G wanted to tell Dasia, since the first night he’d met her, he was sure he was going to fall madly in love with her. At the time though, she was in a fragile state, and he didn’t want to scare her away. He’d been waiting for the perfect chance to tell her, and now seemed most appropriate.

  He’d imagined telling her while they were on a romantic boat ride or having a candlelit dinner, but now he knew she needed to know. Needed to have someone on her side caring for her and loving her unconditionally. Now that she knew, he hoped it would be enough to hold her until he got back.

  G listened to Dasia’s breathing on the other end of the line. He was sure she didn’t know what to say. Loving again was a difficult decision. Her ex-fiancé had hurt her enough. If she wasn’t ready to say the words, then he was okay with that.

  “Baby, you don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know. Now finish packing your things and try not to worry. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes,” she replied in a weak, breathy voice.

  “Then I will see you as soon as I get back?”

  Neither wanted to end the broken conversation, but G needed to get back to his client, and Dasia needed to finish packing.

  “Yeah.”

  “Now give the phone back to Chaos.” G heard Dasia call Chaos back to the phone, and within seconds his friend was on the line.

  “Yeah, G.”

  “I’m trusting her life to you. Don’t fail me.”

  “I won’t.” Chaos didn’t take kindly to G threatening him. He understood this was hard for everyone, so he bit his tongue at the comment.

  “I’ll check in with you in a couple of hours. I should be at the airport by then.”

  “A’ight.”

  The sound of the dial tone rang in G’s ear, and as he stared at the woman waiting for him at the stairs, all he could think about was getting home to his woman.

  Chapter 16

  Katina greeted G at the front door of his house. He looked a mess. Loving Dasia was definitely putting his patience to the test. They wrapped unsure arms around each other, gaining comfort and strength from one another.

  “Where is she?” G scanned the entryway, listening for any sign of life in the lower rooms of his home.

  “She’s sleeping in the guest bedroom. We need to talk.” Katina’s eyes focused on everything but her brother. She knew she shouldn’t have made the promise to Dasia, and now it was coming back to bite her in the ass.

  “I need to see her first.” G took in the worried look in his sister’s eyes, but his priority was seeing Dasia. “Okay, but what I have to tell you concerns her and you, and you could possibly be linked to what just happened.”

  G gave his sister an uneasy look. He wondered what kind of information she had to share with him. “I won’t stay long, I promise. I don’t wa
nt to wake her.”

  Katina watched G ascend the stairs.

  Chaos walked up behind her. “He’s not going to like what you have to tell him.”

  “I know. I just wish Dasia would have told him earlier. Maybe all of this could have been prevented.” She turned to face Chaos.

  Chaos had always been there for G. He was the only other person, besides Katina, who knew about G’s last girlfriend grabbing as much cash as she could get her hands on at the time and disappearing in the middle of the night. G’s love for Shonda blinded him to her true motives. He always did love that way, falling hard. Believe in the best in people, and they’d reciprocate. Well, that’s not how real life works. People use other people to get what they want, sometimes to make themselves feel better, sometimes just because they can.

  Katina had met plenty of women like Shonda. Women who were out for theirs. Katina had Chaos check the woman’s background, only to find out that she had a lengthy list of men she’d collected from, then stole away into the night. Though ultimately she’d done the same with G, she hadn’t gotten nearly the kind of money she did from her previous targets.

  On matters concerning G, Katina usually confided in Chaos. In her mind though, this “picture thing” was different. It seemed like a way to split Dasia and G up. If she’d had even the slightest inkling that a threat was somehow attached, she’d have said something. For the first time in a long time now Katina regretted a decision she’d made in reference to her sibling. She should have told somebody about the pictures.

  “Are you going to let him know you knew and didn’t tell him?”

  “I don’t know.” Katina glanced back over her shoulder to the top of the stairs. “You think I should leave out that little tidbit, don’t you?”

  “Only for now. He’s going to go on a rampage, and I don’t see any reason for you to be added to the list of targets.”

  “Is it really that serious?” Katina frowned as she took in Chaos’ expression.

  “He’s your brother and you know his temper, but you have no idea how a man thinks. He’s going to take this personally, and it’s going to be ugly.”