The Bull (The Black Land Series Book 2)

by D. Camille

  “Let's get that test done tomorrow,” Lance said pointedly before kissing her hotly.

  Khayla watched him walk out the door and close it firmly behind him. She leaned back against the desk staring at the exit. Her body tingled all over and especially in the place he'd touched her. She rubbed her hands down the material covering her legs.

  “Damn Lance...” Khayla breathed. “You're not a little boy anymore.”

  *********

  Lance stopped at the restroom to wash his hands before heading out to the seating area. The one thing he'd learned in business was to keep his customers happy...to a certain extent. People in Detroit were known to pop off at any inconvenience, so he tried to keep things as calm as possible. As he approached the table he recognized the party sitting at the table.

  “Lance, they want to charge us for dinner.” The woman pouted.

  Lance sighed as he looked around the table full of women. “Did you eat it?” he asked.

  One of the women looked him up and down. “Yeah, we ate it. It was good.”

  “Then you paying for it,” he told them.

  The first woman looked at him. “You told me to come eat here!”

  He frowned. “Not for free...are you crazy?”

  “Well, I thought you were offering me a free meal after...” she looked at him.

  “You thought I was offering you and three of your friends a free meal?” Lance questioned. “For that?”

  He frowned harder. “Get my damn money or all y'all asses going to jail tonight.”

  The women looked at each other for a moment then began looking in their purses; they all knew that Lance did not play about his coin. Khayla arrived at the table and looked over at Lance.

  “Is everything okay here?” she asked.

  Lance looked down at her. “It's cool, I got this.”

  Khayla looked from him to the women. “Can I help you with anything?”

  The woman looked at her friends then at Khayla with a side eye. “Lance is taking care of us. We don't need you.”

  Khayla's eyes narrowed as she picked up the woman's attitude. “What is the problem?”

  “Khayla, I got it.” Lance looked over at her.

  She frowned at him. “I'm right here. What do you need?” Khayla said slowly.

  “You need to listen to your boss girl, before you get fired,” the woman told Khayla.

  “Fired?” Khayla repeated turning to her. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Khayla!” Lance interjected.

  She ignored Lance and stepped closer to the table. “The name of THIS restaurant is KATYDIDS,” Khayla paused. “So let me introduce myself, I'm Katydids...now what the hell is the problem here?”

  The woman looked at Lance. “You named this place after her?”

  “Look, pay your damn check and get your asses out!” Lance barked while taking Khayla's arm. “Take their money and check them out,” he told the waiting staff.

  Back in his office, Lance turned to Khayla after closing the door. “Don’t do that.”

  Khayla gave him a look. “Don’t do what? Check your street chicks that come in here trying to get a free meal?”

  Lance looked confused. “You think this is the first time this has happened Lance?” Khayla questioned. “You think I don’t have to deal with this shit all the time?”

  “You saying women come in here trying to eat for free?” he asked.

  Khayla rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded hotly.

  She folded her arms. “You opened this place simply because I asked you to. I’m not going to complain to you about what comes along with it.”

  Lance hung his head for second before looking back up at her. “Damn, Katydids…I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He frowned. “They should know better than to try some shit like that.”

  He walked over to her. “I’ll check that. You won’t have to deal with that ever again.”

  Khayla looked up at him. “I can handle it.”

  “You don’t have to.” Lance bent and kissed her cheek softly. “You should have told me. You know I would have iced that immediately.”

  Khayla smiled. “I didn’t want to mess up your game.”

  Lance tilted her chin to stare into her eyes. “You are the game, Khayla...” He kissed her softly. “…Always have been.”

  Try as she may, Khayla could never resist Lance, especially his rap game. He knew how to touch just the right spots with his words. She returned his kiss because there was nothing else she could do. She’d agreed to give him the chance he’d asked for and she would see where it would lead.

  “I planned our date for Friday,” he told her when he lifted his head.

  “Where are we going?”

  Lance smiled. “It’s a surprise.”

  “What? You’re just Mr. Romantic now?” she teased.

  “I told you to let me put it on you girl.”

  She looped her arms around his neck. “You’re going to put it on me huh?”

  He gave her a look. “So damn good.”

  “Not like the first time huh?” She began to laugh.

  Lance threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. “Awww, damn…no you didn’t go there!”

  “Yeah, Mr. Talking All That Shit, you forgot about that didn’t you?”

  He looked at her smiling. “I was just anxious. You tried to make me wait the whole damn summer.”

  Khayla nodded. “Yeah…very anxious, like two minutes of anxious.” She laughed again.

  “You know that’s not funny.”

  She touched his jawline. “You were so sweet and embarrassed.”

  He frowned. “I was damn near traumatized. I stayed in the bathroom for like thirty minutes before I could face you again.”

  “But you came back out and took care of your business,” she said cradling his face with her hand.

  He looked down at her with a serious expression. “You waited for me and told me it was okay.”

  “Then we made love…” she whispered bringing his head down to hers.

  “So damn good…” he added before his mouth took hers.

  *********

  The next day Lance arrived at Khayla’s practice near the riverfront. When he stepped inside he was reminded that his Katydids was actually, Khayla Imani Lewis, NMD as was indicated by the plaque on the wall.

  The office was impressive with large, comfortable chairs that faced a view of the Detroit River. Nice carpeting covered the floor and a myriad of artwork covered the walls. There was a waterfall device in the corner that emitted a soothing sound as one sat and waited.

  He approached the receptionist and she smiled at him. “I’m here to see Dr. Lewis.”

  She smiled. “You must be Mr. Johnson.” He nodded and she continued. “Dr. Lewis will be with you shortly. Please have a seat.”

  Lance nodded and walked slowly over to one of the chairs. He looked around again. Damn, this was Khayla’s office. He’d never visited before, because he’d known he’d feel some kind of way. He smiled thinking about her. Katydids had done her thing and he was damn proud of her.

  “That smile causes a lot of trouble.”

  He turned to the woman who always gave him a reason to smile and stood to his feet.

  “Hello Dr. Lewis.”

  Khayla smiled and took his hand. “Come with me.”

  He followed as she led him down a corridor. “Your office is the business.”

  She glanced back and smiled at him. “Thank you. You’ve never come here before.”

  “Nah, I haven’t.”

  Khayla continued to lead him until they reached a room on the far end of the hall. “You can have a seat on the table,” she told him as she closed the door.

  Lance sat on the table and looked at her in her white lab jacket over her full breasts. “I’m not going to have you go through all the preliminaries since I asked you to come and get tested,” Khayla to
ld him taking a seat on the little chair.

  “When was the last time you had a physical?” she asked professionally and Lance shrugged.

  “Lance?”

  “What? I don’t remember.”

  Khayla shook her head. “Not even to have your blood pressure checked or tested for any STI’s?”

  “First of all, I’m twenty-seven. I shouldn’t have no damn blood pressure issues…and I told you, I’m careful when I get down.”

  Khayla pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “Lance sweetheart, disease has no age requirement, and no matter how careful you are, you don’t know how lax the other person has been.” She looked back at him.

  “You know why I hate going to doctors Khayla,” he told her.

  Khayla took a breath. “Speaking of that, I don’t want to betray any confidences…but your mother missed her appointment this week.”

  Lance threw his head back. “Shit! Again?”

  Khayla nodded. “Your brother, Miles said he’ll try to get her to come in next week.”

  “I’ll swing by and check on her later.” He breathed out a long sigh, another thing on his list.

  She stood and walked over to the table. “Lance, you have a million things coming at you. You have to be sure you take care of yourself. You’re young now, but this can eventually catch up with you.”

  Khayla touched his chest. “Take off your shirt for me.”

  Lance pulled his shirt over his head revealing a beautifully chiseled caramel chest that was smooth to the touch. He placed the garment next to him and looked at her.

  Khayla placed the ends of her stethoscope in her ears and moved closer. She placed the flat end over his heart. “The reason I asked especially about having your blood pressure checked is because African American men are more likely to have high blood pressure than other men, and more likely to die from it because it goes unchecked and they don’t manage it.”

  She moved to his back and placed the instrument against his skin. “Diet, exercise and the stress of living in this world as a Black man are the main causes.”

  “Take a breath and hold it.” She instructed.

  Lance complied and she continued, “You have your family, several businesses and properties, the Negus…plus all the damn women you’re juggling. You’re a prime candidate for high blood pressure and hypertension.”

  “I’m not juggling…” he began.

  “Don’t talk, just breathe.” She instructed firmly as she continued to listen closely.

  Lance waited until she was done and came to stand before him. “Your heart sounds good. I want to run some other tests on you, just to be safe.”

  He frowned at her and she touched his face. “Stop, play nice now.”

  “I swear I’m only doing this for you,” he vowed.

  She smiled. “And I’m only doing this for you.”

  “Will these test results be back by Friday?” he asked pointedly.

  Khayla looked at him. “And what do you think is happening on Friday?”

  “I know what’s happening on Friday,” he affirmed. “You know what's happening on Friday, too.”

  She stared at his naked chest and bit her lip. “You can put your shirt back on.”

  Lance saw her watching and leaned back on his elbows on the table. “Don’t you want to check me some more?”

  Khayla glanced down at the bulge beneath the zipper of his dark jeans. Her eyes traveled up his abs then past his firm pectorals before reaching his face again.

  She smiled at him. “My nurse will be in to draw some blood. Put your shirt back on before you give her a heart attack.”

  Lance laughed as he sat up and retrieved his shirt. “You can check it out all you want on Friday.”

  Khayla walked to the door then turned back for a minute. “I plan to.”

  She walked out, and Lance shook his head as he watched her leave. He felt the strain against his pants and let out a breath. Friday couldn’t come soon enough.

  *********

  Khayla gave the nurse instructions to retrieve a urine sample and blood draw from Lance. She wrote on his chart to check the samples for all sexually transmitted infections, then headed to her private office. She needed to be alone for a minute. That damn Lance was too sexy and fine…and he knew it. She’d wanted to break every professional oath she’d taken and climb on that table, right on top of him.

  She walked to her desk and took a seat, turning to stare out at the water. She was relieved that she hadn’t detected any problems listening to his heart. All in all, it seemed that Lance was very healthy and he hadn't complained of any symptoms. Khayla, however, worried about all the responsibilities he took on. His mother and brother had always been his priority and creating the life he wanted, and she didn’t want his health to suffer because of it.

  Khayla had chosen Naturopathic Medicine because she knew many people like Lance, who didn’t like and/or trust pharmaceutical medicine. Khayla was not a fan herself, which is why she’d become licensed in natural remedies and holistic measures. She didn’t prescribe drugs to her patients, instead choosing to heal through diet and herbs as was done in the ancient culture.

  Khayla’s practice was very popular, and her patients saw incredible results, at least those patients who kept their appointments and followed the regimens she prescribed. She wondered about Lance’s mother and what was going on with her. It was hard for her, but it was harder for Lance since he’d been the one to give up his young life.

  Khayla focused back on the water. She loved this city and its people. She was committed to teaching them how to live a better quality of life through their own health. African Americans on a whole represented a population of highly diseased people, most of which could be prevented and/or managed to a point of cure. It was an uphill battle, but one that Khayla was determined to continue to fight.

  After a while the buzzer indicated that the nurse was done with Lance. Khayla smiled as she stood and walked back to the room where he was waiting. She entered and he smiled at her.

  “I think I deserve a kiss for what I just went through,” he told her, giving her a sexy smile.

  She looked at the small bandage on his arm where the nurse had taken his blood sample as she walked over to him. “For a Band-Aid?”

  He held out his muscled arm. “She stuck a needle in there and I had to pee in a cup,” he complained.

  “Stop being a baby before I punch you,” she threatened.

  Lance pulled her to him. “We’re past punching.” He reached up and caressed her breast through her jacket and she sucked in a breath. “You better kiss me before I get carried away in here and give your nurse a heart attack for real.”

  She touched his lips with her hand. “Thank you for coming Lance. It means a lot to me that you would do this for me.”

  His dark eyes held hers. “I would do anything for you Khayla Lewis.”

  She smiled at him before kissing him with all the emotion she had held in reserve for him. Lance had now managed to tap into a place she'd buried a long time ago.

  Chapter 5

  Lance left his appointment with Khayla and drove to check on his mother. Pat Johnson had taken ill when Lance was thirteen and his brother Miles was seven. A single mother, Pat had worked hard at the local automotive plant to provide for her two boys. It had begun with swollen, stiff joints and then a recurring fever, from there it progressed to hair loss and extreme fatigue.

  The fatigue became near crippling and she hadn't been able to work. Pat went through years of doctors, tests, medications, misdiagnoses and red tape; and became a shell of her original self. Dr. Khayla Lewis had arrived in town with her remedies and regimens that had made a marked improvement in Pat's condition.

  Lance wondered why his mother kept missing appointments with Khayla. It was clear that Khayla's methods were working so he couldn't understand why she wouldn't just do what she needed to do and get better.

  He pulled into the driveway and stared at t
he home he'd purchased for his mother and brother to live in. He climbed the few stairs to the porch, glancing at the two chairs that sat outside. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside and went in search of his mother. He found her in the bed with the covers drawn around her.

  Lance took a seat on the side of the bed. “Hey Mama.”

  Pat looked up at her son. “Hey L.J.”

  “You missed your appointment at the doctor.”

  She turned her face away. “I didn't feel like going.”

  Lance sighed. “Mama, you can't get better if you don't see the doctor.”

  “I'm tired of seeing doctors! I been seeing them for years,” she exclaimed.

  “But you were getting better with Khayla,” he said pointedly.

  She looked at him. “That girl with all that eat healthy, drink this, take these herbs.”

  “Yeah, and that girl helped you to get up and walk around,” he told her. “And the pain stopped.”

  Pat pouted. “I want some hamhocks, some chittlins, peach cobbler. She said I can't have that.”

  Lance looked at his mother. “So you'd rather lay in bed in pain because you want to eat all that garbage?”

  “It's my body. I can do what I want,” she said stubbornly.

  He stood. “Until you're in so much pain that you're crying through the night, and I have to come and rub your body for hours like I used to when I was younger?” he finished frustrated.

  “Why do I care more than you do?” he asked. “Why did I sacrifice everything to take care of you, if you want to just let yourself go?”

  “I'm tired L.J.”

  Lance turned his back. “I'm tired too Mama.” He ran a hand down his face before turning back to her. “I've been doing this for fifteen years. Yeah, I'm tired too.”

  “Khayla added you to her patient list as a favor to me and you just miss appointments?” he questioned.

  Pat smirked. “Well, she should. You opened a damn restaurant for her.”

  “What I do for Khayla is nobody's business. She's trying to help you,” he told her.

  Pat fanned a hand. “That girl always had you twisted around her little finger.”

  “This ain't about Khayla. This is about you not taking care of yourself.”