“Wait, what?” Olivia peeked across her shoulder at the woman. “Not today, Satan.” She placed her hand on the door to exit when she heard the woman speak again.
“Hey, Papi.”
Papi? Olivia recognized the voice and the words. A chill covered her body, bringing goosebumps to her arms. Olivia would never forget what led to the destruction of her marriage, home, and life as she once knew it to be. She snapped her body around away from the exit. Malcolm stood next to the woman.
The look of guilt on his face and twisted lips said it all. The coffee in her stomach rose into her esophagus, leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
“Umm. Olivia. This is Mariah. Mariah, this is Olivia.” Malcolm had the nerve to introduce them as if they were at a cocktail party.
“So we finally meet,” Mariah said, a smirk across her face.
One, two, three…Calm down, Olivia. Don’t let this trigger a reaction…four, five, six…I am the captain of my soul...seven, eight…strive to be happy…nine, ten…I got this.
Malcolm and his thot had no idea how close they were to seeing the old Olivia Maxwell rear her ugly head.
TWO
Savannah “Savvy” Menefee
Thrilled to find an empty pump at a crowded gas station, Savvy wheeled her BMW into a spot to fill up. She groaned at the $3.65 price for premium.
Sweaty from attending a high-intensity interval training workout class, she zipped her warm-up jacket as far as it could go to block the frigid wind. The knitted cap yanked on top of her micro braids, protected her damp head. The cold front wasn’t a deterrent from getting out of bed and making it to the gym early in the morning. The bipolar weather in San Antonio tended to increase thirty degrees to hotter temperatures by noon at this time of the year.
With a plan to pump gas as fast as possible and jump back into the warmth of the car, Savvy removed a credit card from her wallet and opened the door to get out. White puffs of air plumed from her mouth as she blew on her hands to keep them warm once she paid and placed the nozzle in the tank.
Loud music blared from a silver car that drove to the other side of the pump. Despite the cold temperature, the driver’s windows were lowered. Disrespectful lyrics poured out.
Savvy peered around the pump to find out who expressed the need to disturb the peace with explicit music that continued to play after the driver turned the car off. A handsome man with cocoa brown skin, emerged from the car to enter the convenience store. He tugged the top of his jeans with one hand to raise them to his waist before they fell and hugged below his hips.
The man sauntered back to his car to begin pumping gas. Disregarding the chill in the air, he wore a white wife-beater undershirt, above the ankle, wide-legged baggy denim shorts, white high-top sneakers, and a red baseball cap turned backward. He didn’t appear to mind the cold. Waiting for the tank to fill, he leaned against the trunk. He made eye contact with Savvy and nodded his head in her direction with a smile.
Savvy’s face warmed from the embarrassment of him catching her staring. She turned her head to focus on the price gauge and sucked her teeth.
The man emerged from around the pump. Surprised, she jumped and almost knocked the nozzle from the car’s gas tank.
“How are you doing today, baby?” he asked.
Savvy turned, checking to find out who he may have been speaking to. She focused on him with confusion and shouted above the music, “Baby? Who are you calling, baby?”
The man pointed at her. “I’m talking to you, sweetie.” He chuckled, grinding on gum in an intentional slow way. Dimples showed in his cheeks each time his jaw chewed. His eyes penetrated Savvy and warmed her body in the cold air. She stopped shivering.
“Oh. I’m fine.” Savvy refocused on the numbers on the pump, which seemed to click by slower than usual. She became self-conscious about her tight, turquoise workout pants, which
accentuated her behind. The jacket she wore didn’t have enough fabric to hide from what seemed to be his x-ray vision eyes.
“Oh. Is my music too explicit for you? I know some ladies don’t care for anything with cuss words in it. You seem like you prefer something by Missy Elliot instead. Hold up. I’ll change it.”
Before Savvy could respond, he jogged to his car and switched to We Run This. He returned to the same spot in front of Savvy. “What do you think about this song?”
Savvy shrugged. “I like it. One of my favorites.”
“I figured you would. You seem like someone who’s running thangs.” He tilted his head back. His eyes roamed across her body without discretion. “You been working out?”
Savvy tugged the bottom of her jacket then folded her arms. She glanced at him before diverting her eyes. “Yes.”
“I know you work out. Your body is tight.” He smiled and nodded as if in approval of her physique.
“Um. Thank you, I guess.” Savvy had enough of this conversation. Although her tank wasn’t full yet, she reached toward the pump handle to stop filling the car.
“Here, I’ll help you.” The man jumped to grab the nozzle and replace it in the pump before she could. He used his other hand to yank at the back of his beltless shorts, which had begun to drop further below his waistline. “Allow me to be a gentleman to a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you. I could’ve done it myself.” Savvy inched backward to increase the distance between them.
“Let a man help you. It’s what real men do.” His eyes roamed across her body again. “You have a nice booty. I know it’s real and not fake.”
“Excuse me?” Savvy’s head snapped in his direction.
“Ha. I got your attention. You weren’t expecting me to give you a compliment like that, did ya?” The man
