The Business Woman

Sunset

Jack's POV

I woke up in the middle of the night to see Maliyah sound asleep on the other end of the couch. I picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

Maliyah grumbled and questioned me about what I was doing.

"I'm taking you to your room," I whispered back.

She mumbled a few more things, but I couldn't quite make them out.

When we made it to her bedroom, there was a small twin-sized mattress with one pillow, bedsheets, and a blue quilt. It didn't look the best aesthetically, but I assumed she just got what she could afford.

College was expensive, and she was trying to make it the only way she knew how.

I laid her down and placed the quilt over her.

I went back to the living room to get my cellphone. It was only 10:30, so I decided to go and find the monster that took advantage of her. I was going to be the bigger monster.

I stepped out of her apartment and made a few phone calls to local men that were apart of my father's mafia.

I took a rolled blunt out of my pocket and fired it up as I contemplated my next move. Smoking wasn't a habit of mine, but it calmed me down when my nerves were running wild. I needed to be calm enough not to murder this man.

This week had been a hell ride. My father had been calling all week about some bullshit that'd been happening within the family business. Some of our men got shot down in Texas, now this.

I'd seen too many men in my family and my father's gang members treat women poorly. I'd seen how cruel and evil men could be from raping and murdering women to harassing and catcalling them.

It never sat well with me, especially it being a woman I admire.

I put my blunt out against the concrete wall, as I saw the three men I called walking over to greet me.

"Chto proiskhodit?" Anton asked. His voice was very husky and gritty. He was my right-hand man when I was into the mafia life, and there was no question about his loyalty. (What's up?)

"Cheloveku v komnate 227 nuzhno uchit' uroku, dostatochnogo opyta smerti, chtoby on stradal."

(The man in room 227 needs to be taught a lesson, a near-death experience shall suffice, he needs to suffer.)

I laughed to myself a little. Maliyah's landlord needed to be taught a lesson, and yet here I am, a bachelor's degree in education and a professor at a pristine college.

Oh, the irony.

The men made their way up the stairs and down the hall towards the apartment number. Anton picked the lock before entering the well-decorated living room. A brunette haired woman with fair skin slept on the couch alongside a little girl who favored her. I assumed they were mother and daughter.

As we walked farther through the house, I heard a running shower and unsteady whistling coming from the bathroom.

Valentine, another one of my henchmen, kicked down the door and dragged the man out of the shower.

"Not here," I said. "A woman and a young child are asleep in the next room. I'd be a soulless motherfucker if I let you do that while that innocent child is in there."

The man hollered, yelled, and pleaded as Valentine grabbed a piece of clothing and stuffed it in his mouth to shut him up. Once we got outside, I let the wolves have him while I made my way back to Maliyah's apartment. I locked the door behind me and checked on her. She looked peaceful, sleeping on the couch.

I stayed awake until I got a text from Anton informing me they'd done the deed. I rested my head against the couch before dozing off.

**

The next morning I woke up to Maliyah rummaging through pots and pans in the kitchen.

I rubbed my eyes, then stretched and yawned from the unexpectedly peaceful rest that I had.

"Good Morning." She said before opening the refrigerator.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" I said before heading to the bathroom.

"It was okay. I did a lot of tossing and turning." She responded.

When I came out of the bathroom, she was at the stove, scrambling eggs in a pan.

"I hope you like scrambled eggs, that's the only way I know how to make em'."

"I do," I said while leaning against her laminate brown countertop.

"Good. After this, we can pick up some boxes."

It didn't take her very long to finish cooking breakfast. She made a delicious meal of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and buttery toast. Her cooking reminded me of my mama's, the way the flavors connected allowed you to enjoy what you were eating.

"You left last night," Maliyah said, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" I glanced over at her.

"I woke up, and I didn't see you. I didn't know where you were."

"Oh, yeah. I just stepped outside to make a phone call. I didn't want to wake you." I explained.

"Oh." She mumbled.

The rest of the car ride was memorable. I learned a lot about her in a short thirty minutes. Maliyah was opening up to me, and it made me feel good. She loved the color yellow because it looks good on her, and it made her feel as if she's a ball of sunshine. She enjoyed being lazy around the house and binge-watching her favorite sitcoms. Cats were her thing, but she found Teddy first and fell in love. She could talk about the solar system or what big celebrity was doing something crazy. She was versatile and easy to communicate with, and I admired that. I've met ample women that were shallow and boring, but Maliyah was not.