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After I finished up with the last trainee, I grabbed my things and headed out. I had already made up my mind that I was taking Kaylen somewhere tonight. It was long overdue, and I figured she could use a night out. Yeah, she went to work and shit, but that wasn’t the same as actually getting out and enjoying herself. I knew she was tired of being in the house, and I wanted to do something about that.

I hadn’t decided on everything we were going to do, but I knew I wanted to take her somewhere nice to eat. After that, we’d figure out the rest.

When I got home, I put my things down and headed upstairs to my room. I went through my closet until I found something I wanted to wear, then took my ass into the bathroom to shower.

Once I finished, I got dressed in a navy-blue ribbed turtleneck, matching tailored pants, and a long double-breasted overcoat. I paired everything with brown leather boots, my watch, and a belt before spraying on some Valentino cologne. I checked myself in the mirror, made sure everything was straight, and headed downstairs.

I had just made it into the living room when the front door opened, and Kaylen walked inside.

One look at her face told me she’d had a long ass day. She looked tired as hell, and the way she was dragging herself through the house made me wonder what the fuck they’d had her doing at work.

“Aye, shorty, you aight?” I called out.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” She dropped down onto the couch and let out a long sigh. After a moment, she looked over at me, her eyes traveling from my face down to my boots. “Where you going all dressed up and smelling good?”

I smiled, licking my lips. “How about you go upstairs, and take a shower, and get dressed? Then you’ll find out.”

She frowned. “Nah, I don’t like surprises.”

“And why not?”

“Because the last time I got a surprise, I ended up at a fucking auction being sold.”

That wiped the smile right off my face.

I couldn’t even argue with her about that shit. After what her father had put her through, I understood why she wasn’t too fond of anybody making plans without telling her what was going on.

“I ain’t finna do no shit like that to you, ma,” I told her. “I’m just trying to take you out somewhere. Get you out the house for a little while.”

“Where?”

“Thought I’d take you to dinner, and if you feel like doing something afterward, we can.”

She studied me for a moment. “That’s it?”

“That’s it, baby. Ain’t no hidden agenda.”

“Hmm.” She looked at me for another second before getting up from the couch. “Okay, but you could’ve just said that in the first place.”

I chuckled. “You right.”

“Exactly.”

I watched her walk towards the stairs, shaking my head at her little smart ass mouth. Her ass always had to get the last word in, but I was getting used to it.

While she went upstairs to get ready, I made myself comfortable on the couch and turned on the TV. I wasn’t worried about her finding something to wear. I already had one of my homegirls pick up some clothes for her, so she had plenty of shit to choose from.

I flipped through a few channels before settling on something to watch. Every now and then, I’d check the time, wondering what the hell was taking her so long. I wasn’t rushing her, though. We had the whole evening ahead of us.

After a while, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I glanced over, and when I saw Kaylen, I damn near forgot what the fuck I had been watching.

She had on a fitted white long-sleeved top tucked into a black, gray, and white plaid mini skirt. A matching long plaid coat hung open over it, and she’d finished the outfit with some white knee-high boots. Her hair fell over her shoulders in loose waves, and she’d added a few pieces of jewelry and a little handbag to pull everything together.

That shit looked good on her, too. The skirt fit around her hips, showing off those thick-ass thighs I was starting to have a serious weakness for.