When A Woman Hustles, Danielle Martin [books to read in your 20s .TXT] 📗

to do.  Making it to the end of the steps, Reese knew for a fact she wasn’t as timid as she believed she had been all these years. She needed the right moment to wake up that fire inside of her. Tonight was her moment.

 

 

 

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Reese jolted awake out of her sleep as she sat in an upright position. Her purple silk satin sheets fell into the center of her lap as she awoke. Reese slowly opened her eyes looking around her bedroom as she overcame a deep sleep. She glanced over at the clock. 8:48 am. Who the hell would be knocking at my door this early???

  Reese threw the covers back, swinging her legs over the bed as she sat still for a moment. "Who is it??” Reese shouted out as she fumbled underneath the covers for the 9mm that she had placed back underneath her pillow. No response. Reese held her breath in fear that someone had followed her home last night. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Something wasn’t right. No one knew where she lived other than Pumpkin or King and there’s no way either one of them would pop up unannounced.

Her knees buckled as she stood up from the bed. Reese walked across the bedroom out into the living room area. She was shaken as she approached the door. She hid the 9MM behind her back. It was fully loaded.

Standing on her tippy toes Reese peeked out the peep hole. She was mentally preparing herself for the worst. Her vision focused in and out as she stared at the figure standing on the other side of the door. What the fuckkkkkkkk??? Her mouth dropped open in shock as she came to the realization who was standing outside her apartment. "You have to be fucking kidding me!" she cussed out loud. Pulling herself back from the door, she removed the latch and lock. She almost lost her balance as she swung it open. "What the hell!" she spat through the door frame. "What the fuck are you doing here??" The veins popped out of her neck as she immediately became livid. This is not possible. No fucking way is this possible. He stood there taunting her with a conniving grin on his face. Her stomach turned.

"Now is that a way to greet your man?" he smirked even wider, stepping forward into the doorway attempting to inch his way in. Reese buried her face inside her hands as she stepped to the side, blocking the entrance. She was disgusted.

"How did you find me Levi?" she asked with her face still buried inside her hands. She didn’t want to look him in the face or have any reminders of her past. Why is he here???? Why can’t I get rid of this nigga? Reese closed her eyes. She felt violated. A million thoughts ran through her mind. Why is he here??? What does he want from me??? How did he find out where I’m staying???

"I don’t know why you would hide from me Reese. After everything I’ve done for you." He narrowed his gaze at her, his expression turning serious as he waited for an explanation. Reese sized him up and down cutting him with her eyes. She didn’t owe this man a thing. There was no need for him to be coming after her now as if she was in debt.

 "What do you want from me Levi??" She was confused. What makes him believe he has something to hold over my head? He was never my man. I never told him I loved him. He knew what it was.

"Reese, I've stuck my neck out for you anytime you needed me. I was there for you. Now, you won’t answer my phone calls. I even went to your apartment a few times. Your roommate told me you moved out." Reese crossed her arms over her chest. She glared as she listened to him rant. She was becoming increasingly irritated by the second. She questioned herself. How did she get in this situation? She should have hit it and quit it and ran the opposite direction when she had the chance. She stuck around just for the money and now her poor decisions were coming back to haunt her.

 "That’s irrelevant Levi." She cut him off in mid-sentence. "How did you find me here and how did you get inside the building? Did you follow me???" Her apartment building was secure. There was no way you could get inside unless you had an electronic badge key. There’s no way Levi could have snuck his way in without fully gaining access.

He chuckled. “I’m a real estate agent, baby. There’s no place in Baltimore that I cannot get into it.” Chills ran down her forearms as he stepped forward. In return, she stepped back still holding the handgun behind her. "You never cared about me did you Clareese?" He asked a ridiculous question.

Reese glared. She was uneasy. Uncomfortable to see him standing there because she had no idea what his real intentions were. She was angry. He invaded her personal space, now her safe house didn’t feel so safe.

"Look, I don’t know how you got in here or who told you I was here, but I don’t appreciate you showing up like this uninvited." Reese placed one hand on the door knob preparing to slam it shut in his face the moment he made the wrong move. He took a deep breath, shoving his hands in his front pockets as his eyes dropped to the floor. "There must be someone else. I knew it"

Reese rolled her eyes. She was sick of the games. Leaning to the side, Reese dropped the gun on the night stand behind the door while he wasn’t looking. "Levi... what are you talking about?? I’m not your woman. I never made a commitment to you."

He glared, his expression turning cold. He stepped forward while buffing his chest. "Oh so this new nigga you fucking must got money, huh???" He questioned her. King’s face quickly surfaced into her mind. She shuddered after shaking the image from her head.

Reese stepped back as Levi suddenly attempted to invade her space. She kept the door slightly cracked so he could not make his way in. She did not trust Levi. He reminded her of some fatal attraction type shit and she didn’t want any parts of his drama filled life story. He couldn’t control her with money anymore. She had her own power. Now that she had broken away, she was never going back to the hood. Ever.

 "I'm sorry if you felt like I used you.” She truthfully apologized. “But I was tired of depending on you. I had to get it on my own."

He laughed at her, throwing his head back as if she were a joke. Reese did not laugh. Instead she cocked her head to the side, attempting to figure out what was funny and what his purpose was for showing up here. She didn’t love him. She didn’t want him. She couldn’t lie about how she felt. She wished Levi would just accept that and leave her the hell alone.

 "Reese, who do you think you’re talking to?" He continued in between laughs. "You act like I don’t know what type of woman you really are. You won’t even get your ass up and get out here to find a real job. You was just flipping chicken 2 weeks ago, and now this is how you living???" He scanned his eyes across the background of her apartment. Reese closed the door even more, protecting her privacy which had already been violated enough. Her life wasn’t any of his business. She didn’t have to explain to anyone how she got here. She was here now and here to stay. That’s all that mattered.

"So you just going to leave me standing here on the porch like a dog?" he asked, holding out his hands as he questioned her. "I'm not good enough to see the inside of your new place?"

Reese rolled her eyes again. She was not following for the shit today. She was a new woman and no longer vulnerable the way she had been before. She had it all figured out now, and there was no changing how she felt. All she wanted at this point and time in her life was privacy, and as of right now, she felt her privacy had been extremely invaded. "Now is not a good time Levi. As a matter of fact, I don’t think there will ever be a good time."

He smirked at her pressing his chest against the partially cracked door. "Come on now. I know you miss this dick. Let me take you in the bedroom and show you everything you been missing."

Reese wanted to vomit. She dismissed him using a free as she used the other to inch the door closed. "That’s not going to happen." She was done. And that was it. "You have a good day. And please don’t show up here unannounced."

He stepped forward placing his foot in the doorway blocking her from shutting it close. She glared, prepared to pull this 9mm on him if he gave her any problems. "Move your foot Levi." She spoke firmly as she attempted to close it again. He leaned forward so he could speak in between the cracked door. "Whatever you’re doing to get all this money, it’s going to catch back up with you sooner or later. I promise you that." He eyed her as if he knew something. She immediately broke out into a panic but she attempted to cover it up. What the hell is he talking about?? What does he know???

She held her breath.  He was messing with her attempting to get a rise. So far it was working, “So what are you saying Levi? Is that a threat? Do I need to watch my back now???”

He laughed at her again while shaking his head. “I don’t have to threaten you baby girl. But you should watch your back regardless. You never know whose watching."

Her chest tightened. She became hesitant to respond. “You think people not talking?? You honestly think people don’t notice the designer clothes? The new car you driving?" He continued to grill her. This time she didn’t have a response. She stood there quiet as he badgered her. She was upset that she didn’t have a response. What if he is right???

Levi smirked. He had finally gotten under her skin and he knew it. He stepped back, removing his foot from the doorway. "You take care of yourself Miss Clareese." He smiled at her again, turned on his heel then walked in the opposite direction. Reese watched him walk away still in absolute shock. Levi trailed down the narrow hallway heading towards the stairwells making an exit. Reese made sure to watch him closely ensuring that he had left. After watching him disappear around the corner, Reese felt like a popped balloon as she finally let out the long breath she had been holding for over a minute. She hurried to close the door, placing the latch back on to make sure she was safely locked inside. After shutting the door, Reese turned around, pressing her