Gawking at his request, she replied, “Huh?”
“Go get them. I don’t trust your ass to stop taking them.”
“Really, Rio? I said I would think about it.”
“Yeah, well, while you think, I’ll hold onto the pills.” He snorted. “Now, go get ‘em.”
Reluctantly, Cali rose from the chair and went to their bedroom. She grabbed the pills from her nightstand and journeyed back to the kitchen.
“Here,” she sassed, sitting them on the table. “Since you don’t trust me.”
Rio pocketed the packet. “Don’t act like you’ve been trustworthy, Cali. You be doing a lot of shit that you think I don’t know.”
Her eyes expanded, praying he wasn’t eluding to her indiscretion. “What are you talking about?”
“Like how you tell me you have to work, and you don’t.”
Oh, no, he knows. He’s just been giving me the rope to hang myself all this time…
“Yo’ ass be all at the mall running up the credit card bill. Turning off your location when you know I hate when you do that. You think I don't be knowing what you be on, Cali?”
Cali heart rate returned to normal. “You said it’s my world, remember?”
He smirked. “Come over here.”
She straddled him as the woodsy notes from his cologne tickled her senses.
“I know we official but I’m ready to solidify us. A baby. One half of each of us. Let me know if I’m asking for too much.”
“You’re not. I promise.”
He kissed her lips as his hands rubbed her back. “Then, let’s make this shit happen.”
A baby would only confuse their situation. Between her resistance to enter motherhood and her affair with Braye, it would literally make her guilt much heavier. But she was Rio’s wife. He wasn’t out here fucking around with other women and making her insecure. He wanted a baby with her, and Cali couldn’t deny him of that. She just had to figure out a way to keep Braye happy as well.
“Okay, I’ll have your baby.”
Four
Irish swirled the wine in her glass before taking a sip. It was bitter, the way she preferred while running down her throat. The swinging jazz music created the perfect ambiance to relax. Irish loved her hole-in-the-wall bars, but she appreciated the upscale lounges that provided opulence along with good food.
Sitting at the bar, her iPad was propped in front of her as she looked at the designs for her clothing line. Her passion had always been fashion. When she was a child, she’d go to the Goodwill and buy all kinds of vintage pieces just to customize them to her liking. She didn’t have much growing up, but Irish made whatever she owned work. When Jovanis started getting real money in TLM, he encouraged her to start her line. It was still in the starter process, but the hood fucked with her. She often saw her pieces on people in the club or out at the beach parties. Her small business had accumulated $50,000 last year, and she was praying to double it this year.
“Here you are.” The bartender sat her plate down in front of her. “Do you need anything else?”
Shaking her head, Irish confirmed, “No, I’m fine.”
“Alright. Enjoy.”
Mixing up her rasta pasta, Irish looked around at the lounge that was located at the top floor of The Fitzgerald Hotel.They were surrounded by ceiling-to-floor windows that provided an astounding view of the city. Preparing to face forward, her head came to a halt when she spotted a familiar person seated in the circular booth in the corner.
“Got damn…” she whispered to herself.
He took her breath hostage every time she gazed at him. Noble was a man that robbed everyone for their attention. His stature was commanding, making him the center of observation. He sat with his arms stretched across the back of the booth. Engaging in a conversation with his two right-hand men, Noble had no awareness that Irish was watching him.
I am such a creep for this man…
Whenever Noble was around, which was rare, she stole gazes of him. He was great eye candy, but she couldn’t indulge. Unfortunately, he was off-limits due to his association with Jovanis. Being the leader of TLM, she didn’t think he would be waters she could swim in, especially while being legally married to Jovanis.
