Instead of reprimanding me, he sat up. From around his neck, he took the chain he kept tucked away from the world. Then, he pushed my hair back, exposed my neck and clasped it into place. It was a lot looser on me but it wasn’t unflattering.
“Look. We been through a lot of shit to get here. You been through a lot. I don’t want you to worry about anything else, okay?”
My fingers tangled in the cool gold, thinking about what this means. “Is this your way of claiming me?”
He grinned faintly. “You wanted to have my collar right?”
I scoffed and looked at him. “And what should I do to claim you?”
“Nothing,” he brushed some hair from my collarbone to give himself a better view of his chain on my neck. “You ain’t gotta do nothing. You exist, and I’m yours.”
I pouted slightly at that cute ass declaration of affection and he kissed it away, leaving me blushing.
“Let’s get through today, Bunny. Then worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.”
Marlon’s calm demeanor was a welcomed change. Because I took a deep breath and relaxed my shoulders.
“…okay.”
By the timethe first wave of guests settled in, I was already overstimulated.
Music from the live band was low but present. The staff moved the way me and Patch trained them. Nobody looked lost or overwhelmed.
It was working.
But I couldn’t even enjoy it because my dad was here, burning holes into my head with that damn glare. Besides the very awkward greeting at the start of the event, we did not cross paths. Intentionally. But he was watching.
“Patch can we do a sweep of the room, make sure the glasses are full and people are happy?”
He gave me a thumbs up. “No prob, Bob.”
“Great,” I scanned the room. “Has anyone seen Lavender?”
“She’s with the influencers going over dietary restrictions… again,” Hartland informed me as he passed by checking his clipboard.
“And Orim?”
“With the travel agents.”
I sighed in relief. We were doing fine.
“And you got everything you need?”
“Aurora.” He lowered the board. “Woosah. It’s going fine. Okay?”
I exhaled. “Okay.”
“Good,” he waved me off. “Now go and relax by the bar with the other boss.”
Then he was off to manage another task that needed his attention. He’s good. The team was good. But was I good? I will be once I get a sip of that special wine with the special grapes.
At the bar, Marlon stood with Marcus. They sipped and smoked their cigars and it made me wonder why we even invested in a ventilation system and a smoke room if the damn owner wasn’t gonna use it.
“You done putting out fires, Bunny?” Marlon smirked at me.
“All but one,” I swatted smoke from my face. “Good to see you again, Markie.”
Marcus smiled politely at me. “Likewise. I love what you did with this place. Really brings back the color Marlon needed in his life.”
