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“Why don’t you watch TV with me? It’s a K-Drama, so you’ll have to pay attention to the subtitles, or you won’t know what’s going on. That’s one of the ways I’ve been forcing myself to stay present instead of thinking about the past.”
“K-Drama?” I repeated as she led me back into the living room. “What the hell is that?”
Her giggle was like music to my ears. It was unrestrained, light—genuine. I didn’t know when I would hear it again, and hearing it now didn’t just give me confidence that she would come out of her darkness; it helped pull me out of mine, too.
“Korean drama. Trust me, you’re going to like it.”
“Mhm,” I replied, sitting next to her. My arm naturally found its way around her shoulders, and Cartier nuzzled against me. “Have you eaten?”
Her eyes rolled. “No, Zay.”
“Can you eat for me today? Please?”
Her expression was firm when she looked at me, but when I thumbed her chin, it softened, and she smiled.
“Fine, but I don’t want a lot.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, making her laugh. Cartier was slim, but she could eat. She might not have felt she had an appetite, but there was no doubt in my mind that if I brought the right thing, she would eat it. “How about Chinese? Is that still one of your favorites?”
Her smile widened as she gave me a soft nod. “Yes.”
“Cool.” I handed her my phone after pulling up the Uber Eats app. While she scrolled the selection, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the couch, praying this moment with her would keep me from feeling consumed with worry and guilt. Up until now, we had had no major incidents at the club, and I didn’t want this to taint our reputation.
The club was exclusive, and I wanted to keep it that way. The last thing I needed was for us to be on the news… especially because someone was hurt. My club was supposed to be an escape. Somewhere adults could go to have fun and bring their every desire to fruition. If that young lady lost her life because one of my machines were improperly used, I honestly didn’t know if I’d be able to forgive myself.
Nine
Cartier
“I’ll just call him,” I offered, hoping that would calm Saint down.
“Nah, ’cause if he say the wrong thing, I’m flying back and knocking his jaw off his body.”
Covering my mouth, I tried to conceal my chuckle. Saint’s anger was hard to contain, and if I laughed, he would only prove how serious he was. Word had spread about the burglary and Ashley’s condition. Now that Raven knew why I repeatedly called him that night, he was trying to play the concerned spouse.
When Raven had stopped by to get more of his things, he put on this big show of guilt. I didn’t think he was being sincere at all because he wasn’t saying it to me—he was saying it online. I hated how people could so easily use social media as a platform to spread misinformation. Raven and I were no longer friends on social media—I’d removed him the day we broke up. But people were telling Saint about what he was saying on his Facebook and TikTok and whatever it was, my brother didn’t like it.
“Just let him talk, Saint. You and I know what’s up. If he was so concerned, he would have called or come for me at this point. He’s just trying to make himself look good for his next woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if women are all in his inbox because he’s trying to make it seem like he’s this great protector.”
“Speaking of which, where is Zay?”
At the mention of Hosea, that got a smile out of me. I’d been with him for three days now, and each day felt better than the last. My nights were still pretty hard, but I refused to get in the habit of sleeping with him, though I really wanted to. Having his hard body pressed against mine had me sleeping more peacefully than I ever had in my entire life. That was the kind of thing I needed to stay away from, otherwise, I’d want to stay here forever.
“He had to do a staff meeting or something, but he should be back up soon.”
“How you feeling? Are you getting what you need there?”
“Yeah. I’m not ready to leave the Tower yet, but I feel good here. I know it’s just a mental thing that I need to work through with time, but I also know I have to give myself grace with that process. Hosea has been great. It feels like I’m hidden in my own little corner of the world.”
“Good. Tristan added three more stops to the tour.” He groaned. “I’m starting to think she’s doing this shit on purpose.”
“I do, too. I didn’t want to mention it because I know you love what you do, but she’s working you too hard, brother. You need to rest, and you can’t do that traveling to a different city every day.”
At the sound of the door unlocking, I excitedly sat up in my seat. I didn’t realize I’d made a sound until Saint said, “Eew. You a lil’ too excited for that nigga to be coming home. Don’t let me find out you like him.”
I laughed heartily, unable to pull my eyes from Hosea as he made his way over to the island where I was seated. “I don’t, but so what if I did?”
“Hosea’s a good guy. I trust him with you. It’s you I don’t trust with him.”
