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“Anytime,” I promised before turning to leave, but the feel of her hand enveloping my fingers with hers stopped me.
“Hey, I wanted to apologize about yesterday, too. With everything going on with the accident, I’m sure it wasn’t the best time for me to ask about the club.”
I chuckled softly, pulling her closer. “Brandy’s accident had nothing to do with me saying no.”
Her mouth opened partially. Head tilted. Shoulders straightened.
“Then why did you?”
Deciding to be completely honest, I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it. The vocal inhale she took did not go unnoticed, either.
“As calm as I appeared, the thought of you having sex with another man, in my club, infuriated me. I felt… extremely possessive of you.” Releasing her hand, I told her, “I willnevergive you permission to have sex with another man, Tink. Ever.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but when nothing came out, Cartier walked away. I was glad she did. No part of me wanted to process how I was feeling for her, let alone express those feelings to her. It was best if we never discussed this again, but with Cartier, I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case.
* * *
Before I could go to my store in Germantown and go through the new inventory, I received a call that Brandy’s mother, Caroline, was at the front desk, asking for me. While a part of me hoped she was coming to release the guilt I felt, the scowl on her face made it clear that wouldn’t be the case.
As soon as I was within ear shot, Caroline asked, “Did I ask you to pay for my daughter’s funeral?”
“No, but I wanted to.”
Caroline laughed. “Why? So you’d feel less guilty?”
“It felt like the right thing to do.”
“You killed my daughter, Mr. Thompson. You don’t get to absolve your guilt by paying for her funeral.”
“Would you like for me to call security?” Aaliyah asked, already lifting her walkie-talkie.
“That won’t be necessary,” I assured her. “Look, Caroline, I understand you’re upset and grieving, but…”
“Oh, so you’ve buried a child, too, then?” Sighing, I licked the corner of my mouth. “Because that’s theonlyway you can understand what I’m feeling.”
“If you want to take your anger out on me, that’s fine. I will take it, but not here, and not now. I can walk you to your car, and you can say whatever you have to say outside.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Caroline closed the space between us. “This little club you’ve got going, I want it shut down. My daughter lost her life here and it deserves to die with her.”
“Okay, I’m calling security,” Aaliyah decided.
“Have a good day, Caroline,” was all I offered.
It was clear she was unwilling to hear reason, and I could respect that. I wouldn’t, however, allow her to berate or disrespect me, especially in my place of business. As I left the lobby, I prayed for her peace and comfort. She’d need both to make it through this, and I would need the strength and grace of Jesus to keep me calm if I ran into her again.
Eleven
Cartier
My first day at the lounge was a success. Everyone on the staff, including Ava, were cool. I ended up making some really good money, too, but that also could have been because Hosea told everyone it was my first day, so the entire crew came through. They left hundreds on the table for my tip. I hadn’t counted it all yet, but I was pretty sure I made a few thousand.
Antonne left me some sativa and Delta 8, too. I was confident the Delta 8 would help me sleep through the night, but I didn’t want to make a habit out of it, so I’d use it every other night and see how that worked.
The lounge was now closed, but I was so used to staying up late that I hadn’t bothered to try to leave. While I indulged in buffalo chicken dip, I did a little research on BDSM, trying to level with Hosea. I didn’t feel him standing behind me, so when he said, “There’s nothing like the real thing,” I jumped in my seat and dropped my chip.
“Hosea!” I yelled softly, swatting at his chest. “I need you to walk around with bells on. You are too light on your feet for me.”
He smiled as he sat next to me and helped himself to my dip. “What are you looking that up for?”
