Shaking my head as if to clear away cobwebs, I agreed. “I might let you.”
He chuckled. “Arrivederci.”
Rolling my eyes at his use of the Italian goodbye, I grabbed my tiny purse and cellphone. I knew there were some rules for having a handgun on me, but tucked inside of my clutch was a Kolibri, a small German made handgun. The slight weight of it made me feel secure enough and I threw one last look over my shoulder at my husband. He was shaking my head watching me walk away.
Descending the steps, my mind turned to my business ventures. I hadn’t even checked in withThe DeuceorThe Magnolia Bloom, but I knew they were in capable hands. In a few days I’d be back home and back to work; I would check in with the corner boys then and make sure everyone was still happy. We still didn’t know who was still tainting the coke and Sam said she didn’t recognize the dealer. The men we’d put on the girls had come up with nothing.
“Where are we going?” Carmen asked.
“Yeah, where is this spot you found?” Naomi asked.
God she’s Ray Charles right now,I thought quietly.
“Y’all chill,” Trey answered for me. “You know she’s not gonna spill until we get inside the spot.”
I popped my lips. “Listen to ya’ girl, she already knows.”
It took us thirty minutes to from the villa and into town. We chatted animatedly and tried to steer clear of talking about Naomi’s new man. She would interject here and there but otherwise we were fine.
The music was thumping as we stood in the line. I knew there were a couple of guards spread out here and there. I didn’t want them in the club with us. We were going to have a whole lot of fun and I didn’t need an army of Italian soldiers mean mugging people.
We showed I.D. and got inside ofMenaceimmediately. Mr. Bouncer looked all of us over, probably thinking we were stupid drunk American girls; otherwise, we went in without incident. The VIP section was awaiting us along with champagne, sodas, and some finger foods.
“Holy shit, the vibe is off the charts,” Carmen said.
“You don’t get out much,” I told her.
We all laughed. The music was thundering out of the speakers, but I felt my phone go off. It was Thierry sending a picture. Figuring it was him photographing Tibs, I gathered the girls around so that they could see.
“He’s probably sending us pics of the kids before they leave,” I said.
Eagerly I opened it and came face to face with a dick pic and nearly dropped my iPhone. Snatching it back up against my chest, my eyes met with every one of my friends. The need to faint like the true belle that I was, hit me.
And then Trey started cackling and so did the other two women. “Holy shit, they are for sure brothers.”
“LIQUOR!” I shouted.
My face felt so hot, and the girls wouldn’t stop teasing me.
“Oh, Thierry isItalian, Italian,” Carmen poked me in my ribs and I slapped at her hands.
“You better be lucky you locked that down,” Naomi winked at me.
Regaining my composure, I texted my husband back once I sat down. My ass sank into the plushness of the couch while the girls were milling around me dancing and drinking some. Naomi handed me a glass and poured some champagne.
You just flashed every single one of my friends.
How is that my fault?
Next time, send a warning shot. Thought you was about to send a pic of the baby.
He is your baby. He’s your whole world.
Hate you.
A smiling emoji face showed up.Hate you more.
Daringly, I sent back a kissy face emoji. Giving the champagne a little swirl in the glass, I took a few sips. It tasted a little different, but I shrugged it off.
