My heart was pounding out of my chest as they threw out question after question that sounded more like insults than anything else. I looked up at Quade. He didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Never a PR stunt. This my lady,” he said as he led me to the entrance. It didn’t stop them from hurling more questions, this time at me.
“Miss! Miss, how long have you had lupus?”
“How did you two meet?”
“Were you worried about dating someone with a history like his?”
“Is your condition permanent?”
I exhaled again, surprised they were even addressing me. This was a lot, but I wasn’t going to shy away. I stopped rolling, and Quade gave me a quick nod.
“Hi,… umm. Yes, I have systemic lupus. It affects my body differently day to day, but it doesn’t define me.” Quade turned toward me with the proudest smirk on his face. “And no, we’re not a PR stunt. We’re just… living life and minding our business.” That got a couple of laughs and a few applauses. Quade leaned in and kissed my cheek as the cameras went off again.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get inside.” I nodded and continued past the velvet ropes into the inside of the club. My mouth dropped the moment we made it through security. YFM Money was playing loudly on the speakers. I glanced around. This club was absolutely beautiful. The decor was black and sexy, and the way the gold light washed over the walls made the entire place feel expensive.
We hadn’t gotten in the door good yet before Blue and Dru spotted us from across the way, their wives at their sides. They wasted no time coming over and dapping Quade up.
“It’s good to see y’all made it out,” Blue said. “Welcome to our newest club.”
“This motherfucker nice.” Quade nodded. “Real dope.”
“You look fine as fuck,” Dru’s wife, Marli, said to me. “And your dress? Whew! Is it painted on?”
“Speaking of paintings”—I smiled, gesturing at the paintings lining the staircase wall—“is that a Makkari?”
Kay’s eyes lit up. “You know Makkari? She’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too,” I said, smiling. I’d met Kay and Marli this morning, and I liked them right away. We talked about art, lupus, and what it was like to be in the public eye. What I liked most? They didn’t make a big deal about the wheelchair. They just talked to me regularly, like a person, like I belonged.
“Y’all good?” Dru asked. “Y’all need anything?”
“All good,” Quade said. “We’re about to hit the bar.”
“We set y’all up in one of the VIP suites upstairs.” Blue shook his head, then gestured toward the back of the club where a bottle girl was waiting near the ropes. “It’s private access, full view of the club, soft seating, elevator-friendly, the whole nine. Tab’s on us tonight since you’re family.”
“Appreciate that.” Quade shook their hands again, and Dru pulled him in close, whispering something to him I couldn’t make out, before pulling away and motioning toward the elevator. “Let’s get y’all upstairs.”
“Come with me,” the bottle girl who was just standing by the stairs said. “I’ll show you your suite.” I stared at her, trying to figure out how she’d made it over here so fast, but here she was.
“We gotta continue our rounds, but we’ll catch up with y’all later,” Dru said as they walked away and greeted another couple I recognized from TV.
“Bet,” Quade replied, and we followed the bottle girl through the crowd, Quade’s hand resting on my back. We reached the elevator tucked near the side hallway, and the bottle girl tapped a code into the panel. When the doors opened, I rolled in smoothly.
“Y’all are going to be in the Platinum Suites,” she said as the elevator moved up. “It can be open or private. It has its ownsound system and a minibar. There’s a button on the recliner that blacks out the glass if you guys want some privacy or if you need to call me. Let me know if you need anything.” I nodded, listening to her every word. All of this was so nice, almost too nice. The doors opened to a hallway lined with soft lights and black marble. She pushed open a tinted glass door, and my eyes swept the space.
“Here you are. Enjoy.”
We stepped inside the large room, and muted gold and purple lights greeted us. A black-velvet sectional wrapped around the far corner, next to a fully stocked minibar. There was a balcony view overlooking the club below, but it could be closed off for total privacy.
“This is… Wow!” I said, wheeling forward to take it all in.
“Yeah. These niggas know how to build a club.” Quade followed me onto the balcony. The moment he walked out, the bass dropped, and the DJ’s voice sounded through the speakers.
“Yo! Make some motherfuckin’ noise! Y’all know what time it is!” The crowd roared, and even from up here, I felt the floor vibrate. “We got Quae Lo in the building tonight!” The crowd erupted again, and Quade made a salute motion.
“I hear Quae Lo just signed to Eight24 Records! Big congrats, my nigga. Big moves! Welcome to the family! We celebratin’ the only way we know how tonight! Run that new shit!”
