“Aren’t they your friends?”
“One of them is. He’s our age and we’re going out with him and his girlfriend. The rest of them are just associates on the team.” When I called the club they were going to already have some of the guys from the team there and they had no issue saying there was room for us too. I was sure that part of the reason they let us get the section was that having me in the building meant they could charge higher prices.
“Traveling in a pack?” Her face was blank and I wasn’t sure if she was criticizing or encouraging us having people around that would help out if shit got crazy.
A smile played on my lips because she seemed to loosen up more and more with me, which I appreciated. I wasn’t sure why it was such a big deal for me to want her to be comfortable, but it was. There was something about her that made me want her to be happy here and it went far past the employer feeling.
“Something like that.”
She studied me, and I looked back at her without hesitation. Shit was shifting and I wasn’t sure how to even pinpoint what the hell it was. It just was moving to something that wasn’t strictly boss and employee. Hell, I didn’t think it ever was. Sterling came into my life when I was in a state of not trusting anyone but I was forced to trust her. With the most innocent part of me no less. And she showed that it was a gamble that had more than paidoff. I just prayed that wherever we were headed was going to be the best thing for the three of us.
“Gotdamn.”
“Aldrich Rodrigo Dinero you better watch your damn mouth in this house.”
I could barely hear my mama fussing at me when I saw Sterling’s ass come into the family room. She wore a tasteful dress that almost hit her knees but the way it skimmed over and emphasized her curves had to be something illegal. The color was white and looked like heaven against her maple-colored skin. The highlights in her hair emphasized her features and she was just…she was fine as fuck.
We’d eaten dinner with the family and done Ami’s nighttime routine just so we could spend extra time with her. My people already said that we didn’t need to worry about rushing home because they would get up with her in the morning so we could sleep in. Sonya knew she was pulling out all the stops to ensure I spent as much time with Sterling as possible.
“Is this okay?” She was looking down as though she was unsure if she was dressed for the occasion and I had to wonder if she was nervous to be going out with me or nervous to be going out with someone in the public eye.
To be real, it was probably both.
I hoped that she would be comfortable enough tonight not to let anybody or anything phase her but it was always up in the air with how niggas might act. One thing was for sure, I wasn’t going to let anyone get out of pocket with her.
“If my son’s inappropriate comment wasn’t enough to reassure you, let me tell you that you look lovely.” Cassie wasgrinning and my brother Mateo was looking a little too hard at her. If he kept it up I was gonna have to punch him in his shit. Not like I was any better than he was with how I’d been staring.
The way Sterling looked down it was almost shy, like my mother’s kindness made her feel weird. “Thank you. I’m glad I had something that was appropriate.”
“You look perfect, Ling. Let’s get going.”
I didn’t want to say too much else because I was sitting there looking at her in the wrong light. If I focused anymore on it I was going to be thinking of her like a date instead of me just getting her out for the night.
But damn if I hadn’t already felt the switch.
I put my hand at the small of her back, probably the wrong move since the back of her dress dipped so low and I ushered her out of the house. She had a little purse with her that couldn’t carry more than her phone, a lipstick and some cards. I hoped she understood that she wouldn’t have to reach in her purse for money tonight but I knew how stubborn she could be when it came to money.
We got to the side of my truck, and I contemplated pulling out my car instead. I hadn’t thought to switch out vehicles and since Ling’s was the one my people had used off and on while they were here; I didn’t want to take hers and leave them without a way to transport Ami if there was an emergency.
“Can you ride in this?” I was dressed casually in a linen short set with a white tank top underneath and some sneakers.
Ling rolled her eyes and I swore they sparkled under the garage lighting. “I’m not that short, Aldrich.”
“You’re never going to stop with that are you?” I could hear my people clowning me over her calling me by my damn name all night.
“Calling you by your name? No.”
She gave me a side eye that let me know she knew exactly what she was doing. Instead of fussing I opened the car door and held out my hand for her. She took it and stepped carefully onto the running board. I did my best not to look at her ass in that dress but it was impossible. It was wide, high and tight and I really needed to stop staring at her, wishing I could squeeze it.
This has to be a mental form of sexual harassment or something.
I shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side willing myself to play this shit cool. Before we did anything crazy me and Ling had to talk. A lot more about her and me. Each day that passed had me feeling like she wouldn’t judge for what happened, but that didn’t completely remove all the doubt from my mind.
I slid into the driver’s seat and started the car before turning in her direction. She was already looking at me and I could see she was getting anxious.
“What?” I was grinning now as I watched Sterling’s face silently scream for me to tell her where we were going and what we were going to do.
“You’re not going to say anything?”
