“Oh yes, it is. You are ovulating right now ain’t you.” I crossed my arms and denied it, but he was right. Me and Josiah looked at the calendar last week and saw that we could potentially make our first child this weekend since I am ovulating.
“Don’t lie to me, baby girl. I can tell from the curiosity escaping your eyes that you are. And I smell that shit just like a dog could.”
Tania giggled as if he were macking her ass, too.
“Nah, that’s not true.”
“If you say so.” He lifted an eyebrow.
“But come back to my penthouse with me. Have a few more drinks, and once you leave, you’ll know if it’s out of your system or not.”
“It sounds like you are trying to bait me into sleeping with you.”
“Nah. I’m just trying to help you have a great experience like I've been doing all day. Back at my crib, I have top-shelf liquor, plenty of food in the pantry, and dinner in the fridge that a chef cooked for me earlier today. I was just about to head home, sit on my balcony, smoke a couple blunts, eat, and then go to sleep.”
I bit my lip uncomfortably.
“Come on, gorgeous. You will get home a lot easier from that side of town anyway than trying to catch an Uber right now in front of the most crowded club in Vegas tonight.”
“He’s right, Ari.” Tania glanced down at her phone.
“The Uber app says twenty-nine minutes just for a driver to get to us. By that time, my feet are going to fall the fuck off.”
“I don’t know. I actually need to try to get in touch with my man.”
“Why are you trying to get in touch with him if he's not reaching out to you? Obviously, he is having a good time, and I guarantee y’all made an agreement you wouldn’t bother each other, right?”
“Yeah, we did.”
“So why you bothering him if he not calling you?”
I shook my head in denial, and as much as I hated to admit it, he was right. If Josiah wanted to reach out, he would’ve. And we did agree not to bother each other. Shit, I’d been calling him all day over the money that was missing. I just wish it would come back on my card before my dad showed up, so I wouldn't have to force myself to walk down the aisle with him.
“Whatever, we can come through for a little bit. Where are you parked?”
“Behind the building out back. Follow me.”
Me and Tania took off behind him, our heels slapping unevenly against the concrete. He lifted two fingers, catching the attention of one of the guards posted near the door.
“Make sure your eyes are like eagles around this muthafucka. Don’t let nothing pop off. It’s open all night until seven. Y’all hound dogs out here, feel me?”
“Yes, sir. We got you. Ain’t nothing getting by us.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
We followed him back into the building, then out a narrow rear exit that opened up to a private strip of luxury cars out back.
Proctor went straight up to a Range Rover, black on black, sitting low and clearly upgraded just from the rims and chrome paneling on the outside. The rims caught the light just enough to show they weren’t stock, and the windows were dark enough to hide whatever secrets he kept inside. He opened the driver’s door and slid in like he’d done it a thousand times, no hesitation, no wasted movement.
I climbed into the front seat while Tania folded herself into the back. Once he cranked the engine, the truck came alive with the kind of growl that let you know the engine had been touched, tuned, and upgraded. The whole vehicle vibrated, a low rumble traveling up through the seat and into my spine.
“Put your seatbelts on. Both of y’all.”
“Damn, why do we have to put on our seatbelts?” Tania complained, fumbling for hers in the back.
“I’m not trying to kill one of you, that’s why.”
The engine revved.
