Asao nodded and yanked a hand down his face. “My team is on it.”
Cantor nodded. “Your team been to Chicago?”
Asao smirked. “Nah, that was all me, how do you know though?”
“He’s not hiding and media is all over the recent adjustments to his appearance.” Cantor shrugged. “If we learned anything from all the shit that went down with Mari, it doesn’t take much for them to create a story but you’re not attached.”
Baller Alert posted about Mase heading into his building with a swollen battered face. They were speculating that the incident was attached to the video that leaked last week, but not one source was bold enough to bring Asao’s name into the conversation. Instead, they ran clips of his performance with Samari at the music festival alongside the vivid images of Mase and let the world draw their own conclusions.
“Samari is family, so I don’t care how that muthafucker gets what he deserves as long as the debt is paid. Drinks are over there,” Cantor said, motioning toward the bar set up near the glass enclosure centered on the rooftop, a butterfly garden that had become a huge attraction in the city. Tonight, however, it was roped off, not granting access to the handful of guests in attendance to celebrate the couple.
“’Preciate that, happy anniversary,” Asao offered before extending a hand to Cantor which he accepted and shook.
“You got next?” Cantor asked with a cocky grin which had Asao’s eyes shifting across the rooftop.
“If that’s what she wants, yeah.”
“What do you want?” Cantor asked and the answer came without effort.
“Her…” Asao confirmed with an arrogance that also asserted that what he wanted, was already his.
“I respect that,” Cantor expressed with a smirk and nodded before he walked off to join his wife.
The last place Asao wanted to be was around a bunch of people he didn’t know, watching him all night, desperate to ask questions he didn’t want to answer. Sheree mentioned the guests were prepped with explicit instructions not to bother Asao or Samari with requests for pictures or conversation that centered on their careers, but he could not miss their stares and not so discreet way they took pictures anyway.
Regardless of how he felt, being here made Samari happy and that was all that mattered. The beautiful smile on her face and the carefree way she existed proved being here was exactly where she needed to be. As long as being here made her happy, he would take the hit. She was his and he would always handle her with care.
“Stop…” Samari said softly and stepped in front of Asao, knowing anytime she was close all of his attention would shift to her. Even when she wasn’t close, she had all of him.
“Stop what?”
“Glaring at them.” A smile eased onto her face before she lifted a hand and smoothed her fingers over the crease between his brows. It had been there all night along with the irritation from having the attention of women who he had no interest in.
“What you want me to do, Mari? Smile every time they lower their phones and take pictures like I can’t see that shit. They aren’t slick and I better not see them shits posted online either.” His tone was clipped when he caught her wrist, removed her hand from his face, and kissed the inside.
“You can’t blame them. I want to take pictures too. You’re kinda cute,” she said, leaning into his frame as Asao’s hand dropped to the small of her back. When he dipped his head and the warmth of his lips grazed her skin, she smiled and extended her neck, allowing him more access.
Asao kissed the curve of her jaw then her shoulder, inhaling the light scent of pineapples and mango before he lifted his head and sampled her chocolate-flavored lips. The gloss had been replenished more times than he could keep track because he kept kissing it off.
“You’re cool with them thinking about your man?”
She arched a brow. “You’re mine?”
“You gotta ask?”
She shook her head slowly. “No.”
“Aight then. You trying to share?” He kissed her again.
“No.”
“Then stop telling me not to glare at them muthafuckers for being all in my damn face.”
Samari smiled. “We can go.”
He leaned in and kissed her neck, bringing her closer. “Nah, I’m good. Enjoy your people.”
“I did and I’m kind of ready to head out. I already told Sheree we were leaving.”
