Asao turned to Ju’rae and pointed to the register. She smirked and nodded while Keelee stood there looking dumbfounded until Ju’rae not so gently bumped her out of the way.
“You can go now,” Ju’rae said before organizing the items on the counter for purchase. She moved through everything she’d selected for Samari then the ones hanging on the rack behind the counter. She ran the total and he swiped a Crescent Bank Black Card to cover what he owed.
“We’re about to make a few more stops, so set that up with concierge to bring it to the car when we’re done.”
“Got you.” She reached under the counter and removed a gold plastic card with the store name and a QR code printed on it. Asao had done the process before so he nodded after she scanned it and handed it to him, half paying attention to the instructions she delivered for how to retrieve their packages.
They were about to leave when Samari stopped and turned to Ju’rae. “Are you coming to the festival?”
“Now that I know you’re going to be styled by me, I’ll be there. I tried to get VIP passes but they were sold out by the time I tried to get one, but I’ll still come.”
Samari turned to Asao. “She can be one of my guests, right?”
After the mention of another woman having an account with his card on file, which they still had to discuss, she dared him to tell her no.
“Yeah, that’s cool.”
“Give me your number and I’ll make sure you get VIP access.”
“Seriously?”
“Girl, hell yeah. You styled me, so you should be there.”
Ju’rae gave Samari her contact information. She saved it then sent a text to Ju’rae’s phone with her name so she would have hers as well before the women said goodbye and Samari left the store with Asao.
“So I’m one of many?” Samari said in a teasing way but Asao wasn’t playing those types of games with her. He cut her path off, allowing his tall frame to tower over her.
“We’re grown, Mari. Let’s not pretend you can’t speak your mind. Say what you need to and I’ll respond accordingly.”
She reared her head back in offense before she decided to do what he asked. If he wanted her thoughts and opinions, he could get them raw and unfiltered.
“You brought me to a store to throw money around. The same store your last bitch had privilege with. I’m not the one.Thingsdon’t make my pussy wet. The clout that you have asA’sodoesn’t either. If that’s what this whole performance was about, you’ve got me all fucked up.”
Samari assumed standing her ground about not being moved by Asao’s money or status would push him away, but in reality,it made him want her more. Buying her things wasn’t a flex and damn sure wasn’t in line with his character when it came to dealing with women. However he’d made the decision with no pushback because everything about how he stepped to Samari had to be different. The shit had him asking questions he already knew the answer to because the truth was unfiltered. He was on her heavy and not letting up.
“My money doesn’t make your pussy wet but you ran up that tab like your name was onmeor the account that paid the balance.” The smugness in his expression had Samari frowning in aggravation.
“My name isn’t on either.”
She wasn’t claiming Asao. The events of the day had been more than enough proof of how many other applications were submitted and vying for his time. She couldn’t allow matters of the heart to come before getting her career back. Blurring the lines between a man and her music was a dangerous game to play. Every time she told herself to steer clear of allowing things to get personal, he convinced her that she was safe but today was proof that the words didn’t match the actions.
“I told you I was going to carry his fuck ups until you trusted that I’m not him…”
She scoffed. “This isn’t about my ex. This is about a woman offering to put your dick in her mouth while I was ten feet away. This is about her trying to embarrass me by casually dropping that another woman has been in the same spot as me. You are who you are and I’m not pressed about what’s connected to your name. But seeing this in real time is a reminder that my focus needs to be on my music. No one is going to take me seriously if all they can talk about is my personal life. I want how amazing my songs are to be the headline, not how many women the man I’m attached to is sharing his bed with.”
“I respect that, now I need you to respect this. Your name is on me because mine is on you. You don’t have to worry about anybody taking you seriously, because the minute your voice hits them, they’re gonna know who and what you are. A muthafucking musical savant. They can’t take that from you. However you want to move, I’m cool with. You want to keep this on the low, then that’s what it is. You want the headline of the only woman to lock me down, you got that too. You don’t have to worry about another woman having access, Mari. That shit isn’t in my DNA. I’m not gonna play with your feelings, your heart, or your career. We cool?”
“Yeah…”
“You sure?” His neck bent so their eyes were level.
“Yes and can we just keep our business between us for a while? I don’t want people assuming things…”
Assuming that sleeping with him is the only reason I’m back in the studio.
“Let me get that smile first.”
She frowned and he added, “I told you that smile was going to have me doing whatever you wanted, whenever.”
