Too quick, which is why Audiemar’s brow hiked immediately with concern.
“We’re meeting Mozzi and Moose for dinner and drinks. That’s it. Boundaries. I’m not trying to take it there with her. She’s cool, and she’s good at what she does. You like her, right?”
“She’s driven, ambitious, and innovative.” Audiemar listed her qualities. “She’s also very young and green. Not used to a man of your caliber. We are lucky to have her here. The kids even seem to like her a little bit. Keep it professional.”
“It’s just dinner and drinks for a good cause,” Kong assured him.
“You might want to think about a marriage of convenience, son.” Audiemar slipped his hands into his slack pockets with his eyes briefly on the ground before lifting them to Kong’s. “I understand being a man and having needs?—”
“Is that what this is with Phoebe? You catering to your needs?”
“We’re not talking about me,” Audiemar declared, tone low and even.
“Why? Because you’re exempt from analyzation? We don’t speak on you or Phoebe and whatever the hell it is going on with you two, so do me a favor and stay out of my situations.”
“If you establish boundaries from jump, then you won’t have to worry about lines being blurred. An arranged marriage benefits you and your potential wife. You do what you want to do with that.” Audiemar left him with those words and moved past him into the informal family room.
Kong had nothing else to say. Mozzi was usually the defiant one, but Audiemar telling him what to do with his life was rubbing him wrong. Shaking his head, Kong padded down the hall toward his destination.
Ayla had changed three times, and none of the outfits gave what she wanted. Standing in the mirror in her bedroom, she examined her figure in the asymmetrical halter dress and heels.It was simple, with a ruffled skirt that stopped mid-thigh. She’d accessorized with gold hoop earrings and a few bangle bracelets.
After she got the kids settled after coming home from the park, she showered and washed her hair before putting it in curl rods and sitting under the hooded dryer for a while. Now, she had a head full of spiral curls and a full, natural glam beat, but something still felt off. Plopping down on the edge of the queen-sized bed, she sighed and reached for her phone as someone tapped on her bedroom door.
“Come in!” She nervously shot to her feet as Kong poked his head inside.
He made her heart skip a beat. She’d kicked off her shoes and was about to get undressed and say screw this whole thing, and Kong saw the weariness on her face.
“Something wrong?”
“This whole thing is wrong. I work for you. We shouldn’t be going out together. It’s unprofessional,” she concluded.
“Why don’t you let me worry about that? I was coming to see if you were ready. Moose hit me up and said he was heading over to the restaurant.”
“Kong, you really don’t have to do this. It was for charity, and that’s all it has to be?—”
“Ayla, put your shoes on, mama, and let’s roll. I’m sure you could use a break. Maybe have a few drinks, so we can celebrate the trial period being over.”
“Is it?” she asked with wide eyes.
“If you’re willing to stick around. I’d say you earned your spot dealing with us this week,” he jested, then laughed, trying to break the ice.
“I kind of like it here.” Ayla scrunched up her nose. “The kitchen is amazing, and your family isn’t as bad as you think.”
“You’re lying.” Kong chuckled. “But thank you. I’m sorry about earlier, too, with Nay at the park.”
Ayla’s big brown eyes drifted to the carpet before she raised them to Kong once again.
“It’s none of my business.” She shook her head.
“I told you I wouldn’t allow the disrespect, and I meant that. She knows her place with me now, and it’s not in my bed. I appreciate her being a friend in a time of need the last few years, but I’ve been using her as a crutch.” Kong sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “Somebody to take comfort in because I still don’t want to deal with what I’ve lost.”
“I won’t hold it against you. I can’t imagine losing the person I love. Must be even harder looking at your kids every day,” she empathized.
Bobbing his head, Kong swiped his beard before slipping his hand into the pocket of his navy slacks. Ayla’s beauty was alarming. The kind that made him pause when he stepped into a room, just to watch her breath or smile. In the last week, when he’d found her in the kitchen, he’d hover so he could see her in her element. During the day when the kids were at school, she would film her segments in the kitchen that she wanted to share with her audience for Palate Pleasures.
It was in those moments that she was most confident. He’d found himself falling down a rabbit hole watching her cook in nothing but boy shorts and a wife beater. The homemade deep-dish pizza looked like it was bussing too. Men followed her more than women, leaving all kinds of crazy comments on her platforms. Some thirsty, others borderline perverts, and a few that genuinely enjoyed what she prepared and saying they were sharing her recipes with their girlfriends and wives.
The more Kong watched her, the more intriguing she became. Ayla was like night and day, with many layers that she was able to compartmentalize. It reminded him of his mother, Jane. She used to tell Nay and all the other fast little girls coming behind her sons that there was a time and a place for everything.She didn’t believe in secondhand embarrassment because a motherfucker didn’t know how to act. It was the quickest way to get cut off. Kong and his brothers knew the art of finesse before they were ever the sons of Audiemar Blackmoor.
