I placed the other two resumes in the top drawer of my desk and left Ellis’s on my desk. He would be the first interview Gina would be conducting. My door was ajar, and Gina sashayed inside, closing the door behind us, claiming the seat opposite me.
“You eager to leave a nigga. Resumes in my email before we touched down,” I commented.
“Honestly, I am,” she admitted.
My hand hit my chest like I’d just been shot, jaw hanging open.
“Stop, you’re making me feel terrible,” Gina pouted. “Zay really brought up some good points, and you leaving me the fuck alone on Sunday was foreign to me, but it felt amazing. I have to admit I have been on autopilot, and as much as I love my job, I have a husband, and a baby on the way. I can no longer fulfill my job duties. I can’t be the assistant you need and the wife my husband needs.”
“I respect that. I’m tired of hearing that nigga’s mouth anyways. It’s all love, Gina. Take care of my nigga and my godbaby. Just help me find a replacement before you fold on me. Ellis is my top choice out of the candidates you sent over.”
“Yessssss!” Gina clapped excitedly. “Ellis is my little cousin, but I didn’t want to taint your judgement. He is amazing. I don’t even need to interview him. He has my vote. We can skip that step and go straight to his onboarding paperwork.”
“Nah, I’ll let him skip the interview with you, but I need to see how he moves in real time.”
“Fair enough,” Gina smirked. “I’ll bring him in for a working trial tomorrow. He can shadow me for a day, and I promise by day two he can handle the position without me.”
I nodded slowly, making a note on my calendar that Ellis would be here tomorrow. As long as he was half as sharp as his resume portrayed him to be and a perfectionist like Gina, he’d have the position.
“Zay just emailed me his findings,” Gina announced, tapping around on her iPad. “It looks like Quinten Bentley is married to Vincent Marucci’s niece. Mr. Bentley is the one whose business we kept when we cut ties with the other families in Miami. Everything with Quinten goes through Vincent. May I ask why we are looking into him?”
Reality settled in quickly. Marissa was Vincent Marucci’s niece. The same Vincent who had a reputation for being cold, calculated, and taking everything too far. I’d heard bits and pieces over the years about how their family moved, how deep their business ran, and how loyalty meant everything. We weren’t close at all. I offered my off the book services, and he paid me handsomely in cash and unhinged favors.
When I first started working with Vincent, he brought me into his office and slit his previous financial advisor’s throat while sipping from a bottle of Core water after finding out she stole from him. After slitting the blonde haired, blue eyed woman’s throat, he casually discussed how that would be me if I decided to steal. Her blood pooled around our feet, staining our shoes. Vincent passed me a burner phone, stepped over her body without a second glance, and walked me out like nothing happened, welcoming me to the team.
Some men might’ve backed off and played it safe, but I wasn’t letting up on shit. Knowing the family she came from didn’t change shit for me. I never planned to fuck her over or play with her heart. I only planned to add to her life. Nothing less.
When I assumed Marissa was the type of woman who was used to a certain level of protection that left her feeling untouchable, it wasn’t from her husband. It was because of her uncle.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Marissa Bentley
“Ilove this for you, Mama Marissa. I wish that you could see the way you are gushing over him. The fact that you just met him the other day doesn’t mean anything. Look how long you knew Quinten, and what is he currently making you feel like?”
“Like a bitch who’s ready to catch a murder charge,” I grumbled.
“Even if this weekend with Yaseer doesn’t lead to anything serious, it’s the start of you getting back to Marissa. When you aren’t traveling, what are you doing?”
“Laying up in my bed,” I admitted, my eyes inadvertently falling to the hardwood floors.
“In the dark,” she added. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you that isn’t good for you. Your life didn’t end just because your marriage did. This is your chance for a fresh start.”
“You’re right,” I perked up. Her words really resonated within me. I never thought about my divorce in that way. “Giving me mama bear advice, and I’m supposed to be the elder.”
“Wisdom comes in all ages,” Jury bubbled, rubbing her belly.
I enjoyed talking to her because she’d successfully done what I always wanted. She broke away from the mafia lifestyle. Being around her was like a breath of fresh air. She just understood me. I loved my best friend Karina, but she loved everything that came with that lifestyle. Even now, as a widow, she was already entertaining a new man from another family, lining up her next potential marriage like it was a business. I wasn’t judging her, I actually loved the guy for her. I just wasn’t built for that shit.
“Clearly. Let me go. I need to make sure my house is still intact. Lil Q hasn’t replied to any of my texts all day,” I explained, standing from the chair.
Jury embraced me in a hug and walked me to the door. My jaws were tingling from how hard I was smiling, reliving the exhilarating day I spent with Yaseer. I lived twenty minutes away from their place on Davis Island, but the midday Friday traffic tacked on another ten minutes. When I finally pulled into the driveway, Lil Q’s truck was in the driveway, notifying me that he decided not to attend school today. I pulled my Benz into my spot and grabbed my luggage out of the trunk.
My jaw damn near hit the travertine entryway when I rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of my porch. Dozens of floral arrangements in every shade of purple were stacked across the steps. A sea of lilac, lavender, plum, and deep violet blocked me from entering my home. The sweet floral scent instantly soothed my frustrations with Lil Q.
I stepped onto the porch and pulled my phone out, turning the camera on myself and snapping a photo with the flowers behind me. The smile on my face was so wide you could see teeth and gums. I didn’t even care though, I wanted Yaseer to know how good he made me feel.
After sending the picture, I typed a simple message.
