I loved a thick, beautiful, confident, dark-skinned sister. God, how had she wasted so many years on a fool like ClaytonSettles? The thought of him had me grinding my teeth. I had taken my time to come around to the evidence that was given to me a year ago. It wasn’t easy, but after diligent research and knowing where to look, I was able to corroborate everything the investigator had given me.
I had yet to implement retribution on Clayton Settles for lying to and manipulating me, but it had nothing on what I would do to him for making this beautiful woman suffer.
“Welcome aboard,” I stated, taking her hand and helping her onto my catamaran.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking around.
“What does it look like? I’m taking you on that date that I promised you.”
“You didn’t have to promise me anything. You could have pledged the money, and the museum would have been just fine.”
“I could have, but that would have defeated the purpose of the auction, now wouldn’t it?”
“Where did you get that type of money from anyway?” She was still looking around the catamaran.
“Delaney, just as it’s not polite to ask a woman her age, it’s also not polite to inquire into a gentleman’s bank account.”
“That doesn’t apply here. Unfortunately, you know more about me than you should, thanks to how we met. Therefore, since you know my age and everything else, I can ask where’d you get the money from to bid on me like that and then turn around and have me on this boat. Drug money?”
“Absolutely not! You’ve made a valid argument, but?—”
“No buts. I get it. You make a killing ripping off unsuspecting women who are being schemed by their slimy, snake in the grass ex-husbands.”
I turned my lips down. Her smoldering resentment toward me wasn’t surprising or even unexpected, considering that I represented the man who took her for everything after makingher live in hell for eight years. But I wasn’t going to allow her to maintain that attitude throughout the rest of our date.
“How about before we judge, we get to know each other?”
“I have no interest in knowing you. Besides, I already know more than enough.”
“That remains to be seen. You only know what you were exposed to during the court proceedings. You don’t know me as a person. You know nothing about me at all, and unfortunately, you’re judging me by the man I represented.”
“Don’t you also mean by the company you keep?”
“Contrary to popular belief, your ex-husband and I are not friends. My brother and my best friend knew him. He’s never been a friend of mine and even more so now.”
“As it relates to this boat, I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I promise that I’ll have you back before sunset. We’re just going for lunch.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t trust you. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure why you chose to bid on me and how you came to be there that night.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and navigated to Sociogram while I explained to her.
“I am good friends with Charles and Amanda, as you heard that night. He sent me an invitation and encouraged me to attend. In the past, I have always sent donations through my nonprofit, but I seldom show up for events. It has been more than five years since I last attended one, and I thought it was time to do that.”
“Or you figured that was a way to get to me.”
I shrugged as I started a live video. Winking at Delaney, I spoke to my phone.
“What’s good, my people? Listen, I’m about to take a lovely young woman onboard this catamaran for an afternoon of sailing and lunch,” I explained, turning the camera around toshow off the catamaran but avoiding exposing Delaney without her permission. “And here’s the registration number.” I pointed at the hull. “We are riding with Captain Omar Pierce. I just want her to know that I can be trusted taking her away. We will be away for three hours, four tops, but I need her to feel comfortable going away with me. Should she go?”
I kept the camera focused on the boat as I moved beside her and showed her the comments that were flowing in.
“What?”
“Read them.” I held the phone out so that she could read what my followers were saying.
She shook her head, refusing to look at my phone. I muted it. “Log into Sociogram on your phone and read if you don’t want to look at mine. The name’s ‘By_the_Law’.”
