La’Nova simply waved and winked at all of the ladies then continued her strut to her office. Her office was tucked in the corner of the main hall. The glass door was frosted with her name in cursive gold letters with the House of Angels logo above it. She nodded at the security guard to acknowledge him. Her eyes scanned over to the lounge area and paused on Roy. He eyed her with disgust and lust. Her top lip quivered first followed by a knowing smile that said,Fuck you.
Roy was nothing more but an egotistical bastard in her eyes. The kind of man that would stick his dick in just about anything that floated his way. She knew Roy couldn’t believe that she declined him on multiple occasions to sleep with him. It wasn’t because of Kentrell either nor his looks. Roy was fine as hell, paid, and always carried himself well.
Just by looking at him, you could tell he had a dangerous edge about him. Like most made men, Roy had an entitled aura attached to him. He was beyond arrogant, very cocky, and quiet as kept… He was one of House of Angels’ regulars who gave some of the top earning women inside a hard time.
She wanted to flick him off and taunt his cocky ass but needed to get inside of her office to start her day. They exchanged another look before she turned to open her office door. She inhaled slowly then exhaled fast. Soon as she stepped inside, the dim lights brightened and so did her mood.
“Oh my God, La’Nova!” Serenity squealed, leaning against the doorframe like a damsel in distress.
La’Nova flopped down in her office chair, playfully rolling her eyes. She planted her eyes on Serenity and frowned.
It’s always something with this chick…La’Nova thought.
“I told you about busting in my office, girl.” La’Nova shot Serenity an annoyed look then waved her in.
Her hands started to shake out of habit again. She quickly sat up and removed her now squashed pack of cigarettes from her back pocket. She took her eyes off of Serenity briefly to gaze at her lightly cluttered desk for a lighter. Her office was the only space she was allowed to smoke in.
Lucille hated the smell of smoke but made an exception for La’Nova. Serenity eyed La’Nova with love and adoration in her eyes. She instantly wanted to make La’Nova’s life easier whenever she could since the women inside the building made things complicated for her often. Serenity reached in her bra and pulled out a lighter. She strutted seductively up to La’Nova’s desk and set it down politely.
La’Nova paused for a beat, she looked at Serenity’s outstretched hand like it came with a disease. There was no secret between the two women that if La’Nova offered just a piece of herself to Serenity, she’d take a chunk. While La’Nova appreciated the sight of a beautiful woman, she never saw herself on that type of sexual timing with them. Serenity was one of the few women in House of Angels who had openly laid with men and women. She came on to La’Nova a few times and was turned down by her sharply.
“Thank you, now what’s going on?” La’Nova asked.
She quickly put the cigarette between her lips and inhaled the smoke as if her life depended on it.
“Lucille propositioned me with a fiancé,” Serenity said, chest puffed, chin lifted like she’d been offered the deal of a lifetime.
La’Nova blankly stared at Serenity. She was a beautiful woman to La’Nova. Serenity was high yellow with a slayed lace frontal wig laid to perfection. Her body was the first thing a person noticed. BBL heavy, bottom wide and unapologetic. Serenity’s waist was cinched, her stomach flat like she never took a bite to eat. Everything about Serenity was exaggerated but beautiful down to her super curly, long false eye lashes and Botox poked out lips.
“Congratulations,” La’Nova said dryly before crossing her thick thigh over the other. “I don’t have any cookies up in this bitch to offer up,” she added insult to injury.
Serenity laughed like she always did at La’Nova. Nervously, she smoothed her hands down the front of her short cheetah skirt and looked away.
“This is what I needed, a fine paid man to make a bitch life easier,” she uttered softly.
“It’s my ticket up out of here with reassurance that I won’t need House of Angel’s for financial stability,” Serenity continued confidently.
“It’s what you want, not what you need.” La’Nova pointed her burning cigarette at Serenity accusingly. “You’ve been through a lot, Renity…what you need is freedom, stability on your own account, and to start believing that you can stand on your own two feet without House of Angels being your lifeline or guide.” She took another pull from her cigarette then offered Serenity a tight smile.
Out of all the women there, La’Nova gave Serenity most of her time. Lucille took her off the streets when she was seventeen. She was pushed through etiquette classes, was offered options to go to college and even six figure paying jobs. Serenity embraced the idea of being an escort like her late father taught her to be. She didn’t see much for herself, no matter what all she got offered for the betterment of herself.
To others, she was the most beautiful woman walking the marble floors of the building. None of that mattered if Serenity didn’t see the power that she truly could possess. That in itself frustrated La’Nova because, besides Serenity always acting ditzy, she actually cared for the girl.
“You ever been with a made man, Serenity?” La’Nova looked deeply into Serenity’s eyes.
La’Nova decided to take a different direction with their conversation.
“I’ve been with plenty of men with money,” Serenity answered defensively.
“Well what Lucille is offering you is not the fucking same.” shook her head.
She pushed away from the desk then walked around it. She stopped right in front of Serenity then tilted her head slightly to the side.
“You always against everything I say, I just?—”
“Bitch shut yo suck muscles up and listen to what the fuck I’m about to tell you, right here and right now,” La’Nova snapped.
She took another hit of her cancer stick, swallowed the smoke then blew a cloud directly into Serenity’s face. Serenity knew not to interrupt nor piss La’Nova off. While she didn’t like most of La’Nova’s advice, she knew it came from a place called love. Love was something a woman like her never had. Serenity didn’t have a mother or older sisters guiding her and giving her knowledge growing up. She was the product of a cold-blooded pimp that viewed women as possessions.
