“Just thinking how someone so pretty is so crazy. Why did you put that on your face?”
I fingered the flower tattoo that started on my sideburn and wrapped around my ear. “Because I wanted to. I spazzed out after my mom died and cut my hair. I felt like a boy, and flowers are feminine. The rest is history.”
“Makes sense. I did a lot of reckless shit as a reaction to pain. My actions did nothing except leave behind reminders of people and experiences I tried to forget.”
“People and experiences don’t just disappear, Neptune.”
“In my world, they do.”
Fed and satisfied, I went to use the restroom, and when I returned, Neptune guided me into a den. The room’s décor wasn’t as modern as the other parts of the house, but it was spacious. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a large, oakwood desk sat off in the corner. The room looked more like an office than a den.
“Come sit down with me for a minute,” Neptune said, patting a spot next to him on a love seat.
Beyond tipsy, I slowly carried myself and my cocktail glass to where Neptune sat. I removed my heels before I got comfortable next to the man who had been more of a gentleman than I expected. He surprised me by pulling my feet into his lap, examining my toes. I thought the gesture was odd, though I also hoped he approved of the white polish I used. With ease, I tried to slip one foot from his grasp, but Neptune held my ankle with one hand and massaged the heel of my foot with the other. As much time as I spent on my feet, I wasn’t surprised that my eyes closed, and my mouth opened without pause.
“Nah, open your eyes. I want to ask you something.”
I kept my lids latched, but replied, “I’m listening.”
“Tell me what you know about my cousin? Why and when did Levi borrow money from Junior?”
“I’m not a snitch. That’s for you to figure out,” I declared in a low tone. “Instead of asking me about other people, how about you tell me about yourself?”
He laughed like my comment was a punchline. “What do you want to know?”
“Just that easy? Okay. Age. Sex. Location.”
“Thirty. Big dick. Slyde City.”
“Kids?”
“Not yet, but I want ’em.”
I nodded. “Why don’t you have arealgirlfriend? You’re kind of cute.”
He cut his eyes at me as he stroked his beard. “Be fucking real. I’m fine as hell. I just got out of a situation. That’s why you’re here.”
“So I’m a replacement?”
“Y’all are nothing alike.”
“Good for you,” I teased. “How do you think your family will feel about thisarrangement?”
“They won’t feel anything. This is my business, not theirs.”
A familiar feeling came over me, sealing my lips. When I was younger, my father would love me in private, then dismiss me in public. Nowadays, I understood the dynamic of our family fueled his detachment, but it still hurt.
“The moment you agreed to be on my arm, you became my responsibility. As long as you belong to me, you’re protected.” Neptune sipped from his glass. “If you want me totrainyou, the first thing you need is a poker face. I can always tell what you’re thinking before you speak, and that won’t work when you’re committing a crime or making a deal.”
I positioned myself so we were face-to-face. “Tell me what I’m thinking right now.”
“You’re debating if you want to let me fuck or not.”
“You’re wrong.”
He shrugged off his smirk. “You may not be thinking it now, but it’s crossed your mind a few times since you got here. You get nervous when you look at me, but you can’t help it, because you enjoy looking at me.” He fingered my chin with his thumb. “It’s coo’. Ilike lookingatyoutoo.”
Caught up in the way he read me, I said the first thing that came to mind. “How do I know I can trust you? This could be a scheme Todd set up.”
