“Okay, well since I can’t return to my?to Maxwell,” I corrected when his head cocked. “How am I supposed to get home, Valentino?” I sighed, and his expression lightened boyishly.
“I’ll take you. Just let me make sure my brother is on his shit.”
Nodding, I went to get my clutch from the corner where I’d tossed it upon entering. I immediately pulled out my phone to get in touch with my own sibling to inform her that I was about to be alone with a crazy nigga just in case. While he mumbled into his cell, I shot her a quick text along with a picture of my handsome abductor. I braced myself and waited for her to call with a million questions, but there was radio silence from herend. Her ass didn’t even read the message, and I sucked my teeth, annoyed when I realized this was another one of those times she was MIA.
Over the last few months, there’d been multiple occasions when no one could get in touch with Bliss’s ass. I figured it was behind some nigga she was entertaining just because she was so hush hush about it, and whenever I pressed her, she’d deflect. I’d dropped it almost a month before, but I was going to circle back to that shit as soon as I saw her.
“Alright. Let’s go, sweetheart.” Valentino appeared beside me, hand out like he expected me to take it, but I just switched ahead to the door.
Just because I was going along with his antics didn’t mean I would pretend to be happy about it. I’d barely made it past the threshold, though, when he slapped me on my ass. I shot him an evil look over my shoulder, but he just flashed those perfect teeth at me, unfazed. Reaching the hallway, I was suddenly struck with a bunch of nerves at the thought of seeing Maxwell. Even I knew walking out of here with Valentino after arriving with Maxwell would look crazy as hell, but that was if he even noticed. He’d barely pulled his head out of the men’s asses that he was talking to when I told him I was going to the bathroom, and somehow, I didn’t think he’d even missed my presence so far.
“We’re going this way.” Valentino pulled me in the opposite direction of the casino floor, and while I was confused, I was also relieved as hell. This time, he didn’t offer his hand; he just swallowed mine up in his and guided me down a different hallway where an armed guard stood every few feet.
“Uhhn huh! I knew it was some other shit going on. Nigga, you never leave without the count.” Another version of Valentino approached us with a devious grin. He looked a little younger and was dressed much less formally than Valentino, but it was obvious they were of some relation.
“Carry your ass on, Sosa. You’re down here being nosy when you should be on the floor doing what I said,” Valentino stopped long enough to irritably say, but that only made Sosa more amused. His eyes landed on me with a charming smile.
“Aye, don’t mind my brother. The looks and manners skipped over that nigga. I’m Sosa.” He reached for my hand, and I easily accepted, the corners of my lips lifting as he brought my hand up for a kiss.
“I’m Essence,” I found myself saying, flattered, but Valentino snatched my hand away before it could reach his lips.
“Fuck outta here, nigga!”
Unbothered by his brother’s behavior, Sosa grinned. “Essence? Is this Dubai bae?” he pointed out, surprising the fuck out of me. My eyes shot over to Valentino, who looked even more annoyed.
“Dubai bae?”
“Damn, Vega. Yo’ ass work fast as hell! Wait ’til I tell that nigga Quickthisshit!” Sosa laughed, clearly getting more and more entertained by his brother’s irritation.
I was still stuck on him calling meDubai bae.Valentino had been alone the night we’d met, so had he told his brother about me after the fact? Unable to stop myself, I swooned inside while Valentino glared at his brother.
“Get upstairs, muthafucka! I’ll be back in a minute,” he snapped, already starting to walk off and dragging me along with him.
“It was nice meeting you, Essence!” Sosa called out, still teasing.
“You too!” I found myself shouting back giddily like I hadn’t just been annoyed as fuck a few moments earlier.
Valentino didn’t stop until we exited the back door and came up on an all-black Maybach. Hitting the locks, he opened the passenger door for me and waited while I slid into the coolleather seat before closing me inside. I watched him walk around the front of the car and tucked my lip between my teeth. Despite his obvious issues, the man was fine as hell, especially with his jaw clenched in irritation. Shaking my head, I tore my eyes away from the perfection that was now climbing behind the wheel and focused on the car’s interior. I wasn’t a car enthusiast, but I knew luxury when I saw it, and damn if it didn’t put my little car to shame. I definitely couldn’t wait to tell my sister about it.
Valentino silently pulled off as the cabin filled with Luther Vandross’s smooth voice. I looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t struck me as the type to listen to RnB, but then again, I didn’t know much about him besides that he fuckedwell.My attitude had simmered, and I knew it had a lot to do with Sosa spilling his tea and further proving that he had at least talked about me after our night in Dubai. So, after a while of riding in silence, I cleared my throat.
“So, do you only have one brother?” I asked, suddenly nervous as I picked at the material of my dress.
Valentino’s head turned for a few seconds, taking me in like he was trying to figure out if I was really interested or something before he looked back at the road ahead. “Yeah, it’s just two of us. I guess my parents decided to stop when they saw how he came out.” He joked, glancing at me again.
“You got siblings?”
I couldn’t help smiling at the thought of my sister as I nodded. “Yes, a sister and she’s right under me, so we grew up like best friends.”
“Same.” He nodded. “Me, Sosa, and our cousin Quick grew up close, too, especially when he came to live with us after his parents died. So, I guess I should say I have two brothers.”
I understood what he meant because even though me and Bliss didn’t have any close cousins, Micah had damn near become a part of our family in the short time we’d known her.She and Bliss both would probably have a lot to say once they heard about my night, and it’d be a whole lot of teasing, just like Sosa had done him. “Are they close to you in age, too?” I followed up, instantly realizing the irony of us getting to know each otheraftersharing bodily fluids. It was ass backward for sure, but I was quickly learning that whatever we had going on was just going to be out of order and spontaneous.
“Kind of. I just turned thirty-three, and Sosa and Quick are both thirty. That’s why he’s always talking about telling him some shit.” He added the last part with feigned bitterness, but I could see it in his face that he loved them.
“And you all run the club together?” I was piecing things together in my mind, so I knew better than to outright ask about the casino.
It was obviously some illegal shit going on, and when Maxwell had taken me from a club into some secret entrance, I knew he wasn’t as squeaky clean as I’d thought. As an attorney, I knew he dealt with all types of clients, but defending them in court and meeting with them after hours in a secret casino were two different things.
