Page 111 of The Fire We Make

Joy smirked, wondering if she should alert him of the switchblade she was carrying in her bra but decided to let him discover it on his own.

Sure enough, as soon as the wand grazed over her breast area, it started sounding off.

“What you got on you?” he asked pointedly.

Not seeing the point in lying, she pulled the blade from her bra. His brows lifted in surprise and his lip lifted in a smirk. “I can’t let you bring that in ma,” he said, holding his hand out for it. Joy scoffed and put it back in her bra.

“I’m not giving you my shit. Who says it’s a weapon? I might just need a bottle opener,” she answered defiantly. The earlier amusement was replaced by annoyance on the man’s face. Joy knew she was holding up the line and hoped he would decide she wasn’t worth the trouble.

“Yeah aight. You can get rid of it or you can get the fuck on. Ion have time to argue with you ‘bout it. The policy is no weapons so that’s what it is,” he said gruffly in a voice that left no room for argument.

Joy opened her mouth to do that anyway.

Before she could, a large, warm hand came in contact with the exposed skin on the small of her back and a voice she’d recognize anywhere spoke up.

“She good,” Ace said simply in that commanding tone that demanded everyone under the sound of it to submit to him.

“Aye my bad Ace, I ain’t know she was with you,” the guard said, quickly shuffling out of the way.

“All good,” Ace answered before dapping him up, then pulling Joy under his arm to usher her inside the venue. Soon, April had joined on the other side of Joy, giving a bright smile then the three of them were flanked by Jrue, August, and Remy. Her eyes did a quick sweep for Jovon but found him — and his threats — absent.

“Night just started and you already causing trouble, Rose,” Ace spoke directly into her ear.

“You look good as fuck!” April exclaimed, before Joy could reply.

She turned to April. “Thanks girl,” she smiled. “So do you.” She gave April’s fit an appreciative once-over. She wore a black leather tube dress that clung to her petite curves and had a split on one side that went halfway up her thigh. She wore her hair in big bombshell curls and her makeup was smokey.

Ace’s arm was still around Joy as the six of them made their way through the club. The crowd parted for the Kings like the royalty their name boasted them to be. Men came up to dap them up and pay their respects and women approached trying to get chosen for the evening by one of the brothers. Many of the women gave Joy dirty looks, noticing that she was on the arm of the eldest King but she was too busy admiring the ambiance to mind.

The club was lit in lights of various shades of purple paying homage to the club’s name, Amethyst. Beautiful women of all shapes and sizes occupied the stage and made their rounds throughout the club.

Ace leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of Joy’s ear as he murmured, “You do look good as fuck.”

The words themselves were enough to earn a blush from Joy, but combined with his tone and the warmth of his breath on her skin, made heat lick up her spine. She turned to him fully for the first time that evening and took him in.

He too was in black with a simple black short sleeved button down with the top few buttons undone revealing his muscled chest decorated with tattoos. Black jeans clung to his strong legs with black Jordans on his feet. He wore a stack of 3 chains, one skinny rope, one cuban link, and another thin chain with a crown pendant glittering with diamonds.

Joy’s mouth watered. Ace was a beautiful man and looked sexy in the suits she usually saw him in at the office. But in the casual wear, with his tattoos on display and diamonds dancing, Joy’s knees became a little weak.

“Thank you. You look nice too,” Joy responded after a few deep breaths.

Ace smirked. “Nice, huh?”

Joy grinned and looked away, releasing herself from the hold of his seductive stare.

Ace led them to a section roped off for them and filled to the brim with bottles. Joy moved to sit with April but Ace kept her tucked firmly into his side.

Six sets of eyes watched her warily, bouncing from her to Ace and back.

“Y’all remember my associate, Joy,” Ace said.

They all nodded and offered tentative hello’s and Joy did the same.

She had only been in the section a few minutes, nursing a drink and trying to ignore Ace’s searing gaze when the DJ announced that Mel would be coming to the stage soon.

“Stay here with us,” April whined, reaching for Joy’s hand to halt her movements as she stood. Joy smiled genuinely. She relished the feeling of being wanted and her presence being missed. Not because of anything she had to offer but just because they enjoyed her company.

“I’ll come back in a little bit. My cousin is about to perform and I wanna be closer,” she explained.