“Yes that is correct.”
“Okay. Now is this nurse one of ours, or someone you went and hired on your own?” she asked.
“No, she is one of yours. Her name is River York,” I sighed.
“River York, let’s see,” she said. “Oh yes, I see she works for a Julius and Natalia Tate. All right and what is the problem? We don’t tell the nurses, it’s just so we know what she may need to work on.”
“She is...weird, for lack of a better word,” I chuckled nervously.
“Weird? Mrs. Tate could you elaborate a little?” she said.
“She brought her pet snake to work and it ended up in my bed,” I replied.
“Oh! I’m sorry about that Mrs. Tate. I can have someone come tomorrow morning. Is that okay? You can send her home for the day, and we will break the news to her,” she offered.
“Yes please send someone else tomorrow. I’m gonna keep her for the rest of the day though, just because I need the help,” I said.
“All right, I will send the new nurse’s information to the email listed on file,” she stated.
“Thank you.”
I prayed that River didn’t do anything crazy once she found out that she’d been terminated. I couldn’t risk her putting any more animals in my bed, and them harming me and my unborn child.
After my shower, Lucy came to pick me up so that we could go out to eat. We hadn’t spent that much time together because of all the work I had to do at the bakery. I had so much to tell her and she just finished cosmetology school, so there was plenty to talk about.
“I’ve missed you,” Lucy smiled as we sat down at High Cotton for brunch.
“I know and I have so much to tell you,” I rolled my eyes playfully.
“Me too, but you go first,” she smiled.
“Can I get you guys something to drink?” a pretty waitress came to the table.
“Just water for the both of us,” Lucy told her.
“Okay, and are you ready to order?” she asked.
“I will have the eggs benedict with a side of apple chicken sausage links,” I replied.
“Oooh, I will have the same,” Lucy smiled.
“That will be out shortly,” the waitress smiled and then walked away.
“Okay, spill please,” Lucy chuckled.
“Well I never told you, but Julius caught River going down on me,” I clenched my teeth, waiting for her reaction.
“Bitch, what the fuck? So what, were y’all doing that shit on a daily now?” she squinted her eyes.
“No, I told you about the first time. The second time she caught me off guard in the kitchen. The last time she crept into the laundry room and damn near begged me. Julius had been gone for three days, and I was so horny,” I laughed and so did she.
“So you used her?” she giggled.
“I hate to say that but, yes. I haven’t let her since we got caught though. When Julius caught us, he packed his shit and stormed out. I was grabbing and pulling on him as he walked to the door because I thought he was gonna go sleep with some hoe,” I shook my head.
“I'm sure he did,” Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Nope! He hasn’t cheated in I don’t know how long,” I cheesed.
“Wow. Who knew little old Natalia could change the big bad wolf, also known as Julius,” Lucy joked.
“All it takes is some phenomenal sex, great cooking, cupcakes and unconditional love,” I winked as the waiter set the plates down. “So what's the update on you and Rashad?” I asked as I put a forkful of the eggs benedict into my mouth.
“Well,” she went into her purse and then pulled her hand out to show a diamond ring. “He asked me to marry him!” she squealed.
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” I grinned.
“Because, I wanted to tell you in person so I could ask you to be my maid of honor,” she bit her sausage.
“Of course. I will be better at helping you once I have this baby though.” I sighed.
“What is it?” she quizzed.
“We find out next week,” I nodded and so did she.
After we ate, we went to shop for a couple of baby things and then we went to my house to relax. We walked into the house around 4:55pm and I hoped River was getting ready to leave.
“You want some tea?” I asked Lucy.
“Yes, I can take some,” she replied and followed me to the kitchen. “Is she still here?” she whispered to me as she sat at the bar.
“Yeah, today’s her last day though,” I whispered back as I started on the tea.
“I will see you tomorrow Natalia. Bye Lucy,” River smirked and then floated out of the kitchen.
Lucy turned to me and raised both eyebrows while shaking her head. “That bitch crazy,” she said and we burst into laughter.
Chapter 32: Julius
Tonight we were gonna kidnap Leah Vargas, Bart’s other daughter. This was the only way that we could get Bart to come out of hiding so that we could get his ass. Initially we were gonna snatch her ass up from work, but it was still too light outside when she got off. I didn’t want to risk anyone seeing us kidnapping her, because that would open a whole new can of worms. So, I had Dash and Jabari follow her home, where they would break in and get her. Once they had her, she would be brought to me.
“Jabari said they’re on their way,” Rashad said as we sat inside my warehouse.
“They got out of there with no problems, good,” I nodded and took a pull on the blunt before handing it to Rashad.
“Sure did, and they should be here in about twenty minutes,” Rashad added as he blew out smoke.
“So, Natalia told me you proposed to Lucy,” I smiled.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect to. It just kind of happened,” he chuckled.
“Elaborate because you’re not making any sense,” I frowned.
“I had Harold, our jeweler, come by the crib so Lucy could pick out something nice. He assumed I was proposing so he brought some iced out ass engagement rings too. Lucy was all over one of them and I just asked her right there in front of Harold,” he grinned and passed me back the blunt.
“Wait, so you for real wanna get married or were you just caught up in the moment?” I questioned.
“Both. I loved seeing her smile like that and something just came over me so I asked. Plus, I wanna adopt her son and I think we have to be married for that, I ain’t really sure though,” he shrugged.
“Wow, weren’t you the same nigga saying you would never get married or have kids?” I raised a brow.
“Nigga you shouldn’t really be talking. I remember when you wouldn’t fuck with a bitch for more than two days and now you’re married with damn near three kids,” he shook his head and I laughed.
“Yeah, I guess it’s true when they say the right woman can change a nigga,” I replied as I stared off into the distance.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Rashad ashed the blunt just as Jabari text him that they’d arrived with Leah.
“MMMMM!” Leah yelled under the sack that was placed over her head. Dash was bringing her in, with Jabari not too far behind.
Rashad and I stood up, and I snatched the bag off her head once they got closer. Her eyes bucked and then squinted as her mind tried to process what the hell was taking place.
“Hi Leah, I’m sorry I had to drag you into this, but your father is to blame,” I said as she just stared at me in confusion.
Dash slammed her down into the chair I was originally sitting in, and Rashad started to wrap a rope around her body. She squirmed a little, but Dash was too strong for her. I pulled my work phone out to take a picture of her, and saw I had five text messages from Sonia’s thirsty ass. I ignored them and began to snap pictures to send over to Bart.
Me: Come get her.
I sent the text to Bart, and then watched as Dash and Jabari carried the chair holding Leah to a backroom. If Bart didn’t agree to come here alone, I would threaten to kill Leah. I had to kill her regardless, because there was no way she would keep quiet abo
ut me killing her father. I wasn’t about to go and kidnap her ass again just to kill her when I could do it now.
As my boys and I headed out, my phone started to ring. I smiled when I saw it was Bart calling.
“Hello?” I sang into the phone as Rashad and I got into my car together.
“You son of a bitch,” he chuckled. It wasn’t a funny joke chuckle, it was an angry one. He was furious and I had him right where I wanted him.
“Let her go, she has nothing to do with this,” he spat.
“I will let her go when you agree to meet me alone,” I said.
“Meet for what? You killed my princess and now you and I are enemies! There is no reason for us to meet!” he shouted.
“Lower your voice Bart. I’m not about to give you an oral presentation on why we should meet. If you don’t want your other princess to be dead, you’ll quit being a bitch and come step to me,” I replied.
It was quiet for a few moments, until he finally asked, “When?”
“How about Thursday night at 10pm? And come alone or you’ll regret it. I will be waiting for you with a 9mm pressed to your baby girl’s temple. If I see anyone with you, I’m pulling the trigger,” I spat and disconnected.
“That nigga is hot! I know he is! I could see the steam coming out of your ear piece!” Rashad joked and we laughed.
“You know he is. I hate to leave his wife a childless widow, but she has her daughter to blame. If Skylar would’ve just done her job instead of chasing after dick, there would be no problems,” I huffed as I made a left turn.
“I know that’s right. They brought this shit on themselves,” Rashad scoffed.
“And can you believe he hooked up with that nigga Brax? I should’ve known he’d do something like that, because he did it to Hugo,” I frowned.
“Speaking of Brax, you send him that video yet?” Rashad grinned.
“Nah, I have to get his email out of Natalia’s computer. But when I do, I’ll have it in his inbox in no time,” I cheesed and dapped my brother up.
“When he sees that shit, he’s gonna go ape shit dawg,” Rashad snickered.
“And that’s exactly what the fuck I want him to do. Soon as he gets to barking, I’m gone put some heat in him,” I smiled more so to myself.
“Then we need to go on a vacation to celebrate the end of all these snake niggas,” Rashad exhaled and I nodded in agreement.
I dropped Rashad off and then went home. It was around 12am and I knew Natalia would be asleep. This was the perfect time for me to go into her computer and get Brax’s email. I would shoot that shit over to him from a throwaway email I created and then sit back and watch for the explosion.
I crept into the house and the lights were slightly dim all over. I went into the kitchen first, and checked the fridge for a plate of food. I smiled when I saw a plate of yams, fried chicken, and creamed spinach. For dessert, there was a chocolate chip cheesecake. I licked my lips because I knew getting that email was gonna have to wait until after I ate. Good thing I worked out, because at the times I was eating, I was bound to get fat if I didn’t.
I scarfed down my dinner and cheesecake, then showered and brushed my teeth. I turned my iPhone’s flashlight on and searched the bedroom quietly for Natalia’s laptop.
“Julius what are you doing?” Natalia scared the shit out of me.
“Oh, umm, I dropped my earring babe,” I lied.
“Turn the light on,” she whispered.
“Nah, it’s cool. Go back to sleep,” I said.
“Come lay with me. I need you to rub my tummy,” she chuckled. Shit.
“A’ight,” I sighed and went to lay down with her. I knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer and I couldn’t risk her finding out what I was doing.
I couldn’t sleep at all throughout the night, because all I could think about was getting that damn email. It worked in my favor though, because when Natalia got up to shower, it woke me up out of the light slumber I’d drifted off to.
I looked over my shoulder and saw her go into the bathroom within our room. As soon as the door closed, I rolled over and off the bed like a damn ‘007’ agent. Since it was morning time, it was much easier to see. I spotted her laptop bag by her vanity and rushed over to open it. I pulled it out and pressed the power button. My leg bounced nervously as I waited for her MacBook to boot up. Come on, come on, I chanted in my head as I listened to the shower water. Once it was up and on, I clicked her email app and quickly typed Brax into the search box.
“[email protected],” I read it off out loud, as I typed it into my phone.
I double checked it and then powered her computer off. What the fuck was this nigga doing in the public relations business? I shook my head at his double life and then put her laptop back into her bag. I pulled my gloves from my black duffle bag and slid them on. I grabbed Leah’s phone that we’d taken from her and saved the video that Jabari had sent to it. I sent the video to Brax’s email from my dummy email that I’d added onto Leah’s phone.
“Julius-” Natalia came out of the bathroom and since my nerves were on edge, the phone flew up out of my hands and hit the ceiling. “Ju, are you okay? Why are you wearing gloves?” she frowned.
“I always wear gloves when I use my work phone babe,” I chuckled nervously.
“Oh okay,” she smirked and leaned her head back for a kiss.
I picked the phone up off the floor and finished what I was doing. I took the phone to the backyard and then burned it. Thank God Leah lived in the same vicinity as me, so her phone would show up as using the same cell phone towers that she always used. I didn’t want there to be any suspicions.
Chapter 33: Natalia
That afternoon
I was in the back putting orders on my calendar, because so many were coming in and I needed to keep track. It was bittersweet though, because I was making a lot of money, yet I was working extra hard. I think because I was pregnant, I was always more tired than I usually would’ve been after only a little amount of work.
“Where is the fucking manager?” I heard someone yell from the front.
“Nat, we have a problem,” my employee Brittani peeped her head into my office, just as I was standing up.
“I can hear that. I’m coming,” I chuckled and followed her to the front.
I walked out and it was some light-skinned chick yelling at the top of her lungs at my employee Casey. I couldn’t even understand what she was saying because her annoying voice was so high pitched.
“Can I help you?” I frowned. I wasn’t in the mood for this. My back was hurting, my feet were swollen and I was hungry and horny.
“Uh, who are you?” she asked with a smirk.
“I’m Natalia, the executive pastry chef and owner,” I replied.
“Natalia, yes. I wanted to take advantage of the ‘buy three get two free’ promotion here, but your employee won’t allow it,” she placed her hand on her thick hip. She reminded me of Erica Mena from Love and Hip Hop.
“I see. Which cupcakes were you looking to get?” I inquired as Casey and Brittani looked on.
“I wanted five of the lemon rosemary and smoked salmon cupcakes,” she raised a brow.
“So the savory cupcakes are not a part of the promotion like it says here,” I told her and pointed to the sign.
“That is some bullshit! It’s always a catch with these fucking promotions!” she yelled.
“Let’s lower our voices ma’am-”
“Do I look old enough to be a ma’am Natalia? Call me Sonia,” she cut me off to say.
“Sonia, please lower your voice and can you step to the side so my employee can help the people behind you,” I said before we walked to the side. “Now, unfortunately the smoked salmon cupcakes are not a part of the promotion, but I will be happy to honor it with any of our non-savories,” I half-smiled once we were away from the small crowd.
She stared at me for a second and folded her arms. “Aren’t you married to Julius?” she chee
sed.
“Umm, yes I am,” I squinted my eyes. “Now which-”
“Has he asked you for a divorce yet?” she inquired.
“Why is my personal life your business? I must’ve missed a few portions of the conversation, because I’m not sure how we got here,” I folded my arms like her.
“See, Julius and I are very much in love, and he told me he was gonna ask you for a divorce very soon. He’s slow poking around, so I thought I’d get the ball rolling for him. I know it’s hard for him to tell you such a devastating thing when you’re pregnant with his child,” she gave me a fake sympathetic expression.
“Wait, what the fuck are you talking about? I don’t have time to entertain groupies okay,” I put my hand up.
“You want proof wife?” she offered.
“Sure, humor me,” I chuckled. I knew this hoe was lying. Julius wouldn’t dare cheat on me. He hadn’t done so in forever and I knew he had no plans on doing so now.
“There you go. Scroll up,” she handed me her iPhone.
The number was stored as My Love. I scrolled through the texts, and my stomach started to feel queasy as I read the things he said. It was mostly sexual and very inappropriate for him to be texting her in this way. It was obvious she was a booty call type, but I didn’t give a fuck. I was furious.
“Here you go. Like I said, savories aren’t a part of the deal. Have a good day,” I smiled and handed her the phone back.
I went to my office and grabbed my coat and purse. I knew Julius was at home, so he was about to get an earful and then get the fuck out. I made sure not to speed, because I didn’t want my anger to end up killing my baby or me. I drove into our garage once I got home and then walked slowly into the house to give myself time to calm down. I arrived at Julius’ office door and knocked lightly.
“Come in,” he called out. “Hey sexy, I thought you were gonna be at the bakery until five,” he smiled with his fine self.
“I’m sure you wished I did stay until five so that you could have some alone time with Sonia,” I raised a brow as I closed the door behind me. His face immediately dropped.
“Natalia I can explain-”
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