B00CD6BCB0 EBOK

by King, Joy Deja

  “It’s no secret how I felt about your mother and some might say I wasted many years waiting for her but I have no regrets. I wouldn’t want that for you though.”

  “I don’t want that for myself. If I learned anything from being locked up is that time is one of the greatest gifts we have and not to waste it.”

  “I hate that you had to learn such an important lesson behind bars, but I am glad you learned it and I hope you utilize it.”

  “What about you. Have you started utilizing it yet?” I waited for my Father to respond. I couldn’t help but smile as I stared at him. He was still just as handsome as I remembered him being when I was a little girl. His smooth chocolate skin was unblemished and his low cut jet black curls had tiny specs of gray hair in a few spots, which made him, look even more distinguished.

  “I have. I actually told your mother today that I met somebody that I’m developing strong feelings for.”

  “Really!” I exclaimed, excited to hear more, since my Father never mentioned having feelings for any woman besides my Mother.

  “Yes, but don’t get enthusiastic yet. If things work out, I definitely want you to meet her. I think the two of you would get along pretty good.”

  “What’s her name?’

  “Ashley.”

  “Nice! I hope things do work out because I would love to meet her.”

  “Yes, I hope so too.”

  I left the restaurant feeling super optimistic after my lunch with my Dad. He gave me a new perspective on life. I did still love Amir but I couldn’t stop living my life. I decided I was going to explore a relationship with Dale to see what could happen between us. I hadn’t seen my Dad look so happy in a very long time and figured it had to do with the new woman in his life, so I was keeping my fingers crossed a little of that happiness would rub off on Dale and me. Not wanting to wait I decided to call him.

  “Are you calling to tell me you’re on your way back to Miami,” Dale said, when he answered his phone.

  “Not yet, I’m not sure what’s going to happen with my grandfather. I’m missing you though. Do you think you can come to New York for a few days and keep me company?”

  “All I was waiting for you to do was ask. I’ll be on the next flight.”

  “Great! I’ll see you soon.” When I hung up with Dale the next call I made was to Clap.

  “How’s it going?” Clap answered in his typical dry voice.

  “That’s what I called you to find out. How’s she holding up over there?”

  “She’s a gutsy one. She only started to slow down today.”

  “Nobody has put their hands on her though, right?”

  “That was your order and I’m making sure all of us follow it.”

  “Good. I’ll be stopping through there later on tonight to check on everything.”

  “We’ll be here.”

  When I got off the phone with Clap, my finger was itching to call him back to say go head and fuck that heartless sociopath up but I resisted the temptation. I had to keep my fury under control until I got word about my Grandfather. Although I would willingly give up Maya if that meant my Grandfather would make a full recovery but my gut was screaming to me that he wasn’t. I had to admit, I wasn’t sure if it was somewhat wishful thinking because that’s how bad I wanted Maya dead. I had to erase the thought out of my head before I let it devour me. Maya would stay alive as long as there was a possibility my Grandfather would survive. She truly was one lucky bitch.

  “Hey, Aaliyah,” my Mother called out as soon as I stepped foot in the front door.

  “Hey, Mom!” I shouted back, rushing to my bedroom. I had several items on my to do list before Dale arrived a little later. With quickness I was tossing items in an overnight bag because I planned on spending the night at whatever hotel he would be occupying for his stay. In the middle of me getting my shit together I noticed my cell vibrating on the bed and answered.

  “Hey, Dale, don’t tell me you arrived already?” I stated jokingly, since I just got off the phone with him a couple hours ago and he was still in Miami.

  “Nope, but you already know that.”

  “I know…I know….so what’s up.”

  “I spoke with Juan Alvarez and he’s actually in New York now. He wanted us to get together with him tonight, to discuss pending business. I hope you don’t mind but I already agreed.”

  “Yo you know business and making money always come first with me. Do you know where we’re dining? I want to make sure I’m dressed appropriately.”

  “He said he would let me know where once I landed. But clothes are never an issue with you. Whatever you decide to wear, you’ll be good.”

  “Some help you are,” I giggled. “I got it though. I’ll wear something casual but sexy. You can never go wrong with that look.”

  “True indeed but…” before Dale could continue, I heard the flight attendant announcing doors had been closed and it was time to prepare for takeoff. “My flight is about to leave, so I’ll call you when I get to my hotel room.”

  “Cool, see you soon.” When I hung up with Dale I started thinking about how we would spend the next few days. I still remembered that kiss we shared by the pool and how aroused he made me but with us working so closely together, I always pulled back. All that was about to change and I was excited and nervous at the same time. I was excited because I hadn’t been intimate with anyone since Amir and I was long overdue for some mind-blowing sex. I was also nervous because Dale wasn’t the typical dude. He was a highly educated man that was raised by the streets. He was a thug but intelligent too which was actually the perfect combination. But it meant I had to constantly stay on top of my game and not get caught slippin’. Because with the book and street IQ Dale had, I would never get away with running game on him.

  “What are you in here doing? Must be something that is completely occupying your mind since you didn’t hear me calling your name for the last few minutes,” my Mother said, standing in my bedroom doorway.

  “Sorry about that,” I smirked. “I was in deep thought,” I admitted, with a smile spread across my face.

  “So who is he? Let me guess.Amir? You all have decided to reconcile?”

  “Hell No!” Excuse my language but I needed to stress how not true that was. I’m moving on from Amir. Like daddy said at lunch today, I can’t stop living my life while I’m trying to figure out this Amir situation.”

  “That sounds like something Nico would say and he’s right. I like Amir but most things in life are about timing and maybe this isn’t the right time for the two of you.”

  “Exactly. So if Amir wants to frolic around with Latreese then I have every right to do my thing too.”

  “So who’s the lucky guy?” my Mother inquired, making herself comfortable on my bed.

  “I tell you what, I’ll give you all the details if it works out between us,” I teased.

  “Deal! But can you tell me anything about him?”

  “He’s tall, sexy and he has a law degree.” My description of Dale was accurate I just left out the part about him being a major player in the drug world. I wasn’t ready to share those particulars with my Mom and didn’t know if I ever would be.

  “Sounds like a great catch. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it works out because I can’t wait to meet him.”

  “Please do! I would love to sit here and continue our girl talk but it’s date night so I have a lot to do before then.”

  “Say no more. You go ahead and get glammed up for your big date tonight. Have fun!”

  Dale and I arrived at the Time Warner Center on 10 Columbus Circle to meet Juan Alvarez at Masa. I had heard many things about the hot spot but since Japanese food wasn’t really my thing, I never got around to trying it.

  “You look drop dead gorgeous by the way,” Dale commented, taking my hand. I decided to be a little bit more daring with my outfit choice for tonight. With the black low cut Reem Acra dress that showed off pretty much every enviable part of m
y body I should have looked drop dead gorgeous. But instead of saying that, I simply smiled and thanked him for the compliment. When we entered the restaurant the first thing that caught my eye was that it wasn’t crowded for a Friday night but there also wasn’t that many places to sit.

  “It’s very stylishly designed in here but I’m surprised it isn’t more people,” I remarked to Dale.

  “Masa, only seats 26, oh and so you know, there is no menu,” Dale whispered in my ear while we followed the hostess. Before I could probe further, boom we were at our table.

  “Dale, Aaliyah,” Mr. Alvarez smiled, standing to greet us both. His thick wavy hair was perfectly slicked back. Although he couldn’t have been any older than forty-five, his hair was completely gray. I figured it was due to the stressful life he lived. But somehow the gray worked for him. It gave Mr. Alvarez, who was already a handsome man, a very prominent more Boss appearance. “Thank you both for joining me,” he said, in his heavy Spanish accent. The man spoke perfect English, his accent was just heavy as hell. We both smiled back and Dale shook his hand.

  “Thank you for having us,” I added, extending my hand. Before I sat down I quickly sized up of my surroundings, which had now become a habit of mine. Subconsciously I think a lot of it had to do with the line of business I was in. The majority of time I couldn’t help but feel that death was always right around the corner. So to protect myself, I wanted to keep my eyes alert to everything moving within my proximity. Besides the young woman that was sitting at the table with us, whom I assumed was Mr. Alvarez’s date there were two men seated at a table right across from us and they had to be his personal security. Them motherfuckers looked like they were itching to take somebody out this world, all they needed was permission from their boss. And there was no denying Juan Alvarez was a boss.

  For one his style of dress was impeccable but understated. Looking at Juan Alvarez, he put you in the mind of a cooperate tycoon not a notorious crime figure who would think nothing of wiping out an entire family, kids included, if you fucked him over on his drugs or money. If I had to take a guess, Mr. Alvarez only wore top of the line shit and I ain’t talking Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent or off-the- rack, made-to-measures Valentino suits. I’m talking about appointment-only master suit makers such as William Fioravanti where suits start at $10,500 to create. Growing up surrounded by rich men had ultimately made me a suit connoisseur and Juan Alvarez owned the game with the one he was wearing.

  Throughout the hour I thoroughly enjoyed an unparalleled omakase experience. I normally wouldn’t do the, “I’ll leave it to you” when it comes to my food selections but I couldn’t lie, the chef made the best selections when it came to our dishes, and that was coming from a person that wasn’t even big on sushi. By the time we were finishing up our last plate, the bullshit talk was simmering out and business dialogue was kicking in.

  “Dale, have you had a chance to discuss with your partners about my offer of also dealing with the oxycodone?”

  “I have.” On the low I gave Dale the side eye because he hadn’t discussed this shit with me. But I had been out of town and we didn’t have time to talk before this dinner so I just made a mental note and continued to listen. I damn sure wasn’t about to show my ass in front of a major supplier that this was the first I was hearing about moving oxycodone. I knew the pill pipeline was a huge market but I didn’t know Dale or his brother had an interest in it.

  “What have you decided?”

  “We are interested.”

  “But..” Mr. Alvarez said, putting his napkin down. He heard the hesitation in Dale’s voice and so did I. We both looked at Dale waiting for his response. I noticed the young Mexican woman I assumed was Mr. Alvarez date continued sipping her wine and looking around as if she didn’t hear anything we were saying. I started to think that she didn’t speak or understand English because I hadn’t heard her utter a word since we sat down.

  “Although this doesn’t concern you and I don’t want you to worry, we’re currently having some issues with another organization. We wanted to get that resolved before moving forward with this new venture.”

  “I understand. Is it anything I can assist you with? What organization is it?”

  “It’s one ofthe Dominican families. I appreciate the concern but it’s being handled.”

  “Let me know if you need me to step in. You all have become some of my best customers and I want us to do more business together. My reach is very far. I can have this resolved for you quickly.”

  “Again, I appreciate the offer but it’s under control. I believe we will be able to move forward with your new offer within the next few weeks.”

  “Wonderful,” Mr. Alvarez stated. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  We all held up our glasses and beamed but underneath the joyous faces I couldn’t help but wonder if this beef with the Dominicans was much more ominous than Dale was letting on. Only time would tell.

  When we left the dinner with Mr. Alvarez I kept my conversation very light with Dale. I didn’t want to discuss any business. After a few glasses of wine my only objective was slipping out of my Reem Acra dress and having great sex. So when we reached Dale’s hotel room I said no words and let my body do all the talking for me the moment we walked through the door. Once I took off my clothes and was standing by the entrance in nothing but my five-inch stilettos, Dale took the lead. He pinned me up against the wall and sprinkled my neck, breasts, stomach and clit with the most delectable kisses your body could imagine. I had reached my first orgasm without even the tip of his dick touching my clit.

  Once we finally reached the bedroom I already knew the sex would be immaculate. I came to get what my body needed and he delivered in every way. Dale was able to lay the pipe just like he did business with ease and perfection.

  Precious

  “Good morning, beautiful.” When I opened my eyes it was Lorenzo’s handsome face that greeted me with those sweet words.

  “I doubt I look so beautiful right now but thank you,” I said, rubbing my eyes.

  “I would have to disagree,” Lorenzo countered, as he stroked my hair. “I’m sure you’re hungry so I made you breakfast,” he said, getting the tray off the dresser and placing it on top of the quilt.

  My eyes widened with surprise, “I know you didn’t cook this.”

  “Then you would know wrong. I enjoy cooking. It actually relaxes me.”

  “I learn something new about you almost everyday. What kind of waffles are these?” I asked, looking at the tray of food, complete with fresh fruit, mimosa and flowers.

  “One of my favorites. It’s gingerbread waffles with apple & vanilla bean compote.”

  “You really can cook.”

  “Yeah, but this is nothing. One night I’m gonna cook you my chicken in Riesling.”

  “That sounds so delicious.”

  “It is. Once you taste that, you’ll never leave.”

  “I actually don’t want to leave now. I like waking up in your bed.”

  “And I like waking up next to you in my bed. I wish you would spend the night more often.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. And maybe this will convince you to do just that.” Lorenzo opened up a drawer on one of the nightstands. He walked back over to the side of the bed I was on and sat down with a jewelry box from Buccellati. My heart felt like it stopped for a second. No matter how many times in any woman’s life she was showered with gifts, I knew not one that ever got tired of receiving lavish jewelry.

  “Open it!” I exclaimed, as Lorenzo teased me slowly opening the box. I started feeling like I was having a Julia Roberts moment in Pretty Woman. The part when Richard Gere gave her the box with the ruby and diamond necklace but played peekaboo opening and shutting it before placing the necklace around her neck.

  “Do you like it?” Lorenzo said it like he was asking a real question. Only a blind person who was unable to see the breathtaking beauty of so many diamonds would not love the piece of jewelr
y I was holding in my hand. With all the jewels I had this was right up there with the pink diamond necklace Supreme got me many years ago, except this was a gorgeous handcrafted diamond 18 K white gold bangle bracelet. It was designed in Italy with 540 prong set round brilliant cut flawless diamonds that was 1 inch wide. It had to be well over 40 carats if not 50.

  “Why did you do this for me?” I questioned, truly stunned by the gesture.

  “Because I love you. I know I might not always express it with my words but I wanted to show you with my actions.”

  “I didn’t need this bracelet in order for me to believe that.”

  “Well no problem, I can always take it back.”

  “You better give me back my bracelet,” I screamed, snatching the box out of Lorenzo’s hand.

  “Oh so you do want it?” he laughed.

  “Of course I want it. But please know that although I didn’t buy you a ridiculously expensive piece of jewelry, I love you too.”

  “I know you do,” Lorenzo said, moving close as our lips locked and we kissed passionately. Being with Lorenzo made me feel like I was nineteen again. He was able to reignite all this passion that I had submerged deep down inside because I had no one to share it with. I was falling in love all over again and I savored each moment.

  “Damn, this bracelet is exquisite,” I gushed, out loud admiring the gift Lorenzo gave me, as I waited at the stoplight. While I rubbed my fingers across each diamond I heard my cell ringing. Although I had just left Lorenzo’s bed I was hoping it was him. I missed the sound of his voice already. When I saw the number I realized it wasn’t but still answered. “Hello.”

  “Hi is this, Precious?”

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “My name is Penelope. I work at the beauty and nail salon on 64th and Madison Ave.”

  “Okay…and what can I do for you?”

  “I’m the manager at the salon that your sister Maya is overseeing while your father is in the hospital.”