Page 48 of Creole Kingpin
I take a single guess at exactly what my little brother has gotten himself into and reply to her. “Yes. I want the rest of the money.”
“I want proof before I wire it.” The woman on the other end sounds like she’s got balls of brass and no respect, but then again, she was dealing with Ricky and not me.
“Then you’ll have to meet me. Change of plans ... no wire. Bring cash. I’ll text you a time and address. Don’t be late unless you want to end up like them.”
“Hey,” she says, starting to protest, but I hang up.
Fucking Ricky ...trying to be a hit manlike I used to be. I shake my head. Now I must find him, because something is not right.
Thirty-One
Magnolia
Imust be living in an alternate reality, because Moses is sitting across from me at a café. He looks comfortable as hell in his fitted undershirt with a steaming double shot of espresso in front of him and an empty plate that used to hold a mound of beignets that I never thought a man who looks like he’s carved from stone would eat. But he sure as hell didn’t waste any time putting them away.
How is this even happening right now? I swear to God, I will never understand how the universe works.
“What?” he asks as I stare at his mouth, which has a smudge of powdered sugar smeared across it.
I point to my own mouth to show him where it is.
“You want me to kiss you? Right here? I can do that.”
His chair slides across the tile floor as he leans over the table to come toward me. I throw my hands out to stop him, because I don’t need his candied lips adding even more confusion to my messed-up head.
“Powdered sugar,” I blurt instead, but force myself to remove the panic from my voice. “Your mouth. Wipe it,” I say more calmly, picking up a napkin from the table and holding it out to him.
His eyes sparkle like he’s amused as hell at how flustered I am at the thought of him kissing me.Asshole.
I’mneverflustered. And yet here we are, on this ass-backward day when the thought of a man kissing me has the power to make me act like a goddamned virgin and prize idiot.
“Why don’t you come over here and get it for me, mama. After making me listen to what you did to yourself in the shower last night, it’s the least you could do.”
If I still had the capability of blushing, I might, but I don’t because that part of me is long dead. I search for some of the sassiness I felt last night when I decided to torture him so I can kick this out-of-control sensation.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take long at all.
I reach out, dab my finger into the powdered sugar, and bring it to my lips, sucking the sweetness off and letting it melt in my mouth. I’m making a show of it for my sake, but just as much for his.
Glancing up at Moses, I find his hooded, slowly blinking eyes on my lips, and I lick the smile off my sugary lips.
That’s right. I’m in control here.
I tilt my head to the side. “You deserved it for how you acted last night.”
Mimicking my motion, he tilts his head in the opposite direction. “You brought up a threesome with my employee.” His voice is even and calm, but he’s quick to respond.
My right shoulder rises because a three-way isn’t really all that wild in my world. Well, in my old world. “You know I like variety.”
I expect thunderclouds to gather in Moses’s eyes, showing me he’s lost his patience, but they don’t come. His easy smile returns.
“No. You don’t. You’ll be happy with one cock for the rest of your life—as long as it’s mine.”
I scrunch my face in annoyance. How am I supposed to deal with this man? I truly don’t know. So I snap back. “Just because you say it doesn’t make it the truth. Eventually, you’ll realize that.”
The shake of his head is almost enough to drive me crazy. He always had a way of playing and teasing that made me come unglued. Almost like he wound me up just to see me spin out like a toy car.
“Nothing to say with that big mouth of yours now?” Big ... and incredibly talented from what I remember.
