Page 56 of After Midnight
"Easy, Melo," I said gently.
"Oh, it's alright." She waved me off, kissing his cheeks. "How was school my smart boy?"
"Good!" Melo grinned. "Look what I drew for you." He thrust the picture forward.
"Oh, would you look at that," she gushed. "That is a perfect dog."
My brows furrowed and Melo looked back at me like—see Daddy. I shook my head smiling.
"Go upstairs and change out of your school clothes, baby. Mee-Mee is almost done with dinner. Spaghetti sound good?"
Melo nodded quickly and dashed off.
"No running, Melo!" I called behind him. I heard his footsteps slow down.
I turned back to my mom and placed a kiss on top of her head. She had some braids in her hair looking all young and spry. "Who you trying to impress young lady?" I touched her hair smirking.
She laughed. "Myself. Angel convinced me to get them." She touched her hair. "I love them though. What do you think?"
I nodded with approval. "You look pretty, Ma. You always been the prettiest woman to me though."
She smiled warmly and hugged me around the waist. "Thank you, baby." She turned back to the stove. "So you and Boogie hanging out tonight?"
Of course I had to lie. "Yeah," I nodded with a smile.
"That's good. I'm glad you're getting outside more, baby."
"Me too. I'm starting to feel like myself again."
"Good." She looked up at me, her eyes twinkling. "That makes me so happy. Kendrix would want that for you. You know she was a woman who lived her life to the fullest, God rest her sweet soul."
"I know, Ma." I replied quietly, looking off for a moment.
She pulled my face gently back towards her. "Take your time, okay. Whenever you need a break or a night out, you just tell us. No questions asked."
Thank you." I smiled softly.
She reached up and kissed my cheek. "Wanna eat before you go?"
I shook my head. "Naw, me and Boog gon' grab some dinner. I'll check in later. I gotta head out."
"Okay, baby. Have fun."
We hugged, I went up to say bye to my son, made sure he changed and then headed out. Next stop—Gianna. I checked out my reflection in the rearview mirror and let out another deep breath. "You got this dawg. No pressure."
I was praying this night turned out well.
Chapter 14
Iwas floored when I saw Boss on my schedule but not totally surprised. There was a vibe there when we met. That man was ridiculously fine. Paid. His name definitely spoke to his nature. I could tell a man like him enjoyed a challenge and I was more than prepared to give him one.
I couldalsosee why Monroe was so protective over him. He had an aura about him that pulled you in without even trying. It made sense why she was territorial. I'm not gonna lie—the dick was good too. Real good. Combine that with the money? Yeah—I wouldn't wanna share my prize either.
The look on her face was priceless when she saw us. I couldn't wait to tell Ronnie about this shit, she was going to eat it up. Now, I wasn't expecting him to want me exclusively,but I was definitely flattered. Regulars were always much appreciated. Steady income, predictable energy, and less guess work.
Boss was a welcome change from the typical suit and tie client's that frequented Madam's. He was fun and I planned to have a ball with him. Not only for myself, but also to humble that snooty bitch. Since she wanted to fuck with me and my sis, I was going to eat her pocketsandher pride.
I smiled to myself as I applied my lipliner and gloss in the mirror. I had showered, slipped on a soft beige dress, and wedge heels. Simple and cute. Soft makeup and beach curls completed the look. Going from getting fucked hard by a Boss, to having dinner with a soft-spoken Chef was…a shift to put it lightly.
