Page 73 of Whatever It Takes
I shrugged. “I don’t know Saint. How was I supposed to tell you that I paid someone to kill my ex because he was beating my ass? I planned on taking that shit to the grave.”
“You could’ve told me Rell was harassing you. You have three niggas in your life that would’ve handled that shit. Just cause I ain’t in the streets don’t mean I won’t lay a nigga down behind you. Hell and jail, baby.”
My heart fluttered at his words. “I love you, Saint.”
A few days later, we landed in Turks & Caicos. The private jet Saint chartered was beautiful. Although the flight was long, I enjoyed every moment of it. As soon as my feet touched the sand, I felt every single problem disappear. Saint rented a mansion that sat right on the beach. I thought the trip would be just his family and us, but he surprised me by inviting the rest of our friend group. Miss Jackie tagged along to supervise the girls. I was so thankful for this well-needed break.
“Damn, Bless, save some ass for the rest of us!” Taryn joked as she playfully smacked my ass.
“I’m sayin’ though. Moo is going to lose his mind when he sees you in that small ass bikini!” Chanel said, like she wasn’t dressed exactly like me, but in a different color.
I shrugged, “Saint knows his lady is a baddie. I can’t help but show it off. Now if Messiah was here…” I trailed off, knowing my brother would lose his mind if he saw me dressed like this. We shared a laugh and continued our walk to the other side of the beach, where our men were. They claimed we took too long to get dressed and headed over there without us.
The closer we got, the louder the music was. I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful the island is. The smell of sea salt invaded my nostrils. This shit is really paradise. Saint, Dru, and Rome were already posted under a canopy near the edge of the beach.
“There goes my babyyy.” Saint sung as we stepped underneath the canopy.
“Bout time,” Dru said, puffing his cigar. I took a seat in Saint’s lap and stuck my middle finger up at him. “Yeah, let me show Messiah what you got on.”
Chanel grabbed his lips and balled them up, “Stop being messy nigga.” We all burst into laughter as they started playfully fighting.
“You look so good, Bless baby,” Saint mumbled against my skin, looping his arms around my waist. He wasn’t lying. The lime green bikini looked good against my soft brown skin.
“Thank you. You’re looking just delicious, Papa.” I licked my lips, eyeing his attire. He was wearing a designer pair of swim trunks and a white tank top. His big, strong legs were on full display, and I was enjoying every bit of it.
“Y’all wanna do the horseback riding or the car jet ski things?” Taryn asked, clicking around on her phone.
“Let’s do the car jet skis. I’m not dressed for horseback riding.” Chanel complained.
I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let’s do the jet ski. But I need a few drinks in my system first.” I looked around for a waitress and waved her over. We decided on a bottle of tequila and a few fruity margaritas.
A few drinks later, we’d forgotten about those damn jet skis and somehow ended up in a game of volleyball. Of course, the men were winning; they were fucking athletes!
“I’m done playing with y’all. It’s not a fair game!” I whined, stomping.
“Aye, don’t be a sore loser, baby. This was your idea.” Saint chuckled, making his way towards me. As soon as he reached me, I turned and ran back towards the cabana. In my head, I was running fast as hell, but in reality, I wasn’t getting anywhere. Nobody told me how hard it is to run in sand.
A squeal left my mouth as Saint picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. He slapped my ass before carrying me the rest of the way.
“It’s getting late. I’m about to close our tab and get us a taxi back to the house. I know y’all don’t feel like walking all the way back.” Dru said as he walked up, his arm draped across Chanel.
“I don’t care how late it is, one of y’all is gonna order some food,” Taryn said, rubbing her stomach. “I’m hungry as hell, and I need something to soak up this liquor before we head out tonight.”
While scrolling through social media, I came across a popular club that plays hip-hop and R&B, so we bought a section for the night.
It didn’t take long for us to get back to the house. When we arrived, Sage’s little feet padded towards the door. I picked her up and planted kisses all over her chubby cheeks. Once she noticed Saint behind me, she pushed me away and reached for him. I handed her over with no hesitation.
“Hey, Miss Jackie. Where the girls at?” I asked walking into the living area. I took a seat on one of the chairs at the table.
“Out back in the pool.” She nodded towards the door. I decided to leave them be. They deserved this vacation, too. Prom and graduation season were near, and I knew shit was about to get hectic soon. I can’t believe my little sister is about to go away for college. Serenity and Journey were both accepted into Clark Atlanta University and planned on attending together. Although I was sad about her leaving, I was proud of her.
“Bless hurry the fuck up!” I heard Dru yell from downstairs.
“I’m coming!” I yelled back, adding one last coat of lip gloss before heading downstairs to join everyone else.
“Damn.” Saint whistled as I reached the last step. The lime-green dress fit my body like a second skin. The neckline dipped low enough to show just enough cleavage. The fabric hugged my waist and hips before flowing down my legs. Just like the bikini, the color made my slightly tanned brown skin glow under the light. The gold accessories complemented the dress perfectly.
My cheeks heated as the group showered me in compliments. I wasn’t the only one looking good; everybody had that shit on.
