Page 53 of Rich and Rotten

Staring down at me, he had a perfect view of everything I was wearing. If I had a closure, he would have seen that, too. The minute I raised my eyebrow was the moment he realized I was looking up at him, and he broke from his trance.

“You ready?” I asked.

“Shit, I don’t fucking know now.”

I looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Tata…that dress on you. We can do room service,” he suggested.

I waved him away and took a few steps forward, the echoes from my heels sounding throughout the lobby.

“I’m going to have a good dinner––either alone or with company. The choice is yours,” I said, then turned and walked away.

The restaurant was within walking distance of the hotel, and the heels I wore were comfortable for a short walk. Like my own personal shadow, I felt Nazir come beside me.

“You look beautiful, Tata.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

I could tell from the way he spoke––his voice rougher than it usually was––and the way his eyes roamed every inch of me that he wanted to say more.

Even do more.

Once we reached the restaurant, Nazir held the door open for me, his hand hovering at the small of my back as I walked in. His touch was innocent, simple even, and it nearly had me come undone. Feeling his hand on any part of my body caused it to become warm. Nazir knew the power he held over me, and years later, that power was still relevant.

The restaurant was dim, with small lamps provided so the patrons could see the menu. It whispered opulence, expensive, and every other word that meant money. Soft music floated through the air––that old school R&B. The kind you didn’t realize you knew until you found yourself humming the song word for word.

The hostess led us to a private booth tucked away in the corner. As we settled into the velvet and gold accents, the hostess fucked Nazir with her eyes. His broad shoulders, height, tattoos, and brown skin glowing under the chandeliers made him enticing to her, and she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t attracted to him. He didn’t care. Honestly, I don’t think he noticed because his eyes had been locked on me since we walked into the restaurant. He probably only said two words to her, besides giving his name for the reservation.

Nazir slid into the booth across from me, stretching his arm along the backrest as if he owned the whole restaurant.

Comfortable.

Confident.

Far from the man who used to order water and let me get whatever I wanted. His aura had always been the same, and his confidence was always there. The money never was, and that’s where his insecurity came in.

The silence surrounded us, and I found myself humming the words to an old-school song. I busied myself with the menu, pretending to read like I didn’t notice his gaze burning a hole in the back of it. I knew the minute I put the menu down, his eyes would be ready to pierce beyond my soul.

When the waitress came, he ordered for both of us without asking me what I wanted. There was no need to ask or complain about him ordering my food. It was something he did. He knew me so well that he always ordered my favorite foods, and I never complained. This time, I was slightly nervous because just like things had changed for him over the years, they had changed for me, as well.

I hated how impressed and excited I was just from something as simple as ordering my food. The lump crawled up my throat just from him paying attention and doing what he had always done. The problem wasn’t what he had always done, but what he had done. He never ran, and that was exactly what he did when it came to us.

When she set our drinks down, he finally spoke. “You look good, Tata.”

That name.

It felt like heaven opened, and the angels were singing to me. I guess, in a way, it had always felt like that to me. It always felt like heaven because Nazir was that to me. I worshipped him like a god.

A leader.

And he let me down.

I quickly took a sip of my lychee martini and gathered the courage to look across the table into his eyes.

“It’s just dinner. You don’t need to compliment me all night like we’re on a date.”

My eyes scanned the restaurant, desperate to see anything but his gaze.