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The second round of drinks that Rain ordered had just been served when Miss Betty led her wait staff to the table with four loaded sampler platters. She personally placed Rain’s platter in front of her.
“Almost burnt and dripping with sauce. Just the way you like them, Lorraine,” Miss Betty said.
“Thank you, Miss Betty,” Rain said, and once Carter, Jackie and Baby Chris received their food, she and her staff left them to eat, drink and enjoy.
And after the meal was eaten and thoroughly enjoyed, Miss Betty told Rain that it was on the house and wouldn’t take no for an answer. But Rain wasn’t having it either.
“Everybody drop a hundred on the table for a tip,” Rain said and after she hugged Miss Betty, they headed back to J.R.’s. And when they were gone, Dennis called AD to report.
“Any problems?”
“Naw, they ate, drink, Rain talked to Miss Betty, and they left. No problem just like Rona said.”
“Yeah,” AD said. “Crisis averted. I’m headed for The System, come holla at me when you close, and I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Bet. I’ll see you there,” Dennis said, ended the call, and got back to work.
Once Rain arrived at J.R.’s, she told Carter and Jackie that she needed to talk to them, and they followed her through the club to the office. When Yarrisa saw them coming on her monitors, she stood up, came from behind the desk, and straightened out her dress.
Instead of her usual jeans and J.R.’s T-shirt, that night, Yarissa was wearing a red A.L.C. Hadley front slit knit sheath dress. When Mileena asked her why she was dressed up, Yarrisa said that she just felt like it. But the reason that she was wearing it was to get Carter’s attention.
“Hey, Yarissa,” Rain said.
“Hey, y’all,” Yarrisa said as Rain walked by her and punched in the code to get in her office.
“Hey, Yarissa,” Carter said and followed Rain in the office seeming not to notice how good she looked in the tight dress she was wearing. Jackie noticed. She looked her up and down as she followed Carter and Rain into the office.
“Nice legs,” Jackie said as Yarissa went behind the bar. “Who knew, since you always have on jeans every time I see you.” She glanced at Carter and then back to Yarissa. “What’s the occasion?”
“I just felt like wearing a dress tonight. No particular reason,” Yarissa said, picking up a bottle of Patrón and looking at Carter while she poured Rain’s drink. She handed it to her.
“Thanks,” Rain said and went to sit down.
Yarissa’s eyes were fixed on Carter and he was looking straight at her as she picked up a bottle of Hennessey Paradis and poured a shot for him and Jackie. Carter stood up and walked to the bar to get the glasses.
“Thanks.” He took the glasses, went back to the couch and handed one to Jackie. Although he was looking at her the entire time, the emotionless expression on his face told Yarrisa that she might as well had worn that dress for Jackie.
Yarrisa left the office thinking that maybe it was time to let this one go. She’d had her fun with Carter, it was everything that she had always imagined that it would be, but now it was time to move on. The only things that she would have to look forward to now were pain, aggravation and embarrassment.
“What I wanted to talk to y’all about is me and Black talked, and we decided what we’re gonna do with Doc and Ed Weather’s businesses.”
“New captain?” Jackie asked and Rain shook her head.
“No. Black doesn’t see anybody that he thinks is ready for the kind of responsibility and I agree with him. So, here’s what’s gonna happen. We’re gonna keep it simple. Jackie, all of Ed’s people kick up to you now. Carter, all of Doc’s businesses are yours except Jelly’s. I want you to take that Jackie and make it upscale like you did with Conversations and The Game before Flip ran it in the ground.”
“I can do that, no problem.” Jackie laughed “I just need to establish myself.”
“And we all know how you’re gonna do that, Shooter,” Carter joked and then he motioned with his hands. “Two to the head to the first man that looks at you wrong.”
Chapter Eighteen
As Mileena walked upstairs to the offices, she thought about what she was about to do. She had been thinking about it for weeks, thought long and hard about it, and had thought that she had made up her mind. But now, walking up those stairs to actually do it, now she wasn’t so sure.
She reached the top of the stairs expecting to see Yarrisa, but she wasn’t at her desk. Had she been there, a bit of idle chitchat among friends may have been enough to change her mind. But Yarrisa wasn’t there, so Mileena knocked on the door. When the buzzer sounded, she opened the door and went in.
“What’s up, Mileena?” Rain said from behind her desk. Although she been in that office thousands of times, the distance between the door and Rain’s desk never seemed so great.
“There’s something that I need to talk to you about,” Mileena said and sat down in front of the desk.