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DEKE

When Javier had told me he was flying to Miami for a meeting, a part of me had yearned to go, because there were three things I knew I’d encounter that always turned my bad mood around: liquor, nightclubs, and of course, the women.

Yeah, I know I said I didn’t want to fool around with another woman unless she was Davina, but that was over with now, so to me, it was free game.

Javier probably wasn’t going to do any clubbing, but I had a few dudes who played ball for Miami who I was cool with and could meet with them.

I needed to let loose and forget about Davina. Javier said to be her friend, but she hadn’t emailed me back in days. It was clear now. She didn’t want to deal with me, so it was whatever. I’d give her space and stop sweating the situation if that’s what she wanted.

I watched Javier walk down the steps of the private jet, with Aleesa in his arms. I was surprised he’d brought her with us, but his nanny was newly pregnant, and her morning sickness was kicking her ass. He’d have to look for a new one soon, but in the meantime, his mom would be flying in to help out.

I walked across the tarmac to get to the black SUV waiting for us. The sunlight bathed the back of my head and neck, and it felt good after being on that cold jet.

When I climbed into the SUV, my phone vibrated with a text.

Whitney: I saw that article about you and Giselle. Glad you’re done with her. She was mad superficial.

I darkened the screen of my phone again. I wasn’t in the mood to even think about that fucking article and definitely not about Giselle’s snobby ass.

She was the reason it was even floating around. She was telling everyone we weren’t seeing each other anymore because I wasn’t a good person and that I wasn’t romantic. It was a whole bunch of bullshit.

“Deke. Candy?” a little voice said next to me. It sounded more like “Dee. Canny?”

I looked at Aleesa, who was locked into her car seat, with a smile pasted on her face. She had big green eyes and sandy-colored curls. That beautiful three-year-old looked just like her mom. I was sure it pained Javier every day to see the spitting image of his deceased wife in his baby girl.

I cut my eyes to her dad, who was sitting in the passenger seat and giving the driver the designated address; then I dug into the pocket of my jean jacket and took out a pack of jelly beans. I’d brought three packs just for Aleesa.

Our candy affair had started when she was one and I’d had to swindle her with a STARBURST. She literally wouldn’t even look at me when I came around, and for a while there, I could’ve sworn she hated me. I shared that tiny strawberry fruit chew with her, and her entire mood flipped. Suddenly, I was her best friend.

It’d gotten to the point where she started reaching for me whenever I entered a room she was in. Yes, I bribed her with sugar. No, I don’t regret it. She was my little road dog now, and believe it or not, I helped Javier out from time to time by babysitting her if I was free.

Aleesa did a little squeal, and I pressed a finger to my lips. She cupped her mouth with one hand as I opened the packet of jelly beans and dropped some into her tiny palm. She couldn’t help giggling.

While she did, Javier peered over his shoulder.

“Dee canny, Daddy,” she said, already chewing.

Javier turned the soft gaze he had for his daughter to me, transforming it into a full grimace. “Seriously, man?”

I threw my hands in the air. “That’s the last pack, I swear.”

“You know I do not like her to have candy, Deke. She turns into a little gremlin, running throughout the whole house and jumping off of the walls.”

I laughed as Javier faced forward again, then pointed my gaze at Aleesa, who was chewing and smiling at the same time.

“You’re gonna make your dad beat my ass,” I murmured to her.

“Deke!” Javier shouted.

“What, man?”

“I told you about using bad words around her!”

“Oh, shit. Sorry, Valdez.”

“You did it again!” he yelled, and Aleesa giggled louder, getting a real kick out of our exchange.

After dropping our bags off at the rental house Javier booked, we went to a high-end water-view restaurant called Wave 47.

The walls were painted black and accented with white vertical and horizontal zigzags. Green plants were threaded throughout the place, wrapping around the columns and clinging to the walls, and the round pendant lights were dim.

The hostess led us straight to the back, where she slid a curtain aside to reveal a private dining area with windows overlooking an endless ocean.

A woman with sable skin, black bangs, and a white pantsuit was already seated at the table. I assumed she was Kyla, the owner of the baby products company Javier had mentioned.

“Javier Valdez!” Kyla stood and rushed to him, her hand already stuck out for him to shake. “I’m so glad you could make it. This means so much to me to have you here.”

“Well, I am just happy to be here,” Javier said with hardly any enthusiasm.

I kept telling him he needed to work on his people skills. With that tone, he sounded like he’d have rather been anywhere else than at the restaurant. I knew that wasn’t the case, though. For a few weeks now, he’d been talking about this meeting and how good Kyla’s products were for Aleesa’s skin and hair.

“And is this little Aleesa?” Kyla cooed, her eyes melting into puddles as she focused on the little girl in Javier’s arms. Aleesa rested her head on his shoulder with a shy smile. “Oh, she’s so beautiful, Mr. Valdez.”

“Yes, she is,” he said, nodding in agreement. “And please, call me Javier.”

“Javier it is.” Kyla turned my way, pointing a knowing finger at me. “And you are the one and only Deke Bishop. How great it is to be in your presence.”

I took the hand she offered and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Kyla. Hope you don’t mind my presence. I’m just here to help out.”

“Well, that’s wonderful and kind of you,” she said. “Please, let’s have a seat. Javier, I mentioned to you that we have a few more people that will be joining us for lunch. I spoke to a potential collaborator on the phone last night and have really high hopes about this.”

“Yes. That is okay.”

Not long after settling into our seats, a familiar pasty man in a tailored suit walked in, and Kyla sprung right up to greet him like she had with us.

“Chester! Hi!” she sang. “It’s so great to see you again!”

Chester gave her a closed-lip smile. “Pleasure’s mine, Kyla.”

The name Chester sounded familiar. There weren’t any Chesters in my world, but I was almost positive that name was mentioned somewhere recently.

Just as the thought occurred, a curvy silhouette near the sliding curtain appeared in the corner of my eye. My heart dropped a notch when I saw who it was.

The drop wasn’t in a bad way. No, this was one I could recover from, like being on a roller coaster and reaching that adrenaline peak, only to hit a rapid descent and be brought back to level ground. It throttled me but also made me feel alive.

There she was. The woman I couldn’t get out of my damn mind. The woman who’d been ignoring my emails. The woman who looked sexy as fuck in a powder-blue dress, her hair in a curly afro and her almond skin bright and flawless, with full, glossed lips I wanted to do so many things to.

Davina.

I picked up my water and took a much-needed swallow.

When Davina caught me in the room, she stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened like saucers. She’d been calm and collected when she first entered, but at the mere sight of me, she was flushed, her throat bobbing and her lips parting as she searched for words.

After lowering my glass, I smirked and said, “You’re blushing, D.”