Page 26 of Cannon (King Family Saga #3)
Queen
ZaZa stood in front of the mirror, lip gloss in one hand, her phone buzzing on the nightstand with a string of texts she tried to shield from me.
I could tell she was anxious to get out of the house.
And I needed a break from her too. It’s been almost a week and she’d been following my rules but I was tired of keeping my eye on her like a hawk.
I was so scared that she would start slipping again.
“Don’t stay out past midnight,” I said, leaning against the doorframe with my arms crossed. “I don’t care what you and this mystery man got planned, Cinderella rules still apply in this house.”
She rolled her eyes just enough for me to catch it in the reflection, but not bold enough to do it directly. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And no drinking,” I added. My voice came out sharper than I intended, but the thought of her out there, mixing meds with liquor, made my chest tighten. “Not even a sip.”
“I know, Mom,” she muttered, gloss wand moving over her bottom lip.
I stepped farther into the room, letting my presence fill the space. “And one more thing, no male company in this house when I’m not here. I mean it, ZaZa. I know he’s been over here.”
Her hand froze mid-swipe, eyes flicking up to mine before darting away. “Okay,” she said too quickly, capping the gloss and grabbing her purse like the conversation was over.
“That’s not just a rule for the sake of rules,” I pressed. “It’s for your safety. This house is my sanctuary, and I can’t have—”
“Okay!” she cut me off, voice rising with teenage impatience. “I got it, Queen. Midnight. No drinking. No boys in the house. Can I go now?”
She was already halfway to the door before I could get another word out, the scent of her body spray lingering in her wake. The slam of the front door echoed through the house a second later, leaving me alone in the silence.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty hallway, the unease coiling tighter in my gut.
I wanted to lock her down, keep her where I could see her, protect her from every danger that lurked in the dark.
But she wasn’t a little girl anymore. And if I caged her in too tight, she’d only find ways to break free.
Still, the mother in me…hell, the survivor in me couldn’t shake the feeling that letting her walk out that door tonight might come back to bite me.
I stared at my empty house, a familiar feeling of guilt creeping up my spine. I couldn’t keep her locked away forever, but every time ZaZa left, my mind raced with worst-case scenarios. Would she take her meds? Would she end up in another manic episode? Would I get another call from the hospital?
With a deep sigh, I grabbed my cleaning supplies.
Nothing calmed my anxiety like scrubbing my house until it sparkled.
I put on my playlist. The 90s R&B always lifted my mood, and then I went to work.
Nori and a couple of my homegirls were coming over.
I’d been working so hard in the club that I hadn’t spent much time just chillin’.
The doorbell rang just as I finished cleaning my apartment from top to bottom.
“Coming!” I called.
When I opened the door, Nori stood there with our good friends Layla and Gia.
“We brought wine and gossip.”
“Hey, ladies. Get in here. I don’t have much time before I gotta be back at the club tonight. Tonight is a big night. Between the awards show and the mayor’s gala, I’m expecting a huge turnout.“
“Oh yeah. I forgot about that. We won’t hold you up long. Just wanted to pop over and say hi since we don’t see you unless you’re in that club.”
“One day I’ll be able to slow down,” I responded.
I loved the Sylk Road but I wouldn’t be lying if I said that it was exhausting.
I’d love to retire. Maybe own a bed and breakfast somewhere outside of the city.
But for now, it was me and my club. And tonight had the potential to retire a few strippers.
“Girl, you will not believe what I just did,” Nori announced, kicking off her heels and making herself at home on my couch. The other women followed suit, looking around my place with appreciative eyes.
“What?” I asked, setting the cleaning bucket aside.
“I bought a new car. It was time.” She beamed, practically vibrating with excitement. “A brand-new Lexus. Midnight blue. Leather interior. The works.”
“Damn, girl,” I said, genuinely impressed. “Good for you.” I was happy for her because she had been driving an old-ass car for a while. In fact we both were.
“Life’s too short to drive boring cars,” she replied, popping the cork on a bottle of Cabernet she’d brought. “And speaking of moves… what’s going on with you and the security guard with the body like a god?”
Heat rushed to my face as the other women perked up, suddenly very interested in my love life. “Nothing’s going on,” I lied, taking the glass Nori handed me.
“Mmhmm,” Nori hummed, her eyes narrowing as she studied my face. “That’s why you’re cleaning like a maniac on a Friday night and blushing like a virgin at prom.”
“I’m not blushing,” I snapped, taking a too-large sip of wine.
“You know what she’s doing,” Layla chimed in. “She’s nesting. Getting her place all pretty for when she invites him over.”
“I am not nesting,” I protested, but even I could hear the defensiveness in my voice.
Nori leaned forward, her voice dropping conspiratorially. “You fucked him, didn’t you?”
I choked on my wine, coughing as it went down the wrong way. “Jesus, Nori!”
“You did!” she squealed, clapping her hands together. “I knew it! I can always tell when you’ve been dicked down proper. You got that glow.”
“Can we please change the subject?” I begged, mortified as Layla and Gia exchanged knowing looks.
For the next hour, I endured their teasing as they passed around wine and shared stories about their own romantic disasters. I tried to participate, laughing at the right moments, but my mind kept drifting back to Cannon, to the weight of his body on mine, to the way he’d made me beg.
Eventually, Layla and Gia decided to head out, wanting to check out some new lounge downtown. Nori lingered behind as I walked them to the door, promising to catch up with them later.
Once they were gone, she turned to me with that look I knew too well—the one that said she was about to start digging.
“So,” she began, refilling our glasses, “when are you cooking for him?”
I snorted. “I’m not cooking for anybody.”
“Good,” she said with a laugh. “Because you can’t cook for shit. Remember when you tried to make lasagna for ZaZa’s birthday and set off every smoke detector in the building?”
“It wasn’t that bad,” I protested, though we both knew it was. “The top was just… extra crispy.”
“Girl, that wasn’t crispy, that was carbon. Straight charcoal.” She took a sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving my face. “So what’s really going on with you and Cannon? And don’t give me that ‘nothing’ bullshit.”
I sighed, sinking deeper into the couch. “I don’t know, Nori. We fucked. It was good. Really good. But I’m his boss, and he’s…”
“He’s what?” she pressed. “Too young? Too fine? Too much of a man for you to handle?”
“He’s complicated,” I finished lamely. “I just want to keep it light and fun. No strings, no expectations.”
Nori set her glass down, her expression suddenly serious. “You always do this, you know that? Keep men at a distance. Never let them get too close.”
“Because I know how that story ends,” I replied, my voice hardening. “I’ve seen it with my mother, with Javi. Men take and take until there’s nothing left.”
“Cannon isn’t Javi,” she said softly. “And he sure as hell isn’t your mother’s string of losers.”
“I know that,” I admitted, staring into my wine glass like it held the answers. “But what if I let him in and he sees all my shit? The mess underneath all this?” I gestured vaguely at myself.
“Then he’ll see you,” she said simply. “The real you. And maybe that’s exactly what you need.”
I didn’t respond, couldn’t find the words.
“You deserve more than just ‘light and fun,’ Queen,” Nori continued, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “Don’t be afraid to reach for it just because you’ve been hurt before.”
After she left, I sat alone in my spotless living room, her words echoing in my head. The wine had left me with a pleasant buzz, just enough to lower my guard, to let those dangerous thoughts creep in.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my phone and pulled up Cannon’s number. My thumbs hovered over the screen as I composed a text:
Queen: You up? I can’t stop thinking about what happened in my office.
I stared at the words, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, with a muttered curse, I deleted the whole thing. This was stupid. I was stupid for even considering it.
But as I set my phone down and curled up on the couch, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nori might be right. Maybe I did deserve more. Maybe it was time to stop running from the things that scared me.
And nothing scared me more than the way Cannon Price made me feel.