Page 42 of Exile & Lula

As she went through her work emails in the family room, I took my phone into her lux office. I wasn’t sure what to tell Nova. Though my sister trusted me to be dependable, I couldn’t pry myself away from Lula.

The phone rang a single time before Nova picked up. “Are you calling to say you’ve tired of the rich lawyer and want to come home?”

“Not exactly.”

“Is she keeping you against your will?”

From the background, I heard Zodiac say, “If the fool needs saving, he just needs to ask.”

Frowning, I muttered, “He’s still around?”

“Oh, well, fun fact. See, Zodiac left earlier. But then, good news, he came back with his friends. Our house is now the clubhouse, apparently. I’m whipping up snacks for the whores on their way over to shower the guys with blowjobs.”

My chuckling couldn’t erase the guilt I felt over ditching her. “Lula’s great,” I said as if those words would explain my situation.

“I’m great, too. Now, get your ass home and kick out your stinky club pals.”

“I don’t stink, woman,” Zodiac said before stealing the phone. “You need to put ice on your temper before you give yourself a hissy fit.”

“Bite me, butthead,” Nova snarled at him.

“Language,” Zodiac admonished. “Think of the children.”

While Nova cursed at him, winning hoots of encouragement from my nieces, Zodiac walked outside to talk alone.

“Her pussy’s that great, huh?” he asked.

“Yes. I can’t leave yet.”

“Well, you can’t move there,” Zodiac spat out, suddenly hostile. “You get that, right? You’re prolonging the inevitable.”

“Lula’s got money. She can move to Baton Rouge.”

“Yeah, but she won’t. I’ve spent years studying up on the Reed family, and they don’t live apart. It’s disgusting, but you can’t change them.”

“Well, I still need a few more days.”

“What’s a few more days going to do but make it harder to tell her goodbye?”

“I could get sick of her,” I said, despite knowing my words were a lie. “Or more likely, her people will get on my nerves. They’re all treating me with kid gloves because I saved Lula. Once that wears off, I’ll be viewed as an outsider cramping their style. That’s when I’ll come home.”

Zodiac didn’t respond immediately. His silence meant he was plotting.

“I get it,” he said, surprising me. “If I got a taste of Elle Reed’s pussy, I wouldn’t want to walk away after a day. So, here’s what we’ll do. Let’s view your time in Little Memphis as a vacation. That’s all this is.”

Zodiac paused at the sound of Nova yelling at someone inside the house.

“Your sister has gotten an idea in her pretty head that you’ve ditched her and the girls to live it up with your lawyer. But I’ll explain how this is just a getaway to clear your head. She’ll settle down.”

“You aren’t really bringing whores to the house, are you?”

“Is that a real question?”

“For you, yes, it is.”

“Well, I had planned to have a girl come by to give me a quick blowjob. You know, just to tide me over while I play your sister’s bodyguard. It’s not like Nova will help a guy out.”

I gritted my teeth to keep from bitching at my president. He was actively helping me right now, but the guy drove me crazy when he treated my sister like one of the guys.