Page 23 of Love Me Now: Baltimore & Madelyn

My jaw tensed. While I wouldn’t have put my hands on her, my words were just as deadly.

“What’s lower than a street mutt?” I asked her.

“Nothing—”

“You,” I interjected. “A street mutt would get my loyalty, my dick, my ring… all that shit. You won’t even get a second thought.”

She sputtered indignantly.

“If it’s not obvious, stay the fuck away from my shawty.”

I left her standing there looking stupid. If there was one thing I wasn’t about to do with my time, it was argue with a woman who I wasn’t waking up next to.

Back inside the main area, I scanned the crowd for Maddie and found her talking to Adir. His eyes followed me as I went back to my post and dapped Jahdi. He’d moved into position without me having to order him to. Knowing my time working for the Bell family was coming to an end, it was imperative that the person replacing me was elite in every way.

Adir was protective of his family, but especially his auntie. After all the shit she’d been through, he wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. Although he’d known me for a while, his senses were high, and I couldn’t blame him. Only, he had nothing to worry about. If anyone was going to ensure the safety of Maddie, Heir, and Genesis Bell, it was me.

Adir and I would talk. Regardless of how he felt, Maddie and I were inevitable. He might as well called me Uncle Cooley ‘round this bitch.

One week later…

Frommyspotnearthe bar, I kept a keen eye on the VIP section where Maddie sat her beautiful ass on a couch enjoying her second flute of champagne. I observed every move she made, checking for any signs that she was in distress. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but I knew this was the last place she wanted to be tonight.

Black & City was packed from wall to wall with many of the Bells’ associates here celebrating Maddie Bell’s forty-eighth birthday. Although she wore a pleasant smile, home with Genesis was where she would’ve rather been.

My girl looked so fucking bad tonight. Maddie could wear anything and make it sexy. Tonight, she wore an all-white, form fitting pants suit that was tailored to her body with a precision only surgeons knew. Every piece of the expensive fabric molded to her mahogany skin like a second layer of skin. If she turned just right, anyone would notice that the back of the blazer she wore was bare, exposing the exquisite structure of her back. Underneath the revealing blazer, her breasts sat nicely, drawing anyone’s eye to the fullness of them.

It gave me great pleasure to know that I’d be seeing every inch of her flesh soon. The plans were laid, and everything was set for our arrival. Tasting her pussy again was top on the list. A nigga was craving her badly, and I wouldn’t be satisfied until my face was buried in her ass.

“Careful, big dog.” Adir appeared next to me and chuckled at the look I shot him. He’d broken my concentration. “Ya infatuation with my auntie is starting to bleed from ya pores.”

“Good,” I drawled.

I placed my eyes back on Maddie just as block-head ass D. C. Gladden approached Maddie’s section. The mayor from Mobile, Alabama, was newly divorced and clearly on the prowl. Throughout the evening, I’d caught him eye-fucking Maddie’s section. He’d finally gathered the balls to approach her. I grit the back of my teeth as Maddie stood to speak with Gladden. Security wouldn’t let him in the section, so Maddie stood by the entrance to rap with him.

“Couldn’t be me,” Adir chimed in.

Briefly, I glanced at him.

“Ain’t no way I’d be all the way over here while a nigga is all up in my woman’s face,” he added.

“Since you wanna be funny, I might as well let you know, this is my last year workin’ for you.”

Adir’s head tilted to the side. “Really?”

“I have an ownership deal with the Bears on the table,” I offered.

Surprised, he said, “Oh, shit. And here I thought you were gon’ quit to pursue my auntie.”

“I’m ten steps ahead of you.” There wasn’t any shame in how I felt about Maddie. “Matter fact, after tonight, there’s no more treading lightly.” I was tired of that shit. The last week I’d been sitting on Maddie’s phone wishing I was near her. The only way we could maintain any decency was to stay away from each other. It was time for me to be able to share dinner with her and our kids. We got a few minutes in together, but it was hardly anything to satisfy either of us. I wanted to spend more time with Genesis and even Heir.

Adir turned to me and dapped me. “You had every right to kill Duval. However, I respect the fact that you gave me the chance to face him. I never hesitate to shed blood. That night in the dungeon, I hated that we seemed to be on opposing sides. You’ve always been solid, and I don’t doubt you fuck with me and my people the long way. I’ma hate to replace you, but I wouldn’t have anyone else sniffing after my auntie, or assuming the helm of the household where my cousins live.”

Chuckling, I replied, “Yeah, me either.”

We both put our eyes back on the VIP section where Gladden was still in Maddie’s face. I couldn’t take much more of it.

“What makes a billionaire want to spend his days risking his life for a woman who wasn’t his?” Adir asked.