Page 8

The club is jumping as we make our way through to the VIP lounge. Bayleigh bobs her head and bounces to Megan’s Hiss.

I glance behind her, looking at my baby’s ass bouncing in that tight dress she’s wearing, and I glance around to make sure no one’s sweating her. I do catch a few young niggas checking her ass out.

I shake my head because here she goes, creating a scene again. She knows that that ass draws attention.

We keep walking through the crowd, and I spot a few dudes I know and give them a slight nod.

It’s Hakeem’s birthday, and he wants to get wild and loose as usual. I know that he’ll have several broads draped over him before the night is out, forgetting about his woman at home.

As for me and mine, my baby is with me wherever I go unless it’s business-related. I don’t fuck around on Bayleigh, and I don’t give her a reason to do that to me.

“You think Keem’s going to be mad that we were late?” Bayleigh asks as we near the section where I can see that my people are already turned up.

The music seems to be louder in this area than in the rest of the club, and bottles are being poured into glasses and on bodies. Only a few of them won’t be drinking, and that includes Jamal, Janel, and Malik. They always have to be on alert in case something pops off.

“Nah, he’s too drunk to realize that we weren’t here,” I state, pointing at Hakeem, who’s standing on a table with one of the dancers, giving the rest of the crew a table dance.

Bayleigh rolls her eyes. “Anyone who sees the straightlaced, buttoned-up accountant in the daytime would have a hard time believing he’s this party animal that he is whenever we hit the clubs.”

“I know!” I shout over the music as we grab one of the couches.

“Bossman, it’s my birthday!” Hakeem shouts as he slides off the table and staggers our way.

“So, I’m told.” I laugh, leaning back into the couch and wrapping my arm around Bayleigh.

“I told errybody, my Bossman’s throwing me this party tonight!”

I shake my head. I shouldn’t be surprised. When announcing that I would fund this excursion tonight, I told him to keep it on the low.

Everyone in this city knows who I am, but I don’t make it a habit of flaunting my wealth or extravagance. I don’t like drawing unnecessary attention my way, especially in public, and definitely not when my woman and my kids are around.

I catch Jamal’s and Malik’s eyes in the corner where they’re standing. We have a few other men stationed around the club, and I know that everyone is on alert as usual.

There are only a few select clubs throughout the city and surrounding areas that we frequent, but Stage 21 isn’t one of them. This club is relatively new, and my team has been wanting to check it out.

Hakeem suggested gathering here for his birthday, and because he really wanted it, I agreed.

I’ve checked out the owners, and we swept the club earlier tonight before they were open for business.

But now that Hakeem is drunk and talking a little too loose and loudly, I hope that he doesn’t make me regret the decision to host his party here.

Janel and Kim are in the middle of the floor dancing and attracting the eyes of all the men around us, including some who aren’t in VIP. They’re both wearing lace and leather. Their clothes are provocative, although Janel’s outfit covers more areas than Kim’s.

Marisa, my receptionist, dances her way to our couch and takes a seat beside Bayleigh, hugging her. My team respects me, but they love and adore my wife.

“Hey, Boss Lady. So glad to see you,” Marisa gushes.

They talk for a while before Bayleigh’s head bobs up when she hears Muni Long’s Make Me Forget.

“Baby, I want to dance,” Bayleigh declares.

I’m not the dancing type, but there isn’t anything that I won’t do for my lady.

She stands, full of smiles, and reaches her freshly manicured hands my way. I take them and let her drag me out of the VIP section.

Bayleigh’s arms around me lure me into a false sense of security, and for a while, as I inhale her sweet fragrance and bask in her soft, lush curves, I don’t focus on the danger that always lurks whenever I’m in public.

I press my lips into the groove of her neck, and she purrs contentedly against my shoulder, sending a hum of vibrations right through me. We sway slowly back and forth, and Bayleigh pulls back and stares into my eyes.

Her long lashes dip down briefly to hide the desire shooting from her eyes. Full, sweet lips painted a dark shade of purple tilt into a smile that shoots straight to my groin.

We’ve been together for almost three decades, and I still feel about this woman the way that I felt when I first met her.

“I love you.” Bayleigh mouths.

I cover her lips with mine, basking in the coolness of her tongue when she slips it into my mouth. I suck on her tongue even as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, letting me know that danger is close.

Although I continue dancing with my woman, I break the kiss and nibble on the shell of her ear while whispering, “I love you too.”

As my words and actions appear to be completely tuned in to Bayleigh, my eyes are scanning the club, and my ears are listening for the slightest thing that may be off. A pitch that doesn’t gel with the music, footsteps that may seem hurried, anything that suggests something is about to go down.

As the song ends, I take her hand and lead her back to the VIP section, scanning the club. I see nothing off. We’ve been here for a while, and it’s about time to bounce. I’ll give it a few more minutes before we leave.

As we’re chatting with Aris and Noble, I spot a group of four men walking by the VIP section. All four of them are eyeballing me hard as fuck. I don’t break the stare even when I feel Bayleigh patting my hand and saying, “Baby?”

I don’t stop staring until they’re out of sight. I nod at Malik, who disappears from the room.

“Yeah?”

“You good? Seems like you dazed out for a minute there.”

“Yeah, just thinking about our dance. I want to head home soon and finish what we started on the dance floor.”

Bayleigh smiles at me and replies. “Of course.” But that knowing gaze of hers lets me know that she’s aware there’s more. She turns back to Aris and Noble and continues chatting.

I wait for Malik to return and report to me. When he does, he has no news.

“By the time that I made it out there, they were jumping into a limo and pulling away from the curb, Bossman.”

“Get me the plates off the nearest traffic cam as soon as you can. We’re about to dip.”

Malik nods.

Just before we get up to leave, a couple of bottle girls come up to us with a large bottle of Macallan.

“Mr. Knight, this bottle of Macallan was sent to you,” one of the bottle girls states.

The second one hands a glass to me and then leans over, reaching toward Bayleigh.

“Here, let me give a glass to the lady too,” she remarks, rubbing her breasts against my face.

“Ma’am, he’s already got more than he can handle. Thank you. We’ll open it later at home,” Bayleigh declares in that dark, husky tone that she has, placing an arm between my face and the woman’s breasts.

She’s so damn polite with it, though. If you miss the deadly look in her eyes, you won’t realize how serious she is. Bayleigh is a sweet lady, but she is a beast when it comes to beating a bitch’s ass.

The bottle girl steps back, glances at her co-worker, and smirks before nodding and comments, “Duly noted.”

As the two of them begin to step off, I shout, “Miss!” over the music.

“Yes?” The first woman turns to answer.

“Is this courtesy of the house?” I ask, holding up the bottle of Scotch.

Looking at the other bottle girl, she frowns and then shakes her head.

“No.”

“Who did it come from?” I ask instantly, going on guard.

She turns around and looks as she answers. “The gentlemen who . . .” She looks back at me with a look of confusion on her face. “They’re gone. Meka, did you see the guys?”

The other bottle girl, Meka, who was a little too touchy for my tastes, looks out into the open area and then turns back to us, shaking her head.

“Thanks, ma’am.”

“What’s wrong?” Bayleigh asks when they leave.

“Nothing, babe. Just time to go.”

I head to Janel and give her a heads-up before doing the same with Malik and Jamal. Malik heads out of the club to do a preliminary sweep, and then Jamal and Janel lead the way out of the club for Bayleigh and me.

The moment that we step out of the VIP room, my driver and bodyguard, Ghalen, steps from the shadows to cover us from behind.

“Our bottle of Macallan, babe. You forgot it.”

I shake my head and say nothing as I continue scanning every face, looking for one of the men who eyeballed me earlier. I see no one.

Bayleigh looks at me with a worried expression, but I place my arm around her, kiss her temple, and continue ushering her from the club.