Page 11

CHAPTER 10

Stephon

I t was the night of the Mayor’s Ball, and I had picked my mother up hours earlier to attend. She was beautiful walking around in her black Balmain gown with a halter neck adorned with crystals. At least that’s what she’d told me because I didn’t know a damn thing about women’s fashion. Although the room was decorated in dim lighting, I had no problems spotting her in the room. She was currently bouncing from group to group with her little crew, Denise Haven and Savannah Cain. The party was in full swing, with more guests filing into the open ballroom. I decided it was time to start my walk around.

I pushed through the crowd of about one hundred guests, excusing myself to get through. There were also tables covered in black cloths and white floral arrangements that I had to maneuver through. By the night’s end, there would be three hundred and fifty, pending everyone showed up. This event was a big deal for my team, and I wanted everything to go as planned. Once I was happy with the security inside, I stepped outside to check in with them and ensure the perimeter was still secure. Before I stepped outside, I caught one more glance at my mother. She looked cozy and familiar as hell in the arms of Marshall Declan, Devin’s father-in-law and recent divorcee. Then he leaned in and kissed her lips. She was just with her friends. When in the fuck did he show up?

“His ass is knocking my mother down!” I exclaimed out loud to myself.

What the hell!

I swiped my hand down my face and returned to my task. I didn’t have time to interpret what I’d just seen, but I would ask my mother about it later.

“Yo B, is everything still good inside?” I spoke into the walkie

“B. As in me? Brody?”

“Don’t start with that shit, man,” I said back into the walkie-talkie as I heard him laughing on the other end with a few of my other employees.

“Yeah, man, we’re good. Stop micromanaging. Your ass literally just stepped outside two seconds ago.” While Brody was going on about my management style, a Cadillac Escalade pulled up to the curb. It was one of mine. I knew my cars and who should be driving them. It was Mike’s SUV. Some of the guests used our secure driving services tonight. The driver parked, exited, and rounded the vehicle's rear.

What in the entire fuck?

I couldn’t help but stand there like a deer caught in headlights. She was in heavy makeup, seemingly changing the shape of her face and wearing a wig, but I knew that fucking body and seductive walk anywhere, even though I’d only seen it four times. She wore a perfectly tailored black pantsuit that was the standard uniform for the employees who worked at Rockwell Security when they were on the job. She looked like pure sin wearing it. Even though my in-person view had been minimal, I was ashamed of how often I’d watched that security footage. Yes, I was counting our interactions because I wanted to see her and that sexy ass body every day. However, I was moving at her pace. Besides, there wasn’t a thing about her that I hadn’t committed to memory.

With the epitome of my employee’s poise, Jourdan opened the rear door to let Burks exit.

Oh, her ass is on one tonight! Where in the fuck is Mike?

Then she walked back around the SUV, opening the driver’s door. She turned as if she could feel me staring, and we locked eyes. There it was, that fucking look that held me captive. That same look that was now proven to drive me up a fucking wall in a good way. Then, just as fast as she had come, she pulled the SUV away from the curb. I stood in disbelief until it rounded the corner. She was headed to the lot. All my drivers were to park and enter to secure the event while waiting for their assets’ departure.

I turned, heading back inside, damn near in a jog.

“Yo, Steph, Steph. Are we good, man? I just saw you walk back through here like this fucking place was on fire. Is something wrong? Should we be on alert?... Steph,” Brody said as he urgently tried to get my attention on the walkie.

“All good! Stand your positions,” I spoke back .

I quickly filtered through the guests, trying not to be stopped or draw any attention that would warrant a panic. Brody was right. I needed to calm down. I walked briskly to the back of the venue and down the hallway to the rear doors. You could still see out into the ballroom, but it was otherwise covered in darkness. When I finally reached them, I stood in the shadows, waiting to see if she would come inside. I would be thoroughly impressed if she did. She’d managed to get to my driver and obtain my security plans for tonight. I needed to lock my shit down tighter and have a damn talk with Mike, who was probably somewhere knocked out in a damn closet.

Fuck!

After my third driver entered, she was the next person to come through the door. I grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her body against me into the darkness. She wasn’t resisting, so she expected me to wait in the shadows.

Good Girl!

With her back to me, I dropped my arm over her shoulder and chest and leaned her head to the side.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, Beautiful?” I spoke into her ear as I hugged her body to mine. Instead of responding, she elbowed me in the stomach, then spun around quickly, raising her knee to do the same. I blocked her attempt, which caused her to throw a series of quick jabs. I was dodging and blocking her strikes. It only angered her, inciting a challenge. Her hands and legs started to fly rapidly as I backed up further, using my hands and evasive maneuvers to counter. After I’d grown tired of our little sparring match, I grabbed her, placing her back against the wall. She wasn’t done, but I was. I dropped my voice, and then I gave her the warning to stop.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said, whispering into her ear, anticipating that she was thinking of a way to get out of my grasp. I caged her in between my legs, using my body weight to pin her. My hands rested on the wall on each side of her head when I leaned in. She smelled intoxicating. It was a sweet fragrance that made me want to taste her. I felt her quick breaths on my neck; it further aroused me. Meeting her mouth, I gently kissed, then flattened my tongue to lick hers, causing her breathing to hitch even more.

“Mmm, what will you do if I don’t?” She moaned and said rebelliously as I lifted to stare into her eyes. Her mouth hung open after her taunt, making me bite her bottom lip before I completely captured it in another deep kiss.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked as I forced myself to break away from her. I felt her hands travel down my chest, caressing each groove and crest that I’d spent years sculpting. Her hands finally landed on my now-hardened dick, wrapping her hand around it through the briefs and slacks that held it captive. I groaned. She smiled a sinister smile, removed her hand, and kicked me in the balls.

“Fuck!” I shouted into the hallway, hoping no one had heard my outburst.

“Oh, and Stephon…I want you to stay the fuck out of my way,” she sa id.

“Is that really what you want, Beautiful?” I called out through my pain. She looked over her shoulder and smiled as she faded into the ballroom guests like the lioness she was.

What in the hell just happened? On my mother, I think I’m in love!

In the darkness, I stood and leaned against the wall before laughing loudly. I was lost in my humor until a voice brought me out of it.

“Nigga you just gone stand there and hold your cracked ass nuts all night, or get back to work?” Devin said he was in tow with Ren and Demi.

“Yo, fuck you, D,” I said, causing him to laugh.

“I saw y’all over here having y’all’s little lovers’ quarrel. Does Brice know you’re sleeping with his fine-ass sister? That’s a bad motherfucker,” Demi said.

“Oh, so because she was over here trying to make sure my mother doesn’t get any grandkids, we’re lovers,” I said, staring at Demi's serious expression.

“This ain’t about Adriana’s fine ass. Looking like J-Lo in that dress. Got damn!” he said as he brought his fist to his mouth and bit down.

“Demi, if my nuts weren’t hurting right now, I’d ki...”

“They are, though, with your Ol’ top-flight security ass. Where’s your whistle at?” he cut off my statement, laughing loudly.

“Anyways, Brice knows. His ass asked Steph to marry her,” Devin said. Ren and Demi’s mouths both fell open .

“Word!” They both said simultaneously. I swear Devin’s ass knew every fucking thing. There was a minute when he was slipping, but now that he’s retired and has all this time on his hands, he’s right back in everyone’s business. Or maybe he wanted to keep up with the other ‘business’ that had him so keen on Brice and I’s dealings. Additionally, I didn’t even bother to correct Demi about me sleeping with her because, as far as I was concerned, that was an inevitability. I wasn’t going to rush it, though.

“Get the fuck out of here. Like on some arranged marriage type shit like the mafia?” Ren asked.

“Exactly like that, talking about it could strengthen the family,” I said and laughed.

“We’re higher than the US Mafia, though,” D said.

“I told his ass that and cut all that ‘we’re’ shit out. You supply computer technology. That’s it!” I followed, making sure he understood. He gave me a scrutinizing look before Demi broke up our stare-down.

“Why in the hell would he ask you to marry her when I was right here?” Demi said.

“Shut your extra married ass up, Demi,” Ren said. They were all happily married, but Demi had been secretly married since he was eighteen.

His simping ass!

“Right, because where is Melanie’s thick ass anyway?” I said as I glanced into the ballroom, looking to see where their women were. I knew they were somewhere amongst the guests together. Something akin to anger flashed across his eyes before he smirked .

“Yeah, like I thought, talking about my damn mama like that.” I taunted.

“So, are you going to do it?” D asked.

“Surprisingly, Brice talked to her about it, and she didn’t sound like she would object. I’m down if she is. However, y’all saw her just now trying to destroy the family jewels; what in the hell do you think?” I said, both pissed off and turned on by the act.

“True! Y’all were over here fighting each other like Blanka and Chun-Li from Street Fighter. Well, maybe not Blanka because that’s one of D’s green-ass personalities. Let’s go with Ken.” Demi said, laughing. This nigga stayed calling Devin the Hulk or whatever big-ass green character he could think of. Before I could respond, my mother caught my eye.

“What the fuck,” I said as I gazed into the ballroom. My mother was having an intense conversation with Miller. I quickly started to walk in her direction, with D, Demi, and Ren walking just behind me.

“Bingo, we got action!” I heard Demi yell behind me.

How in the hell did he even get in here? Last I checked, he was in New York.

I reached Miller in record time, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the nearest table. When he braced himself on the surface, discarded wine glasses fell to the floor, shattering, bringing the attention of a few nearby guests. Devin and his brothers crowded around us, blocking out their view. The other guests returned to their conversations because we appeared to be doing the same .

“Do we have a fucking problem?” I said to Miller as he looked at me and smirked. I saw red. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man who was with Miller at the steakhouse. He had another man with him whose hand was ready to pull out. I mentally cataloged his appearance while Miller’s hand raised slightly, halting him from fully discharging.

I glanced at Devin, who had discreetly taken out his gun; he’d seen it too. His finger was on the trigger, low in front of his groin, where no one could see. I tightened my grip, restricting Miller’s airways.

“I said do we have a fucking problem?” I repeated myself, which I hated to do. He finally conceded by throwing his hands in the air before I let go of his collar. He fell over with a cough and went through the crowd with his two men flanking him.

“Ma, are you good? Do you know that nigga?” The questions were fired out before she had the chance to answer them.

“It’s ok, I’m fine, Stephon,” she said, but I knew she was anything but. Not to mention, she hadn’t answered my second question.

“If you want to leave, just let me know, and I’ll take you home.”

“Nonsense. The night isn’t over, and you already threw him out. Besides, you still have work to do,” she said, patting my chest and walking back over to where her friends were. I blew out a harsh breath. My mother was bothered. I could see it written all over her face. The worried lines creased her forehead and eyes. Just as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. It was too late; I’d already seen them. Miller had just moved himself up on my list. I knew where my mother was, but because of that motherfucker I’d lost track of Jourdan.

Shit!

“Damn, your mama got all the old niggas in here going crazy tonight,” Demi said and laughed.

“Yo, between Jourdan and my mother, motherfuckers better tread lightly around here. I’m already on ten, and they don’t want to see eleven,” I said to Devin and his brothers, who were still huddled around me. I was raging inside.

“Look at D’s ass! Put that shit up. You’re AARP now. That means your old ass is retired,” Demi said. Devin quickly holstered his gun and put him in a headlock.

“Here they go with this shit,” Ren said, shaking his head. They all laughed at their antics. I was too focused on Miller and his two men, still making their way to the exit. I turned and headed for the back exit that Jourdan had come in through earlier.

“Yo, Steph, Steph,” Ren called out. I would have turned to answer, but Steph wasn’t the one he was calling out to. Almost to the door, I heard a transmission from the walkie.

“Steph.” It was Brody’s ass.

“How in the fuck did that nigga get in here, B?” I returned. The fact that he’d decided to all of a sudden do his damn job wasn’t lost on me.

“I had a little situation at the door,” he said. This was exactly why I had trust issues. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Once I hit the exit, I slipped down the side of the building, covered in darkness. The street on this side of the building had several cars parked. I quickly headed towards the front. About halfway up, I met Miller and his men coming down. They’d stopped beside two of the parked cars.

“What do you want to do, Boss? Do we need to run up on that bitch in there?” One of them asked.

“She’s not a bitch, and that’s none of your fucking concern. What I told your ass to do was watch him. Not let his ass come and hem me up. I’m going back to New York tonight. What I need your ass to do is stay here and wait for Burks to give you the information on that meetup. You got that? I made the shit simple for you. Don’t fuck it up. I don’t want to have to visit your mother to tell her you went missing,” Miller said before he and his right hand got in the first car and pulled off.

The darkness continued to conceal me as the man stood at his car, pulled out, and lit a cigarette. I snuck up behind him and put him in a chokehold, restricting his airways. The cigarette fell to the ground, slumping him in my arms. Still shrouded in darkness, I searched his pockets for his keys and unlocked the car door, throwing him in the passenger seat before I rounded to get behind the wheel.

Checking the mirrors before I pulled out, I traveled up the six blocks from the hotel where the ball was held to go to my security firm. I took out my phone and opened the gate. Then I hit another button to open one of the service bays and drove inside. I couldn’t risk anyone seeing this car here. So I took out my encrypted phone to text Trigger.

The firm’s garage now!

Trigger

On the way.

I glanced over at my passenger to see that he was waking up.

I can’t have that!

Before he turned his head to look over at me, I pulled back my fist, connecting with the side of his face to knock his ass out again. This garage was where we serviced our vehicles. It looked like the typical auto service center with car lifts, tool chests, and the fresh smell of oil and gas. I rounded the car, picked up whoever this was, and threw him over my shoulder.

The firm’s garage held two offices. One was for my lead mechanic, and the other was mine, where I was taking him. Inside was a bookcase that opened to a stairway leading to my sterile house. I called it a house because it held several rooms for various situations. The house was lit with fluorescent lighting and was completely stainless steel, down to the furniture. It was completely undetectable from the outside and one hundred percent soundproof.

I chose the smallest room, ten by ten feet, and threw him down in the corner of the room on the floor with a thud. After searching him for his wallet, phone, and other shit that may give him hope, I chained him to the hooks on the floor. It was heavyweight and had about three feet of tension. When he woke, he would be in complete darkness; if he screamed, no soul would hear him. Well, not any living ones. I would clone his phone and turn off his location later. The room was also equipped with a toilet. It was essentially a jail cell .

I left the room and headed down the hall to the kitchen. Because I wasn’t a complete fucking savage, I searched around until I found a bottle of water and a half loaf of bread. I went back into the room and sat them down at his feet. I didn’t have time to get the information I needed because I had to return to work. Until then, his ass would be here.

While I waited for Trig, I sat at the desk and quickly pulled up camera footage from the traffic cameras. Then I deleted myself as I drove from the ball. I also checked the hotel footage to see Trig's location, which showed him slipping on his job. As I looked for the time stamp, I found him in the corner arguing with his woman.

This nigga!

Just as I logged out, Trig popped into my office. His look told me he already knew what was up. I locked up, walking out with him behind me.

“I need you to take this car and get rid of it. Tonight! Take me back to the ball first, though,” I said as he nodded.

“My bad, Rock. Jade’s ass popped up tonight, talking about she was trying to see if I was really working. Then she said she was going home and cut out the back of all my pants since I wanted to have my ass all out in the streets. You know her ass will do it, too,” he said in a worried tone.

“Please tell me Jade’s ass didn’t say that,” I said, grabbing the bridge of my nose, trying to stop the laugh from spilling out.

“Rock, I was about to be assed out like Prince, my nigga.” When he said that, the laughter burst through. After I got control, I let his ass have it .

“Trig. You're, my man, one hundred grand, but you have too much shit going on sometimes. If something had happened to my mother tonight, I would have killed your ass,” I said, giving him the sincerest expression.

“I got you, Rock. I understand because I would have told you the same if you let someone run up on my mother. Except... I would have said I would have tried to kill your ass. Key word tried because you be on some other shit. Respect!” He said calmly, holding my gaze before we both laughed. He held out his hand to dap me up and bring me in for a brotherly embrace.

“Let’s get back,” I said, heading to the passenger seat to get in.

“You just gone leave his ass in there?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Shit! For how long? It’s dark as shit in there and quiet as hell. He’s gonna wish he was dead,” Trig said.

“For as long as I feel like it,” I said and shrugged, with Trig shaking his head and laughing.

“See, other shit,” he said, cranking the car and backing out of the bay. This last month has been too noisy. I liked the world around me to be quiet.