Chapter 4

4

E lias

The Following Night

Since it was Neko’s last weekend in the city before he and Mally Mal went across the world, the guys and I decided to take him out. I knew he planned to propose, so it was also a pre-celebration for him and sis finally getting their shit together. Though we all met at The Lucky Lounge , which was probably the best lounge in Rose Valley Hills, the rest of the single men in the crew and I were going to the gentlemen’s club afterward.

As we finished the last of the whiskey, I filled Neko in on us potentially having a replacement for Parker. I still couldn’t believe she’d been stealing from us, but I was grateful Malorie had caught it. What was crazy was we paid our staff exceptionally well. Parker admitted that she wasn’t in debt and did it just because she could. Out of everyone that we started with at the firm, Parker being behind the missing money had never crossed my mind.

“I’m cool with Fiona working on my floor, just as long as she doesn’t need to have her hand held. I would prefer someone with experience, but you said she did a couple of years of work-study, right?” Neko confirmed.

“Yeah, and you know Declan doesn’t play about his business. If she wasn’t qualified for the position, he wouldn’t have agreed.”

Though Neko nodded, I could tell by his expression he wasn’t fully onboard, which I understood. Neither of us wanted to bring someone new into the fold after Parker, but we didn’t have a choice. We needed the help. All we could do was pray we brought in someone worthy of our trust.

“If it seems like she’s not getting the hang of things at a rapid pace, I’ll bring her to my floor, and you can have my assistant,” I continued to ease his mind. Neko had a very particular way of doing things at the office because he didn’t want to be doing them to begin with.

He was cool with me being the president of the company and handling everything outside of the creative niche. When it came to our artists, auctions, and consignments, that was all him. Neko hated sitting in on meetings or having to do any kind of paperwork, so I knew the last thing he wanted to deal with was an assistant that needed him to teach her how to do her job when he came back from East Asia.

“Aight, that sounds good. Enough of that work shit though. We gotta make the most of tonight before me and my sweet girl head out.”

And that was exactly what we did. While he and Malik got another bottle, the rest of us settled on shots since we had another destination in mind. We left the lounge a little after midnight after wishing my brother wellness and safe travels. I was truly happy that he’d finally gotten his girl.

When we made it to The Black Diamond , we instantly received the royal treatment. Amanda was like royalty here, even after she retired, and since I was her baby daddy, they fucked with me tough. Some of the OG dancers from her time here kept it respectful and only offered me dances when I came through, but there were others and newer dancers who didn’t give a fuck who she was to me and offered whatever they thought I wanted to get a bigger bag.

Once we were seated comfortably in our VIP section, two bottle girls came over, and we immediately got the weed and liquor flowing. The vibe tonight was pretty chill. Red and purple lighting bounced against black furniture and walls all over the main room. There was a small dance floor by the DJ booth, a main stage where the top dancers performed, several poles positioned in corners of the main floor and in every VIP section, and a bar on the opposite wall of the DJ booth that poured only top-shelf liquor.

“Man, say,” David started, and I already knew he was about to be on some bullshit. “I need ’bout two of these bitches in a private room expeditiously. A nigga ain’t fucked in ’bout a week, and I got a lot of nut to put in they asses.”

All I could do was shake my head at his dumb ass because he was dead serious. That was his way of ensuring he didn’t get the wrong woman pregnant, and I was grateful for that. The last thing the world needed was a mini him running around. David was loyal to his family and friends, but he treated women like shit. For that reason, I kept him at a distance. That was also why I wasn’t as close to him and Malik as Neko was back in the day.

If a man didn’t treat his woman well and she had more to offer him than I did, I could only imagine how he’d betray me if given the chance.

Our appetizers hadn’t even arrived yet and strippers had already migrated to our section. I welcomed the entertainment since it was one of my favorite forms. Asses rippled and cash rained for about four songs before I felt a shift in the atmosphere. When the naked women that had been dancing for us parted like the Red Sea, I knew the reason before I saw it. Or should I say her…