Chapter 16

Whiskee

Darkness came before Beethoven did.I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep on the couch until the doorbell woke me up. I didn't get up right away, thinking it was in my head. The sound of hushed voices caused me to open my heavy eyes. Beethoven kneeled before me, pushing my hair out of my face.

"I'm sorry."

I wanted to tell him it was okay, but it wasn't. I didn't mind him being late, I just wished he would have communicated that he would be.

"Call or text next time."

The left side of his mouth lifted as he smirked and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

When his hand lowered from my cheek, I noticed it looked different. Sitting up slightly, I took his hand into mine. "Beethoven…"

"It's fine."

My head shook as I noticed the cuts, redness, and swelling. "This isn't fine. Does it hurt?"

"It's nothing I'm not used to, Whiskee."

"It needs to be wrapped so it won't get infected."

I didn't care about his impatient sigh as I stood and used his shirt to tug him toward the bathroom. I made him lean against the counter as I grabbed the first aid kit from the hall closet. From the looks of both hands, he'd washed them but didn't do much else. I didn't see any dried blood, but I also didn't see any remnants of creams applied.

"This is normal for you?" he asked softly as I began to apply a liquid antibiotic on one hand and then the other. "Bandaging battered hands?"

With a chuckle, I nodded. "Unfortunately. Did you forget who my father and brother are?" We locked eyes briefly. "I wasn't in the streets with them, but after fights or a shooting, I saw the effects."

Beethoven stared at me as I wrapped his hands loosely. "You'll still be able to move them around. I want you to apply this solution for the next three days. Rewrap them for the next four nights. Then, keep the gauze off so they can breathe. If it throbs because of the swelling, ice it. Try not to keep it uncovered for too long. It needs this wrap and moisture to heal. Air will just dry them out."

When he didn't respond, I looked up at him to make sure he was listening. Because of how he'd leaned against the counter, our faces were closer. Our lips were closer. So close they touched. So close we kissed. What started as a slow, careful introduction turned into a deep, nasty exhibition as if we'd done this in another lifetime. I couldn't remember the last time, if ever, that a man had kissed me so passionately. By the time he pulled away, I was too stunned to speak or move.

Beethoven stood upright. His body against mine pushed me back gently. Clearing his throat, he ran his fingers down the corners of his mouth as he looked at me with an intensity that sent my heart straight down to my pussy. It melted for him, resting in the seat of my panties.

"Get dressed so we can go."

I nodded and swallowed hard, afraid that… instead of words coming out… it would be a moan.

I hadno idea what Beethoven had planned for us. Since it was so late, a lot of places were closed. He ended up taking me to his family's restaurant, where the chef prepared dinner for just the two of us. While we ate, we got to know each other a little better. He told me about his parents and childhood, and I shared a little more about mine.

We went over the basics about each other—our birthdays, favorite things, likes, and dislikes. After that, he surprised me by going back to the apartment and picking up Mahogany. Then, he took us to his gun range. He said he wanted to make sure we'd be able to protect ourselves if anything happened and he wasn't around. I appreciated the gesture. I also appreciated the fact that, when we made it back to the apartment, Asylum was there waiting.

Asylum spent the next hour setting up security cameras, a new door that looked impenetrable, and bars on the windows that would keep any unwelcomed guests out—including my brother. Knives and guns were put in every room, and by the time the men were getting ready to leave, I felt safer than I had in a really long time.

"We still didn't talk about the marriage stuff," I reminded him at the door.

Beethoven gave me a sexy chuckle. "Yeah, we didn't huh? Fuck it. Let's just do it now and get this shit over with."

"Okay," I said with a light laugh.

It was crazy how that was the reason we were together, but it never came up. I was okay with that, but I also had to remind myself this was business… even if that kiss was really, really good.

I went back into the apartment so he and Asylum could talk before he left. When he came back in, we went to the guest bedroom where I'd been sleeping. As he took off his shoes, Beethoven called Mahogany's name. She came and leaned against the doorframe, wiping sleepy eyes.

"Yes, Bay?"

As sweet as she sounded, I heard the irritation in her voice because she was my girl. Mahogany was ready to go to sleep.

"How much is your rent?"

"Why?"

"If she's going to be staying with you, I'ma pay it."

"Beethoven, you don't have to do that," I told him. "I've already told Mahogany that I'll be going half on the rent for the duration of my stay."

Ignoring me, Beethoven continued to stare at Mahogany until she looked at me then said, "It's um… twenty-eight hundred."

"Aight, cool. You got Venmo or Cash App?"

She nodded. "Venmo."

"I'll get the information from Whiskee and send the money for this month tonight. The next time I come over, I'll have the amount for the rest of the year in cash."

"Just her part," she told him, pushing herself off the doorframe.

"Nah, I'ma take care of it all. Now go and get some rest. You look sleepy as hell."

Her eyes rolled playfully as she thanked him and told us both good night.

"Beethoven, you rea—"

His large hand wrapped around my neck. His fingers stroked my jaw. The action silenced me immediately.

"As long as you're my wife, whether the marriage is arranged or not, I'm going to take care of you."

"Thank you," I replied just above a whisper, lowering my eyes to my thigh as his fingers drew small circles across it. "Speaking of which, how long is this going to last?"

He got a bit more comfortable on the bench in front of the bed and ran his hand over the waves in his head.

"I think three months minimum. Six months to a year max. On the off chance anyone wants to challenge the marriage, we need time to prove it's real. I might have a way to get us out of this though."

That caused me to sit up a little straighter. I'd started to like the idea of being attached to Beethoven.

"What do you mean?"

"I agreed to this because I wanted to help my father and take over when he retired. I'm not fully invested in that anymore. The closer I get to being the boss and the more I learn how he will expect me to run things, the less I want to have anything to do with his organization."

"If we don't do this, what will it mean for my father's organization? Carlos is being insufferable right now, but I still want to make sure we're straight. Not just me and him, but the men that have devoted their lives to my father's business too. I don't want to just… leave them with nothing."

Beethoven gave me a soft smile. "That's… very honorable of you. I expected you to be ready to do whatever to end this before it could begin."

"If we would have had this conversation the night of the dinner or even the day after that would have been the case." I paused. "But… I've been taken care of my whole life. I think it's time I look out for others. Plus, as furious as I am with my brother, I can't leave him to do this alone. He's not handling his new position well. And I know you might not like him but—"

"That's putting it mildly," Beethoven interrupted me to say. "Personally, I don't like the way he mishandles, disrespects, and doesn't consider you. Professionally, he's moving like a bitch. He's trying to gain power and respect that he hasn't taken the time to earn. The only reason he's still alive after that stunt he pulled with you is because I don't want to take another family member away from you."

I couldn't respond right away. Carlos's actions made me want to fight him myself, but it was different hearing someone else express their disdain for my brother. Especially when I knew that person could very well end my brother's life and not think twice about it.

"Carlos needs help. If staying in this arrangement will help him and honor the men who chose to stay after my father died, I'm okay with continuing with the marriage. But I do have a request."

He released a low huff and tilted his head. "I feel like I'm not going to like this request but go ahead."

"Look after my brother." Beethoven's head shook as he looked toward the ceiling. "He's never had this much power and responsibility, Beethoven. He doesn't know what he's doing. Daddy didn't train him to take over like your father has been training you. All Carlos has ever done was oversee dealers and handle enemies. He doesn't know how to lead these men and be the boss. Please… help him. For me."

"I'll do what I can, but you need to know I'm planning to leave soon. Once I get things secure in Rose Valley Hills with this new connect, I'm out."

"What will that mean for me and Carlos?"

"The partnership created will still stand. He'll be straight and so will you. I'll make sure you're more than taken care of before I leave."

"Okay," I agreed softly. "Thank you for giving me a heads up. I don't think I could take another person abruptly leaving my life."

"I wouldn't do that to you. I'll give you more than enough time to prepare. It won't be any time soon. I'm going to make sure y'all are straight with Pops before I make that move."

While I appreciated his words, his future plans still left me a little sad. Beethoven had come into my life, and in just over a week, made me feel levels of safety and comfort no other man had before. I felt seen, heard, and taken care of with him, and I didn't want that to end. Still, I'd play my role and let things play out organically. As long as me and my brother would be straight and my father's men would be taken care of, that was what mattered to me most.