Chapter 17

Beethoven

Whiskee was growing on me.

The selfless choice she made to continue with the marriage showed a side of her I didn't think existed. That was a sign of true leadership, unlike what the hell her brother had been doing. Like I promised I would, I pulled up this morning with enough cash to take care of their rent for the rest of the year. I made it clear to Pops that if he wanted things with the wedding and marriage to progress that I'd need some time off to prioritize it. He assured me he'd have all business matters forwarded to the other two stand-ins or to Omari for the next several days, which I appreciated.

Now, Whiskee and I were at the pool in their apartment building drinking and getting to know each other better. Her ass in that damn two-piece swimming suit had my dick hard with no sign of relief in sight. Even though we kissed yesterday, I wasn't sure I'd try to take things further. I would never deny that I was attracted to her, but this marriage wouldn't be permanent, so I didn't want to develop feelings that would be.

"What made your mama name you Beethoven?" she asked before taking a sip of her mimosa.

My drink was mostly champagne, but this was what she wanted to drink, so I obliged her.

"She loves classical music and jazz, so she named me after her favorite composer."

"Do you listen to classical music too?"

"Absolutely. I love it. Jazz too. I listen to other shit but that's what I grew up hearing. What about you?"

"I listen to jazz but not classical music, mostly because I've never known where to begin. I love soul and neo soul. My favorite songs come from the seventies and eighties."

"We can vibe out then." I paused before suggesting, "There's a sunset symphony coming up. Maybe I can take you."

"You mean like a date?" she asked softly with a sweet smile.

"I mean… yeah."

"Would that… is that okay?"

Chuckling, I walked over to her as she sat on the edge of the pool. "Who exactly do we have to answer to, Whiskee?"

As my arms wrapped around her waist, hers wrapped around my neck. "No one but ourselves, but this marriage… it'll be fake."

My head shook. "It ain't fake. It's arranged. What I feel for you is very real… even if I don't want to feel it."

She looked away and licked her lips. There was a ghost of a smile on them when she returned her eyes to mine. "And what do you feel?"

"I feel… like I could really like you and enjoy my time with you. I don't want to ignore that."

"I don't want to ignore it either," she cooed, blushing in a way that made my heart skip a beat. "So what do you suggest? We… enjoy each other while we're bound?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting… if that's cool with you."

Her head nodded as she bit down on her bottom lip through her smile. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Cool."

Our lips were like magnets, drawn to each other without much effort. This kiss was just as good as the first, and like the first, it made me want to kiss every inch of her body as my dick hardened.

To cool things off between us, I pulled her into the pool, which led to a water fight that had her squealing and laughing the whole time. When we were done, we went back up to the apartment to shower and freshen up. I was surprised when she offered to fix lunch, but I agreed.

"Do you have any food allergies I should know of?" she asked, walking around the kitchen island in shorts and a hoodie. Her hair was pulled up into a curly bun. I couldn't keep my eyes or my hands off her. "Beethoven."

"Hmm?"

"I said do you have any food allergies?"

"Nah, bae."

"What's your favorite thing to eat?"

When she bent forward to look in the back of the refrigerator, I groaned. "Pussy."

Standing upright, Whiskee looked over her shoulder at me with a smile. "What's your favorite food to eat, sir?"

"Any kind of soul food. For lunch, it doesn't really matter."

"Hmm…" She turned toward the refrigerator again. "There's some shrimp and chicken in here. I can do pasta or chicken over rice. The Mexican kind or with tzatziki and hot sauce."

"If you can make some white sauce that tastes like what I get from Taziki's, I'll marry you right now."

"Say less," she agreed with a wide smile. "If it's one thing I can do, it's cook. I love to create and use my hands."

"What else do you like to create?" I asked, accepting the bottle of water she put in front of me.

"Well, my favorite forms of creativity are hair, makeup, and cooking. I love going to painting or pottery classes too."

"Did you go to school for hair and makeup?"

"Yeah, but I never worked in a salon. I have a small clientele of friends, but that's it."

"Is that how you wanted it?"

With a shrug, she nodded as she sat next to me. "I guess. I never had a reason to work, you know? Daddy always took care of me." Her expression saddened. "I regret that a little now. I feel more dependent than I ever have. A part of me wants to get my cosmetology license renewed and open my own salon so that no matter what happens with Carlos and the business I will always have my own income coming in and can take care of myself."

"I can respect that. I'm kind of in the same boat. Everything I have is attached to my pops. All of my legal businesses. When I leave, there's no doubt in my mind he's going to try and push me out because of spite."

"You really think so?"

"Hell yeah. He's all about family, but he believes family should stay together and do what he says no matter what. I don't think he's going to take me leaving to do my own thing lightly. I got enough money saved to rebuild whatever I lose, though. And because it'll be mine and only mine, it won't be a true loss."

"I'm excited for you. You get to step out on your own and do your own thing. You get to recreate your own life. Not everyone gets that chance."

"Maybe not everyone… but you can. And I wanna help. Once you get your license renewed, I'll help you get a building. I want you to know you can be taken care of, but you can always maintain your independence too."

Leaning forward, she gave me a slow, tender kiss that made me bite back a moan.

"You're dangerous."

I didn't have to ask her what she meant. I already knew. She was dangerous to me too.

Whiskee stood and started to fix lunch. While she did, we continued to talk. We discussed our dreams and goals… motivations… hobbies and interests.

By the time she was done, Mahogany had arrived. She confirmed Whiskee would be able to do her makeup that evening before she went live then left us alone.

"I'm excited for you to try this," Whiskee said, placing a plate full of yellow rice and chicken with tomatoes and cucumbers in front of me. It was drizzled with a white and red sauce that looked damn good.

After saying grace, I took a bite and was impressed. The rice was fluffy and moist—the best rice I'd ever had. The chicken was tender. And the white sauce tasted like something I'd get from a halal cart on a trip to New York.

"This the kind of cooking that will spoil a man," I told her. "What else can you cook?"

With a giggle, Whiskee sat next to me with a plate for herself. "Honestly, probably anything you want. Even if I don't know how to do it now, I'm a fast learner."

"This is amazing, Whiskee. Seriously. I need this on rotation weekly."

The more time we spent together and got to know each other, the more I liked her. I didn't know how easy it would be to walk away from her in a few months, but for now, I was going to take full advantage of the time we had together.