“I have missed you, Armond. Next time you leave for two weeks, I’d like to join you if possible. That’s entirely too much time apart,” I said softly.
“I would love nothing more than that. Thankfully for both of us, I’ll be at my loft not too far from here for a couple weeks so we can spend ample time together while you’re here visiting your lovely sister. I won’t take up too much of your time though, Chardonnay, I promise.”
“Uh huh, whatever. It’s all good with me. Do y’all, boo. Just don’t keep Arlando from me. I barely get enough time with him now,” she replied.
“I’ll make sure his workload is lightened so y’all can have some time together then, no problem,” he said.
“Really?”
“Absolutely. I believe he deserves a break anyway. You’ve just convinced me further. Consider it done.”
“Aww, thank you,” she said as she jumped into his arms, catching him off guard. He laughed as he lightly hugged her. She pulled away from him quickly. I guess she remembered he didn’t like people all up on him.
“Not a problem. Brandy, I’ll see you later?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. I’ll leave you to it then. Soon, honeybee.”
The closer he got to me, the softer his voice became until his lips were pressed against my ear. His light breaths against it sent chills down my spine. He knew what he was doing. I was liable to tell my sister I’d see her later and find a dressing room to ride him into the sunset.
“Later, love,” I murmured.
A kiss met under my earlobe then my temple and he parted from me without doing anything further. He nodded at Chardonnay then strolled off looking damn sexy. He walked with such confidence. His strong back and shoulders looked impeccable in his fitted suit jacket. His hair was slicked back and he looked delectable.
“Yep, I see why you fell for that. He’s charming,” Chardonnay said once he was out of view.
“You knew he was behind me?”
“Naw, he popped up like a damn vampire, girl.”
I giggled and shook my head as I focused on the rack in front of me once more. I needed to focus on something other than thefire brewing in my belly. I wanted to follow him out of the store. I needed to get it together. Nobody needed to see me leaking fluids in Nordstrom Rack.
“Well, since they're sending custom pieces, let’s look at shoes again. I saw some knee-high boots calling my name,” Chardonnay said.
I pulled out a burgundy dress and instantly fell in love. I knew it would be perfect for a date night. I was going to wear it tonight and couldn’t wait for Armond to rip it off me.
TWENTY
Armond Davis
Two weeks prior (Frankfurt, Germany)
I GLARED INTO JEFFREY’S soul as my brother and cousin Monte took turns beating him down. I sat about three yards away, far enough to not get blood on me, but close enough for Jeffrey to be aware of my presence.
His eyes locked on mine after every punch that connected to his face. Defiance pushed through them as much as his swollen face would allow. I admired his grit, his will to show no fear despite his odds. If he weren't an abusive speck of dust, I would’ve offered him a job.
Arlando hit him solid across the face and the crack of his jaw was like music to my ears. The spit, blood, and anguish after was the crescendo to this symphonic performance. The only thing that halted the moment was the buzz of my phone resting in my pocket.
I huffed as I stood. I didn't care who was calling, it had to be for a purpose. This line was restricted to certain family members only. I picked up without saying anything.
“Ciao cugino, scusa per le interruzioni,” my cousin Nicole said after a couple seconds.
“No worries. What you got?”
“Well, as you know, that rap sheet was faker than Kim K's ass and created for an undercover case with the PD. Only thing is, that case was never solved, nobody ever got arrested, and they stopped funding it. That pissed Jeffrey off and he went apeshit. They fired his ass and since then he has been seen with arms dealers across the nation. He was last spotted in Puerto Rico actually, coming out of your resort.”
“Excuse me? The fuck did you just say?”
