His head snapped and his eyes widened. “Fuck, Azeira. Don’t you know how to knock?” he stressed, collecting the money and dropping it in a bag.
My brows furrowed and I stepped further into the room. “I did knock. Is everything okay? Where did you get all this money from?”
“Everything’s fine. This is nothing for you to worry about. Are you heading out?” He finished shoving the money in the bag then zipped it up. I didn’t like the unsettled feeling that filled my stomach. My eyes bounced around the room, then went back to him. I studied him, noticing the slight sweat on his forehead and the twitchy expression on his face.
“I heard you say Navarro.” I swallowed hard. “Daddy, please tell me you didn’t get caught up with that man. You know the rumors about him!”
“You shouldn’t be eavesdropping on private conversations!” he snapped. “What I have going on is my business and nothing for you to be concerned about. Is there something you wanted?”
I stepped back. My dad had never been as on edge or snappy as he was at the moment. It caused me to wonder what was going on. If he was wrapped up with Mr. Navarro, nothing good could come from it. From what I heard, while he was the man people went to for money help, he was also the same man that made just as many people disappear when they couldn’t repay him. If my dad had gotten a loan from him and couldn’t pay it back… My stomach turned at the thought.
“Daddy, I have money saved. You know I got a new job and it pays well.”
“I don’t need shit!” He slammed a fist on his desk, causing me to jump. I fidgeted and swallowed hard.
My dad must have realized he was making me uneasy because he pushed out a heavy sigh and tried to relieve some of the tension from his body. His face softened slightly.
“You don’t have to worry about anything, Pumpkin. I swear.” I still didn’t believe him, but I nodded stiffly.
“Mom’s asleep so I’m going to go. Unless you want me to stay.”
“No, go home.” He sounded defeated as his shoulders sagged forward.
“Okay. I love you. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Love you too.” For a brief second I hesitated, but eventually turned to leave. I knew my dad and the whole encounter I just had was off. He was stressed out and worried. Seeing the money on his desk and who he was on the phone with, it wasn’t hard to tell why. I hoped, however, he wasn’t foolish enough to get wrapped up with a man like Kairus Navarro.
“Come on, Azeira! You gotta shake out this funk you’re in,” Jatavia, my best friend, stressed.
She pushed my lemon drop in front of me. Sighing, I glanced down at the yellow drink. The beat of the song playing pounded through my body, making my chest vibrate.
My friend’s intentions were in the right place, but at the moment I didn’t feel like partying. It had taken me two days to recover from last weekend. Also, my mind had been filled with worry since leaving my parents’ house the other day.
Side eyeing my friend, I watched as she waved the bartender over after finishing her shot. Jatavia was always the party. She lived by her own rules and never cared what anyone thought about her. She truly was the yin to my yang.
I grabbed the martini glass and took a large drink, nearly clearing the glass. I closed my eyes as the liquid slid down my throat.
“Another Lemon Drop too!” I heard her say.
I bobbed my head to Nardo Wick’s “Baby WYD” remix. Finishing the rest of my drink, I enjoyed how the liquor felt filtering through me. I was always a lightweight with alcohol.
“Here, drink another.” She handed me the drink and this time didn’t hesitate to take it from her.
I spun around and faced the dance floor, observing the scene. “He like, bae let’s sixty-nine, I told him, I don’t fuck with rats,” I rapped along to Latto’s verse. This time I drank the drink in one gulp and shook my head. Closing my eyes, I bobbed my head, allowing the liquor to take control of my body.
“A’right now, let’s go dance!” Jatavia grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to the dance floor.
The song switched and me and Jatavia got lost in our own worlds, singing and dancing along. The lemon drops had already started taking effect. While I was still stressed about my parents, I put that aside for the night. Part of me wished I’d gotten a request on Elite tonight from a guy looking for a nightcap. Or should I say,one guy in particular.
“Ugh, this guy is so annoying,” Jatavia complained as she scrolled through her phone.
“What’s wrong?” I leaned over and peeked at her screen.
“This guy requested me on Elite. I wouldn’t mind, but he’s a major snooze fest. He also cries after he cums." My eyes bulged and I sniffled a laugh. I brought my martini glass to my mouth.
“What the hell!” I giggled.
She sighed. “Only good thing is he cums quickly and tips great. Fuck it, why not.” She tapped on the screen.
