“Just Dre, beautiful. Am I on speakerphone?” he asked.
“You are, but?—”
“Take me off. Now.”
“I’m alone. No one will hear you.”
“I never trust being on speakerphone, though, so I just set a firm boundary around it. No matter who it is.”
“What if you didn’t know you were on speakerphone?”
“That’s impossible, beautiful. I can always tell.”
“Mhmm. Did you make it to your destination safely?” I asked while I took Dre off speakerphone. I changed the subject before I became annoyed.
“I did. What about you?”
“I did, too. I’m in my hotel room, chilling for right now, then heading out for some much-needed self-care after a quick nap.”
“And then dinner with me. I need you ready by eight thirty. Send me the address to your hotel, and I’ll have a car pick you up.” He picked right up where I left off, and I caught myself yet again because I was outdone by his effort.
“I didn’t agree to going out with you.” I hoped he couldn’t feel me blushing on his end.
“You didn’t have to. I knew it would be yes the moment we locked eyes on the plane, baby.”
I thought I liked where it was headed. I loved it if I was being honest.
“I guess I could say you’re right. What are you doing in Miami anyway?”
“I know I’m right. So be ready by eight thirty. I’ll tell you all about why I’m here later. See you tonight, beautiful.”
I smirked and sat up briefly to pull the bed cover back so I could crawl under it. I set my alarm for three hours from then and placed my phone on the bedside table. There was nothing better than a sexy ass, cocky ass man who made it obnoxiously clear that he wanted me in his presence. I allowed thoughts of him to consume me as I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
“You coming through Ground Zero tonight?”my client asked as we drove through South Beach.
Ground Zero was a members-only social and entertainment club, home to Miami’s most wealthy and elite people. I’d been a few times, but I really wasn’t the clubbing type. Although the vibe was perfect every time, and it was a cool spot to hang out, I had my mind on other things for the evening. As a matter of fact, I had my mind on Lyra.
“Nah. I’mma let you and the crew have it tonight. I got some other business to take care of. I’ll still have my partner there to provide security, though, so y’all will be good for the night,” I assured him.
“Aight, cool. Appreciate you for that.” He nodded in response, and I did the same.
I had been working for him so long that he knew I was there to do my job, and I didn’t mix business with pleasure often. I had zero interest in going to the private club that night. My mind was on Lyra.
My partner, Rico, continued to drive until we were right outside of South Beach. Shortly after, we pulled into Mr. Smith’s vacation home. That shit was as luxurious as it came. Every time we were there, which was usually once a month, the place never ceased to amaze me. I had a smaller vacation home there, but it wasn’t nearly as big as that motherfucker.
Junior and I spent many weekends there when I wasn’t on assignment, and we both just wanted a quick getaway. Before we pulled in, I checked the cameras surrounding the home on my phone through the special application I had set up on both mine and Mr. Smith’s phones. This was an extra layer of protection I provided to my clients. Checking the surroundings before we approached to see if anything or anyone was around that was unfamiliar was always helpful, and my folks appreciated me for adding the extra layer.
Everything looked normal, so I hopped out and checked around again, then made sure Mr. Smith got in safely. Rico and I drove off from the property and rode in silence like we always did after our catch-up session. I texted Junior to make sure he was having a good day so far. He was a senior in high school, and although he was as good as grown, I still made it my business to check in on him daily, whether it was a text or a quick phone call.
Me:
How’s your day going?
Jr:
Good. About to have lunch with Moms shortly.
Me:
