Chapter 8
Ari
The club didn’t start to calm down until about five in the morning, and even then, it was still packed wall to wall.
The bass was lower now but still thudding through the concrete, vibrating up through the soles of my feet.
Me and Tania were past drunk and ready to go home because staying out even later wouldn’t be safe the way we feel.
Cyn had left out of here about thirty minutes ago with that man she had the threesome with and I’m sure they were about to go fuck again.
I’m not judging her. Shit, I was pushing her to leave with ol’ girl last night because she needed to have fun sometimes.
Out of all of us, Cyn was the one who hadn’t explored her sexual life worth a damn.
We finally stumbled out of the section, shouting our goodbyes to all the fellas we’d mingled with, then pushed through the front doors where the cool Vegas air slapped me in the face.
We stood outside, waiting for an Uber, because our hotel glowed in the distance, close enough to see but too far to walk. My feet weren’t hurting too bad, but Tania was barely standing. She leaned into me, heels slipping halfway off her feet.
“I’m about to take these shoes off before my ankles give out.”
I snickered.
“Bitch, don’t you dare. This is Vegas. The ground probably has vomit, piss, and many other bodily fluids I don’t even want to think about.”
She laughed, then suddenly straightened up.
“Here comes your fine ass stalker.” She pointed towards the man who I genuinely didn’t mind stalking me.
Proctor was near the entrance, moving nonstop, talking into his earpiece, signaling a guard to shift someone back, scanning the crowd like he was counting heads.
His black suit was crisp, tattoos peeking out at his collar and wrists whenever he moved.
The way he walked had purpose. I could see that he was busy just by the seriousness on his face.
When his eyes caught mine, the cold mug slipped right off his face.
“You leaving?” He shouted from a distance.
“Yeah!”
He tilted his head to the side like he couldn’t believe what I was saying.
“You were going to leave without telling a nigga bye?”
“No! Come on, Tee. Let’s tell him bye. He did get us a section.”
We stumbled over to Proctor, who stood with two other guards dressed in black. He pressed his finger briefly to his earpiece, murmured something, then looked back at us.
Despite the professional look, the gun at his waist was visible, and the tattoos creeping out of his suit still reminded me that Proctor was everything other than a suit and tie ass nigga.
“You coming over here now because I called you out.” He flashed his perfect ass smile.
“No I’m not. I was leaving because I didn’t know where you were. But thank you for the hospitality tonight. This club is banging.”
“Oh yeah, for sure. Every club we run is like this, baby girl.”
His fingers lifted my chin for a second before his attention split to Tania.
“Did you have a good time too tonight?”
“Hell yeah, I did. I never wanna leave this place again in my life. I think I want to move here.”
“Nah, you don’t want to move here, lil mama. Vegas is cool for tourists, but living here is a whole different level of stress. Imagine the party never stops. Imagine staying in that club until the sun comes up, then doing it again and again and again every day of the week.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right. That probably can get old. But a couple of weeks would do me just right.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Proctor watched as a drunk man was escorted to the curb right in front of us. I could tell he was talking to us, but he was still worried about everything going on around him.
“But, what y’all about to get into now? Night over?”
“Yeah. We've been partying since eleven this morning, as you know.”
A smirk tugged at his mouth.
“That’s what you're supposed to do. It's your birthday, right?”
“It is not her birthday. She's getting married, and we are here on a bachelorette trip and using her last few days of being free to get our party on.”
I elbowed Tania on the sly because this bitch really talks too much.
“Oh, married, huh? You didn’t tell me that shit. You getting married on a nigga?” he asked, squaring his body towards me.
“Proctor, I wouldn’t call it getting married on you. I just met you earlier today.”
“So, you met me, and that means now that you know me, if you marry another nigga you getting married on me. Simple.”
I laughed, but he didn’t seem to find anything funny.
“I didn’t know I belonged to you, Proctor.”
“I mean, you don’t. But you can.”
I shook my head, another short laugh slipping out because I was drunk.
“Don’t laugh at me. I’m hurt, but I’m not surprised you're getting married, to be honest. I knew that shit. You fine as shit. Your nigga back on the East Coast?”
“Actually, he is here in Vegas.”
“Oh, he's in Vegas? Shid, he's probably out right now fucking with some strippers or prostitutes or sum.”
“Nah, don’t say that.” I shook my head in denial.
“Well, I believe it,” Tania cut in.
“Tania do not start.”
“He’s not lying friend, and you know I told you the same thing. That’s why he’s not answering the phone now. You better have fun and quit stressing. Get your last go round, too.”
“I don’t need a last go round with anybody. I’m straight on that.”
Proctor started to chuckle.
“Oh, you do. It’ll be fun. I see plenty of women do it here, and men do, too. In my profession, I’ve learned people come to Vegas to get married and also get that need out of their system.”
“A need out of their system sounds crazy. If you’re engaged, it should already be out of your system.”
He looked away for a second, jaw tight, then met my eyes again.
“That’s not always the case, baby girl. Women have the same wants and needs as men, shit if not stronger. Women biologically go into heat.”
“How so?”
“Ovulation.”
“That’s not true. Ovulation is not in heat.” I playfully rolled my eyes.
“Oh yes, it is. You are ovulating right now ain’t you.” I crossed my arms and denied it, but he was right. Me and Josiah looked at the calendar last week and saw that we could potentially make our first child this weekend since I am ovulating.
“Don’t lie to me, baby girl. I can tell from the curiosity escaping your eyes that you are. And I smell that shit just like a dog could.”
Tania giggled as if he were macking her ass, too.
“Nah, that’s not true.”
“If you say so.” He lifted an eyebrow.
“But come back to my penthouse with me. Have a few more drinks, and once you leave, you’ll know if it’s out of your system or not.”
“It sounds like you are trying to bait me into sleeping with you.”
“Nah. I’m just trying to help you have a great experience like I've been doing all day. Back at my crib, I have top-shelf liquor, plenty of food in the pantry, and dinner in the fridge that a chef cooked for me earlier today. I was just about to head home, sit on my balcony, smoke a couple blunts, eat, and then go to sleep.”
I bit my lip uncomfortably.
“Come on, gorgeous. You will get home a lot easier from that side of town anyway than trying to catch an Uber right now in front of the most crowded club in Vegas tonight.”
“He’s right, Ari.” Tania glanced down at her phone.
“The Uber app says twenty-nine minutes just for a driver to get to us. By that time, my feet are going to fall the fuck off.”
“I don’t know. I actually need to try to get in touch with my man.”
“Why are you trying to get in touch with him if he's not reaching out to you? Obviously, he is having a good time, and I guarantee y’all made an agreement you wouldn’t bother each other, right?”
“Yeah, we did.”
“So why you bothering him if he not calling you?”
I shook my head in denial, and as much as I hated to admit it, he was right.
If Josiah wanted to reach out, he would’ve.
And we did agree not to bother each other.
Shit, I’d been calling him all day over the money that was missing.
I just wish it would come back on my card before my dad showed up, so I wouldn't have to force myself to walk down the aisle with him.
“Whatever, we can come through for a little bit. Where are you parked?”
“Behind the building out back. Follow me.”
Me and Tania took off behind him, our heels slapping unevenly against the concrete. He lifted two fingers, catching the attention of one of the guards posted near the door.
“Make sure your eyes are like eagles around this muthafucka. Don’t let nothing pop off. It’s open all night until seven. Y’all hound dogs out here, feel me?”
“Yes, sir. We got you. Ain’t nothing getting by us.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
We followed him back into the building, then out a narrow rear exit that opened up to a private strip of luxury cars out back.
Proctor went straight up to a Range Rover, black on black, sitting low and clearly upgraded just from the rims and chrome paneling on the outside.
The rims caught the light just enough to show they weren’t stock, and the windows were dark enough to hide whatever secrets he kept inside.
He opened the driver’s door and slid in like he’d done it a thousand times, no hesitation, no wasted movement.
I climbed into the front seat while Tania folded herself into the back.
Once he cranked the engine, the truck came alive with the kind of growl that let you know the engine had been touched, tuned, and upgraded.
The whole vehicle vibrated, a low rumble traveling up through the seat and into my spine.
“Put your seatbelts on. Both of y’all.”
“Damn, why do we have to put on our seatbelts?” Tania complained, fumbling for hers in the back.
“I’m not trying to kill one of you, that’s why.”
The engine revved.
Once he pulled off, I was glad mine was already locked in place.