RICH NIGGA MATH
“I’ll be here for a while, Reed. Go have dinner on me.”
Exiting the back of the Cadillac SUV, I entered the spa located high above Paramour’s Canyon. At the front desk, I checked in, booked a room for the evening, and headed toward the saunas.
Toeing out of the Magnanni hard bottoms coating my feet, I discarded my socks, followed by my slacks and suit jacket. Unhooking cufflinks, I unbuttoned my dress shirt and hung my belongings in a locker nearby. The plushness of spa slides luxuriated my feet. With a towel draped over my shoulder, I searched the shared sauna rooms for Serenity with no luck. There were four private saunas nearby. On each door, I knocked until I heard her dispirited voice call out to tell me the room was occupied.
“Somebody is in here!”
“Bee. Open up. Let me in.”
In an instant, the door to the sauna was unsealed. Bee’s downtrodden mood squeezed my heart uncomfortably. Apprehensive quiet filled the air. Painfully obvious was the fact that she’d had a bad day. The duke was here to scare the troubles away.
“Duke? Hey. What are you—”
Silencing the inquiry, my lips slammed into hers. Sliding across the seal of her lips, my tongue demanded entry before dipping inside. Flavored with anger, frustration, and need, Bee moaned at my attack.
“I missed you,” she fussed, pulling me closer as if trying to absorb my entire existence.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
Headfirst, Serenity dove into a recount of her day with Solari and the accident following her departure from the facility. By the end of her recollection, she was covered in sweat that had nothing to do with the sauna—a foretelling of the degree of stress she carried.
“You didn’t go to the hospital following the accident?”
“I’m fine.”
“ Bee .”
“It was just a little bump to the vehicle. I’ll be okay.”
Though wary about her well-being, I let it pass. There were levels to my influence over her decisions. She was as stubborn and headstrong as they came, but I wouldn’t trade her for another soul. If she said she was okay, I had no choice but to believe her. Still, I’d keep a close eye out for any disturbance to her routine.
“At the hint of pain, you’re going to a fucking hospital to get checked.”
“Fine,” she shrugged.
From the sauna, we went to the mud baths. From the mud baths, we rinsed our bodies clean in preparation for a deep tissue massage. After our massages, I issued a deep-tissue internal massage of my own, watching as the remaining tension fled her body.
Despite the shift in the deal with Solari , she was excited about finally beginning construction on the new spa. For the remainder of the afternoon, I was shown blueprints and plans for construction. The optimism was lost on me. Still wary of Solari’s reputation, I didn’t say much. I just wished she weren’t so fucking stubborn. Wished she’d let me be of assistance.
We spent the evening in one of the spa’s hotel rooms I’d booked. Serenity needed the time away from society to decompress. Staggering mountain views entombed us, aiding in the task. At such an elevated height, there was no phone service or wifi, only proximity to God himself. Serenity had really done a thing with the spa’s location, and I couldn’t wait to see what she’d do with her second location. Despite my leeriness, I was proud of her.
“Their falafels really are the best in the city.”
“I believe you. I’ma stick to this gyro.”
As Bee gushed about her meatless Monday selection, I wasted no time devouring my gyro. Lunch at Greek Geek had easily become one of our favorite spots over the last few weeks. Off and on, we’d seen each other since my return from Dubai. She’d been busy with the expansion, but we prioritized our time together.
“What’s the plan for Thanksgiving?”
Frozen with her falafel wrap positioned near the opening of her mouth, Serenity blinked daftly. The lack of response was indeed a response. It let me know she hadn’t thought about us at all. My chest seized at the prospect. Not once had I considered being away from her during the holidays.
“Need more time?” I probed, hating the way my chest further constricted as I asked.
“It’s just—”
“What’s good, boy?”
Tracking the movements of the soul walking up to our table, I grinned. As Supreme approached, we slapped five. The speechless expression, like a membrane over Serenity’s face, was further amplified as her older brother nodded in her direction, wholly unbothered.
“ Reni .”
Closing the distance between them, Supreme hugged his sister. Thoroughly tickled by the flowering events, I relaxed in my seat and ate my fries, playing it cool. Supreme sat down next to Serenity, draping an arm around her back.
“So…” I started, prompting Pre to add to Serenity’s mystified expression.
“When were you gonna tell me you were loving the crew?” He finished.
“Pre—” I warned.
“ My bad ,” he smirked and amended. “When were you gonna tell me you were loving a member of the crew, Reni?”
Bee was speechless. Blinking several times, she failed to locate a syllable. Like a tango, her eyes darted back and forth between me and Supreme. The way she shrank around her brother was a rare sighting. Never had I witnessed the force of a woman to retreat in the presence of anyone. Far removed from the confident, sassy persona I knew her to wield, this version of Serenity explained why she’d been hesitant to tell her family about us.
She was the baby and, as such, still struggled to assert herself with her family. Discomfort aside, I let Supreme cook because I was tired of her holding fast to the notion that she was hiding us.
“I asked you at sibling night last week if you were seeing someone in my circle.”
“What she say, Pre?” I asked, dipping in ketchup and munching a fry. This was news to me. Shifting in my seat, I sat up a bit straighter.
“Duke…” Serenity shot her brother a look of censure, but already I’d heard enough. She swallowed, shifted her hair, and started the anxious bounce with her legs under the table.
“You know what, D3? I’ma leave that between the two of y’all. Anyway, it was good to see you, bruh. You too, Serenity.”
“Wait,” suddenly finding her voice, she called out to him as he rose.
“Hmm?”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad, Serenity? The family has known about you and Duke from the start. And baby girl?” Supreme’s voice lowered, “You a grown ass woman. What you do and who you do it with is none of my business unless it’s one of the homies. I’m a little disappointed you didn’t feel secure enough to share this intel with me, but thankfully, someone did,” he added, cutting his eyes toward me.
Again, Serenity’s eyes darted in my direction. Blankly, I returned her gaze.
“So, Daddy , too?”
“Reni, talk to your man. I’ll see y’all later. Duke, Thanksgiving?”
The discussion we’d been having prior to Supreme’s disruption resurfaced with his invitation.
“Let me holla at your sister.”
Supreme nodded, stalking away from our table and out of the restaurant.
Eyes glossy with unshed tears, Serenity looked at me. My fingers drummed against the table, awaiting her words. When she failed to locate them, I egged her on.
“What’s wrong, Bee?”
“I’m sorry.”
Dragging my index finger across my bottom lip, my eyes cemented on my woman. “Why, baby?”
Of course, I was gonna drag it. Already, I knew why she was apologizing, though I didn’t comprehend her tears. Those shits weren’t needed, nor were they welcome. It was all good. We were good.
From side to side, her face rocked. Seconds passed before she gathered her words.
“I was so afraid of what my family would say. I didn’t realize how all of this was affecting you. I’ve been such a coward. And this whole time, you’d already told them. Were you… testing me ?”
“Not at all.”
“So, why didn’t you tell me they already knew?”
“Wanted to give you the opportunity to come clean to them on your own. Pre asked me not to say anything.”
“They probably think I’m such a liar. God –” She sighed.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Bee. Your family still sees you as the baby. I’m sure you’ll get a pass.”
“That’s just it, though, isn’t it, Duke? I’ve complained about being respected, being an adult, wanting to be on my own and handle my own, and I dropped the ball with this.”
“We all drop the ball a few times. That doesn’t make you any less of a woman, Bee. I’m sure you had your reasons for your reservations, which had nothing to do with you as an individual and everything to do with your family and the way they’ve treated you. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
I rose, tossing my napkin on the table. Hand outstretched, I waited for her to grab hold.
“You aren’t mad at me?”
“You want me to be honest?”
“Always.”
“It was pure comedy watching you behave like that with your brother. I was mad before we went to Turkey. I’m good now.”
Collapsing her head in her face, she groaned. “That was so embarrassing.”
“You gotta find your voice and courage with your family the way you do with the rest of the world, Bee. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s just growing pains.”
“So, to be clear, you aren’t mad? I’m still your honey bee?”
As we approached the SUV, I opened the back door.
“That depends. Are you giving me some honey?”
Lips parted, head tipped back, and eyes closed, my bumble bee buzzed and moaned.
“Yes… yess.”
Grasping the front of her neck with my hand, I palmed her breasts with the other, pummeling her insides without mercy. Lengthy, manicured nails sunk into my back. Teeth sank into my shoulder. My hips rolled, and unbidden, I groaned.
A sign outside the window loomed as Serenity came and crooned. Paramour Luxury Autos .
Reed had arrived at the luxury automotive lot and pulled into a discreet parking area while I got lost inside Serenity.
“Where are we?” She asked, finally locating her breath once we’d finished.
“Car lot,” I floated, stuffing my dick back into my pants and zipping them.
“Why are we—Duke, no .”
For the last week, Serenity had been using Reed to get her to and fro, and when he was indisposed, she used a rideshare service. Since the accident, she’d refused to even attempt to fix her car. I couldn’t comprehend it.
“I’m going to get the guy’s insurance to fix the car. I just haven’t gotten around to it,” she explained. “I’ve been busy.”
“In the meantime, let’s get you something new to ride in.”
“I can get a rental, Duke. I don’t need another car,” she fussed at my back as I slid from the backseat, landing my feet on the pavement.
“You want a new car?”
“Baby.”
“Answer me.” As I stepped closer, Serenity’s back hit the side of the SUV.
“You just found out I’ve been lying to my family about us, and you decide to buy a new car for me? What type of math is that?”
Tipping her chin upward, I kissed her pouting lips.
“Rich nigga math. Does the middle of your legs not ache from my presence?”
“It does.”
“That was your punishment. I was buying a new car for you regardless. Is my tie straight?”
“It is.”
“Good.” Grabbing her hand, we walked toward the entry to Paramour Luxury Autos .