DIRTY THIRTY
My evolution was so damn beautiful. In exchange for a thirty-inch wig, I opted to wear my natural hair. Styled in a bob, Barbie executed the silk press immaculately. In exchange for long, dramatic lashes, the natural lash extensions my lash tech installed were next-level impeccable. The Retrofête mini dress with over one thousand hand-sewn crystals and opals was tea. The body it clung to was even bigger tea.
My thick-toned legs boasted quads and calf muscles. It tattled of my dedication to the gym. The crystal-studded Demure clutch paired flawlessly with rhinestone strappy heels.
Imported from Israel, the luxury bridal and evening wear designer May Mashiah did her big one with the dress. Ethereal tulle, buttery silks, and a sexy silhouette gave off radiant energy.
Seductive high slits, asymmetrical cuts, and intricate draping voiced what time it was.
Dirty thirty .
This was my coming of age. My stepping into a new era of growth. My motherfucking time to shine.
“Talk thirty to me.”
“Damn. Is that my woman wearing the fuck out of that dress? What do they say nowadays? You fucking pressure, baby. Big pressure.”
Helplessly, I beamed. “It’s perfect, Duke. I have zero complaints. I fucking love it.”
Of course, he’d bought the three-thousand-dollar dress. Of course, it fit perfectly against my body. Of course, he was behind me in the mirror, hyping me up as I posed.
We’d had our rocky moments and come out unscathed. Furthest from my concerns was his ex, videos of other women, or even the video of us. Tonight was my night. All that other shit was background noise.
“Are you wearing what you have on?” I asked, motioning to his suit. Italian cashmere forever was his uniform of choice. He looked great in it. I just wanted him to change his shirt to match my dress.
“I’m not going.”
Five feet .
From five feet, my mouth fell from where it once was. “What do you mean?”
“I figured you might want to turn up with your girls solo.”
“ Solo ? Duke, baby, it’s my birthday party. All of my family will be there, along with my friends. I wanted everyone who mattered by my side to bring in this occasion.”
Sincere refused to accept Duke’s money to shut down the club, offering it as part of my birthday gift. We still weren’t speaking, but for now, cordial would suffice.
Duke had paid for everything within his allowance. The cake, the dress, my shoes, hair, makeup, nails, the décor. I had yet to see the interior of the club and had little input on the styling. His absence at the celebration wasn’t part of the plan. I wanted to celebrate entering another year of life with my man.
Brows hiked with a smile tugging the corner of his mouth, he asked, “ I matter ?”
“Duke, stop playing with me.”
“Stop pouting.”
“No, because I want you there.”
“I was under the impression that you were still hiding me from your friends.”
“I’m not—”
Opening my mouth to speak, I abruptly stopped, realizing he’d called me on my bullshit. Since we’d been together, reaching a level of acceptance that other people wouldn’t accept us over our difference in age had been a learning curve. While the validation wasn’t needed, I craved it because I was human like everyone else. I’d grown past it, but I had yet to bring him into my world the way he’d done with me. I’d met his father and grandfather—the people closest to him. He’d only met my family because of Supreme’s interference that day at Greek Geek . He raised a fair point.
Duke was a wise, studious, and attentive man. Not much slipped his radar. Of course, he noticed my hesitation in introducing him to my friends.
And it wasn’t for lack of want. I just…hadn’t gotten around to it. With the new spa construction plans being made, the classes I taught on occasion, and occasional pop-ins at Vivid , a bitch was busy.
“Our romantic life was meant for me and you only. I don’t have time to involve other people.”
“I hear you, Big Bee. I ain’t tripping,” he shrugged.
So, why did I feel like I needed to explain it in depth to him?
“Okay. I admit there were times when I felt that we—I wouldn’t be comfortable with them around you.”
But that was in the past now. None of that shit mattered. Not for real.
“Did I do something to make you feel like that?” He asked, rubbing the length of my arm in the mirror.
“No, Duke. I—” Opening my mouth, I quickly closed it.
Duke moved away from behind me, loosening his tie from his neck.
“When did you start feeling like this? You haven’t mentioned anything during our check-ins.”
“ It … It started when we came back from Ghana. The flight attendant calling you dad. It’s not a problem for me now, though. It never really was. I just needed to get out of my head. And I’ve been busy with the spa and Vivid ,” I added, laying it on thick.
Gripping his beard and nodding his head, he pursed his lips. Those irresistible pink lips.
“Aight. We’ll talk about this later.” Without offering another word on the matter, he kissed me. “Have fun tonight, Bee.”
Searching for passive-aggressive undertones, I refused to let it go. There were none. He meant every word. He wanted me to enjoy my night and not be bothered by his absence.
I wasn’t ashamed of him. Of us. I was just enjoying the peace of our privacy. Hell, my friends knew we were a thing. Everyone did. The way he’d dismissed the conversation led me to wonder if—
“But Duke—”
“You’re gonna be late, Bee,” he said, motioning to the door. “Come on. This ain’t the time for us to have this type of discussion. I’m sorry I even brought that shit up.”
Again, he diverted from the issue, not allowing a discussion to take place. Once his mind was made, he didn’t waver. He never wavered. That firmness had drawn me to him months ago. Now, it was grating my nerves. Though not settled, the issue was kaput for now. Reluctantly, my feet moved. From the life-size mirror on the wall, I watched him pull his tie loose and toss it on the bed. Disappointment dwelled in the forefront of my thoughts. I wanted him near. Beside me tonight.
Solemnly, I allowed him to make the lengthy walk from the penthouse down to the front entrance of Gray Hotel with me. Reed was stationed out front. He opened the back door for me to enter the SUV. Scurrying to the driver’s side, he gave Duke the room to linger near the back door.
“Have fun tonight, aight? And chin up. No pouting. No twerking on niggas.”
“ Twerking on nig —I can’t believe you’re leaving me to spend my birthday alone,” shaking my head, I fussed.
“Baby, I saw your guestlist. That shit was quite lengthy. You won’t be alone.”
“You know what I mean, Duke,” I pouted.
“Fix your face, Bee. We’re spending your birthday in Belize. It’s on Monday, not tonight, remember?”
“I know, but—”
“No buts. I love you. Be good.”
Slamming the door, Duke watched as Reed and I pulled off the curb. Only when we were out of sight of the hotel’s circular drive under the porte-cochère did he move, returning inside.
My bottom lip extended the entire ride, but when I arrived at Sin , I was compelled to fix my face as he’d commanded. As Reed opened the door and assisted my exit, everyone who gave a fuck about big Reni stood off to the sides, snapping photos and egging me on to the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” A red carpet was rolled out ahead of my arrival, and a professional photographer and videographer were in attendance as well.
Inside, Sin had been transformed into a floral paradise. The lighting was soft and pink. White and peach florals—a combination of roses, baby breath, and orchids adorned damn near every wall. Duke had to have spent tens of thousands on the arrangements. Everything was absolutely breathtaking.
Trying to make the best of my evening, I fought not to dwell on his absence. Snapping photos with the girlfriends and hyping each other up as we took turns twerking worked to distract me briefly. Only briefly. There were patrons of the spa in attendance alongside several artists I’d met through Vivid , including all the artists in residence. Even Dream had shown up.
“Where’s Duke?” Dream asked, noting his lack of presence. All the girlfriends knew of Duke. They could point him out in a crowd. However, they’d never formally met him as my man.
“Home relaxing.”
“ Boo ! He couldn’t step out for your birthday?”
“I asked the same, but apparently, the day has him beat,” I lied. Reluctant to dwell on the topic, I gave an evasive shrug.
“Where’s Luna?” I asked her and Tori when I noticed her absence.
“Girl, still avoiding your brother,” Tori revealed. “Holed up in her apartment in North Banks.”
I had a mind to tell Sincere to let his fruitless pursuit go, but he and I still weren’t speaking. Chaos and confusion weren’t my mountains to climb. His dealings with Luna Gemini were none of my damn business anyway. Even at present, he was nowhere to be found at the club.
High-pitch feminine squealing broke me from a myriad of thoughts. Following the focus of all the ladies in the section of the club, my eyes landed on the man dressed casually in a Ferragamo ivory sweater and chocolate brown slacks. Against his warm complexion, the color combination looked divine. Flawlessly, he coordinated with my crystal and pearl embroidered dress and the décor around us. Absolutely nothing rivaled a well-dressed black man.
Realizing he’d shown up for me caused my face to fracture with glee. Slowly, Duke approached where I’d been sitting, uncontrollably summoning me from my seat.
“You came!” Flinging my arms around my man, I squealed into his ear.
“Of course. Couldn’t have you out here twerking on niggas,” he smirked.
“When did you change your mind?”
“Baby, I don’t ever change my mind. The decision was made to spend the evening with you. I just needed time to decompress from work, shower, and get dressed. I wanted you to arrive on time, and the look of surprise on your face upon seeing me was priceless.”
Unapologetically, I danced the night away. Though I hadn’t been twerking on niggas, I made sure I twerked on my man. The DJ cycled through several hits, heightening the excitement for the evening. While Duke’s absence had slightly sullied my mood, his presence amplified it times ten.
So many gifts lined the space around our seating area. A Birkin with a fifty-thousand-dollar gift inside came courtesy of Supreme and Sadie. Saint and Tori gifted me a voucher to swim with the dolphins in Belize. Alongside that were several Chanel and Demure bags. Abalone sea shells and pearls were embroidered on one particular purse from Tori’s anniversary oceanic line. That particular gift was my favorite. Several other unopened boxes laced the area, which I’d likely open at home.
Shamelessly, my family and friends aspired to spoil me. It was overwhelming. They were overwhelming. A tsunami threatened to consume my face and obliterate the carefully curated makeup it housed. My thirtieth birthday had been more than I could ever wish for.
Leaning close to my ear, Duke delivered, “Don’t cry, Bumble Bee.”
“ I’m trying ,” I confessed, freeing an exasperated laugh.
“You enjoyed your night?”
“It became ten times better when you arrived.”
“Good to fucking know.”
Abruptly, the music stopped, and I was requested to make my way outside. With a new car already gifted a few weeks prior, I couldn’t fathom accepting another. Suspicious eyes cut in Duke’s direction, but he simply shrugged.
Down the VIP steps and widened hallway, my feet tapped. The excess of surprises for the evening had been overwhelming. Anything further, and I was destined to collapse from unadulterated joy.
Parked out front of the club’s entry was a Bentley truck with the biggest, prettiest peach bow on top. Stationed outside the truck was Duke’s driver, Reed. With his arms clasped in front of him and his gun on his hip, he nodded his acknowledgment in my direction.
“What is this, Duke?”
“ That is your new whip, and Reed will be chauffeuring you in it from now on. This will give you more time to focus on your businesses and whatever else you need to get done.”
Covering my face with elongated rhinestone and peach-colored nails, I gasped.
“Driving is for peasants, Bee,” he joked.
Wealthy men always made jokes about things regular people could never endeavor to speak about.
“You’re giving me Reed? Who will you have to drive you around?”
“Somebody I can much easier adapt to than you would. I wouldn’t trust your being in anyone else’s hands aside from Reed.”
As he said the words, Biram appeared off to the side and waved in our direction. I waved back.
“I can’t believe this,” I whimpered.
“Believe it, Bee,” he spoke to the shell of my ear. “This is what it means to belong to the Duke, and it’s only gonna get better,” he finished with a kiss against my neck.
My night sweetened like Kool-Aid made with lukewarm water. It was a good night. One of the best nights. And I owed it all to the people I loved, including Duke Stepford III.