Chapter 16
W alking the floor of Pleasures, I peeped the scene. Everything was flowing smoothly until I noticed a drunk nigga trying to rough house one of my girls. I signaled to one of my bodyguards and pointed. He jumped into action, removing the nigga from the premises. Satisfied with the money being spent, liquor being poured, and ass being thrown, I headed to my office.
The second I sat at my desk, my phone began ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket to see it was my father calling. I almost didn't answer it but decided to at the last second.
He began talking before I could even greet him. I plopped back in my seat, listening to what he had to say. "You found that little girl yet?"
I ran a hand down my face and shook my head. I should've known the reason for his call. I drummed my fingers on the desk while I debated on how to respond.
On one hand, I could fight what I was feeling and condemn Noonie to death, or I could acknowledge the pain she was already in and the way it made me feel so protective of her. We related in more ways than one. Her pussy was good as fuck. And I was used to going home to her now. The thought of walking back into an empty penthouse didn't sit well with me, so I made my decision.
"Not yet."
"How fucking long does it take to find a stupid little bitch?"
I flinched, hearing him refer to Noonie as that.
"All I know is by the time I make it back from my trip out of the country with your mother, I better have some answers."
He hung up the phone without further criticism. I hated being put on a time schedule, especially one like this.
Now that he'd brought up Noonie, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I wondered what she was doing right now. Instead of peeping at her on the cameras, I decided to head home. The sound of my father’s voice had me suspicious of him. I needed to see her with my own eyes to be sure she was okay.
"I'm out," I informed Kalias and Loyal once I made it to the main floor.
They were at the bar having drinks, preparing to fuck the city up tonight. I finished the remaining water in the bottle I carried in my hand. Walking closer to the bar, I handed it to my bartender to toss in the trash.
"Heading home to your personal maid and chef?" Kalias asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Of course, they knew what I was up to. I needed someone on my side in case my father found out she was there. The only benefit right now was the fact my father didn't have access to my penthouse. If he happened to pop up over there, everything would be fucked up.
"Mind your business," I replied with a frown.
Loyal chuckled. "Yeah, he's about to go hit."
I flipped them off with a finger each. "Worry about what you're hitting tonight instead of what the fuck I got going on."
The two of them bumped shoulders. "Aye, don't worry. We already got our shit laid out. It's gonna look like a scene from a nineties porno in the telly tonight."
"Say no more." I chuckled, knowing they weren't joking. Walking closer, we did our handshake, then headed to the entrance.
It was a nice spring evening, so the wind was dancing, and the sun kept things warm and comfortable, but the stars would soon paint the ombre sky in sparkling dust. I slid my helmet on before climbing on my bike. Racing through the city was my favorite thing to do. My motorcycle was built for performance and speed. There was no better feeling than the world whipping past me in a blur of colors and smells. I never felt freer than when I was on my bike.
Making a slight detour before heading home, I went to Aria to place an order. They were the best steakhouse in the city, and I figured I could give Noonie the night off from cooking for me. This would surely be a treat as she hadn't eaten out in the month I had her trapped in my penthouse.
After I secured the food, I made the short drive to The Mallory and parked in my private garage. Hanging my helmet up on the studs I used for storage, I headed to my private elevator. When the doors slid open, I was met with the pleasant scent of jasmine and vanilla. No matter how many times I told Noonie to stop ordering girly candle scents, she refused to listen.
I didn't see her on the terrace or in the living room. The kitchen was also empty when I went to set down the food. I headed toward the back. Since her door was still leaning against the wall, I easily spotted her when I approached the guest room.
She was lying across the bed in a silver two-piece lace set, reading a book she'd surely gotten from my office. It was tilted upward so I saw it was 10X Is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan. That was an interesting choice, increasing my interest in the woman beneath the perfect body and loose lips.
"Have you eaten?" I asked, breaking the silence.
She screamed and dropped the book on her face. "Ow," she fussed with a frown. She sat up and smiled at me. For some reason, I found myself smiling back. "You scared me. I didn't hear you come in."
I walked deeper into the room until I was on the side of the bed where she lay. "I know. You were too busy reading." I picked up the book to see how far along she was. She was a few chapters in, which meant she'd been reading it for a while.
"Well, it's not much for me to do around here, and I'm interested in entrepreneurship."
I lowered the book back to the bed. "Are you really now?" She nodded. "Tell me about it over dinner. Come on." I motioned for her to follow me.
She climbed off the bed and slid her feet into a pair of slippers she'd begged me for so she wouldn't have to walk barefoot all over the penthouse. I felt the heat of her body following behind me and resisted the urge to push her against the wall before caressing her soft frame.
When she saw the bags from the restaurant on the counter, she squealed. "You got takeout!" She sounded so excited, plus I couldn't miss the glimmer of joy in her eyes. The sight warmed every blood vessel in my body until they vibrated with the same joy.
"I figured you could use a break from cooking."
She smiled widely. "And could. Go sit down. I'll make the plates."
For the first time, I allowed Noonie to boss me around. I got comfortable in my seat while watching her move around my kitchen like an expert, grabbing plates, silverware, and cups. She spent more time there than I did, so she knew her way around. I couldn't fight the fog of serenity that covered me, watching her ass jiggle with every step she took. Noonie brought a different kind of energy into the penthouse. An energy I was becoming addicted to.
Once she finished, she set a plate of lobster mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts, and a perfectly seared medium-well sirloin in front of me. She'd even gone as far as slicing the steak into smaller pieces for me to easily fork. She knew I loved steak sauce, so the bottle of A1 was placed next to my plate with a glass of lemonade.
"I made it myself," she shared with me excitedly. Noonie looked very proud of that.
Lifting the glass, I placed it on my lips to take a sip. I nodded my head in approval. "You did a good job. It's perfect."
"Thank you." She set herself up a place next to me as she usually did instead of at the other end of the table.
I didn't mind Noonie's closeness. She smelled like espresso martinis and looked edible in that fucking outfit. Having her walk around in the sets I'd bought was becoming harder to do now that I'd tasted her and felt how wet and tight she was bouncing on my dick.
She stabbed a piece of steak, then stuffed it in her mouth. "Mm, this is perfect." Noonie hated Brussels sprouts, so her plate had broccolini on it. That was the only difference in our meals.
"It is," I mumbled, but I wasn't talking about the food. "Now, why are you interested in entrepreneurship?"
She swallowed her mouthful of food, then took a sip of lemonade. "Because I want to start a cleaning business."
I smiled, leaning forward a little. "Oh, so I'm your first client?"
She nodded, then stopped abruptly. "No, 'cause I'm working for free." She frowned, making me laugh. "But I will say I'm learning how fast I can clean a space. This penthouse is how many acres?"
I shook my head. "Penthouses are measured in square feet, Noonie, but mine is ten-thousand square feet."
She nodded. "Hm, that sounds expensive." Her eyes bounced from wall to wall before she shrugged her shoulders. "You got it, though. Well, what I was saying is that it's good information to know for when I start my business."
"Do you have a name yet?"
She shook her head. "Not yet." The light from the sun began to splay across her face, making her radiate. I tried to focus on my food, but I couldn't stop looking at her. She was too fucking beautiful to me. "Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot," I replied before scooping up some Brussels sprouts.
"How did you get into managing a club and pimping women?"
Noonie's question nearly made me choke on my food. I had to guzzle some lemonade to clear my airways. When I got myself together, I pinned her in place with a glare. "I don't pimp women, Noonie. I've never forced a woman to work at my club... well, except for you."
She giggled cutely. "Ha, well, lucky me."
"Yeah, lucky you. You get access to me no one else has."
She slowly lifted her gaze to mine. Something passed between us at that moment. Maybe a better understanding of this arrangement and how out of the ordinary it was for me to have a woman in my personal space. She tucked her lips and dropped her head, breaking the connection. Only then could I breathe again.
"Like I said, they all want to be there. My father wants me to be chairman of our organization, but I choose to manage the club instead with less responsibility and shit like that because some things that come with the Dupree name can be burdensome."
I felt my mind drifting to a dark place. Her hand on top of mine brought me back to the present. "Why do you sound so sad about it?"
I sighed. "This name has taken more from me than you can imagine."
"Like your sister or brother?"
Noonie's question knocked all the air from my lungs. I shot to my feet. "I need some fresh air." Before she could respond, I rushed to the terrace.
Walking up to the railing, I leaned on it and dropped my head as images of Clea flooded my mind. I tensed up when I felt Noonie wrapping her arms around my torso.
After a while, she said, "I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it."
"It's not that I don’t want to talk about it. I honestly don't know how. I've buried so much it feels unnatural to dig it back up." I shook my head. "Where do I even start?"
Noonie came to stand beside me with a hand lightly massaging my back. "How about with their name?" she softly suggested.
I released a deep sigh and dropped my head. "Clea. I had a younger sister named Clea."