35. LUKE
Chapter 35
LUKE
When I wake, Dele is gone. My day unfolds much like yesterday: busy, shitty, and draining. Only this time, I leave a little earlier. I notice Dele is home when I arrive. I’ve just changed into my lounge pants when my phone rings, Osei’s name flashing on the screen.
“Hey, I’ve been calling Dele, and she’s not responding. I know she’s getting ready. Can you tell her I’m on my way and she better be ready?” he states casually, like it’s just normal for him to take my wife out. Maybe it is for him, but it sure as hell isn’t for me.
“You do realize it’s almost midnight? Dele isn’t going anywhere with you.” He laughs, like I’m joking. The sound grates on my nerves, and the fact that he seems to sense my irritation only makes him laugh harder.
“I mean it, Osei.”
“Just let her know I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He hangs up without another word. Fuming, I head to her room and knock on her door. She opens it, dressed in an off-shoulder, short red dress with slits on the sides, accentuating her pinched waist and hips, her breasts pushed up. She’s putting on a large loop earring.
“Hey, did you need something?” she asks, her tone casual, like the fact she’s going out with my brother this late at night shouldn’t be a big deal.
“Osei said he’s on his way.” Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops open in surprise.
“Oh no, I’m not done yet.” With her earrings secured, she starts adjusting her hair. “Did he say how long?” she asks, moving back into the room to continue getting ready.
“Fifteen minutes,” I reply, struggling to hide my disapproval of her outfit. It’s too short, too revealing—too everything I don’t approve of, leaving nothing to any red-blooded male’s imagination.
“Where are you and Osei going to?” I ask as she continues fixing her hair without even glancing at me.
“Tonight’s our rap battle night. We’ve been practicing, and we’re hoping to beat the team that took us down last time.” She raps?
“You rap with Osei?” I know my brother likes to think he’s the best freestyle rapper, but I had no idea my wife rapped too.
“He’s my partner. If we don’t win tonight, he says we should quit unless we make the top five. Fingers crossed we do.” Her hair is now pinned up, with a few curls left loose. I watch as she starts applying makeup.
What I want to do is tell her not to go out at all. Instead, I walk out, fuming more than when I knocked on her door.
I dial Osei, who answers immediately. “Where the fuck are you taking my wife?” I demand, keeping my tone controlled.
“She’s your wife on paper only, and tonight is our rap battle night,” he retorts.
“I’m coming with you guys,” I blurt out.
“No, you can’t.” His refusal only adds to my frustration.
“Open the door,” he snaps. He’s already here—barely ten minutes have passed. He was probably parked outside when he called. I swing open the door, my anger fighting for containment.
“You can’t come because you’ll throw her off,” he says the moment he sees me.
“That’s ridiculous,” I snap.
“She’s not comfortable when you’re around, so having you in the audience would throw her off. And we need to win tonight to make the top five—or we might as well quit trying to compete.” Maybe you should quit , I reply inwardly.
“Again, that’s ridiculous. If she can perform in front of strangers wearing next to nothing, then she can perform in front of me.”
“Maybe next time, but tonight is huge for us, and I don’t need you scowling at her. Save your intense looks for your staff, not Dele.”
“I don’t like this. Find another partner,” I demand. His eyes widen in shock, like I’ve lost my mind.
“You can’t be serious. Dele and I flow is why we’re partners. Do you think I can just pluck a freestyle rapper off a tree and say, ‘Come on, you’re my new partner, let’s go’?” he mocks.
“I don’t care. I don’t like you taking her out this late to a fucking club.” He looks at me like I’ve said something absurd.
“Fine. You tell her she can’t go and why,” he challenges. Before I can come up with a response, Dele walks out, striding toward us in red strappy heels to match her dress. Her flawless makeup enhances her delicate features and, her full lips adorned with red lipstick that screams for attention.
The dress barely covers her ass, her toned legs shimmering with some dusted-on product. How the hell am I supposed to let her leave with my brother dressed like this? My body reacts despite my anger, knowing full well how many guys will be looking at her tonight.
Before I can say anything, Osei blurts out, “Damn, girl, that outfit alone is gonna make us the winners.”
“Shush.” She waves him off with a smile. “We’re winning on our style, but thanks for the compliment.” She spins around, showing off for my brother, who openly admires her while laughing. I had to look away from her well-formed ass in that dress.
Fuck it. I’m going with them. First, I need to control my reaction to how sexy and beautiful she looks. I move to the kitchen, hiding behind the cabinets.
Then I notice it, her hand raised to adjust her hair. My body freezes, icy fury flooding my veins and shutting down all other sensations.
“Where’s your ring, Dele?” I ask, my tone harsh.
“On the bedside drawer,” she replies casually, as though the fact that I’ve laid my claim to her is some kind of secret. I’m fucking shouting it at the top of my lungs.
“Go back and put the ring on, otherwise, you're not going to this rap battle,” I sternly say to her. She turns to me, stunned. I match her look with my unwavering stare. She looks to Osei for help, and he shrugs. She turns and heads to her room to put it on. I can tell she’s upset, but I don’t give a fuck. No way my wife is going out dressed like that without my ring on her. She’s lucky Osei is the one taking her, though we're still having a mini war in our home. I’m going to lay down some fucking rules after tonight.
“Did you have to say it like that?” Osei’s voice interrupts my thoughts; his chastising tone irks me.
“Fuck that, Osei. Text me the address of the place you’re taking her to, and if you’re not back by three, I’m sending Bruce’s men to drag both your asses out of there.” My voice is stern, and I lock eyes with him, so he knows I mean every word.
“Three is when they announce the winners, and I don’t like this macho 'dear husband' move, especially when she’s your wife on paper only.” What the fuck did he just say to me? I ignored it the first time he said it. Not happening again.
“Say she’s my wife on paper one more time. After I’m done knocking your teeth out, I’ll call an ambulance and then call Mom myself.” He turns to me, perplexed. Dele comes out before he can respond with the ring on her finger. She doesn’t look my way; her eyes remain trained on Osei.
“Ready?” Osei says to her. She nods and heads to the door.
“Text me now, Osei. And Dele, that ring doesn’t come off at any point tonight. It stays on throughout.” She nods and averts her eyes. My phone pings with a text from Osei. I check and see it’s the club’s name and address. I nod to him. They leave without a backward glance. The moment they are out, I immediately call Bruce.
“You do realize it’s late, right? And I could be tuning some sexy ass out,” he says the moment he answers the phone.
“You’re obviously working as always; I need two guys with me tonight. I might get in a fight.” He laughs.
“That’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever said. Clear and concise explanation needed, leave nothing out.” I hear his laughter through his words. Glad someone finds this situation funny.
“Osei just left for a rap battle club with my wife. I couldn’t stop her from going with him. Turns out my wife freestyle raps, and the dress she’s wearing is openly asking for trouble. Osei says I can’t come with them, but I’m going.”
“Wait … Dele freestyle raps?” He’s shocked, and that’s rare for Bruce, especially in his line of business.
“Apparently, she does. Osei is her partner.”
“Where do you and Declan find these women? Anne speaks four languages and salsa dances. Your wife is a nurse-slash-freestyle rapper. I thought you guys wanted trophy wives, and you both ended up with women who color me intrigued—who are complete opposites of trophy wives.”
“So, can I get two guys with me? I know it’s late,” I interrupt, not in the mood for his analysis tonight.
“I’m coming with you. I want to see her myself. Text me the club address. I’ll meet you there.”
“Fine,” I state, hanging up, and text him the address.
I go in to get dressed and head out. A part of me admits that I want to see Dele in action, but I’d prefer she went to this event in oversized sweats, not a dress barely covering her ass and showing her curves and shimmering legs.
I’m wearing all-black cargo pants and a black long-sleeved T-shirt. I head out to the club. After valet parking my car, I find Bruce already waiting at the entrance. How he moved so fast, I don’t know. He’s with two guys, his usual bodyguards. Good, I have three with me.
Bruce ushers us in. I don’t need to ask if his guys are carrying guns; I know they are, and they’re well-trained and licensed to carry.
We get in just as they announce the battle is about to begin. The club erupts in a loud roar. The announcer goes on to say that the group already battled in the back, and the top five are going to battle, but only three will move to the next round. The MC calls the first team, two black guys called ‘Smoother Lyric.’ The crowd claps.
“The next team, you know them for their ying and yang, please give it up for ‘Zen Zin.’” The crowd claps again for the team of three—an Asian guy, a black girl, and a black guy.
“The third group are our favorite ladies, ‘Swag Lady.’” The three white girls get on stage with a louder clap.
“The fourth team, you guys love them, and once again, they are not dating—please welcome ‘Ay-sei.’” The crowd erupts in applause. I realize they’ve synched their names. The name syncing barely sinks in before I start hearing the whistles and catcalls from guys in the room. One even shouts, “Can I take her home?” Everyone laughs, which irritates me. Bruce turns to me, trying to calm me down. It doesn’t help that Dele’s hand is behind her, hiding her ring.
“And last but not least, our returning champs. Give it up for The Blazers.” The duo—one black guy and one Eminem lookalike white boy—gets on stage.
“A’ight, guys, you know the drill. Three stages, and we move to the next stage based on how well the lyric flows. And as a reminder, no insults, just good flows. Let the battle begin!” The MC shouts.
The battle begins with the returning champs, and the teams go at each other. My wife is amazing, with her moves and lyrics that Osei matches or finishes for her. They make it through the first round. The Smoother Lyric team is out.
Bruce turns to me. “She’s good.” I nod in agreement. My chest beams with pride at how good she is.
The next round begins. The Swag Lady team brings on their A game, as does the champ. Osei and Dele respond with a rap that sounds like a love lyric; they are moving in harmony, her back to his front. They are rhyming together, each one matching the other. When they finish, the crowd is clapping and hailing them. A guy shouts, “Bro, you sure you ain’t tapping that ass?” It sounds like the guy that asked to take her home.
“They are friends, and obviously very good, since they have you convinced,” the MC chastises the guy. “Give it up again for the Ay-sei.” The crowd erupts in cheers and claps.
“Zen Zin, can you top the Ay-sei performance?” the MC asks. The group jumps on stage with dance moves, shouting to get the crowd rising. The lead gets ready to start rapping. Before he can begin, the obnoxious guy shouts again, “Can I take Ay home without the Sei?”
“Dude!” the MC sounds upset. “She’s way out of your league, in case you didn’t notice. Someone already put a ring on it.” Everyone laughs at the guy.
“Damn! Anyway, her husband ain’t here, so…” he shouts in a sly tone.
“I’m right here,” I shout out loud, causing Dele and Osei to look in my direction. I step into the light with Bruce and his men. I see the moment my wife retreats into her shell. I don’t like it. The goal was to stay hidden tonight, but I couldn’t let the guy keep trash talking to my wife.
“Got something you want to say to me?” I say to the guy, who I can now see is a wannabe rapper mini-dude with no voice and no swag—just a small guy with a big mouth. He shakes his head.
The crowd erupts in a mix of laughs and cheers when I show up with Bruce and his men.
“Sit your boney ass down!” a lady shouts at the rude guy.
“Yeah!” the crowd shouts in agreement. I see some bouncers moving closer to the guy. He raises his hand in surrender. I bet they are telling him he’ll be kicked out soon.
“Let the battle continue!” the MC shouts, and the crowd claps. The Zen-Zin perform. It’s clear they’ve been thrown off their game, but they still give a good performance. I knew that dress was trouble. I bet there are a few silent ones who want to take my wife home as well, hidden in the crowd.
The Swag Ladies are out in this round. The next round begins. Dele locks eyes with me for a moment and says something to Osei, who shakes his head. The round begins with the champs, then Zen-Zin, but my wife fumbles through her words, and Ay-Sei loses the round. Osei turns a glare at me, and I respond with a shrug. They get off the stage and come towards me.
My brother is no doubt upset that I showed up and ruined their chances of making it to the next final round. Even the crowd isn’t happy they lost.
Bruce gives Osei a proud big-bro hug. I pull Dele into my arms before she can think about why I’m here. She relaxes in my arms. I hold her close and whisper, “You were amazing.” She chuckles. The moment we pull away from the hug, she shakes Bruce’s hand as he fangirls over how good she was. She’s all smiles until some guy out of nowhere grabs her, pulls her into a tight hug, his hands on her ass. Bruce and I react fast, pulling her from him. I fucking knew her dress would make me throw punches tonight.
With haste, she takes her place behind me, safe and secure with the bodyguards guarding her. Bruce has the crazy guy’s hand in a hold behind him; the guy can’t move. I turn to the asshole who touched her.
“The ring on her hand is not for show. It means she belongs to me. Touch her again and I’ll break your fucking fingers,” I growl at the guy who dared to put his hand on my wife. I was right to think a few silent admirers were here. I just didn’t think they would dare to show up and act like an idiot. He’s lucky we are in a crowded place.
“I’m sorry. Can I apologize to her?” he asks, his eyes ogling her. Motherfucker is testing me!
“Hell no!” I yell at him. “I should press charges for assault.” That gets his attention.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters.
“We got him,” the club bouncers say. Osei had gone to get them. They take the guy away. Bruce nods to his bodyguard, and one of them follows the bouncers. I turn a questioning look to Osei. He nods to me, acknowledging what we both know would have been a disaster if I wasn’t here. She’s not returning here. I put my hand out to her.
She races into my arms. I hold her tight as we head out of the club, not bothering to find out who won the battle.
Dele is quiet on the drive home. The fucking asshole triggered her. She’s not sleeping alone tonight. I’m bulldozing every brick wall between us tonight.