Chapter 18 #3
Wanting desperately to ignore Ines Ledesma, I obeyed Shio instead.
Standing up, because even though it was just a text, I didn’t feel right opening the thread while sitting in a man’s lap who wasn’t my fiancée’s, I took a few paces to the front of the desk.
I’d never even seen my stepmother sit in my father’s lap.
Leaning against the desk, I swiped past the voicemail and went right to my text messages.
The one between my father and me was at the very bottom, and surprisingly, no new messages were there.
I did, however, have two new texts from the group chat the women had added me to when they sent the beautiful engagement pictures.
I didn’t have any of the numbers saved, but Apple was so smart that it had already used its iCloud information to help me identify was texting me.
Maybe Dasani Rinaldi
Hola Solana! Lol. Let me stop. What you doing?
I wanted the full American experience, so I had long ago swapped all of my settings to English, even though I had no one to text with daily.
Telling Apple to save all the incoming contacts, I laughed at Dasani’s contact number icon of her and their Don in Halloween outfits.
It looked like he was not happy with the decision to have him hold a bag of sugar and wads of money, while Dasani was in a fitted, white dress labeled “milk,” holding designer luxury bags.
She cheesed for whoever was taking the picture as he frowned.
I understood their Don being a sugar daddy, but I didn’t know why Dasani was milk with Gucci bags.
It had to be some type of American joke.
My eyes scanned over to Shio, who had resumed counting the money, his eyes fixated on the task. Forgetting all about my anger generated toward my father that quickly, I replied.
Nothing much. Just relaxing.
Maybe Mocha
Girl it’s just chilling. Not relaxing. Lol.
My cheeks burned. I was fluent in English, but the American slang, lingo, and jokes was still foreign to me.
Maybe Scarlett Rinaldi
Hey girlie. Mocha leave her alone. I think her English is adorable.
Gracias
Maybe Missy DaBaddest Bitch
Get dressed hoessss. Meet me at the yo.
The who?
Pia
Hey Solana. She means the studio.
Oh. Got it. What time?
Missy DaBaddest Bitch
Now. I’m about to send the address, and I don’t have to say this because you bitches are always fly, but get fine. Never know where the night may take us
Jisei
Okay let me get my baby situated and I’m game. Hey Solana boo.
Hi!
Okay. I’ll get dressed
Maybe Daylani
Rut made plans. Keep me in the loop of where y’all gone be in case I can pop out later.
Discover
Ughhh, y’all have fun. I got these two occupying my time. I’m down for another seven weeks, but then it’s uppppp
She’d attached a picture of two adorable infant boys who looked identical in every way.
They both wore baby blue jumpers that covered their hands, with little green pacifiers in their mouths.
Their covered hands were balled up at the side of their faces.
It was so cute that it was almost sickening.
My ovaries screamed at the photo. I still couldn’t believe she’d gone into labor that night, shortly after I’d left.
Her sons were so handsome. I couldn’t imagine seeing two adorable bundles every day and having to decide who to pick up and love on first.
I noticed that the ladies had only spoken to me and not to each other, which meant they had communication was most likely already happening before they included me.
I also noticed that the only person who hadn’t replied in the chat was Glow.
She hadn’t replied the night I was sent the pictures as well.
I’d hoped she wasn’t upset with me because of Shio.
I was uncertain about the connection still and hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask Shio myself.
Shio hadn’t brought Glow home, nor was he wearing a ring, so maybe I was overreacting, and maybe she had married another man.
If they were married, the act of practically creaming on his lap just a few moments ago would bring me nothing but shame.
To save my conscience, I was going to assume they had not eloped.
There’s no way a woman would allow her husband to house another woman without being present.
My only hope was that Glow and I could at least be cordial when in the same quarters.
I would be nothing but a memory as soon as my father snatched me out of here.
I didn’t have the time or the energy to hold a feud.
I’d be doing enough fighting when I was married.
I just hoped it wasn’t physical because I knew being married into the Rodríguez family would bring many days of mental battles.
?Hijos guapo! You have handsome sons Discover
The women all oohed and ahhed over Discover’s identical twins, and Missy gave the location of the studio. Excited to have an excuse to leave the house, I locked my screen.
Shio was still counting money, but was now returning the gaze I had upon him.
It was almost sinful how handsome this man was.
With his clean-cut and neatly trimmed beard, lounge clothes that could be worn outside the house and still cause women to double-take after, broad shoulders, full lips, and a perfectly structured face—Shio walked around as if he wasn’t God’s gift to women, but he was.
“Wassup, Solana?”
Folding my arms, I licked my suddenly chapped lips. “The ladies invited me for a night out…”
My phone vibrated again, and I opened the notification quickly, hoping it wasn’t my father. I didn’t need my mood soured before the fun began. Sighing with relief that it was Scarlett, I read the message.
Scarlett
I can come and get you if you’d like.
“That’s good. You need a ride, you takin’ a whip, or you callin’ the driver?
” Shio asked with a raised brow as he neatly piled another rubber-banded stack.
He hadn’t missed a beat as he continued to glare at me while grabbing another stack, popping the band, and placing it on the money counter.
The money filtered through and then stopped with a beep. My girl below thudded at the sound.
“Solana…”
“Uhh, no. Scarlett is coming to get me. Wait, that’s okay, right?”
“Yes. Scarlett is my blood, Solana. If any of the women want to come by, you don’t have to run that by me. Matta fact, ain’t too much shit you gotta run by me. I told you… You can do whatever. You be the one barricaded in the fuckin’ room like you hiding from the fuckin’ boogie man.”
He’d called me out, and I could only stand there in shame because he wasn’t lying.
Shio held my gaze, eyes searching mine for whatever it was he always seemed to be after.
Every time he did that, I held my breath and nearly passed out once.
I had to get myself under control when it came to this man, which is another reason I stayed in that room.
There was no point in letting myself get aroused by a man who I knew would never be mine, although the arousal had already occurred multiple times.
Shio. An American boy. An intelligent, attractive man, actually. A rico buen hombre (rich fine man) if he were in México.
“Aite. Call me if you need me,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts.
Nodding, I rounded the desk. Before I could take another step, I was halted by the booming of his voice.
“Solana…”
Turning, I faced Shio once again.
He held out one of the stacks of money we’d been counting. Twenty thousand dollars. “Have fun.”
Grabbing the money, I thanked him and hurried out of the room before I caught myself doing something my father would never forgive me for.
Shio was a dangerous man, and it had nothing to do with his reputation or affiliation.
And me—I was poison swathed in a flower.
It was best that we kept this strictly about the lessons, which meant I needed to stay out of his face and his lap.
“Bitch, I cannot sing!”
Mocha tossed her long, straight hair over her shoulder, and it flowed freely behind her back.
We were all at the studio but dressed like we were headed to the club.
I had poor Scarlett waiting an extra thirty minutes because I couldn’t decide on an outfit.
The first two were jeans, and I was glad that I’d put in the extra effort to change.
Everyone was in something short or tight, and I was no exception.
Huddled in a circle, we were all sipping from red cups while another American guy sat behind a table full of dials, lights, and buttons.
The studio was modern, wood grained, and smelled good.
As soon as Scarlett and I walked through the doors, the ladies shoved drinks into our hands.
With one sip, my nerves were immediately settled.
I’d never been inside a studio, but if I imagined one, this would come to mind.
“You don’t have to know how to sing, girl! Big T going to use the autotune,” Missy assured while running her hands through Mocha’s hair.
“Okay… Now tell me again what we doing?” Dasani asked as she took a sip from her drink. The matte nude lipstick on her lips hadn’t moved, and it looked so good against her almond skin.
“Okay, you know the trend on TikTok, where they use the “Chopped and Screwed” instrumental? They’re freestyling, talking shit basically.
I want to do that, but in the studio. Essex weak-ass baby mama been talking shit online, but the bitch can’t pop up and get her fuckin’ kids.
It’s cool because they're my little babies now, but I’m over this hoe. So, we hitting the booth!”
I had no idea what she was talking about. I hadn’t been on the internet much, but the rest of the ladies all agreed, so I would just follow their lead. If I was going to make a fool of myself in the booth, I needed more courage.