Chapter Seven
Dominic
I walked into the bedroom to find Donny standing by the window, looking like a literal angel in a soft lavender sundress that hugged her waist before flowing out over those hips that stayed on my mind twenty-four-seven.
She was fidgeting with the pear-shaped diamond on her finger, her ginger curls pinned back in a way that made her look elegant but still had that raw, hood-honey aesthetic I loved.
I stepped up behind her, my large hands sliding around her waist, and I felt the way she exhaled, leaning back into my chest as if I were her only anchor in a storm.
"You're shaking, baby," I murmured, my lips brushing the shell of her ear as I watched our reflection in the glass.
I liked the contrast of my street-ready look against her soft elegance. It made us look like the king and queen of a kingdom that started in the gutter and ended at the top.
"Relax. They ain't gonna bite—at least not while I'm looking.
My moms is gonna love you because she's been praying for me to stop acting out for a decade, and my sisters…
well, they're just gonna be nosy. That's in their DNA.
Just keep that chin up and remember whose side you're on.
You're a master’s now. You're the prize. "
"It's not them I'm worried about, Dominic," Donny whispered, her voice a little shaky as she turned in my arms to look at me, her eyes taking in my casual gear.
"It's me. I don't know how to talk to women like your mother.
I don't know the right forks to use or how to act like I didn't grow up hearing gunshots outside my window every night.
What if they see right through me? What if they think I'm just some girl your father bought to settle you down? "
I cupped her face, my thumbs tracing the line of her cheekbones with a tenderness I saved only for her.
"First of all, you ain't 'just' nothing.
You're the woman I chose. And second, my mother grew up in the same grit we did before the money got long.
She knows real when she sees it. Just be that girl I met in the warehouse, the one with the fire in her eyes who wasn't scared to tell me off.
That's the woman they need to see." I kissed her forehead, a lingering, possessive mark of my protection, before leading her out of the room.
◆◆◆
The brunch was an exercise in high-stakes diplomacy.
We walked into the private room at the St. Regis, and the silence that greeted us was loud enough to hear.
I moved with a certain swagger today, the hood-rich energy I radiated making the waitstaff look at their shoes while we passed.
My mother was seated at the head of the table, looking like a queen in her pearls and Chanel suit, flanked by Nia and Tasha, who were already leaning in like they were watching a movie.
I pulled out Donny's chair, making sure my hand stayed on her shoulder for a second longer than necessary, a silent signal to my family that she was off-limits for the rough stuff.
"So," Nia started before the tea was even poured, her eyes locked onto Donny's finger before shifting to my varsity jacket.
"Our big brother finally decided to retire from the streets and play house?
You're looking real 'westside' today, Dom.
We heard the story, and we know how she got here.
But we want to know why she's still here.
You usually don't keep 'arrangements' past the first week. "
"Nia, let the girl breathe," my mother interjected, though her eyes were scanning Donny.
She turned to Donny, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips.
"Donny Rae, is it? It's a beautiful name.
My son hasn't stopped talking about you, though he tries to act like he's too tough for all that.
Tell me, dear… what is it like being the only person in Atlanta who can make Dominic Masters actually check his phone during a business meeting? "
The table went quiet, and I saw Donny take a deep breath, her spine straightening just like I told her.
"It's… it's a lot," Donny admitted, her voice gaining strength as she went.
"Dominic is a complicated man. He's stern and loud, and he's definitely a menace when he wants to be.
However, he's been good to me. He's shown me a side of himself that I don't think many people get to see.
And honestly, I'm just trying to keep up with him. "
Tasha giggled, leaning forward with a wicked glint in her eye.
"He's a menace, alright. We spent our whole lives watching girls throw themselves at him just for a chance to sit in the front seat of his car, and now he's out here buying wedding bands?
You must have some real magic, girl, because our brother does not settle down.
He's too busy being the king of the castle. "
The grilling continued, but it was softer than I expected.
They asked her about her life, her ginger hair, and her dreams, and I watched with a pride I couldn't hide as Donny held her own, giving them just enough wit and hood-banter to let them know she wasn't some pushover.
By the end of the second course, my mother reached over and patted Donny's hand.
"We're going dress shopping tomorrow, Nia, Tasha, and me," my mother announced, looking at me with a challenge in her eyes, "and we're taking Donny with us.
If she's going to be a Masters, she needs to start looking the part.
Plus, it'll give us some real time to get to know the girl who tamed the beast."
I looked at Donny, seeing the mix of relief and terror on her face, and I just winked at her. "Go ahead, baby. Spend my money. That's what it's there for. Just make sure you bring her back in one piece, Nia. I mean it. I don't want any tears when I see her tonight."
? ? ?
Later that night, the house was finally quiet.
The war was still out there, but for a few hours, the gates were locked and the world was small.
I had changed into a pair of black-free tech joggers and a matching hoodie, feeling comfortable but still ready to move if I had to.
We were out by the infinity pool with the water glowing a deep, neon blue under the moonlight.
The air was warm, smelling of jasmine and the expensive, loud weed I had rolled into a thick backwood.
I sat on the edge of the lounger, and Donny was curled up between my legs, her head resting against my chest as we shared the smoke, passing it back and forth in a slow, rhythmic ritual.
The weed hit her fast. Her body relaxed into mine as she let out a long, hazy exhale.
"Your sisters are a lot, Dominic." She giggled, her voice thick and melodic.
"They asked me so many questions that I felt like I was in an interrogation room.
Nia wanted to know if you were 'thorough' in the bedroom, and Tasha asked if I knew how to cook greens.
I told her I'm from the same hood they are, just without the million-dollar trust fund. "
I laughed, the sound deep and rumbling in my chest, and I pulled her closer, my chin resting on the top of her head.
"They like you, Donny. I can tell. If they didn't like you, they would've been polite and silent.
The fact that they were grilling you means they already see you as family.
My moms, too. She told me when we were leaving that you had 'good eyes.
' That's the highest compliment she gives. "
Donny looked up at me, her eyes a little red and glassy from the smoke but filled with a warmth that made my heart skip a beat.
"I like them, too. It's nice… having a family that actually cares where you are.
I haven't had that in a long time." She took another hit of the blunt and blew the smoke toward the stars.
"Dominic? Why did you really pick me? Out of all the girls in this city, why the one whose father tried to rob you? "
I took the blunt from her and put it out in the tray, my expression turning serious as the playfulness faded. I turned her around so that she was facing me, my hands gripping her waist.
"I told you, baby. I saw the fire. I saw a girl who was pure but had enough grit to survive a man like me. And the more time I spend with you, the more I realize I don't just want you for the legacy. I want you for me."
I looked back toward the dark windows of the mansion, then back at her.
"You've been staying in that guest room at the end of the hall since you got here, and I've been patient.
I've been giving you your space because I know this whole thing was forced on you.
" I leaned in, my forehead resting against hers, the smell of the weed and her perfume mixing into something intoxicating.
"But I'm tired of waking up and having to walk down a hallway just to see your face.
I'm tired of sleeping in a bed that feels too big because you ain't in it. "
Donny's breath hitched, her hands coming up to rest on my forearms. "Dominic…"
"Move your things into my room tonight, Donny Rae," I instructed, my voice dropping into that low, sweet command that left no room for argument.
"Not as a guest or as an arrangement, but as my woman.
I want to wake up with you every morning.
I want to be the last thing you see at night.
I want the whole house, and the whole city, to know that where I am, you are… permanently."
I saw the hesitation in Donny's eyes, the ghost of the fear she'd been carrying, but then I saw it melt away, replaced by the same soul-tied pull I felt every time we touched.
She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down into a kiss that tasted like smoke and honey and a new beginning.
"Okay," she whispered against my lips, "okay, Dominic. I'll move in."
I picked her up right then and there. Her legs wrapped around my waist as I carried her toward the primary suite.
The war could wait. The Vittis could wait.
My father could wait. Tonight, I was the king, and I finally had my queen right where she belonged—in my bed, in my heart, and in my life.
The refined menace had finally found his peace, and I wasn't ever letting it go.