Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Perrae
“Tell me about Perrae,” Fortune voiced before sipping his wine. He’d brought me to a very upscale restaurant. It was so expensive that there were no prices on the menus. I pursed my lips to the side. Maybe I could get used to this bougie lifestyle.
“I wanna know about you first. You’ve witnessed so much in my life in this short time. Tell me who Fortune Makers is or was. I wanna hear whatever it is you want to share.”
He smiled and wiped the corners of his mouth with his cloth napkin. “Let’s see. I came from a loving two-parent household, but at the time, the streets had a hold on me.
“We lived in the projects. The south side of Chicago was fast paced, filled with money and addicts of all kinds. It was my playground.
“I played so long that I became the biggest plug in the city for drugs, weapons, betting, and most things illegal except human trafficking. That wasn’t my cup of tea. Madison’s mom, Lina, was by my side during it all.
“One day, my shit got raided. Some niggas turned on me, others stayed loyal. I was always watching my back, so the Feds didn’t have much on me. I served five years in the federal prison for illegal betting.
“The system I had in place was damn near impenetrable. I might’ve been from the streets, but I was smart as hell. When I was sentenced, Madison was about to be a year old. She's nine now.”
He exhaled and drank his wine. “Prison changed me for the better though. I did shit like read and educate myself. My desire to hustle left.
“I realized I needed to count my blessings and thank God for the second opportunity. That street life didn’t love me. It taught me more lessons than anything.
“My major takeaway was that shit could’ve been worse. I could’ve been shot up and killed, or I could’ve gone down for life. I made the right decision to change my ways.
“It was time I spent the remainder of my life raising Madison and giving that workforce life a real shot. When I was released, it was a few days after Madison’s fifth birthday. She’d gotten so big.
“I vowed to never leave her like that again. She was a girl, and girls needed their dads just as much as boys do. Afterwards, it was hard to get a job with my record.
“There were some resources I still had once I was released. They helped me to land a few construction jobs and taught me the trade. I completed a few jobs before I decided to go into business for myself. The rest has been history after that,” Fortune spewed.
“Now, you know me. Anything else you wanna know?”
I smirked and swallowed my forkful of food. “There is, but first, let me acknowledge how brave and intelligent you are. Most men would get out of jail or prison and go right back to what they know. Not you.
“You made a real courageous stance for yourself and your daughter, and that has to be applauded. I know it couldn’t have been easy, but you hung in there, and now you’re successful the legal way. Plus, you don’t have to look over your shoulder too much. I’m proud of you, Fortune.”
“Really, why?”
“You made it. Us adults who grew up in the trenches with nothing to call our own, not only survived, but we’re living testimonies because we beat the system in a way. It wasn’t design for us to win, yet we did.
“We’re both successful business owners, and we’re doing everything we can to show up for our kids. I say we did a hell of a job with the meager means that was given to us.” I raised my wineglass. “Let’s toast to humble beginnings and successful endings.”
Fortune raised his glass and smirked. “And to spending all my free time with you, queen.”
I blushed like a schoolgirl. “Cheers.” Our glasses clank together, and we took a sip of wine. Tonight, Fortune had me feeling on top of the world. I hoped that feeling lasted for many years to come.
“Fortune, how old are you? When’s your birthday?”
He stopped slicing his steak to give me eye contact. “I’m forty. I’ll be forty-one December twelfth. What about you?” Fortune munched on his steak.
My eyes widened before I smiled. “That’s crazy! My birthday is December twelfth, too, and I’m thirty-five.”
Fortune grinned and kissed the top of my hand. “So you’re saying I share a birthday with the woman of my dreams. Life can’t get any sweeter than that, I mean, unless you take my last name.”
I laughed some more. “Calm your horses, Fortune. We’ll get to that.”
“What you’re saying is that you can see yourself married to me,” he professed.
“Maybe. Life is too short not to spend it with those you love and not without a few risks. With that being said, tell me why you and Lina parted ways. I need to know emotional wise what I’m dealing with.”
“That’s understandable. It was the street life that drove us apart. I was so wrapped up in those streets that I thought material shit could make up for my late nights and absences. I found out the hard way.
“Lina left me a few weeks before I was busted and arrested. She wanted to be by my side, but I wouldn’t let her. Her and Madison deserved more and better. She’s married to a white-collar executive now, and they’re good for each other and Madison.”
I cleared my throat. “That was a mature decision you made. I know it wasn’t easy at all.”
He set his glass down. “It wasn’t. I was young and didn’t know much about real family dynamics. Now that I’m older, I see how important those values are. You feel like sharing about yourself and your past.”
“Not yet. Life for me has been rough, and anytime I talk about it, it makes me cry. I don’t wanna cry tonight. I want to relish in this night and continue to stare at yo’ fine ass,” I admitted, licking my lips.
Fortune chuckled. “Thank you for the compliment. I respect your decision. Once you’re more comfortable around me, then you can share whatever you like.”
“Thank you for the reassurance.” I blew him an air kiss. Fortune caught it. He really was an amazing man.
We finished up our food and left after Fortune paid the bill. The summer night air had hit me, and I wasn’t ready to leave him just yet. It just felt like the perfect moment to be carefree and dabble with the freshness of new love.
A few storefronts down from the restaurant was a nightclub. I was in the mood to dance and feel his big body against mine. “Hey, Fortune.”
He looked down at me before he stepped toward the valet driver. “Yeah, sweetheart.”
“Can we go to that club down there? I’m not ready to leave you just yet.”
He smirked and kissed my forehead. “Of course we can.” Fortune made the exchange with the valet driver and handled his own parking. Afterward, we walked to the club hand in hand.
When we entered, right off the back I could tell it was a good vibe. Music crooned from the DJ booth, the crowd was diverse, and drinks and food were delivered by a small wait staff. This was the perfect environment for me.
“Come on, love. Let’s dance!”
“Oh no. I’m not a dancer, beautiful.”
I kissed his cheek. “You don’t need moves; you just need rhythm. All you have to do is hold me. I can do the rest,” I encouraged him.
Fortune nodded. “I can do that.”
“Thank you.” I pulled him onto the dance floor. He was still slightly resistant, but he allowed me to lead. Fortune pulled me to his chest. My back rested against him, and his muscular arms wrapped around my waist.
I swayed and ground against him. Fortune’s body was so hard, warm, and he smelled absolutely amazing. Yearning, longing, and desire expelled from him like a luminous light.
Fortune hugged my body. From the feel of his hard and full erection, he was more than happy where he was at the moment. So was I. I hadn’t felt this needed or wanted in years.
My body craved this attention, his attention to be exact. I wanted every moment we spent together to just last. I knew it was too soon to ship us or even bring up forever, but things just felt different with Fortune.
The air around him was lighter. There was no apparent baggage at the moment. Not to mention, he was so intentional about me.
Earlier I overheard his and JJ’s conversation, and both of their insights warmed my heart. JJ and I had been through a lot together. But to know that Fortune genuinely wanted me and he’d stop at nothing to get me, spoke volumes.
I turned in his arms and looked in his eyes. “Thank you for tonight. Everything about this day has been truly wonderful because of you, Fortune. I am apprehensive about letting my guards down because I’ve been hurt.
“Furthermore, I can’t make you pay for someone else’s mistakes. You deserve the benefit of the doubt and to fix the mistakes you might make. If you’ll have me, I want to see where we go. Is that something you want?”
“Hell yes!” he answered hurriedly. “I’ve marked you as a priority ever since the first visit to your house. I desperately want to take us as far as we can go.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’ve never been married and haven’t been in a long-term relationship since Lina. Perrae, I’m playing for keeps and longevity. I have long-term goals for us. Are you down?” he quizzed, staring deeply in my eyes.
“I’m absolutely down,” I agreed.
“My girl.” Fortune leaned down, and our lips merged together. One hand held my cheek, and the other softly gripped my throat. He was such a passionate lover.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dominance and affection that he exuded. My hands moved up and down his toned back. The ripples and dips in his back made me wetter. His body was everything.
Our tongues moved in sync, rolling smoothly over one another’s like the calmest waves. Peace and arousal were all I felt. That was all I’d ever wanted to feel.
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Beyoncé’s vocals flowed from my phone while the steaming water from my shower rained down on me. I had my head in the clouds since Fortune’s and my date a couple of weeks ago. We tried to talk and see each other as much as possible.