Chapter 6 #3
“Neptune!” My father’s voice interrupted my daydream. “Let me talk to you for a second.”
Already knowing the topic, I prepared to bite my tongue. Anytime someone questioned me, it felt like a sign of distrust, and I hated feeling as if I needed to defend myself.
“What the hell are you doing with Kannon Blackstone? Isn’t that Jeremiah’s daughter?”
“His youngest.”
My father’s chunky cheeks crowded with air. “Why is she here?”
“I invited her. You were talking about babies and wives a month ago. Why are you pissed?” His piercing stare straightened my posture. “What’s the issue, Pops? I’ve heard about the fallout between us and the Blackstones, but we haven’t had a run-in with them since I was a kid.”
“Out of all the bitches you could’ve date—”
“Chill with the b-word.” My eyes lingered on Kannon. “She’s actually not that bad.”
“You’re starting shit, Neptune! Kannon’s family isn’t like Chrissy’s. You break her heart, and there will be hell to pay.”
Instead of telling him I was more concerned about her playing with mine, I assured him I had everything under control. When I returned to the party, I walked to where Michael Jr. and Kannon did a two-step on the custom dancefloor.
“Do you mind if I cut in?”
Junior combed his hair back with his fingers. “You better take her back before I forget she doesn’t belong to me.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I would’ve reminded you,” Kannon replied.
Junior stumbled off, laughing and dancing over to his lady.
I planned to walk Kannon to the bar to grab something to drink, but a Bruno Mars tune held us in place.
I wrapped my arms around Kannon’s waist while she roped her arms around my neck.
The rhythm of the music ordered our steps.
Like two kids, we laughed when the lyrics of the song we danced to mirrored our lives.
“Why were you late?” I quizzed for the second time.
“I have a job, Neptune. You asked me to be on your arm, not your payroll.”
“I’on like that.”
“Then retire me or hush. My family has money, but we all earn our keep. I have to make money to take care of myself.”
A muscle beat in my jaw at the idea that Kannon’s family wasn’t making sure she was straight. With the way I catered to Easy, I could only imagine how hard I would go if I had a sister.
“Why haven’t you let a nigga take care of you? I know they’ve tried.”
She lifted a shoulder. “People aren’t reliable.
I learned that when my daddy didn’t show up when he said he would.
When my grandmother sent me to live with him after years of no contact, I really looked at people sideways.
It’s like I know my worth, yet those around me don’t value my presence unless I’m doing what they say.
” She snickered. “Never mind. It’s not that deep. ”
“It is to me. It tells me a lot about you.”
“Other than confirming I won’t have a fit when you leave, you shouldn’t worry about anything else.”
Kannon tried to mask the quiver in her voice, but I caught it. Most of what she said may have been true, but the part about walking away with no feelings was bullshit.
“Anyway,” the pretty lady sang. “Give me the tea. What are the Delanos into? The library is stunning. From outside, it looks like a massive Catholic church.”
“Yeah. They’re loaded. The Delanos have their hands in different pots around the city.”
“Where does your family come in at?”
“We do business together. Some of the most expensive businesses in the city, we’ve had a hand in starting them or keeping them afloat.”
Her brows chased her hairline. “Oh. The Sinners are hot shit.”
“I’ve been trying to tell you, but you don’t listen, Kitty.”
“Mm. Maybe I found a rich man to retire me after all.”
I pushed a one-note laugh. “If you act right.”
“I am not your child, Neptune. I know how to act.”
I pulled her to me, so my lips aligned with her earlobe. “I can’t tell. The pictures you posted on your Instagram make me believe otherwise.”
Her head snapped back when she released an open-mouthed laugh. “Damn, stalker. You have a problem with me going out with my friends?”
“I have a problem with you shaking your ass on different niggas in the club, Kannon. You don’t belong to me, but the world doesn’t know that. You can’t be in the club and on my arm. You’re going to get somebody put on a fucking shirt.”
“Someone sounds jealous.”
“It’s about your safety. If something happens to you, I have to answer for that.”
A rush of air pushed through her upturned nose. “Every time we’re together, we bicker. Go with the flow, and stop trying to control the rhythm.” She pinned me with her cognac-colored eyes. “Are you sure you want to continue with this ruse? We’ve only been out once—”
“It’s too late for that.”
Thanks to Kannon’s influence, I drank more than I normally would’ve outside of a family function.
Every time we relaxed, someone approached us with a drink, wanting to be introduced to the new face amongst the tight-knit group.
Even when faded, Kannon stayed pleasant and social, which was a big difference from how I acted at these types of parties.
I was proud to have her on my arm. So proud, I let her guide me to a photobooth at two in the morning.
“Come on. Don’t be like that,” Kannon whined.
I tugged on her chin so she was looking up at me. “What I tell you about that whining shit?”
“Then give me what I want!”
This time, I followed her lead when she dragged me into the photobooth. There was a large bench inside, and the area was spacious.
“All right. Four poses. Five seconds apart.”
The machine went off faster than we could prepare, but before the second flash could go off, Kannon sat on my lap, faced the camera, and positioned my hand around her neck.
For the third, I threw up a sign my cousins and I made up when we were kids, while Kannon closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
Our photoshoot ended with my date hiking up her dress and straddling my lap.
My hands moved to her ass as she looked over her shoulder and stared at the lens with piercing eyes that infatuated me.
Even once we had no more pictures to take, I made her stay seated.
Our eyes settled on one another, and the sensation of her hands playing in my facial hair birthed butterflies in my gut.
“Where are your panties?”
“At home. Panty lines have no business in this dress.”
I groaned and gripped her ass. “I don’t like that.”
“You don’t like a lot of things.”
My head slanted to the side as I inspected her soft features. “That’s not true. I like—”
The sound of someone tapping on the booth cut off my declaration, but we still didn’t rush to exit.
“Are you going home with me, Kitty?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
After Kannon admired the photos we took, we said our goodbyes, then headed toward the front of the massive library.
I knew it was best to take Kannon home, but I had no plans to sleep without the woman that impressed me all night.
The second she entered the equation, the social butterfly had the Delano family eating out of her palm, and despite my father’s reservations, I could tell she impressed him.
“What’s wrong, Kitty?” I asked when I noticed Kannon’s hand slipping out of my grasp.
“My feet are killing me. Carry me?”
“Big baby,” I muttered, then I crouched down so it would be easier for her to climb on my back.
As soon as she was comfortable, Kannon nibbled on the space right behind my ear. My body trembled, sending a cool sensation down my spine.
“Cut that shit out before I drop you. Are you trying to make my dick hard in front of all these people?”
“No, silly. Affection doesn’t always have to lead to sex.”
“If you come home with me, it does. Are you sure you still want to come?”
I felt Kannon’s body tense against mine. “I suppose, Mr. Sinner.”