Chapter 29
After my final client of the night, I was all too ready to get home and wash the day off of me. Me and Ronnie were on our way home and discussing the bullshit.
She gripped the steering wheel, head shaking in irritation. "I'm telling you right now, if she tries that shit again, I'ma put my heel right in that bitch's eyes. I don’t give a fuck," she gritted.
"Wait in line." I exhaled rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Boss not even a client anymore. I would think that the bitch would have moved on."
"She can't 'cause she's jealous, simple as that. Bitches like that wanna be the only one in the room. All the money I know she's making and she’s still miserable. Shit is sad."
"As fuck," I co-signed, leaning my head against the headrest. "I don't wanna talk about her ass no more. I just know I gotta keep an even closer eye on her now. Make my money and start planning an exit before I end up in jail."
Ronnie got quiet. "An exit huh?" she said finally.
My head rolled over to the side to look at her.
She gave me a quick glance and smirked. "Don't give me that look. I'm not giving you a hard time anymore."
I smiled. "Yeah. An exit. Not immediately of course. I have a goal in mind. But still—I'm working towards it."
She nodded slowly. "I'm okay with that, babe."
"You sure?" I asked quietly.
She nodded again. "Yeah. After you told me you met his people, I figured you were considering it."
I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh giving it a squeeze. "Thank you for understanding, boo."
Her smiled deepened. "No problem, sis. Next time, you let me handle that bitch, Monroe. I don't want her to fuck up you reaching your goal."
I chuckled. "I got you."
We arrived home and both went to our rooms to rest. I took a long shower and crawled into bed naked with the fan on high.
Grabbing my phone off the charger, I went to me and Remy's text thread.
The last message he sent was him checking in.
I told him things were hectic, but I would call him when I got home.
That was six hours ago.
It was now well after one a.m.
He was probably in bed asleep, but I wanted to hear his voice.
He calmed me. Made shaky ground feel settled.
And even though I had just seen him earlier, I already missed him.
I placed my AirPods in and pressed call.
The phone rang three times. When his voice came on, that feeling of warmth settled over me.
"Hey, beautiful." I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Hey. Sorry for calling so late, " I apologized. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Not at all. I was actually wondering when I would hear from you."
I smiled, turning on my side as I stared at his contact photo. "Sorry. Things were kinda shitty tonight."
"Really? Wanna talk about it?"
I paused. "You don't want to hear about that place, Remy."
"If something is bothering you, regardless of anything, I wanna know, Gianna."
Another pause from me. "Are you sure?"
"I can handle it," he assured me calmly.
I exhaled sharply. "Well…there's this woman there. She has it out for me. Has since day one. She's making it a lot more difficult for me. We almost got into a fight."
"Wow—" he breathed out. "Have you tried talking to her—seeing what the issue is?"
I snorted a laugh. "You can't talk to a woman like that. She's vindictive and jealous. Anyway, at this point we're beyond talking."
Remy was quiet for a second on the other end and I could hear him shifting—probably sitting up, fully alert now.
“I don’t like that,” he said finally, his tone calm but edged concern.
“Not just the fighting part, but you being in an environment where somebody feels comfortable playing with you like that.”
I closed my eyes, letting his voice settle over me. “I know,” I murmured. “Me either.”
“You safe though?” he asked.
His concern softened me. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m good. Security stepped in before anything could really pop off.”
“Aight,” he exhaled. “Good.”
There was a brief silence. “I don’t want you dealing with that,” he added, quieter now. “You don’t deserve that kind of energy around you.”
“Comes with the territory, Remy.”
“Doesn’t mean you gotta accept it,” he replied.
I didn’t answer right away. That truth felt a little heavier than I wanted to deal with tonight.
“I’m working on it,” I said instead. “I told Ronnie I’m starting to plan my exit.”
“Really?” he said. I could hear the shift in his tone—careful but hopeful.
“Yeah,” I breathed. “Slowly. I got a number in mind. Once I hit it, I’m out.”
“I like that,” he said. “A plan.”
I smiled faintly. “Of course you do, Mr. Structured.”
He chuckled softly. “Somebody's gotta be.”
I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. “Today was nice,” I said after a moment.
“You mean it?” he asked.
“I do,” I nodded. “I didn’t expect to be working a shift in your restaurant, meeting your whole family and getting recruited by your son all in one day but…” I laughed softly. “It was nice.”
He laughed too. “Melo doesn't waste any time.”
“Clearly,” I smiled. “He’s adorable, Remy.”
“Isn't he,” he said, pride slipping into his voice easily. I could picture his face when he said it. That soft look he got when he talked about his son. “He really liked you,” he added.
My chest warmed. “I really liked him too.”
There was a slight pause before he spoke again. “My parents liked you too,” he said.
That made my brows lift. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” he continued. “My pops is always chill. My mama is a little more hesitant. She doesn't say much when she doesn't like someone, so the fact she said anything at all…that’s a good sign.”
I let out a small breath, not realizing I had been holding a bit of tension around that. "What if she didn't like me?" I asked.
"I'm grown, Gianna," he replied firmly. "While I would like her approval, it doesn’t dictate my relationship."
I tried to bite back the grin as if he could see it. “That makes me really happy to hear,” I said softly.
“But…you handled that real smooth today anyway,” he added. “Being a server. Meeting my family. It was effortless.”
I smiled to myself. “I told you, I know how to work a room.”
“You do more than that.”
Something in his voice made my stomach flip. I swallowed lightly. “What’s does that mean?”
“It means…” he trailed off slightly, like he was choosing his words. “You don’t feel out of place anywhere—not even in my world. As unexpected as today was…it felt like you belonged there.”
I stared up at the ceiling, letting that sit with me. Hearing him say that meant something.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. "Do you see me there—your world? Your family. Your life."
He exhaled slowly. "It wouldn't be just mine, Gianna. It would be ours. All of it. And I'm ready to blend yours with mine whenever you're comfortable. I won't force you to share what you're not ready too though."
My eyes fluttered closed in gratitude. This man. This amazing, gentle, patient man. He was a rare breed. "I want to share it with you. I just don’t want to make you feel—turned off."
His breath hit the line. "You don't have to share the nuances, but just like you did now—telling me about today, we can do that. If I'm stepping both feet into your world I have to be ready for what comes with it."
"And you are?" I asked again.
"After today…my whole body is planted, beautiful. I'm here."
His words settled deep in my chest, warm and heavy in a way that made it hard to breathe for a second. I smiled to myself, tucking my hand under my cheek as I sank further into the pillows. “Okay,” I whispered softly. “I'll keep that in mind moving forward.”
“Please do, because it’s the truth,” he replied. "I want to be involved."
I believed him. I believed every single thing that came out of his mouth.
Nothing about him made me feel guarded or uneasy.
Matter of fact, I had never felt more relaxed.
It felt like he could hold all my truth's and handle them with care and intention. “I don’t want to mess this up,” I admitted quietly.
“Whatever this is…us. I don’t wanna be the reason it goes left. ”
“You won’t be,” he said simply.
“You don’t know that,” I murmured.
“I do,” he countered gently. “Because I know what I’m walking into. And I’m choosing it anyway.”
My chest tightened. I swallowed, my fingers curling slightly into the sheets. Fuck he was making me fall hard. I could see him—right there in my mind's eye. Sexy. Warm. Those eyes. Those lips…mercy.
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out— "Can I come over?" My eyes snapped open once the words left my mouth. "Shit," I mouthed silently, balling my fist up. "Sorry. Forget I said anything. Your son is probably asleep and…"
"My son is with my parents," he said softly. "I'm still at the restaurant."
Heavy silence hung.
I opened my mouth to speak again until he said—"I don't want you to drive this late. Give me your address. I'll pick you up."
My mouth snapped closed. I released a slow breath, heart beginning to thud. "You sure?" I asked softer, some of that boldness from a few seconds ago slipping.
"Yeah," he said without hesitation. "I'm sure."
I glanced at the time on my phone. It was way too late to be doing this.
But I wanted to. Whatever this was and whatever happened after this moment—I wanted it.
Wanted him in the worst way. In a way that made my thighs clench together as my hand crept towards my pussy to cup it.
I gave it a little squeeze. A soft sigh escaped my mouth.
"Gianna?" Remy's voice brought me back to the conversation.
I removed my hand quickly the throbbing between my legs slow and steady like a heartbeat. "I'm sorry—what did you say?"
He chuckled lightly. "I asked did you change your mind already?"
Sitting up I placed my feet on the floor. "No. Not at all. I'm about to send you the address now." I placed the phone on speaker and texted him my address. "Sent."
"Got it," he said. "I'm about twenty-five minutes out. I'll let you know when I pull up."