ELEVEN #5
Was there another man like Jio Gotti? Inquiring minds wanted to know.
It was easy to slip back into old habits just because of how relaxed she felt around him.
But she couldn’t let Jio become her entire world again.
It was as if she didn’t know how not to lose herself while loving him at the same time.
Was it possible? Nina didn’t think so. Balance or boundaries didn’t exist in his world.
Nina wouldn’t survive a second time, or would she?
What she wouldn’t admit was that she was okay with drowning in the sea of him. The fucked up part was that she still wanted him so bad. He was worth the side effects of loving a made man.
“How’s work?” The question caught her off guard but she filled him in on the good, the bad, and the ugly. If she couldn’t trust anyone else, she knew that she could trust him.
“My dad is seeing that I actually know what I’m doing. We’re up 24% in profits. My team is doing great. I’ve been working on a side project that I plan on presenting to the board soon.”
“Oh yeah?” He was proud of his baby.
Nina stood up and made her way between his legs. Jio tilted to the side to put his blunt in the ashtray. Naturally, his hands made their way to the back of her exposed thighs. She bent down so he could get a good whiff of her body.
“You smell that?
She wasn’t necessarily trying to turn him on and all of that, but if her scent made it happen, that was a plus too.
“I do… that’s Chanel?”
She shook her head, “No daddy, that’s me.”
Nina batted her eyelashes. The champagne, the big blunts that she hadn’t smoked in ages, paired with his magnifying energy had her floating on a cloud that she wasn’t sure she wanted to come off of.
“You made that?”
He wanted to know more.
“I been in the lab. I’m considering going into the perfume, candle, and maybe a body oil and scrub combo. I don’t know, still playing around with my ideas.” She had so many.
“It smells amazing. I’ll buy it right now. Fuck, I’m so proud of you!” He grabbed her waist and forced her down to his lap.
“Thank you, Jio,” she murmured.
He rubbed her back. “You look good. You smell good… I missed you.”
There was more to say but he believed that was enough for now. His bookie got overwhelmed fast, and he needed her to stay where she was, and that was on top of his hard dick.
“I'm tired.”
“You still look good.”
Nina rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I said.”
“I know but you do.”
Because Jio always made her feel seen. Not just admired but seen with the naked eye, and trust, it was a huge difference that mattered so deeply to her.
Most people saw Nina Marcelle and nothing else. She was more than a CEO. She wasn’t just a living legacy and public figure. She was a girl with crushed feelings that still got out of bed every single morning and put one foot in front of the other.
She cried herself to sleep plenty of nights, wishing she had her man to hold her until she drifted off to sleep. Nina missed telling him all of her secrets, wishes, dreams, and desires. He was her best friend, and with him in her corner, she didn’t question every decision she had to make.
“Are you happy?”
The question arrived unexpectedly and just like that, everything shifted. Nina tried to crawl out of his lap, but he wouldn’t let her, so she chose to look away instead.
“Why can’t you answer or look at me?”
She knew he struggled with rejection.
Happiness had become a complicated subject because she had her career.
Her parents were slowly loosening the reins.
Her schedule was filled on a daily basis but she liked the routine she’d fallen into.
She was being more diligent with reconnecting to old friends and finding new ones.
She discovered her purpose, or at least she thought that she did.
The question was a loaded one that she didn’t have the answer to.
“I’m not miserable or anything,” she shared with him.
Nina was still searching for happiness that didn’t include Jio, but she wouldn’t dare say that. His feelings mattered to her and they always would.
The awkward silence in a crowded strip club told him everything he needed to know.
He’d always been a professional at reading between the lines.
“I made you happy and that’s okay because you made me happy too.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. His voice was softer and the guard had come down.
Nothing else needed to be said. She remained in his lap like a little girl who wanted to be held by her daddy, and he puffed on his weed, getting higher than ever.
They were old friends, former lovers, and two people who had survived each other and somehow still found themselves sitting at the same table.
His folks were ready to roll to the next spot.
They made themselves into their orbit. Nina was always fascinated by how his family doted on him without making too much of a fuss.
He was the leader and they all knew it. Jio didn’t verbally demand the respect.
It was as if the leadership merely existed inside his bones.
It was normal for everyone to listen and trust him, including her.
Nina figured that someone Jio knew had entered their section because a genuine smile appeared on his face. When she turned around, it was Peaches that she saw.
He reached into his pockets and handed the woman every dollar he had.
“Nigga, no…” she shook her head. She had a good night tonight. His money wasn’t necessarily needed.
“Take it.”
“No, man. I’m good.”
“Take it before one of these other hoes snatch it up,” he kept it real.
She rolled her eyes as she slipped the money in her fanny pack.
Nina smiled, it was moments such as these that reminded her why she had fallen in love with him.
Eventually she stood. “Give me a hug. I’m happy I came out tonight,” she said to Peaches.
“Me too! Don’t be a stranger.”
Nina promised to do better and she planned on keeping her word.
“I’m out of here, Peach,” Jio announced.
“So that’s it?” She eyed him up and down.
“What?”
“You’re just going to up and leave?”
His beam widened. “Oh, you want to come home with daddy?”
Nina regretted even saying anything. The wicked smile on his face told her that he enjoyed getting a rise out of her way too much.
A year later, he still had access to her heart.
Some things would probably never change. There wasn’t any amount of therapy sessions she could attend that would undo the effect that he had on her.
“Jio…” His name stretched across her teeth.
“Girl, come on. Let’s roll y’all!” he announced to the Mob.
The club had begun to empty by the time they made their way toward the exit. Conversations lingered near the doors as security exchanged handshakes with familiar faces, and thankfully the music no longer felt deafening.
Outside, the city felt cooler than before. Nina looked toward the area where she had parked.
“Where’s my truck?”
The smile that spread across his face told her everything.
“Jio, where is my car?” She wasn’t in the mood for this.
Jio shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I had it dropped off.”
Nina stared. “You had it dropped off where?”
“Work.”
It took her a second to respond. He had all the fuckin’ audacity.
“When I went to the restroom you took my keys?”
He nodded. “Yes ma’am.”
“You cannot just move people's cars, you entitled mother fucker,” she hissed. She was drunk and he was delighted. His smile grew. “It’s okay, I’m still going to make sure you get to work on time. All your clothes and shit are right where you left em.’”
The fact that he seemed genuinely pleased made her want to throw something, preferably at his head. The man had spent his entire life believing rules were suggestions, especially when it came to her.
“You are wild.”
“I've heard that before.”
“Several times, I imagine.”
“Only from you though.” He grabbed her hand and led her to a new whip that he’d recently purchased.
“This is nice.” She was impressed.
“Ima get you something better,” he said. Those words coming from any other man would’ve sounded like bullshit, but she believed Jio.
“Come on, take a ride with me.”
She shook her head. “Maybe another time.”
“You telling me no?” he tilted his head and gave her a disappointed look.
“Nooooo but I need to go home,” she whined. Because she already knew where things would lead to and it wasn’t a good idea. Unfortunately, Jio knew it too.
“Shorty.”
“Jio, I can’t leave with you.” She wished he would at least try to understand.
“You’re being difficult.”
“You stole my truck!”
“I relocated it.”
Nina laughed. “HOW DID WE END UP HERE?”
The second he heard her giggle, his whole body warmed.
He was relieved and happy all at once. The simple joy of making her laugh was a blessing and it was all he ever wanted to do.
Jio felt like his job was to keep a smile on her face.
Beneath all the mind games and stubbornness and chaos, he genuinely missed her.
Truth be told, she had missed him too, more than she'd ever admit aloud.
Nina stood there staring at his new car, contemplating everything.
Five minutes had slowly passed as everyone wondered whether she would leave with him or not. It would determine if the others were headed to gamble or an after-hours spot.
Eventually she sighed deeply and dramatically. Jio had allowed her to take all the precious time she needed. He knew that she wouldn’t let him down. He had to have her tonight.
“Open the door,” she commanded as she walked toward a bad decision.
Jio blushed. Victory was all over his face.
Nina pointed at his chest. “You look entirely too happy.”
“I am, baby.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate that.”
“No, you don’t,” he told her otherwise.
The worst part of was that he was right.
Nina climbed into the passenger seat before she could change her mind. The interior smelled exactly like him; clean, comforting, and expensive.