Chapter 18
Eighteen
Choyce Mancinelli
A Week Later…
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and I stepped off, trying not to let my nerves get the best of me.
It had only been a week since Honor left my house with a look on his face that I couldn't make sense of and an answer that felt like the saying 'in another lifetime'.
I hadn't reached for the phone to call, but his touch haunted me in ways that didn't make sense.
Fuck that nigga. It was just dick… pussy pulverizing, clit slapping, multiple orgasm giving, dick.
Standing just outside the ballroom doors, I pretended to admire the cascade of powder blue hydrangeas melting into ivory roses and pale delphiniums. Their petals were layered in dreamy shades of blue and white.
The florals spilled from curved gold arches, cascading over pleated drapery and looking stunning without trying too hard.
Me
Come get me so I don't have to walk in alone.
Emersyn
Where are you?
Me
Right outside the door.
Emersyn
I'm coming now.
After reading her message, I stuffed my phone back in my clutch and grabbed a champagne flute from a passing server's tray.
Instead of sipping the overpriced bubbles, I tipped the glass back and swallowed it in one go.
I set the empty flute next to the floral arrangement as the ballroom doors swung open.
Emersyn stepped out looking more like the woman of the hour instead of a guest. Her chocolate brown satin dress clung to her body as if someone had poured it on.
"Not us about to walk in here looking like two bad bitches who occasionally bump coochies," she said, taking my hand and giving me a quick spin.
"Italian?"
"Lucian wouldn't have it any other way."
The cream blazer laid on my shoulders perfectly before cinching tight at my waist. Fitted trousers skimmed my hips and thighs, lengthening my legs before grazing the tops of my heels. Underneath, I wore a lace bralette the same color as the champagne I had just drank and left the panties at home.
"Next time you want to show out, leave the suit."
"Lucian said when I handle business, it's important, I wear one," I told her.
Her brows pinched. "What business do you have here?"
"Lucian wants me to make sure Honor keeps his word about killing Talon tonight," I whispered.
"Interesting," she hummed, then hooked her arm around mine.
"Business might've gotten you admission, but it's your aura that'll command the room.
Wearing a suit, no matter how fly and sexy, will present a masculine presence in a room full of made men.
Navy already knows she can't compete with you in terms of business.
She needs to understand she can't compete with you when it comes to being a bad bitch either. "
"I'm not worried about Navy."
Emersyn rolled her eyes. "Let that be the first and last lie you tell me. I'm your biggest advocate to leave Honor alone, but I also know what it feels like to be in a room with a man your pussy throbs for while he's making googly eyes with his bitch."
"Okay, I'ma just ask because you've made one too many references to my pussy," I commented, stopping her from pushing the doors open.
"I'm not a lesbian, and if I were, you wouldn't be my type."
"Mhm," I hummed.
"You ready?" she asked.
"I guess."
Emersyn pushed the doors open, and my pulse immediately started competing with the music.
Before I could stop them, my eyes searched for Honor.
My stomach tightened once I spotted him in the corner.
Dressed in a black tailored suit, his jacket was missing, but the open-collared dress shirt stretched clean across his chest and shoulders.
The top buttons being undone felt intentional, but it was the perfect touch.
His curls were soft and unruly, but his lineup was razor sharp.
"I'm gonna go speak," I whispered, never taking my eyes off him.
"Why?" Emersyn asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, but his attention shifted, landing on Navy. His eyes lit up the moment they fell on her.
"I need a drink," I huffed, already turning to walk away.
Emersyn caught my wrist mid-stride, stopping me from taking another step.
"Stop letting him see you sweat," she murmured, leaning close. "And never let her see you mad over him."
"You're right," I mumbled, pulling myself together.
"And when you walk, the power isn't in the way your heels pummel the floor. It's in the seconds your foot lingers behind the other, and the way your hips complete the switch before the next step. Men dominate rooms with aggression. Women dominate them with poise and subtle seduction. Watch me."
Emersyn let go of my hand and moved like silk blowing in the wind.
Following her lead, I squared my shoulders, letting my lips soften into a pout, lashes lowering just enough to frame my gaze in innocence.
I took my time, sauntering across the room, and by the time I reached the bar, Emersyn had two shots waiting.
"That's how you turn heads." She smirked. "Never beg for attention. Let it come to you naturally because your aura doesn't accept anything less. Everything I'm saying you already know. You just have to embrace who you are despite the shit you had to go through to become her."
Her words settled deep.
In the short time I've known Emersyn, she's slowly become my favorite person. She carried the big sister energy I've been missing in life.
"And," she added, lifting her shot. "Not every man deserves the soft side of you. Honor doesn't. Now let's cheers."
"To a new friendship." She grinned.
"To a new friendship," I echoed.
We tapped the bar, throwing back our shots and slamming our glasses down.
"Oouu," I hissed, then waved the bartender over. "I need a chaser."
"We don't chase." Emersyn giggled, and I did too.
"What are you doing here?"
Our laughter faded as I turned around. Chosyn stood behind me, glaring as if I were the last person she expected to see.
"Drinking," I answered, lightly lifting my empty shot glass.
"You know that's not what I meant. This is River and Crown's engagement party."
"Nooo," I dragged, letting my eyes wander around the room as if I were seeing it for the first time.
The entire ballroom looked like it had been washed in ivory and cool blue.
It felt like someone took winter and softened it, turning it into a season of romance rather than a season of cold.
Floor-to-ceiling white drapery hugged the walls, pleated and layered so the fabric caught the chandelier light and glowed instead of shining.
Crystal fixtures hung overhead, scattering flecks of gold across the room every time someone moved.
"Choyce," Chosyn forced out through clenched teeth.
"Relax, I didn't come to start trouble."
"Then why come?"
"To celebrate. You said it's a celebration, right?"
The tension in Chosyn's face deepened. "Choyce, I don't wanna have security escort you out, but I will."
"Lucian asked me to come to make sure Honor does what he promised. Once that's done, I'm leaving."
"What is he… You know what? I don't even wanna know. Just please don't do anything to mess up River's night."
"Is that all you care about?" I asked. "Your friends?"
"What are you getting at, Choyce?"
"Don't worry about it," I replied, smoothing my tone because this wasn't the place for a sisterly blowup.
"No, it's clear you have something to say, so say it."
"Why? It won't matter to you. Nothing matters to you unless their name ends in Gravehart or starts with River and Navy."
"You matter to me, Choyce." Her shoulders dropped as if she was tired of fighting but didn't know how to stop.
"Then why accuse me of starting trouble when I'm just sitting here?" I shot back. "Why blame me for sleeping with Honor instead of—"
"You slept with Honor?" River gasped, appearing out of nowhere. "When the hell did that happen? Does Navy know? She can't know if you're here. By the way, why are you here? Not that I'm mad about it, but—"
"River, please," Chosyn clipped, cutting her short.
"Y'all don't tell me anything. Is it because I'm pregnant and out of the way?" River asked.
"There's nothing to tell, and if there was, it'll be my business, since I really don't know you to share it."
Her frown deepened. "Yet you're at my engagement party." She frowned.
"I just came to say congratulations," I said, forcing a smile that felt tighter than it looked. Reaching into my clutch, I pulled out the envelope I'd brought along courtesy of Lucian. "This is for you."
"Ohhh, you didn't have to—" River thumbed through the neatly packed twenties, eyes widening. "Thank you," she cooed.
"Not a problem. Enjoy your night. Emersyn."
"Excuse me, ladies," Emersyn said, falling in step beside me. "Where are we going?"
"I don't know. I just needed to get away from my sister."
"Are you okay?"
"I know I fucked up. I can't stress that enough, but Chosyn makes me feel like the problem child whenever we talk. It's never how are you? It's always her getting on me about something I've done."
"What did she say about Navy cutting you?"
"Nothing worth repeating, and when she came to my house while Honor was still there, she basically said I weaponized my trauma to get him to fuck me."
"She didn't?" Emersyn stated, but she didn't seem surprised.
"You're not surprised."
"I'm not, but you are, and I don't understand why."
"Meaning?"
"I'm not trying to get in between you and your sister.
I know how complicated sibling relationships can be.
But how many chances are you going to give her to show you that her loyalty is always gonna be with her friends?
Accepting that doesn't mean she doesn't love you.
It just means the bond you want from her might not be the one she's willing to give. "
Tears burned at the corners of my eyes.
"Go to the bathroom," Emersyn softly said. "Pull yourself together. Come back and be the bad bitch you were always meant to be."