7. Chapter 6
June stood by her window peeking through the blinds as a black Escalade with dark tinted windows and gleaming black rims pulled up outside her building. June wasn't easily impressed, but Marcus made it difficult not to be. The man didn't move small.
She grabbed her purse and checked herself one last time in the mirror. Her Fashion Nova fit was hugging every curve like it had been stitched on her body. Her perfume floated through the air, leaving a soft but intoxicating scent. She took a breath, then stepped out.
When she opened the passenger door, Marcus looked up from his phone. His eyes roamed over her body and they were pleased with what they saw.
“Damn,” he said. “You clean up nice.”
June smiled, sliding in. “You said be ready. So I wanted to show you that I understood the assignment.”
He chuckled in his seat. “Yeah, I see that.”
The Escalade pulled away from the curb. Marcus was skipping through songs on his playlist, clicking the button over and over until the right vibe hit.
He stopped at an old Drake track…. Skip.Some trap track…… Skip.The latest song by Summer Walker….. Skip.
Then Beyoncé’s “Dance for You” came on, and June’s hand shot out.
“Wait, stop. Don't turn this one.”
Marcus glanced over, smirking at her. “Beyoncé, huh?”
June shook her head up and down. “That’s my bitch. She been my favorite since forever. She make music you can feel.”
He nodded while directing his eyes back to the road. “Makes sense. You got that same kind of energy.”
June looked at him sideways. “What energy?”
Marcus replied. “That confident typa energy. You know you turn heads when you walk in a room. You don’t even gotta try.”
June laughed. “You sound like you rehearsed that.”
He shot her a quick look. “Nah. I just say what I feel.”
She crossed her legs and got comfortable in the seat. The car smelled like her perfume, his cologne, and whatever was left of the blunt behind his ear.
“So,” she said, turning toward him. “You gonna tell me what kind of plans you got for us today?”
Marcus glanced her way again. “Just sit back and look pretty. I got you.”
June raised a brow. “That’s all I gotta do?”
He looked her up and down. “That’s all I want you to do.”
June watched Marcus drive while he acted like he couldn't feel her looking at him. He was calm, but there was something in his expression she couldn’t read. Maybe that was because Marcus carried himself like somebody used to having the final say.
She smiled to herself. “Alright then, Marcus. I’ll play along.”
He grinned without looking away from the road. “Good girl.”
The song continued playing and June had leaned back in her seat, letting the music take her there. Whatever Marcus had planned, she was more than ready to find out.
Filomena’s was the kind of restaurant where the plates looked like a work of art and the wine cost more than a week’s rent. Marcus held the door open for June as they walked in and his hand brushed the small of her back. The host recognized him right away.
“Ahhh, so nice to see you again Mr. Johnson,” the man said in his Italian accent, smiling politely. “Your table is ready.”
Marcus thanked him and they followed him through the gold-lit dining room. June looked around trying not to look too impressed, but it was clear she wasn’t used to this level of luxury.
“You ever been here before?” Marcus asked, pulling out her chair.
June shook her head smiling. “Nah. I don’t eat nowhere that got food I can’t pronounce.”
Marcus laughed. “Well, get used to it.”
He poured her a glass of white wine. “You like seafood?”
“I’ll eat just about anything as long as it don’t crawl off my plate,” she said with a grin.
They talked between sips of the finest champagne and bites of lobster ravioli. Every time she laughed, Marcus’s eyes lingered on hers a little too long. There was something about June that fascinated him. She could talk shit one minute and be completely vulnerable the next.
After dinner, he cleared his throat and said, “Come on. I got somewhere else I wanna take you.”
They made their way out of the restaurant and back into Marcus's ride where he took her to another destination. The Escalade pulled up to a luxury mall in Jersey with the marble floors and glass storefronts glinting through the skylight. June’s eyes widened as she stepped out, and she wore a big cheesy smile as they walked inside.
She started walking toward a Forever 21 store out of habit, but Marcus caught her wrist. “Nah, baby girl,” he said with a shake of his head. “You too good for this shit.”
She looked up at him, half smiling. “Oh, so now you tryna upgrade me?”
He showed all thirty-two teeth. “Damn right. Let’s get yo pretty ass in some real shit.”
He led her into the Gucci store first. The sales associate greeted them like royalty, instantly offering champagne.
Then they hit Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Balenciaga.
Marcus moved like he’d done this before, walking through each store like the place belonged to him and never once looking at a price tag.
June tried on a sleek Gucci jumpsuit that showed off every inch of her figure, and when she stepped out of the fitting room, Marcus let out a low whistle.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “That’s it. That’s you.”
She turned and checked herself out in the mirror while pretending not to notice how hard he was staring. “You sure it ain’t too much?”
He smirked. “You can never be too much.”
By the time they were done, her arms were full of designer bags. Marcus took them from her, carried them himself, and walked her back to the car like spending money on her was his favorite hobby.
Later that night, they ended up at The Water Club in Atlantic City, one of the most exclusive hotels in Jersey. The suite overlooked the water and the lights from the city reflected off the waves below. Marcus poured two glasses of champagne and handed her one.
June walked toward the window to admire the beautiful scene before her. “You do this for all your girls?” she asked in a teasing voice.
Marcus sat back on the couch watching her silhouette against the city skyline. “I don’t got girls, June. I got employees and a business. But you…” He paused, admiring her from afar. “You not like them.”
June turned and raised her eyebrow. “And what makes you say that?”
He smiled slightly. “You don’t move like you impressed by the fancy shit. You move like you deserve it.”
She took a sip of champagne. “Maybe I do.”
He scooted to the edge of the couch and rested his forearms on his thighs. “Tell me somethin’ though. Where you from, for real?”
June narrowed her eyes playfully as she laughed. “Fuck is you?... 5-0 or somethin’?”
Marcus laughed. “Nah, baby girl. I just wanna get to know you better.”
She hesitated, then she came over to take a seat next to Marcus.
She had set her glass down and took a long breath before speaking.
“I was born here in America, but my parents were born in Seoul, Korea.
My parents struggled real bad over there and they didn't want to raise a family in poverty.
So they came here when my mom was seven months pregnant with me.
" She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before continuing.
"My mom died giving birth to me, and my dad raised me by himself.
He made sure I had everything I needed and more.
He was my entire world. I never really had friends growing up, so most of the time it was just me and him.
Then the absolute worst day of my life happened.
I lost my dad when I was eleven, he was murdered.
After that it was a bunch of group homes, foster care, all that shit.
I made my own way after a while. I ain't have much of a choice.”
Marcus’s face softened. “That explains a lot.”
She tilted her head. “Explains what?”
His eyes were still fixated on hers. “Why you carry yourself like you got something to prove, but don’t ever let nobody see the cracks. You built different. You had to be.”
June held his gaze for a long moment and the air between them felt heavy with something that felt like understanding, or maybe temptation.
Finally, she smiled. “You got me figured out already, huh?”
Marcus smirked. “Not yet. But I’m enjoyin’ the process.”
She took another slow sip, her eyes never leaving his. “Careful, Marcus. You might not be ready for what you find.”
He came closer and lowered his voice. “Try me.”
June smiled and then sat there as the room grew quiet. She then got up and walked back over to the window with her arms folded lightly, needing a moment to herself. The view was beautiful, but it wasn’t what had her standing there so still.
Marcus had a feeling he had hit a sore spot asking about her life, so he stood up and walked over toward her, stopping just behind her.
"You good gorgeous?" Marcus asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah, I'm good. I just haven't really told anyone about my life except for my best friend. I usually don't open up like this to people I just met," June answered with a sigh.
"I get it, and I apologize for getting you in all in ya feels and whatnot. I didn't mean to pick at your wounds."
"It's cool, you didn't know that I would say all of that, but I'm glad you cared enough to listen," she said looking into his eyes.
"Of course I care, I wouldn't be here if I didn't care.
And you wouldn't be here if I didn't," he smiled as he ran his hand along the side of her face.
He leaned in close enough to kiss her but then stopped himself.
He stared into her pretty light brown eyes and wanted to say so much, but he didn't. He wanted to tell this pretty young thing how she stole his heart in just a few days.
He wanted to tell her that she made him feel more alive than any woman he had ever met.
He wanted to tell her that he could take her away from everything and erase all the pain she suffered in her life.
But he didn't. Instead, he opted to take a more correct approach for a situation like this.
He walked back over to the couch and grabbed his keys off the coffee table.
"Lemme getchu back home, it's getting late."
June looked at him confused. “That’s it?”
He shrugged, casual. “Yes, good things don’t gotta be rushed.”
She studied him for a second like she was trying to figure him out. Then she grabbed her purse.
“Aight then,” she said. “I respect that.”
As they walked out, June glanced at him one more time, before her lips broke into a small smile. She came for a night out… but somehow, she was leaving with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.