10. Chapter 9
Mercedes sat sideways on the couch with one leg thrown over the armrest, sipping her wine while the TV played Martin in the background.
But having the TV on did nothing to drown out the uncomfortable silence between Mercedes and Ohaji.
The light from the lamp caught the side of her face and it barely hid the bruise underneath all the makeup she packed on earlier.
Across the room, Ohaji sat scrolling through his phone with a smile on his face like he ain’t have a care in the world.
Every few seconds his fingers moved across the screen typing, deleting and typing again.
Mercedes watched him quietly and then she sucked her teeth loud enough for him to hear it. She was pissed the fuck off. Mercedes knew that feeling. Sometimes it wasn't even about catching a nigga cheating. You can just feel when another bitch got his attention.
“What?” Ohaji snapped suddenly, catching her staring.
Mercedes blinked. “Nothing.”
He tossed his phone onto the coffee table hard enough to make her jump a little.
“Nah, what?” he said. “Say whatchu gotta say cause you been looking at me crazy all night.”
Mercedes took a sip of wine trying to calm herself down. “You really gon sit here and act like shit ain’t the same between us?”
Ohaji looked at her like he didn't know what she was talking about. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Mercedes shot back. “You know exactly what the fuck I mean.”
Ohaji stood up. “Oh so you clocking me now?” he asked angrily while walking toward her. “That's what we doing?”
Mercedes knew that look. She knew where this could go, but still, she wasn't biting her tongue tonight.
“I know when something is off, and you gon stop playin in my fuckin' face Ohaji.”
The punch came so fast she barely saw it. Ohaji's fist connected with her mouth before she could react and her head jerked to the side as the wine splashed onto the couch cushion.
“Ohaji!” Mercedes cupped her mouth with both hands as tears formed in her eyes. She tasted blood in her mouth.
Ohaji stood over her breathing hard. “I’m sick of you always accusing me of shit,” he snapped.
Mercedes turned away quickly trying not to cry in front of him. Nobody knew he put his hands on her. She didn't even tell June.
And what made everything worse was that she still remembered when the love between them was actual love and not this bullshit. She suddenly thought back to the day when they first met.
Two years earlier inside Heaven’s Door.
The club was packed that night. Dancers were making money hand over fist, and the crowd only seemed to get bigger.
Mercedes danced like she ain’t have a care in the world as men emptied their wallets trying to keep her attention.
That’s when she first noticed him. Ohaji stood near the bar looking different from the usual men that came through there.
And no matter what spot she moved to on the stage, she kept catching him watching her.
After her set, he caught her near the hallway leading backstage.
“You was killing that stage tonight, Ma,” he told her.
Mercedes laughed while fixing her hair. “I mean… that is my job.”
Ohaji grinned. “Nah. It’s more than that with you.”
There was something about him that drew her closer to him.
Over the next few weeks, he was on her top.
He sent flowers to the club. He gave her money whenever she needed it.
He made late night food runs and brought it to her, and they had phone calls that lasted till morning.
He learned her favorite Alicia Keys song and played it constantly.
One night while driving her home, “Unthinkable” came through the speakers while he held her hand across the center console.
Mercedes remembered looking over at him thinking:Yeah… this might really be my person.
Ohaji leaned over and kissed her lips and smiled. “I ain’t never felt like this before,” he told her. “I’m serious about you.”
And back then? Her dumb ass believed every fucking word.
Back in the present.
Now Mercedes sat there holding her face while the same man looked at her like she was nothing. Ohaji grabbed his phone again and dropped back onto the couch like he ain’t just knock the shit out of her.
“You always got something to complain about,” he muttered.
Mercedes stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m tired of this shit, Haji,” she said quietly. “I’m tired of the cheating. I’m tired of the lies. And I’m getting tired of you putting your goddamn hands on me.”
Ohaji laughed coldly. “Cheating?” he scoffed. “Mercedes, you lucky I even deal with your fuckin' ass for real.”
His words hit her harder than the punch honestly. Mercedes looked down at the wine stain spreading across her couch cushion feeling angry and embarrassed.
“I don’t deserve this shit,” she whispered.
Ohaji leaned back against the couch shaking his head.
“You too emotional,” he muttered. “That's your mothafuckin' problem right there.”
Mercedes touched the side of her face carefully already thinking about how she was gonna cover the bruise tomorrow.
She had to apply more makeup. She had to come up with another lie to tell the girls when they asked if she was okay.
And put on another fake ass smile once she walked inside Heaven’s Door.
Usually she'd tell herself it wasn't that bad.
Tonight, she couldn't even do that. Deep down, she knew she was reaching her limit.
Mercedes was starting to get tired of surviving him.
The club was crowded that night. Men packed around the bar with drinks in their hands while dancers moved through the room collecting money and a few phone numbers from some ballin' ass niggas in the crowd.
Laughter, music, and loud conversations bounced off the walls while waitresses squeezed through the crowd carrying bottles to VIP.
June walked in looking too good to be bothered. Her black Gucci outfit fit her body perfectly and she wore her hair in loose curls. A few men turned their heads so fast it almost made her laugh.
Mercedes damn near did a double take. “Well damn. Look who decided to come outside tonight.”
June waved her off while walking over to the bar. “Girl, stop.”
“Nah, I’m serious,” Mercedes said, looking her up and down. “You look good as hell.”
June shook her head smiling. “You acting like you ain’t see me yesterday.”
“Yesterday ain’t got shit to do with tonight,” Mercedes shot back. “Half these niggas in here looking at you like you on a fuckin' menu.”
June glanced around and rolled her eyes when she caught a few men staring. “They always doing the fuckin' most.”
Mercedes leaned closer with a grin. “Especially now that everybody know Marcus got a thing for you.”
June grabbed her drink trying to hide the smile creeping onto her face. Before she could say anything slick back, Marcus came walking through the crowd.
She stared at him and she momentarily lost her train of thought for a moment.
That man carried himself different. Like he wasn't fazed by the noise around him because he knew he was the illest variable in the equation.
He sported a black Louis Vuitton button-up with the sleeves folded neatly to his forearms. Black Louis Vuitton slacks fell perfectly over a pair of Ferragamo loafers.
A thick silver Cuban link rested against his chest while his barber had just blessed him with a razor-sharp taper and flawless 360 waves.
He had a look on his face like nothing in this world could shake him or fuck up his motion.
His eyes landed on June.
“Come here,” he said.
Mercedes looked at the two of them and started laughing under her breath. “See? I told you.”
June rolled her eyes, but she still followed him.
People moved out the way when Marcus walked past. A few people nodded at him while others lowered their voices once he came near. June looked over at him while they walked toward the back.
“You always this bossy?”
The corner of Marcus's mouth lifted. “Is that a complaint I hear?”
“No, you just like telling people what to do.”
“And yet you still following me.”
June couldn't even argue with that.
Marcus led her down a quieter hallway near the back before walking up the steps and stopping outside a closed door.
“What’s up here?” June asked.
“You’ll see.”
Marcus opened the door and stepped aside for her to walk in first.
June took a few steps farther inside, looking around.
The room was nice as fuck. Inside were dark windows that overlooked the club floor downstairs without anybody being able to see inside.
She spotted a small section with big leather couches, a pool table, and a bar on the right side of the room.
Flat screen TVs were mounted on the wall.
And In the left corner of the room she glanced at a black desk with a polished surface and a small laptop with a headset next to it on top with a swivel chair behind it.
“Oh wow,” June muttered. “This cute.”
Marcus closed the door behind them. “Cute?”
She gave a lopsided grin. “Aight, damn. It’s nice.”
Marcus walked over toward the bar watching her reaction the whole time.
“This my private lounge,” he said.
June turned back toward him. “So why am I in here?”
Marcus poured himself a drink before answering. “Cause this where I want you working from now on.”
June looked around the room again before turning back toward him. “So this really about to be my space?”
Marcus nodded while pouring himself a drink. “Mmm hmm.”
A slow smile spread across June’s face before she dropped down onto one of the couches.
“Oh, I could definitely get used to this,” she said while looking around. “No drunk niggas drooling and grabbing at me. No heels killing my feet all night. No bitches eyeballing me every five seconds.” She laughed. “Yeah, I ain’t mad at this at all.”
Marcus stood against the bar eyeballing her. “You think everything funny.”
“Cause it is funny,” June shot back. “You basically promoted me.”
Marcus looked at her like she had finally figured it out. “That’s exactly what I did.”
June kicked her legs up slightly on the couch looking way too comfortable already.
“And this got a better view than downstairs,” she added while peeking through the tinted glass. “Damn. They can’t even see in here.”
Marcus walked over slowly. “That’s the point.”
June looked up at him. “You boujee as hell.”
“Nah,” Marcus said calmly. “I just like my privacy.”
June laughed. “Mmm hmm. Sure.”
Marcus sat beside her with one arm stretched across the back of the couch while he looked over at her.
“You happy now?”
June turned her head toward him with a grin. “You want my honest opinion?”
“Of course baby.” Marcus replied.
“This the first job I ever had where fighting somebody got me a promotion.”
Marcus laughed hard enough to shake his head. “You still proud of that shit?”
“Damn right, that bitch should’ve just kept that shit pushin and not fuck with me.”
Marcus then said, “You know everybody downstairs scared of you now, right?”
June sat up straighter looking fake offended. “Scared?”
“Yes, scared,” Marcus repeated. “Because of you that girl probably gonna need major dental surgery to replace all them teeth you knocked out."
June shrugged. “Oh well. The bitch brought it on herself. She was the one switching in this mothafucka talking crazy like she ain't know better,” June defended.
“And you was acting even crazier.” Marcus added.
“That’s cause I don’t do all that arguing and shit, I let my girls do the talking for me.” She held up both fists and kissed them.
Marcus realized he had a real savage in his domain. “You really be on demon time.”
June giggled before grabbing his chain playfully between her fingers. “But it makes your dick hard though.”
Marcus’s eyes dropped to her hand before looking back at her. “Probably a little too much.”
The conversation stalled for a brief moment, but they weren't bothered by it.
“You know what,” June suddenly began, “I think you just wanted me up here with you.”
Marcus eyed her. “You finally catching on.”
June shook her head smiling to herself. “Marcus…”
“What?” Marcus asked in fake surprise.
“You be acting to calm to be somebody this possessive.”
Marcus laughed and said. “Only over what’s mine.”
June gave him the side eye. “You really be feeling yourself.”
Marcus looked entirely too confident. “And you really feelin' me.”
“Please,” she muttered, trying to look unbothered while fixing the bracelet on her wrist.
Marcus reached over and pulled her into his lap so fast it made her squeal.
“Marcus!” she laughed, grabbing onto his shoulders so she wouldn’t fall.
“What?” he said with a grin. “I'm just placing you where you need to be.” He started kissing her neck and shoulders.
June positioned herself on his lap so that she was facing him and her hands were wrapped around his neck.
“You so extra.” She said pushing her titties close to his face.
“And you ain’t going nowhere.” Marcus said as he grazed his teeth over her nipple through her shirt.
The confidence in his voice made it sound less like a threat and more like a fact.
Like he already knew she’d gotten used to being right there with him.