Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
KOSH
Can we talk?
Nah. I ain’t really feeling Rhy right now. Truthfully, she could’ve told me she was back in the city. Maybe if she had, I wouldn’t have left her ass on read twice.
But now suddenly she wanna talk?
Last time I checked, she had been ducking my calls every time I reached out. So yeah… I’m in my feelings a little. Fuck it. The crazy part is that I knew she was here before she even stepped foot inside Clovers. The moment her Maybach pulled into the valet, my team sent me the drop instantly.
And after that?
I couldn’t focus on anything else. I knew she was looking for me, too. I peeped all that, scanning the room as she was doing the second she walked in.
Truthfully, I’ve been watching her from afar all night. The only reason we are even standing this close now is that ol’ girl I came with wanted to step outside for some air. Otherwise? I probably would’ve stayed hidden in the cut watching her all night like a damn stalker.
Because one thing about Rhy? That woman knows exactly what she is doing. She absolutely came in here to bait me.
The fit. The curls. The confidence. The sex appeal.
Every nigga in this vicinity has been lusting after her all night, but they’re keeping their distance because everybody in Dallas already knows what time it is when it comes to Rhyan Benyier.
Off limits.
And honestly?
That only made me more irritated.
Because if she knew she was coming here looking like that…
why the fuck is she acting surprised I brought another woman with me?
I should’ve known something was up the second somebody booked the section right next to mine.
Six racks for that section alone. It’s expensive for a reason.
I don’t like random people close to my space.
Then come to find out it’s her? Yeah. She knew exactly what she was doing. And now she’s over there running up a tab like she’s got something to prove ever since she spotted me walking in with somebody else.
Petty ass.
But the joke on her?
Every drink hitting that table tonight is on me anyway. We might as well get this shit over with. Because at this point, Rhy was turning me on and pissing me the fuck off at the same damn time.
And somehow, she was doing both flawlessly. I leaned back against the section, watching her laugh with her friends while acting like she wasn’t fully aware of my eyes being glued to her all night.
Yeah okay.
That woman knows exactly what she is doing. The dancing. The smiling. The liquor. The eye contact. All that shit is calculated.
And the crazy part?
It was working.
Bad.
I took another sip of my drink while watching some thirsty ass nigga lean a little too close, trying to talk in her ear. Rhy curved him smoothly without ever breaking rhythm with the music, but it still irritated me anyway.
Yeahhh nah.
I’ve had enough of this shit. It was time to create a diversion. I leaned toward one of my homeboys and nodded subtly toward ol’ girl sitting in my section.
“Aye,” I muttered low. “Slide her outta here for me.”
He instantly caught my drift.
Because truthfully?
I ain’t need another woman sitting in my section while I got at Rhy. That energy was already messy enough. And despite how irritated I was… I still respected her too much for that.
My boy nodded, then immediately set off, distracting the old girl and smoothly guiding her toward another section without making a scene.
Good.
Now I could finally focus on the real problem tonight.
Rhyan Benyier. I watched her from across the section for another second while Rod Wave continued to vibrate through the speakers. She laughed at something Serenity said before tossing back another lemon drop, completely unaware I was seconds away from walking over there and ruining both our peace.
Or maybe…
She knew exactly what was coming the entire time. I glanced back down at my phone and sent her another text before I could stop myself.
Talk about what? I’m only a few feet away from you. What you wanna do, Rhy?
There.
The ball is officially in her court now.
I watched her phone light up again almost instantly. She looked down at the screen, read the message slowly… and still ain’t text back.
But this time?
I caught the small smile pulling at the corner of her lips before she tried to hide it behind her drink.
Yeahhh.
There she goes.
That tiny smile irritated me and turned me on at the same damn time because now I knew she was enjoying this little emotional stand-off just as much as I was.
Petty ass.
I leaned back against the section for another second, watching her laugh softly at something her friends said while pretending not to notice me staring directly through her.
Nah.
Fuck that.
At this point, texting across sections like two emotionally damaged teenagers was getting ridiculous.
I finished the rest of my drink slowly, set the glass down on the table, and adjusted my watch.
Yeah… I’m finna walk over there and see what’s up.
Because one thing about Rhyan Benyier?
If you give her too much time to think, she’ll start hiding behind her emotions instead of saying what she really feels.
And tonight?
I needed the truth face-to-face. It’s definitely about to be a long night. Because one thing about Rhy? That woman knows exactly how to pull reactions outta people without saying much at all.
I watched her and her girls start gathering their purses and phones like they were getting ready to leave, and instantly my jaw tightened.
Nah.
Absolutely not.
Not after all this eye contact, texting, tension, and emotional terrorism all night. You not finna disappear on me now.
I rose from my section the second they started heading toward the exit and moved in their direction before she could slip out of the club. The crowd parted naturally around me while lights flashed across the room and music still pounded through the speakers.
Angelle noticed me first. Then Serenity. Then Missy.
All three of them exchanged a quick look, immediately catching the energy.
I stepped directly in front of Rhy, stopping her in her tracks near the edge of the section.
Damn. Up close? She looked even better than she did from across the room. The curls. The glossy lips. The denim wrapped around every curve.
Yeahhh… she knew exactly what she was doing tonight.
Her girls lingered nearby for a second, but before they could say anything, I glanced toward them calmly.
“She’s good.”
Rhy looked at them and nodded softly in agreement.
And just like that, her girls finally exited the club, leaving the two of us standing there surrounded by noise while somehow trapped inside our own quiet little world.
I looked down at her for a second too long before finally speaking.
“You think you finna slide outta here without talking?”
Whew. And the crazy part? I wasn’t even angry anymore.
I just needed answers.
“I didn’t think you wanted to talk.”
Rhy’s voice softened slightly once her friends disappeared out of the club, leaving the two of us standing face-to-face for the first time all night.
“Why?” I asked calmly. “Because I ain’t text back right away?”
“Yeah.”
Whew.
I looked down at her for a second before laughing dryly under my breath.
“It’s been a few weeks since I heard from you, Rhy.”
That made her eyes shift slightly.
“I called.” My voice stayed even, but the hurt underneath it slipped through anyway. “You ain’t answer.”
Silence.
“And judging by the ice around your finger…” I glanced down toward her hand briefly before meeting her eyes again. “Now I know why.”
There it is. The real wound finally entered the conversation. Rhy swallowed hard before glancing around the club nervously. Music still blasted through the speakers while people moved around us, completely unaware that both our lives were quietly shifting in the middle of Clovers.
“Not here, Kosh.”
I frowned slightly. “Why not here?”
Her eyes flickered around the crowded club again before landing back on me. “Because this is your place of business.” She exhaled softly. “That’s why.”
Damn.
Even now, she is still thinking about protecting my image, my space, my peace. That somehow made this hurt even worse.
I stared at her quietly for another second before finally nodding toward the back hallway.
“Come on.”
She looked up at me carefully.
“My office.”
And the crazy part? The second those words left my mouth, the tension between us shifted instantly. Because now this conversation wasn’t happening in public anymore.
Now it was about to become real.
Rhy walked in front of me toward the back hallway, and damn near instantly, I had to adjust myself.
Fuck.
That woman’s body was perfection. The denim shorts hugging every curve, her hips swaying naturally while them curls bounced down her back… yeah, this conversation was already hard enough without her looking like temptation wrapped in soft skin and lip gloss.
And the fucked-up part?
I could already feel my heart cracking before the real words even came out.
Whew.
The closer we got to my office, the heavier my chest started feeling. Because deep down, I already knew this conversation probably wasn’t about to go the way I wanted it to.
Still… muscle memory took over the second I got close enough to touch her.
I brushed up behind Rhy and wrapped my arm around her waist tightly while reaching past her to unlock the office door. Instantly, her scent hit me again and damn near weakened my whole stance.
Yeahhh nah.
I missed her badly.
“You want me to hurt you in more ways than one,” I muttered low against her ear.
“I don’t,” she whispered softly.
“You do.” I tightened my hold slightly. “You know I wanna fold you up bad.”
“I know.”
Lord.
That quiet little response almost took me out right there.
I finally pushed the office door open and guided her inside before shutting it behind us. The music from the club dulled to a low vibration through the walls, leaving only tension and silence between us.
And the second, we were alone? I backed Rhy into the corner near my desk without even thinking about it. I’ve been wanting to touch her all damn night.