Rhythm Brooks
“Fuck,” I muttered, turning the key again.
The engine clicked. The dashboard lit up. But the car stayed dead.
KJ leaned forward from the backseat. “Why it won’t start?”
“I don’t know, baby,” I said, trying again.
Kinsley was strapped in her car seat with her tablet propped up and her cartoons playing loudly.
“You should call Daddy. He can fix it.”
I groaned inwardly. “There is no need to call Kodi.”
I refused to call him. I had not spoken to him since he walked out of my house after ruining my painting, acting like an asshole. He had not reached out either. Not even today. It was the holiday, and he hadn’t even called the kids.
I grabbed my phone and opened the Uber app. After ordering a ride to the address Aria had given me, the price popped up, and I cursed again.
It was so expensive, but I hit confirm before I could overthink it.
I had already been nervous all day. It took me forever to get me and the kids dressed because I wanted us all to look nice.
I’d met Aria and saw her lifestyle online.
I knew she was rich. I could guess what dinner with her family would be like, so I had been stressed to make sure we did not show up looking out of place.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the Uber pulled up. I collected Kinsley and her car seat from the car, and we all climbed into the waiting ride.
The drive took about thirty minutes. The closer we got to the address Aria sent, the nicer everything looked. These were much bigger houses, cleaner streets, and less noise than my side of town.
Then the Uber stopped at a gate. A guard approached the window.
The driver rolled his window down, and the guard asked, “What’s your name?”
I leaned forward. “Hi. I’m Rhythm Brooks. I’m here for dinner.”
He checked his phone and nodded. Then the gates opened.
We drove in, and my nerves got worse. This was not a house. This was a mansion. The driveway kept going and going. The property was huge.
The Uber driver stopped at the top of the circular driveway, closest to the front door.
I got my kids out with shaky legs. On my way to the front door, I nervously played with my locs. I wore a long-sleeved bodycon maxi dress that stopped at my ankles. It was cream and fitted. I carried my knockoff Louie bag and wore brown heeled boots.
The front door opened before I could knock. A tall, dark-skinned man stood on the other side. I recognized his sexiness immediately from Aria’s photos.
“Rhythm,” he said, like he already expected me. “Come on in.”
When I spoke, “Hi,” I could hear how nervous I was. I was so out of my element.
He smiled. “I’m Legend.”
“I know,” I blurted, then corrected myself. “I mean… I’ve seen you on Aria’s page.”
He looked at my kids. “What’s up, big man?” he said to KJ. “You ready to eat?”
KJ nodded fast. “Yes.”
Legend crouched a little toward Kinsley. “Hey, pretty girl.”
Kinsley stared at him, then held up her tablet, like she was showing it off.
Legend laughed. “Okay. I see you.”
My shoulders dropped a notch. I appreciated him acting like he already knew us.
He curiously looked at the car seat I was carrying.
“I took an Uber,” I explained.
He nodded and took it from my hands. Then he put it in a corner near the front door.
“Follow me,” Legend told me. “Everybody in the den.”
We walked through the estate, and I worked hard to keep my face normal as I took in the high ceilings, expensive chandeliers, and artwork that I knew cost six figures each.
Legend glanced back. “Aria can’t stop talking about you and your work.”
My eyes widened with a smile. “Really?”
“Really. Your work has a point of view. Your color story is intentional, your composition pulls you where you want people to look, and the texture makes the pieces feel lived-in. That ain’t hobby painting. Collectors pay for that.”
I was visibly taken aback by his knowledge of the arts, and he laughed, saying, “I’m a collector.”
I nodded slowly, but inwardly I was baffled how this big ass, gangsta-looking nigga was an art collector.
We reached the den, and it was full. Football was on the big TV. Toys were everywhere. People were laughing with drinks in hands.
Aria saw me and lit up. “Rhythm!” She hugged me like we were already cool, then started introducing me to everyone.
When she introduced Saint, he stepped forward and suddenly got very formal. “Good evening, Ms. Brooks. We are honored by your presence on this blessed holiday.”
Everybody laughed.
I froze. “Hi…?”
Aria waved a hand. “He’s being silly.”
Then Aria turned. “And you already met Sincere.”
My breath hitched as Sincere walked up, and I realized I had not prepared for him being here. He looked good. He smelled good. When he hugged me, it was quick, but his arms closed around me, and I had to force myself to let him go.
“Good to see you,” he said close to my ear.
“Hi,” I managed.
I looked around at the room. The women were beautiful. The men were fine. But the finest one was right in front of me, and I felt it in my body.
“Get comfortable,” Aria told me. “Dinner will be ready in a minute.”
My kids drifted toward the corner where Truth and Sire were playing. I started to stop them, but Aria stopped me. “It’s okay. Let them play. I hope KJ keeps my sons entertained.”
My nerves flared, but I nodded. “Okay. KJ, be good.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he returned as he took off.
Sincere came up behind me while I was still watching KJ and Kinsley settle in with the other kids. I felt him before I saw him. His hand landed in the small of my back, and it sent a quick warning through my body.
“Come on. I’m getting you a drink.”
I tried to smile like his mere presence wasn’t causing me to feel faint. “Why? I’m fine.”
He leaned down toward my ear so the room couldn’t hear him, and his breath hit the side of my neck. “You weren’t ‘fine’ in my office. You was throwing that tequila back like a big girl.”
My face got hot immediately. I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak past the way my clit pounded against my thong. “That was nerves. I wasn’t being a big girl.”
He smiled so slowly that it was excruciatingly sexy. “Looked like a big girl to me.”
Despite my protests, he poured the drink, passed it to me, and didn’t let go right away. Our fingers brushed, and it sent a spark straight through my chest and down to my center. When I looked up, he was already watching me, expression unreadable, with eyes darker than before.
“You good?” he asked softly.
I nodded, even though my heart was beating too fast.
Everything about him felt intentional. The closeness. The attention. The way he spoke to me like I mattered beyond the room we were standing in. I liked it more than I should have. Way more.
I took a sip of the drink and forced myself to breathe.
This was an opportunity. A real one. A blessing. A door opening.
I was not about to ruin it because my body liked Sincere Bellamy. So, I smiled, took another controlled sip, and reminded myself this was business.
Even if it didn’t feel like it at all.