Tariq ‘Reek’ Horton
TARIQ ‘REEK” HORTON
I wasn’t a romantic nigga. I didn’t do hearts, flowers, or candlelight because a calendar told me to. But part of my deal was that people needed to see me with her on my arm, so on that evening, I put on a suit and played my role.
The past few weeks had been ugly. The development had turned into a fight on every front.
Kai was on straight bullshit, hiding behind “the people” while he did favors for the Crown.
We had traded gunfire with Crown soldiers twice.
We were trying to find the boss, trying to get our hands on the head so the body would fall.
The Crown stayed hard to reach, and that made the war go on even longer.
So, though I wasn’t a suit and tie type of nigga, I was relieved to finally be in a space that didn’t require me to watch my back.
Alderman Langford was hosting a Valentine’s benefit at a downtown ballroom called Hearts & Housing.
It was a fundraiser for a South Side youth housing initiative.
The room was full of developers, union reps, precinct captains, lobbyists, and media.
There were centerpieces made of red roses and white candles.
There were silent auction tables with weekend getaways and signed sports memorabilia.
A live band played slow R&B that had the aunties swaying and the younger women making content.
Sienna stayed glued to my arm while she networked and rubbed elbows, low-key parading me in front of the women who couldn’t stop staring.
This was supposed to be part of an arrangement.
She knew the terms. But she also kept testing the line, talking about “us” in a way that did not match the terms. She wanted a husband and a future I never promised.
Sienna was a beautiful, successful woman, and we had a good time together. But I wasn’t on that. Even after we squared away the development, I would keep her around. She was pretty, she had her own money, and her pussy was a problem in the best way. That did not mean I was getting down on one knee.
Sienna stood close to me while the cameras flashed. She looked expensive tonight. Her dress fit her like a glove. The blonde pixie cut always made my dick hard. Her makeup was soft. Her perfume hit my nose every time she turned her head.
“You’re doing good,” she whispered, smiling for a donor who walked past us. Then she squeezed my arm lightly and looked up at me. “But try not to look annoyed, baby.”
“I’m not annoyed.”
She lifted her brows. “You are.”
I didn’t answer her. I scanned the room instead. I saw Langford walking through the crowd. He shook hands, hugged women, clapped backs, and let people feel important for ten seconds at a time.
When he finally made his way over, Sienna’s smile turned sweeter. “Daddy.”
Langford kissed her cheek. “Baby girl.” Then he looked at me and held his hand out. “Tariq.”
I shook it. “Alderman.”
He glanced at my suit, then back at my face. “Thank you for coming.”
I shrugged. “I’m here.”
“That’s what matters,” he replied, still smiling. “I’m glad you’re here. You can relay a message to Sincere for me and save me the trouble.”
“What’s up?” I pressed.
“Kai tried to strengthen his moratorium.”
I groaned inwardly. “Of course that nigga did.”
“He introduced an amendment that would have widened the freeze and added new requirements,” Langford continued.
Sienna’s mouth tightened. “That man loves attention.”
Langford nodded once. “I pushed his item back on the agenda, though.”
“What does that mean for us?” I asked.
“It means he does not get to rush it through while emotions are high,” Langford explained. “It gives us time. A delay works in your favor. Kai wanted to tighten the leash. I didn’t let him.”
I nodded.
Langford’s smile grew wider as he told me, “And I moved the Cartiers’ development vote up.
I spoke to a colleague who controls the calendar.
I secured a friendlier lineup in the room, more people who understand the economic upside.
The vote is the city’s official approval for your team to build.
Once that passes, it becomes harder for Kai to stall you. ”
I nodded again. “So, it puts us closer to finally breaking ground.”
Sienna’s lips curved upward, and she looked up at me with satisfaction. “Daddy’s playing chess. Your side’s up for now.”
Langford winked at her. Then he looked back at me. “Do your part. Keep your people disciplined. Keep your name clean in public. Let me handle the procedure.” He patted Sienna’s shoulder, nodded at both of us, and moved on to the next cluster of donors who were hungry for his attention.
Sienna turned toward me with bright eyes. “You see that? He’s protecting the play.”
“I see it.”
She slid her hand down my arm and held on tighter. “So maybe you can stop acting like you don’t like being seen with me.”
I looked down at her. “You be forgetting what this is.”
Her smile held, but her eyes challenged me. “Maybe you can try to forget too.”
Fuck.
Sienna was building a picture in her head and daring me to stand still long enough to get framed in it.
As she leaned into me, her fingers tightened on my arm, not hard, just firm enough to tell me she wasn’t letting go.
When this was over, she wasn’t going to disappear because I said it was done. She was going to make me fight to get rid of her, and I didn’t want that fight with an Alderman’s daughter.