Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
SUGAR BABY
One Week Later
Rittany and I sipped our drinks and gossiped like old women as Tyreek cleaned my house. Going old school and making him do chores was the only thing I could think of to make him pay for what he’d done. I hadn’t planned on making him do anything, but what Cash said had been stuck in my brain.
While I wanted Tyreek to know I’d be there for him no matter what, I also didn’t want him to think he could do something like this again and there would be no consequences.
Since he hated doing chores or being treated like a child, I figured this was the best way to punish him outside of getting someone to beat his ass.
Left up to Cash, I was sure that was what he wanted to happen, but that didn’t work for everyone, and Tyreek was a part of that number.
When my phone rang and an unknown number appeared, I stared at it for a while before answering with, “Hello?” It wasn’t a call to my business line, so I had no idea who it could be.
“Suge.”
My heart skipped a beat at the sound of Cash’s voice.
Suge?
My first thought was Shug on The Color Purple and then Suge Knight. Both were on completely different spectrums, and I wasn’t sure either was a good depiction of me. However, I’d heard several variations of my name over the years.
No one called me that.
It was always Baby, Sugar, or Shuga.
Never Suge.
“Cash,” I almost cooed, ignoring Rittany as she sat up in her seat and smirked.
“We need to talk. Tell me what day and time works for you.”
“Uh, today or tomorrow would be best. I have a very busy week, and my weekends are almost always booked unless I intentionally block them off my calendar.”
“Tonight works. Where do you want to meet?”
“Definitely somewhere public,” I said before slapping my hand over my mouth.
I’d meant to think that.
Cash chuckled. “Do I scare you?”
“Not really, but I’m no fool. I’ve heard about you, and I know what you’re capable of.”
“You think I’d hurt you?”
“Why wouldn’t you? ”
“You’re a woman.”
“That’s where you draw the line?”
“Do you smoke?”
My eyes blinked three times before I responded, giving my brain time to process his quick change in subject. “Yes.”
“Meet me at the beach tonight at eight. By that new sand bar.”
“O—”
Before I could agree completely, he disconnected the call.
“You’re meeting him?” Rittany confirmed. “Alone?”
Nodding, I stood, and she followed me back to my bedroom. “Yes.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Baby?”
“If he was going to kill me, he would have done it a week ago.”
“Still. I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t either, but it’s something about him that I do trust if that makes sense. I trust him enough to not harm me tonight for whatever that’s worth.”
She sighed but didn’t bother trying to change my mind because she knew when it was set, it was set.
We talked while she helped me find something to wear.
With it being spring, the nights here could be cool, and they were even cooler near the beach.
I decided on a two piece baby blue linen pant set with a long sleeved crop top.
After taking a quick shower, I fluffed my curls, refreshed my makeup, and put on my signature red lipstick.
I confirmed that Tyreek was going to spend the night at my place, then me and Rittany left out. She made me promise to share my location with her and let her know when I’d made it back home, though a part of me knew she’d be tracking me the whole time I was out .
The ride to the beach from my neighborhood was about twenty five minutes, but once I made it, I wished it would have taken longer.
I’d meant it when I said I trusted that Cash wouldn’t physically hurt me, but I was still nervous about being near him.
When we initially met, he seemed like he didn’t want to be outside, so I was surprised he wanted to meet me at the beach.
As I neared the new sand bar that had opened last fall, I looked for Cash.
This was the only bar by the beach that was on the sand, so it had been popular since its opening.
There he stood by the front door, and I could only think about Patrick telling SpongeBob the maniac was just standing there .
. . menacingly. That was exactly how Cash looked—tall, mean, and not to be fucked with.
“What’s so funny?” Cash asked as I closed the space between us.
“Nothing you’d find funny.”
“Try me.”
“Did you watch SpongeBob as a child?”
“As a child?” He chuckled. “I still watch that shit now.”
I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but when he smiled, I smiled. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. It’s one of my comfort shows. Don’t tell nobody. They wouldn’t believe you anyway.”
“They certainly would not,” I agreed through my laugh.
“But I was just thinking about that episode where SpongeBob was the hall monitor, and he and Patrick were looking for the maniac that was supposedly destroying the town. Whole time it was him. And Patrick was like he’s just standing there . . .”
“Menacingly,” we said together before laughing.
“Yeah, that part was funny as hell,” Cash said .
“I know, right? As I was walking up, that’s exactly what you looked like standing here all big and scary.”
He shook his head and chuckled before pinching my nose gently. “You’re cute.”
Yet again, I was surprised by his words as he opened the door and waited for me to go in.
I saw his eyes lower to my ass as I passed him, and for some reason, that made me smile.
I bit down on my bottom lip when his hand went to the small of my back and he led me toward the hostess station.
She greeted us and asked us if we had a seating preference.
They were pretty packed, which didn’t surprise me.
What did surprise me was her offering us a back corner table when Cash told her his name.
I watched as a couple was moved from the table to the bar before it was cleaned for us.
“Do you get this kind of treatment all the time?” I asked as we headed to the now empty table.
“Yeah,” he mumbled casually, unimpressed.
We sat across from each other, which felt weirdly intimate.
This wasn’t a date, but for some reason, that’s what it felt like.
Needing to get the hell away from this man, I immediately went into professional mode as I pulled my iPad out to keep track of our plans.
We did end up having a couple of drinks, and by the time our night was over, we’d gotten everything planned for his gala.
I’d forgotten about him asking me if I smoked until he handed me a blunt as we left the bar. I accepted it as we headed toward the closest bench. We sat down, lit up, and started rotating.
“You smoke with everyone that owes you money?” I asked.
“Nah. Just you,” he confessed.
“Why’s that? ”
Our eyes locked briefly before mine went back to the ocean. “Still tryna figure that out, Suge.”
For the next hour, no other words were exchanged.
He continued to smoke but I didn’t. His shit was potent, so it didn’t take me long to get to my limit.
We sat on that bench, lost in the rippling waves and light from the moon.
Backs pressed against it, his arm was wrapped around my shoulders.
By the time our night was over, I didn’t want to leave him.
Though I assured him I was okay, Cash insisted on following me home.
I drove the speed limit for safe measure, though I was usually a little speed demon.
To my surprise, Cash waited until I pulled my car into the driveway before pulling off.
There was a slight part of me that thought he’d try to come in, but when I thought about it, he’d done nothing to suggest he wanted to have sex with me.
I honestly didn’t know what he wanted from me or why we’d spent that extra time together . . . but I enjoyed it.