Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Joy’s Uber pulled up to the club, she was immediately grateful that Mel had put her on the VIP list. The line was wrapped around the building and as much as she was looking forward to the night, she’d be damned if she stood in that line in the skinny heels she was wearing.
Joy’s entire ensemble was only conducive for walking from the car to the section, and sitting pretty. It was April now, the brutal winter giving way to warmer days but still brisk nights.
She went for a simple black flowy mini dress that had spaghetti straps and dipped as far as it could decently go in the back. The dress had subtle sparkles that were illuminated by the street lights. Joy’s heels were black with a strap that buckled around her ankle with gold hardware.
For the first time in years, she brought out her simple gold chain with the iced-out ‘J’ pendant that Mel had gotten her for her 21st birthday along with the matching iced-out gold bottom grill she and Glock had gotten fitted for together that same year.
Her wash-and-go was on day three, making it big and fluffy, just the way she liked it.
Her entire body was greased head to toe and she’d spent extra time on her makeup, of course finishing it off with her signature red lip.
Between the snag in Blue’s case at work and her plan of redemption slowly coming together, Joy had been spread thin the past several weeks. Mel had noticed her stress and suggested a night out at the club she worked at.
Joy immediately declined, memories of what’d happened their last girls night crippling her. However, after much coercion, she had agreed.
She bypassed the purple velvet rope indicating the start of the line and made her way straight to the bouncer. The large light-skinned man looked her over with an appreciative gaze and licked his lips. “Line starts back there ma,” he told her before she could open her mouth.
“I’m on the list. Joy Thibodeaux,” she replied, putting all of her weight on one leg, making her already wide hip pop out.
The man looked down at the tablet in his hands and scrolled for a moment before nodding. “Aight I see you right here, mama. I gotta wand you before I let you in,” he said before setting the tablet down on the stool next to him and swapping it out with the metal detector wand.
Joy smirked, wondering if she should alert him of the switchblade she was carrying in her bra but decided to let him discover it on his own.
Sure enough, as soon as the wand grazed over her breast area, it started sounding off.
“What you got on you?” he asked pointedly.
Not seeing the point in lying, she pulled the blade from her bra. His brows lifted in surprise and his lip lifted in a smirk. “I can’t let you bring that in ma,” he said, holding his hand out for it. Joy scoffed and put it back in her bra.
“I’m not giving you my shit. Who says it’s a weapon? I might just need a bottle opener,” she answered defiantly. The earlier amusement was replaced by annoyance on the man’s face. Joy knew she was holding up the line and hoped he would decide she wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Yeah aight. You can get rid of it or you can get the fuck on. Ion have time to argue with you ‘bout it. The policy is no weapons so that’s what it is,” he said gruffly in a voice that left no room for argument.
Joy opened her mouth to do that anyway.
Before she could, a large, warm hand came in contact with the exposed skin on the small of her back and a voice she’d recognize anywhere spoke up.
“She good,” Ace said simply in that commanding tone that demanded everyone under the sound of it to submit to him.
“Aye my bad Ace, I ain’t know she was with you,” the guard said, quickly shuffling out of the way.
“All good,” Ace answered before dapping him up, then pulling Joy under his arm to usher her inside the venue.
Soon, April had joined on the other side of Joy, giving a bright smile then the three of them were flanked by Jrue, August, and Remy.
Her eyes did a quick sweep for Jovon but found him — and his threats — absent.
“Night just started and you already causing trouble, Rose,” Ace spoke directly into her ear.
“You look good as fuck!” April exclaimed, before Joy could reply.
She turned to April. “Thanks girl,” she smiled.
“So do you.” She gave April’s fit an appreciative once-over.
She wore a black leather tube dress that clung to her petite curves and had a split on one side that went halfway up her thigh.
She wore her hair in big bombshell curls and her makeup was smokey.
Ace’s arm was still around Joy as the six of them made their way through the club.
The crowd parted for the Kings like the royalty their name boasted them to be.
Men came up to dap them up and pay their respects and women approached trying to get chosen for the evening by one of the brothers.
Many of the women gave Joy dirty looks, noticing that she was on the arm of the eldest King but she was too busy admiring the ambiance to mind.
The club was lit in lights of various shades of purple paying homage to the club’s name, Amethyst. Beautiful women of all shapes and sizes occupied the stage and made their rounds throughout the club.
Ace leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of Joy’s ear as he murmured, “You do look good as fuck.”
The words themselves were enough to earn a blush from Joy, but combined with his tone and the warmth of his breath on her skin, made heat lick up her spine. She turned to him fully for the first time that evening and took him in.
He too was in black with a simple black short sleeved button down with the top few buttons undone revealing his muscled chest decorated with tattoos.
Black jeans clung to his strong legs with black Jordans on his feet.
He wore a stack of 3 chains, one skinny rope, one cuban link, and another thin chain with a crown pendant glittering with diamonds.
Joy’s mouth watered. Ace was a beautiful man and looked sexy in the suits she usually saw him in at the office. But in the casual wear, with his tattoos on display and diamonds dancing, Joy’s knees became a little weak.
“Thank you. You look nice too,” Joy responded after a few deep breaths.
Ace smirked. “Nice, huh?”
Joy grinned and looked away, releasing herself from the hold of his seductive stare.
Ace led them to a section roped off for them and filled to the brim with bottles. Joy moved to sit with April but Ace kept her tucked firmly into his side.
Six sets of eyes watched her warily, bouncing from her to Ace and back.
“Y’all remember my associate, Joy,” Ace said.
They all nodded and offered tentative hello’s and Joy did the same.
She had only been in the section a few minutes, nursing a drink and trying to ignore Ace’s searing gaze when the DJ announced that Mel would be coming to the stage soon.
“Stay here with us,” April whined, reaching for Joy’s hand to halt her movements as she stood. Joy smiled genuinely. She relished the feeling of being wanted and her presence being missed. Not because of anything she had to offer but just because they enjoyed her company.
“I’ll come back in a little bit. My cousin is about to perform and I wanna be closer,” she explained.
Jovon, who had been staring a hole in Joy’s face since the moment he entered the section but hadn’t uttered a word all night, suddenly joined the conversation. “Flow is your cousin?” he asked with rounded eyes, using Melody’s stage name.
Joy smirked knowingly. She was used to that reaction from men in regard to Mel.
She was just the type of beautiful and alluring woman who had men at attention even at just the mention of her.
Where Joy was always able to fade into the background – a skill she used to her benefit – Melody lit up every room she was in and everyone took notice.
“Yeah,” Joy said, not feeling obligated to offer an explanation of the intricacies of their connection.
Jovon nodded once, his expression unreadable as he stood, putting the rolled blunt behind his ear.
“I’m coming too,” April said, already standing and setting her drink aside.
Without another word or glance back, Von started towards the stairs leading out of VIP. Joy and April followed, with Ace at their back, drink in hand.
Jrue and August opted to stay behind in the section, content with the set of dancers entertaining them.
They weaved their way through the dance floor and rows of tables until they made it to the front of the venue. The club was packed out and Joy was concerned that they wouldn’t have a place to sit until Von approached the table that sat front and center stage.
Joy watched with interest as he spoke quietly to the men. Without protest, they stood and walked to stand off to the side of the stage with the other people who weren’t able to procure a table.
The four of them took the men’s seats with Von taking the seat closest to the stage and Joy sitting across from him with Ace and April in the middle.
Soon, the ambient purple light lowered until the only illumination that remained was the soft white spotlight shining on the pole in the middle of the stage.
A chopped and screwed version of Usher’s Love In This Club began playing over the speakers as Melody or “Flow” stepped onto the stage.
Joy’s mouth curved in a smile watching Melody slowly make her way to the pole. Metallic lavender floss with dangling silver beading caught the light with each shift, roll, and seductive swing of her hips .
She danced slowly, owning the stage, the room, and everyone in it. Each pop, drop, and hair flip pulled the patrons deeper under her trance.
Joy leaned back, watching with pride.
Mel crawled towards their table, throwing a smile in Joy’s direction.
Her smile melted into a smirk as her gaze shifted beyond Joy and landed on Von. She settled directly in front of him, never breaking eye contact.
She moved fluidly, her body bending with the music and damn near boneless as she kept that same steady eye contact.