Page 105 of Serenity
“When did you start feeling like this? You haven’t mentioned anything during our check-ins.”
“It… It started when we came back from Ghana. The flight attendant calling you dad. It’s not a problem for me now, though. It never really was. I just needed to get out of my head. And I’ve been busy with the spa and Vivid,” I added, laying it on thick.
Gripping his beard and nodding his head, he pursed his lips. Those irresistible pink lips.
“Aight. We’ll talk about this later.” Without offering another word on the matter, he kissed me. “Have fun tonight, Bee.”
Searching for passive-aggressive undertones, I refused to let it go. There were none. He meant every word. He wanted me to enjoy my night and not be bothered by his absence.
I wasn’t ashamed of him. Of us. I was just enjoying the peace of our privacy. Hell, my friends knew we were a thing. Everyone did. The way he’d dismissed the conversation led me to wonder if—
“But Duke—”
“You’re gonna be late, Bee,” he said, motioning to the door. “Come on. This ain’t the time for us to have this type of discussion. I’m sorry I even brought that shit up.”
Again, he diverted from the issue, not allowing a discussion to take place. Once his mind was made, he didn’t waver. He never wavered. That firmness had drawn me to him months ago. Now, it was grating my nerves. Though not settled, the issue was kaput for now. Reluctantly, my feet moved. From the life-size mirror on the wall, I watched him pull his tie loose and toss it on the bed. Disappointment dwelled in the forefront of my thoughts. I wanted him near. Beside me tonight.
Solemnly, I allowed him to make the lengthy walk from the penthouse down to the front entrance of Gray Hotel with me. Reed was stationed out front. He opened the back door for me to enter the SUV. Scurrying to the driver’s side, he gave Duke the room to linger near the back door.
“Have fun tonight, aight? And chin up. No pouting. No twerking on niggas.”
“Twerking on nig—I can’t believe you’re leaving me to spend my birthday alone,” shaking my head, I fussed.
“Baby, I saw your guestlist. That shit was quite lengthy. You won’t be alone.”
“You know what I mean, Duke,” I pouted.
“Fix your face, Bee. We’re spending your birthday in Belize. It’s on Monday, not tonight, remember?”
“I know, but—”
“No buts. I love you. Be good.”
Slamming the door, Duke watched as Reed and I pulled off the curb. Only when we were out of sight of the hotel’s circular drive under the porte-cochère did he move, returning inside.
My bottom lip extended the entire ride, but when I arrived at Sin, I was compelled to fix my face as he’d commanded. As Reed opened the door and assisted my exit, everyone who gave a fuck about big Reni stood off to the sides, snapping photos and egging me on to the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” A red carpet was rolled out ahead of my arrival, and a professional photographer and videographer were in attendance as well.
Inside, Sin had been transformed into a floral paradise. The lighting was soft and pink. White and peach florals—a combination of roses, baby breath, and orchids adorned damn near every wall. Duke had to have spent tens of thousands on the arrangements. Everything was absolutely breathtaking.
Trying to make the best of my evening, I fought not to dwell on his absence. Snapping photos with the girlfriends and hyping each other up as we took turns twerking worked to distract me briefly. Only briefly. There were patrons of the spa in attendance alongside several artists I’d met through Vivid, including all the artists in residence. Even Dream had shown up.
“Where’s Duke?” Dream asked, noting his lack of presence. All the girlfriends knew of Duke. They could point him out in a crowd. However, they’d never formally met him as my man.
“Home relaxing.”
“Boo! He couldn’t step out for your birthday?”
“I asked the same, but apparently, the day has him beat,” I lied. Reluctant to dwell on the topic, I gave an evasive shrug.
“Where’s Luna?” I asked her and Tori when I noticed her absence.
“Girl, still avoiding your brother,” Tori revealed. “Holed up in her apartment in North Banks.”
I had a mind to tell Sincere to let his fruitless pursuit go, but he and I still weren’t speaking. Chaos and confusion weren’t my mountains to climb. His dealings with Luna Gemini were none of my damn business anyway. Even at present, he was nowhere to be found at the club.
High-pitch feminine squealing broke me from a myriad of thoughts. Following the focus of all the ladies in the section of the club, my eyes landed on the man dressed casually in a Ferragamo ivory sweater and chocolate brown slacks. Against his warm complexion, the color combination looked divine. Flawlessly, he coordinated with my crystal and pearl embroidered dress and the décor around us. Absolutely nothing rivaled a well-dressed black man.
Realizing he’d shown up for me caused my face to fracture with glee. Slowly, Duke approached where I’d been sitting, uncontrollably summoning me from my seat.