Page 127 of Serenity

TWO WEEKS LATER.

A floor below Duke’s condo, I watched as police marshals dragged Myaquanna’s and Michael’s asses from the condo she lived in. Words were expelled from her pink lips, further damning herself despite the right to remain silent. The ordeal was indeed a fucking sight to behold.

As she was dragged down the hall, I fought to suppress a smirk. Checkmate.

Mya had no shame for her actions. The lack of remorse was evident in her heightened head and upturned nose as she was removed from Gray’s property. Michael, the married man she’d cheated on Duke with, looked like his world was coming to a smashing halt.

After I came clean about losing the tap, Duke was able to tip one of the cybersecurity companies off to her IP address. They were able to tie the origin of the upload to Mya’s computer.

She maintained her innocence right up until she was dragged from her home with a warrant. The two of them had colluded to earn money from the tape—which likely fell from my bag as I sat on the sofa when I’d gone to her condo that day.

I should have been thanking them. The M&M twins, as Duke nicknamed the pair, had uprooted our lives in the worst way, but it resulted in us being planted in soil that was way more fertile. In the end, despite the drama, it brought Duke and I much closer. Closer than we’d ever thought we could be.

The sex tape, while a horrific level of exposure of me and Duke’s personal affairs, had served as a catalyst for greater. The trajectory of our lives had changed dramatically with the attempts at ruination. I didn’t know it yet, but the best was yet to come.

Months later, the smoke cleared, leaving our pockets fatter than they once were with brand endorsements, which permitted us free travel around the world. We still did as we pleased, per usual. Duke refused to fly commercial, so the G5 was always put to use with the brands covering our lodgings instead.

I had a line of sex toys —The Bumbler, a vibrating dildo, and The Bee, a clit stimulator. They’d flown off the shelves doing numbers beyond my imagination. I hadn’t seen the sales for the end of the quarter yet, but the projected profits were promising.

I thought I’d been doing something with overtaxing myself at the spa and gallery. It was nothing compared to the passive income of selling sex products. The days of overworking myself had met their conclusion. Now I was relaxing in my achievements. Celebrating my wins.

Duke and I were working on our own brand of sex swings. Occasionally, we taught classes as well. Always exclusive, attendance came with a hefty price tag and was always hosted at Genevieve. While public sex wasn’t part of the demonstrative exercises we had, it was the ideal location for obtaining students.

I still had occasional yoga classes at the spa in the mountains, but I’d long since relegated the task to another instructor for my sanity. Adding to that fact was how much fun I was having making money with my man. Genevieve’s profits had increased by double since the tape. Duke, ever generous, always ensured I saw some of those profits.

An extensive lunch with my dad helped him to see things from my standing. I was a daddy’s girl. As his only daughter, Ramsay wasn’t allowing me to go too long without speaking to him. After the second week of silence, he was banging down both my and Duke’s doors, requesting an audience. The sting of his words still lingered despite numerous apologies, but at the very least, we were on speaking terms.

Things were still touch and go between Sincere and me, but from what I’d heard, he and Luna would be at the spring thing with their baby Sadiq. Far from concerned about my relationship with my brother, I knew for certain we’d bounce back at some point.

We were wrapping up after teaching a class on the swing mechanics when Duke walked up from behind.

In all the right ways, he considered my heart. I’d never ached for more in his presence. He was my forever and all I desired. All I required. Our families were still holding fast to the notion that we’d be wed sometime in the future. I prayed they didn’t suffocate holding their breaths for such a development.

“This shit ain’t crazy to you, Bee?”

“What?

“We’re on this stage. This stage,” he emphasized.

My eyes grew two sizes. “Oh. This was the stage.”

“You were in the audience. Look at us now.”

Look at us, indeed.

His security,

in exchange for my submission.

His wisdom,

in exchange for my intuition.

His open hand,

in exchange for my open heart.

Love in exchange for love.