Page 18 of Serenity

Recognition never surprised me. Known in Paramour, I was often described as a socialite despite being so much more. Vivid hosted numerous events where my photo was often taken. The Miller family was also a household name in the city. We did a lot for our people. Giving back in the form of jobs and charity work was the norm.

“A problem with regard to what?” He smirked. That devilish smirk besmirched what was left of my panties.

“Do I intimidate you?”

It was the second time that evening I’d asked the question.

Duke toked his cigar, his eyes never leaving mine. Only after clearing his lungs of smoke did he respond. “I don’t fear a soul walking this earth. Not you. Not your brother or anyone else connected to you.”

“You said that like it’s a Wheel of Fortune fact, boo.”

“It may as well be. Lock that in your pretty head for safekeeping. And don’t call me boo. Save that lingo for your homegirls, gorgeous.”

Swiftly, he issued the reproach. I took no offense, finding his sternness wildly attractive. The remainder of my existence was prepared to dissolve at his command.

If he can tell me what to do, then he’ll tell me what to do.

Raking through that beard of pepper with flecks of salt, he shrugged. “Pre and I go way back.”

His attention turned to the device retrieved from his pocket. After a few taps and several swipes, he handed me his phone, revealing a photo of him and my eldest brother in more youthful years. Way back was an understatement. Those niggas were boys. Seeing Supreme and Duke in such a carefree, unserious manner warmed the surface area of my chest. Without thinking, I swiped left, seeking to find another image of the pair.

What I located forced my poker face into immediate effect. Stripped down to nothing, Duke’s naked body was striking. Toned abs, envious quads, biceps, and triceps worthy of worship filled the frame. His manicured groin caught my attention, followed by his flawless chest.

In the video, he ravished a woman equally beautiful. She was spread wide, hands to ankles open for him as he dug inside her depths. I watched the brief video until its conclusion. He removed himself from her center, revealing the density of the third limb between his legs. It forced me to clench my thighs.

Teleporting, my mind raced back to that night at Genevieve. That undeniable need. The subtle bend of his knees. That hunger. That repetitive plow and plunder. Duke was him. The masked man. He had to be. The memory of that body, paired with the video confirmation, sent tingles and sprinkles of tiny pimples through me. Gasping, I swiped right toward the picture of him and Supreme, pushing his phone back into waiting hands.

Shit.

“You all were so young,” I flushed, taxing my body to grab ahold of myself.

My legs tattled on me as the left—still crossed over the right—bounced incessantly. Heated, my body was. Readily, lust secreted between my thighs. I was ready for him to take me home and bend me over to alleviate the tension I housed. Duke had fucked all sense from that woman. I was ready for him to fuck all sense from me.

Hands to ankles.

Jealousy and need were relatives showing immense resemblance in a cyclone of thoughts. Whoever the woman was, she was a lucky girl. Lucky fucking girl.

Every semblance of peace I held transformed into carnal desire, causing what appeared to be restless stimulation. I failed to miss the way he watched my fidgety leg.

“What’s constricted your nerves, gorgeous?”

You. It’s you. I wanted to say it, but the words failed to surface.

In an instant, my foot stopped moving.

“Don’t stop on my behalf.”

“I’m starving, Duke.”

Eye contact was far more intimate than words. He studied me. Held me in captivity with the warmth and curiosity of bottomless eyes. Eyes that said, liar. Eyes that yapped millions of words, though he hadn’t uttered a single one audibly.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier? We could have ordered something. Wait—don’t tell me you’re one of those women afraid to eat in front of a man.”

Not that edible food, love. Suppressing the thought, I pursed my lips.

“Tell me something, Duke.”

“Something.”