Squinting his eyes as he glared at me, I held his stare. I respected Rosier—not just only as my boss, but my brother too. Still, this nigga didn’t intimidate me. My commitment to our last name held the same weight as his. I knew his choices regarding protecting Boudreaux weren’t hard to make, and neither were mine. I’ve shown him and our associates more than once that I’m all in with this shit, regardless of who I have to kill. If he still felt uncertain because of the people closest to me having to be punished, then maybe he needed to reevaluate my role.

“Okay.” He sat back and nodded. “Let’s talk more about the plans for you once you’re in Milly Grove.”

Not acknowledging his response, I walked from the minibar to the floor-to-ceiling windows. I wanted to walk out, but I knew Zoo would not stand for the disrespect, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful. It was important we all remained professional to keep Boudreaux running as the reputable company it was. As I leaned against the window, I listened to him and Jules talk about some ideas Uno wanted to execute before I tuned them out. The more I thought about this being a mini vacation instead of just business, the more I welcomed the thought of getting out of Southern Florida for a minute.

I knew that my mother was going to die soon. I knew because the look in her eyes at my grandparents’ house the other night was the same look I held—determination. She was determined to place guilt on this family for my father’s death. I was determined to protect this family until my last breath. Zoo may not be forcing me to choose or even be the one to send the final blow to my mother’s body, but we all knew that was what I was built to do. I was a killer, so I killed. However, accepting this next kill would be the ultimate test of loyalty, and once it was done, my role in this business would most likely be up for discussion.

* * *

I was leavingfor the Grove tomorrow morning, so tonight, I decided to take Sandra out for dinner. She had been blowing my phone up since I left her crib a few weeks ago. I have been intentionally playing her to the left because I knew she was spiraling. Hurting her feelings was something I never wanted to do, but all of a sudden, she seemed confused about what this was with us.

“I’m happy you decided to come back around. I knew you missed me as much as I missed you.” She looped her arms in my and scooted closer to me. I decided to get a driver for the evening because I didn’t feel like driving after the week I’d had. I also wanted to indulge by having a drink or two. I didn’t plan to get drunk because I would be out in public, but I wanted to relax more than usual tonight.

Dragging my eyes from the window, I peered down at her excited ones. Sandra looked good as hell tonight in a red cocktail dress with matching heels. Her makeup looked nice on her, but I told her often she didn’t need it—that much wasn’t a lie. She was a knockout, and I was sure she could find a suitor in any man she picked, but she was adamant about me.

I wanted to burst her bubble and tell her I only called her in hopes of getting some pussy before I went out of town, but I was going to let her make it. Instead, I just gave her a small smile and went back to peering out the window. I was choosing peace so that the relaxation I was seeking wouldn’t be hard to find. Some dinner, drinks, and pussy was the only equation I was accepting tonight.

As we drove toward downtown, I appreciated the beauty of the city. South Florida had a lot of rugged areas, but it also had a lot of love to give. I’d never lived anywhere other than my city, but since I didn’t know how long my stay in Milly Grove would be, I had to be receptive to change.

“What’s on your mind, baby?” she asked as she used her index finger to bring my eyes back to hers. “You’ve been quiet since you picked me up. Is it work?”

“Something like that…” I kept it simple. I would never put Sandra in my professional life. “It’s a little hectic right now—nothing I can’t handle.”

Since the meeting with the internal team last week, I’ve been withdrawn. If it wasn’t directly about Boudreaux Enterprises, I was reclusive. I wasn’t mad at my brothers, but I was offended. For the last two years, the insinuation that I couldn’t do my part when it came to my parents and their threats was insulting. Will I be sad if I lose my mother? Of course. Not just sad for me but for my grandparents as well. My mother is their only child, and although she had turned cold to me, she loved them just as they loved her. I wanted to talk to them and prepare them for what may transpire, but I didn’t have the heart to do it, especially since they were still innocent in their knowledge of what Rosier, Jules, and I did behind Boudreaux Enterprises. I would eventually have to make some sense of what was to come because they didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark about their daughter dying.

“Well, tonight… I want all of your time and focus to be on me.” She leaned closer and placed a soft kiss along my jawline. Her hand rubbing on my thigh was making my dick twitch. “What can I do to get your mind off things?”

Nibbling my bottom lip, my eyes roamed her sexy-ass body. Her breasts were threatening to spill from her dress, and my mouth watered at the sight. Bringing my eyes back up, I zoned in on her juicy-ass lips, and there was only one thing that could make me happy at the moment.

“You can start by giving me a kiss.” She puckered her lips and leaned toward mine, but I stopped her. “Not on my lips, though.”

A look of confusion flashed across her face before she smirked and caught the hint. Unfastening her seatbelt, she reached for the button of my slacks as I pressed the button to raise the partition. Feeling her fumble around to remove my dick from my boxers had me hard as bricks.

“I love this dick so much,” she murmured before she gave it one long lick. “How dare you keep him from me?”

“You gone talk or suck this nigga, San?” I pulled her hair from her face to see her better once she got down to business. “I ain’t for the small talk.”

She said nothing else as she dipped her head lower and began to suck on my balls. Alternating from the left to the right, I threw my head against the seat and relished her giving my dick slow strokes.

“Hmm,” she hummed as she licked from the base to the head. “Just as delicious as it was the last time I had it. Tell me, Dre… have you been giving my dick away?”

“Whether I’ve been fucking or not shouldn’t matter,” I groaned and peered down at her as she licked the precum from the tip of my swollen dick. “If I answer that, your feelings are going to be hurt, baby. You want to catch an attitude, and I want to catch this nut. Suck this dick, girl. It’s yours when I’m with you. Don’t worry about who it belongs to when I’m not.”

Staring at me for a moment, I could see the pain in her eyes. This is what she does every time we’re together, and I hate the shit. Why ruin the mood with questions that are going to have you sliding down the wall in the shower?

“Fine, but I bet they can’t do you better than me.” Taking my entire dick in her warm mouth, I couldn’t stop my toes from popping in my Gucci loafers if I tried.

One thing I will never deny is her ability to make me come. The way she sucks dick is the reason I’ve kept her around all these years. Cupping my nuts in her hand, she bobbed her head up and down rapidly as she slobbered all over my little homie.

“Shit, girl.” I groaned as I wrapped my hand around her hair tighter and thrust into her mouth. “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about.”

Swirling her tongue around the head every time she came up, I could already feel my nut rising. Faster and faster, I moved my hips in sync with her suctioning. I was a well-endowed nigga, so I knew she was going to be hoarse by the time I was done with her. Glancing over at her ass in the air, I gave her a hard slap, causing her moans to send more vibrations to my dick.

“Fuck, Dre,” she cooed as she pulled her mouth away from me. “I need you inside of me.”

“Nah, you’re going to suck this nut out of me, and if you do it good enough, I’ll give you the dick later.” I rubbed her ass a little before tracing the outline of her lower lips through her panties. “You’re wet as fuck, though.”

Getting back to the task at hand, she continued slurping me as I pulled her panties to the side and eased my middle finger inside of her pussy. Immediately, she clenched her walls around me. I stroked her a few times before pulling out and strumming her clit.