Page 49 of Dreaux: The Corporate Assassin

Once situated, I propped the phone on the dash and decided to call my favorite girl. It was hard not being able to see my grandparents the way I wanted to, so I had Jules go to their house and set up an iPad so I could video call. It took them a minute to figure out how to do the simplest thing, such as answering an incoming call, but they finally got the hang of it. Now, we’ve talked every day since they left Milly Grove.

“Well hello, my handsome baby. Is that a glow on your face? Hm? Who’s the girl?”

“Sweets, there’s no glow. Just this sun blinding me—got my skin looking all shiny.” Deciding to grab a smoothie since I didn’t eat much with the construction crew, I made a quick U-turn to head toward Smoothie King. I looked at Sweets and teased her. “Here I was thinking you’d be happy to see me, but you just want to harass me instead.”

“It’s my job to be in your business, Andre.” She waved me off as she adjusted her house coat. She was the only woman I knew who still wore hair rollers to bed at night and kept them in during the day unless they were having company. “Are you finally going to tell me about the lady friend you spent the night with when we were visiting? Is she the same one you took to the fancy event you attended?”

“Sweets, who’s been telling my business?” I frowned, causing her to smirk. “I know it was nobody but Jules.”

“It was nothing like that, Andre, so you calm your tail down,” she fussed and pointed into the screen, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I wanted to know what’s going on with her because that Sandra girl keeps coming by here showing her tail, and I’m going to end up putting my hands on her.”

“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brows as I turned into a pack drive-thru. It was my first time hearing this, and I didn’t like it. “I didn’t know she was still coming by. I told her that nothing would become of us, and she needed to accept it. It’s cool, though. I’m going to holler at her when I get back in town.”

This is the main reason I didn’t want a serious relationship with anyone. When the relationship has run its course, I don’t have time for the extra shit. I will blow a muhfuckas brains out with no remorse. I gave her the benefit of the doubt because we’ve been dealing with each other for years. However, she’d crossed the line by harassing Sweets.

“Just talk to her, baby.” Sweets sighed and shook her head. “She’s pregnant, and?—”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with me!” I snapped unintentionally, causing her eyes to widen in shock. “I’m sorry, Sweets. That’s my bad.” I palmed my chest. “I wouldn’t dare disrespect you by raising my voice. That girl is getting under my skin with her lying and games. You forgive me? I’m your favorite grandson, after all.”

Giving her my best puppy-dog look, I poked out my bottom lip, and she exploded in laughter. I didn’t want her to think too much about Sandra because I sure as hell wasn’t. I was going to nip that “popping up” shit in the bud, though.

“I forgive you, but I don’t know about favorite…” The grin on my face fell at her words. “There’s Rosier and Jules. They call me every single day, along with those Mills boys. They’re coming to see me soon?—”

“Man, you’remygranny!” I fussed and pouted like a child. “You don’t even know those new niggas. If it wasn’t for Jules out here acting like the boogeyman and scaring people?—”

She fell into a fit of laughter at my frustration, and I couldn’t help but do the same. I may have talked shit, but I loved how my boys showed love to Sweets. She was so motherly, and you couldn’t help but gravitate to her. She had a big heart and a loving spirit, so it was only natural for her to attract all our crazy selves.

“Oh my goodness! I needed that laugh.” She caught her breath and wiped her eyes. “I know you two aren’t in a good space, but I wanted you to know I spoke with your mother a few days ago. She told me she was going to take a self-healing trip to Kenya. As much as I am against it… I understand why she needs to go. I pray that when she returns, you both can sit and talk. She didn’t say how long she would be gone, but she told me she would write often.”

I didn’t reply because I didn’t want to burst her bubble. Little did Sweets know, she would never see her daughter again. I knew better than to believe my mother had gone anywhere other than wherever Rosier sent her. I didn’t know if my mother was dead or alive at this point, but maybe, one day, I’d ask.

After making sure there wasn’t anything that she or Pop needed, I ended the call by promising to come home soon. I checked the time on my phone and saw Skip had hit me up, saying he and Wild were at the mall if I wanted to slide through. Deciding to take him up on his offer, I headed that way, smiling at my conversation with Sweets and about seeing Denim and Briley in a couple of hours.

* * *

I questionedmy motives the whole ride to Denim’s house. I knew I was going to have to kill this girl, so I didn’t understand why I was continuing to spend so much time with her and her daughter. I’d never brought flowers for anyone other than Sweets but passing the elaborate setup at a kiosk in the mall had me stopping and buying three dozen roses. Stepping to her door, it swung open before I could even knock.

“Roses, huh, Mr. Sexy Man?” Rome asked in a sultry voice that made me feel gay as fuck.

“Man, back up, Rome! I done told your ass about that gay shit. I like pu?—“

“Dre!” Little Briley came running into the living room. “Oooh. Those are so pretty. Mommy gonna love them. Anything for me?” she asked with the biggest, prettiest smile.

Every interaction with Briley had me wanting to pull up and murk her daddy wherever he stood. How could any man be willing to sell their child's innocence?

“But, of course…” Reaching into my pocket, I produced a small box I brought from the mall with Wild and Skip. When I saw the heart-studded diamonds, I had to get them. They screamed bougie baby, and that’s exactly what Briley was.

“Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Look, Unctie Jerome! I got sparkly heart earrings.”

“Sparkly? Nah, Briley Boo—them is diamonds! Unctie gonna have to teach you the difference. Come on! Let’s go in the back and try them on.” I watched as they walked toward the hall just as Denim entered the living room. Lil' Mama was stacked. We hadn’t fucked since the first time, and I was intentionally trying to keep it that way but seeing her in this mid-thigh length blush-colored dress with the ribbing showing off her curvaceous body had my dick on brick. Denim was gorgeous in the face, so the body was an addition. Outside of her being a federal agent, she was cool as fuck too.

Meeting her eyes after scanning her from head to toe, I was ready to forego my original plan to not dive back into her superb pussy. “Andre?” I heard her call my name. “I’ll take the flowers so we can go…”

“Damn, my bad, Lil' Mama. You had a nigga stuck for a moment. You look beyond good tonight. I want to say fuck these reservations.”

Chuckling, she rounded the corner from putting the flowers in a vase and grabbed her phone and clutch. “Well, if you’re going to do that, let me know now so I can throw on my Birkenstocks and take off these So Kates.”

Pulling her into me, I leaned in and nibbled on her bottom lip. I’d kissed her a few times now, and the shit didn’t help my predicament because her lips were just as soft as her ass and just as sweet as her pussy. I was still stuck between the battle of my heart and mind, and kissing Denim on the lips was a sign that my heart was winning. “Nah, I’m going take your fine ass to dinner, and then I’m gone fuck the shit out of you once you’re done eating. Rome staying, I hope, because you might not make it back tonight.” Feeling her shudder in my arms, I smirked at how turned on she easily became. “Let’s go, Dee before you make me help you bust one before dinner.”

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