Page 39 of The Mob: Shio Cuppacio
He licked his lips. “I got that under control. Can’t be that nigga if you dumb.” He tapped the side of his head.
“I’m glad you know. But don’t be playing in these cars.”
I didn’t have to warn him about mine because mine was the most modest of the lineup.
“Oh, Don done fucked up giving us this job. We ’bout to burn one of these bitches down to the rubber. As soon as they get full off that oil, we outchea.” His swiveled his head, scanning the cars.
I looked over my shoulder down at my car and then back at him. He flashed his million-dollar smile, which would cause many girls' heartbreaks.
“Don’t worry. You safe, pretty lady.”
“Umm-hmm. Be safe.” I knew if I lingered any longer, he’d continue to flirt as if he had a chance. Nodding, I hurried across the circular driveway, ignoring their inappropriate comments about my attire and figure. Italian Cuppacio was going to be someone’s hell on wheels one day. That I was sure of.
Dasani had been raving about her perfumes and was excited to get back into entrepreneurship. I was so happy for her. She didn’tneedto launch a line, but it was her passion which fueled her to make it happen. I knew without a doubt her line would be a success—not just because of her and her husband's influence, but because of how she lit up every time her interest in fragrances came up.
Entrepreneurship is tough, but it gave me purpose too. As much as I longed to have a life like theirs, I loved that I had a thriving career as a content creator. It kept me busy and, with over three million followers, definitely entertained.
As soon as I walked through the open double doors, I smiled. I had guessed the theme correctly as bows greeted me from every angle. Large satin bows were tied at the end of thegrand staircase, and large balloon arches shaped like bows were strategically placed throughout the space. A server handed me a champagne flute with a little bow tied to the stem and told me everyone was in the formal dining room.
“Glooooowwww! Look at youuuu, biiiitch!”
As Jisei greeted me, the rise of her chubby cheeks nearly made her eyes close, and her mink lashes were the best I’d seen. I made a mental note to ask her who’d done them because I was tired of fighting with my clusters. She was carrying her baby weight as if it was normal to be this round, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she would immediately slim back down once she popped the baby out. I couldn’t imagine gaining a whole bunch of weight and not being able to get rid of it as soon as I gave birth. I knew that was not only impossible and very unhealthy, but those were my feelings.
Someone else called out, happy to see me. I’d escaped inside my mind that quickly that I’d forgotten to speak. “Hey y’all! Everyone looks so cute.”
As always, the ladies were on theme in expensive threads, tying the bow theme in perfectly. Each woman’s style matched their personality, and I loved it. After giving everyone a hug, I handed Dasani her card.
“I didn’t know what to bring since this is my first Sniff-and-Sip, but here you are, and congratulations! I know the business will thrive beautifully.”
I loved the silver fitted tube dress Dasani was wearing. There was a large bow attached to the back, dragging the floor behind her. It was perfect. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail with bangs, showcasing her almond-shaped eyes and highlighting her ethnicity.
Placing the envelope to her nose, she inhaled. “Ummm. It’s moneyyyy in here! Thank ya, boo boo! I’m so happy you came.”
I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I wish y’all would invite me to everything,I said to myself, but to Dasani, I replied with a simple, “Of course.”
The party continued with drinks and food being passed around. The sniff stations were absolutely adorable. Dasani had three fragrances to sample, each with two variations. She even had a chemist explaining the notes in the perfumes. I’d never seen anything like it, and was excited to learn something new. Once we picked our favorite fragrance between the perfumes labeled A and B, it was logged into a system—no, a real system on an iPad—for Dasani to consider later. She put so much thought into her brand, and the quality of the scents was unmatched. I had a hard time choosing but ultimately when with bottle A. I’d already planned to stock my growing perfume collection with every single fragrance on launch day, and was happy she had little samples for us to take to tide us over until the full bottles released. They were that good.
The Sniff-and-Sip was perfect content for me, and as much as I wanted to complain about missing out, I held back. I always felt uneasy about filming in their home, even though the other women did it. I didn’t want to do anything that might risk my welcome or get me barred from their houses, so the most I did was ask the hired photographer to take a picture of me solo at one of the balloon arches with my untouched beverage in hand. Once we finished with my impromptu photoshoot, I offered her a tip, but she declined. I was sure Dasani or her husband had given explicit instructions for the hired vendors to not accept any money from guests. Before I could stuff the fifty-dollar bill in her black slacks, she had sent me my photos via Bluetooth and blended into the party. Looking through the pictures, I was so excited to post them because of how good they looked. The pictures she’d taken of the wives and me were magazine-worthy. Those were without a doubt going on my social media platforms.
The drinks were flowing, marijuana was lingering in the air somewhere, and the DJ had the party pumping while I was on cloud nine, enjoying my girls. The summer was ours for the taking, and this party had been the perfect kick-off. These ladies lived the dream life, and I was just happy to be included, even if only partially.
Dasani had gone off to tend to the rest of the guests, leaving Pia, Jisei, Scarlett, Mocha, and me in our destinated section of the party. Discover had come through briefly, but was escorted out by Vello as soon as she sniffed the fragrances and gave her gift.
“I be seeing these bow parties all over the internet but never thought I’d be at one. It’s so cute and girly.” Mocha held up her flute. “Even got a little satin bow on the leg of the glass. Period!”
“Yes, you know this is right up my alley,” Jisei agreed. Anything pink, with a bow, or feminine, my old neighbor was obsessed with. She’d even been a tad bit disappointed that baby Ezio was a boy.
“I love the whole aesthetic of this party. It’s executed perfectly,” I added, admiring the monogrammed napkins.
“So, Glow…” Pia’s ponytail, which had been flipped at the ends, bounced as she spoke. Red was always her choice of color, so I wasn’t surprised to see her in a black jumpsuit that cut off right above the knees with red bows resting on the shoulders. She, too, was in red lipstick with her belly bump on full display. “I heard your little sister is here from college.”
I smiled, thinking of Glee. “Not yet. My mom wanted her to go home first. She’ll be coming to stay with me soon, though. Her and her best friend, Blayke.”
“I want Pearla to meet them. She’s doing better these days, but maybe more girls in theircliquecan snap them back to their normal selves. Pearla also needs to talk to someone her age about college because I think Blake would be perfect for her.The further away from Jagoda Bay she is, the better. She’ll be a senior this year, and I don’t want her thinking her heartbreak is the reason she gotta stay here. Too fucking much done happened. She needs to go on and see more of the world.”
My heart went out to Pearla. I didn’t know Grind, but I’d caught a glimpse of him at Pia and Nel’s engagement. I could see why she was bedridden after hearing the news that he was married. Add in him getting shot, and I’d also shut off from the world. I still didn’t know the details of the shooting because, again, I wasn’t integrated into the circle beyond girly meet-ups and celebratory events, but the entire family had been concerned about Pearla.
“That should work. Glee needs some new friends, and she doesn’t know anyone in Jagoda Bay besides me. I’m sure she’d be happy to meet Pearla and tell her all about Blake U. It’s a nice school in a cute small town. I was nervous about her going all the way to Georgia, but when we got to the campus to get her settled in, it almost made me jealous that I hadn’t gone to school. They even have condos for dorm rooms. I think Pearla will like it.”
