“Stop doing that,” he instructed, making her look back at him again.

  “Why are you looking at me like that? Like you care? You met me last night at a party, and we barely talked.”

  “Divine intervention. There’s a reason why we were led to this very moment, and I think it’s because you need a nigga like me in your life.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Hell yeah. Everybody does,” he joked with a grin.

  Something about his smile lit a fire in Amira’s chest and between her legs. There was no denying their attraction, but she felt it wasn’t the right time to act on it. It was just how he stared at her in that fragile state that did it for her. Like she was still the most beautiful girl in the world. That look alone gave her the courage to scoot closer to him.

  “I do,” she said.

  “Huh?”

  “I . . . I do need you. Right now.” She slowly moved her hands up the front of his T-shirt, stopping at his chest.

  “What you need me to do?” he asked in a lower tone.

  “Make me feel good,” she breathed before leaning in for a kiss.

  Their lips met, and it was the sweetest thing Amira had ever tasted. Their tongues swam in the depths of each other’s mouths, and their arms naturally wrapped around each other. Amira wasn’t an easy girl, but right then, she wanted . . . no, she needed something to make her feel precious again. She knew Tevin didn’t love her, but that didn’t mean their bodies couldn’t pretend like it. She mounted him, and he hiked up her dress, palming her cheeks. She grinded on his large erection and moaned in his mouth. Her hands fumbled with the zipper on his pants, but he stopped her right when she got it down.

  “Wait, wait. This ain’t right.” He shook his head, trying to catch his breath.

  “But I want it,” she said, trying again to get his pants down.

  “Stop,” he told her, grabbing her hands. “You’re vulnerable right now. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t want you. I do. One day I do want to dig deep into that pussy, but right now, it just ain’t the time. But,”—he kissed her quickly—“I can do something else for you.”

  “And what’s that?”

  He grinned mischievously at her, put her down on her back, and spread her legs open. Moving her panties to the side, he bit his bottom lip as he stared at her glistening kitty cat. Softly, he kissed her clit, and she shivered.

  “I want to make you feel good. I’m not the kind of nigga you have to do shit for for me to want to see you happy.”

  His words rang in her ears before he dove in headfirst and devoured her like the Last Supper. Her legs trembled as Tevin went to town. His tongue did things to her that a dick never could. Her hands held on to the back of his head for dear life as he licked and slurped away. When she finally came, she felt her juices sliding down the crack of her butt, and he also licked those up. His moans were what turned her on the most. It turned him on to turn her on. The first orgasm took much of her energy, but that didn’t stop her from opening her legs wider so he could keep eating.

  “Tevin,” she cried out.

  “Tell me you love how I eat this pussy,” he growled at her.

  “Oh, Tevin, I love it. You eat this pussy so good.”

  “I know. This is what you need. Pretty-ass pussy.”

  “Tevin . . .”

  Her vaginal walls were so hungry and wanted to be penetrated, but he didn’t. Not even with his finger. He focused all his attention on her clit, bringing another orgasm quickly after the first. After licking all the excess secretions, he kissed her pussy one last time before getting off the couch and scooping her into his arms. He carried her to the master bedroom and placed her softly on the bed.

  Amira was so weak from the tongue-lashing he’d just given her. She couldn’t do anything but just stare at him in wonder. Tevin went to the bathroom to wash his face, but when he returned, he climbed into bed with her. She felt . . . safe. He held her, and she snuggled up close to him.

  “I guess now we should get to know each other for real, huh?” she joked in a whisper, and he kissed her forehead.

  “After I handle Jerron, we’ll have all the time in the world for that. Go to sleep.”

  Chapter 5

  A few days had passed since Tevin’s run-in with Amira, and he couldn’t explain her hold on his attention. He was infatuated with her. It could have been because they were from two completely different necks of the woods. He could tell that she was a daddy’s girl, spoiled, and probably got everything she wanted. On the other hand, he had to climb and scrape for everything he had. If it weren’t for his cousin Kaleef putting him on in the drug game after his parents died, he didn’t know where he would be. He had enough paper to live flashier than he did, but Tevin enjoyed flying under the radar. A regular crib and a Chevy Impala were good enough for him. He didn’t need to showboat his money, but his accounts were hefty.

  He liked Amira because she knew nothing about that side of his life but still showed interest. It didn’t matter to her; it pleased him that she was impressed by the little he showed her. When he was a boy, his grandmother taught him that if he paid attention close enough, a person would tell him exactly who they were the moment he met them. They wouldn’t even have to say a word. And he knew already that she was cool peoples, someone he wanted to pursue. It had taken everything in him not to take her to pound town when she came to his place, but seeing her in such a fragile state had made him want to cater to her needs.

  What Jerron had done to her infuriated him, mainly because Tevin was the one who dropped the location. If he hadn’t done that, Jerron wouldn’t have been able to find Amira to hurt her. And that was why he had to handle it. Not only that, but when he and Pete had gone to the restroom at the restaurant, Tevin had called Jerron, asking him where he was.

  “I’m not gonna be able to make it. Maybe next time,” Jerron had said.

  Tevin knew then that he had been lying. He’d been lying in wait for Amira to be vulnerable. They’d been sitting on the patio, so Tevin was sure Jerron had seen her with him when he pulled in. That probably infuriated him.

  It was night when Tevin got to one of the many houses Kaleef had around Atlanta. He parked his car and got out, instantly spotting the Camaro parked on the street. He approached the front door, and the moment he did, it swung open. Anybody in Kaleef’s crew knew who he was and gave him the respect he deserved. Not just because he was Kaleef’s cousin but because he was lethal. Tevin was young, but he wasn’t the one to cross. His exterior might have been that of a chill young cat, but he had the heart of a killer. The two men standing behind the front door nodded at him as he entered. Both men were strapped with pistols and ready just in case someone who wasn’t supposed to be there showed up.

  Tevin moved past them and bounded up the stairs. The air was cloudy and smelled like the best weed in the city. He could hear loud talking and laughing coming from the kitchen. When he arrived, he saw everybody seated around the kitchen table, Jerron included. Kaleef sat at the head of it, counting a huge stack of money. When he was done, he put a rubber band around it and tossed it to the middle of the table where a brick of cocaine lay.

  “Hey, Tev,” a topless woman said as she walked by Tevin to join her other half-naked friends in the living room.

  It wasn’t abnormal for Tevin to see naked women around. He’d become desensitized to it. They were there to count the money, test the product, and suck any of the crew’s dicks when the men wanted. Tevin pushed her hand away as she went to rub his stomach.

  “Watch out; you probably haven’t even washed them shits,” he said, turning his nose up at her.

  She tooted her nose up at him and rolled her neck as she walked off, clearly upset. He didn’t pay her any mind and entered the kitchen. Kaleef smiled big when he spotted Tevin.

  “Well, if it isn’t little cuz,” his voice boomed. Tevin ignored everyone else and walked up to Kaleef, shaking his hand. “Did you handle that drop for me like I asked?”

  “You have to ask?” Tevin gave Kaleef a knowing look.

  “You? Never.” Kaleef grinned. He was much older than Tevin but didn’t look like it, especially since the two dressed similarly in style. “I’m just tryin’a tighten up. You know I got this case going on. I don’t need any fuckups.”

  “I hear you, but you know ain’t nothing bad coming at you from this way.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. Now, come sit. I want you to hear my latest business venture,” Kaleef said, placing a hand on his back and leading him to a seat at the table.

  Tevin sat next to Kaleef between him and his right-hand man, Sparrow. Across from him was Jerron, who gave a head nod. Tevin couldn’t bring himself to give one back, and that made Jerron smirk. It wasn’t the time or the place to check him for what he had done to Amira, but soon, it was something that had to be done. Just looking at Jerron put a bad taste in his mouth.

  To be truthful, Tevin wasn’t too fond of anyone in Kaleef’s crew, Sparrow included. They were all knuckleheads, and he didn’t trust them. They reminded him of vultures, just circling and waiting to swoop in on the next dead body.

  “So, what’s this business venture you want to talk about?” Tevin asked Kaleef.

  “Cuz, what’s the one thing that sells at the same magnitude as drugs?”

  “I don’t know, probably sex.”

  “Exactly.” Kaleef grinned. “The need for sex has this world in a chokehold. Mix in a little high, or a big one, and that need triples.”

  “So what, you tryin’a run some sort of human trafficking business? I’m not with that.”

  “Pussy,” Jerron threw out, and Tevin’s eyes cut in his direction.

  “The only thing pussy is men who put their hands on females,” Tevin said evenly.

  “What I do with my bitch is none of your concern, understand?”

  “What I understand is that she’d been done with you. That’s why you put your hands on her. Well, that’s what she told me when she was at my crib.”

  Tevin could see that his words had gotten under Jerron’s skin. It was his turn to smirk, which seemed to make Jerron even madder. He stood up with clenched fists. Tevin stood up too, ready for whatever.

  “Aye, y’all need to chill the fuck out. Sit y’all young asses down up in this motherfucka fighting over pussy. Put your dicks away,” Kaleef warned. They glared at each other for a moment before they heeded the warning and sat down. When they did, Kaleef continued speaking. “Nah, I’m not talking about human trafficking. This is something on a larger scale. I’m talking about a place where a person’s wildest dreams can come true. All willing participants. Men and women.”

  “So, a sex club?”

  “I guess you could call it that. But I’d like to call it . . . Tranquility.”

  Tevin thought about it for a few moments. It honestly didn’t sound like a bad idea, especially in the era they were in. Sex had gone from being a sacred exchange to being as common as a handshake. He could also see it being a great way to expand their already booming drug market to newer crowds. However, there was one small problem.

  “You sure this is a smart thing to do, considering your case?”

  “This motherfucka is always a Debbie Downer, Leef!” Sparrow groaned loudly. “Damn, li’l cuz, this is a good business venture. Be happy we’re bringing you on the ride.”

  “One, I’m not your li’l cuz. Two, we aren’t doing shit for me. The last time I checked, Kaleef ran things around here.”

  “He’s right, Sparrow. Chill, man. You’re always on my cousin’s nuts for some shit. He’s the only one at this table asking the right questions.”

  “It just sounds like hating to me.” Sparrow shrugged. “Your case ain’t got shit to do with you opening a legitimate business. Plus, he has the best lawyer that money can buy in Georgia.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Tevin said as his mind calculated the issues with Kaleef’s new business plan. “His case isn’t anything to take lightly. He has the Feds on his ass, watching his every move. I’m sure they know all of us by name and affiliation. If he opens a new business, they will be all over that too. Undercovers would be all through that bitch waiting to catch us slipping.”

  “And this is why you have a seat at my table, li’l cuz.” When Kaleef nodded in a satisfied notion, the look of annoyance on Sparrow’s face shone like a bright light. “You’re absolutely right about everything you just said. We have to be smart about this shit, and that’s why the business couldn’t be in my name. I put it in Grandma’s name, her maiden name, until all this shit blows over. So I’m trusting you and Sparrow to run things and make sure my money is right.”

  “Man, I can do that shit by myself,” Sparrow told him.

  “But I said both of you,” Kaleef snapped.

  “Wait, you said you put it in Grandma’s name. You mean it’s already open?”

  “Yup,” Kaleef said with a big smile. “The place is booming already too. Tranquility has people lining up to get inside and get their rocks off.”

  Tevin nodded his head as his thoughts took hold of him. Kaleef was a great and calculating businessman, but he often made decisions first and dealt with the blowback later. It usually worked in his favor, but his federal case proved that even he wasn’t foolproof. While the others spoke in celebration of the new money venture, Tevin thought only of the business side of things. If he was to be in charge of things there alongside Sparrow, he wanted to be sure that everything was everything. Of course, he knew the dangers that came with his line of work, and that was why he wanted to take every precaution necessary to prevent himself from being in Kaleef’s position.

  “Leef,” he spoke loudly so that he could be heard.

  “I know that look,” Kaleef said, eyeing Tevin’s expression. “What’s wrong? You don’t think Tranquility is a good idea?”

  “Nah, the opposite. You know I love money, especially when it comes smoothly to my pockets. I just thought we should have some membership guidelines in place for this shit to work. People can come and indulge, but only members can buy drugs from us in the club. That way, we don’t risk accidentally selling to the Feds.”

  “Good. Yeah, that’s good.” Kaleef nodded.

  “And no underage girls,” Tevin said, looking around the table. “Twenty-one and up. I don’t care if her birthday is in one week. We don’t need a scandal on our hands. Lastly, you all have high-profile customers that you sell to. Let them know about Tranquility. We can come up with some sort of perks for them if their friends get a membership.” When he finished talking, he looked at Sparrow with triumph.

  Kaleef patted Tevin’s shoulder hard but happily. The grin on his face had gotten wider and turned into a full-on laugh.

  “And this is why my legacy will go to you when I’m gone.”

  Chapter 6

  Knock, Knock.

  Days had passed since Aramous found out about Cheryl Pond. He had tried everything in his power to get ahead of it and maybe talk her into reconsidering, but he couldn’t get close enough to talk. And now that she was the star witness, he didn’t want to be charged with witness tampering. Aramous knew Kaleef wasn’t the kind of man an average person wanted to piss off. However, the mess he was in was of his own doing. Still, telling him the news wouldn’t be a walk in the park. When Aramous heard the knock on his office door, he saw Kaleef standing there with two of his henchmen. All were wearing suits and looked like regular businessmen.

  “Well, if it isn’t my favorite lawyer,” Kaleef said, stepping inside the office.

  “Kaleef. Sit down. We have some things we need to discuss.” Aramous used a pen to motion toward the chair across from his desk.

  Kaleef’s henchmen stood on either side of him when he sat. Kaleef had the same smug expression on his face that he always had. He thought he was a made man.

  “I was a little confused when you asked to see me today, Aramous. I thought the case was closed, especially after Benzino’s . . . accident. He was the star witness—hell, the only witness. So what’s good, man? You need me to sign some paperwork or something?”

  “No, actually”—Aramous sighed as he tapped the pen on his desk—“actually, we have a problem. A big problem. The case isn’t closed, and they’re looking to hit you hard. By the end of the week, they’re planning to indict you on a RICO.”

  “What the fuck did you just say to me? How did this go from a murder charge to a goddamn RICO?”

  “Does the name Cheryl Pond ring a bell?” Aramous asked, watching the smug expression drop from Kaleef’s face.

  “That bitch. I knew I should have killed her ass when I had the chance.”

  “I’m going to act like I didn’t just hear that.” Aramous shook his head and put the pen down. “Look, man, this is serious. The prosecution believes they already have a pretty solid case, and by locking you up, it will give them more time to build on it. With what she’s giving them, plus when your people get to talking—”

  “I don’t have snitches in my camp,” Kaleef snarled, but Aramous gave him a knowing look.

  “Once they start getting picked up and slapped with twenty-five to life, you sure about that?”

  He’d seen the best of friends turn on each other and organizations crumble. At the end of the day, it was rare for someone to throw their life away to save another, even if it was the person who had been lacing their pockets with money, because freedom was priceless. Kaleef tried to look sure of himself, but the doubt shone through like a beam. Aramous had been in his line of work for a long time.

  “Well, you’re my lawyer, and I’m paying you good money. What the fuck are we going to do about this?”

  “What does Cheryl have on you? It says here that she was your business partner. I assume that means in your illegal dealings?”

  “Yes. She was my supplier for a while. Her family is very well connected. I can’t believe that bitch turned snitch. Her going to prison has nothing to do with me. She got caught up delivering to some asshole in Florida.”