“I think so myself. Did you have time to look at the double pantries in the kitchen?”

  “That’s my favorite part! We have three kids who eat us out of house and home, so it would come in handy. I also love that the master bedroom overlooks the ocean.”

  “Overall, we want the house,” Rob butted in. “Has anyone made an offer on it yet?”

  The night had just started, and the truth was that nobody had put an offer on any of the houses. However, a good businessman knew not to say that. If you wanted the most bang for your buck, you had to set the demand for the product. And at that moment, the demand would be the illusion of a bidding war.

  “I actually have gotten three offers so far, and the night has only begun, so I expect to get more,” Adrian said, waving Megan over to him. “However, my colleague will be more than happy to help you out from here.”

  Megan already knew what to do. She winked at Adrian as she passed and led the Stephensons over to a table where they could fill out some paperwork. Adrian did a little fist pump in the air knowing that he would probably sell all the homes before the other real estate companies even got a whiff of them. He was definitely smelling himself and had a natural high. He looked around and saw many Parks employees helping out the guests, and he figured it was time to move to another house. He walked out of the house with a little swagger in his step and a smile on his face. It grew wider when he saw Kiesha wearing a beautiful gold dress and making her way over to him.

  “Oh, my God, this all looks great!” she exclaimed. “It’s so fancy. I’ve never seen a showing like this before.”

  “No one has.” He grinned at her. “Thanks to you, we got our first offer.”

  “Already?” she asked, shocked.

  “Yup. They’re doing the paperwork now,” he said and took her image in. He had the sudden urge to wrap his arms around her slim waist and pull her in for a big hug. “You look gorgeous tonight.”

  “Thanks to you. Do you like the dress?” she asked.

  “I do. I really do,” he told her, but instead of looking at the dress, he held her gaze.

  There were a lot of unspoken words that happened between them in that moment. And it was then that he realized he liked her. As in liked her liked her. Adrian didn’t think he ever felt like that about anyone, but Kiesha made him want . . . more. From her and from himself. He opened his mouth to ask her if they were still on for their walk on the beach after the showing, but then someone appeared at her side.

  “Cam?” Adrian asked, confused.

  “Adrian?” Cam looked as shocked as he did.

  “Wait.” Kiesha put her hands up. “You two know each other?”

  “Yeah, we grew up together. And I guess you can say we’re business partners,” Cam answered. “Hold on, your internship is with Parks Realty?”

  “Yeah. Adrian is, I guess you can say, my boss.”

  “Wow, small world.” Cam grinned and held his hand out for Adrian to shake it.

  With low energy, Adrian shook it. Kiesha was standing there looking uncomfortable and avoiding Adrian’s eye contact.

  “How did you two meet?” Adrian couldn’t help himself from asking.

  “I saw shawty in the grocery store, and we’ve been rockin’ ever since.”

  “Nice,” Adrian said. “Well, I’ll let you two enjoy the event. There’s food and drinks, virgin for you, Kiesha. I’m about to go try to sell the rest of these houses.”

  “Shouldn’t I be with you?” she asked.

  “You’ve done more than enough,” Adrian responded a little harsher than what he intended. He saw the hurt in her eyes, and he instantly felt bad, but not bad enough to continue standing right there. “Cam, call me later.”

  Cam nodded and Adrian walked away. The high he had felt minutes before was long gone and probably wasn’t coming back. He didn’t know why he was so upset, but he felt it sitting in his chest. He wasn’t happy at all to see Kiesha and Cam together. And if that was who she was dealing with, why did she look at him like that? He avoided the two of them the rest of the night, but that didn’t stop him from catching a few displays of affection between them. He even saw Cam kiss her.

  After that, things became a blur for Adrian, and he began downing back-to-back drinks. He was thankful that there were other Realtors from Parks Realty working the showing. By the end of the night, they’d gotten quite a few offers on each house. When the event was over and almost everyone had left, Adrian found himself inside the master bedroom of the home the Stephensons loved so much. They were right. The view was amazing from there.

  “Hey! This was a great turnout!”

  The voice belonged to Megan. He would ask how she knew where to find him, but she’d been watching him like a hawk the entire night. The buzz he felt sent his eyes straight to the cleavage in her dress.

  “Why haven’t you left yet?” he asked.

  “I can ask you the same thing,” she said, walking up to him. “Kiesha is outside looking for you. She wanted to say goodbye before she and her date headed out.”

  He didn’t like how she said the word “date,” as if she were letting on that she knew something she wasn’t supposed to know. She was being a bad girl, and bad girls got punished. Megan got so close to him that he was sure she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She smirked up at him.

  “Why are you smiling at me like that?”

  “Oh, nothing. What should I tell her?” she asked seductively.

  “Nothing. Because your mouth is going to be too preoccupied with other things.”

  Adrian backed into the master bathroom and unzipped his pants. He pulled his already-hard manhood through the slit in his boxers, and Megan grinned wide. She followed him inside the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. He didn’t have to tell her what to do next. She dropped to her knees and gobbled his dick up like it was her favorite meal. As she sucked and slurped, he suddenly had flashes of Kiesha on her knees for Cam, pleasing him like Megan was doing. Adrian’s hands found the back of Megan’s head, and he started to fuck her face, feeling the tip of his manhood jabbing the back of her throat. She was a champ and didn’t gag once.

  Suddenly, Adrian withdrew from her mouth and forced Megan to her feet. She submitted to him as he bent her over the double sink and hiked her dress up. She wasn’t wearing any panties, and he was staring right at her beautiful, voluptuous bottom. He knew she was a freak, so when he spread her cheeks and slid his sopping wet dick into her ass, she moaned loudly.

  “Oh, Adrian. You’re sooo nasty, baby. Fuck my ass. Yeah, fuck me!”

  And that he did. Her tight asshole felt so good around his shaft as he plunged in and out of it, making her cheeks shake like an earthquake. She threw it back at him, and he caught it like a pitcher. Flashes of Cam fucking Kiesha that way kept sneaking into his mind, and they only made him stroke harder.

  “Adrian! Adrian! Oh, daddy! Yessss!”

  “Shut up and take this dick!” he breathed.

  “Okay! Yes, daddy!”

  Thick juices slid down Megan’s thighs every time she came from the anal pleasure Adrian was giving to her. When he finally felt his own climax building up, he thrust into her a few more times before exploding deep into her anus. He threw his head back and held back his moan, fearing it would come out as a name. He caught his breath and pulled his limp penis out of Megan’s ass. Adrian cleaned himself up with the decorative towels in the bathroom and zipped his pants back up.

  “I’ll see you at work in the morning,” he said and left Megan quivering on the counter.

  Chapter 18

  The showing had turned out better than Kiesha could have ever imagined. It was the most amazing thing, seeing something she’d worked so hard on come to fruition. If that was what she had to look forward to when she got her degree, she was all for it. Cam had been the perfect gentleman, and the thing she liked most about him was that he wasn’t afraid to give her affection in the public eye. He made her feel like a princess and even got her home by midnight.

  Kiesha still couldn’t believe that Cam and Adrian knew each other. Not only that, but they were business partners. She was trying not to think about it because it was making her head hurt. She also didn’t know why the thought made her stomach turn so much. Why did she care if they knew each other? Still, she couldn’t wait to tell London about this new revelation.

  When she walked through the door, all the lights in the house were off except the plug-ins in the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Miss Simmons’s door was slightly ajar, but when Kiesha passed the room, she heard light snores letting her know that her mom was knocked out. She’d fill her in about the night in the morning. Kiesha hoped that London was still awake, because she had to tell someone about the things that transpired. She was happy when she saw a light was on in her room and hurried to open the door.

  “London, girl! Tonight was so amazing! You won’t believe what happ—London?” Kiesha abruptly stopped speaking. London was indeed awake and sitting at Kiesha’s vanity, but her face was buried in her hands. “London?”

  London’s shoulders quivered, and Kiesha heard her sniffle. Kiesha looked around the room for any signs of what was wrong. She didn’t see anything but a bag of snacks on the bed and the TV frozen on the Netflix home screen. She moved closer to London and put a hand on her shoulder, but her friend jerked away.

  “No, don’t!” London said tearfully.

  “London, girl. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Kiesha asked and pried her hands from her face. When she did, Kiesha gasped in horror. “London! What happened to your eye?”

  London’s left eye was completely swollen and had started to bruise. She also had a busted lip and a few cuts on her face. That wasn’t at all how she looked when Kiesha had left, and alarm set in. Tears streamed freely down London’s face as she looked into Kiesha’s. There was both sadness and anger in her one good eye.

  “They jumped me,” she finally said.

  “Who? Who jumped you?” Kiesha asked, feeling anger form in her chest.

  “When I was at the store, I ran into Stacy and her crew. Malcom was there, too, with a few of his people. I was in line, and they stood behind me on purpose to talk dirt about you so I could hear, I guess. And you’re my friend, so I stuck up for you. I wasn’t going to just let a bunch of whores talk about you. Afterward, they followed me to the parking lot.”

  “And they jumped you there?” Kiesha asked, and she nodded. “Ooh, I can’t stand those bitches! I can’t believe they did this to your face.”

  “They didn’t. Malcom and his friends did.”

  “What?”

  “Stacy’s friends can’t fight like that. But Stacy and I were getting down, and I guess I must have hit her too hard, because that’s when Malcom jumped in and punched me in the face. I . . . I fell to the ground, and all I remember is feeling his friends kicking me.”

  “London!” Kiesha cried.

  She plopped onto the vanity seat and wrapped her arms tightly around her friend. While she was having the night of her life, London was going through hell. All to grab some snacks for them. Tears fell down Kiesha’s face onto London’s shoulder, and the two girls cried together for what felt like a long time.

  “That bitch and that nigga are going to pay,” Kiesha said when they finally pulled away from each other.

  “No, Kiesh. It will blow over.”

  “I can’t keep letting this kind of shit slide. She only did this to get to me. And I never pegged Malcom as the type to hit women.”

  “I’ve been hearing a lot about him over the last few days. He was never who we thought he was. His family is heavy in the streets. So, Kiesh, for real. Just let it go. You have so much going for yourself, and Stacy is just jealous.”

  London got up from the vanity and crawled into Kiesha’s bed. Kiesha watched as she wrapped herself in the covers and turn to face the wall. Kiesha wished she could just let it go. She really did. But she couldn’t. If she didn’t do something about it now, Stacy would feel like she could bully her. And not just Kiesha, but her friend too. She didn’t know yet what she was going to do, but one thing she knew for sure was that this was the last time Stacy was going to cause turmoil in her life.

  Chapter 19

  The events from the night before seemed like a blur to Adrian when he got into the office the next day. Regret seeped from his pores as he remembered his sexual encounter with Megan. He’d broken his own rule, and he didn’t know what to expect with her. It was obvious that she wanted more from him than he was willing to give, and now he had fed into that fantasy. That was why he planned to avoid her for as long as he could. He knew he was probably in the clear that day since she would be busy closing deals. But that could only last so long.

  Kiesha had called in late that morning, and Adrian tried not to imagine the reason why. He kept telling himself that what she did in her free time was her business and none of his concern. However, truly feeling like that was the hard part.

  Knock! Knock!

  Adrian had been in the middle of sorting out some paperwork when the knock on his door came. He looked up to see Cam entering his office. Cam made himself comfortable by sitting on the opposite side of his desk, leaning back in the chair, and clasping his hands together over his stomach.

  “You rang?” he said.

  “I got some new information about Drako,” Adrian said.

  “From who?”

  “You know Milk, right?”

  “Yeah. Light-skinned motherfucka who used to be down with Jerry.”

  “That’s him. I paid him a visit the other day, and he had some pretty interesting things to tell me about Drako. You already know how all that shit went down with Jerry, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “His operation was too smooth. Real calculated. Milk told me that he changed his pickup and drop-off spots every week, and the rotation was never the same. So tell me, how were the Feds able to run down on him?”

  “They knew the pickup and drop spots,” Cam said with a shrug.

  “But how if the rotation was at random? They knew the exact days, the exact times, and the exact locations.”

  “Sounds like an inside job to me. Who all knew the rotations of the spots?”

  “Jerry, of course, somebody named Amir, Milk, and Drako.” At the mention of Drako’s name, Cam sat up in his seat. Adrian could see his mind working behind his eyes. He was sure they were on the same page. “Jerry and Amir are locked up. The only ones free are Milk, because he got out of the game years ago, and Drako.”

  “Hoody said he thought Drako had something to do with Jerry going down.” Cam shook his head and then glared at Adrian. “So if this nigga is really rattin’ niggas out, you done led him straight to some more cheese. You let his ass walk straight to the door. Fuckin’ dumb. And you the motherfucka I’ma have to follow someday?”

  Adrian’s nose flared at his words. Cam was right about the Drako situation, but his comfort disrespecting Adrian was rubbing him the wrong way. Adrian wanted to put Cam in his place, but then he remembered, he already was in his place.

  “You’re going to follow me because my family’s money is what started this entire operation, and it’s our businesses that keep it clean,” Adrian said evenly and cut his eyes at him. “Our fathers work well together because they are a team. I made a mistake, and I’m going to fix it. But if while I’m doing so you’re just going to keep reminding me of the fuckup, why are you around?”

  Cam’s chest huffed out but then fell after a few seconds. The glare in his eyes faded, and he ran his hands over his face while groaning loudly. He finally looked back at Adrian and shook his head.

  “I hate to say it, but you’re right. To our fathers it’s one band, one sound. Your fuckup is mine and vice versa. So what’s the move, boss?”

  Adrian was honestly surprised at Cam’s response, so much so that he was only prepared to continue bickering. He processed Cam’s question and thought of the only logical answer.

  “We need to figure out exactly what Drako is on. We can’t just kill him, because if he is working with the law against us, then we all know where the finger will point.”

  “Then what? You want me to send the whore in after all?”

  “Nah. We won’t need to. I think we should ask Drako ourselves. That party is tomorrow, right?”

  “You really think that man is going to tell us anything?”

  “If we show the cards that are in our hands. Not the ones in our lap.”

  Chapter 20

  Kiesha tried her best to cover her puffy eyes with makeup before she arrived at work. She was late due to going to see a doctor with London. Although London said she was fine, Miss Simmons wasn’t having it at all. She took one look at her face and bruised ribs and sent them to the ER. Thankfully, everything was okay. London was just given some pain medication and had been advised to get some rest. The swelling in her eye had already gone down, but both girls thought it would be best if London stayed over for a few days, just until the bruising on her face went away.

  Kiesha didn’t want to, but she left London at home while she went to work for the day. When she walked into Parks Realty, she tried not to let on about all the weight she was carrying, especially since everyone was in such good spirits due to the night before. The fake smile she put on for everyone felt like a grimace, and she was happy when she finally reached Executive Hall so she could hide away in her office for a while. However, that hope came to a crashing halt when she saw Cam and Adrian exiting Adrian’s office together. The two men slapped hands, and Cam began walking away. However, he stopped when he noticed Kiesha. He gave her a warm smile, and she tried her best to return it.

  “What’s up, shawty?”

  “Hey,” she replied meekly and let him pull her in for an embrace.

  Behind him, Adrian was giving her a weird look. He was paying attention to her every move. She even saw his eyes linger on her lower lids. When she pulled back from Cam, she focused her attention solely on him.