Finesse

by Vera Roberts

  “I have a graduation gift for you, but I didn’t bring it with me tonight.” Cameron turns his attention back to me. “It’ll be delivered at your apartment tomorrow.”

  “You didn’t have to give me anything, Cam.” My mind and heart are conflicted. My heart wants the gift but my mind reminds me it’s drug money. I understand where Hayley is coming from.

  “You deserve it,” Cameron grabs my hand and kisses it. “I deserve you.”

  I look away and shake my head. “Cam…”

  “Shhh…” He closes the distance between us and gives me a searing kiss. Our tongues play, tasting each other with a bit of aggression. My hands became lost in his hair and Cameron pulled me closer to him.

  I pressed against him, feeling his ripped body and hardened cock. A low growl escapes his lips as he deepened the kiss, twirling my tongue. My clit was throbbing in my panties and I wanted nothing more for Cameron to pay attention.

  “WHAT’S UP!” A man shouts and Cameron immediately stops kissing me and turns around. It’s Lexus and the Mystery Man, with their small entourage in VIP. “What’s up, my people!”

  Cameron makes eye contact with the group. If I wasn’t paying attention to him, I wouldn’t have noticed Cameron looking around the club to see where his security was. I immediately spotted several men who did a quick nod to him and speak into hidden microphones.

  “Gentlemen,” Cameron approaches the group and a server comes by with bottles of Ace of Spades. “Welcome.” Que climbs up the stairs and stands next to Cameron. “I’m glad you could join us tonight.”

  “Yeah, this is a nice little spot you have here.” Lexus looks around as Mystery Man eyes me. “Cute little spot.”

  “Is there anything we can help you with?” Que asked with a tone bordering on condescending and lecturing. “We have a business to run and a graduation to celebrate. We don’t have time to waste.”

  “I see what you’re doing here,” Lexus takes a glass of champagne and sips. He smacks his lips and Cameron and Que glance at each other. “I want in.”

  “We’ll talk business at another time.” Cameron suggests. His voice is equally flat. “My business hours are Monday through Friday, like a regular workweek.”

  “No, I want to talk business and we’re talking it now, wigga.” Lexus steps up to Cameron and I stand back. “I told you I like your little club and I know how much money goes through this joint at any given time. I want in and I’m going to get in.” Lexus’s crew surrounds him. Cameron and Que are outnumbered.

  “And I said,” Cameron’s voice is low and I see a vein pop out of his neck, “we’ll discuss business during my hours. Got it?”

  Lexus’s crew suddenly pulls out their guns. Cameron and Que don’t budge but everyone in VIP clears out. My feet are stuck and I’ve gone into a state of shock. Cameron is about to be killed in front of me and I don’t know what to do.

  “Maybe you don’t hear me, white boy.” Lexus steps closer to Cameron and Que. “We want this club and we’re getting it.” Lexus looks over at me and snickers. “And we’ll take your bitch, too.”

  Red laser dots appeared on the foreheads of Lexus’s crew. If Lexus was playing a game, Cameron introduced game match. “That’s the first and last time you will ever refer to my woman as a bitch.” Cameron placed his hands in his pockets. “If we’re shot, not only is your whole crew taken out now, but so are the people at their residences.” Cameron looks behind Lexus and sees a familiar face. He only smiles. “Hello, Deuce. Nice to see you again. I see you have your owner, Tre, with you.” The men clock their guns. “Easy, easy now. You don’t want to risk your Nana meeting your Papa in heaven too soon, right? Your little girl is over at your Nana’s house right now, isn’t she? How old is she? About seven, yes? She still attends that elementary school on Washington? You know I set up a trust fund for her about a few hours ago at the local bank to ensure she’ll be taken care for the rest of her life.” Cameron lets out a sigh. “Because of this right here.” He presses two fingers to his lips and Deuce and Tre go down.

  I ducked as people screamed and ran out of the club. I hid under a table. When I managed to look up, I saw Cam pointing a loaded silver gun at Lexus’s face and he cocked it back. I immediately recognize it as a 9mm.

  Lexus just smiled and licked his lips. “You ain’t got the balls to do it, white boy.” He sneered.

  Cam smiled. “Funny you say that.” He pointed the gun to Lexus’s crotch and fired off a round. “Neither do you.” As Lexus crouched over in pain, Cam squatted in front of him. I was stunned at how Cameron was could intuit Lexus’s manner, unless he already knew himself.

  “Every rock, every benzo, every zanie, I’m getting fifty percent of.” His voice was calm as if he were telling someone what time it was. “If I’m short-changed even just by ten cents, your baby girl is going to be an orphan.” He got up and motioned his boys over to Lexus. They dragged him out.

  I stayed hidden under a table, paralyzed. That’s what Cam was doing? He was the son of a Senator! Why in the hell did he need to get caught up in the drug game? I swear rich white boys and their boredom is a thing to behold.

  Cam looked around and didn’t see me before he hurriedly left. “Where’s Tay?” He shouted to someone.

  “I don’t know.” Que answered. “I haven’t seen her.”

  “Find her.” Cameron barked.

  I heard silence and then the sirens. I quickly escaped through a back entrance and took the long way home back to my apartment.

  I’m dating a drug dealer. A freaking drug dealer. Actually, no, I’m not dating a drug dealer. A drug dealer would stand by a corner and hustle rock. I’m dating a drug lord and that’s a special type of dangerous.

  Who knows what connects Cameron has all over the world? I kept hearing hushed murmurs about Colombia and Mexico, but I didn’t think Cameron was a part of that. Then again, I didn’t know what Cameron’s true power was up until a minute ago.

  The type of man who has pursued me in the past and the type of man I never gave two thoughts about, I was currently in love with. I want no parts of that lifestyle. I want no parts of him.

  And now that I’ve seen what Cam was capable of, how could I break up with him without the thought of him possibly killing me? My daddy owns a coffee shop; will Cam and his boys make my daddy’s business a new target?

  As I turned the corner and headed home, I wouldn’t have to wait for my answer. Right there in front of me, leaning on the side of his slick BMW, was Cameron.

  Nineteen

  “Taylor,” Cameron ran towards me and before he could wrap his arms around me, I stopped him. “Baby, it’s me.”

  “No,” I shake my head and step back from him. He was still dressed in his casual business attire of suit with an open collar. If I didn’t want to fight him, I would’ve definitely would’ve loved to fuck him.

  Now I’m not sure if I should be afraid of him. “I don’t know who the hell you are.” He still looked surprised. “Boy, don’t.”

  “Tay, baby…” He stepped closer to me and I stopped him again. “Tay, listen…I need to explain everything.”

  “Go for it.” I folded my arms. “My boyfriend just threatened to kill one of the biggest drug lords in Atlanta. He saw us together, Cam. He’s going to come after me! He’s going to kill you!”

  “No, he won’t.” He shook his head and his deep voice was calm like a sunny morning. “Everyone knows you’re off-limits.”

  “I’m off-limits, but apparently that man and his girlfriend aren’t?” This boy must think I’m the mayor, Boo-Boo, of the town, Foolville. “Just no.”

  Cameron briefly looked up at the starry sky and back down to me. “Everyone knows you belong to me. They know not to mess with you, your family, or your friends. They know.”

  The way Cameron spoke was different. He wasn’t a lackey following orders; he was a man who gave them. It didn’t take long for me to connect the dots. “You’re a drug lord.” He remained quiet but the
silence was all the confirmation I needed. “You run this town.”

  It all started to make sense. Cameron didn’t join a gang; he created a partnership. Everyone answered to him. He always had loads of cash and it was because of the sales he was bringing in.

  The weekend trip to New York. The shopping sprees. The chartered private jet. My whole wardrobe is nothing but designer because his was. The bracelet he gave me was more than just a nice piece of jewelry. He wanted everyone to know who owned this.

  And I fell for it – hook, line, and sinker.

  I sat down on the curb as I tried to process everything. “You’re a young, successful criminal, Cam.”

  “That I am.” He sits beside me. “I own several buildings, a restaurant, and have my hand in a few car dealerships. I have a contact at the local port, and a few at different mortuaries throughout the city.” He lets out a sigh. “What else do you want to know?”

  It was an enterprise. A well-connected and thoroughly ran enterprise. All of the business ventures made sense; no one would think about searching a morgue for drugs or even a restaurant.

  “Have you ever killed anyone?” Cameron is silent. He gave orders to kill those other men tonight, but I’m struggling to think if he’d ever pulled the trigger himself. I don’t know why I’m surprised. The way Cameron pointed the gun told me it wasn’t his first rodeo.

  “Why?” I shake my head. “Your dad is a U.S. Senator! You don’t need the money. You don’t need to do this.”

  “I don’t,” he admitted, “but it’s a part of me.”

  “And your dad?” I ask about the obvious elephant in the room. “What does your dad think about all of this? He has to know.”

  Cameron glanced at me with serious eyes. “Who do you think is his biggest supplier to his friends in Congress?”

  My mouth gaped open. Everything all made sense. Despite how dangerous his father was in the political arena, no one would bother to kick him out or shun him. He was too powerful in other ways. Who knew how many other families were being impacted by what the Page family were doing.

  It begged the question on who really held the power – Cameron or his Senator father?

  “Your life is at risk at any time, Cam. You’re a walking target.” I look over at him and Cameron sighs. I don’t know if it’s a sigh of acceptance or annoyance. Maybe, both.

  “I need to go to bed.” I stand up and dust off my dress. “I just…I need to process all of this.” Cameron quickly stands up with me. “Go home.”

  “Tay, I—”

  “Go. Home.” I repeat myself. “I need to just…think, Cameron, okay? You’re asking me to be okay with you being a drug lord and I just…I need to think about all of this.”

  He breathes a long sigh. “I promise this has nothing to do with you or your father. I will never put you two in danger or have anything happen to you. You gotta believe me on this one.”

  “Except you did,” I blink back tears. “You shot a man in front of me. That’s about as close to danger one can get.”

  “Taylor…”

  “Go. Home.” I steel myself from him. We both know it’s over. “Just go.”

  I walk back upstairs to my shared apartment and just collapse behind the door. There’s no reason why Cameron wouldn’t go after me now and I’m not entirely sure he won’t. I can’t stick around to figure out if he’s going to have a moral compass.

  I quickly unfollowed Cameron and blocked him in every avenue possible. The next morning, Cameron’s gift to me arrived. It was a BMW that matched his with custom-made seats and bags full of gifts that filled up the backseat.

  I sent it all back.

  Book III

  Present

  One

  “Hey Alicia,” I open the door and let Daddy’s longtime attorney come in. She’s an older Black woman with salt and pepper locs, and a part-time nutritionist. She always looks like she just stepped off an island somewhere. I need that kind of peace in my life.

  Since I took over his finances after Daddy’s death, things haven’t been easy-going. The person who hit my father is contesting the wrongful death lawsuit I filed and I drained a lot of the insurance money in fighting him.

  While I don’t have to lay off any employees, it’s becoming harder to pay them and keep the lights on at both spots. I also had to dip into my personal savings to make sure my lights stayed on as well.

  This adulting shit is truly for the birds.

  All the while this is going on, my mind wanders back to Cameron’s appearance at Daddy’s funeral. I know he went to pay respects to him. They both liked each other very much but I’m also unnerved by his appearance. He knows I saw him.

  Yet, I didn’t hear anything from Cameron. Maybe he realizes it was over for good and I have no use for him in my life. It still didn’t stop the yearning I have for him. Last night was a reminder how much I missed him as I overworked my vibrator.

  No matter how batteries a sista can have, an amazing tongue and great dick can never be replaced. The substitutes are great, but nothing is like the original. Nothing.

  I’ll worry about my lust over a man who’s clearly bad for me as I have more pressing issues to be concerned with. I need to keep Daddy’s businesses running. I have the weight of the community on me to make sure it’s perfect. I also have the weight of Daddy’s spirit on me.

  If I disappointed him, I would never forgive myself.

  “What bad news do you have for me?” I ask as I pour us both cups of coffee. I sit down at the dining room table and look at all of the paperwork she’d laid for me.

  Alicia gives me a sigh and shakes her head. “I don’t know what to tell you, Taylor. The guy is fighting the lawsuit and he has high-powered lawyers to back him up. This could drag out for years.”

  The man was running from the cops and Daddy was caught in his way. It was a sad case of wrong place, wrong time. “I’m ready to fight and I’m not backing down.” I state. My father went from being a happy, living human being to just a memory in a matter of seconds. “I’ll fight until the end of my life if I have to.”

  “I understand and I respect it. I loved your father very much and the whole community still mourns him.” She pauses for a beat. “But financially, it may not be the best way to go.” Alicia presented her bill and my eyes widened at the six-figure amount. “I’m not asking for the amount up front because I know you’re good for it, but this is what I’ve incurred so far. These are family prices, by the way.”

  “I’ll pay you,” I told her. “I’m good for it.”

  “I know you’re good for it but that’s not the point, Tay.” Alicia’s voice is soothing like a cup of tea. “The only way to get out of debt quickly is to sell one of your father’s properties. I know it’s not what you want to hear but it’s an option.”

  “I’m not selling Daddy’s shop.” I know it’s my shop and it has been for the past year, but it feels weird calling it mine. As far as I know it still belongs to Daddy. “That’s on period.”

  “I know,” Alicia nods, “but it’s an option you need to seriously consider to get out of debt. I wouldn’t lie to you about any of this and you need to just think about it.” She finishes her coffee and stands up. “Taylor, I love you very much and only want the best for you, but I also don’t want to lead you on believing something is happening when it’s not.” She kisses my head and leaves.

  I close the door behind her and just seriously think about my options. I could hold a fundraiser. I could sell Daddy’s precious low-rider he drove around town. I can even sell this house and downgrade. I could do a lot of things to raise cash.

  None of it sounds right, but I’m running out of options. I need to figure out what I’m going to do before I don’t have any choice to do it. Selling one of the shops is an option but it also meant some employees will be laid off in a shaky economy. Those employees have families.

  I’m stuck and I’m truly lost at what to do next.

  ~~~~~~

  I ar
rived at Fresh Espresso and immediately checked the mail. Before I turned on anything, I fumbled through the various envelopes with my name and Daddy’s name on it. It was yet another painful reminder he was no longer here but the bills were still in his name.

  A plain, white envelope fell on the floor. It had no return address and just my name. I opened up the envelope and saw a handwritten check made out to me with a staggering dollar amount:

  One hundred thousand dollars.

  I held the check up to the light to see if it was legitimate and I honestly couldn’t tell if it was. I decided to put it back in the envelope along with the other bills. In the memo was a single word:

  You.

  I had no idea what it meant and I didn’t care enough to investigate. I’ll worry about that later. I had a coffee shop to run, I was going to be running back and forth between locations to ensure everything still ran smoothly. I’ll worry about the Angel Investor later.

  ~~~~~

  “What do you mean you got some random check?” Hayley asks as she feeds her daughter she shares with Que. They’re living together and playing husband and wife without actually being so. And of course, their daughter stays laced up in designer.

  “Some random check.” I show it to her and Hayley’s eyes narrow to study it. “I don’t know who it’s from. I can’t even make out the squiggly signature.”

  “A hundred thousand, though.” Hayley hands the check back. “It looks legit, Tay.”

  “It feels like a scam, Hay.” I noted. I was working at Fresh Espresso all day so I couldn’t afford to leave for a second to run to the bank. I’ll have to do it tomorrow. “I don’t know if I should take it to the bank.”

  “Try it and see what happens.” She shrugs. She never thinks about the what-ifs, she just does. “If it’s bad, you’re shit out of luck. If it’s good, you got enough money to cover your bills.” She pauses and wipes Monica’s little mouth. “Even though we’ve offered to help several times.”