by Jade Royal
“Hello, chica.”
“Renee, what are you doing?” Loud music played in the background and a ton of people were talking.
“I’m at the club. Master Aiden is the bartender here normally, but he’s going to be out for a few weeks. I’m covering for him.”
“Are you certified to?”
Renee laughed. “Girl, one of the craziest things I did when I turned eighteen was sign up for Bartending School. Any time that I need extra money, it pays off.”
“That sounds fun. Well, I’ll let you go. I didn’t know you were busy.” I got up and checked on Angelica since she had grown quiet. She was washing her body with my body wash. I couldn’t blame her. The strawberry smoothie body wash was to die for.
“Nonsense. You never call me. What’s going on?”
“I just needed to talk, but you’re busy.”
“Why don’t you come keep me company and we can talk? It’s not super busy right now.”
“Not busy? You sound like you’re at a New Year’s Eve party!”
“That’s because there are plenty of people here, but they aren’t at the bar.”
“I need to take a shower first.”
“I’ll be here.”
I hung up the phone and grabbed clothes to wear. I settled on a fitted knee length tank dress that I hadn’t worn in forever. I grabbed a pair of cluster pearl earrings and a chunky necklace that matched.
“I like that dress on you.” I turned to see Angelica standing in the doorway with a towel wrapped around her body.
Her hair was wet where she had clearly washed her hair. My baby was growing up and soon she wouldn’t need me the same way as she did now. I walked over and kissed her face as I hugged her.
“Are you leaving?”
“I am. I’m going to see my friend Renee at work.”
“Can I sleep in your bed?” She looked up at me sleepily.
“Do you want me to stay home with you?”
“No, I just want to sleep in here. I miss it.”
I groaned. She was starting to make me recant my decision to go out. I’d rather cuddle with her anytime. I’d play it by ear. “Of course. Let me grab your pj’s.”
“Are you wearing shoes?”
I laughed. “Yes. I’m wearing those shoes over there.”
Angelica looked over and frowned. She ran over to my closet and pulled out some pumps that I forgot that I owned. They had a single band around the ankle that was connected by a zipper up the back. The actual shoe had a leather band across the toe area. They were too sexy for a casual visit to a friend, especially with the three-inch heel.
“Sweetheart, those are too dressy.”
“But they were pretty when you wore them for your graduation.”
I looked at the outfit and then at Angelica’s pouty face. “The things that we do for our children. I’ll wear them, but that means that you’re wearing a dress on Monday.”
Angelica frowned a bit then agreed. “Deal.”
We shook on it and then I went to get her pj’s. When I came back, she was fast asleep on my bed. I decided to wait until after my shower before I would get her dressed. Angelica pushed me to live in the moment, and I liked it. I washed my hair while I was at it to make it nice and curly. When I got out, I put gel in my toweled hair to keep the curly look. A bit of lip and eye liner, gloss, and mascara followed. I had thrown away most of the horrible underwear that Renee had frowned on, so I wore a new black set that was a satin push up bra and satin hipster. Then I got dressed.
Mom walked in and whistled. “Hot date?”
“No, actually...” I laughed. “I’m going to a bar to see Renee, the crazy friend I was telling you about. Angelica insisted that I wear the pumps with the dress, and after we made a deal, I agreed.”
“Well, you look fantastic! How long has Angelica been out cold?”
“I think she’s down for the night. She had a little too much fun with Mr. Jamar today. She seemed exhausted before she actually fell asleep. Can I borrow your car? If not, I can call a taxi.” I grabbed a comb and brush with two ponytail bands, sat on the bed, and proceeded to put Angelica’s hair in two pigtails so that I wouldn’t have a matted mess on my hands tomorrow.
“Of course, you can! Do you have a belt to wear?”
I looked confused when Mama disappeared into her room and came back with a wide black and silver belt. When I was done with Angelica’s hair, I slipped on her nightgown and covered her in my blanket. She cuddled my pillow and stayed asleep. Her face was just too kissable for me not to kiss her cheek before I stood. Mama came over and put the belt around my natural waist and I looked into the mirror. I was smoking hot and too dressed up to visit casually with a friend.
“Thanks, Mamá.”
“It’s early still. Maybe call Jamar and have some adult time. I won’t wait up.” She walked out of the room slyly and I stood in shock as I realized that my mother had just told me to have sex with my male friend. I grabbed my purse and took out my clutch. I double checked that the essentials were inside, then grabbed my phone and keys and departed.
I pulled up about an hour and a half after getting off the phone with Renee. After checking in, I went straight up to the bar where Renee looked at me in shock.
“There she is!” She ran out from behind the bar and hugged me tight.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“No.” She laughed. “I mean that fiery Latina. I was wondering when she would appear.”
I shook my head at her, trying not to blush too hard. “The club is so busy!”
“Well, it took you forever to get here. If you weren’t trying to look so good for me then you could’ve gotten here quicker.”
We laughed, and she went back behind the bar. I sat on the only empty seat available. I looked around at the different scenes that were taking place. I felt a bit overdressed, but seeing that I was here for a completely different reason, I didn’t dwell on it. I watched as a girl was bound and put on display while her Dom drove her crazy with desire. Talk about sexy. I could only hope that she had been good enough to get the reward.
“So, Mamacita, to what do I owe the visit?”
I proceeded to tell her about my three days with Master J and she smiled, taking it in the whole time. I paused a few times as she filled some drink orders and made tallies on post-its that were attached to ID’s. Only she knew what was going on back there. When I resumed telling her about how today had come together, and then how I was terrified of Master J, she just stared.
“I can’t believe you were a virgin. How’d you manage it all these years?”
“I lost the urge to do something about it a long time ago.”
“But now that those needs that have been dormant have been reawakened, you don’t know how to handle it.”
“Right. Plus, there has to be something bad about Master J, right?”
“Does he snore?”
“A little, but its super cute.” I admitted.
“Oh my god, you’re smitten with him!”
People looked over at us and I blushed heavily. “Shh! Don’t tell the whole world.”
“You can’t go falling for the first guy that you sleep with. You have to sample the market a bit. At least date another guy.”
I knew she was right, but I also didn’t want anybody else. It wasn’t love, but I wanted to see where this would lead. As much as it terrified me, I still wanted it. I just needed to figure out if I could handle things if they fell apart somehow. Master J held a bit of promise and I was curious. I looked at Renee and tried to think of a way to be subtle. Then I remembered that this girl didn’t have a subtle bone in her body.
“I want Master J.”
Renee stopped pouring the drink that she was preparing and stared at me. We looked at each other for a bit, then she went back to her task. When the customer had walked off, she leaned over to me and whispered.
“Be careful. There are people here that may not like that fact. I, on the other hand, lo
ve your strength. I’m glad that you see how good you guys are together. There is an example approaching and she doesn’t play fair. Just remember what you said. She’s been eyeing you during our whole conversation. I got your back, girlfriend.”
I looked over to my left and saw a woman working her way over to me. She tried not to be obvious as she flawlessly manipulated the crowd with her charming demeanor. When she got to me, she sat down in a newly vacant seat and ordered a drink. She turned her full attention to me, assessing.
“Aren’t you that nutcase that everybody has been talking about?”
“Nutcase?” I flinched a bit because that wasn’t what I thought she was going to say. I was thinking that she was going to be petty, but I saw quickly that she was going straight for the jugular.
“Yeah, you came in a few weeks ago looking like a drug addict strung out on heroin. I’m glad that Jamar could get you all fixed up. He’s really good at fixing charity cases.” It took everything in me not to reach forward to try to rip out her heart. She was somebody else’s demon that had somehow figured she had a right to toy with me, too. Wrong!
“Is that what happened with you? Did he try to fix you and walked away when he figured out that you were a lost cause?” I looked at her and was confused about what Jamar saw in this woman. Obviously, she either wanted him or had previously had him and didn’t want him to move on. I was seen as a threat, and it fueled my inner fierce Latina that Renee kept speaking of.
“You don’t have a clue who I am, do you?”
“Lynn, cut it out. You and Jamar were together a long time ago. You’re history,” Renee chimed in.
“Are you just bitter because you guys aren’t together anymore?” I appreciated the support that Renee was giving. It seemed as if this Lynn person was trying to make me think things that weren’t true.
“I broke up with him not the other way around.”
“So, you are the bitter ex?”
Lynn stepped up to me closely as if she was going to strike and we just stared at each other.
“Try me,” I said to her matter of fact. I didn’t go around starting fights, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t know how to.
I felt someone put their arm around my waist, and I looked over to see that it was Master Howard. He pulled me back a bit and looked down at me.
“Pet, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, Sir. I was just letting Lynn here know that just because she’s the bitter ex doesn’t mean that she can talk to me any way that she wants. If she has issues, she needs to take them up with Master J.”
Master Howard chuckled. “Is that true, Lynn?”
“Not really.” Lynn frowned at me.
“Not bad enough to tell the truth about your evil ploys?” I asked her. I didn’t like liars and she obviously was one.
“Walk away, Lynn.” Master Howard commanded.
She stood there looking at me, trying to decide whether she wanted to force the issue. She looked at Master Howard and nodded.
“Yes, Sir.” She turned away and walked toward the other side of the bar.
Master Howard stood in front of me and he lifted my head to look at him. Though I wanted to flinch, I remembered what Mistress X had told me about Master Howard. He was protective, and she trusted him. “Can I trust you to behave here?”
“Of course,” I said.
Master Howard looked around a bit. “Where’s Master J?”
“Uhh... I’m not sure.” I admitted.
“Is he here at all?” Master Howard frowned at me, making me feel like I’d broken some law unknowingly.
“Not that I know of. I came here to see Renee. Is that a problem, because I don’t want to get her in trouble. I can leave.” I felt a different fear creep in. I didn’t want to disappoint Master Howard. Indirectly, he’d helped me, too. Making the room available for me and Master J weekly was a blessing.
“No, you’re fine. Stay out of trouble... I’ll be back.”
Master Howard walked off and I turned to look at Renee.
Renee smiled, and when Master Howard was out of earshot, she squealed. “Girl! High five! That girl is always trying to start problems. I’m glad that you stood up to her. If she would have gotten feisty, I was right here. She’s always trying to bully somebody.”
I laughed and looked toward where she had walked off. She was leaning over some guy trying to get his attention, but he looked rather bored with the situation. I turned back to the bar where Renee was finishing a customer.
“Can I have a strawberry Mojito?”
“You can have whatever you want. The way that you just handled that situation, the drink is on me.”
I smiled and hoped that I hadn’t caused much of a problem. I wasn’t about to let Lynn try to intimidate me. But there was a part of me that hoped Master J wouldn’t be too upset at my actions because I had a feeling that Master Howard was going to tell him. He needed to clean up his mess with her so that this didn’t happen again. I may not have had much relationship experience, but I wasn’t about to be disrespected either.
Chapter 19: Jamar
The hot water relaxed all my muscles as the water cascaded over my skin. Today had been a long, draining day. Good, though. I was just exhausted. Climbing in bed and getting some rest was all I wanted to do. I’d enjoyed my time with Vanessa, but after going from five A.M. to now, my body needed the rest.
My phone rang, but I paid it little attention. I knew that Vanessa was home safe because she texted me before putting Angelica in the tub. My phone rang three more times, and I grew agitated by the disruption. I rinsed off and headed to my cell phone, toweling off the entire way. I saw Howard’s name on the caller ID, and I called him back.
“What took you so long?” he barked through the phone.
“Excuse me for being in the damn shower. Now what do I owe the pleasure, asshole?”
Howard laughed. “I’m going to ignore that since I’m the one that has the information.”
“What information?” I paused.
“That Vanessa’s at the club by herself.”
“What?” I frowned. She never mentioned to me that she was headed there.
“Yeah, figured you didn’t know that. She’s down here without a collar, and I’m sure that she’s clueless as to why that’s a problem. She also got into a verbal confrontation with Lynn.”
“What do you mean?” My whole body was on alert.
“I’m not sure what happened, or who started what, but I thought you should know. My guess is that Lynn found out that you’re seeing her.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yes. The little tyke can hold her own.”
“Can you put her on the phone?”
“No. If you’re feeling the need to do something about it, then you need to do it in person. I’ll see you when you get here.” Howard hung up without waiting for a response. I hated when he did that.
Fuck! I definitely didn’t want her to be anywhere near Lynn. She was trouble waiting to happen, and Howard knew it.
Now, as far as Vanessa was concerned, my guess is that she was there visiting Renee. I knew she was bartending because Aiden was out of town on business. She was usually the fill-in bartender since she was so good at it. It seemed like Howard had things under control, but I didn’t like Vanessa being there without me. He knew that little fact too.
Vanessa was unclaimed, which meant that anybody was free to scene with her if she consented. Technically, she was a free agent. She could see whoever she wanted to. But I didn’t have to fuckin’ like it.
I went into my bedroom and got dressed. That nagging feeling of unhinged aggression spurred me into action. Vanessa was mine regardless of whether she’d agreed to it or not yet. I’d never wanted to own anybody as much as I did her. Man, she was sweet and responded so beautifully, and I wasn’t sharing that with anybody else. I was way too territorial to just let that fly.
Howard knew how I felt about her, and I’d only played into it. There w
as no way that she should have been at the club without my collar around her neck. It was a bold statement that told everybody she was spoken for, and she was. I threw on a pair of black jeans, t-shirt, black sneakers and a black cap. Showtime!
When I got to the club, I approached the gatekeeper. I left my hat to be checked in, and then walked into the main room. I spoke to people as I passed, but I was busy looking for the one woman I planned to give my attention to. I saw a woman in a black dress at the bar that fit Vanessa’s stature, and her hair was just the right amount of curly. Walking over, I caught Renee’s eye. She looked down at the woman and smiled which confirmed my assumption. But the closer I got, the more I was focused on Vanessa’s entire profile. When I got close, I put my arms around her waist and she froze.
“Now you’re on alert.” I whispered in her ear before nipping it.
Vanessa spun her chair towards me but kept my arms around her waist. When I saw her fully, I was taken aback. She was beautiful. Well, she was always beautiful, but she had turned on her sexy with the outfit that she was wearing. I couldn’t believe that this was the same woman that I’d met less than two months ago.
“Hello, Master J.” Vanessa’s voice was sexier than usual, making me wonder what she’d been up to tonight.
“That’s not the same thing that I saw you in earlier.”
“No, Sir, it’s not.”
“What are you doing here?” I looked around her and saw no one in particular looking this way.
“Well, I needed some girl bonding time with my friend, and since she was stuck here bartending, I came to visit.”
“Who are you all dolled up for?”
“Myself.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“I decided to wear a dress. I picked out some shoes that were more casual, but that little girl of mine insisted that I wear these instead.” Vanessa lifted her foot to show me the shoes that she was wearing. I groaned. A woman in sexy heels was my kryptonite. They made her legs appear longer, and the shoe accented her polished toes.
