Page 37 of Mister President

“Twelve thousand.”

As Fiona ended the call, I told her to take Juelz into my office and sit with her until I came back. Walking down the hall, I texted Neko to see if he could talk real quick. I wasn’t going to give her representation, but we had the funds in-house for me to give her an advance on her advance if he actually planned to bring her in. If I couldn’t get in touch with him, I’d check with Amanda to see if she could vouch for her, and I’d give her the money out of my personal account.

Once I got off the elevator on Neko’s floor, I called Amanda. It took a few rings, but she eventually answered.

“What’s up, E?”

“You know somebody named Juelz that work at the club?” I asked, unlocking Neko’s door.

“Mmm, that name is slightly familiar. I don’t think that’s her stage name. What does she look like?” After I described her, she said, “Ooh yes, I know her. She’s one of the newer girls. Why?”

“She’s at the firm looking for…” I didn’t want to tell her business. “What do you know about her?”

“She’s cool. Quiet. A good girl. Honestly, she doesn’t belong there, but she’s trying to take care of her parents and little sister. If I’m not mistaken, both of her parents are unable to work, for whatever reason, so she’s taken on the responsibility of being the provider of the house.”

“Damn. Okay.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I don’t really want to tell her business.”

She sucked her teeth. “You know I’m not going to tell anyone what you tell me.”

“She needs some money. Something about a loan she took out from the owner, and she has to pay it back.”

“If she took money from Luca, and he’s demanding payment, she needs to pay that shit ASAP.”

“That’s all I needed to hear. I’ll give it to her one way or another.”

“Aww, that’s sweet of you. If she can’t pay you back, I’ll cover it for her.”

“Come on now, you know you don’t have to do that. She won’t have to pay it back either. It sounds like she’s struggling right now, and the last thing she needs is another debt.”

“True.”

“Well…I guess I’ll let you go.”

“Okay. It was good to hear from you.”

“You too, Mandy.”

I smiled, but I didn’t want to get caught up in talking to her, so I ended the call. Neko texted back that he was available, so I called to let him know what was going on. He agreed with megiving her the twelve thousand, and she would receive the rest of her advance after he signed her next year. Hopefully, this would help her get to a better place financially for her and her family.

22

Fiona

Two Weeks Later

My timeaway with Elias had been perfect. Being out of the city with him, not having to worry about anyone seeing us, made our time together even more sacred. We’d talked about me meeting his son and him coming around my family as my man, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. I knew there was a chance Daddy wouldn’t approve, and I wanted to make the most out of our time. I also hoped when we had sex, I got pregnant. Daddy said he’d make me have an abortion, but that was when I was in college. Surely, he wouldn’t expect me to agree to that now.

As Elias’s hand slid up and down my arm, I felt more peace than I had in a while. Between us bouncing from different clubs and casinos to shopping, I was tired and actually looking forward to going home to rest, because we’d been at it nonstop. I would take full advantage of our last night here together though.

“Can I be honest with you?” Elias said, holding me close.

“Always.” My fingers slid up and down his chest as I inhaled his woodsy, spicy scent.

“I was going to end things with you after this trip.” My body froze until he kissed me. “I wanted to show you a good time before I told you that…maybe I did rush into this too fast. But after spending this time with you, I don’t want to let you go.”

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