Page 51 of Unlucky You

“He’s legit now.”

I nodded and sipped my drink before I asked, “Are you?”

He grinned and leaned in close to my ear. “My answer is yes if that’s what you need it to be.”

I laughed and pushed him away. “I don’t need shit from you, Nes. Our time expired.”

“That’s what I thought. So whose life are you here to disrupt?”

“What do you mean?”

“The only time you do shit like this is when you’re working or your sister drags you out the house. Meen isn’t with you.”

He was right. Clubs were more Sameena’s thing than mine. I was impressed that he remembered. “There’s a singer here. Up there actually.” I pointed above our heads where VIP was located. Since you know the owner, you think you can get me access.”

His dimple surfaced and deepened. “I can get you anywhere in here you want to be, but it’s going to cost you a little more of your time.”

I nodded and lifted my drink, taking a sip. “I’ll give you that, but I’m not sleeping with you.”

“I said your time not your body, Saniya.” His smile expanded. “But if I can have both, I won’t turn it down.”

“Just my time,” I clarified.

He chuckled, nodding. We finished our drinks then he took hold of my hand again. “Let’s go.”

We moved from the bar, stopping at a glass elevator not far from us. He removed a card from his pocket and waved it in front of the access pad, ushering me inside when the doors opened. Once we reached the second floor, we stepped off and Neshawn left me to talk to the woman guarding the entrance.

She began scanning the screen of the electronic device clutched in her hand and I turned, taking in the bottom floor from where I was stationed above, catching sight of a familiar face that caught my eye. I would recognize him and that cockyass stride anywhere. He moved through the crowd along with his cousin Tali. They were heading toward the same elevator we had just exited. I was so caught up watching Grand that I hadn’t noticed Neshawn was beside me again.

“You know him?”

“No,” I lied.

Not sure why but it rolled off my tongue with ease. That could have been due in part to Grand not giving a damn about knowing me after what happened. I frowned, turning my eyes in Neshawn’s direction, and he smirked, shaking his head.

“I don’t care who you’re fucking, Saniya. You aren’t mine. You weren’t even mine whenwewere fucking, but that’s not the kind of trouble you want to get mixed up with. He did time for killing a man.”

I fought hard to keep my expression neutral. I was a little thrown that Neshawn knew Grand. That was a little too close to home.

“You know him?”

“Not personally but I know the guy he killed.”

“Oh, well it doesn’t matter. I don’t know?—”

My words were cut off the minute the elevator doors opened and Grand stepped off. His eyes landed on me, moved to Neshawn, and his expression hardened. I watched the two men enter the VIP section until Neshawn’s voice reminded me I wasn’t alone.

“Based on the way that muthafucker just grilled the fuck out of me, you more than know him, Tee. Be careful, aight. He used to be into some shit and it’s worse than anything I have my hands in. Come on. I got us a section in the back across from your girl. You should be able to get your pictures, then hopefully you’ll get the fuck up out of here. You might not be mine but I’m still a man. And if I have to air this bitch out behind you, I will do it.”

I smiled and rolled my eyes but fully believed he would. “That won’t be necessary.”

He draped his arm over my shoulder and walked us into VIP. We bypassed the section where Grand ended up but I didn’t bother turning my head in his direction. However ,I didn’t have to. I felt the blaze of his stare and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with how we’d left things the other night.

THIRTEEN

Grand.

I spent the past couple days trying to avoid the guilt of my thoughts being so consumed by Saniya that for the first time in years, my mind wasn’t overwhelmed with memories of Aleah. I was very much aware that I couldn’t live my life in the past but desiring happiness she would never have felt like betrayal.

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