Page 48 of Memphis

“It isn’t all on you. There were others involved.”

He nodded. “I know.”

We sat there, eyes locked on one another for long minutes before another vehicle arrived, and out of it, stepped Bo’s mother.

Fuck.

27

Then…

Iwas uncharacteristically nervous. Usually, nothing got to me, but meeting this woman knowing how much Bo revered her had me more than a little shaken up. I kept my cool, though.

“You ready?” Bo asked as he slowly drove through the gate.

I nodded, my eyes on the massive house before me. It looked like it belonged in a soap opera or something. Huge, Tudor-style, rich.

“Yeah,” I responded verbally. “You said she knows I work for the company, right?”

“Yep. She knows everything about the company. She’s like a silent president or something, although I actually run things.”

“So…she doesn’t think this thing between us is…inappropriate? You being my boss and all?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t give a fuck either way. She don’t run me. She don’t run you, either.”

I didn’t have a response for that.

Once he parked in the curved driveway, he reached over to grasp my hand and squeeze it. “I just want you to meet her. I ain’t looking for her approval. I’ma grown ass man. Ain’t nobody coming between us, Miss King.”

I rolled my eyes.

In quick succession, he opened my door and led me up the wide steps through the unlocked front door. I thought that was weird until I saw the huge and obviously armed man standing in the foyer.

“Moody! You musta seen me coming and unlocked the door for me. Good looking out, man,” Bo said to the giant.

In return, the assumed bodyguard or whatever nodded at him and eyed me. Then, we were in the posh living room where even more eyes found me—an older lady’s, my former crush’s, and a really pretty younger lady’s.

Before Bo could utter a word, my former crush hopped up and shouted, “I knew it! I told you, Ma! He took her from me!”

Tookme? I mean, yes, I liked him, but he was making me sound like a damn Matchbox car or something, a collector’s item.

“Zaccai,” Bo said, sounding bored, “how the fuck can I take something that was never yours?”

“Fuck you!” Zaccai bit out.

“And what is this? An ambush?” Bo asked, his eyes on his mother now.

“I could ask you the same thing, son,” she said. She had a slight accent that I couldn’t quite place.

“No, you invited me to dinner. Isn’t it customary to bring a date? I didn’t know you were inviting someone. Anyway, Ma, this is the beautiful Memphis King. Baby, this is my mother, Viktoria Pierce. You know my brother, Zaccai, and this is Layla Morton, a family friend.”

I nodded and smiled. “Nice to meet you all.”

“My God,” the matriarch snorted. “Memphis, is it? Dear, Layla is betrothed to Bo. I don’t know why he would bring you to meet me knowing you have no place in his future.”

I snapped my head around to look at Bo. “Oh?” I said, my voice even, although my young heart was breaking.

“Nah, I ain’t betrothed to nobody unless I say I am,” Bo protested.

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