Page 112 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

He wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head on him. “See you at the altar, Mitchell.”

“Racing you there, Wanda.” He kissed my head.

After taking a shower and getting ready, me and Duke were on our way to Brooklyn to get my hair done. When Maverick said everything would get handled, he never lied. Greene and Jeffiemade sure I had shoes, a dress, and anything that I may have needed.

They booked a hotel close to city hall for me to get ready in, and all I had to do was get my hair and makeup done, which I was praying Cindy could squeeze me in and do it.

When I mentioned moving the date because it was so last minute, Maverick was set on this date.

“Stevie Raye, you coming into this salon after I haven’t seen you in God knows when, and think I am not going to whoop your ass.” Cindy ran from behind the chair, crashing into my arms.

“Hey Cindy!” I held onto her as she squeezed the life out of me while cussing me out for showing up.

My station was still set up for me, even though I hadn’t paid my booth rent since I left for the Bahamas. Cindy was good like that, and she never held things over my head. I was going to miss working here with her.

“Look at this hair… dry and you need your ends clipped.” She turned to look at Duke who stood there. “Baby, are you in some kind of trouble?”

I laughed. “No, this is Duke… he is my security.”

Cindy continued to watch Duke, not understanding why I needed security. “Why do you need security, Stevie?”

I allowed her to pull me over to her station, which was empty. Cindy only took walk-ins on Fridays, which is why I decided to show up this morning. The morning I was getting married to Maverick Caselli.

She loosened my bun and started feeling through my curls with her mind going a million miles per hour. “Promise me that you won’t freak out on me.”

“I will not make no such promise. Little girl, tell me what you got yourself mixed in, and why this big man is in my shop like you are the president… honey, take a seat and grab you some water from over there,” she told Duke.

“I’m straight.” He continued to take his place near the door, watching me, and Cindy spun me around to face her.

“Stevie Raye, if you are in some kind of trouble, I have money to help you out of it. It’s not much, but I got a boo that won’t hesitate to lend me some change.” Cindy was known to stay with a man that had some money.

Rumor had it that this salon was bought with drug money because she was that girl back then. “I promise I am not in any trouble anymore.”

“What trouble were you in?”

“Can we start with the good?”

She popped her hand onto her hip and stared at me, waiting for me to tell her. “Go ahead and give me the good, Stevie.”

“I’m getting married today.”

Cindy remained quiet as she searched my face. “Are you doing drugs?”

“What? No… I am getting married. Right, Duke?”

“To him?” she nearly hollered.

“Beloved, easy on me. Steve-o is old enough to nearly be my niece… I like my women seasoned… feel me?” He licked his lips, and Cindy blushed.

“Am I interrupting something here?”

Cindy turned her attention back to me. “Who are you marrying, Stevie?”

“His name is…” I paused, correcting myself. “Menace.”

There wasn’t much out there on Maverick, including his real name. All you knew is that is name was Menace Caselli, never his full name. Some people didn’t even know what he looked like because he moved in the shadows like a ghost.

As his soon-to-be wife, it was my job to protect him. “That last name, I’ve heard about it… Caselli. Where do I know that name from?”

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