Page 59 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

Menace took a seat on the edge of the bed and pointed for Tony to stand next to his brother, who was holding his nose. “Go ahead and film them, Jeffie.”

I pulled my phone back out and looked at them as they stared at me with pleading eyes. “What am I supposed to say?”

Menace jumped at him, and Tony nearly flinched out his skin.“What am I supposed to say?”he mocked. “Start with your husband is a great man, and then I’ll give you creative control on how you want it to go.”

Tony stared at me and the phone in my hand. “Stevie Raye, your husband is a good man.”

“I said great, bitch.”

“G…great man. I’m so sorry about what happened years ago in my bedroom. It was wrong for me to allow that to happen when you told us no. As a grown man with a daughter of my own, I know how reckless, careless and disgusting my actions were, and I want to apologize to you for it.”

Menace nodded and looked at the brother.

“Steve, I ap?—”

Menace leaped on the bed, grabbed his damn head like a pillow and looked him in the face, snatching his glasses off. “She don’t fucking like to be called Steve.”

“My… my bad. Stevie Raye, I’m sorry for my actions. I shouldn’t have done that to you. It’s something that bothers me ‘til this day and I am so happy that you have a husband who protects you like this. Making me be held accountable for me and Tony’s actions. I hope you are healthy, happy, and safe wherever you are.”

“You just said you wanna fuck my wife?” Menace asked this man the question with a straight face, and he was so confused.

“No… I didn’t say that… did I?” He looked at all of us to make sure he wasn’t tripping and didn’t say what Menace was accusing.

“Why the fuck you worried about if she healthy, happy, and safe… sound like you want her to me… Duke, how much time I got?”

He checked his watch. “Not much, Boss… we gotta head out.”

“Grab the surveillance tapes and send his mother flowers to her job, too.” I never witnessed a soul leave a body until I watched both these brothers hear Menace mention their mother. “Wonder, I want to apologize, too… I’m sorry for yelling at you the other day. The silent treatment been stressing me out, talk to me, Wonder… just not during quiet hour.”

I smiled as I hit end of record and slipped the phone back into my pocket. Menace threatened them once more before we left the store. No sooner than we left, they broke their ankles to lock the door behind us.

As Duke headed to our next destination, I looked at my best friend. “You like her, Maverick.”

“Alright, I’ll have her come for therapy.”

“Don’t try and switch the subject, Mav… you like Stevie. I knew this felt right. I saw how you looked at her at the warehouse but wasn’t sure.”

When the bag was removed from her head, I saw how he looked at her and could tell he was smitten with her. You noticed small things about him and being that his face was always stoic, I saw the millisecond that it slipped, and he actually took in the woman who was Stevie Raye.

“I yelled at her, and she been ignoring me. Don’t come out her room, and she sends messages through Coral.”

I’ve been between working home and handling everything for the annual Case House ball. This year we were ditching the mask and doing an old Hollywood theme for the ball, which everyone in attendance was happy about. This year, the ball had been pushed back because of renovations on the island that were wrapping up soon.

Greene had been taking lead at handling things at the house and Menace hadn’t complained, so I was grateful. “Why did you yell at her?”

“She was talking so fucking much, Jeff… you know quiet hour is important. She wouldn’t shut up… shit.”

“Quiet hour worked because you were technically single and lived alone. It doesn’t work with having a soon-to-be-wife that you like.”

“Chill out on me.”

“Why is it so hard to admit that you like her? The thief who steals grapes, and the man who counts them like one another.”

He looked over at me. “Word, she told you that she likes me?”

“No. I have my suspicions.”

“And those are?”

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