Page 98 of A Kingpin's Weakness
RJ gave us both a look. “That means two, not three.”
“Strict over here,” I laughed, dragging my suitcase inside.
Of course, two hours turned into three, like we all knew it would. Black folks don’t start nothing on time, especially not yacht parties that ain't on nobody's clock. Josh wasn’t renting, this was his boat. His rules. Which meant I had time to serve.
I sent Seth a text earlier saying I had a headache and was going to bed. Almost fumbled the whole surprise when he FaceTimed me, trying to check on me and tell me he was sending food and medicine to the house. This man really was spoiling me and stressing me out at the same time. I killed the call with a fake yawn and a weak smile, hoping he didn’t catch on.
By the time we were ready, I was in my bag. A white and blue Dior two-piece hugged every curve, the matching mesh cover-up giving just enough. My slides matched, my shades matched, and my ponytail was sleek and swinging past my ass like it had a purpose. I looked in the mirror and almost gasped at myself.
I was ready to pop out. Ready to turn this summer all the way up.
Ari walked in and stopped cold. “Stormi. Really?”
“What?” I spun around, giving her the full 360.
“We said we wasn’t gonna get nobody killed tonight.” She burst out laughing. “Girl, you lookthe fuckgood.”
“And so do you, don’t play!” We both screamed for RJ, who was laid across the sofa looking like he was two seconds from falling asleep.
“About damn time,” he mumbled, pulling himself up.
“Boy, all you had to do was throw on some damn shorts!” Ari and I said in sync.
We all burst out laughing. The energy was high, the night was young, and my heart was pounding because I knew when Seth laid eyes on me?
He wouldn’t see just a surprise. He’d see his woman. His peace. His forever.
We headed out the door and made our way to the port, the sun starting to dip low, casting a golden hue over the city. My heart was doing the most, thumping in my chest like it already knew who it was about to see.
I sat in the backseat, scrolling through my text thread with Seth. He had sent mesomany messages in the past couple of hours checking on me, offering to order food, asking if I needed anything from the store. Talking about he’d drop off soup and Tylenol at my doorstep like we lived around the corner from each other. He really thought I was home with a headache,wrapped in blankets. Meanwhile, I was ten minutes from blowing his damn mind.
I missed him so bad it was stupid. The late-night FaceTimes, the sleepy good morning texts, the “this would be better if you were here” messages… I felt every single one of them in my chest.
“Josh says everybody’s already there, and he just waitin’ on us,” RJ said from the driver’s seat, breaking my thoughts.
“He knows I’m here?” I asked quickly.
“Nope.”
“Good. ’Cause he would’ve ruined the whole surprise.” I loved Josh like a brother, but the man couldn’t hold water. RJ and Ari laughed, but I was deadass serious.
Seth was the type to feel my energy the minute I stepped foot in the state. I was honestly shocked I’d made it this far without him popping up. Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the port. My stomach twisted a little when I saw the big-ass yacht parked like it owned the ocean. I could hear the music and people’s voices before we even got close enough to step on the dock.
This was it. Time to see my man. The yacht was lit literally and figuratively. Lights bouncing off the water, bass thumping in the background, laughter spilling from every corner. Josh spotted us first.
“Happy birthday, big head,” I said with a big grin, hugging him and handing over the wrapped gift.
His eyes widened like he was seeing a ghost. “Stormi! What you doin’ on this side of town?”
“Enjoying my summer,” I said with a sly smile.
He looked me up and down. “Yeah, we gon’ need to get you a hoodie or something. Don’t need Seth tossing nobody overboard.”
“I said the same thing,” Ari added, nudging me with her elbow.
We all laughed, but the truth was, Seth really would act out. And a petty part of me wanted him to. Just a little. Just enough to let these people know I was his and he wasn’t going nowhere.
As we stepped deeper onto the yacht, I took it all in; music bumpin’, drinks flowing, people dancing, talking, flirting. It felt like the official start of summer. But none of it mattered until I saw him. My eyes scanned the space, section by section. I was trying not to look too pressed, but my eyes were hungry. Searching.
