Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Dad had fallen in line, and was miserable. He was wealthy, could buy practically anything he wished, but his life wasn’t his own. He’d never remarried after mom died, but he had a slew of women he fucked just to get his basic sexual needs met. Mama was gone, and all Lennox had was his sister, Silva, who now barely spoke to him. He had his clients at the gym, but they didn’t know the real him, and neither did his friends. He kept everyone at arm’s length.
I’m all alone in this… No, I have my cousins, too. We need to come together. We’re all in the same boat.
He wasn’t as close to the majority of his cousins as he’d have liked to be, but he believed that had been planned to some degree. Now that he was mature, he could change that. Grandpa was getting older and more desperate, too—just like Dad had said. He didn’t care about Lennox’s dreams and goals. No doubt his grandfather only viewed him as a commodity. A tool to be used and if need be, abused. Someone he could mold into his own twisted and contorted image, and train up to orchestrate destruction amongst the masses. Grandpa knew he could do it because he’d done it before… He had blood on his hands that would never wash off.
He wasn’t happy about those prior “engagements”, but they were part of his growth as a man. He’d had so much rage in him back then, it seemed the only way was to get it all out. Now, his past had caught up with him. Lennox replayed the words written on the letter from his grandfather in his mind. The promises. The threats. The blackmail. And the most important part: what would happen if he didn’t conform. He sat up once again and reached for his phone. He sent a text message:
Nadia, you’re right. We do need to talk.
I can make time for you tomorrow. Let me know your schedule. Sweet dreams.
He placed his phone back down on the nightstand, closed his eyes, and pushed all the bad shit swaying through his mind aside. A smile crept across his face as he fell into a dream. This time, there were no other eyes on Nadia in the club except his own. It was just them—all alone. Soft music playing, in a private room for two…
She’d asked him not to, but he insisted. Nadia checked the time on her phone, then returned her attention to the storage unit. She’d planned to ask him the pressing question that was on her mind, but that all got derailed when she mentioned that she needed some things from her storage unit but was having a hard time getting stuff situated. Lennox was putting box after box onto the bed of his truck, tackling them with the greatest of ease as Dusty Leigh and Bubba Sparxxx belted out, ‘OAB,’ from the radio in his ride.
“That should do it!” He shut the back of the truck, dusted his hands off, then gripped the bottom of his shirt and maneuvered it across his face, removing a veil of sweat. In the process, he exposed some of the tightest abs she’d ever seen. She scanned his body and heated up from head to toe with scorching hot approval. “I’ll follow you back to your place.”
She nodded, thanked him, and got into her car.
As she drove away, she looked at him a couple of times through the rear-view mirror. He donned a Houston Astros baseball cap on his head, now completely shirtless, a chain dangling from around his neck. He bounced a bit when he went over a speedbump. In that moment, she could have sworn that his pecs jumped. When he realized she was looking at him, he tossed her a seductive wink and cheeky smile. She reached for her phone.
“Hey, Danielle. I need a favor.”
“What’s up, girl?” Danielle was an associate of hers at the Sweet Soiree Gentleman’s Club. Another dancer. She was one of the few women she confided in from time to time, and was just an overall chill person.
“Hey! I know I’ve been off the last couple of days, but I might be late tonight. Can you cover for me in case I am?”
“…Late? Yo’ ass ain’t comin’. You either have a drug problem all of a sudden, Nadia, or you got you a brand-new fuckbuddy ’cause you don’t miss no money fuh shit!” All Nadia could do was laugh. “Yo’ stage name might be Velvet, but it should be Velveeta ’cause you about gettin’ that cheddar, baby. Ms. Cheese! You rarely miss a day!”
Biting her lip, she looked away from the mirror and placed her eyes squarely on the road ahead. “You’re right, but this couldn’t wait. I was just getting some stuff out of storage and things are taking longer than expected.”