Page 44 of Rich and Rotten

Yaya quickly walked over toward the lounge and closed the doors, since people were coming out to see what all the commotion was about.

“I asked you nicely, and I’m not even all that nice. Gave yo’ ass a chance to fix the fuck-up on your end. You will switch the paperwork and make sure the jet is properly fueled in ten minutes. Yo, Ya! Where they going?”

She walked to behind the desk and shuffled through the papers that he had laid out perfectly for their departure. “London.”

I chuckled. “No need to worry. Las Vegas is a shorter distance than London. Have those papers switched, or I’m going to squeeze this bitch tighter every time that nigga over there blinks. Oh, shit…he blinked.” I pulled the cord tighter around his neck.

“Ughhh...” he gargled, trying to catch his breath as his eyes bulged in his sockets.

“Stop playing games with me and get us the fuck out of here before I do some shit that you won’t be able to catch your breath from.”

I released him and swung his ass across the floor, the force propelling him until his back hit the champagne vending machine. Taking a breath, he held his neck while trying to regulate his breathing. I cracked my knuckles and looked at the assistant, who was already shuffling through papers with Yaya to get us out of here.

“We...we have all the paperwork and will...will have your bags put onto that jet,” the assistant stammered, scared that his ass would be next.

“By the time my ass hits that seat in there, you better be coming to get us,” I threatened and opened the doors.

Tatiana and the couple who had come in minutes before were staring at me, looking alarmed.

“What happened out there?” she asked.

She had finally taken off her glasses and was staring directly at me. My pretty baby was allowing me to look into her eyes, and that shit meant more to me than the shit I had just done.

“Something about the new wax they use on the floors. He’s all good now. They got the emergency aid kit and all that shit,” I said, sitting down in the seat across from her.

My bullshit explanation was enough for the couple, who went back to their conversation while Tatiana stared at me.

“What did you do?”

“You’re stressed. So papa had to handle that shit for yo—”

“Mrs. Sterling, you are able to board the jet. Do…do you need anything specifically stocked onto the jet?”

That bitch came back with a red neck and a better attitude.

The shit was all his fault anyway. If he had come correctly, we wouldn’t have had to have a conversation that involved violence. He’s lucky I had self-control, because I really wanted to crack his fucking neck for the way he acted.

He stared at me for a moment before quickly rushing out of the lounge to get whatever Tatiana told him we needed.

Tatiana had a small smirk on her face as she looked at me. “Slippery floors, huh?”

“Damn floors.”

I didn’t need to tell her what I had done because she already knew, and I could tell she was thankful by the smile she allowed me to witness. All of this was on her time, and I would take the pieces she would give me. Even if she gave me crumb by crumb, I would accept each piece until I was able to form my own loaf of bread.

The mistake wasn’t the delay. Shit, it wasn’t even the switching of the jet. It was his ass thinking I was just some man––not knowing I would be her man.

Chapter Thirteen

Yaya

“Emotion” by Destiny’s Child

During the entire flight to Las Vegas, I watched Nazir as he watched Tatiana, who had been absorbed in her work. Her head was in her laptop the whole time. The only break she took was a quick power nap, as she called them. Every time she moved, made a sound, or just ran her hand through her curls, his eyes were fixed on her. Whenever we flew, she preferred to sit alone, not wanting anyone to crowd her space.

When we landed, we were whisked to the hotel, where they welcomed us like royalty. In a way, my best friend was some form of royalty. Both of her last names carried weight and demanded a different kind of respect that she often fought to have extended to me. Tatiana was constantly on the neck of anyone who didn’t treat me the same as her, but when she wasn’t looking, they still gave those looks that said I should’ve been grateful to be there.

They took Tatiana up the back elevator to her one-bedroom suite on the top floor of the hotel. I was handed my key card and shown to my upgraded room with a beautiful balcony that overlooked the famous water show.