Page 3 of Love’s Decree

“Bro, it looks like somebody is moving in on your girl,” Gavin teased.

While I was busy placing my order, some dude walked over to the table, blocking my view of baby girl.

“Fuck all that. Did y’all believe Major?” I asked.

“He seemed like he was telling the truth, I guess. The only thing is… If he never walked away from the prospects, how could the money be short? Do you think JoJo’s crew shorted us?” Jaxx asked.

I shook my head. “Nah. JoJo moves like I do. He runs that money through his counting machines more times than he should. They band the money after each stack. I’ve seen his process with my own eyes. It’s only a couple of grand missing. A thief will always start small when they think no one is watching. Whoever stole the money has to be an example before anyone else tries to get over on us.”

“Agreed. So, we have Major, Jalani, and Kurt all alone with the money before we arrived. Either one or all of them have to die,” Gavin said.

The server arrived right in time to drop off our drinks. We all held them up in agreement with Gavin’s plan. If we couldn’t get one of them to be honest, they would all have to go. To steal from the club was the ultimate sign of disrespect. That level of disrespect could never be tolerated.

As I sipped my drink, I looked back across the way. I tried to get a peek at baby girl’s face. The guy was still at her table but had shifted, so I could see her. She looked annoyed, to say the least. Without a second thought, I walked over to introduce myself. If nothing else, I knew I was more interesting than the drunk fool talking her head off.

I pulled up my jeans and adjusted the chain that hung off my side pocket. My steps were slow, as I didn’t want to seem pressed to meet her. When I arrived at her table and laid eyes on her, I felt something that was foreign to me. I’d never met a woman whom I couldn’t take my eyes off of. It was unlike me to be hypnotized by a woman.

“Hey, ladies. I wanted to come and introduce myself. I’m Aasim, and you are?” I asked, extending my hand to baby face.

“Aye, my man, don’t you see me talking to the lady?” the drunk asked.

“I saw your drunk ass annoying the ladies. Why don’t you call it a night, bruh?”

He looked at me before he made the wise decision to move on. I noticed Jaxx and Gavin had gotten up, but I shook my head. If they moved from that table, they would surely beat his ass without question. I didn’t need them scaring shorty off before I got her name and number.

“It was a pleasure speaking with you, ladies. Y’all have a good night,” the drunk said before he stumbled away from the table.

“What took you so long to save us? I couldn’t bear another minute of that drunk fool. I’m Rory, by the way, and this is my girl, Ava.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’d love to take you out sometime, beautiful. Can I get your number?”

She and her friend looked at each other with surprised looks. I’d spent too much time watching this woman to beat around the bush. In my world, time was precious. I didn’t have any to waste. When they shared a smile, I knew I would get exactly what I wanted.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’m not sure our lifestyles align. A criminal defense attorney out and about with the president of a motorcycle crew, as your patch says—I don’t know about that,” she stated.

Her profession would’ve been a turn off any other time. Right now, I didn’t give a damn what she did for work. I was determined to get to know her better. We could figure out the details later.

“You know what they say, beautiful. Never judge a book by its cover or, in this case, my vest. You never know I could change your life.”

“It sounds good, but I think I’ll pass.”

“Ouch. You’re just going to turn me down so easily? I’m hurt,” I teased.

“You’re a big boy. You’ll be okay without me in your life.”

“How about you give me your number and let me take you out? If you hate hanging with me, you never have to do it again. No harm, no foul,” I offered.

She hesitated and looked over at her friend. They shared a knowing smile.

“You’re cute, and I’m intrigued. Give me your phone,” Rory said as she held her hand out.

I did what I was told and slid Rory my phone, and she locked her number in. I smiled to myself when she handed the phone back. “I won’t intrude on your evening any longer, but I’ll see you soon, beautiful.” I took her hand in mine and kissed the back of it. It was as soft as I imagined her to be. After releasing her hand, I dug in my pocket and pulled out several hundred dollars and set it on the table to cover their tab.

“Here’s a little something to cover your tab. You ladies enjoy your evening and get home safely.”

I walked back toward the table with Jaxx and Gavin clapping loudly and whistling. They were so embarrassing.

“You still got it, bro,” Jaxx teased.