ARMAND
“What did you tell your friend about us?” she asked. I could feel her pretty, dark eyes on me as I drove us to Scotty’s place.
“Whatchu mean, sir?” I replied, glancing over at her. She looked too damn good in ripped jeans and a blue and white collared shirt. I’d sat and watched her get her makeup and hair done, although she didn’t need it. Ella was a damn diva, but I liked that about her, just like I liked everything else about her.
“I mean, you told them you were bringing me, right?”
“I told them I was bringing a friend who’s very private. I ain’t say it was you.”
“Oh, a friend…”
“What you wanted me to say, that I was bringing my Dom? That’s between us, right?”
“You would admit I’m your Dom to your friend?”
“Scotty? Yeah. Other niggas? Probably not. I ain’t close enough to nobody else to share shit with.”
“Hmmm.”
“Hmm, what!”
“Nothing. I…nothing.”
“You nervous, sir?”
“No…” she said unconvincingly.
“You are THE Ella McClain. You ain’t got shit to be nervous about. You the baddest motherfucker around. I’m a legend for having you on my arm.”
She reached over and squeezed my thigh. “Keep this up and you might get edged tonight.”
“Word? I tell you how you got the dopest toes I’ve ever seen?”
She laughed and so did I.
“Um…your friends aren’t On One fans, are they?”
“It don’t matter. They say one fucked-up thing to you and I’ma go to jail tonight. On god, I am.”
“O…kay,” she said, dragging the word out.
Once we made it to Scotty’s building, I hopped out of my Cullinan and opened the door for her, offering her my hand. In her red, high heel shoes, she was as tall as me.
I liked that shit, too, so much so that I grabbed the side of her neck and pulled her into a kiss.
“You are such a damn savage,” she moaned once the kiss ended.
So I kissed her again, biting her tongue this time. “You can punish me for that later, sir.”
“Oh, I will,” she promised as I led her toward the building.
“Can you please close your mouth, nigga?” I said to Scotty. Dude had opened the door, and once he saw Ella, his mouth fell open and hadn’t closed since. “And can we come inside?”
Mouth still open, he nodded and backed out of the doorway. Ella gave me a concerned look and squeezed my hand as we stepped inside.
“He gon’ be all right. Just being goofy as fuck right now,” I said, giving her a smile that she didn’t return.
“Bae, was that the door—ohhhhh, shit! That’s Ella McClain and she’s so beautiful!” Rory gushed, rushing toward Ella, who in turn, stepped closer to me. Rory seemed oblivious to the fact that she was freaking Ella out, though. “I love your dad’s music! And I loved that spread you did for the December issue of Elle. Damn, you’re tall!”
Ella gave her a tiny smile. “Yeah…runs in the family.”
“Wait, y’all related, ain’t you? So that’s why you brought her?” Scotty asked, finally breaking out of his trance.
“By marriage, and no, that ain’t why I brought her,” I stated.
Scotty frowned before his eyes widened and he said, “Ohhhhh, okay. I gotcha. Wooooow. Like, for real, wooooow.” Then he glanced at his girl. “Rory, this is Armand. Y’all met before, remember?”
“Yes!” Rory chirped.
“‘Sup, Rory,” I greeted the small woman. “Scotty, Rory—”
“Aurora,” Rory corrected me. Shit, I didn’t even know Rory wasn’t her real name.
Looking at my old friend, I asked, “You Scotty or Burgess?”
He gave me a smirk.
I held my free hand up, the other still fastened to Ella’s. “Just asking. Anyway…this is Ella McClain, as y’all already know.”
“Hi,” Ella said softly, squeezing my hand again.
“You cooked this, Scotty?” I asked after swallowing another heap of food.
“Yeah, I be cheffing my ass off up in here,” Scotty proudly confirmed.
“Oh, word? So, you a regular Gordon Ramsey up in this bitch! Gon’ open you a restaurant?”
He shrugged.
“The food’s delicious. Best salmon I’ve ever had,” Ella said from her seat beside me.
I nudged her. “You ain’t gotta lie, sir—Ella. You done had all kinds of gourmet shit, plus you can burn yourself.”
“Oh, really? You been cooking for this fool?” Scotty asked.
“You cook at all?” Rory trilled.
With a smile, Ella divulged, “I like to cook. Armand reaps the benefit of that quite often.” Her hand met my thigh and I swear my dick shot to attention.
“Okaaaaay!” Scotty’s silly ass said in this high-pitched voice. “I see you, Daniels!”
“Um, can I use your bathroom?” Ella asked, prompting poor Rory to hop up from her seat so fast, she damn near knocked the dinner table over.
“Sure! Let me show you where it is!” Rory offered.
Lifting from her seat, Ella rested a hand on my shoulder. “Be right back.”
Licking my lips, I nodded, and she just stood there staring at me for a moment before bending over and kissing me dead in the mouth. Shit, I almost came right then and there.
I was watching Ella and Rory leave the room when I heard Scotty hiss, “Are you out yo’ fuckin’ mind?!”
Swinging my head around to face him, I said, “What?”
“You’re fucking Ella McClain? Your stepdaddy’s niece? Big South’s daughter? On One’s girl?”
“No, I’m fucking Ella McClain, a grown ass woman. Her name stands alone. All those other folks don’t define her. Believe me, she’s her own woman.”
He raised his hands. “Damn, okay.”
“And I don’t wanna hear shit about it. I don’t care what nobody thinks. I ain’t stopping what we got.” He stared at me, and I barked, “What?!”
He shrugged. “Nothing, just thinking about what I’ma buy with that hunnid you owe me, because she got your ass on lock. Nigga, you’re in love.”
“I…” I closed my mouth because I couldn’t protest or agree. I honestly didn’t know what I felt for her. I just knew I needed her, wanted her, and would legit off a nigga over her. If that meant I loved her then so be it.
Once she returned to the table, she gave me a smile and another kiss, and I’d be damned if that kiss didn’t feel like she loved me, too.