Mercy F*uck (19 page)

After twenty minutes of bitching, I received my approval and text the manager for my club to go and pick it up. Reaching for my dress, I slide it on loving how it melded to my body. I won’t lie, I could rock a black dress. Working my feet into my heels, I look in the mirror and smile at Axle who came to stand behind me. In these shoes, I was almost five nine. This would put my head at his shoulder and I liked it. Turning to face him when he enters the room, I whistle, “My man cleans up
good
.”

“My woman,” he prowls closer to look me over. “Is a fucking wet dream.”

“The guys know to be on time?” I ask needing to focus on the opening not my orgasm. At least not yet…

“All good,” he says swatting my ass.

I wanted the crew from
The Hole
at the opening. They were family to me and were an asset in my life. My success was their success and I needed their support. Plus, the booze was free so they’d show just to blow up my tab.

One of my partners, Abram, demanded Axle and I arrive in a limo. While I thought limos were pretentious and a waste of money, Axle was excited and took Abram’s side. I was out numbered and I did not mind.

“Why Legacy?” he inquires about the name of the club.

“It’s my biggest venture and my last,” I hint, giving nothing away. “It’s what I’ll leave behind for my kids, my legacy.”

“Kids, huh?” Ignoring the gleam in his eyes and the clinch in my stomach, I gave him the standard response.

“I never set out to be a bar owner or expand on that by buying more. But I have a knack for it and while I love it, live for it, Legacy is my last purchase.”

“You’re tired,” he smiles gently.

“A little,” I admit. “Each business is different but the process is the same. Legacy is one of two things I can look back and say I went big on.”

“What’s the second?”

Running my hands up his chest, pushing up on my toes to kiss him, I mumble against his lips, “You are.”

Squeezing my ass, he whispers in my ear, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being you, Drew.”

A knock on the door breaks the moment and with a final kiss he mumbles, “Ride’s here.”

“You can finish feeling me up in the limo,” I wink as I adjust my boobs.

“I lay a hand on you, you’re getting fucked.”

“Until I say mercy?” the moment I said it I regretted it because I saw his flinch. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know,” he says opening the door for me. “Let’s go show you off.”

Halting, I seek his eyes and tell him again, “Axle, I didn’t mean it like that. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” he says softly. “One day we’ll stop thinking about it. It’ll just be words.”

“It’s just words now.”

“For you maybe. For me, it’s a reminder of how I fucked up.”

“We fucked up, Axle.
We
. But,” I smile trying to lighten the mood. “Here we are, dressed up and about to climb inside a limousine where upon entering Legacy, I intend to make every woman in the room jealous of what I have.”

“I like you jealous,” he says palming my ass.

“Don’t push it, sheep terrorist.”

“That’s the best you could come up with?” he asks shaking his head.

“Give me a minute, I’ll come up with something better.”

“How about captain orgasm?”

“How about okay?”

Once inside that limo, his mouth was on mine before the driver closed the door.

I was riding his fingers before we made it two blocks and was biting his neck to muffle my screams.

I’d also given him a hickey.

Loving having it as much as I had loved giving it, I almost came again when he left his collar open so people could see it.

Watching her dance with Shane after hours left no doubt she loved the kid. That to Drew, he was hers, he was family. When he spun her and she giggled, my God damn heart tripped over in my chest. Standing at my right watching them dance, Fudge mutters, “Her heart’s big, too big.”

“It’s who she is,” I stated proudly.

“It’s also what will fuck her,” he said low. “She’s taking shit personally when she shouldn’t. That kid’s problems are his own.”

“So she should look the other way?”

“Mark my words, all getting attached to him is gonna do is bring her heartache. He’s a grown ass man, Axle. The fuck is he doing bringing his shit here? A real man don’t do that. A real man handles his shit.”

“Legally, he’s an adult but emotionally he’s not. He’s a victim of abuse, Fudge. He doesn’t know the first fucking thing about being a man yet. Drew claimed him so it’s our job to teach him.”

Staring at me with a look of approval he lowers his voice and said, “You better not fuck her over. Seeing her smile is a new thing for me. I’d hate to have to kill you but I will if she ever frowns ‘cause of you.” And then he slapped me on the back before disappearing.

Legacy in one word was;
elegant
and I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been here before.

Though she had wanted it to be a surprise, for some reason it wasn’t.

From the bold black and gold tones to the crystal chandeliers and velvet couches, it was fucking slick.

The walls and hallways had life-size portraits showcasing
all
of Motown’s greats.

The main floor, which we were on now, had two plush bars that were replicas of that era.

The booths were plush burgundy, oversized, and very private.

Upstairs, which was where we were heading, had two more bars, a large marble dance floor and a dimly lit lounge where artists would play hits of the past. While I was filled with pride, I couldn’t shake the feeling of Deja vu.

Because everywhere I looked I saw pieces of us.

Legacy is a throwback of sorts
, she’d hinted.

I lost track of how many nights I sat at her bar while she was closing and listened to her describe her dream club. Hours never mattered when she spoke. Listening to her never got old. Seeing her in love with a concept had me in love with it too. The way she described it sucked me in and had me offering ideas. From the lighting, to the tile, down to the colors on each wall, Drew sold me on her vision. That dream was burned in my brain. I knew it by heart just as well as she did. Glancing around again, taking it all in, I remember being that twenty-one-year-old who wanted his girl’s dream to come true. Tonight I was living that dream and still in love with the woman who made it a reality.

A ‘what’ didn’t inspire Legacy
, she’d said kissing my chest.
More like a ‘who’.

According to one of her investors, Abram, she had Motown cover artists and even original artists booked solid for the next two years. Abram, who if given the chance, would wax poetic about her for hours and was telling me things I already knew. But he caught my attention when he said, “She’s mentioned you. Not by name, of course but, when she came up with the concept she told me of a guy who loved Motown like she did. She said and I quote, the guy I used to know would love this place.”

Speechless, I stand there not knowing what to say. But pleased that despite claiming to hate me, his words were proof she didn’t hate me, she’d missed me too. “I have known Drew for eight years,” he said fondly. “Tonight is the first time I’ve seen her truly happy so, I knew it was you she spoke of. Thank you for that, Axle.”

And then he walked away.

Fuck me, was I the ‘who’?”

Seeing Drew in her element eased me. Hell, everything about her did.

And no lie, knowing that I had a small part in this place filled a space inside me, I didn’t know was empty.

In a tight black dress, I was in awe of the woman who commanded the room and who made each person in it feel special. Hell, her partners had to run interference so she wouldn’t get overwhelmed by the lines of people who were desperate to speak with her. Clearly in the bar business, Drew was the woman to be associated with and I was certain that if she had a dick, the line of people waiting would be asking to suck it.

Of course, I had the Drew no one else got to see and that made me so fucking happy that when Darius stood to my right, I didn’t knock his ass out.
Night’s still young though
…

“You don’t take being cut loose very well,” I say adjusting my collar. All of a sudden it was tight and hot as balls in here. Oh, and I had a fresh hickey I didn’t mind this asshole choking on.

“I wasn’t missing this,” he shrugs leaning against the bar. Motherfucker’s suit was probably custom and the fucking diamond in his ear probably cost more than I made in five years.

“I’m not going anywhere, so best get used to me. She’s a close friend which I don’t have many of and her having a man won’t stand in my way.”

“Are you trying to set me off?”

“Naw,” he laughs slapping me on the shoulder. “Come on, man, you got to let that shit go.”

“I would if that shit wasn’t staring me in the face.”

“Something you should know,” he says stepping in my space. “One fuck up by you and I’ll be there. As long as that doesn’t happen you have nothing to fear from me.”

“If breaking your arm wouldn’t ruin your career, it’d be broke.”

“Never,” he says ignoring my ire and watching her work the room. “Have I seen her glow. Smile, a few times yeah, but glow like that?” I wanted to throat punch him, ask for season tickets and his autograph at the same time.

Hated this fucker!
“You brought that out in her. Take care of our girl, Axle.”

Before I could correct him on her being
my
girl, he was gone.

Slamming my drink back, I was about to order another but decided against it.

Drew was trying to get to me and I caught the look of alarm on her face as Darius chatted me up. He was right, I did need to let that shit go and the longer it took me to do it, the more it hurt her.

I don’t share!
my mind was screaming
. You don’t have to,
my heart tried to assure me.

“It’s been a long time, son,” I hear from my right breaking my internal debate.

Facing Drew’s dad, Drake, I don’t waste any time pulling him in for a hug. “Good to see you, Drake.”

“Not nearly as good as it is to see you here, Axle.”

“Where’s Donna?”

“She’s grabbing Drew something to drink,” he says proudly. The man adored his wife. “Place is packed.”

“Hot too,” I say adjusting my collar again so her dad wouldn’t see the hickey.

“Does Darius Miller have anything to do with that look on your face?”

Drake and I hit it off the second we met. He took one look at me and made me a part of his family. The guy was honest, blunt, and loved his kids. A total hands-on dad who made it clear he wished he had money to offer them the world but taught them the beauty of working for it. Out of all his daughters, Drew worked the hardest and never stopped. “That guy needs to go train somewhere,” I mumble under my breath. “Preferably out of state.”

“The great thing about my advice is it’s not reserved solely for my daughters. I think it’s time for you to listen to what I have to say, son.”

“You’re a little late. Could have used it nine years ago, Drake.”

“You wouldn’t have heard me nine years ago and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t ready myself.”

“Ready for what?”

“Losing my daughter.”

“Losing her to what?”

“To you,” he says matter-of-factly. “I may not have been the most conventional parent where Drew was concerned, but I wanted her to experience life, make mistakes and find out who she was before she gave herself over to you.” At my confused look he continues, “When Drew sets her sights on something she wants she does not quit. Hell, she’s been forcing us to take her money since she was a kid. Money, mind you, that we’ve never spent but set aside for her kids. You know her better than anyone so you know that she feels responsible for everyone she loves. Son, my daughter gave you her heart when she was eighteen years old. The day she came home crying on my shoulder but wouldn’t tell me why, I knew it was over you. To this day, that was the first and only time I have ever seen her cry.”