Page 45 of Thirst

“You alright?” Shawn asks, crouching next to me.

“Yeah … what … what are you doing here?” I ask, breathing hard as my tunnel vision slowly clears. “How did you do—”

“You sure you're good?” he asks, cutting me off as he helps me to my feet.

“I'm fine,” I answer, still out of breath and rubbing my chest. “Thank you for helping me, but seriously, how are you here right now?”

Shawn clears his throat as I hear commotion from the staircase. Von is on his way, late as hell.

“I'm here on behalf of Mr. Goddard,” he says. “He asked me to come through and make sure you were safe. Looks like he made the right call.”

“He sent you?” I ask, just as Von reaches us.

“He did. He was upset he couldn't make it himself, so he just wanted to make sure you were good,” Shawn replies. He fixes his tie and angles his body toward the booth exit. Before he steps out, he looks right at Von. “Security was slow and you were nowhere to be found. That's not a good look. You don't even realize how brittle the ground is beneath your feet, do you? Keep it up, and it’s all gonna crumble. Things have changed, and he’s out of patience.” He turns to me. “Have a good night, Aaliyah.”

I don't even know what to say as Shawn smirks and walks away, leaving Von and me in shock. Shawn keeps walking, never even sparing a glance over his shoulder before leaving the club.

Von turns to me. “What the hell, Aaliyah? Who are these people you're gettin’ involved with?”

With my heart thumping and my eyes as wide as saucers, I reply, “I don't know, Von. I don't even know.”

Twenty-Seven

“Wow. You look incredible. That dress is phenomenal on you.”

Amari compliments as he stands to meet me. I'm escorted to the table by a beautiful woman in a black sequin dress, her high heels thumping over the carpet as we walk. She motions me toward a chair that Amari pulls out for me, and I smile at her politely before she walks away, leaving me alone with the beautiful man who sent his assistant to watch over me while I was at work.

Black Coins is more than just a casino. It’s a hotel, and a venue for all kinds of events. Plus, there are tons of restaurants surrounding the casino floor, all of which are five star and expensive as hell. Tonight, Amari decided to treat me to Seven Diamonds, the most luxurious restaurant in the place. I've heard of it before, but never thought about eating here because I knew it could cost me rent money if I splurged even in the slightest. Just to step inside, you have to be in formal wear. So tonight, I'm back in a dress like I was the last time I was here. This evening’s dress is eggshell white with black swirls wrapping around my legs. My hair falls in its usual waves, and I chose black and white earrings that dangle from my lobes. A black necklace tops it off while black and white heels complete the look and make me feel like the goddess Amari said I was. Not that I've ever needed a man to supply my confidence, but he certainly gives it a boost with the way he compliments me.

As he walks back over to his spot, I take in his attire. Amari is rocking black slacks with a matching velvet blazer that has rhinestones and sequins on the shoulder and bicep of the sleeves. The blazer is open, displaying a white button-up underneath with the top two buttons undone, and my eyes quickly find their way to his glistening, dark-skinned chest that has been moisturized to perfection. No Pretty Ricky ashiness in sight.

He sits down and I find myself staring at him for a million different reasons. He looks so good it’s not even funny anymore—it’s shocking, because he never misses or fails to impress. The man is always so well put together that it makes me question if he's real. All of this feels too good to be true, if I'm being honest, and when I think about how things went down at the club last night, I'm reminded of how the rest of that statement goes. When it feels too good, it usually is.

I have a head full of questions and things I want to talk about tonight, so this dinner feels more important than anything that may come after it. I'm still tripping over the fact that my skin healed itself miraculously after being cut open enough to allow blood to flow down. Even though the thought has been on my mind nonstop, I still haven't even stumbled upon an explanation. Now I also have to add last night into the mix. I was being attacked, and Shawn popped up like fucking Batman and pounded the guy’s face into the table before throwing his helpless body out of the booth like he weighed nothing. That guy flew across the room with enough force to knock over multiple adults and bend a metal barstool ninety degrees. I know Shawn is built like a mini tank, but damn. Tossing grown men around is no easy feat, and the fact that he was even there at all, looming in the background is something I need answers to as well.

I thought to ask Shawn about the bodyguard-esque situation on our ride to the casino tonight. I had ample opportunity to ask him, but when he didn't say anything about it, I decided that I wouldn't either. He's Amari’s assistant, and he said he was at Fantasies on behalf of Mr. Goddard. Shawn is only doing what Amari tells him to, and asking him to explain his boss’s choices would be asking him to betray Amari’s trust. Instead of doing that and putting pressure on him to tell me things, I decided the better move was to get my answers straight from the man himself. So I've been looking forward to this dinner. I hope answers will dine with us tonight.

“Thank you,” I say to his compliment about my dress. “You look great, too. That blazer is dope as hell. I love the design on the arms. It suits you. Very elegant and sophisticated.”

His smile never wavers. “Is that what I am? Sophisticated and elegant?”

“You're definitely something like it. To be honest, I can't even describe you. You are what we call, something else.”

Amari chuckles, reaching for his glass of water. “I’ll take that as a compliment. You, on the other hand, are more than something else. You're radiant. A flawless, divine being—a mixture of physical perfection and personality that is … mouthwatering.”

“Mouthwatering,” I repeat with wide eyes. “Wow. I've never been called that before. Then again, you say a lot of things I've never heard people say in normal conversation. That’s why you're something else.”

“Thank you,” he says. “I pride myself on not being like everybody else. How was your ride over? Was Shawn on his best behavior?”

I giggle a little. “Yes, he was, per usual, although last night at the club threw me for a loop.”

He lets out a sigh. “Yeah, he told me about that. He also told me it seemed like you were upset at him being there.”

“Yeah? Well, it wasn't that I was ungrateful. I'm glad he got the guy off me. I just didn't expect him to be there. I guess I shouldn't be surprised he told you, though. I bet you two talk about everything.”

“We do talk a lot, and yes, about everything. Is there anything you wanna talk to me about?”

Before I can answer, our waiter comes over in black slacks of his own and a sequin blazer that resembles the outfit of the hostess standing out front. He quickly takes our order—Salmon for me, a rare steak for Amari—and fills two champagne glasses with something light brown and bubbly.