Maneuver_Men of Inked_Southside Read online

  “Nope. I swear. I’m fabulous.” I’m not telling him anything. I refuse to complain about a couple bitchy women. I’m sure they won’t be the last group of classless hussies who walk through the door of Hook & Hustle.

  He pushes their drinks forward, and I snatch them up, walking off like I’ve been doing this a lifetime. Carrying four drinks isn’t hard, but resisting the urge to dump them over their heads is the bigger struggle.

  “Who’s the tall drink of water?” the gum-popper asks as soon as I set the drinks down on the table.

  “The owner,” I tell them before walking off, done talking to them. There’s no point in being nice and overly friendly when they already hate me. The fact that they’re staring at my man just adds to my level of agitation.

  “Doll,” a man says, wrapping his arm around my legs as I try to walk by. “Why don’t you bring me something cold?”

  I glare at him, my eyes going from his arm to his face and back again. “You better remove your hand if you want to keep it.”

  “Oh, I like’m feisty.” He laughs. “I’ll throw in an extra twenty if you bend over and show me your panties.”

  I smack his arm away and move out of arm’s reach. I have my hand in the air, ready to slap him, when Lucio touches my arm.

  “Out you go,” he says, hauling the guy up by the collar of his shirt. “There’s no touching the ladies.”

  The guy tries to twist out of Lucio’s grip and swings at him, but Lucio’s too fast and his arms are too long for the guy to connect.

  “You ever come back in here again, you won’t walk out on your own two feet.” Lucio pushes the guy out the front door, kicking him in the ass at the very last second.

  The room erupts into cheers, and Lucio bows to the right and then the left. Within seconds, the bar goes back to normal with loud voices talking about everything and anything as they drink.

  I stalk toward him, a little upset because I don’t want him to step in any time someone gets a little too touchy-feely with me. “I could’ve handled him,” I tell Lucio with my hands on my hips.

  I shouldn’t be so upset. He saved me a lot of trouble, and it was nice to have someone come to my rescue. But I wasn’t sure Daphne or Michelle were given the same treatment. No way did I want to be treated any differently from the other girls at the bar.

  “He was bigger than you.”

  “And?” I tap my foot, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “What were you going to do with that hand? Slap him?” He raises an eyebrow.

  “Of course.”

  “And then what would’ve happened if he hit you back?”

  I blink a few times, thinking about what he just said. I never thought about someone actually coming back at me. I was defending myself, after all. “Well, I…”

  “If he would’ve hit you, I would’ve murdered him right here in the middle of the bar. For your safety and my sanity, I took out the trash before this place became a crime scene.”

  “Thanks,” I say slowly, changing my tune because I hadn’t thought about how Lucio felt about the entire situation, or the fact that the guy could’ve cracked me back.

  “If any man touches any of the ladies in this bar in an inappropriate way, they’ll get the same treatment. Don’t ever try to handle it yourself.”

  I nod, feeling a bit like a fool. I had become used to taking care of myself. Lord knows my dad was never there to rescue me from uncomfortable situations. Then there was Dwight, but besides being a bad lay, he was one of the biggest pussies I knew.

  “Are you okay?” Lucio asks, following me behind the bar when I go to pour myself a little water.

  “I’m fine, Lucio,” I tell him. “I’ve handled assholes before. He didn’t hurt me.”

  “But he could’ve,” he reminds me again, driving the point home.

  “I got it.” I keep my back to him and guzzle down an entire glass of cold water before I face him again. “I’m sorry,” I say after I’ve cooled down a bit. “I just want to make sure I’m treated no differently from anyone else.”

  He brushes my hair over my shoulder. “I can’t help it if I treat you a little different, Delilah. I love you, and no one gets to touch you or be mean. I’ll always step in to protect you.”

  “Give me a chance to handle things on my own first, okay?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “If I can’t, I’ll call you in as backup. Deal?”

  He holds on to my arm for a few seconds, his green eyes searching mine. “Deal,” he says before releasing me.

  “I have to get back to my tables,” I tell him with a sigh before heading back to work.

  Aqua Net knocks into me as I make my way across the room. She doesn’t say excuse me or even seem to notice that she almost makes me lose my balance. I turn, watching her as she stalks toward Lucio like a woman possessed.

  A new couple sits down at my table near the window, and I try to give them my full attention. “Good evening. Welcome to Hook & Hustle. Do you know what you want, or would you like a few minutes?”

  Somehow, I get the sentences out even though I can’t stop looking toward the bar as Aqua Net primps her hair and applies another layer of lip gloss. She’s a few feet away from Lucio, staring at him like he’s her next victim.

  “I’ll take a pint of Guinness,” the man says to me as I finally make eye contact. “She’ll have a glass of Moscato.”

  “Anything else?” I ask, glancing over at the bar again.

  “Peanuts or chips, if you’ve got them.”

  “Coming right up.” I give them both a quick smile before marching toward the bar. But this time, I go to Daphne for the drinks.

  “I need a Guinness and a Moscato,” I tell her when she stops in front of me.

  Aqua Net’s talking to Lucio, tossing her petrified strands behind her shoulder, shamelessly flirting with him. He’s not smiling or laughing, but she seems to be enjoying herself.

  Daphne follows my eyes and snaps her fingers in my face when she realizes who I’m staring at. “Ignore them,” she tells me.

  “She looks like she’s about to jump his bones.” My lip snarls out of reflex.

  “Lucio isn’t enjoying himself.” She tips her head in their direction. “Look at him.”

  “That tramp hasn’t been nice from the moment I waited on her, and now she’s all over my man.” I narrow my gaze, and I imagine myself grabbing her by the back of the hair and hauling her ass to the door like Lucio did to the scumbag.

  Daphne places the two drinks on the bar and smiles at me. “I like this side of you.”

  “What side?” I glance at her for only a second, because if Aqua Net touches him…all bets are off.

  “The bitchy, territorial side. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were born here.” She laughs and smacks my arm. “I like it.”

  Lucio catches my gaze from across the room and smiles, giving me a little wink. Aqua Net turns to see who he’s looking at, and her nostrils flare.

  He says something to her and she turns around, but he isn’t there for more than a few more seconds before he walks away. Aqua Net watches me as she walks back to her table and says something to her girls before picking up her purse.

  I walk quickly, sliding their bill down on the table before they can walk out. They look every bit the type to leave without paying their tab.

  “The guy said it’s on the house,” Aqua Net tells me with a straight face.

  “He did not.”

  “Yeah. He did.”

  “Listen, lady. You owe the bar money and you’re gonna pay up, or I’m calling the cops.”

  She looks me up and down, her lip curling at me in disgust. “I don’t know who you think you are, talking to me like that, but I don’t owe you anything.”

  “Just pay the bill, Jinny,” her friend tells her, yanking on the side of her black leather coat.

  Jinny swats the woman’s hand away. “Fine, but the bitch isn’t getting a tip.”

  I’m not
even the least bit shocked. So instead of being upset, I give her my best smile and say, “It’s okay, Jinny. I’m taking the owner home, and that’s reward enough for a hard night of putting up with your bullshit.”

  Jinny’s mouth falls open, and her head snaps backward. “I’m sure you’re a lousy lay. He’ll come to his senses eventually, and I’ll be around to make sure he gets what he needs.”

  “He’s not into bimbos, Aqua Net. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’ll never get that man. He’s mine. Always will be. So you can move on to your next victim and spread your infection elsewhere.”

  She throws a twenty on the table and bares her teeth. “You’re nothing more than a high-class cunt,” she says, trying to wound me.

  “He loves my cunt too,” I tell her with an even bigger smile.

  She stalks away, giving me the evil eye as she slams her hand against the door and walks outside. Her girlfriends follow, whispering to each other and looking at me over their shoulders.

  “Wow.” Daphne slaps my back. “Definitely a South Sider now. Those country-club folks would’ve had a stroke if they’d heard that shit coming out of your mouth.”

  “Fuck them,” I say, but I’m not just talking about Jinny, I’m talking about all the people in my past. No longer am I anyone’s doormat, and I never will be again.

  “My girl,” Daphne says and throws her arm around my shoulder. “It’s worth coming out of my own pocket to pay the rest of their tab for that kind of entertainment.”

  “What happened?” Lucio asks, coming toward us with a concerned look.

  “Delilah’s got a mouth on her,” Daphne tells him, laughing as she talks.

  “I know.” He winks, and I about die of embarrassment.

  God, I love every person in this family, even his crazy-ass sister. I finally feel like I’m part of something bigger. Something more. Something lasting.

  18

  Lucio

  I’ve been standing against the back wall, arms folded, watching the ticket counter move at an excruciatingly slow pace.

  We’d already spent a few hours applying for a new Social Security card and getting a copy of her birth certificate, so she could get a new license. The DMV is my least favorite place, but it’s unavoidable in Delilah’s current situation.

  She waited a few days, hoping her father would at least send her things so she wouldn’t have to replace everything. But the bastard hadn’t returned her purse or her money.

  I’m fuming over the entire situation, but Delilah begged me to let her handle things. Me being me, I work in the background, trying to figure out how to get her money back along with all her stuff out of her father’s penthouse.

  My phone buzzes from the lawyer I contacted, a regular at Hook & Hustle, asking him to figure out a way to make her whole again, while avoiding court.

  “The letter will be delivered today,” Sal says without even so much as a hello.

  “Thanks, Sal.” I tick my chin at Delilah as she bounces Lulu in her lap, watching me. “I hope he comes to his senses.”

  “I’m fairly certain he’ll want to remain out of the public eye and avoid court.”

  “If he has any brains, he’ll do as you asked.”

  “He has no legal standing and will lose if we end up in court. But,” he says, drawing the word out and lowering his voice, “you can probably convince him somehow if he drags his feet.”

  “Sal, I can’t.” I know where he’s going with this. There’s no way in hell I’m asking Johnny or any of my father’s people to step in and strong-arm Delilah’s father.

  Not that he deserves better treatment, but I already promised Delilah I’d let her handle things. And shit would blow up in my face if Johnny used his special methods.

  “The guy isn’t going to want to go to court. He has a reputation to uphold, Sal. Just handle that shit.”

  “You got it. I’ll contact you as soon as I hear from him or his lawyer.”

  “Thanks, Sal,” I say, disconnecting the call because I know Sal isn’t one to say goodbye. Drives me crazy too.

  “What’s wrong?” Delilah asks as she walks toward me with Lulu in her arms.

  “Nothing, baby,” I tell her as I pull her into my arms and have her lean against me. “Why don’t we go shopping after this? I know you and Lulu could both use some of your own clothes.”

  “Lucio.” She peers up at me and shakes her head. “I made forty-three dollars in tips last night. Forty-three. I’m not buying much with that amount of money.”

  “I have money.”

  She pulls away, sliding Lulu to her hip and staring at me. “I’m not letting you buy me clothes.”

  “I know you’re not letting me, but I’m doing it anyway.”

  She narrows her eyes, and I ready myself for an argument, which I have no doubt I’ll win. “I can’t let you.”

  I tap her nose with my finger and smile. “You’re cute, doll.”

  “I’m serious, Lucio,” she says sternly, as if her mom voice has any effect on me.

  “While you look hot in my sister’s clothes, I don’t think cutoff shorts, heavy metal T-shirts, and dresses cut so low you can almost breastfeed without actually moving the fabric aside is quite your style.”

  She glances down at the worn-out Metallica T-shirt and twists her lips. She knows I’m right. I can see by the look on her face she hates what she’s wearing. “Only if I can pay you back.”

  I grab her waist and pull her forward again. “We’ll add it to your tab.”

  “Number 156,” a woman calls out.

  “That’s me,” Delilah says, handing off Lulu to me before she sprints toward the counter, weaving through the sea of people.

  “Does Lulu want some pretty dresses?” I ask the kid like she has the ability to talk back. “I know Mommy does.” Lulu smiles as she reaches up, playing with my lips again.

  Delilah pulls out a wad of ones and sets it on the counter next to her paperwork, pushing it toward the woman on the other side. The lady rolls her eyes, throwing all kinds of shade at Delilah, not knowing everything she’s been through in the last few days.

  Delilah looks over her shoulder and smiles, but I know the entire situation has to sting. She’s not used to any of this, but she takes it all in stride and doesn’t complain.

  A lesser woman would’ve caved and run back to daddy to cash in on her trust fund, but not Delilah. Maybe it’s her attitude which drew me to her the most. She was a damsel in distress but didn’t let any of it beat her down. She seemed to pick herself up, brush herself off, and move on without a bit of trouble.

  When the woman hands her the driver’s license, Delilah has the biggest smile, thanking the woman like she’d done something grand for her rather than just her job.

  “Lookie what I got,” she says, swaying her hips as she approaches. By the way she’s acting, you’d think she won the lottery, not had her identification replaced.

  “Let’s go try that bad boy out,” I tell her and slide my arm around her shoulders as we make our way to the door.

  “Try it out?” I can see the confusion in her eyes, and I know she wants clarification, but I’m not going to give any.

  “We’ve got a big day ahead of us,” I say, leaving it at that. Delilah doesn’t press me for more as she takes Lulu back into her arms and we walk outside. “First stop, the biggest department store in Chicago.”

  “Lucio,” she says. I can hear the warning in her voice. “I don’t need new clothes. These are fine.”

  “If you’re a teenage girl from the nineties maybe, but not a grown-ass woman and a mom.”

  She narrows her eyes while she glances up at me as I open the door for her. “Do not put me in mom clothes. So help me God, I’ll…”

  “You’ll what, sweetheart?” I tease.

  The last thing I want on her body is a bunch of frumpy clothes, but she deserves to have nice things.

  “We won’t go crazy, but I’d like to see you in some grownup clothes, showing of
f that banging body, but in a classy way.”

  She leans over, placing Lulu in the Jeep while I check out her tight little ass. “I thought you liked the dress I wore the other night.”

  “I did, but not so much with you wearing the flimsy thing without me around.”

  “Jealous?” She smiles as she turns around.

  “Greedy.” I shut the door before pressing her against the side of my sister’s Jeep. I grab her waist, digging my fingers into her skin. “I don’t share, sweetheart.”

  She places her hand on my chest, curling her fingers into my shirt, and smirks. “I don’t either, baby.”

  “What about this one?” she asks when she walks out of the dressing room and twirls in a circle as the skirt lifts, showing off her lace panties.

  “Not for work,” I tell her quickly, and Lulu claps her hands, mesmerized by the way the fabric moves, “but it has a lot of other possibilities.”

  My ass is numb from sitting in the tiny chair inside the dressing room area for the last hour, but the smile on Delilah’s face is entirely worth the pain.

  “I love the fabric.” She runs her hand over her bottom, smoothing the material. “Wanna feel?” She grins.

  “You’re torturing me today.” If I feel the fabric, I’ll touch her ass. If I touch her ass, it won’t lead anywhere good but probably a trip down to the police precinct because I won’t be able to stop myself. “I’m good. Just take that fine ass back into the dressing room and put something else on.”

  She sways her hips as she walks, laughing at the way I adjust myself in the seat. “You sure you don’t want to touch it?” She shakes her ass before turning around to face me. “Just a little?” she teases, raising an eyebrow along with the front of the skirt.

  I cover Lulu’s eyes, and her hands immediately go to my fingers, trying to pry them free. “The kid, Delilah.”

  Delilah practically cackles as my gaze heats, and I know I’m going to make her pay for this. I hate shopping, but with her, it’s a mix of pleasure and pain.

  “You have five more minutes, and we’re out of here,” I tell her, done with the fashion show and ready to get her home.