Page 31 of One Lonely Night In Dubai
“Yeeeeah?”
“That’s Valentino’s brother and cousin’s names,” I insisted, and they both looked at me like I was crazy, so I pulled out my phone.
I still hadn’t delved too deep into Valentino’s family since it was already like pulling teeth to get him to open up about himself. If his brother was involved with my sister, though, it only seemed more like fate than he’d said with his crazy ass. “Does Sosa have social media because Valentino doesn’t, so I can’t check there.” I rolled my eyes at him being so secretive.
“Yeah, hold on.” Bliss was already pulling up his page and scrolling until she finally came up on a picture with three men standing together. I immediately recognized Valentino and his brother but didn’t know the other guy and just assumed it was their cousin based on how young he looked.
“That’s definitely Valentino and the brother I met at the casino,” I said, pursing my lips. I think I was just too stunned to have a real reaction just yet, but Bliss was giddy as hell.
“Awww! We should do a double date or something. Well, a triple date with Micah and Quick, too.” She bounced in her seat excitedly, clapping her hands together. “I can’t believe we’ve been seeing brothers and didn’t know.”
“Yeah, that is crazy as hell, and didn’t you meet Valentino when you were out in Dubai?” Micah asked, and I nodded. “Yeah, that’s some straight up rom com shit. I’m gon’ let y’all have that, though. Travis will fuck around and kill me if I try to cheat on his dog ass.”
“So, why don’t you just leave him? You don’t gotta be with nobody else to realize that you deserve better. Plus, you’re the bread winner. You don’t need his ass.” Bliss scoffed, looking mad as hell.
I had to admit, I was too when it came to Micah’s relationship with Travis. He was a bum in my eyes, and I couldn’t wait ’til the day she left his ass alone.
“You definitely don’t need his little broke ass. I can’t wait until somebody beat his ass. I just hope I’m there to see it,” I said, making them crack up laughing, even though I was serious. Hell, since Valentino loved going around and beating people up, I could probably get him to do it.
“You just turned into a little thug messing around with Valentino, huh?” Micah teased and nudged me. “You out here wanting niggas to get fucked up, and you wanna watch it happen?”
“Shut up!” I rolled my eyes just as the waitress returned with our food, and I instantly perked up.
The fried chicken, mac and cheese, greens and yams looked and smelled so good as she placed them in front of me, I almost started drooling. I was already digging in before she even hadthe chance to set Bliss and Micah’s plates down. “Mmm! This is so good!”
“Girl, you okay over there?” Bliss eyed me with a funny look.
Nodding because my mouth was full, I swallowed and answered. “I’m fine. It’s just really good, but I also haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I mean, yeah, but babe, you don’t even like yams,” she pointed out, and my chewing slowed to a stop.
Looking down at the plate, I was confused as hell to seeing that I’d actually finished the entire helping they’d given me.
“People’s palates change.” I shrugged and moved on to the other things on my plate while the two shared a look.
“Oooookaay.”
“Sure, girl.”
They spoke at the same time, and I ignored them, getting back to my food. We spent the next hour or so there, chatting and eating before I made another order to eat later. When I finally got home, I wasn’t surprised to see Valentino waiting outside his car, but once I parked, he came over and opened the door for me. Surprisingly, it was one of the rare times I saw him without a suit, even though he looked just as good. The Balenciaga t-shirt matched well with his dark jeans and Jordans. He even smelled amazing, like something fresh and woodsy with gourmand.
“What took you so long, sweetheart? I been waiting here for almost an hour.” His hands were already wrapped around my body as he pressed me against the car, lips barely touching mine.
“I told you I was meeting the girls for dinner. If you called like a normal person, then you would’ve known that.” I simpered, already anticipating him kissing me.
“My bad. Come inside so I can eat your pussy.” He grunted, finally pressing his lips to mine, and my knees got weak. He’dbeen keeping me drained since his ass came back, but I wasn’t mad at him because I was enjoying seeing him so often.
I turned to lean in and grab my food, and Valentino palmed my ass discreetly. When I stepped back out, he took the Styrofoam tray from me and followed me up to the apartment door. While I locked up, he went to put my food away, but before he could return, my stomach turned violently. I instantly felt myself about to vomit and ran straight for my bedroom so I wouldn’t make a mess.
I barely made it over the toilet before everything I’d eaten at the restaurant came shooting out. Tears came from my eyes as I gagged even after there was nothing left. I laid my head on my arm and clutched my stomach. “Come here, sweetheart.” I didn’t realize Valentino was there, and I weakly tried to shoo him away.
“Ugh, don’t come in here!” My words fell on deaf ears as he stepped inside and lifted me bridal style. Carrying me over to the shower, he set the water then helped me out of my clothes.
“Get in, baby. I’ll go make you some tea or something,” he ordered, walking off before I could speak, and I did what he’d told me.
The water was just right, and instead of making me more nauseous, it made the dull ache in my stomach subside. Instead of going into a full shower routine, I washed up a couple of times with my African net sponge. By the time I’d stepped out, Valentino was standing there with a fluffy bath towel. As much as I wanted to argue that I didn’t need him to do any of that, I couldn’t lie. It felt good having him dry me off from head to toe, plus my stomach was still hurting, so I wasn’t sure I would’ve felt like doing it myself. He wrapped my towel around me and waited while I brushed my teeth then carried me to the room placed me next to the side table where there was a steaming cup of peppermint tea.
Silently studying him, I took my first sip and instantly let my eyes slide closed. I caught his cocky ass smirking and twisted my lips sarcastically. “What you know about peppermint tea?” I couldn’t help asking. It seemed like Valentino just knew everything and how to make me feel better without trying.
