He smiled and nodded. "I trust the man that I raised. If you say she's good people…I believe you." Resting my hand on his shoulder, he patted it softly.
Letting go of my mama, I turned to my little sister. "Bring it in." I opened my arms.
She grinned and stood up, falling into my arms. I hugged her so tight, she squeaked and laughed. Placing a big kiss to her forehead I looked down at her in gratitude. "Your approval means the world to me, Angel. Thank you."
She beamed up at me. "You know I got your back. Now make sure you bring her around us because I'm dying to talk to her. She would be an incredible subject for my upcoming paper."
Letting her go with a chuckle, I shook my head. "Don't be trying to use my lady as a test subject."
Her brows shot up. "We're assigning labels now, are we?" She smiled.
Shrugging with a smile, I sat down. "Melo—you can come back over if you want, buddy."
"Later, Daddy!" he called out.
We resumed dinner but the weight on my shoulders had lifted.
Chapter 24
When I walked into the lounge…the conversation ceased.
All eyes set on me as I glided in taking my seat in the center where I belonged. My sharp gaze raked over the room, landing coolly on the other women before settling on the two in the far corner. I smiled slowly. They both rolled their eyes. So rude.
"Boo, bitch," Ronnie gawked at me, face twisted in a snarl.
She was so funny. Not in a comical way—moretheatricalif anything. A minstrel show if you will. Chuckling, I shook my head tossing my hair over my shoulder, my eyes still on them. Gianna glared at me, rolled her eyes again and then tapped Ronnie. I watched her lean in, speak to her and then they both averted their eyes.
Avoidance. Of course.
You couldn’t avoid a woman like me. I was determined to get them bitches out of Siren House. Gianna had already made me lose Boss—a slight that made me burn internally. I wouldn't let her take another client from me.
Wisdom and Lena walked in and strolled over to Gianna and Ronnie's area. My nostrils flared slightly—my irritation slid away however when Bianca bounced in. She smiled at me as soon as she saw me. Biance was a pretty girl. I liked her. She was eager to please—malleable, which I planned to use to my full advantage.
Finally, Madam strolled in and closed the double French doors softly behind her. "Good afternoon, ladies," she smiled moving to the center of the room.
"Good afternoon, Madam," we chimed.
Taking her seat at the high-back velvet chair next me, she crossed her legs slowly. "Gather around, girls." She gestured with her hand. "Let's begin our monthly meeting."
The women pulled up chairs until we were all sitting in a semi-circle with Madam at the head.
Madam allowed the room to settle before she began. “I trust everyone has been maintaining their standards,” she said, her eyes sweeping across us. “Discretion, professionalism, and presentation are what keep Siren House operating at the level it does. I expect nothing less.”
A few murmurs of agreement circled the room. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t need to. My reputation spoke for itself.
“I’ve received a few notes from clients recently,” she continued, folding her hands in her lap. “Nothing alarming, but enough to address. Some of you are becoming a little too…familiar. Boundaries are not suggestions. They're necessary.”
My eyes shifted around, landing briefly on a couple of the girls who immediately straightened under the weight of it.
“Remember,” Madam added, her tone still gentle but firmer now, “you're providing an experience, not access to yourselves beyond what is agreed upon. The distinction matters.”
Madam continued, speaking about scheduling adjustments, upcoming high-profile clients, and expectations for discretion as business continued to grow. It was all standard and necessary, but my attention wasn’t fully on her anymore.
It had shifted. Right back to Gianna.
I didn’t look at her directly this time, but I could feel her presence in the room. She had gotten too comfortable. I could see it in the way she sat, in the way she interacted with the other girls, in the way some of them had already started gravitating towards her energy.
She didn’t understand the structure of this place. Or maybe she did and just didn’t respect it. Either way, it needed to be corrected. Because Siren House worked the way it did for a reason, and I wasn’t about to let that shift because one woman walked in and decided to move differently.