Enticing Mr. Wrong - Ch. 22.2
“Greg, don’t you think that is enough lotion?” Aisha asked after the third rub down.
Yes, she’d enjoyed every second of his hands on her body, but there were still little kids around to consider. The fact that Bonz was concentrating his efforts mainly on her bottom and leg areas was rapidly turning this innocent task into an erotic experience.
“Nah, I think you need one more application,” Bonz replied, getting ready to do just that.
Just then, Alexis approached them with a tray of cold nonalcoholic beverages. Racker didn’t allow strong drinks around when there were children about. Especially after one of his brothers became a secret alcoholic from all the drinks their mother used to leave unattended around the house. Thankfully Racker’s brother was sober now and gainfully employed in the mayor’s office.
“I’m with Aisha,” Alexis said, letting them know that she’d overheard their conversation. “That is way too much lotion, Bonz. What are you trying to do? Have her slipping and sliding all over the patio or something?”
Bonz chuckled huskily. “Slipping and sliding all over the patio? No. Slipping and sliding all over somewhere else…”
“Man, take one of these drinks and cool your behind off,” Alexis interrupted, pushing the tray towards him. “Not only are my ears too tender to hear the rest, I need you clear-headed enough to talk about the center.”
“My head is clear enough.” Bonz laughed, reluctantly removing his large hands from Aisha’s body. He wiped them free of lotion with a nearby towel before retrieving two glasses from the tray. “Now what about the center? Does the budget need to be expanded again?” Bonz continued, passing a glass over to Aisha.
“Not necessarily.” Alexis shook her head. She put the tray down on the nearby patio table and sat down in one of the chairs. “If we can find more volunteers, we won’t need to add more paid staff to handle the increase in participants.”
Center? Paid staff? Aisha mused, sitting up to drink her beverage. Her eyes listened very attentively to Bonz and Alexis’ conversation. Up until now she thought the only legitimate venture he had was the club.
Aisha would later learn that Bonz, Racker, Alexis, and Delia were all involved with legitimate businesses. Sometimes more than one. Racker owned a chain of fish markets, an auto repair shop, and half of a nightclub. Alexis headed up the recreation center that Bonz built in order to give inner-city youths a peaceful place to play, receive tutoring, and have at least one nutritious meal a day. Delia managed a daycare center.
E-Blade was the only one still one hundred percent absorbed in street commerce. Half was by choice. The other half was by circumstance since he’d unwisely only chosen get-rich-quick schemes before. That was all about to change very soon and not necessarily in Aisha’s favor.
Aisha found herself marveling at Bonz as she continued to listen to him and Alexis talk. Knowing that Bonz was giving back to the community in this way caused the bitterness in her heart to lessen considerably. Now she wanted to learn even more about the man whose first and last names meant Watchful (Gregory) and Man of Peace (Forsyth).
Bonz was watchful all right, but was he also a man of peace? Aisha looked forward to finding out.
Thinking back on the last drug dealer she dated, Aisha recalled how Parker hadn’t given back to the community in any way. He’d mainly heaped all of his cash upon those he loved - himself, his family, and his woman. In fact, Parker left specific instructions with his mother to give Aisha one million dollars out of money that he’d secretly stashed away for his loved ones should anything ever happen to him.
That money had funded a whole new life for Aisha. It gave her seed money to make several profitable investments, which caused her to live far above the position of struggling model/actress in
I guess that’s what Greg is trying to do with his money, too, Aisha mused, continuing to sip her drink and listen to the conversation in her midst.
Aisha waited until she and Bonz were alone again before trying to satisfy her curiosity about a few things of interest. “Do you have any other legal businesses?”
Bonz nodded. “A few others, a club, a daycare center, and a clothing store,” he replied, without being too specific. It didn’t pay for a man in his position to be too forthcoming with personal information. And yet he consistently found himself doing so around Aisha.
“Do you own The Urban Revue?” Aisha asked, deliberately trying to look surprised. She’d known the answer to that question a long time ago.
Bonz cocked his head to the side in wonder. Was Aisha so intelligent as to make that connection from what little he’d just shared with her?
“Yes, but I only own half of it,” Bonz finally replied, failing to tell her that Racker owned the other half of The Urban Revue. “How did you figure that out?”
“It was simple really. Although you go out to several clubs, The Urban Revue is the only one you actually go to the most.” As Aisha spoke, she casually circled the top of her lemonade glass with her right index finger.
“Brilliant. Any other theories?”
“Yes, I would put money on the fact that that daycare center you own is the same one that Delia and Alexis’ kids attend. And that clothing store is probably the same one that you get most of your nice gear from,” Aisha replied, sprouting her theories.
Bonz’s eyes widened with amazement this time. Suddenly they narrowed with suspicion. Had he walked blindly into an undercover trap? If so, this wouldn’t be the first time a powerful man was brought low by a beautiful woman. Yet it would be the first time for Bonz, who’d always been very careful about such things.
“Have you had me investigated or something?” Bonz asked, speaking lower and in a strained voice.
Aisha’s pulse quickened at his implication. Her heart thumped hard against her ribcage. Was her cover blown?
© 2005 by Suprina Frazier
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