DLD.

Chapter Four.

There were times where I seriously questioned why the fuck I continuously allowed myself to go down this rabbit hole with Ace, and as I pulled up to the garage of Clarissa's shop the query lingered stronger than ever before. Hopping out of my vehicle, I tighten my Burberry coat in an attempt to combat the cold November air. I was practically stomping towards Ace who was rolling a blunt, propped on his own vehicle. The freezing temperature didn't seem to be affecting him one bit, and he embraced me with the brightest smile when he saw me approaching.

"I can't do this all day." I murmured. "What's your plan?"

"Damn. I can't get no 'hey baby, how you doing?'" Ace sarcastically replied. "Here. Hit this and relax."

Ace extended his neatly rolled blunt towards me which I shrugged away. All his pleasantries and small talk could take a back seat because truthfully, wiggling out of this situation with Clarissa was the most pressing matter. I was confused as to how he wasn't taking this more seriously, seeing that our lives and freedom could possibly be at stake here. As beneficial as Clarissa and her cupcake shop was, she was still a risk and knowing that will always keep me on high alert.

Ace sucked his teeth at me, lighting his blunt. "Alright listen, my people tracked her down. Everything's fine, you can breathe again. I'll go holla at her later and give her my two cents."

Crossing my arms, I squinted my eyes at Ace who snickered at me between puffs. I can't believe this man made me leave my place of actual business to go on a witch hunt which never was going to happen in the first place. Bamboozled wasn't even the word to describe how I was feeling in this state, as this was the biggest waste of time I've experienced in a long time.

"Okay, putting aside the fact that you clearly don't respect or value my time, which we'll get into...tell me this." I snapped. "What is your two cents going to consist of? Ace, don't scare her. I'm sure Clarissa's disappearance has a perfectly reasonable explanation."

"Dana please, what kinda animal do you take me for?" Ace responded in satirical offense. "I'm a gentle gangsta when it comes to the ladies, baby. But best believe she'll get my drift when I'm done with her. Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

Ace's words weren't nearly convincing, however the unbearable wind and atmosphere was enough for me not to delve into the topic further. I was basically shivering, and now that everything was settled with Clarissa my attitude was back like it never left.

"Make this the last time you pull some shit like this." I firmly spoke. "Ace, you can't disrupt my life just because you're bored. It's not fair to me and quite frankly, that's the quickest way to get cut the fuck off."

"What if that's the only way I could have seen you?" Ace softly, calmly replied. "Apologies for pulling you away from the magazine, honestly. I know how much your business means to you and I really admire that. Ain't nothing like witnessing a boss bitch do her thing. I simply wanted you to make a little time for me. That's all."

Pausing, I burst out laughing shortly after. "You're horny, aren't you?"

Ace joined my laughter, pulling me closer by the neck. "Maybe. Or, I just wanted to be in your presence. I was thinking we could hit up that art show the city's been advertising. My homeboy's the gallerist. It starts soon."

Raising an eyebrow, I blinked rapidly to avoid being mesmerized by the passionate gaze I was receiving from Ace. His mysterious eyes were tying their hardest to pour into mine, so I found myself looking around Clarissa's establishment before this man had me eating out of the palm of his hand. Going out in public with Ace was a recipe for disaster, I was taking a chance even being here at my acquaintance's business. Lord knows I knew better, but the longer I stood here wrapped in his scent, the more appealing his request sounded.

"What happened to Alyssa? She too busy?" I teased.

Ace chuckled. "I want you to come with me Dana. Only you. My choice is always going to be you. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

Jeez. This man stayed saying and doing all the right things, making all parts of me tingle. Resisting this man was hard, especially when it came to doing activities I actually wanted to do. I was privy to this art show Ace was speaking of, and I've been dying to attend since it's been announced. All of the artists apart of the gallery were either unknown or underground predominantly black creatives, and I liked to align myself with events like this so I could use my magazine as a platform to highlight all the incredible work these talented, rising stars produced. Being a tremendously strong advocate for all things black culture, I genuinely enjoyed seeing what's out there and that was something Ace knew all too well. I vaguely remember mentioning this show to him during one of our very often pillow talks a while back, so for him to flip it back around on me with a date twist was truly a heartwarming move.

"By now you've probably pieced together that the art show is indeed your idea." Ace smiled. "But I know your schedule's ridiculous so you would have missed out. So, I told myself why not drag this lady away from work so she could do what she really wants, and in the meantime, I get to be around you. There's always a method to my madness ma. Will you be joining me or not?"

Now see, when he puts it like that it makes total, complete sense. My brain was reminding me heavily that I seriously shouldn't be encouraging these types of situations with Ace,
yet my mouth was now telling my on the low boo thang that I would meet him at the venue and my feet were walking back to my car. Here goes Dana making wise, wonderful decisions once again, hoping for dear life that her choices don't come back to bite her in the ass.

Technically speaking though, going to a publicized event with Ace wasn't the worse idea in the world because I was kinda sorta still in work mode. Attending this art show meant scoping out the fresh and seasoned artists and giving them their rightful exposure. That's the thought I kept in mind when I arrived, extremely grateful that the event was a semi lowkey affair. It was still quite early, but by the time a real crowd formed I planned to be long gone.

Ace crept up behind me, nudging me playfully to indicate his appearance. Walking side by side into the art show's locale, I was greatly impressed with the setup on entry. Artwork was stationed everywhere, which reawakened my excitement and purpose of being here. I couldn't wait to dive into these pieces and their meanings, and I had nobody but Ace to thank for rearranging my day so I could analyze these amazing illustrations.

Ace and I toured the entire exhibit three times, and each time we found something new or more interesting about the pieces. I was grateful for his patience as I made conversation with every artist, taking in their feedback about their work. I was jotting down mental and physical notes, giving the creatives insight about who I was, my brand, and what I stood for. In return I received a bunch of business cards, social media handles and other access to the different outlets these innovators shared their projects. I departed the showcase feeling very accomplished, because even though this isn't how my day was supposed to go, it was still extremely fruitful and successful.

Now that the business was out of the way, it was only right that I award myself with some pleasure. A day out with Ace wouldn't be complete if there wasn't serious fucking involved. We gathered at his apartment quicker than usual, bursting through his door kissing passionately like they do on the movies. It was reckless and fun and that's what I was here for, and within seconds our clothes were off and I was receiving very long-awaited missionary on Ace's couch.

Gasping and basking in this moment that was presently happening, I moaned uncontrollably, gripping the back of Ace's head as he pounded inside of me. I didn't want this instant to end ever, but unluckily for me Ace's phone had other ideas. The electrical cockblocker was pinging and then ringing nonstop, and I groaned internally when Ace peered over to look at it.

"One second, babe." Ace murmured. "I really really need to take this."

Ace grabbed his device and vanished into the room he labeled as his home office. Sighing restlessly, I reached for my own phone to find numerous texts and missed calls from both Johnathan and Amaya. After scanning through a heap of virtual complaints and insults about one another, I concluded that two of my longest friends were holding down the fort splendidly. Amaya's interview with Bishop was a smash hit, and even Johnathan attested to that. Although I wasn't there in the flesh I still counted this as a win, and I can't forget about the major headway I made with the art show. Everything was coming together beautifully, and it was about to get a whole lot better now that I peeped Ace exiting his office room with a seductive grin, ready to finish what we started.