At Her Best.

Seven.

"So you just left?" Astra chuckled as I told her about my interaction with Jamal. "Hasn't he been calling since?"

"Oh, has he." I giggled, rolling my eyes. "Calls, texts, dm's. I'm about to block him if he keeps this up. Mason's on a roll. But, I got what I wanted from him and now I'm officially done with him."

Astra and I shared a round of laughter at the pitiful club owner. I didn't have an ounce of regret since I disappeared on Jamal. That stupid motherfucker had it coming. Men like him were the definition of a conniving asshole. Mason really thought he could play me for a fool but I caught onto him. He never wanted a real partnership. He just wanted to use and abuse the fuck outta what made me my money. I was proud of myself for seeing straight through his bullshit, and not getting caught up.

"I could learn a lot from you Raja." Astra said once our laughter died down. "You're such a boss, you know? You always have things well thought out, you're always one step ahead. And I really admire that, always did. How did you learn this stuff?"

I glanced over at Astra, eyeing her intently. Normally, I wouldn't dare answer that question. It'll give away too much vulnerability. However, Astra seemed genuinely inquisitive. I knew I couldn't tell her too much. I would never reveal all the details. But I did promise to never leave her blindsided, and I always kept my promises. So if throwing her a bone would keep the lost puppy on her toes, then so be it.

"By watching the mistakes of other women." I answered half truthfully. "I knew if I wanted to be successful in this prostitution shit I had to do things differently. So before I made the decision to officially leave college, I spent some time around prostitutes and got a chance to interview high end escorts. And from there I picked sense from nonsense and built my own empire. Some things were hard to watch and listen to, I'm not going to lie. And I think that's what made me so cold and apprehensive to certain things. I wasn't going to be like those other women. I made sure of it."

There was a small pause as Astra digested my statement. I could tell she was seriously questioning what she put herself in. I didn't want to scare her off. I really wanted Astra on board with my plan. Hell, I saw so much dollar signs looking at Astra. But this prostitution lifestyle wasn't no walk in the park. I had to put Astra on game.

"Well thankfully I have you." Astra said at last. "By the way, thanks again for letting me move in. My father really wasn't playing when he said he was going to cease everything. I didn't even know that my condo wasn't paid in full. I'm going to miss that place, but somehow I know it's for the best. You're really a gem, Raja. Don't forget it."

Smiling appreciatively, I poured Astra and I another glass of champagne. Although we had nothing to celebrate, I enjoyed knowing that more greatness was to come business wise. And that thought was enough to keep me happy for a lifetime.

"How come you never introduced me to your brother?" Astra asked, sipping slow on her beverage.

"The same reason why you never introduced me to yours." I rebutted. "Do you know how much money I could have made off of him?"

Astra smirked and glanced around the room. I knew bringing up her family was a touchy subject but hey, she pried into mine first. And I wasn't no idiot, I knew Astra was feeling my brother. That right there was what I wanted to eliminate. I couldn't afford for Astra to come and twist my brother's head up with the idea of love and a relationship. Renzo has been my right hand all my life, he was the definition of a rider. There was no way in hell that I was allowing someone like Astra Romona Clark to have him distracted, leaving his head in the clouds with foolishness. Renzo and I were on a set mission, and nothing was going to come between that.

Astra headed to the kitchen to fix herself a snack, looking as nonchalant as ever. I watched her, scrutinizing her moves. I wondered if I made the right decision including her in my line of work. It was profitable, but I needed to create some boundaries. Fast. I couldn't let this choice of mine come back to bite me in the ass.

"Your brother's a really good guy." Astra said from the kitchen. "When he picked me up from the Prince's, we had the most amazing conversation. He's so intelligent and mindful. He gave some really useful feedback about this lifestyle we're in. I could use someone like him in my life Raja. He's next to perfection."

I was mentally cursing my brother in my head, but I gave Astra a reassuring smile. I really wanted to know more about this 'amazing' conversation they had. I had a mouthful to say to Renzo when I laid my eyes on him. He was fucking up and I wasn't going to stand for that.

I rested back into the couch with an attitude forming and a swirling mind. I knew I had to be fair. My brother after all was still a man who had certain needs, but I just didn't want those needs to be with Astra. She was way too close to home, and anyone with half a brain could already see this ending badly, especially on my end. I sighed restlessly, and thought about it some more. Within minutes I decided that I had all rights to forbid my brother and Astra from seeing each other. I had to protect myself at all costs.

"So tell me about this African trip you and Renzo are taking." Astra continued, leaving the kitchen with a sandwich and returning to sit on one of my sofas. "Renzo told me it's for business. That sounds exciting."

I tried my hardest to give Astra another smile, but boy, boy, boy was my blood starting to boil. I knew I could never win a physical fight with my muscular built brother, but I surely wanted to knock his ass out for this stunt right here. How dare he speak on our business all loosely like I didn't have two high powered men on my ass. The fucking nerve of Renzo. He didn't take into consideration the danger of his statements, completely throwing me under the bus. This disrespect was next level, and only God knows what else he told Astra. I couldn't wait to see his ass. He was gonna get a piece of my mind for sure.

"Well I don't know about exciting." I finally managed to say despite how heated I was feeling. "But I do know that we're going to get some business handled."

Astra nodded, oblivious to how sarcastic my response to her was. She truly was an airhead, and that only made me more mad at Renzo for being so open with our business. He was way smarter than this. And for someone like Astra to have him so pussy whipped without her actually spreading her legs to him, had me mentally going berserk.

"At least you guys get to see a new scenery." Astra said between chews of her sandwich. "I'm so sick of it here, it's so cold all the damn time. I haven't had a vacation in mad long."

I nodded slowly, trying to gather myself so I wouldn't reveal how mad I truly was. I knew Renzo wasn't trying to play me, but his actions sure as hell weren't lining up with loyalty. What could've possibly been going through Renzo's head to get him to blabber like this? What was the real meaning of it? I glanced over at Astra again and she seemed to be in another world. However, this Barbie was surely right about one thing. New atmosphere brought clarity. The new surroundings in Eswantini just might bring me lucidity about Deo and also the one person I thought I could trust the most, Renzo.