10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace (Caselli Family Book 1)

“He won’t leave her alone and I’m not going to stick around while he tells me what he’s going to do. I don’t care who he thinks he is… I am Stevie, and I’m not going to come second to some cougar.”

Skyler looked down at her phone. “Your grandmother is calling me again.”

“I blocked her number after our last conversation. Plus, Maverick told me that I wasn’t giving her no groceries after the way she spoke to me.”

“Well, I love this new and improved Stevie… what is it the dickkkk?” she busted out laughing and then straightened up when she realized that I was serious. “Sorry. Nanny is bitter and she has never been there for us like a real grandmother should have. All she wants is to worship her sons who aren’t worth the skin they are in and continue to talk down on our mothers. Let my father deal with her… not my problem.”

“Raye’s ass is a goner so all she’s going to have to depend on is your father.” I shrugged.

Skyler rubbed my arm. “How does that make you feel? Do you wanna cry?”

I looked at my cousin and laughed. “Fuck Raye… the way he acted with my mother, I don’t care what happens with him. He didn’t give a damn about her life, so why should I care about his?”

“I feel like a proud mother watching her child grow in front of her eyes.” Skyler smiled and nudged me because I’m sure I had a frown on my face. “How long do you plan on ignoring him?”

“He got me arrested because of a stolen ring and then had the nerve to send flowers to the apartment telling me to bring me and my pussy home. I’m not going back home because he’s a fucking lunatic.”

“Well, you knew that when you wanted to be all Maverick, I love you… Maverick forever,” Skyler snickered.

“The fact that Jeffie doesn’t even speak to her mother says a lot. Why does he need to speak to her? I have a problem with her calling or texting and he’s always available for her.”

“As you should. If he doesn’t want to fix the problem, then you stay right with me. I just don’t understand why you had to escape and take poor Duke with you.” She looked over at Duke, who was standing in front of the store.

We were shopping because I needed something to take my mind off the whacked out lunatic that I married. I didn’t expect to get arrested because Menace – he wasn’t my Maverick – got me arrested because I decided to sneak out the house.

Poor Duke tried to fight the cop as they put me in the back of the squad car because the ring I was wearing was reported stolen. I was only in there for an hour before Jeffie had Zoya straighten everything out.

I was pissed.

Did I squeeze all the toothpaste out the tube and switch his body wash and face wash in the shower?

Yes. Yes, I did, and I enjoyed every minute of it before I moved his phone from where he put it every night.

Jeffie sent me a picture of the bedroom and he was clearly upset because he tore that room up. I was standing on business when it came to this, and if he wanted his wife like he told me he did, he would fix it and make sure he deleted her number and stop communicating with her. She was his past, and it was unhealthy of him to keep in communication with her.

If she moved on, then why the hell was she still reaching out to him?

“Duke owed me this favor since he was the one who kidnapped me in the Bahamas.”

He looked over at me. “You still not over this shit?”

“No I am not.”

“Steve-o, you gotta let some shit go. Your husband keeps calling me, what you want me to tell him?”

I shrugged, as I walked over toward him, and he put the phone on speaker. “What up, Boss?”

“Oh shit, I’m Boss again, Duke? I could have sworn you let my fine ass wife talk you out of a job… where is the loyalty, D?”

“Where’s yours?” I muttered.

The line became quiet. “That’s my boo, D?”

I told him to say no, as he held the phone unsure of what to say. “Yeah.”

“Wanda, bring yo’ ass home… I gave you some time, but now I’m starting to get mad… I forgive you.”

I scoffed. “You forgive me? Mitchell, you can continue to sleep in that bed alone. I know for a fact that you not sleeping well, either… and for the record, I might let someone sleep in your place. See how you feel.”

I would never but knowing that I was able to get under his skin felt like a reward. “If a nigga even hold the door for you, I’m gonna make sure they know what the morgue look like, Beloved.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away while he was asking Duke why he hated him and why he planned to get him killed? Maverick was forever asking someone some wild ass question that never left they mouth. Duke shook his head and told him that he was my security, too, and since I was leaving that house with or without him, he came with me to make sure that I was safe.

“Getting you arrested was wild. Aside from that, how long are you going to continue to ignore him before having a conversation with him?”

“I had a conversation with him, and he didn’t feel like he did anything wrong. He’s used to never having to answer to anyone and doing whatever he wants, and I can’t be with him like that. I want to know that my feelings are valid, and he respects what I say. He can delete all the men in my phone, but can randomly have conversations with this woman? That’s not fair, and I’m not going to stand for it.”

“Giving him sex to knock him out, then sneaking out your own home isn’t mature either. Every time you get into an argument, are you going to come running back to the apartment… which won’t be around much longer.”

“We’re getting evicted?” I panicked, not needing anymore drama because truthfully, I was tapped out.

Skyler laughed. “There’s no more we when it comes to the apartment. You have a home, a huge one, crazy.”

“I’m actually homeless right now since you are getting evicted.”

Skyler stopped looking at a shirt. “I am not getting evicted… I am buying a house.”

“What?”

“I’m starting the process. Keyshawn had brought up during mediation that I switch apartments so much and Stella doesn’t have a stable home.”

“That is such bullshit. You have provided more stability for that little girl than he has. Where does he even live?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t care, but because he brought that up it makes me nervous. Maybe it would be good to move to a nice suburban neighborhood. A small house for me and Estella.”

“What about Jeffie and Corleon?”

“Jeffie owns her condo, and Corleon has a condo, and then his home. We don’t even know what we’re doing, so I’m not gonna move in with either of them.”

“Yet you told Estella that Jeffie was going to give her a baby sister.”

“I don’t mean it like that. God, I know what I want, but I also know what I need to do. I have more time since I was fired from Mante.” She rolled her eyes. “My relationship with Corleon is something that we’re working on, but I’m not going to rush into it and risk Keyshawn being petty.”

“I have a solution to Keyshawn.”

“What?”

“You let Corleon and Menace handle him, and then you don’t have to deal with anything,” I reminded her that she had options.

“Stevie!”

“All I’m saying is you need to start acting like you have other options, because if he gets visitations, I’m going to be very upset. Stellie doesn’t know those damn people.”

She wasn’t paying me any attention as she looked at her phone and smiled to herself. “’Cause why would he do that?”

“Do what?”

“Send me ten thousand dollars.”

“Who?”

“Corleon.”

“Well, shit, I’m married to a billionaire and all he did was try to send me to prison. I know you didn’t want to talk about it the day of my wedding, but you deserved to be happy… Corleon and Jeffie make you and Estella happy. Fuck what Keyshawn says and go with your heart.”

“Yeah.”

After we finished shopping, we went to grab something to eat before going to pick Estella up. I was tired and just wanted a shower and my bed while keeping my phone on silent because I was tired of Maverick calling me.

He should have been calling Angie and telling her that he was done and couldn’t talk to her no more.

“Stellie, I am running your bath so make sure you pick those toys up!” Skyler yelled from the back where the bathroom was, as Estella continued to eat her snacks with her toys everywhere.

“Otay Mommy!” Estella yelled back, never taking her eyes from the TV screen while I grabbed my snacks.

Duke was downstairs, even though I told him that he could go home to shower. “Better pick them up, Stellie,” I said, on my way to my bedroom.

This was harder for me than it was for Maverick. I missed humming and rubbing his head while we went to bed. I just knew he was up in that house counting everything that he could. Meanwhile, I was laying in my full-size bed lonely because I stood on business too hard.

No.

I stood on business because it needed to be done. He wasn’t going to continue to tell me what he was going to do and not consider my feelings. It was the way he shrugged it off that didn’t sit right with me.

If he wanted us to work, then he had to realize that his ways had to change. It wasn’t about him anymore, he was married and had a wife now. I put my phone on my night table and kicked my slippers off before climbing into bed.

Pulling the covers over my head, I tossed and turned a bit before I sat up in the bed and started sniffing. “Why does it smell like cigarettes in here?”

“’Cause you got me smoking them,” I heard a low creepy voice and jumped out of bed screaming.

“Skylerrrrrrrrrrrr!” I hollered while trying to dodge the mess on my floor and make it to the light to turn it on.

The door came busting open and Skyler had a gun in her hand. “What? What happened?” she aimed her gun while I ran out the room.

“There’s someone in my fucking room… they are smoking cigarettes.”

Skyler held her gun and had it trained in the room. “Where?”

“There’s smoke coming from under my bed!” I pointed and hid behind her, because clearly my cousin owned a gun that I knew nothing about.

“I am armed, get out and leave now… did you leave your window unlocked again?” Skyler turned around and looked at me.

I shrugged. “I like the fresh air.”

“And apparently rapist… you have a damn fire escape, Stevie!” she scolded me, as she held her gun and waited.

“Get the fuck out my room you creep. I have a husband, and I will call him to come and kill you!” I hollered, while still hiding behind my cousin.

Skyler started to choke. “Put that cigarette out now… and get the fuck out. I am armed.”

“Me too.”

I nearly passed out when Menace slid from underneath the bed with a cigarette tucked between his lips. “MAVERICK!” I screamed.

“What up, Boo?”

Skyler put her gun down and took a deep breath. “I don’t even know what to say. Why in the hell are you in our apartment?”

“Your apartment… she owns a home with her husband that she told she wanted a divorce.”

“I never said that.”

Skyler decided she wasn’t dealing with this and stormed out the room to finish getting Stellie ready for bed.

“Maverick you have me so fucking overstimulated. I need a vision break,” I removed my glasses and started to pace.“Why are you under my damn bed?”

“To bring you home.”

“I’m not going home with you. Did you tell Duke that you are here?”

He laughed. “He helped you sneak out and helped me sneak in here.”

I folded my arms. “That traitor.”

“He loyal to the family and you are the family. Come home with me, Wonder. I fucking miss you.”

I put my glasses down and picked up my Telfar bag that I started to paint and had given up sometime last year. Wrapping the straps around my hand, I beat him with the bag as he held his arms up.

“You got me fucking arrested, Maverick! Do you think I want to go home with you?” I slapped him once more with the bag.

“You done?”

“No. You think you can tell me what you’re going to do when it comes to Angie, and it doesn’t work like that. If you want to delete numbers out my phone and crash out if someone even looks my way, then I have the right to demand you cease communication with her. If you don’t want to do that, then you need to call the lawyers back so we can get divorced, and I can start my life on one of my islands.”

“Alright, come home.”

“Maverick, I’m not going home with you. You are used to always getting your way and I’m not giving you that… you got me arrested. Fucking arrested because I used free will and left.”

He looked down at me with the cigarette still tucked between his lips. “You said you wouldn’t leave me, Wonder.”

“No, you don’t get to use that. I left because of you, so before you start saying I left you… think about why I left.” I snatched the cigarette and put it in my glass of water. “When did you start smoking?”

“Since you left me… go through a pack a day.”

“Maverick, stop smoking cigarettes. I didn’t like that you shut me down. You made it seem like I had no choice and that was how things would be. You want to fix this, then prove it to me… now leave before I get you arrested.”

I thought he was going to leave out my bedroom door, but he pulled another cigarette out and headed toward the window, climbing on the fire escape. “I ain’t going home until you come home.”

“Do what you gotta do… giving yourself lung cancer isn’t going to help me get there quicker.”

“Let me smell it,” he asked, while he was on the fire escape.

“Nope… ask Angie.”

“I don’t want her old ass pussy, Wonder, damn.”

I slammed the window down and locked it before closing my curtains and storming out the room. “When I have the proper thoughts, I will debrief because, Stevie, your husband is certified.”

I grabbed the Lysol to get the smoke smell out of my room, then climbed into bed to get some sleep. As much as I wanted to go with him, he needed to end things with that woman. I couldn’t compete with his first.

The difference was he was my first, and there was an attachment that came with that. I knew the same existed for him, and knowing she was the last person he had given his heart to added more layers to the situation. He had to cut things off with her, or we couldn’t be.

“Have you gotten the messages from the group chat that Menace made?” Skyler asked, as we were heading to the club.

We were in the back of an Uber as she continued to scroll through her phone. I hadn’t been on my phone much because it had been a few weeks since Maverick was under my bed. While he still called in hopes to talk to me, he hadn’t made a move to show me that he was fixing the issue. Maybe I thought that he would jump to end things with her because he said he loved me so much.

“I haven’t been on my phone much. Other than when Kora called to check in on me.” I sighed, not wanting to go to the party anymore.

In my defense, we bought the tickets when I was talking to Cornell. The red flag should have been that he allowed me to buy tickets instead of getting us in because he knew Zay. Skyler was excited to get out the house, so that was the only reason that I was going.

“Well, apparently we are all going to the Amalfi coast for Thanksgiving on his yacht… now Stevie, I know I was against this at first but taking my baby out the country and having her on a yacht… these are the things I can get with.”

“You’ve been on a yacht and a jet, Skyler.”

“Not enough to not be excited about it. I already spoke to my lawyer about it, and I can bring Estella, as long as we have a return date which we do.”

“Cool.”

“Why are you so shitty today?” Skyler turned to face me.

“I’m not.”

“You are… you’ve been in a mood all week. Why don’t you answer the phone and see what he has to say.”

“I’m pregnant, Skyler.”

She went quiet and looked out the window behind me and then looked at her phone without saying anything. “I’m finding my words… I promise I’m trying to find my words.”

Whenever I was going through something mentally, my body could automatically tell, and I would feel sick. Usually, I felt it in my stomach, this impending feeling of doom within my stomach. I brushed it off when we were in Texas, and even before that because I figured it was nerves. Although I kept telling myself that I wasn’t nervous, maybe my body was telling me something different.

When I vomited in the holding cell, I assumed it was because I was nervous about going to prison. My period was late, which was never the case with me. It was always on time, and when my app reminded me that I was late the other day, I knew I had to take a test.

Here I was in my midtwenties, and I felt like a teen mother while me and Duke went to the drug store to grab a test. Why did women always feel like we were a teenager finding out that she was pregnant?

“You both weren’t using protection?”

“Never crossed my mind. He was going to be my husband, so I felt weird asking him to use one.”

She grabbed my hand. “What is going through your head? I remember when I found out, I cried and was scared that I made myself sick.”

“Scared. I’ve never been a mom before… Estella still has to remind me to pack her snack or give her vitamins when you’re working. How am I supposed to raise my own child?”

Skyler smiled. “You will figure it out as all mothers do. You’re not going to be perfect at it, but you don’t need to be perfect to raise a great kid. You also have the support of your family, too. Stevie, you have a husband, although strange, I know he’s going to take care of you and this baby.”

“Thanks, Sky.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m excited to be right there with you on this journey. I’m here just like you’ve been there for me and Stellie. Listen… don’t hire my nanny though, because I like her, and Core pays her well.”

I laughed at her not wanting to share Estella’s nanny. “Deal.”

When we arrived at the club, our tickets were VIP, so we were able to skip the line. Skyler didn’t want to splurge for the VIP tickets, and now she was glad we did because that line was wrapped around the building, and there were talks of them not letting people in because they were about to meet the maximum people allowed in the club.

“Skyler!” we heard and looked up and saw Aimee.

She waved us up to her section, and we headed up there since we had a small table on the main floor. “Hey Aimee!” Skyler hugged her.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming to this?”

“Bitch, I told you that I was, and you said you were going to think about coming,” Skyler reminded her and she laughed.

“Hey Stevie!” she hugged me, and then she pulled a light skin woman with long black hair and tattoos over toward us. “This is Syn.”

We all got acquainted while Aimee poured herself cranberry juice. I noticed she had some liquor in her section, but she also had nonalcoholic drinks, too. “What has been going on with you?”

Aimee sipped her cranberry juice. “Girl, a lot. Capri actually made me come out tonight because things have been so crazy. Told me that I needed to go and have some fun.”

“I mean with the way you been hanging off the back of bikes letting that thang go you should have some fun,” Skyler joked. I was never in on these inside jokes, or knew if they were jokes or not.

I nursed my cup of orange juice nervous because I had to tell Maverick that I was pregnant. The goal was to produce an heir, and with the way we had been having sex with no protection, I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was. I looked up and saw Duke coming into the club, which meant he found parking.

He tried to get us to ride in his car and I told him that I wanted tonight without all the bells and whistles. Just me and Skyler in an Uber like we used to do before I married a billionaire with security.

“You say the test is for you… pay for it.” I pulled my hoodie up over my hair, and continued to scan the different boxes for what kind of test would I need.

“Steve-o, ain’t nobody gonna think the fucking test is mine. Why you acting all scared like you’re not married?”

I shrugged as I shook the box, like it would tell me if I was pregnant right in the aisle. “Um, can I help you?”

“Did we fucking ask for your help? You been circling this aisle for the past ten minutes. How about I beat the shit out of you and then ask if you need help after.” Duke turned and towered over the skinny White man.

He was so nervous that I’m positive that he pissed a little as he scurried away from the aisle, and I decided on which test that I would get. “Meanwhile those girls on the other aisle are actually stealing.”

“Ain’t it always like that though. The fuck we need to steal a damn test when you can buy the building.” He was disgusted.

Duke had become like a big brother for me. Even though he was security, there was a brotherly aura about him. “What if I am pregnant?”

“What you nervous about, Steve-o?”

“Everything. Me and Maverick are in a weird space, and then kids… he doesn’t do kids so how would he react to his own.”

“There’s a lot of things that Boss doesn’t do, and he has done them because of you. You are the exception to a lot of his rules, so you have to get out of your head.”

“And Angie?”

“Not my business, Steve-o. Can’t speak on what I don’t know. I do know that Boss is a solid nigga, and I know he’s going to do what needs to be done. I’m tired of sleeping in my damn car.”

I sighed. “Alright… I’m taking the test here.”

“The fuck?”

“I cannot wait until we get back to the apartment. I really need to know right this second,” I told him, and he shook his head.

Duke stood in the women’s bathroom as I went into the stall and waited for me. He tried to wait outside the bathroom, but I convinced him to come inside with me because I needed the moral support.

After figuring out how to take the test, I peed on my hand and the test but it turns out that I had taken the test right. While I washed my hands, we both waited to see the results of the test. My hands were shaking as I waited to see if I was carrying Maverick Caselli’s baby.

I flipped the test over, and in the biggest digital font ‘pregnant’ was on the test.

“Um hey,” I heard Skyler’s tone, as I remembered that I was actually in a club and supposed to be enjoying myself.

When I turned to see who she was talking to, I saw Cornell walking over toward me and I groaned. I hadn’t spoken to him since he was being weird and I hadn’t replied to any of his messages. As I stared at him, I couldn’t understand what I ever saw in him.

He was so flashy with a big ego, and he wasn’t even the celebrity. Hell, he wasn’t even the celebrity’s best friend. I didn’t want to speak to him or give him any of my energy because what was the point?

That night I left him and took the train home, I mentally ended whatever it was that we were doing. He was a creep, and I wanted to be far away from him.

“What up, Stranger?” He came and sat down next to me, since it was empty next to me. “I’ve been hitting you up and you can’t hit me back?”

“I’ve been busy.”

He touched my hand and looked at my ring, which you couldn’t pretend to hide. It was the first thing that you saw. “This a cocktail ring or some shit?”

“No.”

I felt Skyler’s hand on my back. “Are you good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Cornell wasn’t about to ruin my night. He had ruined plenty of nights in the past, and I refused for tonight to be the same thing. I didn’t understand why he was over here in the first place. His friends ended up coming in and joining the section and Aimee stood up.

“This is not what we’re doing. We don’t want nor need your company, so you can back it on up,” she told them, and they looked hurt.

“Bitch, shut the fuck up.”

Skyler laughed. “I promise it’s in your best interests not to come crazy at her.”

“This is why I have this tattoo because men will always show you how much they suck. Get the fuck out of the section or we’re going to have security remove you… or I can just mace you.” Syn dug into her purse to look for her mace.

The main man looked down at her and laughed, flicking a piece of her hair. “You fine as shit, Shorty.”

“Chill, that one right there is a Delgato, and she stamped by Havoc. You don’t want that smoke with them Delgatos or Inferno Gods,” one of his friends said, and Syn turned to look at him.

“I’m not stamped by nobody… I am no one’s property.”

The friend chuckled. “Well, that big nigga put the word out that you are, and I ain’t about to fuck with him… and you would be smart not to fuck with her.” He tapped his friend’s shoulder and left the section.

Cornell was still over here breathing the same air as me, which pissed me off. “You should join your friends.”

“Why you being different? I hit you up and you don’t respond, and then I see you out and you acting all funny with me.” He roped his arm around me, and I scooted away, and he moved closer.

“I know you saw her move away from you. Actually, take yo’ ass on, too,” Aimee scolded, as she stood there.

“Why you minding everybody damn business… drink yo’ shit and chill out.” He continued to put his arm on me, pushing the boundaries I had set.

Everybody in the club was jumping to Zay’s newest club anthem, and then the lights went out, which made everybody go even crazier and rap even harder.

It was so dark that I couldn’t even see anything, but I felt a hand on my thigh and slapped the hell out of it. Scooting over, me and Skyler held hands while I prayed that Cornell was gone when the lights came back on.

“He’s coming,” Skyler muttered.

“Who?” I asked.

When the lights came back on, my eyes took a second to adjust, and I turned to see if Cornell was still there, and then my eyes landed on Maverick sitting on the other side of Cornell with a smile on his face.

“Honey, you in danger.” Skyler and Aimee both fell out laughing as Maverick continued to smirk, his grills gleaming off the light in our section.

“My niggas couldn’t stay, but this nigga could?” Cornell didn’t know how to read the room to know that he was in danger.

I didn’t expect him to know who Maverick was because not a lot of people did. The fact that the lights in the entire club went out and he appeared when they were back on should have told Cornell all he needed to know.

Corleon walked into the section and nodded at Skyler, and Landon was behind him, pulling his pants up and smirking. “What up, Sis’?”

I looked at Cornell and he still didn’t realize that he was in danger. The dumbass inside of him told him that this was the moment to push his chest out more and act tough. “You said you wanted to fuck my wife?”

Anybody knew that when this man asked a question about something you never said, you got the fuck away from him. Cornell laughed as he looked at me and then put his arm around me. What in the way that Menace was looking him in the face told him that he was safe to even do that.

This man looked nearly manic when he put his arm on what was his, and I was what was his. “Steve ain’t fucking married.”

Menace nodded. “Yeah, you right… my fault. We good?”

He extended his hand to Cornell, who removed his hand from me to dap him up. “You good… me and Steve lock⁠—”

No sooner than they embraced, Maverick head butted Cornell and snatched his ass up. “She don’t like being called fucking Steve,” he said through gritted teeth, as he sat back down, while he continued to hold Cornell’s neck.

“Mrs. Caselli, make yo’ way to the Rolls Royce waiting for you outside.”

I folded my arms. “Ask me nicely.”

He sighed and slammed Cornell’s head onto the table in front of us and then looked at me. “Mrs. Caselli, can you please take yo’ fine ass to the Rolls Royce waiting for you. I have plans for us.”

I stood up. “That is better.”

I walked past him, and he tapped my thigh, and I turned, and he had his lips puckered out. “No kisses for you. You lucky I’m going to get in your car.”

“Our car, Wanda… ours,” he called behind me.

I looked at Skyler. “I’m going to stay with Syn and Aimee… I will call you when I’m home.” Corleon went and sat next to her, so I knew he was going to stay with her, and she would be safe.

Duke reached for my hand and helped me down the steps and out the club to the Rolls Royce parked out front of the club.

“Told you he was going to make it right, I know my guy,” Duke whispered as he helped me into the car, and I smiled.