Cheaper to Keep Her (part 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Duke knew I was a struggling bartender and I wasn’t trying to front like I was anything other.
    “ It doesn’t stop there, baby. We are on our way to the next phase of the plan I have for you,” he said.
    Damn! There was more! I thought to myself. This man had already spent some serious cake on me. What else did he have in store? We got back in the car and pulled out of the spa’s parking lot.
    “ There can’t be more. You’ve done enough already,” I said and I was serious.
    “ Beautiful, you need to eat, right? This place we’re going to is swanky and nice. I’m a gentleman, I would never send you home hungry,” Duke said laughing.
    He whipped his ride down the highway and I kept looking at him out of the corner of my eyes. He was so damn fine. We pulled into a cozy little restaurant and went inside. They seemed to know him inside. Why wasn’t I not surprised? The waitress had me a little vexed the way she kept saying his name with this seductive little voice. That immediately made me suspicious that maybe Duke had something going on with her in the past.
    Why are you jealous? You are here with him and she is serving you, I thought to myself, putting my mind at ease.
    “ What’s wrong? You look a little distant,” Duke asked me.
    “ Nothing. I’m fine,” I answered, trying my best to put my suspicious thoughts out of my head.
    “ Good, because I have one more thing planned for you before I take you home,” he told me. I almost dropped my fork when he said he had yet another thing planned for me.
    “ You’ve done more than enough Duke,” I said bashfully. Honestly, I didn’t want him to stop. My indifference was getting the best of me. I didn’t want him to think I was a sistah that wanted him to keep doing more and more for me.
    “ I already told you, I planned our day down to the hour,” he replied. “It’s all good, baby. Trust me.” And I did just that. I finally put my defenses all the way down and made myself trust Mr. Duke Carrington, businessman.
    After lunch, Duke drove me all the way to the mall near the Pentagon in northern Virginia. I was shocked yet again. I didn’t shop at that mall. I wasn’t modest. I couldn’t afford to shop at that mall. The mall had high-end stores such as Burberry and Saks Fifth Avenue. Diamond and I always talked about one day being able to shop at places like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus on the regular. I smirked to myself thinking about my fantasy of a personal shopper showing me dresses that cost a stack and better.
    “ This is the last phase of my plan for us, baby,” Duke informed me. “I want you to go inside and get the prettiest dress and shoes you can find. I’m taking you to dinner tomorrow and you need the best of the best for the place we’re going.” I was giddy. I wanted to just throw my hands around his neck and kiss him all over his face. But I remained cool and collected as we both exited the car.
    Once inside the mall, I tried to stay as calm as possible but I wanted to just run around and grab shit. We went into Saks and a lady immediately approached us.
    “ Mr. Carrington, you’re back,” the old white lady said to Duke. He smiled at her.
    “ Yes, Caroline. This is Lynise . . . will you help her find the perfect dress and shoes,” Duke said to the lady. I watched their exchange. It was crazy that Duke had a personal shopper and he was a man . . . that was usually for women.
    “ Ah yes, the perfect dress and shoes,” Caroline repeated, laughing.
    What the fuck is so funny bitch? I retorted silently in my head. I didn’t know why she was laughing and I started to feel like she was mocking me in some kind of way.
    “ Go ahead, Beautiful, let Caroline work her magic for you,” Duke said and he took a seat on a leather chair in front of the fitting rooms.
    Caroline went and got about sixty dresses for me to try on. There was every named designer you could think of. I had never, ever put my ass in a Nicole Miller,