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

He yelled at me.

Actually, yelled at me like I was a child.

It had been a week since he yelled at me, and I hadn’t spoken to him. If I needed something I would tell Greene, and she would handle it. Every time he came in the same room as me, I quickly left.

He wanted to speak to me and every time he tried, I dismissed myself from his presence. Greene told me that he had quiet time. What grown man had quiet time? As if he was Estella’s age or something.

How was I supposed to know he had timeout hours? Maybe he should have gotten a sign on his office. I noticed how he watched me when I ate my food, as if he wanted to shake me or something.

Maybe I was way over my head with thinking I could become his wife. My father dying wasn’t that bad… maybe he could make amends with my mother and apologize. Why should I save his damn life when he never gave a damn about mine?

My phone pulled me from my thoughts as I sat on the terrace off my bedroom. “Hey Cindy!”

“Girl, are you alive?”

I had been keeping in contact with Alex, and it slipped my mind that I had a job and clients. It wasn’t like I had that many, and since my books were closed prior to vacation, no one could book me.

“Hey Cindy, I’ve had a lot going on and it slipped my mind to call you.”

She sighed. “Are you safe?”

Like a true big sister or aunt, she was checking to see if I was alright before she chewed me out. “Yes. I am safe.”

“Good, because when I get my hands on you, you won’t be. Why in the world wouldn’t you call and let me know something?”

“Life has been crazy.”

“No excuse, Stevie… I worry about you.”

I felt guilty for not telling her what was going on. “I’m sorry, Cindy. How is everything at the shop?”

“A mess per usual. I haven’t seen your friend around here either… is her selfish ass alright?”

I couldn’t answer for that because I didn’t know how Priscilla was and hadn’t asked. She had betrayed me in a way I couldn’t forgive, and I didn’t want to think about her. Any time she sat on my mind for too long, I tried to think of something else.

I thought that girl was my friend, and it turned out that she wasn’t. She put me in a position that could have caused me to lose my life. While I worried about both of our lives, she was only focused on her own, which was so messed up.

“I wouldn’t know… we kind of fell out.”

“Hmm, girls’ trips will do that to you. Let me tell you this, you were better off without her. She was jealous of you, and you may have not seen it, but everyone around you did.”

“How? She was the one with money and all the designer clothes… how could she ever be jealous of me?”

“Baby, money cannot buy the kind of person you are. Stevie, I know I give you mess for being so forgetful, so forgiving, and kind… but you are a light, honey. There are women wanting to be their true selves, and you are that unapologetically.”

I smiled. “Maybe I am too much for people.”

“Nope, you are just enough and the light everyone needs. Life is hard, and we need that light and person to remind us not to take ourselves too seriously… you are that person, my baby. When you get some time, come visit me so you can really tell me what you’ve been up to.”

“Okay… Thanks, Cindy.”

I ended my call and stretched before going back inside my room. My stomach growled, and that’s when I realized I hadn’t eaten anything. Menace was home, so I knew he would be somewhere downstairs.

Quickly checking myself over, I went downstairs in search for something to eat. Soon as I got downstairs, I saw him in the living room with his leg crossed at the ankle, with an iPad in his hand.

“Good afternoon, Wonder.”

I looked at him, then went into the kitchen. “Asshole,” I mumbled, and continued into the fridge to find something to eat.

“Lose that attitude before the wedding, baby!” he called behind me, which caused me to abort the mission to fill my stomach and go back into the living room.

“What do you mean before the wedding? I don’t even want to marry you… you’re forcing me to marry you.” I looked at Menace, as he continued to carelessly scroll on Greene’s iPad.

“Periwinkle… I’m thinking ivory and navy blue for the colors… shit sexy together. Ivory is her color, ‘cause I know my new bride is a virgin. She ain’t been popping that pussy for nobody.” He raised his eyebrow at me.

“You’re crazy… I am not having a wedding with people I don’t know and a man I don’t even like… nut job.”

He chuckled, as he swiped on the iPad. “‘We Belong Together’ by Mariah Carey as our first dance.” I watched as he leaned forward, licking his thick pink lips. “You see that empty spot over that fireplace… our wedding portrait will hang there, and yo sexy ass better fucking smile… now, where do you wanna honeymoon, sour pus?”

“I’m leaving.” I needed to get the hell from under this roof with him and I didn’t care where I went, as long as I was away from Maverick Caselli. I went to stomp out the room and bumped into Duke.

“Take the jet and go wherever you wanna go… I know how and where to find you, Wonder.” He winked at me. “Yeah, ivory and blue… make sure my fitting is scheduled, and that nigga don’t have people in the spot when I come.”

“Ughhh! I’m not going on the jet… I’m going… I don’t know… to the mall to sit and people watch.”

Menace snapped his fingers and Duke pulled out a metal black card. “Go people watch and take your anger out on that card, baby… dinner is at nine.”

He swiftly handed the iPad back to Greene, who bypassed me on her way leaving the living room. “Enjoy.”

I stared at him feeling heat all over my body because he was so nonchalant about it. No apologies for the way he spoke to me, and then planning a wedding like we were on good terms. Menace probably never had to apologize to anyone because he wasn’t the type. People just accepted that because of who he was.

Not me.

I snatched the card from Duke and stomped past him to the garage. “Mrs. C, where you going?” he called behind me, but I was on a mission.

Soon as I entered the garage, the men smiled and greeted me. “How can we help you, Mrs. C?”

“Stevie, my name is Stevie,” I blurted.

Mrs. C this, Mrs. C that and I wasn’t even married to this man. “Stevie, what can I help you with?”

“A car… not one where I have to shuffle the stick around to drive.”

“Can you even drive?”

“Yes.”

He folded his arms and looked at me. “Can you really?”

“I can drive… do you want to see proof?”

“Actually, yeah.”

I dug into my back pocket and pulled out the card holder that Skyler had gotten me. “See.” I nearly slapped him in the face with my driver’s license.”

He looked over at Duke and chuckled. “I think we can put you in the Rolls Royce today, Mrs. C.”

“Stevie,” I corrected him.

He grabbed keys from a lock box and then came around the counter, I followed behind him as he showed me to the all-black Rolls Royce Cullinan. As upset as I was from my argument with Menace, I was excited to get behind the wheel.

Frank showed me everything I needed to know about the car, and I was behind the wheel ready to go. Duke got in the front seat and looked over at me. “I’m still not over you kidnapping me.”

“Like I said, nothing personal.” He chuckled and put his seat belt on as I slowly pulled out the garage.

I increased speed down the hill toward the bottom of the hill. “You know I can go to the mall alone.”

“Not being Menace Caselli’s wife you can’t.”

“Not his wife.”

“Yet.”

“I haven’t decided.”

“You decided.”

My head jerked in his direction. “What is with you men telling me what I’m thinking?”

“You like him… just like he likes you. Silent treatment for a week and checking for when he’s coming home.”

“’Cause I need to know not to be near him.”

“Right.”

“You said he likes me?” I asked, almost allowing that to slip through the cracks of the conversation.

Duke chuckled. “I’ve known Menace a long time… I can tell when he tolerates people and when he likes them. Man don’t go out his way for nobody and he has for you.”

“How so? By telling me to shut the fuck up.”

Duke was clearly tickled. “Nah… he knows he’s wrong for that. You won’t allow him to speak to you, so how is he supposed to fix it?”

I pressed the button on the visor and Duke nodded to give them the okay to let us through. “I don’t want to speak with him.”

“Marriage isn’t any easier, Steve-o.”

I looked at him and smiled. “Steve-o?”

“You hollering that you’re not Mrs. C… yet. So, Steve-o fits you.”

I continued to drive and put the window down to feel the breeze. “Is this what my life will look like?”

“Yeah. Menace moves a certain way because he has to… never announcing anything, just appearing places.”

“And you?”

“What about me?”

“Will you follow me everywhere?”

“Most definitely. You’re going to be a Caselli… he has security on every Caselli. At least you’ll know… the others don’t.”

I gasped. “Why not?”

“Complicated. We can go to the mall, take it out on his pockets and then hear him out, Steve-o. I know you bored with avoiding him ‘cause you made me sit and listen to some drama on the news while you finished your second Lego piece.”

I rolled my eyes. “You spoke back and seemed pretty interested, Duke.”

“No doubt… don’t watch much TV, but I know you wanted to talk to him about it, too.” He smiled at me.

“Nope.”

“Stubborn… both of you. I’m gonna leave you with this, and then we can stop and grab me a coffee.”

“What?”

“Menace and Maverick are two different people. Maverick had to become Menace because he didn’t have a choice. Maverick was the one who brought you to his parents… he doesn’t do that. Which means he deemed you special, Stevie. I’m not saying his outburst was right but hear him out and allow him to make it right… make that nigga grovel… and record it because the shit is rare.”

I smiled and turned the music up as we headed to the mall. This was someone who knew Menace better than me, so I needed to follow his advice and figure out how to interact with him. I did miss talking to him this week, and it was lonely hanging out in my room. He purposely kept calling Greene so I didn’t have no one to talk to and would be forced to talk to him.

Ugh.

Recommendation: “If I Ever Fall In Love” by Shai

No one ever told me how freeing it felt to swipe a card on anything you wanted. I went into every store possible in American Dream Mall, and I swiped that card so much I think I scratched it. Duke held my bags as I went into each store doing more damage and not being told no. I was used to going to buy something and praying that my overdraft assist kicked in, so I didn’t get the decline message.

People treated you differently, too, when they knew you could afford what you were looking at. I picked up things and tossed them to the sales associate and allowed them to box everything up. Duke had to make three trips to the truck to put my bags inside. I got Skyler and Estella something, and then I was ready to head back to the house.

A shower and Chinese food was on my agenda, with one of my favorite movies. Soon as I pulled up to the gates, they did their security check and allowed us access through the gates. That was something that I couldn’t get used to because I felt like I was visiting the president every time.

Duke had the staff bring all my bags to my bedroom. Menace wasn’t anywhere to be found when I walked through the sanitizing mist. I shrugged it off, grabbing something to drink before heading upstairs to shower.

The sun was setting and most of the staff was gone for the day. Jeffie was away with Corleon and checked in with me as much as she could. I kept telling her to focus on her vacation and not worry about me.

When I made it to my bedroom, all the bags were in the closet. I grabbed some fresh pajamas from my clothes that had been washed and went to shower. I washed my hair and sang out the words to my favorite song.

After moisturizing, I tossed on my pajamas set and pulled my hair into a bun before heading downstairs to order something to eat.

“Wonder?”

I heard his voice, but I didn’t see him. “Yes, Mitchell?”

He chuckled as he came into the light from the living room. “Had fun at the mall?”

I watched as he rubbed his hands together. “Won’t be fun for you when you get your credit card bill.”

“I’ll survive. I missed talking to you this past week, Wonder.”

I folded my arms. “You told me to shut the fuck up, so I did. Now you missed talking to me… oh brother.” I walked into the kitchen, as he trailed behind me.

His presence was so loud that I couldn’t even focus on anything. “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.” I continued to ignore him, as I looked in the fridge for, I wasn’t exactly sure. All I needed was a distraction from him, anything for me not to look him in the eyes.

Staring in his eyes told me exactly what Duke had told me. I knew I wouldn’t see Menace when I stared in his eyes, I would see Maverick, and I really wanted to be angry with Menace right now.

“I hate looking people in the eyes, but I need you to look at me, Wonder.” I closed the fridge and turned to look at him.

He smiled at me. “I am sorry for telling you to shut the fuck up. It was wrong of me, and I don’t ever plan to speak to my future wife that way. I’ve said shut the fuck up to plenty of people and never felt anything after.” I watched as he used one hand to touch his chest. “I felt something when I said that to you… you didn’t deserve that from me, Stevie.”

“You hurt my feelings, Maverick,” my stupid ass started to cry, and looked away with my arms folded. “I know I talk a lot and I’ve been told that my entire life.”

He walked closer to me and pulled me closer to him. “I am so sorry, Wonder. You do talk a lot, baby, but I can find other ways to tell you to be quiet… okay?”

“And promise to never speak to me that way again.” I peered up into his eyes, and his usual harden glare was softened, as he peered back into mine.

“I promise to never speak to you like that again.”

We both stared at each other before he held my chin and placed his lips onto mine. I stood on my toes as I pushed my lips against his, and he wrapped his arms around me. Pulling away from our kiss, I continued to search his eyes.

He was genuine.

“Wanted to do that for a little minute now.” He kissed my lips again and removed a loose curl from my face. “I got you this.”

He went into his pocket and pulled out a paint brush. I gently grabbed it, and then nearly poked myself in the eye trying to get a closer look at it. “Mavie, this is a four-hundred-dollar paint brush.”

I felt like I shouldn’t have been holding it in my hands. It was too precious, and too expensive for me to be holding. “Walk with me real quick, Wonder.”

I allowed him to pull me out of the kitchen, and throughout the house. I’ve spent my time trying to explore every inch of this home, and there were still more places to be explored. We went down the hall, and then out the back door around the pool until we came to a small glass house.

“What is this?”

“Pool house.” He pulled me in front of him and opened the glass door.

I gasped when I saw the inside. The cedar wooden floors, panel windows allowing the moonlight in, and the canvases.

There were canvases of every size in here, and easels everywhere along with different paints and paint brushes. On the wooden table in the corner, there were two tabletop easels, flowers, and candles lit.

Soft R&B music played in the background as I clutched the paintbrush like it was a piece of gold. I turned to look at Maverick, and then back at what he had done. My words were caught in my throat, and this was one of the moments where I could shut the fuck up without being told.

I kept going back from the studio that he had made for me, and then him, not knowing what to embrace first. “I want you to be comfortable here, and Skyler told me that painting brings out a peace inside of you that she loves and hates.”

“Hates?” I whispered.

“She hates the mess that you make and has warned me that you usually have paint in your hair and everywhere.”

I smiled. “You spoke to Skyler?”

“I did.”

“What did she say?”

He shrugged. “My business, Wonder. I want you to experience that peace here. Our situation isn’t ideal, and we’re getting to know each other. Giving someone my last name, my mother’s last name, is something that I take seriously. I don’t want to fuck this up… ‘cause I have a habit of fucking shit up with the people I care about.”

I quickly hugged him, and he surprised me when he hugged me back. Standing on my toes, I kissed his cheek and smiled. “Thank you for this, Maverick.”

“You’re welcome.”

He stood by as he watched me run around this entire studio taking in all the expensive art supplies he purchased for me. I touched the roll of canvas linen and looked over at him. He stood with his hands in his sweat pockets, as he watched me.

“This is all very nice… want to know what is even better?”

He cocked his head to the side. “What’s that?”

“You apologizing to me.” I walked over toward him.

He pulled me into his arms, causing me to squeal and laugh. “I don’t like hurting your feelings, Wonder… it hurts my feelings.”

“Is this another date? We’re going to paint?”

“Figured after you tried to run from me that we needed a redo.”

“No… I enjoyed that date.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh huh… aside from the part when I thought I was going to die.” I giggled as I stared up at him.

We sat at the table, illuminated by the candles and this felt perfect. Maverick messed with his hands when he was nervous. It was a little tick that I noticed about him, and right now as we sat at this table, he was nervous, though he wouldn’t show it through his emotions.

“Are you nervous, Mavie?”

“Yeah.”

“I half expected you to lie to me.”

He smirked. “You make me nervous, Wonder.”

“Why?”

“’Cause you do.”

“I think someone has a crush on his future wife,” I teased and dusted his nose with the dry paint brush.

“Haven’t had a crush in a long time.”

“When was the last time you had a crush?” I asked, curious to know more about him. He had been slowly piecing me together, and I didn’t know anything about him.

“Since I was seventeen.”

“Awe a little schoolboy crush. The popular girl at school? You seem like you were popular back in school.”

He wet the brush and dipped it into the gold paint and started to paint as I watched him. “She was a grown ass woman, Wonder.”

“Wait, what?”

“Jeffie’s mom… Angelica. She’s the reason that I was diagnosed and took care of me… never made me feel different. Did everything for me, so naturally I had a crush on her.”

“Well, having a crush on an adult is normal. I had a crush on my tenth grade art teacher. Mr. Woodson was fine as hell, and he wasn’t much older than us.”

“Don’t make me go fuck Mr. Woodson up.”

“As you’re telling me that you had a crush on Jeffie’s mom,” I giggled. “Did she know you had a crush on her?”

“Yeah… she took my virginity.”

I choked on my spit when he said the shit so casually, as if that was normal and everyone was doing it. “Wait, what?”

“We fucked around until she met her little husband and ended shit. First and last time a woman broke my fucking heart.”

I couldn’t focus on painting anymore because I was concerned. “Mavie, she groomed you… I’m sorry.”

“The fuck? I wanted it just as much as she did… I wasn’t fucking molested or no shit like that.”

This was a sensitive subject because he had abandoned the paint brush and went right into rubbing his hands on his legs. “You were seventeen, someone that she was supposed to care for. She was a grown woman. I know you wanted it, but she took advantage of you.”

“I’m not talking about this shit no more, Wonder… you making the shit weird.”

“I promise I’m not, Mavie… you were taken advantage of.”

He stood up and pushed the chair away. “Stop saying that shit to me… ain’t no-fucking-body take advantage of Menace Caselli.”

I remained quiet as he looked at me, clearly worked up. He stood there for a minute, then he left me in the studio – alone.

He needed a moment to process it, and I was going to give him that. Angelica was supposed to protect him, and she had a relationship with him. I didn’t care about the age of consent being seventeen, either. That woman should have protected him.

I picked up the chair that was knocked down onto the floor and looked around the studio. How could a man so sweet be so guarded? Menace was someone who had so many levels and layers to him that I was becoming dizzy trying to figure him out.

The only problem I had was that I wanted to figure him out.