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Two Weeks Later

📍New York, New York

Deandre

A KNOCK AT the door forced his eyes open, earlier than he had expected. He lay in bed, staring at the white ceiling and contemplating whether to ignore it, in hopes that whoever it was would get the hint and go away. The knocks were harder this time, demanding his attention.

He groaned as he sat up in his massive king-size bed in his luxurious room over looking New York City. Glancing at the curvaceous stranger sleeping soundly beside him, hoping her name would make an appearance in his mind before she woke up. He took a moment to admire the scenery, feeling an immense gratitude for the position he's been placed in.

Finally, he decided to slip out of bed, pulling on his black Calvin Klein briefs as he hurried to answer the door, which was practically being banged on at this point.

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"For the love of Elizabeth! Why are you banging on my door so early?" I exclaimed, there was only one person who'd knock on my door this early, and to this extent. I opened the door with squinted eyes and a stoic expression. The rising sun poured through the large ceiling-to-floor windows that adorned the walls of my New York penthouse. Brightening up the space.

"Geez bruv, rough night?" Xavier laughed as he barged in, his phone and briefcase in hand. Xavier was one of my closest friends turned manager; we grew up together in South London. He had always been there for me. More level headed than I, he's kept me grounded through all my ventures and this long journey to fame.

Out of all my friends in South London, he was the most business minded at the time, of course as the years gone by we've all gained some knowledge of the industry, however Xavier was always good at it, it's like he was made for it. His father had a few Real Estate properties and a marketing firm that worked with clients who were well off, so it is to no surprise that he picked up on a few things over the years.

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"Come on bruv, that's cheating!" I exclaimed, trying to take the controller from his hand.

"Nah man! That's fair! Your just a soar loser innit?" Xavier chuckled as he stood, hiding the controller behind it back. He'd beaten me 5 times already and we'd only just started to play MK: Armageddon.

"You lot look stupid you know," Tavon said as he walked in with the selfie stick and his iPhone connected to it, he pointed it at us, laughing at the sight of Xavier putting me in a headlock.

"What are you doing?" Xavier asked Tavon, as I struggled to get out of the headlock, finally I snatched away from him, we exchanged looks as I fixed my shirt and straightened my posture. Pure annoyance riddling my face.

"Say hey to my vlog boys," Tavon chirped in excitement. I threw up a middle finger and took the camera from him.

"If you lot ever get the chance to play Mortal Kombat with Xavier. DON'T mans is a proper cheat you know!" I ranted to the camera as Xavier fought for the phone. I ran from him laughing as he tried to keep up. He grabbed a hold on the phone, holding it up so I couldn't reach. He was a whole foot taller than I and he'd always use it to his advantage.

"I'm a proper cheater? Don't mind him, he's a sore loser guys, and he'll never admit to it," Xavier said, giving the phone back to Tavon, who went on to the end the vlog.

"Yeah guys, so these dudes are total clowns yeah." I slapped the back of his head in response, he shot me a slightly annoyed glance, causing us all to erupt in laughter.

"Anyways....  As always, thanks for tuning in! See you in the next one and if you haven't already, yes you have! Subscribe to the YouTube channel, comment and like this video, and just let us know what you want to see. Love ya! Peace!" He said, I posed on the couch behind him, in frame for the shot as Xavier pretended to pay attention to the game, Tavon throwing up the peace sign.

"Guys, our last video got a good twelve hundred views," Tavon plopped on the grey sectional next to me, Xavier and I paused and looked at him.

"No way man," Xavier stated, excitement crawled up my bones, a pit fell in my stomach as I watched him pull up the creator dashboard on YouTube, my eyes grew wide at the view count, a silly smile spread across my face.

"Oh my days!" I let out a hefty laugh. We all jumped out of our seats and celebrated.

"This is it guys, we stay consistent and we'll be on our way!" Xavier said after a few moments of us jumping around like fools.

This was the start of our journey.

Three teenagers from South London; teenagers with hope, determination, a dream and crazy Faith.

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"You have no idea man," I chuckled at his remark. If I'm being honest, I could barely recall the night.

I just remembered doing a live stream with some of my American friends who live in New York — we ended up at an exclusive nightclub — drank, smoked, hung out with a few girls. And here I am, woke up with a stranger in my bed. It wasn't atypical for such a night to occur, especially when I was in the US; though the woman in my bed was new.

"I watched the stream, man. You've got to slow down," he always joked about my lifestyle, but I knew it was all facetious; I've always been drawn to the fast life, even back in my South London days.

"Yeah, not likely mate," I laughed. My bare feet echoed through the large room as I walked on the marble floors making my way into the bedroom. I took a white t-shirt off my bed and pulled it over my head. My eyes met a pair of almond ones, my strange friend was awake, I gave her a shy smile as she stood up to greet me. Her body completely exposed.

"Good morning," she spoke carefully striding over to me her posture tall and her body curvy. I silently admired as she approached, wrapping her hand around my neck and placing a gently kiss on my lips. I sucked my lip between my teeth as I studied her slim face and her perfectly moisturized lips.

"Damn, good morning to you," I smiled. I allowed my hand to trail her curves as she turned for me to get a better look. A cough from the other room suddenly snapped me out of my fantasy, reminding me that there was business I needed to take care of.

"Should I make breakfast?" She smiled up at me, her bare chest pressed against mine.

"Ah, as lovely as that sounds, I've got business to tend to." I sucked air as I tried to sound as disappointed as I could.

"A quick meal before you go?" She attempted to convince me. I studied her a little more, the rising sun cascaded a beautiful glow on her brown skin.

"My managers already here. Time is of the essence when it comes to these things darling, I hope you understand." I gave her a sorrowful look, handing her the clothes at the edge of the bed. As I myself turned to the wardrobe, taking out the new Nike tech suit I purchased a few days ago.

I never bring women home with me, usually they're the ones that bring me home. So, I must've been exceptionally drunk to have brought her here, much less allow her to stay the night.

Don't get me wrong, she was wonderful, beautiful and from what I could remember; a very good time. However I didn't want to give her the wrong impression, I have no interest in pursuing anything serious at the moment. Life is good, work is going swell and I don't need any distractions right now.

I waited while she took her sweet time to get dressed; a precautionary measure if you will, though I was really trying not to be a proper jerk.

I sat in the green accent chair by my window, checking my Instagram, and replying to some of the thousands of messages from my beloved followers. I came across a post of Imani's from the Fundraiser she held a few weeks ago. I swiped through the photos, laughing at the one of the guys and I posing with the tacky photography props. I swiped again, ready to scroll down, then I saw her.

A photo with Imani and the goddess of a woman that rejected me at the fundraiser. Who was she? She wasn't tagged in the photo but she was an honorary mention in the caption.

Sienna, her name instantly rang a big bronze bell in my mind. A stunning name for a stunning woman indeed. She made the one standing before me look like chump change.

"You ready?" I eyed her from behind my phone. She nodded, I took her hand and rushed her to the door, hoping Xavier wouldn't notice.

I opened the door to let her out, slightly irritated at her lack of urgency to get the fuck out of my vicinity. She kissed me and told me to call her later, to which I agreed but honestly, I didn't even get her number. I sighed, walking back to the kitchen island where Xavier was set up.

"Woah, you brought a girl home? Is everything alright up there mate?" He teased. I rolled my eyes at his banter.

"I don't even remember what the fuck happened," I huffed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I stood adjacent to him at the white marbled kitchen island.

"She's one of the lucky ones eh?" He joked. I gave him an annoyed look to which he just shook his head, sporting a cheeky smile. Silence briefly fell over us.

"A rare gem innit?" He spoke after a moment, his voice laced with amusement as he laughed at his own wit.

"No, you want to see a real rare gem?" I pulled out my phone and flashed a picture of Imani and Sienna. "Her — can you believe she said she wasn't interested in me? ME?" I repeated, dripping in theatrics.

"I mean, you ever consider you might not be everyone's cup of tea?" He leaned in, studying the picture more intently.

"I mean, she's all class. Plus, she's a well-established business owner. Of course, she'd turn you down," he teased. I shot him a menacing glare as he continued clicking away at his keyboard, unfazed.

"But it's me, come on, clearly there must be something wrong her," I argued. "No one's ever turned me down before,"

"Well there's a first time for everything innit?" He peered over his reading glasses at me, I couldn't help but to laugh at his antics, shaking my head as I made my way back to the room to take a shower.

"She was just playing hard to get you know!" I called out from my room as I prepared for a much-needed shower.

"Yeah man! Of course!" He shouted sarcastically. I could almost hear his snickering.

— —

"What was so important that you had to come knocking at my door at six in the morning anyway?" I asked, rubbing my damp hair with a towel before brushing my waves and tying a durag over them.

"Did you forget you set up a gaming stream today with the content group Comedy Kingz?" I mentally slapped my myself, I've had this stream planned for months. I can't believe I let one night of fun make me forget something so important.

"Oh right, see that's why I have you. What time?" I joked. He chuckled shaking his head as he checked his Apple Watch for the time.

"You've got about an hour and a half," he stated. "And don't forget we have that meeting today with the Nike representative to discuss the sponsorship!" He called after me as I rushed back to my room to get dressed. I slipped on the grey Nike tech suit that I had laid out earlier, added a plain black t-shirt underneath the jacket, and finished off with my fresh pair of all white forces.

"Damn, that's today? How are we to manage that? That stream is supposed to last at least eight hours." I said as I grabbed my house key from its hook in the entryway.

"We'll manage; it shouldn't take long. It's mainly to discuss terms and expectations." He didn't look up from his computer. I hadn't realize I'd be this busy today, if I had known I wouldn't have stayed out all night. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but the day after a night out is never easy.

"I'm headed to the coffee shop mate, can I get you something?" I asked as I grabbed my letterman jacket from the coat hook next to the door, placing my wallet in my pants pocket.

"Cappuccino if you will, I'll start getting the setup ready."

"Ah you're an angel! Be back before you know it!" I closed the door behind me and made my way down the long corridor, taking the elevator to the lobby. The building wasn't too busy this morning, aside from the usual delivery services coming in and out and the staff who were here almost 24/7.

"Morning gorgeous," I said, smiling at the receptionist at the front desk. She returned my smile with an eager grin, showcasing her perfectly straight teeth.

"Good morning sir, how can I help you?" She placed her hand under her chin and looked up at me with a soft gaze in her eyes.

"I can think of a few ways you could help me darling; however, the only thing I need from you at the moment is my mail," I said with a smirk, leaning over the counter and lowering my voice. She popped her gum, smirking as she stared at my lips.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you can show me what they are sometime," she replied, our faces only inches apart. My smile widened at her eagerness; This was almost too easy.

"Perhaps," I said, lowering my gaze to her lips, admiring the way they moved up and down as she chewed her gum. My eyes wandered to other parts of her body, and my eyebrows raised almost involuntarily as she walked toward the back room.

Bunda.

I thought to myself, appreciating her figure. After a few moments she returned with a small box and a couple of envelopes.

"Much appreciated darling," I gave her a flirtatious smirk. "I'll see you later yeah?" I winked, taking a moment to look her up and down before turning to walk out of the enormous glass doors of the building.

I inhaled sharply as the cool New York breeze kissed my cheeks, preparing myself for the five-minute walk to the cafe around the corner. I was grateful for the luxury of not having to navigate the bustling streets of New York for longer than an hour. Though the cafe was only a few minutes from my penthouse, the lively streets of this wondrous city never failed to make me late for anything. So, I walked quickly, still taking the chance to admire the skyscrapers.

The smell of freshly ground coffee beans and oats filled my nostrils, and my stomach reacted as though I hadn't eaten in months. I buried my face in my phone to distract myself from the excruciating hunger pangs. The cafe wasn't as busy as I'd expected, but there was still a decent-sized queue, just a few people shy of spilling out the door.

"SIENNA?!" a barista called out. My heart beat quickened almost instantly at the sound of her name, and I focused my full attention on scanning the cafe for the person on the other end of that order. Then I saw her, wearing a smile bright enough to put the sun out of business. I froze, unsure why; she was just another woman.

"Dude, it's your turn," a man standing in line behind me tapped my shoulder.

"Ah, I'm sorry, mate," I smiled, nodding. He offered a small smile, and I turned to place my order. "Can I have, uhh..." My voice trailed off as I watched her sit down at a table in the back. Another girl sat with her, she was younger and didn't look to be much older than fifteen.

"Sir?" The barista said, snapping me out of my daze.

"Yes uh, a medium cappuccino, almond milk instead of regular, extra whipped cream and sugar. Then i'd like an everything bagel with cream cheese and ham, and a medium Latte, also with almond milk." I rambled. Glancing back over to their table, I noticed they were smiling and giggling, both focused on their laptops. She wore baggy jeans, her hair held up in a banana clip, paired with a brown cardigan and a white tee underneath. She looked perfect. Absentmindedly, I handed my card to the barista behind the counter.

"$16.50." She chirped, taking my card and completing the transaction "can I get a name for your order?" She smiled handing the card back.

"Yeah, Dre," I placed the card in my wallet and my wallet back in my pocket.

"Got you, I'll have that ready for you in 15 minutes," she said with a smile, handing me my receipt. I stepped out of the way, contemplating whether to approach her or not.

I'd never felt this type of anxiety when it came to women; usually, I just turned on the charm and let my smooth talking do the rest. However, Sienna was different. She didn't seem to pay me any mind, and it felt strange. But I wasn't about to let a woman playing hard to get throw me off my game.

I sat watching her from across the way for about seven minutes before deciding it was now or never. With as much composure as I could muster, I smoothly walked up to the table. They were engrossed in a conversation about some Duke of Harlings. I smiled awkwardly.

"Good morning to you both. Um, not sure if you remember me, but we met at Imani's fundraiser," I said. She glanced up at me, her thick glasses resting perfectly against her nose, as though it had been custom-made for her face.

"Yes, of course, I remember! How are you?" she exclaimed, standing up to give me a quick hug. I was caught off guard by the gesture, not expecting something so warm from her. Still, I embraced it, perhaps hugging a little tighter than I should have, not really wanting to let her go.

"I'm wonderful," I chuckled, suddenly forgetting how nervous I'd been to come over. "Is this your mentee?" I asked, nodding towards the girl smiling awkwardly at us.

"Yes, actually, this is Noelle," she replied. The girl reached out her hand, and out of respect, I shook it and returned her smile. Her charm bracelets jingled softly as our hands met.

"Nice to meet you, Noelle. I'm Deandre."

"Yes, I know who you are! I watch your videos on YouTube all the time! So nice to meet you!" she beamed. I was instantly flattered and felt far more relaxed than when I first walked over.

"Wow, you tune in? Thanks so much for your support!" I laughed.

"Could I get a picture, please? If it's not too much to ask?" she asked, her voice a little nervous.

"Yes, yes, of course."

"Do you mind, Sienna? Please?" Noelle gave Sienna a hopeful smile, handing over her phone.

"Wow, I wish you'd fawn over me like this," Sienna quipped sarcastically, taking the phone and pointing it at us. "Say... Sienna gets no love!"

"Sienna gets no love!" Noelle repeated, clearly trying to get under her skin. I, however, wanted to give Sienna all the love in the world, so I just kept quiet and smiled. Sienna handed the phone back to the teenager.

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much! My friends are going to be so jealous," Noelle squealed, hugging me before tapping away furiously at her screen.

"So, what brings you to New York?" Sienna asked with a laugh, settling back into the booth and looking up at me.

"Oh, I'm here on business. Got a penthouse not far from here. And yourself?"

"Same, business. And trying to get my little troublemaker out of town before she sets the whole state ablaze," Sienna teased, giving Noelle a playful look. Noelle shrugged in response.

"There's nothing you can say to get my head out of the clouds right now. I've just met my husband. Nothing else matters," Noelle giggled, completely ignoring the earlier teasing. I stood there, awkwardly laughing with my hands in my pockets.

"Husband? He's three times your age!" Sienna said sternly, and I silently thanked her for setting that straight.

"I'm delusional, let me delusion," Noelle deadpanned.

"DRE!" I heard my name called. Taking the opportunity, I turned and walked briskly away from the awkward conversation, mentally falling to my knees and thanking that barista. I love my supports so much, but I hated when the young girls claimed me as their husband or their baby father, though I know it's all harmless fun for them, it always felt off putting for me.  Grabbing my order, I returned to the table.

"Hey, I meant what I said at the fundraiser," I said as I approached again, leaning casually against the booth wall with my ankles crossed. She gave me a confused look, raising an eyebrow.

"What did you say?" She cocked her head to the side, I observed her round face and her plump lips, almond shaped eyes and cute round nose. Momentarily I got caught up in the big brown pool in her eyes, causing me to stumbled over my words. Again, there was something about this woman, that put my tongue in a bind.

"That I'd like to get to know you," I managed to croak out after a brief stare down with her.

"Oh, that," her tone shifted abruptly from upbeat and charismatic to sharp and quiet.

"I mean, if you're taken, I completely understand," I pressed on, not backing down just yet, "but I'd really love to take you out. How long are you in New York for?"

"I don't know," she hesitated, clearly trying to find a way out. "I'm here strictly for business... plus, I can't just leave Noelle alone." Her excuse felt flimsy, but I could tell she wasn't quite ready to give in.

"Yes, you can!" Noelle blurted out, nodding eagerly. Sienna shot her an imposing glare — a silent death threat, if you will.

"What? I'm fifteen, Sienna. I'm perfectly capable of staying alone in a hotel room for a couple of hours," she rolled her eyes dramatically. I shot Noelle a grateful smile, thankful for her persistence.

"I'm sorry," Sienna cut in, her voice softer but firm. "I just have too much work to get done." My smile faded instantly. It stung, being rejected twice by the same woman. But I understood. She seemed like someone who took her work seriously, and though it didn't feel good, I knew when to back off. I'd never push for a third 'no,' not even for the most beautiful woman on the planet.

"Hey, I completely understand. It was a pleasure seeing you though, and an even bigger pleasure meeting you, Noelle." I gave her a grateful smile, gently taking Sienna's hand and pressing a soft kiss to her ring finger. "Perhaps another time, yeah?" I winked at her, then backed out of the cafe, disappearing into the bustling crowd on the sidewalk.