SONG - ITS GIVIN BY LATTO
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⏜︵♡︵⏜︵୨୧︵⏜︵♡︵⏜

THE ELEVATOR DINGS as the doors opened on the tenth floor of Rose Apparel Co. CEO Melanie Cameron stepped off with her black Hermès Birkin bag hung on her arm as she walked to the office looking like a boss bitch. Melanie started her business about five years ago. She went from a small business owner to CEO of her own company. Ask Melanie how her business became successful, and her answer is with hard work and determination.

Never in her years of living did she ever expect to have her clothing line and become a successful businesswoman living the luxurious life she deserved. There was one person Melanie had to thank for her success, and that was Rio. If it weren't for him helping her get her LLC, Melanie would not have the successful multi-million dollar company she has today. So it's safe to say Melanie owes her business and many blessings to Rio. Also, when Melanie pitched the idea of expanding to Rio, she didn't think he would surprise her with an entire building.

Now Rose Apparel is a clothing line women worldwide would kill to have in their closets. They'd fight each other inside the store to be able to buy an item of clothes. Melanie had vendors from all over the planet contacting her for partnerships. Her job always kept her booked and busy. One thing she also always had time for was to be a mother to her five-year-old Avani.

Walking into the central area of her corporate headquarters, many employees greeted her politely. "Good morning, boss lady."

"Morning, everyone." She smiled, unlocking the door to her executive office.

The light automatically turned on as she headed inside, and she set her purse on the desk. She pulled her chair out and sat in the soft leather sighing in relief. Her grande blended caramel Frappuccino was half empty as she logged into her iMac desktop. First, Melanie began responding to emails from vendors that wanted to do business with her. While responding to a client, a knock echoed throughout her office.

"Ms. Cameron, you have a meeting in twenty minutes." The voice of Melani's assistant, Noémi, announced.

"Come in, Noémi," Melanie replied, peeking around her computer with a smile.

Noémi opened the door, entered the big office carrying files in her hands, and sat them before Melanie.

"Who am I meeting with?" Melanie asked, scanning through the files on her desk.

"A man named Giovanni Santana." Her assistant Noémi replied, looking down at her pink sticky note.

Upon hearing that name, Melanie stopped and glanced up at her assistant with a smirk. Melanie knew who Noémi was speaking about, as he used that name when the streets were hot and he needed to stay low.

"Okay, thank you, Noémi." Melanie smiled, nodding her head. As her assistant left her office, she stopped wanting to say one more thing. "Oh, and Noémi, clear my schedule for the next two hours."

"Sure thing Ms. Cameron." Noémi gave her boss a polite grin before exiting her office.

Melanie couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her mouth as she leaned back in her soft chair. Out of all times, why would he be calling her today? What could he possibly want now?

"Oh, Giovanni, what could you possibly want?" Melanie chuckled, shaking her head, the heel of her shoes tapping against the hardwood floor.

Melanie spoke with her employees for the first fifteen minutes and checked business strategies. She took her sweet time walking to the conference room for the last five minutes. Inside the meeting room, Rio sat next to Mick, swiveling in the white chairs, waiting for the boss lady to make her grand entrance. It's been almost a year since the pair had last seen each other, and Rio couldn't wait until he laid his eyes on her beautiful form. The last time Melanie and Rio met, they didn't do much talking.

All that came out of their mouths were moans and cries of pleasure. Their hands gripped and grabbed at any free skin they could reach. The only other woman he felt whole with was Rhea, but she wasn't anything like Melanie. Rio loved that Melanie had that nasty side of her which he brought out behind closed doors. He always enjoyed the time he shared with the melanin beauty.

The heels clacking on the hardwood floors made Rio glance up, knowing who they belonged to. His eyes took in Melanie's body from head to toe loving her appearance. Melanie wore black leather shorts and a bra that pushed her breasts up, making them look mouth-watering with a black leather shirt. In his opinion, Rio thought his former lover looked so good he wanted to send Mick out of the room so he could have some one-on-one time with her bent over the table. Melanie's body made him want to put another baby in her.

"The queen finally makes her grand entrance." Melanie heard Rio speak with amusement. "I like what you've done with the place. It's very much you."

"Well, thank you. It wouldn't have happened if it was for you." Melanie replied, sitting at the head of the conference table.

"You're welcome." Rio nodded, sending Melanie a sly smirk making her roll her eyes.

"So I take it you didn't come here for no reason. What do you want? I'm busy." Melanie questioned, placing her folded hands on top of the table. Rio chuckled at her impatience as he rubbed his bottom lip.

"I need your help," Rio spoke, eyeing the mother of his daughter from across the table.

Melanie was shocked that Rio was asking her for her help. "Me? Why do you need my help?"

"Three of my associates are having problems getting my money," Rio replied, rubbing his hands on his denim-clad thighs.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me." Melanie smiled, cocking her head to the side.

If there was one thing Melanie loved doing to Rio was acting like a smartass. Melanie knew he couldn't stand it when she did it, but she gave zero fucks. Her former lover would not waltz into her business and ask for help when Rio hadn't spoken to his daughter in almost a year. Hell, he even missed her fourth birthday. Their daughter asked about him constantly, and Melanie was starting to run out of answers to tell her.

"Listen, Melanie. I need your help." Rio sighed, running his hands over his face.

"Why are these associates having trouble getting your money?" Melanie asked, arching a shaped eyebrow curiously.

"They robbed a grocery store where my workers were washing the money," Rio replied, licking his lips as he stared at his former lover.

Upon hearing that, Melanie burst out laughing. "Who the fuck robs a grocery store?"

"Someone in desperate need of money," Rio replied, rubbing the growing hair on his chin.

"Fucking exactly." Melanie laughed, nodding her head. The room fell silent as Melanie stared at the ceiling contemplating if she should help her baby daddy with whatever business he has going on right now. A sigh escaped her nose before speaking, "So if I do decide to help you, how will it benefit our child and me?"

A grin appeared on his face at the mention of his daughter Avani. "More money in your bank account."

At that sound, Melanie had to consider at least showing up and seeing what he needed her help for. "If I wanted to help you, what would you like me to do?"

"Help them get me my money by a deadline," Rio replied, leaning his arms on the table.

"What's the deadline?" Melanie asked, copying Rio's movements.

"I'm giving them two months to get my money," Rio answered, rubbing his cheek with his thumb.

"How much?" Melanie questioned, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Three hundred thousand." Melanie's baby daddy replied, nibbling the inside of his cheek.

"It's not impossible, but it will be hard." Melanie sighed, calculating the math in her mind. "Okay, I'll help you. Give me the address to meet you, and I'll be there in the morning."

"Thank you, mama, I appreciate it." Rio praised, standing to his feet. As he got ready to leave, he allowed Mick to exit the room first, but before walking out the door, Rio stopped and turned to his former lover. "Did I ever tell you how sexy you look?"

"Every time you see me, but flattery won't get you anywhere with me," Melanie remarked, cocking her head to the side as she smirked at her ex-lover.

   Rio couldn't help but smile at Melanie's words knowing she was lying through her teeth. "I'll text you the address later. See you tomorrow, mama."

   Upon hearing that nickname, Melanie's stomach erupted in butterflies. She didn't know how to respond to him. Hell, whenever he called her that, she became weak in the knees. Rio knew how to make her melt into a puddle, whether in public or the bedroom. If you ask Melanie, she might say she has a voice kink but only for Rio.

   The hold that man has on her is embarrassing. There were nights they shared when he'd talk her to an orgasm, and she'd come undone at the snap of his fingers. Melanie didn't know how she would last when meeting Rio tomorrow. She might jump his bones and fuck him like she wanted to do when she saw him sitting across from her. With a sigh, Melanie counted to ten before exiting the conference room and returning to her office.

   A sigh escaped Melanie's mouth as she made her way to the elevator. Not only did her feet ache, but she felt drained and exhausted. After her ''meeting'' with Rio, she had three more, which were close to four hours long. All Melanie wanted to do was go home, shower, cuddle her baby girl, and sleep. The metal double doors opened, and Melanie stepped on the machine and pressed the button for the garage level.

As she waited, she leaned against the wall when her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming message. Melanie pulled it out of her bag to see a text from Rio.

Satan - 9041 Southside Blvd.

Okay, I'll see you there.

Satan - Thank you again, Mel.

Mhmm.

   The elevator dinged, allowing the elevator doors to open. Melanie entered the parking garage and saw her driver Shaniyah standing outside the car as she stepped off the machine.

"Long day?" Shaniyah questioned, opening the back passenger door.

"You have no idea." Melanie sighed, climbing inside and fastening her seatbelt.

   Melanie leaned against the soft white seats and relaxed as Shaniayh drove her home. Arriving at home Melanie's driver opened the door, letting her out of the vehicle.

"Get some sleep, miss." Shaniyah politely replied, smiling at her boss.

"Trust me. I will." Melanie laughed as she stepped out. "Be here in the morning, please. We're going on a little getaway."

"You got it, Ms. Cameron." Shaniyah nodded, closing the door. She went to the driver's side and drove away.

   Melanie unlocked the front door to her six-bedroom, seven-bathroom, two-story house, and her three years old American Bully, Chapo, trotted over to her wagging his tail. Chapo was gifted to her by Rio when he was eight weeks old as a birthday gift.

   Rio felt she needed extra protection while living in a big house with their daughter. She scratched behind his ears before entering the living room and seeing her nanny Dominique sitting on the sofa with Avani watching cartoons.

"Hello, Ms. Cameron." Dominique greeted, smiling at the young adult.

"Hey, Dominique. How was she today?" Melanie asked, sitting next to the pair. She smiled at her daughter, hugging her and kissing her cheek.

"Avani was good like always. Not an ounce of trouble." The teen replied, shaking her head.

"That's good. I'll transfer your payment to your account." Melanie said, patting the girl on the shoulder. "Oh, and I'll pay you for the time being. I'm taking Avani to my mother's house while I'm out of town."

"Okay, have a good evening." Dominique smiled, stood up from the sofa, and retrieved her things. "Thank you, Ms. Cameron."

   After her exit, Melanie picked up Avani, carried her to her bedroom, and laid her on the bed. "G'night, mommy."

"Goodnight, baby." Melanie smiled, kissing her daughter's forehead.

As Avani rolled over and went to sleep, Melanie turned on the night light before exiting the toddler's bedroom. Upon entering her sanctuary, she ran herself a nice hot shower. While the water temperature raised, Melanie gathered her routine nighttime essentials before stepping inside the glass enclosure. The water felt so amazing, hitting her slightly sore skin, and all of today's stress rolled away. After standing under the stream of water, Melanie washed and stepped out, wrapping a fluffy white towel around herself.

While she stood in the mirror, Melanie began her nighttime skincare routine because self-care is important. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and moisturized her body, smelling like shea cocoa butter and vanilla. As Melanie got ready for bed, she made a mental note to pack her and Avani's things when she got up in the morning. Grabbing her phone, she sent a text to her assistant Noémi.

Cancel any appointments I have for the next two months.

Noémi⭐️ - Yes, boss lady.

Also, you're off until I return. I'll double your pay.

Noémi⭐️ - Of course, Ms. Cameron.

Turning off the lamp on her side table, Melanie turned over and went for a much-needed sleep.