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+ 10

"You don't know how to dress casually do you?" Ladie commented as soon as I opened the front door of my villa to let her in. Her hips were exposed in the jumpsuit she wore, a black bikini or black lingerie underneath the mesh fabric. Her hair was done, her edges perfect, and she had a light beat on her face.

"I thought I looked fine," I shrugged, closing the door behind her.

She eyed a dirty sock on the floor. Judging by the size of it, the owner had to be me.

"I think you should invest in a maid too. C'mon, let me help you out." Ladie followed me to my bedroom, walking past Cielo in her room, coloring with Adore.

"You do look fine. You're one of the cutest studs in town, but an outfit can always raise or drop you on a scale of 1-10. Maintenance gives you a lot of points, whether you're ugly or not. I'm always telling the girlies on my YouTube channel that," Ladie advised, "Details matter. Hair matters. Outfits matter."

"So what am I right now?"

"Honey, the scale is hanging off your ass," Ladie started tugging my shirt up. I took it off for her, going to strip off the rest of my clothes. "You're good at dressing comfy, and you're good at dressing formal. That's it. You have no in between or upside down," Ladie shrugged, "And you certainly can't dress for a party."

"Are we done bashing Ny? Or is there more?" I rolled my eyes.

"Just bringing some things to light," she shrugged.

Ladie went through my closest and produced some cargo pants and a tee shirt. "Where is your jewelry and your shoes and shit?"

"This ain't a fashion show. I'm just there to have fun," I complained.

"How are you going to ever find someone if you're either dressed up like you're going to meet the president or dressed like you rolled out of bed?"

"I don't know," I snapped, "Maybe I'll find someone who accepts me as I am instead of dressing as someone else."

"You're always so quick to get angry," she argued, "I thought you wanted to...never mind. Do what you want," she shrugged, walking away.

"Woulda sworn she was my bitch," I mumbled.

I put back on the clothes I originally wore: a ski mask (snug on my head), a tan shirt, and some black jeans. You know how you feel weird putting your clothes back on, that's how I feel now. I met Ladie in the hallway, a sour expression on her face. I'll make it up to her on our drive to Houston. She knows that I will.

"Saying goodbye to Cielo first or what?"

"Yeah. She's kind of in a little funk with me. Just wait in da car," I told Ladie.

"Okay. I'm texting everybody that we on the way."

"Got it," I agreed, making my way to my daughter's room.

I poked my head in, spotting Cielo on the floor with some toys. I rubbed my arm where my father had left his mark on me, watching her play. "Cielo?"

Every time she looked up at me I expected to hear her say something. Anything. Now as her dark eyes meet mine, I wonder if she would call me a monster.

"I'm heading out with one of my friends. Her name's Ladie. Remember her?"

Cielo nodded slowly, her eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't hiding that she was still upset with me.

"I should be back by tomorrow," I added.

She looked down, bouncing her toy up and down.

"You'll be nice to Adore, right? And then to Madame Michel in the morning."