Daddy Lessons (Nicki Minaj x Beyoncé)

Chapter 17

Nicki's POV

I was lounging, pretty relaxed for the first time in awhile. Ri had given me a cigar upon request, and as I gently smoked it as I lay in her lap, I realized what this was. It was a power complex. Rihanna was scary on her own (then again, so was I), but sitting in a large lounge dressed like a crime boss and smoking through a cigarette holder. She was just a little intimidating. 

But then again, I felt like her bitch in a certain sense. To an extent, I was, but I couldn't be less bothered by that right now. Content, at least, was what I was.

I didn't say a word as she smoked gently, puffing out small smoke clouds until her phone buzzed. I felt it too, and she answered quickly in a soft voice. At that, I got up and made my way to get a new drink. As I sat myself at the bar, ordering something on a tab I had picked up from a name earlier, I got my new drink and stayed silent until I felt the presence next to me. 

It was the scent that gave it away. 

It had the powerful feel of cologne, but it was at the same time a delicate and subdued lavender mixed with jasmine. I didn't have to look over to know who it was, but at the same time I wasn't sure I really wanted to talk to the owner of the scent at this certain point in time. 

"There's someone from New York calling for you," Sasha murmured in the relatively quiet of the lounge.

Admittedly, I choked on my drink. 

"He said his name was Drake, and he wanted to make sure you were okay."

At that point, I had calmed down. But the knowledge that Drake was concerned about me made me uneasy. I'd liked him, sure, and Mill had always been annoyed at how close out relationship was and could be, but that wasn't the main issue at the moment. Drake knew where I was, which wasn't surprising somehow. But still, I was glad to know that at least someone from home still cared about me.

"If we can get to New York," I said carefully, "I'll try to meet him at some point. I always did like him."

"We will get to New York. Chicago never lasts long... You two were close?"

"Yeah, we were really close..." I mused, trying not to think about the situations that arose that led to us getting so close, but to digress, at least.

Sasha nodded. "I'll let him know when we get closer that we'll be there, yeah?"

"Please."

She paused for a long moment, giving me a once over as she chose her words extra carefully. I could tell by the perplexed look on her face that she was trying to say nothing that could potentially set me off.

"Well, how are you liking our girls? I hope that you're at least finding them to be good as sisters."

"Stacy seemed a little off to me," I admitted. "But other than that, they're all amazing girls."

Sasha nodded with a small grin. "That's good to hear," she purred gently. Though she opened her mouth to speak, she didn't say anything and instead looked behind me.

It took me a minute before I followed her gaze over to Rihanna coming back over, lacking a smile on her face and a cigar in her fingers. That couldn't mean anything good. 

"Our flight's been bumped up," she told us. "We're leaving tonight for Chicago."