16. A JEALOUS, JEALOUS MAN.
"Now, all I'm sayin' is that if you move the vocals above the mix-"
Lucious had called on his wife's help with a new female artist that was bossier than Tiana and Veronica combined - if that was even possible - but in his desperation, he had forgotten what a musical control freak his woman was. Truthfully, he had called her in to shout at the new girl a little to scare her into submission, but in true Cookie fashion, she had completely taken over. She had even had the audacity to try and poach the artist for Bossy Media but Lucious had shut that down just as fast as it had begun, against Cookie's protests.
Lucious hummed, genuinely listening to her advice on how to take the artist's sound to the next level, as they strolled to the exit of Empire. He draped the fur coat, she had given to him after claiming she wasn't cold, over her shoulders when he noticed goosebumps peppering along her arms. Cookie tutted but didn't bother to protest, knowing that she was chilly.
When they went to swipe their cards across the scanner, Lucious stopped sucking the red lolly in his mouth and froze when he heard Cookie excitedly call out; "Malcolm?" Lucious' eyes narrowed at the sight of the man that had once had his woman and shook with anger. What the hell was he doing here?
"Ms. Lyon," Malcolm greeted, professionally, bowing his head, politely. Cookie sighed at his formality. After what they had done in that cabin some years ago, they were definitely on first-name basis. "Mr. Lyon." He nodded his head in acknowledgment when his firm gaze moved to Lucious.
Before Lucious could speak, Cookie slid in front of Lucious and tilted her head to the side. "Mr. Deveaux, we know each other too well to be on last name basis." she professed. Lucious' nose scrunched. "Call me Cookie." She insisted. Was she flirting? Lucious pondered, getting angry. Lucious weighed out his options; if he got his security to throw Malcolm's ass off the premises, he would likely be on the receiving end of one of Cookie's heavy-handed hits, however, he wasn't about to watch his woman grinning in the face of another man.
"It's Mrs. Lyon." Lucious corrected, finally speaking. Cookie craned her neck to peer up at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Me and Cookie got married. She's my wife," he growled out, possessively, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her back into his chest.
Malcolm's eyes dipped down to the flashy wedding rings while Cookie glared at her husband, silently telling him to drop his petulant attitude. "My apologises, sir. Congratulations."
"Third time's a charm." Cookie joked with a smile. Lucious chuckled as he slowly caressed her sides through the tight leopard dress hanging to her luscious curves. He grinned when he felt her shiver against him because of his sensual touch. "So, what are you doing here?"
"My daughter just signed a record deal here, apparently." Lucious didn't miss the distaste in his tone.
Oh? I didn't realise you had a daughter." Cookie cocked her head to the side. That had been something he failed to mention when they had been together. "What's her name?" she inquired. "You should've brought her to Bossy." Lucious sucked his teeth, warranting a discreet slap to the arm.
"Nella." he answered with a softened voice as he thought fondly of his child. "She lives with her Mom, but she was insistent on spending the summer with me." He disclosed. "It seems I underestimated her passion for music," he clicked his tongue. "As first chance she got she came...here," Lucious' eyes narrowed. "To get signed."
"Oh, Nella?" Cookie's eyes widened with recognition. "We were just working with her," Cookie exclaimed, gesturing between her and Lucious. She knew the girl looked familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint where she knew her from, but of course, now, it was clear. "She has true talent. You should be proud."
