Page 43 of Brown Sugar
“But I’ll be recognized.”
That’s true. Even yesterday when we were briefly on the street, people noticed her within seconds. Part of the curse of being a worldwide superstar.
Kiana snaps her fingers. “I might have one of Amari’s wigs in my luggage. She has so many for her clients. Pretty sure the one I have packed has bangs.”
“Pair that with some shades, and it might be good enough.”
Kiana beams, then springs out of my lap to check her luggage. “You were right. We’ll never know ’til we try.”
Hours later, we’re on the streets of London, hand-in-hand, as I do as promised. I show Kiana a good, low-key time. She’s in her sister’s wavy wig, the bangs covering her brow, and we’re both in big shades.
The drizzle’s stopped for the time being, in typical British fashion.
We ride a double decker bus for the novelty of it. Kiana gets a kick out of the ride, insisting we sit up top as she pulls out her phone and snaps photos. She’s practically bouncing in her seat as we pull up outside Buckingham Palace and she points out the royal guards posted by the gates.
We get off the bus just so she can have a closer look.
“Go ahead, princess,” I say, motioning at her. “Go stand near them. I’ll take your picture.”
Kiana’s smile is bright and beautiful as she throws up a peace sign and I snap her photo. Even with her disguise, she shines through as gorgeous as ever.
It’s the kind of picture of a woman that would make a man save it as the wallpaper on his phone. I’m tempted as she bounces over for a look at my screen.
I just might anyway.
We move on from Buckingham Palace to other tourist spots like Westminster Abbey and eventually a boat ride on the Thames River. Kiana snuggles up to me as we sail across the water and it starts drizzling again.
We grab lunch at a local pub off a side street near Piccadilly Circus. Kiana removes her sunglasses with a paranoid glance around, but I use my body to block her as much as possible at the small table we’re seated at.
“Don’t worry, princess. The first sign somebody recognizes you, I’ll get you out of here.”
“Today’s already been amazing. The best day off I’ve ever had.”
Pride beats through me, knowing I’ve shown her such a good time.
At the same time, I can’t help being pissed the fuck off at Tommy, her label, and everybody else in her life that’s allowed her to be worked so damn hard, she’s rarely had time off. She’s barely had any time to enjoy herself.
“You’ve been to London before…”
She shrugs and picks at the leftover chips on her plate. “I have. Many times. But I’ve never really had the time to explore the city like today. I’ve always been preparing for a performance or an event.”
“They should be ashamed of themselves.”
“What about you, Tyson?” she asks. “You’ve done so much traveling throughout your career, right?”
I spend a couple minutes telling her about some of my past clients, who I’ve followed all around the world.
“But you still haven’t tried all these delicacies!” she laughs. “What a waste!”
I chuckle along. “I told you. Meat and potatoes are all I need.”
She gasps, her eyes rounding. “We have to have Indian for dinner!”
What princess wants, princess gets.
We move on from our lunch at the discreet pub to explore more of London. Late into the afternoon, we’re riding the double decker bus that Kiana’s come to enjoy so much, stopping by various locations like Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London.
We snag a pod on the London Eye and view the world-famous city from four hundred feet in the air. Day fades to dusk as Kiana rests her head on my shoulder and sighs contently. I already know what she’s thinking, because I’m thinking the same—why does today have to end?