That Bona Fide Hood Love

by Shvonne Latrice

  “It’s fine. What are you doing here? Don’t you have work?”

  “I do, but I wanted to visit my fiancée first. Also,” he reached into his pocket, “I heard you’ll need some car keys today.” He dangled the keys to a Lexus before dropping them into my open hand.

  “I was gonna take an Uber, baby.”

  “Why, when I have two cars? Plus, it seems you and my brother got along quite well last night, to the point where he’s asked you to design a logo.” Jamal grinned.

  “Last night?”

  Did he know? If so, what kind of freaky ass brothers were they? What if this was the plan all along? To get me here and keep me as some sex slave between the two of them. What the fuck?

  “Yeah. He told me you brought him cookies, you guys started talking logos, and you agreed to draw one up.”

  “Right, yeah. I wanted to thank him for getting rid of Theo.”

  There was an awkward silence before Jamal took my hands into his, “I’m not that type of guy. I don’t beat people up or threaten them when I don’t get my way. My brother and I are totally different people. I don’t know how it happened because we have the exact same parents, but we’re like night and day. I don’t even like the clothes he wears on off days.”

  I giggled softly, taking in what Jamal said. I liked Jamal’s sweetness, but I couldn’t deny the fact that Kaseem was so attractive, physically, and the way he handled himself. I could do without him being an asshole, but I was starting to see he had a slightly different side to him. The Kaseem I’d been getting to know would’ve never come over to apologize, let alone make me cum.

  “I know how you are, and I like it.”

  “You sure?”

  “I am.” I nodded.

  “Good, because I want you to meet my parents. Don’t be nervous about it. They’re dope people.”

  I would much rather sever my own foot than meet Jamal’s parents. This shit we were in was going way too fast, and after what happened between Kaseem and me, I felt guilty. I didn’t deserve Jamal, and I didn’t deserve to be the woman he brought home to his parents.

  “Am I the first to meet them?” I poured the over easy eggs onto my plate after turning the burner off.

  “Yeah, you are. So they already know you’re special.” He kissed me. “I have to go though, so see you later tonight.”

  “Yep.”

  I watched Jamal leave before sitting down with my breakfast to eat. My appetite was barely there, but I force fed myself because I knew I’d be starving later if I didn’t. Additionally, I didn’t know how long I was gonna be at the Opulence headquarters, and I was sure Kaseem had no plans of feeding me. I just prayed he liked this damn logo so I could get some money. It would be the first time I got paid a nice amount for my work.

  Just as I cleaned up my plates and glass of water, my phone started ringing. I got nervous at the sight of Jane’s name up on the screen, waiting for me to answer it. I knew I couldn’t dodge her, so I took a breath then scooped up my iPhone to answer it.

  “Hey, Jane, how—”

  “Where are you, Kasslyn? You were supposed to be back already.”

  “Yes, I know, but Jamal and I got caught up with—”

  “What did I explain to you recently, Kasslyn?”

  “Uh—”

  “That this is not a matchmaking service. You do not get caught up with clients. You’re not on a honeymoon; you are working. Now, he needs to pay an overage fee.” Jane was pissed, and even though she had reason to be, her attitude was a bit overboard.

  “Jane.” I chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry, but you’re acting like I’m the first girl to do something like this.”

  “I know you’re not the first to overstay, but you’re the first I’ve had to worry about falling for a client in almost five years. It never ends well. These men are playing a role just like you are, and you may believe they want you, but they don’t. As soon as you leave their side, they don’t even think about you. You’re setting yourself up to get your little heart broken. No man will take an escort seriously.”

  I closed my eyes as I sat back down at the table, listening to Jane rant. She made it clear and embedded in our heads on the daily how no man in their right minds would think of marrying or even pursuing a woman with our occupation. I didn’t know if she was trying to protect us from heartbreak as she claimed, or if she wanted to keep us working for her by making us believe we were less than.

  “Jane, I get that, but I have something to tell you. Jamal has asked me to marry him. Not only that, I agreed, and me being away with him is not temporary. I’ve moved in. Well, not all the way because I still have stuff at your building, but I’ll be picking that up in the next couple of days. So you see, this is not some one-sided thing here.” Nothing was said for longer than usual, so I asked, “Hello?”

  “Yes, I’m here.” Jane inhaled and exhaled heavily. “So what you’re saying is you’re quitting?”

  “Well yeah. Being married and working as an escort is kind of like trying to mix oil and water.” I giggled, but as expected, Jane gave me nothing.

  “Kasslyn, how will you make money?”

  “Uh, well, right now, Jamal will take care of me. His support will give me the opportunity to enroll in design school.”

  “You’re leaving behind your own money to depend on a man? You kind of sound like your mother.”

  The mention of my mother almost caused me to stop breathing because it was so out of left field.

  “I am not like my mother. Do not speak on my mother.” I gritted my teeth as I glared at the refrigerator like it was Jane.

  I wasn’t too much of the fighting type whether it be verbally or physically, but all of that went out the window when it came to my mama. She was the only person I had ever loved, truly, because Elliot was a facade.

  “Honey, I didn’t mean to upset you or be offensive. I just don’t want you to depend on a man. That’s how they gain control over you. Do you really want to have to contact Mr. Banks every time you need money? Like a child?”

  “No, I don’t.” I was still pissed off about her bringing my mama up, so I was breathing slowly, trying to keep calm.

  “I didn’t think so. You’re a hustler. Now, I know you’re engaged and blah blah, but I have a client for you that you can’t turn down.”

  “Ja—”

  “He’s a basketball player: Larry Humphrey.”

  “Larry Humphrey?”

  “Yes. I said the same thing when his assistant contacted me. Now this is very discreet. They want someone with class, but who is also fun, and you were the first person I thought of.”

  I was conflicted as hell right now. I knew a client like Larry would be paying top dollar; however, how could I work while being the fiancée of Jamal? And Kaseem was already suspicious of me, so this would only heighten that.

  “I don’t know, Jane. I am going to need to think.”

  “Alright. You have a couple days. He’s still out of town.”

  “Okay. I will be over here until then.”

  “Fine.” Jane scoffed before quickly hanging up.

  I collected my thoughts then went to get my purse and put on my shoes before leaving.

  The ride to Opulence felt good, mainly because I was pushing this smooth Lexus. I had a license, from when Allen paid for my driving school, and even let me take the test in his car. I myself had always ridden my bike because it was all I had. And the clients I serviced always either sent a car or drove me around themselves.

  By saying that, I felt so free taking myself somewhere in a vehicle.

  I made it to Opulence and let the lady in the ticket box know who I was here to see. She confirmed my name was on the list and then gave me a sticker to put in my windshield to keep my car from being towed after parking.

  The lot was huge, and so was the tall building with Opulence in gold, written along the top portion. After parking near the entrance, the lady from earlier told me to go through. I collected my purse and
laptop before heading inside. The security up front directed me to the 15th floor, and I was in awe, admiring the hallways.

  “Hello, my name is Kasslyn, and I am here to see Mr. Banks.”

  “Which one?” the secretary inquired, eyeing me. I saw her nameplate on the desk read Alexis.

  “Sorry. Kaseem Banks.” I smiled, but she was still cold, typing away.

  After staring at the computer screen for way too damn long, she said, “Yes, I see you here. Have a seat, and someone will come get you in a moment.”

  “Sure thing.”

  As soon as I sat down, crossing my legs, I noticed the secretary watching me as she picked up the phone. She was speaking lowly, obviously trying to keep me from hearing what she was saying.

  “Hi, do you have an appointment?” A pretty brown-skinned woman walked out. She wore a blue skirt suit, with a Chanel pin on one of the lapels. Her hair was in a slick, long ponytail, and she reminded me a lot of Gabrielle Union in Two Can Play That Game.

  “Yeah. Actually, I’ve already checked in.” I pointed to Alexis who gave the woman an insincere smile.

  “I see.” The Gabrielle Union replica turned away from Alexis. “What is it that you’re here for?”

  “To see Mr. Banks; Kaseem. I’m designing a logo for him.”

  With her perfect eyebrow raised, she asked, “You are?”

  “Yes. He asked me to, so I’m just here to show him the finished product.” I lowered my lids because she was just staring down at me, not saying anything.

  “I’m sorry. I’m Everly Jones.” She reached her hand down to shake mine. “I’m in charge of marketing, so I usually get wind of these types of things. Why don’t you walk with me?”

  “Sure.”

  I stood up, gathering my things, and then trailed Everly to the back.

  “So you design logos a lot?” Everly briefly looked over her shoulder at me as we walked. She was a nice height, maybe five ten. She could surely be a model with her pretty face and tiny frame. Her butt wasn’t flat, however.

  “Well, I do computer design. I usually draw up pictures on the computer, but never any logos.”

  “So this is your first? You have no experience?”

  “I guess I don’t. But I’m great at drawing on the computer and on paper.” I quickly defended my credentials.

  “Uh huh.” Everly eyed me suspiciously once we reached a big brown door with Kaseem’s name on it. Gripping the knob tightly, Everly put her finger up and said, “Give me one moment…”

  “Kasslyn Collins.”

  “Kasslyn Collins. I just want to let him know you’re here.”

  “Okay.” I watched as Everly kept one hand on the knob and used the other to knock on the door.

  Kaseem

  “Who is it?” I called out when I heard someone knocking on my office door.

  I checked the time on my watch and noticed Kasslyn’s ass was supposed to be here al-fucking-ready. I was slightly irritated that she wasn’t because my time was valuable as fuck, but also because for some odd muthafuckin reason, I wanted to see her.

  “Everly.”

  “Come on.”

  I stared down at the documents on my desk as I listened to Everly enter my office, before closing the door behind herself. Once she neared me, I looked up, smiling at how sexy her ass looked.

  “There is a Kasslyn Collins out there to meet you about a logo.” Everly cocked her head, folding her arms across her chest.

  “Oh cool. Bring her back here to me.”

  Chuckling, Everly replied, “I’m sorry. I just thought that any meetings with designers would be booked by me.”

  “I own this shit though, so I can do whatever the fuck I feel is necessary.”

  “I know. I know that. It’s just we have a system, Kaseem. And where did you even find her? She said she’s never designed a logo before.”

  “She’s my brother’s fiancée.”

  Everly paused, letting her brows dip between her eyes momentarily.

  “Jamal? Jamal is getting married?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I hope so. She’s a very pretty girl, and I just find it odd that you found her all of a sudden. You know… I could just go ask Jamal if he has a fiancée named Kasslyn Collins.”

  “Do whatever the fuck you gotta do, but first, bring Kasslyn back here so she can show me her work.”

  Everly rolled her eyes and made an about face before going to open my office door. She did a waving motion seconds before Kasslyn entered, looking as pretty as always. Her hair hung down messily, framing her perfect ass chocolate face. She was hugging her computer while smiling at me, with her weird ass.

  “Good morning. Sorry I’m a little late. Actually, I’ve been here. I just had to wait.”

  “You good. Let’s go sit over there.” I stood up and gestured toward the area of my office with couches and a coffee table. Kasslyn and I sat down, and I noticed Everly joining us. “Nah, we good.”

  “You don’t think I should be here, Mr. Banks? I mean, I should have some input. I specialize in what catches the customer’s eye. That’s why you hired me.”

  “If I thought yo’ ass should be here, I wouldn’t have told you to bounce.”

  “I just think—”

  “Miss Jones, go.” I stared deeply into Everly’s eyes, making her shoot up from the couch angrily and stare at Kasslyn for a second. She then stormed her extra ass out of my office, slamming the door.

  I would handle her ass later. Everly usually never acted out, so that little show she just performed had me hot low-key.

  “Is that your girlfriend or something?” Kasslyn asked, opening her laptop and signing in.

  “Nah, I’m single. She just works for me, ain’t you hear her say that?”

  “I did hear her say that, but she’s been giving me the evil eye ever since she found out I was here to see you.”

  “She just ain’t like the fact that she didn’t know about this meeting. This is kind of her thing. But shit, I run this muthafucka. I do what I want when needed.” I sat back, admiring Kasslyn’s cute ass as she moved around on the computer, before pulling up the files she was looking for.

  “Okay, here is what I have. I gave you two color variations because I didn’t know which color from your company’s theme you wanted to be the main.”

  Sitting up, I looked deeply at the screen in awe. I was low-key hoping her ass came through here with some bullshit so I could rip her the fuck apart, but it was nice as fuck. I was never a hater ass nigga, so I had to be honest. Plus, I wanted this shit.

  “I want them both. We can use them for different things. Sometimes the lighter shit may work better than the darker one.”

  “Wow, okay. So you’re going to use them?” she asked excitedly, making me chuckle and nod.

  “Yeah. What’s yo’ fee?”

  “Uh, I’m not really sure because I’ve never had a job this big. The most I’ve ever gotten was like $100 to design a YouTube banner.”

  “Aight. Well the last nigga that did this shit for me, I paid them $10,000, simply because the logo will be used everywhere and seen on billboards and shit. But since we got two, I will double it.” I got up to get my business checkbook, waiting for Kasslyn’s response, but it was quiet.

  “No, no, that’s too much.”

  “It’s not too much. It’s standard. You gotta learn to charge for your hard ass work, Kasslyn.” I sat down, opening the checkbook. “Can’t go through life trying to be nice and letting muthafuckas have shit for free. The money I’m gon’ make using the logo is gonna surpass the amount I’m paying, so take it, aight?” I ripped it off and slid it across the desk.

  “Yes, thank you. I’m sorry. I just don’t know much about business. I’ve never really had time to figure that out.” She folded the check after staring at it for a minute, and then shoved it down into her jean pocket.

  “Well if you gon’ be doing shit like this, then you have to be mindful. Use this price I paid as a model for
whatever other job you do.”

  “I will.” She grinned before looking around my big ass office. “Why do you need so much building space for this company?”

  “We only use the 15th to the 20th floor. The rest of the floors I lease out to other companies and shit. Nice way to make money.” I got up, removing my suit jacket. Sitting down on the edge of my desk, I added, “The way to get rich is by having multiple streams of income.”

  Kasslyn nodded, walking to one of the large windows that overlooked the city.

  “You have Opulence, this building… and something with Jane.” She turned to look at me over her shoulder. The sun beaming through the window made her look like a fucking angel or some shit.

  “What I got with Jane?” I smirked.

  Kasslyn shrugged. “Not sure, but I know it’s something. Or is she your girlfriend?”

  “The fuck?” I jerked my neck back, and Kasslyn burst into laughter. “Hell nah she ain’t my damn girlfriend. I fuck her when I can’t find nothing else.”

  “Do you ever filter your thoughts?”

  “Nah, not really.” I got up, moving her way, and I could tell she was getting nervous as fuck.

  “What other streams of income do you have?” She slipped around me.

  I chuckled at her skittish behavior as I shoved my hands down into my pockets.

  “A lot of things.”

  “Are you a drug dealer?”

  “Damn, you all in my fucking business. Fuck make you think I’m a drug dealer?”

  “I don’t know. You seem like you’d be a good one. Like you got some hood in you. I can tell this is all a reformed version of Kaseem Banks.”

  I ran my tongue across my lips, watching Kasslyn as she smiled brightly.

  “If I was, would you have let me eat yo’ pussy?”

  Her pretty smile dissipated that quickly at the sound of my question.

  “I think maybe we should tell Jamal what happened between us. He’s so sweet to me, and I feel horrible for what I did. Don’t you?”

  “Horrible? Nah.”

  “He’s your brother, and I’m his fiancée. You should feel bad!”