by K. C. Mills
I glanced at Sky who was now attentively awaiting my answer, hoping that I would discuss my run-in with Jace.
“It’s nothing, we can talk later. Sky, will you go get the clothes ready for my afternoon appointments. I have a few things I need to discuss with Jacob,” I said knowing that she wasn’t going to be happy about it.
“Sure thing boss,” she said with a little too much attitude, but I chose to let it go. Aside from the fact that Sky was a getting too friendly with Hakeem, she was also starting to work my nerves with her work ethic, or lack thereof of. I didn’t feel like she would be around much longer. It might mean more work for Jacob and I, but I was willing to struggle through it if it meant having peace of mind.
I waited patiently for Sky to leave before I moved to the door, closed it and then sat down again behind my desk again. Jacob watched me the entire time and the second I was in my chair again, he looked at me with a smirk. “Okay, spill love.”
I just laughed because he was so serious. “How do you even know I have anything to spill?” I said.
“Because I know you love. I can read you like a book so let’s hear it. Who or what has gotten under your skin? Is it the green-eyed bandit? Is she after our man again?”
“No dang, and what do you mean again? We never had any proof that she was after my man in the first place,” I said, causing Jacob to offer an unwavering look of disbelief before he continued.
“Well then what’s going on?”
“Jace was here,” I said and then searched Jacobs face while I waited for a reaction.
“Mmm, I hate that I missed that but, that’s just me,” he said with a seductive grin. “So what did I miss?”
“He was flipping out about me being with Hakeem and basically telling me that he always gets what he wants, and apparently I’m what he wants,” I said with a frown.
“Girl, you must have some potent stuff between those legs of yours because you have all these gorgeous men under your spell. You might want to think about bottling that good-good, and selling it on to the highest bidder.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes at Jacob. “I just can’t with you. Will you please be serious. I don’t trust him; I mean, he never seemed like the dangerous type but something about the way he acted had me questioning his sanity. It was weird.”
“Girl please, Jace wouldn’t hurt a fly. I don’t think he would know how to, but if you’re worried just tell tall, dark and edible and I’m sure he’ll handle it for you,” Jacob said with a little too much excitement. We had never really discussed Hakeem’s lifestyle, and as far as anyone was concerned he was just a club owner, but it was kind of obvious even if neither of us never admitted to it.
“Yeah, well that’s the last thing I think I need to do. I know exactly how that will turn out,” I said as I considered how Hakeem had already basically threatened Jace’s life if he got anywhere near me.
Just remember what you do in the dark eventually comes to the light love,” Jacob said.
Again I frowned at him. “I’m not doing anything that needs to come to the light,” I said feeling slightly offended.
“You’re keeping secrets, same difference love,” Jacob said and winked at me before he removed his bony rear end off of my desk and moved to the door like he was walking a runway. I had to admit he had a point, but I wasn’t quite ready to have that conversation with Hakeem just yet. I didn't want Jace’s blood on my hands and that was the only way I could see that going. So for now, I chose to leave it alone and as long as Jace kept his distance then I planned on leaving it that way.
-8-
Hakeem
“One week, are you ready?” Rasta asked as he looked out across the block at a few of his people.
“As ready as I can be. This shit is new to me.”
Rasta laughed before he focused on me. “Shit, your ass better be ready. The entire fucking city is coming out next weekend. My sister be on her shit, bruh. She goes hard.”
“No pressure right,” I said and laughed.
“You know me; I don’t sugar coat shit. Legendary is the hottest shit right now and you haven’t even opened the doors yet, Keem. What’s fucking with that? Check this shit out.” Rasta pulled his phone out his pocket and scrolled through it before extending his arm towards me. I grabbed his phone and checked out the site he pulled up. It was a social page for New York City’s best spots, with a picture of the outside of Legendary. There were thousands of views and comments about people who couldn’t wait for the opening weekend.
“Damn, how long this shit been out there?” I asked handing Rasta back his phone.
“The hell if I know. Sheena just tagged me in that shit last week and told me to make sure I let you see it. She would have hit your ass up too, but you’re not on social media,” Rasta said and then laughed.
“That shit is nothing but trouble,” I said.
“I feel ya bruh, but you better get used to it. Everybody wants to know who the fuck you are. Sheena has everybody thinking that Legendary is being run by a legend, you know people love mystery and shit. You ‘bout to have more pussy on deck than a little bit, so I hope your shit is solid at home otherwise you ‘bout to be knee deep in bullshit.”
“Fuck that, I got enough bullshit without being in the spotlight. To hell with that. I don’t give a fuck if they know my name or not. As long as my shit is making money, then the rest is irrelevant.
Rasta laughed so hard that it made my ass laugh too. “The fuck you laughing at?”
“Your ass, nigga. I hope you don’t think you’re about to run the hottest fucking club in the city without people knowing your name. That shit isn’t happening yo.”
“It’s possible,” I said.
“Yeah, let me know how that shit works out for you,” Rasta said.
“Yo, I’m not fucking with you like that.” I just shook my head because I knew he was right. I had to get used to people knowing my name, but in a different way. They knew me now in ways that made them fear me, but knowing me in connection to the club was on a whole new level. The spotlight was Tay’s thing. I was used to letting her shine while I blended in the back ground, but Legendary was going to push me into the spotlight whether I wanted it or not.
Thirty minutes later, I was walking into Tay’s office. When she felt my presence, she looked up at me and smiled.
“What are you doing here?” she asked after I sat down across from her desk and held my hand out for her to join me. She stood, walked from behind her desk and positioned herself on my lap and let her lips connect with mine, while my hand worked its way up her thigh.
“You smell good,” she said as she let her body relax against mine.
“You taste good,” I replied after I playfully bit her neck. “You busy today?” I asked.
“A little bit why?” she inquired in response.
“Can you get away for lunch?”
“I can do that, just give me a few minutes to finish up some things,” she said.
“Aight, I’m about to make a few phone calls. Hurry up ma. A nigga is on E.” I kissed her on the forehead before she stood up and was behind her desk again.
“I shouldn’t be long,” she said and smiled as she began pecking away on her laptop.
“I’ll be outside.” I stood, retrieving my phone out of my pocket before I smiled at Tay one last time and left her office.
“Did you miss me?” Sky’s voice struck a nerve with me, but at the same time made my body react which had me mad as hell that I was letting her get to me the way she was.
I just looked at her and kept moving towards the front door, and of course, she was right behind me. Fuck!
“Are you really that careless. How the fuck do you plan on explaining to Tay why you’re out here in my face? We’re minutes away from leaving for lunch which means that any second now she’ll be out here.”
“I don’t need to explain anything to her. You’re her man so the explanation needs to come from you, not me,” Sky sai
d as she walked up on me.
My eyes immediately moved to the building behind us to make sure Tasia didn’t pop up on us.
“I need you to understand something, that woman in there is my world. I will not lose her for you or anybody else. Sex is just that… sex, and I’m not losing her over sex.”
“You don’t have to lose her. I don’t want a happily ever after, I just want sex,” Sky said with a seductive grin.
I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. She was playing a game that I knew I couldn’t win with her.
“I’m trying to be patient but you looking like this is making it hard. It’s happening soon Hakeem. Very soon,” she said and then walked away. I watched her body as she pulled the door open and walked inside. She and Tay just missed each other because the second Sky bent the corner to head to her office, Tasia stepped out of hers. This shit was starting to get too intense.
***
“What’s wrong?” Tay looked at me concerned which made me feel like shit, because I was sitting across from her thinking about Sky.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I reached across the table and let my hand cover hers which brought a smile to her face.
“Just wondering. You seem stuck in your thoughts. You’ve been kind of quiet.”
“I’m good, I promise.”
“So are you ready for next week? It’s all everybody has been talking about. All my clients keep asking to be put on the list.” Tay was grinning like a little kid. She was more excited about the club opening than I was.
“I don't know what I am right now. I just hope this shit works. I put a lot of money into it.” I leaned back in my chair and looked around the pizza place we were in, but my eyes immediately focused on a car parked across the street with a familiar person leaning against it. His arms were folded while his eyes were on us.
I glanced at Tay before I pushed my chair back to stand.
“Where are you going?” She looked at me confused as she stood right behind me.
“Stay here.”
“Keem where are you—”
Tasia stopped talking the second she focused on Jace’s bitch ass.
“I said stay here,” I said again, but this time I made eye contact with Tasia to let her know I wasn't playing.
She nodded but didn't speak, and I could see the worry all over her face. I didn't give a fuck. I had already warned him to stay away from Tay, and him being outside the same restaurant we were having lunch in, posted up like he owned the damn world was not a coincidence. It was time for him to meet the real Hakeem.
Jace watched me as I moved across the street in his direction, but just like I thought, his punk ass got in his car and pulled off before I could get to him. All I could think about was rocking the shit out of him to get rid of the smug look on his face. If it wasn’t lunchtime on a busy New York street, I would have had my hand on my piece, but I damn sure wasn't about to go to jail for his bitch ass.
As I stood there watching Jace’s car get smaller the further away it moved down the street, I could feel my heart beating so viciously that I could hear it in my ears. When Tay touched my arm, our bodies almost collided due the to force I used when I turned to face her.
“Are you still fucking with him?” The words flew out my mouth without much thought behind them. It was as if my mind was processing before I had a chance to realize it.
“No, why would you even ask me that?”
“Shit Tay, the fuck you expect me to think. That nigga is following us, or rather following you and then when I try to step to him, he runs like a fucking bitch.” There was so much hate dripping from my voice, but I couldn’t control it. I could see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes but fuck, this shit was her fault.
Tay stood there watching me for a few more seconds, before she turned away from me with so much aggression that her purse swung and hit me.
“Hold on Tay,” I reached for her arm, but she kept moving causing me to have to take a few quick steps to get my hands on her.
“Tasia, chill for a minute, slow your ass down,” I said firmly after I had her by the arm. The way her eyes pierced through me softened my mood just a little, but I was still pissed.
“You’re not about to sit here and accuse me of doing some foul shit and then expect me to act like I’m cool with it. I don’t know why he was out here and I really don’t give a fuck, but what I do care about is how quickly you let the idea that I would know fill your head,” she said.
I couldn’t say shit, because unfortunately she was right. The first thing that popped in my head was that she was fucking around. I still had a good hold on her arm, so I moved closer to her while pulling her into me. “Chill ma, I didn’t mean anything by it. That shit just hit a nerve. You know me Tay, I don’t rock with shit like that.”
She still didn’t say a word, she just looked at me like she wanted to swing on me, which actually had me trying to control the smile that I could feel rising. Tay looked cute as hell, but I knew she was pissed off.
“Can we go?” was all she said after she tried to pull away from me, but I kissed her on the forehead and then her jaw line.
“First tell me you love me?” I looked down at her with a big ass grin.
“Keem, no. Just let me go please.”
“I guess we’ll be standing here all damn day.”
Her stubborn ass just yanked away from me, rolled her eye and stepped into the street to cross it. All I could do was shake my head and laugh as I followed behind her.
Not long after, I pulled up in front of Tay’s office and she opened the door so quick that she damn near fell out.
“Hold on Tay.”
She had half her body already out my truck so she had to turn to look at me. “What?”
“Close the door, I wanna holla at you for a minute before you go,” I said.
“I’m late Keem, I have a client coming in like twenty minutes,” she snapped.
“Close the fucking door, do I look like I give a shit about that?”
She turned her body so that she was inside again and slammed the door.
“Look, I get that you’re pissed but you need to see this shit from my perspective. What if some female was following us, posted up outside a spot where we were chilling? You know damn well your ass would have flipped the fuck out on me and her, so don’t expect me to be all smiles and shit ‘bout that nigga just popping up.”
“But you’re acting like it’s my fault Keem.”
“No, I’m acting like your fucking man. I’m not about to let shit like that fly and I’m telling you now that I’m about to find his ass and check him for that shit.”
Tay looked around before focusing on me again. “Why can’t you just let it go?”
“Because he needs to understand that shit is not gonna happen again.”
“Fine, do whatever you need to do.”
“You worried about that nigga?” I asked.
“No, I’m worried ‘bout you.”
I laughed arrogantly. “The fuck you mean, I’m good Tay. Trust me, I’m not the one you need to be worried about.”
“I have to go, Keem.” Tay lifted her purse off the floor and looked over at me as if waiting to see if I was going to object. I reached over and gently grabbed her chin as I moved in to kiss her.
“You’re stubborn as fuck but I love you and I’m sorry for putting that shit on you. Now your ass better kiss me back, or your client is about to be mad as hell because you’re out here with me instead of in there with them.”
Tay just shook her head and laughed before she leaned in to kiss me this time. “I love you too, but you’re an asshole.”
“It is what it is sometimes.” I chuckled and she opened my truck door again. Once she was on the sidewalk, she shut the door and looked back at me, before she blew me a kiss and then walked towards the building. I waited for her to get inside before I pulled off. I had shit to do and Jace was at the top of my priority list.
I didn’t really have a clue
how to find Jace’s bitch ass, but I knew where to start. When I pulled up at Tay’s old job, I was hoping that her old receptionist was still there. Shorty was feeling me, so I knew that her dumb ass would tell me whatever I wanted to know if I showed her a little attention.
When I walked through the door and she spotted me I flashed her a smile which of course she returned.
“What are you doing here?” she asked a little too giddy as she leaned forward pressing her body against the edge of her desk with her arms folded in front of her.
“I need a little help and I thought you could help me out.” I winked at her and of course she ate that shit up and blushed.
“Anything you need,” she said. I chuckled because women could be so damn gullible. She clearly knew that I was with Tay, but was still willing to do anything to please me, if it meant she had the slightest chance with me.
“I need to find Jace,”
“Jace Bradford?” she was now wearing a slight frown.
“Yeah,” I guessed. I didn’t know shit about him so I couldn’t verify if that was his last name or not.
“Why you looking for Jace?” She gave me a confused look.
“My club opens next week and I needed to holla at him about some business stuff. You should fall through. We open next Saturday and I could use all the beautiful women on hand that I can get.”
Just that easily I won her over. She smiled so big that her damn eyes were almost closed. “I can do that; will I see you there.”
“Of course ma, but you know I’ll be making rounds with it being opening night, but I’ll make sure I show you some love.”
She blushed, “Okay. I’m gonna hold you to that.” She sat back a little and began keying something in her computer. Right after she grabbed a notepad and scribbled a number on it.
“Here’s his number but please don’t tell him I gave it to you.”
“Don’t sweat it ma, I got you. Can I get an address for him?”
She looked at her computer again and then began scribbling down his address, before she tore the sheet off and handed it to me.
“Preciate that baby girl.” Again I winked at her before I turned to leave.