by Tiece
“Well talk,” Brooke said, like she was just ready to get it over with.
“Oh, don’t worry yourself. We will have this conversation tonight when I leave the studio. You lucky that I have something important going on later today or I’d be on my way to your house now.”
Brooke looked over at Toya, who was sitting on the foot of her bed listening. She hit the mute button on her phone quickly and then asked, “Do you think that he knows?”
Toya shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she whispered with a surprised expression on her face. “Hell, ask him. Find out what the hell he wants.”
Brooke unmuted the call and continued like she never left. “This conversation seems like it’s really important from the way you’re acting,” she responded. In her mind, she was still trying to feel him out, but Chase was a hard cookie to crack. “Is there something you want to get off of your chest? You’re acting all mad and shit. For what? I’ve done nothing to you.”
“Yeah well, we’ll see about that,” he said, and with that, he ended their call.
Jeremy just shook his head as he sat there listening. His cousin was certainly bothered to the tenth power, but at least he was willing to put his business before his emotions.
“I’m glad that you’re going to stay and handle business. I know that this is a shocker for you. Hell, it’s a shocker for me too. But, if it helps any, Brooke isn’t your woman anymore. You’ve moved on and anything that Brooke may have done in the past is her business. If she was a prostitute and suck dick while having threesomes for money, then be thankful. She was able to help you start up this company. That’s all that matters.”
Chase cut his eyes over at Jeremy with a disapproving shake of the head. “Cuz, I can’t deal with you right now. Just call me when Yung Gunner shows up.”
Jeremy hopped up out of the chair. “Guess that’s my queue,” he whispered, as he headed towards the office door. “Will do, Cuz. Will do.”
***
A few minutes later, Jeremy was stepping off of the elevator onto the first floor. He was heading in the direction of his office when his cellphone rang. He checked the caller ID to see that it was Toya. Quickly, he answered it.
“Wassup babe?”
“Hey,” Toya spoke. “What are you doing?”
“At the studio working,” he responded. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, just chilling. I was thinking about you and wanted to hear your voice.”
“Well, that was sweet,” Jeremy said with a smile on his face. “It’s good to be hearing your voice,” he added, as he entered his office.
“I was thinking of stopping by the studio to see you,” Toya said.
“Damn, you thinking about me like that?” he pondered, knowing all too well that Toya wouldn’t just show up to the studio to see him. What they had was low-key and neither of them was trying to let people know that they were fucking around. “Wassup with you today? You seem like you’re ready,” Jeremy sang like he was R. Kelly.
Toya grinned. “You always got jokes,” she said. “I just wanted to see you,” she added, but really she just wanted to see what Chase was up to or if Jeremy knew anything that he could tell her that would help Brooke out. “James isn’t here, but Chase is here,” he warned her.
“So what. I could be just stopping by. He doesn’t have to know that we’re kicking it just because he sees me talking to you.”
“You don’t know my cousin. However, my cousin knows me,” Jeremy told her. “But hey, if you missing a nigga that bad, then come on by. I wanna smack that fat ass anyway. For some reason, I’m horny as fuck,” he teased, but the only reason why he was horny as fuck was because of the flick he’d just seen starring Brooke Mendez. For some reason, Brooke reminded him of Toya. It’s no wonder, since they were sisters, but if only Toya sucked dick that good, he’d for sure settle down with her in a heartbeat.
“You’re always horny,” Toya responded to his arrogant comment. “But hell, I am too.”
Jeremy grinned. “I knew you wanted this good dick.”
“Hush, before you don’t get no more of this good pussy,” Toya stated.
“I won’t say another word.”
“Thought you’d see it my way.” Toya laughed. “Give me about an hour.”
“Perfect, I’ll see you then,” Jeremy said, and then they ended their call.
***
“So, what are you planning on doing?” Brooke questioned, as she sat on the edge of her bed biting her nails.
“I don’t know yet. I just want to check out Chase’s demeanor, if possible. Maybe, see if I can get something out of Jeremy. All I know is that I want you to be okay. You’re unpredictable when you’re in your feelings and that can’t be a good thing, especially since you’re pregnant. I don’t need you losing it right now. You have got to hold it together.”
“But, what if he knows?”
“Well, if Q told him about your past, then own up to it. Hell, Chase has left you already anyway. So what, you slept with a few men.”
“Actually, it was more than a few,” Brooke shamefully mumbled, as she continued nipping at her nails.
“Well, more than a few men,” Toya chimed in. “So what. That was in your past. He shouldn’t hold that against you.”
“But he will, and honestly, I think he should,” she said, knowing of the nasty things that she’d done because of an insatiable appetite that she had for sex.
“Brooke, you’re not a bad person. Yes, your past might be a little sketchy, but you’ve changed. You’re not that person anymore. You have a son by the man you love and I think you should fight for your relationship. Chase has gotten a little distracted, but you’re pregnant with his second child; that should count for something. He’s a good guy. He’ll do the right thing,” Toya said, as she stood up and grabbed her Coach purse off the dresser. “Think positive thoughts and don’t stress yourself. If Q had told Chase anything about y’all’s past, he would’ve been over here to straight up front you by now. I don’t care what meeting is on his agenda. He would’ve been here. So, maybe it’s only about you visiting Rayne’s crib this morning. He probably just wants to lay down the law.”
A part of Brooke started to feel a little better. “You know what? You could be right. I’d forgotten about that. I’m sure she went running her mouth and now he has to come to her rescue,” Brooke agreed, but even she wasn’t buying it. It was something about Chase’s tone that was different. So different that she knew he’d found out something and whatever that something was had her scared as hell to face him.
“You’ll be fine, Sissy. Don’t worry,” Toya said, as she headed out of Brooke’s bedroom.
“Yeah, I hope so. I really hope so,” Brooke whispered with a weird feeling in her stomach.
***
Toya knocked lightly on the outside of Jeremy’s office door.
“Come in!” Jeremy called out. He smiled the minute he saw her walk into the room.
“Hey Sugar,” she said with a refreshing smile on her face.
“Well, hey Sexy,” Jeremy responded, as he glanced down at his Rolex. “You’re an hour late.”
“I knooooow,” she dragged. “Ol’ Boy called me to come over right quick. He’s not feeling well, so I took him some cold meds.”
“Ol’ Boy is the reason why you’re an hour late?” he asked, as he sniffed around her neck. “You didn’t give him any, did you?”
“Nooooo,” Toya answered, as the feel of Jeremy’s hand easing up her skirt gave her intense chills inside of her juice box. “He was sick, so I had to make sure that he was good.”
“I feel you,” Jeremy responded. Regardless of what she had going on, he was never going to show any emotion surrounding it. He had too much going on himself to even be remotely bothered by her fucking with some dude that she’d started referring to as Ol’ Boy. Ol’ Boy definitely didn’t have anything on him. “Anyway, you still miss me as much as you pretended while we were on the phone?”<
br />
Toya frowned. “What you mean by pretended?”
Jeremy grinned. “When are you gonna learn that you’re not dealing with a rookie or Ol’ Boy,” he said with sarcasm. “Why are you really here because any other time you don’t want nobody to know that we even talk like that?”
Toya took in a deep breath. It was amazing how Jeremy always read her. She stood there staring at him for a second, just enjoying the view. Finally, she decided to come out with it.
“Well, Brooke is sick.”
“Tell me about it,” Jeremy slid in, causing Toya to roll her eyes at him.
“Don’t do that,” she told him. “I mean she’s really sick. I don’t know what’s going on, but apparently Chase is upset about something and she’s losing her mind because she doesn’t know what it is.”
“And, you’re here to see if I know anything, right?”
“Right,” Toya appallingly admitted.
“Wrong,” Jeremy shot back at her. “How many times have I told you that we’re not getting in the middle of anything that my cousin and your sister have going on? If Chase is mad at Brooke, then apparently Brooke did something to cause it. It’s not our place to intervene in something that has nothing to do with us.”
“But it does have something to do with me. She’s my sister and I don’t want to see her this way. She’s also pregnant and I don’t want anything to happen to my niece or nephew.”
Jeremy disappointedly shook his head. “I don’t mean to sound harsh here, but Brooke is a grown woman. I’m sure that she can take care of herself and her unborn child just fine. I have no worries about that.”
Toya smacked her lips, feeling defeated. “I knew it was a bad idea coming here,” she said, as she turned to leave.
Jeremy grabbed her by the wrist. “Wait. I’m sorry I said that. I know sometimes I come off rude or unconcerned, but really what my cousin and Brooke have going on is none of my business.”
Toya stood there as she stared in his eyes. He was making a lot of sense, but it wasn’t in her DNA to not look out for her sister if she could.
“Don’t leave,” he whispered in her ear. The smell of his Tom Ford cologne had her caught up in her feelings. A part of her wanted nothing more than to get the hell up out of there. But, another part of her wanted nothing more than to stay. “We have a new artist coming in the studio in about thirty minutes from now. While we have time, I think you should bend over and let me stroke your insides. I’m sure that’ll make you forget about Brooke and her problems.”
“Is that right?” Toya seductively questioned. Without hesitation, she walked over to his desk and placed the palm of her hands on the edge of it. She bent over far enough for him to see the upper part of her smooth thighs. She then took one hand off of the desk to inch her skirt up, so he could see that she wasn’t wearing any panties.
“Damn,” Jeremy let out. Toya was definitely one of the sexiest women he’d ever been with. He eased up on her and instantly stuck his finger inside of her wet pussy. “Shiiit,” he added, like it was the best feeling in the world.
“You want some of this good pussy, don’t you?” Toya asked, as she softly moaned from his fingers sliding in and out of her.
“You know I do,” Jeremy responded. He took his thick dick out of his pants and stroked it a few times as he slapped the back of her ass cheeks with it. He wanted her to know that he was rock solid and ready for whatever.
Toya glanced back over her shoulder as she smiled at him. “Well, you won’t be getting any of this good pussy today,” she said, causing him to frown. “Until you start respecting my sister and stop treating her like she’s a nobody, then my pussy is off limits to you. I’ll let Ol’ Boy enjoy this good shit,” she said and, with that, she walked off like it was nothing.
Jeremy stood there still holding his dick in his hand, while feeling somewhat embarrassed. Toya had pulled a him on him, something no one had ever done before. He shook his head with a cheesy smile spread across his face as he whispered, “Damn, I like that bitch.”
***
Charlotte pulled into the parking lot at A-Town studios. The first empty spot she saw, she whipped in it and parked. While smacking on her spearmint gum, she looked over at her daughter as she took off her seatbelt.
“Thank you Rayne for letting me use your car this evening,” Charlotte said.
Rayne smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“You sure I don’t have to come back and pick you up?”
“No, I’ll catch Chase back to my house. You’re fine, but please don’t be out doing nothing you ain’t got no business.”
“I’m not. I’m just going to handle some business.”
“It better be some legit business. I know that,” Rayne commented.
“I told you that I’m getting myself together,” Charlotte told her with a sincere look on her face.
“You sure?” Rayne questioned, as she peeped down in the side of Charlotte’s purse. “Is that a bottle of Gin in there?” She reached for the purse, but Charlotte snatched it up from the seat and instantly zipped it completely shut.
“Charlotte, you better not be drinking and driving in my car. I’m trying to be nice to you. So, don’t do nothing stupid. I’m telling you now. I’m not bailing you out of jail and neither will Ma or Winter, if you get yourself in trouble. Ain’t nobody got time for you to be out here acting a fool.”
Charlotte cut her eyes over at Rayne. “Look child, I think that you and your sister take me for a joke. Let me remind you that I’m the mama. You’re the daughter. Don’t talk to me like that. I still want my respect.”
“Well Mama,” Rayne cut in with sarcasm, “if you acted like a mama and not like our baby sister, then we’d treat you like our mama. You didn’t even raise us, YOUR Mama did.” Each time she said the word mama, she put an emphasis on the word as an indication that Charlotte was a horrible mama to them. “You gave us away when we were babies. You chose alcohol over your own children and, til this day, you’ve yet to get clean.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I am getting clean.”
“Since when? I bet you took a drink this morning. You probably even took one before I picked you up. That’s why you over there smacking on that spearmint gum like you gone crazy, trying to cover it up. And, don’t forget Mama, you’re borrowing my car. I’m not borrowing yours. Soooooo,” she sang, that gives me the right to say whatever I want to say to make sure that you bring my car back to me intact. You got that?”
“Okay, I’m gonna let you have that.” Charlotte surrendered. She wasn’t in the mood to hear that shit anyway. She was on a mission.
“Thank you because I’m in a good mood and sometimes you be killing my vibe,” Rayne told her with a pleasant smile on her face to let her know that she had also surrendered.
“So, why did you have to come here anyway? I thought your single was finished.”
“It is,” Rayne responded. “I’m here to listen to a new artist that Chase is looking to sign. He’s a rapper. If he’s really good, then Chance is going to feature him on my new single.”
“Oh, well that’s good. That should definitely make the song pop even more.”
Rayne smiled. “Yes, I can’t wait to hear it on the radio. That’ll blow my mind.”
Charlotte smiled. Even though her music career had gone downhill fast, she still wanted the best for her daughter. “Well, get on outta here. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Ten sharp,” Rayne insisted with a serious look.
“Ten sharp,” Charlotte repeated with a smile.
Rayne got out of the car as she grabbed her Louis Vuitton tote bag off of the front passenger seat floor. She glanced over at Charlotte. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”
“Okay,” Charlotte said. In no time, she had backed out of the parking space and was out of the parking lot heading down the street. Rayne just shook her head as she headed inside the building.
She smiled, thinking that hopefully she and Charlott
e could build a trusting relationship with one another someday. In reality, though, it was simply wishful thinking. As she reached for the door of the studio, a deep voice called out.
“Aye, I got that for you.”
Rayne looked back over her shoulder while accidently dropping her Louis Vuitton tote bag out of hand. “Damn,” she whispered, but before she could pick it up, the guy was already coming back up with it in his hand.
“Here you go,” he said with a handsomely refreshing smile spread across his face.
“Thank you.” Rayne smiled back.
“No problem,” the guy said, as he grabbed the handle of the door to open it up for Rayne. As they walked inside of the building, he asked, “Do you know Chase Montgomery?”
“Yeah,” she said, admiring his handsome looks. He was tall with a dark chocolate complexion. His white teeth were bright as hell and his hair was cut in a temple tape with jet black, wavy hair on the top. He had on a black pair of Diamond Supply jeans and a black and silver Diamond Supply tee-shirt. To top off his casually cool, laid back attire, he also sported a black and white pair of Reebok Classics. Rayne smiled, thinking that she’d seen Rick Ross with a pair of those on in one of his photo shoots inside a magazine.
As she gazed at the unknown man, she thought to herself that he had to be one of the hottest men walking around ATL, other than her man, Chase. She was smitten just standing there talking to him, for some reason. His demeanor was on point and nothing turned her on more than to meet a real gentleman that still held doors while picking up accidently dropped purses from the floors. “My God,” she whispered.
“You said something?” the guy asked.
“Oh nah, just thinking out loud.” Then all of a sudden, it hit her. “You must be the new rapper that Chase is looking to sign?”
“That would be me,” he said, still smiling.
“I figured that because I have never seen you around these parts of the city.”
“Is that bad or good?”
Rayne smiled. “For you, it’s good.”
“Well, I’m Yung Gunner.”
“And I’m Rayne.”
“Rayne?” Yung Gunner questioned, as he looked her over. She was definitely one sexy woman to him. Her beauty was like no other. “So, you’re the one with a voice like an angel?”