Page 11 of Anything Necessary for Her (Crenshaw Kings #9)

SOME DAYS LATER . . .

“WAP” by Cardi B blared over the dance floor as Kailey and I danced and rapped along, hollering extra loudly when Cardi asked where the fine niggas were. That got me several looks from my brothers, but they knew I didn’t give a fuck.

It was my brother Lequay’s birthday, and though the place was full, no randoms were allowed in tonight. The bar was open, and small plates were being handed out.

“You gonna give your brothers a heart attack!” Kailey laughed at me as I dropped down a few times, feeling the niggas looking even though they knew it would get them in trouble.

“Y’all so busy policing me you can’t even have fun with your boring asses!” I shouted to them, making them disperse and comment, talking shit as Kailey and I got back to shaking our asses.

“Security, toss her ass out!” Khari shouted, and I chuckled, though he was probably dead ass.

“Why you let her ass come?” Bashar questioned.

“I don’t even fucking know.” Lequay shook his head, regretting that choice as Kailey and I twerked, dipped, and rotated to “WAP” whilst singing it word for word.

“Leave her alone, Lequay,” Scotland defended, her cute belly holding their fourth son protruding.

“. . . I want you to park that big Mack truck, right in this little garage!” Kailey shouted along with me, and Cemone darted toward us, making us both run a little, screaming before Yolani stopped him while cracking up along with everyone else.

“I know they miss when you actually listened to them and were afraid of their asses.” Kailey clapped, cracking up as the song changed.

Only reason Asif hadn’t bothered me like the others was because he was too busy distracted by Anastazia lap dancing slowly and salaciously on him, his right hand on the front of her throat and the left too far down for me to see.

Her back was flush to him as they tongue kissed.

I was grateful for my sister-in-law at the moment.

My other ones needed to shake some ass or something too to get their niggas off my back.

As for Unique, he had yet to arrive, thankfully.

“Of course.” I nodded, checking the time on my Rolex as Kailey made us a drink. I only acted right when my daddy was present, which he wasn’t, so I was doing me.

Right when my brothers began mellowing out, I got a text from Trayvon telling me he had arrived and that the bouncer was refusing to let him in. I hadn’t told my brothers that he was coming, so it was no surprise that Lequay hadn’t added him to the entry list.

“He’s here?” Kailey laughed.

“Stop.” I bucked my eyes at her. She was making me feel terrible for what I was about to do. “He might do well.” I started for the few stairs that led from the VIP section to the main dance floor.

The club was more of a private lounge, so the VIP area was only slightly elevated versus having a long, winding staircase like some of the bigger clubs.

“Even if he does, you won’t fuck with him!” Kailey hollered after me, before placing her drink to her lips.

Ignoring her, I made my way through, speaking to a few people who knew me, but I didn’t know them. This wasn’t my party, and I didn’t know any of my brother’s people except for Stez, so most were unrecognizable to me.

“He’s with me,” I told the bouncer, Warren, touching his meaty bicep lightly.

Peering down at me, his eyes widened, and his brows lifted in shock.

“He is?”

“He is.” I put my hand out to take Trayvon’s.

“Hold up.” Warren pulled a wristband and wrapped it around Trayvon’s thick wrist, staring him in the eyes.

“Calm down, Warren. Lequay is gonna be fine with this.” I scoffed.

“Mhm,” he grumbled, looking up to where my brothers were and then back to Trayvon.

“You came!” I shouted somewhat excitedly. Though Trayvon didn’t have a true chance with me, I couldn’t say it wasn’t flattering, him showing up tonight to face my brothers. Men who claimed to be tough hadn’t done as much.

“Yeah. I did.” He nodded, kissing me so lightly on the cheek that it made me wonder if it was an accident.

Trayvon wiped his forehead, hitting me with the scent of his expensive cologne as he trailed behind me up the few steps. I could feel his palm perspire in my hand as it conveniently slipped from my grasp once we got within close proximity to my siblings.

Unique had now arrived, saying something to his wife, Kabrina, that had her tossing her head back to laugh.

Even Bambi was here with her fiancé Adam.

“Hey everybody, this is my friend, Trayvon,” I called out, interrupting the loud conversation my brothers were having among themselves and their wives.

Kailey’s messy ass came over and sat down, leaving our area, which was right next to this one. It was only separated by two halved gold bars.

“Hi, Trayvon!” Kailey gave a finger wave and sipped her drink.

All my sisters-in-law spoke to him as my seven brothers took him in, all wearing frowns.

“Can y’all speak?” I waved a hand to snap them out of their angry stares.

“Have a seat, Trayvon.” Analicia smiled gently and gestured to an empty space on the couch.

Trayvon started to take her up on the offer.

“You ain’t gon’ speak before you sit yo’ ass down?” Khari frowned, sizing Trayvon up.

This was already starting off badly. Kailey was amused by this all.

“Oh, umm, my bad.” Trayvon wiped his glistening forehead with the back of his hand again before reaching to shake Khari’s hand.

Khari only obliged because Couture nudged him to, and the rest of the brothers followed suit.

“You gotta work on that handshake, my nigga,” Bashar just had to say, making him do it over again.

“Stop.” I spoke through gritted teeth to a giggling Kailey as Analicia tried to tell Bashar the same.

“I’m a bit nervous is all. But I got you.” Trayvon nodded, finally taking a seat, and at that point, so did everyone else.

“Never thought I’d see my baby sister with a nigga whose beard don’t fucking connect.” Unique shook his head, and everyone’s jaws dropped, clearly trying to attenuate their laughter.

“Unique, some people do that style on purpose. Right?” Kabrina smiled at Trayvon as she sat in her husband’s lap.

“Yeah—”

“Nah, I can tell it’s a struggle beard,” Unique cut in, and sadly, once Scotland snickered, it broke the levy on everyone’s laughter.

“So what you do? Who are you?” Asif finally spoke after observing Trayvon for a while.

“Well, I?—”

“Sit up like a man when you talk. I can’t hear or believe shit you say when you slouching.” Asif put his glass of brown to his lips, and I pinched the bridge of my nose at his comment.

My brothers sniggered subtly while Anastazia clenched her teeth at me to apologize, but I could see the humor in her eyes.

“I know that’s right, Sif!” Kailey shouted.

Trayvon cleared his throat and sat up, straightening his shoulders before saying, “I just graduated with Banks from USC with a Bachelor of Science.” He nodded. “But I play baseball and will be going into the draft this summer.”

Asif nodded approvingly, but the way his brows remained furrowed, I knew he didn’t truly approve.

“How long you been friends with my sister?” Lequay queried, frowning still just like the rest of his brothers.

“Well, we’ve been talking and stuff for a while now. She didn’t want to take things further until I met y’all.”

“Further?” Lequay’s scowl deepened as he looked Trayvon up and down. “Further like what, nigga?”

Chuckling skittishly, Trayvon said, “Oh, nah, not like that. I mean further like us becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Then what?” Lequay questioned suspiciously, and I prayed Trayvon didn’t fall into his trap.

“Lequay.” Scotland giggled.

“So you been talking to her for a while and just now coming around?” Shakur quizzed skeptically.

“Um, yeah. I wanted to make sure we were solid.” Trayvon lied, making me glance his way. I knew he wanted to save face, but I still didn’t like his answer.

“I’m gon’ be real with you, young nigga.

If you gon’ try to date my sister, you gotta poke ya chest out a little bit more.

You too timorous, too smiley, and too agreeable.

You wanna date a woman with seven brothers and that’s used to being around niggas carrying heat, you gotta walk in the room with ya head up and talk yo’ shit.

So at the moment, I’m not really fucking with it, and I doubt she is too.

” Asif chucked his chin toward me, easily reading my ass.

“I understand, sir.” Trayvon nodded.

“ Sir ? Nigga, what the fuck?” Unique exclaimed, sending everyone into laughter.

“Speaking of carrying heat, do you shoot? Fight? Shit, pinch people? ’Cause you gon’ need to.” Cemone finally spoke.

“Man, hell nah! That nigga look like he’ll send Banks to find out what a noise is in the house. Old ‘ I’m scared too, baby ’ ass nigga.” Unique answered for Trayvon.

That was it. As everyone began cackling loudly, including Kabrina, who attempted and failed miserably to reprimand her husband, Trayvon hopped to his feet and rushed out.

“He even run out the room like a bitch,” Unique called out, and I tried not to laugh but couldn’t help it. Kailey made it no better, holding her abdomen and guffawing like everyone else.

“Y’all are so mean!” Analicia grinned. “That poor boy had the courage to come meet y’all, and y’all did him dirty.”

“I ain’t do shit to him. I gave him some game and kept it honest.” Asif shrugged, sitting back with his drink as his wife leaned on him.

“Me either. I asked the nigga a couple questions, and he acting like he on trial for fucking murder.” Lequay’s brows bunched.

They all began clamoring and commenting, debating with their wives on whether they were rude or not.

“I don’t give a fuck! No nigga who can’t grow a beard is about to be with my sister!” I heard Unique bellow as I left the section, texting Kailey that I was about to find Trayvon.

I spotted him just before he slipped out the exit at the side, so I followed, catching him as I stepped out into the almost full parking lot.

“Tray!” I called out, feeling bad.