Page 49 of Anything Necessary for Her (Crenshaw Kings #9)

Slinking down in my seat, I watched Banks practice in the theater room with her male dance partner. I didn’t like seeing him touch her in certain places, but after a while, I was so fucking mesmerized by the way she moved that he’d faded into the background, right along with Nikita and her partner.

“Okay, I wanna see Banks and Calvin alone again,” Carolyn called out, watching from the side, arms folded across her skinny body.

Nikita and her nigga walked off and down the stairs of the stage, parting ways.

Halfway through Banks’s routine, I smelled a strong, flowery perfume and knew the person flopping into the theater seat next to me was Nikita.

The lights were too dim over the seats, and according to Banks, she couldn’t see from the stage due to that and the bright lights on her.

“You must really like her if you’re coming to see this. I know it’s boring as fuck. You can tell me.”

“Only when you was up there.” I kept my eyes on Banks, but judging by Nikita’s lack of crunching on the bag of almonds she’d been munching on, I knew she didn’t like my response. “ Like may be an understatement, though, when it comes to how I feel about Banks.”

“You know . . .” I listened as she shifted in her seat, strong scent of almonds dancing up my nose.

“She’s a virgin, and most niggas say Banks is a tease and nothing more.

Word is, she makes you think you’re getting somewhere but won’t fuck you unless you meet her crazy, psycho, drug dealing brothers.

I mean, a couple of them aren’t but most are.

” She shoved more nuts into her mouth, chomping down and sounding as clueless as she looked.

“Let me guess.” I finally peeled my eyes away from Banks since Carolyn had stopped her to correct some shit. “You not like that?”

“Nope.” Nikita wiggled her brows, biting her lip. She wasn’t pretty, but she kept herself together. Shit, she had to because she wasn’t cute enough to just be chill. “I love sex. It makes me dance better. I feel like you love sex too.”

I could tell she was the type of uppity ass female that thought she could pay a bit of attention to a hood nigga and make him fall in love with her ass; when in reality, she didn’t possess the aura or the power for such a thing.

Old Low would’ve taken her down mercilessly and busted on her face. Had her ass blowing me up for a piece of my time and offering to suck me up whenever I felt like it.

Now though, I wouldn’t even give her ass the time of day. Had she not been a part of this practice or Banks’s peer, I would’ve never heard her fucking voice.

“Nah.” I shook my head, focusing back on stage since Banks and Calvin had started over. “I love Banks.”

Out the corner of my eye I witnessed her lustful grin and lip bite falter so fucking fast it was almost humorous. Without another word, she shot up from her seat and switched off out of the theater just as Banks and old boy finished up.

“Nikita and Dante, come on stage,” Carolyn instructed. “I need everyone to look like mirror images of each other when dancing!”

“I think she went to the bathroom really quick,” Dante explained when Carolyn looked him over, wondering where Nikita’s ass had gone.

Banks cheesed at me when she noticed I was there since the whole room was alight now. My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I rose to pull it out.

I mouthed to Banks that I would be right back, and she nodded.

“What’s good?” I answered for Free, knowing it had to be serious for the nigga to call instead of hitting my text-only burner with a code.

“Aye . . . um, old girl ain’t ready,” he said, using the code to tell me someone was fishy or acting off.

There was only one woman on the team, so I knew he meant Gaia. The shit surprised me since one thing I could say about her ass was that she was diligent and on her shit when it came to work, no matter how shit was going between us.

“Ever since the last kick it event, huh?”

“Yep. I don’t wanna put her out there since she not ready. I couldn’t trust it.”

“Cancel her appointment then,” I replied, letting him know she wouldn’t be running with him today. “All of the ones in the future too.”

“I got you.”

“Aight.” I hung up just as a BMW pulled into the Prolific Pointe theater lot.

Sliding my iPhone down into my pocket, I kept my eyes on Banks’s old fling Trayvon as he stepped out of the car, a Tiffany bag dangling from his fingers. He swallowed hard, visibly nervous as he shut his door, fixing his T-shirt as he started toward me and the entrance.

“Who you looking for?” I pressed him.

“My girlfriend.” He tried to step around me, but I blocked his ass, cutting him a look that said he’d better not try to get around a nigga again. He listened.

“Nikita, right?” I played dumb.

“No. Banks.” He frowned. “Who the hell are you anyway? You work for her brothers or something? They tell you to run me from her house that time?” he investigated, sounding like the bitch ass nigga that he was. “I recognize your voice.”

“Nah, I’m Banks’ man.” I peered down into his eyes as I watched him digest my words.

“You? Nah.” He shook his head. “I get she’s mad at me and probably likes talking to you to piss me off, but she would never get with someone like you.”

“Like me?”

“A thug,” he replied lamely, like he didn’t wanna say the shit.

Bobbing my head, I chuckled before saying, “Well, until Banks tell me that shit, you better make this the last muthafuckin’ time you pull up on her.

I don’t repeat myself, especially when it comes to threats and shit.

I ain’t big on talking. I’d rather show a muthafucka than tell him.

I hope you listen, process, and understand what the fuck I’m telling you and for real grasp who the fuck I am and what type of nigga I am.

I ain’t the hood nigga with a heart of gold like you see on TV.

I’m heartless, and it don’t take shit for me to get reckless.

I’m sparing you now ’cause you a spoiled, sheltered dummy.

But you try anything with Banks, ya life as you know is gon’ change. ”

“What? You’re gonna kill me?” He was floored, eyes bucked as he looked me up and down.

“Nah. A nigga like you, yo’ life can be ruined while keeping you alive.

Matter fact, you gon’ wish I killed you instead.

” He stepped back from me slightly, spooked out of his fucking mind as he began distancing himself from me until he made it to his whip.

He’d refused to give a nigga his back until he was safely to his car.

“Aye, not even a text or phone call, my nigga. It’s not worth it. ”

He floored it out of the lot in reverse as if I was about to jump on his hood and break his front windshield, then righted his vehicle to speed off down the street.

I really hoped that nigga heeded to my warning because I was gon’ for real make good on my threat. I’d yet to make one that I didn’t follow through on when a nigga needed to.