Page 29 of Body Language (Mind, Body, & Soul #2)

Niveah

I felt Kendrix’s eyes burning holes in my back as I walked away, but I didn’t speed up or slow down. I just let my hips talk for me.

I knew Kendrix was pissed. That little rub on his beard told me all I needed. But here’s the thing …

I didn’t give a fuck.

Yeah, I liked him. I love the way he touched me, the way he looked at me like I was a whole universe he was just discovering. But let’s be clear, he wasn’t my man officially.

And since he wasn’t my man, I didn’t owe him a damn explanation.

Not about where I was going. Not about who Sincere was. Not about a damn thing.

Men kill me. They want you tied down like a dog on a leash while they run the streets like strays. They give you crumbs and expect loyalty.

Nah. Fuck that.

All I ever asked Kendrix for was simple:

Keep your shit tight. Keep the drama far away from my money. Don’t let your mess spill into my life. I never told him it was mandatory to give up his line-up because, technically, I was never given the title of his girlfriend.

That’s the problem with men. They want you to hand over your freedom while they give you nothing but vibes and excuses. They want you to prove you’re different while they still out here doing the same shit.

I’d rather starve than settle for crumbs.

So yeah, I knew he was mad as hell, probably plotting a hundred ways to stake his claim. But until he figured out how to give me what I needed—titles, honesty, security, peace—his little mean mug didn’t mean shit.

I don’t chase. I collect.

The private lounge door closed behind me with a soft click, and just like that, the noise from the floor dulled to a low hum. The lights were dim, candles flickering on the side tables.

Sincere sat with the same smooth skin and cocky-ass grin. He hadn’t aged a day since I met him at eighteen. If anything, he looked richer. Broader. Like time had only sharpened him up.

“Well, look at you,” He said. “Still know how to stop a room dead, eh?”

I smirked, sliding into the seat across from him. “And you still know how to make an entrance, huh? Had security looking like you’re the Prime Minister.”

He laughed, teeth flashing. “Gyal, when you walk with money, people walk behind you.”

“Mm. I see you haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you.” His eyes trailed over me slow, taking his time. Not thirsty, just… appreciating. Like I was fine art and he’d bought the whole gallery. “Though I like the new shine. You finally letting the world see what I always told you. You’re dangerous when you’re in your element.”

I crossed my legs, leaning back, unbothered. “Being dangerous pays bills.”

“And then some,” he said, sliding a glass across the table to me. Expensive wine. He already knew my taste. “Tell me, how you been, mami?”

I took the glass, sipped slow. “Better. Busier. But that’s not saying much. You know I’ve always been good.”

He chuckled low. “Confident as ever. I love that.”

We talked, laughed, slipping back into that rhythm like no time had passed. But every so often, I felt Kendrix’s presence like a ghost behind that door. I knew he was out there somewhere, watching the minutes tick, probably burning a hole through the club floor just imagining what was happening.

And maybe that’s why I leaned in, voice dropping lower. “You know, Sincere, there’s a man here tonight who thinks he can keep up with me.”

His brow arched. “Think? Poor soul. He don’t know you don’t do easy.”

“Exactly.” I swirled my glass, smiling. “And the more he tries to cage me, the more I’m tempted to remind him… I don’t get caged. I own the whole damn jungle.”

Sincere laughed. “That’s why I always loved you, Niv. You don’t beg. You don’t bend. You bend men.”

I slid my heels across the polished floor, hips swaying, every movement deliberate. Sincere leaned back on the velvet couch, legs spread, one arm draped over the backrest, eyes locked on me.

“Lawd have mercy,” he said with that thick Jamaican accent. “Yuh still move like yuh bones playing the riddim.”

I smirked, rolling down the pole with a slow body wave until I was squatting in front of him, one hand trailing up his chest without even touching him. “Guess the rhythm never left me.”

His grin was wide, those dimples deep enough to swim in. “An mi glad fi dat. How many man yuh done mash up wid that waist since me?”

I laughed, turning around to grind the air, tossing a look over my shoulder. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

He chuckled, shaking his head, eyes glued to the way my ass swayed in the tutu skirt. “Yuh wicked. Pure wickedness. If I was a fool, mi woulda lock yuh away long time.”

“But you’re not a fool.” I hooked my heel on the arm of the couch, dropping into a split slow, arching my back until my hair brushed the floor.

His tongue slid across his bottom lip. “No… mi smart. Smart enough to know yuh cyan lock fire in a box. Yuh born fi blaze, gyal.”

That sent a shiver through me. Because Sincere always had a way of speaking life into me, even when he was half-joking.

I rose back up, twirling around the pole, letting my legs hook as I swung, then slid down slow until I was face to face with him again. He didn’t throw a dollar. Didn’t reach for me. Just watched with that calm, confident stare.

I knew when my private dance ended, I’d walk away with more than enough. Not in just bills scattered across the floor, but in something bigger. Respect, adoration, and a fat deposit later that I wouldn’t even have to ask for.

“Yuh know what mi really want?” He sat up. “Fi have yuh sit right down on mi face ‘til yuh cyan stand it no more. Watch yuh shake while mi drown.”

My breath caught, and before I could respond, the door clicked.

Kendrix closed it behind him, calm as hell. Leaning against the doorframe, with his arms crossed.

“She don’t need an old friend to do that,” Kendrix said. “I already do it. Better than you could dream.”

Sincere didn’t flinch. He leaned back, letting a slow grin creep across his face as his eyes cut to me, then back to Kendrix.

“So this the man?” His tone was playful, not a hint of intimidation. “The one bold enough fi believe he own yuh… but still foolish enough not fi lock yuh down and make yuh him wife?”

Kendrix didn’t blink. He stepped in closer, all broad shoulders and calm danger, the kind that made even the air nervous. “You real comfortable talking about my woman like that.”

I raised an eyebrow, because last I checked, I was nobody’s woman. But I let him continue.

Sincere chuckled, smooth as his accent. “If she was your woman, yuh wouldn’t be in here marking territory, big man. She’d be home in yuh bed.”

Kendrix tilted his head, tugging at his beard. “She was in my bed. You’re just late to the party.”

Oooooh. I had to fight the grin pulling at my lips

Sincere leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes on me the whole time. “So tell mi, Niv, this the kinda man yuh want? One who think claimin’ yuh with words is enough? Or one who give yuh the world without asking yuh to beg?”

I finally slid off the pole, slow, letting both of them choke on the view. My heels clicked against the floor as I walked over, leaned down, and whispered in Sincere’s ear. “You still talk too damn much.”

Then I turned to Kendrix, brushing past him, close enough for my perfume to slap him in the face. “Kendrix, can you please meet me in the office?”

Kendrix didn’t even argue. He just clenched his jaw, gave Sincere one last look, and walked out the room.

I turned back to Sincere, crossing my arms with a little smirk. “You just had to do it, huh? Couldn’t let me have five minutes without you trying to light the room on fire.”

He smiled, slow and cocky. “C’mon, Niv. Yuh know mi couldn’t resist. Let’s see how bad di man want it.”

I tilted my head, lips curving. “You play too much.”

He leaned back, grin growing wider. “And you love it.”

I grabbed my phone off the chair, giving him a look over my shoulder. “Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be back.”

“I know.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at my mouth as I pushed the door open and stepped out.

Kendrix was leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a cigar between his lips. I hated how fine he was when he was mad.

“You good?” I asked, brushing past him like my pulse wasn’t jumping.

He didn’t move. Just let his eyes trail down my body. “You tell me.”

I laughed. “Don’t start acting like you got ownership papers on me, Kendrix. I told you—”

He pushed off the wall, stepping into my space before I could finish. His cologne wrapped around me. “Pretty, I don’t need no papers to know when something’s mine.”

I smirked, tilting my chin up. “Mmm. Funny, because last I checked, I was just a free agent making power moves.”

He licked his lips, close enough that I felt the heat of his breath. “Keep talking. You gone talk yourself right onto this desk.”

I raised a brow. “Thats supposed to scare me or tempt me?”

“Both,” he said, no hesitation.

That’s when I knew I had him. His posture screamed control, but his eyes were begging for me to test every inch of it.

I slid into the office, and dropped into the chair behind the desk. He shut the door behind him.

“You coming to argue or to listen?” I asked, crossing my legs slow.

Kendrix leaned forward, resting his palms on the edge of the desk like he was staking his claim.

“You need to drop him. Matter fact, you need to drop any nigga who think he’s playing that position in your life.

From the sounds of it, Mr. Sincere makes sure you stay with paper.

Cool. Any other man on your little roster like that?

Cut them too. If you need anything—money, bills, trips, hell, a pack of gum—you come to me. Period.”

I bit down on my lip, hard, to keep from laughing. His face was so serious I almost felt bad. Almost.

“I like you,” he continued, eyes locked on mine like I was oxygen.

“Like, really like you. And I don’t play about that shit.

So I’m letting you know right now, whatever the fuck y’all had going on in that private room?

That shit ends today. You don’t need no heroes.

You don’t need no sponsors. You don’t need nobody. You have me.”

He meant every single word. I could see it all over him.

I let a slow smile spread across my face before I stood, closing the space between us.

“You done?” I asked softly.

His silence said he thought he’d just dropped a mic.

“Okay. Here’s the thing,” I said, tilting my head like I was explaining something simple to a stubborn child.

“Kendrix… I am not your girlfriend. You’ve never made that a thing.

Sooo, technically…” I drew the word out, dragging my nails lightly over his chest. “…I don’t have to do a damn thing you say. ”

I stepped back, smirking at the flicker in his eyes. “I’m not telling you to cut your women off. All I’ve ever asked is that they stay respectful. Who am I to throw around demands when I don’t belong to you… and you don’t belong to me?”

I crossed my arms, every inch of me calm but sharp.

“Let’s be clear, I can get a bag from anyone without ever opening my legs.

So yes, there’s a list, baby. A list of men I could call right now, hold a simple ass conversation, and have a direct deposit hit before I finish my wine.

That’s not me bragging. That’s me reminding you who the fuck I am. ”

I leaned in, close enough to let my lips ghost his ear. “So unless you ready to make me yours for real… don’t throw around demands like you own MY place. I like you too, Kendrix. But without a title? You don’t have a say in shit I do, love.”

I pulled back with the sweetest smile, like I hadn’t just snatched the rug out from under him.

Kendrix’s eyes never leaving mine. “I can’t do this,” he said finally. “Not if I know there’s other niggas out here providing for you like I’m not enough.”

I blinked slow, then tilted my head.

“Then don’t,” I said simply. “Because I’m not risking security for romance. Cute dates and deep talks don’t keep lights on, Kendrix. Money does. Stability does.”

His jaw flexed, the muscle ticking like he was trying to keep his temper on a leash. “You didn’t want me fucking with Arlette.”

“And you right,” I cut in, my tone just as calm as it was cold. “Because she messed with my money and brought drama where I don’t allow it. Trust, if any nigga even thought about doing the same? He’d be dropped and worse. Don’t confuse him with her.”

He leaned closer, heat radiating off him. “So what, you just gone keep playing puppet master with other men’s pockets?”

I smiled. “See, that’s the difference, love. You never have to worry about me having a man like your Arlette. I don’t let any man think he’s bigger than the motherfucking program because I am the program .”

His nostrils flared, his chest rising like he was ready to argue, but I didn’t care. I wanted him to understand that not one syllable I’d said was up for negotiation.

He stared at me, eyes dark with a mix of anger and want, then finally let out a humorless laugh. He turned for the door.

“Say less,” he said before walking out the door without another word.