Page 15

WHERE IT ALL STARTED…SOME TIME IN THE PAST…

“FOR A NUT” by Future blasted over the medium sized two-level club as my friend Leola and I entered.

People were already having a good time, and though I didn’t like the clubbing scene much, I could admit that this one was nice as hell.

“Let’s get a drink and peep the scene a bit,” Leola whispered against my ear.

“Cool.” I nodded, slipping my hand in hers so we wouldn’t get broken apart.

I wished we could’ve gotten a section, but they sold out in under half an hour, which Leola claimed was because of who was in attendance tonight.

We got to the bar and ordered drinks pretty quickly due to how professionally and seamlessly they were running it.

With our drinks in hand, we swayed a bit to the music, but a little bit of mayhem ensued as a group of niggas entered the club from an off to the side entrance.

Both Leola and I watched closely, and the third one caught my attention immediately. He was extremely tall, maybe six feet four or five, with dark cinnamon skin, and neatly twisted dreads hanging out his hoodie.

While every other nigga in here was flashy as hell, snapping selfies and holding bricks of cash, I could tell this nigga was wealthier than them all. His crew was already smiling at the attention they got from the ladies, but he remained on chill, checking his phone every so often like he was on business and scoping the scene. He was the bossman clearly.

“Damn, the one with the dreads got me feeling some type of way,” I admitted to Leola.

“You ain’t lying.” She lowered her lids, staring like she was letting him seep into her spirit.

“Well, I can’t do nothing standing here with you. So.” I took another long sip and then started to make my way over to where his crew had begun migrating through.

I noticed as I got closer to him, I became nervous, and that never happened with men. I was fairly outgoing and would even make the first move if a nigga was fine enough, so the fact that my heart was hammering around in my chest like a ping pong ball was crazy.

“Excuse me, lil mama,” one of his homies said, slipping past me, and my palms started to perspire as I noticed the one I wanted getting closer to passing me.

When he got right by me, I tugged on his good smelling ass and said, “You know you fine as fuck, right?”

“Thanks,” he threw out nonchalantly, and as deep as his voice was, I knew that dick was big. From my experience, typically men with small voices had the package to match.

He moved from my grasp without even looking down at me before he kept it moving, taking the rich-nigga scented cologne he wore with him.

I was so stunned that he didn’t even give me eye contact that I didn’t notice I was standing still with my jaw on the floor until Leola was next to me, pushing it upward.

“Damn, what did you say?”

“Told him he was fine as fuck, and he didn’t even look at me!” I frowned, still watching him as he entered his section, taking a seat and getting back to his phone with his nice teeth nibbling on his bottom lip like he was anticipating a response or message from someone important.

Someone in his crew told him something that made him laugh, and of course, his smile was perfect. Just a sexy ass black man.

“Hmm, maybe he doesn’t respond to that type of shit. You don’t think a nigga that looks like that don’t hear that shit all the time?” Leola quizzed, looking on with me. “Maybe I should try.”

“Umm, no. I want that one.” I folded my arms, taking him in. I’d never wanted a nigga this badly in my life, and my stomach curdled at how difficult getting him would possibly be. “What is his name?” I asked, and Leola shrugged, sipping on her cocktail while dancing a bit.

“Asif.” A chick passing by me said, smirking like she knew something I didn’t as she kept on. It was like she was laughing at me for even entertaining the idea of having him.

Asif.

“Let’s see if we can get in his section.” I tugged Leola along before she could even reply, making her squeal and bark at me about the fact that she’d almost spilled her drink.

“Can I help you, little mama?” the bouncer guarding Asif’s section asked.

“We wanna come up.” I stepped back, allowing him to get a good look at Leola and me since we were the sexiest bitches here.

“You gotta be brought in by one of the Money Fiends. Otherwise, gotta stay out here on the main floor.” He bobbed his head toward the main floor.

“Well ask Asif if we can come in.” I smirked, looking around the bouncer, but his eyes were still on his phone. I loved saying his name already.

“Sif got a girlfriend so he ain’t taking guests,” the man said, making my stomach drop. I wanted to say he was lying, but I’d peeped that Asif told him something on the low as he entered the section, and it was probably that.

“Oh. Okay.” I turned around, glancing once more, but he was staring at that damn phone, smirking.

What woman was able to get that nigga? I wondered. And how was she able to keep him from temptation, which I was 100 percent sure he dealt with constantly?

“Ooh, this is my song!” Leola swayed, unmoved by my loss. I should’ve been unmoved as well, but I was highly bothered.

That was the nigga for me. I could feel it. Usually, I wouldn’t give a fuck about losing a man, but this had me feeling gutted.

“Let’s go,” I said.

“Girl, no! This club is popping! And so what if he has a girl, Daisy! I’m sure you look better. Stay at least until he leaves and catch his ass in the parking lot.”

“Okay. I’m just gonna get some air and then I will come back.” I started toward the exit, making sure to show my wristband to the bouncer as I left out so he’d know I was coming back in.

I needed to figure out how to get to Asif, and it was too much liquor, sweat, and smoke in the air of the club for me to think straight at the moment.

As I rounded the club and leaned against the wall to get away from the long line of club goers acting foolish, I saw another tall man treading up. He was fine as hell too.

“You working or something?” he asked, frowning. His eyes were beautiful, making me smirk.

“No. You wish.” I smacked my lips.

“What you doing out here?” He squinted his eyes, licking his lips, which in turn made me tingle a bit.

I was still wanting Asif, but this guy right here was sexy and interested.

“I just needed some air, and honestly, I wanna leave because my feet hurt. My homegirl and I tried to get a section, but it’s sold out. They claimed if we had twenty bands, we could get one.” I rolled my eyes before staring back up at him. He was hella tall, too, and suddenly, I recognized him. “Wait, aren’t you on Dough Boyz ?”

“I am.” He nodded. “Took you long enough to recognize a nigga. I don’t appreciate that shit.” He stroked his beard and his aura was something yummy.

I giggled, watching the way his eyes sparkled as he smirked.

“Well I’m sorry. I really am because I love that show and should’ve immediately recognized you. How can I make up for it?”

“Mmm, come back inside the club since I just got here.” He licked his lips again and… mm.

Inhaling his cologne, I asked, “You have a section?”

“No, but my brother does. Wasn’t necessary for me to grab my own. Come on.” He put his hand out and slipped mine into it. “What’s ya name, beautiful?”

“Daisy.” I answered happily as the bouncer nodded for Unique to go without waiting in line.

“Unique.”

“I know.” I simpered as he led me toward the section his brother was in.

As we neared the same section Asif was seated in, I swallowed the lump in my throat. I turned my face a bit when we got right up to the bouncer, looking away the whole time he dapped Unique up. I scanned the club for Leola, and when our eyes found each other, I saw her mouthing something, but I couldn’t hear it obviously, so I just waved for her to come on.

Unique tugged me into the section with him and started walking right up to Asif. My stomach was roiling because I just knew he was going to mention that I called him fine. It was also roiling because the nigga made me nervous for some reason. I wondered what he did for a living. Who were the Money Fiends?

“What’s good, nigga? Get off ya phone and look at these bitches,” Unique joked, slapping hands with Asif who only smirked.

“Not when I got a woman in my phone.” He looked around, then added, “I’m probably gon’ dip in a little bit. She said she can talk on the phone with a nigga in like fifteen.”

“Nigga, you ’bout to leave the club to talk on the phone? Stazi got you like that?” Unique frowned as Asif rose from his seat, reminding me of how tall he was, and I noticed he had the same beautiful eyes as his brother. His build was also perfect, not too muscular and far from skinny.

My hand began to slip out of Unique’s because of all the sweat I’d accumulated.

Stazi, huh?

“She been had me like that. Only one that ever will.” He licked his lips, texting something back to her I assume. “And I gotta put in work if I’m trying to make her my wife, muthafucka.” He started to slip by, and I realized he completely ignored me yet again.

“Oh, this is Daisy,” Unique said, halting his brother from slipping around us.

When Asif’s eyes landed down on me, I had to glance off so I wouldn’t be so skittish under his gaze.

“Hi.” I smiled bashfully.

“What’s good, love?” His eyes were only on me for a second before they flitted away.

He didn’t recognize me at all. And I could no longer blame the fact that he didn’t see me as the reason he wasn’t interested because he just had and barely paid me a full glance.

He slapped hands with his brother shortly after he greeted me and then left.

“This ain’t really his scene,” Unique said as we sat down on the leather couches.

“Sounds like his girlfriend got him wrapped around her finger.”

Unique chuckled as he made himself a drink with the liquor bottles sitting on the table.

“She not his girlfriend yet, but that nigga is trying to make the shit so.”

I nodded, again wondering what kind of woman she was that didn’t want to immediately be that man’s girlfriend as soon as he had asked.

Leola waving me down at the entrance of the section pulled me from my thoughts, as I asked, “Can my friend come in?”

Unique simply nodded, looking to the bouncer to say it was okay. Soon after, Leola was flouncing in excitedly, lifting her brows to say Unique was fine as shit.

PRESENT DAY…

I sat in the passenger seat of Unique’s car, arms folded and irritated. Two nights ago, he’d abandoned both Aurora and I to kick it with his little friend Kabrina and then had the nerve to admit he liked her, according to Aurora. The three of us hadn’t said much to one another, but last night, Unique said he wanted to talk in the morning.

I could feel deep down that he was about to either cut Aurora and I off, or try to bring Kabrina in. And while Aurora was okay with him adding a third, I wasn’t. The only reason I even agreed to this arrangement was because I thought I would’ve run Aurora’s scary ass off by now. So adding Kabrina was not a part of my damn plan.

Thankfully, his brother Asif’s baby was born around midnight, distracting Unique enough that he must’ve forgotten. He left around one a.m. to go see his brother’s newborn son, came home, slept for hours, then got up so we could all return to Asif’s mansion for his birthday party his girl was throwing him.

Initially, I didn’t want to go to this party because I didn’t too much like seeing Asif and Anastazia together. Though I loved Unique, it still bothered me, for some reason, to see the two of them. It was so difficult not to roll my eyes when he proposed on the yacht.

Anastazia was very pretty, very smart and gave off wife vibes, which was worse because she was hard to compete with. Niggas were dumb, but Asif didn’t strike me as being a part of that group, and no smart man would fumble a woman like her for anyone.

However, she’d just had a baby, and even the most disciplined men needed sex. So since Unique wanted to lightweight cheat with his little whore of a friend Kabrina, I was going to hurt him way worse and fuck his brother. He would learn not to play with a bitch like me. I smirked as Unique pulled into the large roundabout.

“Whoa, you said his home was nice, but I didn’t think it was this damn nice, “Aurora commented.

She could never stand on fucking business. We were supposed to be mad at this nigga, and here she was, going along to get along with her weak ass.

The home was nice, big as fuck, and straight beautiful with four two-car garages off to the side. This was the richest shit I’d ever seen but not gaudy.

“Told you,” Unique replied, his mood sullen like he didn’t even want us here. He probably didn’t, but both Aurora and I got dressed quickly and were ready, making it hard for him to tell us no since he was in a rush and in no mood to argue clearly.

He climbed out of the car to help us both from the vehicle, and I could immediately hear Nipsey Hussle’s “Ain’t Hard Enough” playing from the back.

The three of us entered on the side, with Unique putting in a code to unlock the big ass side gate.

The party was in full swing, and I didn’t realize just how big Unique’s family was until right now. All his brothers plus their wives and a few in-laws were around.

As we greeted everyone, I scanned the room for Asif. I finally found him over by his girlfriend, who was wearing a soft pink robe and sitting in a wheelchair, which made sense since she had just given birth.

The backyard was warm despite it being nighttime here in LA, and that was because of all the nice heaters out.

I overheard Stazi say she just came out for him to see his gift but would be going back upstairs with their parents and kids afterwards. That was perfect.

“Aight, everybody come to the front for Sif’s gift!” Unique’s brother Cemone shouted, causing everyone to head inside to walk through the home to the front.

I watched Asif intently, pushing his girlfriend and wearing a confused look on his face.

We made it to the front, and a car covered with a red car cover and bow to match was sitting out there. It wasn’t there before, and I realized Lequay had gone to retrieve it from wherever it was. He was smiling as he got ready to pull the cover off with Shakur’s help.

Once Asif parked the wheelchair out front, eyes lighting up a bit, he waited until his brothers revealed the car. His mouth fell open, and I could tell he was genuinely shocked at the beautiful, but clearly old-school Ferrari. I only knew the brand because I could see the symbol.

“Happy birthday, baby.” Anastazia simpered, and suddenly, I didn’t like the gift. Who bought their man a car?

Asif was speechless for a while, his eyes wide as his family clamored about and complimented the vehicle, ladies included.

“Damn, she got money like that?” Aurora whispered to me.

“I don’t know. The bitch is a nurse or something, but I don’t think they make that much,” I whispered back since Unique was gone. But when I felt eyes on me that I realized belonged to Scotland, I froze.

She slowly looked away, so I could only hope she didn’t hear me. I didn’t think Unique would be too happy with me beating her ass, even though she was just his sister-in-law.

I busied myself on my phone while Asif kissed and thanked his fiancée before going to inspect his car like his brothers already were.

Once the whole fiasco was over, everybody ventured to the back where the food and desserts were.

“This shit is good.” I complimented the chicken wings full of flavor.

“Yeah, Presley made everything. Stazi picked the food though, so it’s all his favorite shit.” Unique tilted his head back some, taking in the whole party. “She planned all this shit.”

“Hmph.” I declined to comment, as Aurora’s punk ass nodded and complimented her work.

Halfway through everyone eating, chatting, and listening to music, I saw a woman with red locs and a pink bandana come to retrieve Stazi. Perfect.

“I’ll take her up, D.” Asif stopped her by the sliding door that led to the backyard. “It’s food, cakes, and shit if you want.”

“Okay, because your father hasn’t put that baby down yet, and both of you guys’ mothers have been stuck with the older kids, trying to make him do a switch.”

Asif and Anastazia laughed as D giggled while walking off as he squatted to be eye level with his fiancée.

“I’m coming too,” I heard him say since the table Unique, Aurora, and I were at was closest to them. Aurora was on her phone, and Unique was too busy talking shit to his brothers to notice me watching the couple every so often.

“No. Don’t leave your party.” She beamed for some reason.

His hands ran up the sides of her thighs as he kissed her gently. “I can’t enjoy shit without you.”

I scoffed so loudly that Aurora picked her head up from her phone to question me.

“I’m out of chicken,” I lied, and she shook her head before getting back into her phone.

“Your brothers are here.” She smiled as she talked against his lips.

“Them niggas is boring in comparison to you. But since you went through all this, I’ll come back down for like ten.”

She nodded, and they kissed a few times before he rose to his feet and wheeled her inside.

I waited a bit, hoping he would come back, but then I remembered I needed to get him alone. So, I got up. Unique was busy, and Aurora had gone over to start talking to the ladies with her loser ass, and so this was my only free time.

I checked my surroundings first, then went inside. The home was humongous, so finding Asif would be hard since I wasn’t familiar with the layout, but I was determined.

This would work seamlessly because I could corner him while Unique was out back and Stazi was laid up being a new mother, uninterested in sex and unable to have it.

As I began meandering about, I went upstairs, figuring that was probably where he’d been to escort Anastazia back to their room or wherever that nurse was trying to take her.

When I spotted him standing in a doorway, his side profile facing me, I got excited but nervous all over again. He couldn’t ignore me now.

“Thought I should tell you happy birthday myself, Mr. St. Thomas. I would’ve texted you, but I don’t have your number. We should change that though,” I stated boldly, making him look over at me as I strutted down the hallway in my revealing top and skintight ass pants.

“We share a phone, bitch. You gon’ be texting me too?” Stazi peeked out of the room Asif had been standing in the doorway of, shocking me. She wasn’t in the wheelchair at the moment, her curly hair down and brown skin flushed with anger. He was blocking her to keep her from getting to me.

“Ah!” I screeched after Anastazia chunked something my way, and it hit me dead in the forehead. When it fell, I saw it was a wooden hairbrush. That bitch not only had great aim when it came to shooting but throwing shit too.

Asif’s face was just as irritated as he put his phone to his ear, and I didn’t know what to do. He looked me over as if I were a wolf in sheep’s clothing and… I guess I was.

I was paralyzed with fear—at least my feet were, because I couldn’t stop rubbing the spot on my forehead that the brush had hit.

“Aye, Nique, come get ya bitch ASAP, nigga,” he said into the phone, then hung it up immediately to keep hold of Anastazia.

“No. I was just kidding.” I finally found some words, making sure to keep the distance between them and myself. “I’m so sorry.”

“Nah, you not, but you ’bout to be. Coming in our house and disrespecting me and my lady. My kids is here.” He shook his head, scoffing angrily. He was really upset that I flirted with him, and I didn’t get why. “You luckier than a muthafucka that I don’t hit females.” He looked me dead in the eyes, and it sent a chill down my spine just as Unique started up the stairs, his brothers and their wives in tow.

Lord, no. Why was a crowd necessary?

“What the fuck is going on?” Unique frowned.

“Apologize to my fiancée for disrespecting her, her home, and our relationship. And only then can you get the fuck out,” Asif stated, ignoring his brother’s question and his other brothers’ questioning looks.

“Again… the fuck is going on?” Unique’s frown deepened.

“She tried to get at Asif,” Stazi answered then added, “An apology won’t save you, bitch. I’m out of commission right now, but I swear when I run into you again, I’m gon’ beat yo’ ass.”

I was glad Asif was holding her because I would hate to whup her ass fresh from giving birth and in front of her people.

“I know that’s right!” Scotland shouted.

Unique’s eyes zeroed in on me and squinted like he couldn’t believe it. His amber and green eyes darted up my face for just a brief moment at the spot that was hurting on my forehead before they fell to the brush on the floor.

“You fucking serious?” he finally asked, but I didn’t want to confirm or deny.

“Deadass, and you already know how I’m coming behind mine, so once she apologize, get her the fuck up out my shit ’fore I turn up. You can keep her if you want to, but I don’t want her ass around me or my family.”

The rest of the brothers watched with wide eyes and mouths, some shaking their heads at me and sizing me up a little bit in shock. Aurora was too, but I could see a sliver of happiness like she’d finally gotten rid of my ass.

“Not Teyaira Junior!” Uncut—Khari, which felt weird to call him—hollered in distress. “Lequay, this yo’ damn fault!”

“How?” his brother replied, confused. I couldn’t even pay too much attention to them because I was afraid and ashamed.

“Anastazia, I am sorry for disrespecting you, your home, and your relationship.” I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to, but I was afraid of what Asif would do.

I had never seen a man this angry over something like this. It was a quiet angry, too, the scariest one. He truly felt offended—you could see it in his face and body language—and I didn’t know how to take that because I was fine as hell.

“Oh, and make no mistake. No matter the location, that shit was never gon’ fly,” Asif let me know, and I didn’t think I could be any more ashamed than I was. I couldn’t pick my head up for anything.

“Let’s go.” Unique waved for me to follow him, barging through his brothers, who began rushing to Asif and Stazi to get more intel, I assumed.

“I hope you can fight,” Analicia said.

“You seen me on social media.” I looked her up down, hoping she told her sister about me so she wouldn’t get fucked up.

I kept walking but felt a hard push that almost sent me to the floor. When I whipped around, ready to go at it, all the ladies stood together, making it hard for me to tell which of them was the culprit. I had a feeling it was Analicia, trying to do some slick shit for her sister, but I couldn’t tell.

Realizing getting my man back was more important, I waved them hos off and rushed out after Unique and Aurora.

I hopped in the car as Unique started it as if he was about to leave. That stupid bitch Aurora had taken my seat up front.

“This is insane,” she commented as he sped out on two wheels. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Unique mad, and it was quite frightening.

“Baby, I swear they got the wrong impression. I only apologized because I don’t wanna have no issues with your people,” I lied, peering through the two front seats of his plush Range Rover. When he didn’t say anything, I continued. “Baby? I’m serious. I love you. Why would I try to fuck your brother? He is lying.”

That last sentence seemed to do something to him because he blew the hell up.

“Why the fuck would I believe you over a nigga who don’ had my back since I was a fucking kid!” he roared, making both Aurora and me jolt. I damn near crawled back into the corner of the back seat as Unique’s eyes seemed to darken as if he were possessed. “And don’t you ever in life fix yo’ mouth to call my brother a muthafuckin’ liar again, bitch.”

Bitch? I’d been called a bitch twice tonight and by men I never heard call women that. It made me feel low. I understood it with Asif, but Unique was supposed to have more love for me.

I couldn’t think of anything to say because it was foolish to think Unique would believe me over his brother, especially when his brother was being truthful.

The rest of the ride was silent with both Aurora and I stealing looks at a fuming Unique. He drove like a madman, making me buckle up so I wouldn’t fly through the windshield randomly.

I didn’t even get why he was this mad when he was clearly about to drop me.

Seemingly like he was reading my mind, he shook his head with a sigh and said, “I ain’t even tripping off you trying to get fucked ’cause I was ’bout to leave yo’ ass anyway. But the fact that you had the nerve to do that shit in his fucking house with his girl and kids is what got me hot. You a real-life ho with no fucking respect or morals.”

His statement made me feel like shit, just like Asif’s. I hadn’t thought about any of that. I saw an opportunity to make a move on him and kill two birds with one stone—fulfill my fantasy of fucking Asif and hurt Unique.

But the fact that not only did I not accomplish anything but got embarrassed, plus Unique didn’t even give a damn, made me feel terrible.

He pulled up to the home we lived in, and we all climbed out. I let him get some steps ahead of me, not sure how he would act out.

“Nique—”

“Pack yo’ shit up. Unicorn looking ass.” He cut me off, mumbling the latter half.

His comment made me peer into the mirror by the front door as Aurora snickered. I saw the brush Anastazia hit me with had made a huge ass knot form on my head. The shit hurt badly as fuck, so I didn’t know why I didn’t think a knot would be there.

That bitch Anastazia had better hope we didn’t cross paths because I was beating her ass for this shit.

I touched the knot lightly, then winced at how painful it was.

“Baby, I don’t have anywhere to go!” I called out, following him up the stairs.

“I don’t give a fuck. You should’ve tried to fuck a nigga who would let yo’ ass stay with him. You got half an hour to get the fuck up out my shit.”

I froze, just watching his fine ass swagger off to his bedroom and close the door. When I heard snickering, I looked behind myself and down to see Aurora sauntering up the stairs.

“You were working so hard to get me out of here and ended up fucking yourself out of your own position. I could’ve told you ahead of time getting at his brother wouldn’t work.”

Folding my arms and scoffing, I asked, “Oh, and you think your no ass or tits having ass could’ve gotten him? Please.”

“No, I don’t. You’re so airheaded and dumb you don’t pay attention. Them niggas are too close.”

“Clearly not because some bitch named Teyaira must’ve accomplished something,” I said, remembering Khari’s comment.

“True. True. And which brother is this Teyaira married to?” Aurora’s skinny ass gagged me, before walking off to her own bedroom. “I’m gonna let him cool down, then I’m gonna fuck you right up out of his system. You better hurry; you only got twenty-five to get out.”

“Oh well, I should leave the door open for Kabrina. Don’t get too excited.”

“I’ll make sure she gets rid of her own self too.” She slammed her bedroom door.

Realizing I needed to give Unique some time, I stomped to my soon-to-be former bedroom and began packing my essentials.

This was the worst night of my life…