Page 3

SOME DAYS LATER…

After putting my whip in park, I climbed out while shaking my head at Asif’s big ass house. The shit was dope and something that was definitely on my list to obtain.

While I was far from broke, I was what a nigga liked to call lightweight rich. I wasn’t balling as much as my older brothers, but I would be, so long as I stayed focused on my goals at hand. I didn’t spend frivolously, and I saved a lot, and even once I hit shit big, I would continue that.

“What’s good?” Asif answered the door, peeping around me like I came with the Feds as he dapped me up. That was Sif, though, always on the lookout and head on a swivel.

“Nothing much. Smell good as fuck in here.” I looked around the vast ass foyer. “What is that?”

“Hell if I know.” He shrugged, closing the door. “That’s Anastazia. Perks of having a woman in the home, nigga.”

“Yeah, that’s why I got two ,” I replied, making him chuckle as we tread somewhere. I was just following along, not knowing where we were going.

We ended up at one of his three den areas, and when I peered inside, I spotted a pregnant Anastazia and their daughter, Sophie, seated like a queen and a princess while their feet sat in some elaborate ass pedicure tub. Squatted down in front of them were two ladies working on their feet. Two more were beside them, fixing their hands.

“You need anything before my meeting?” Asif inquired after pecking Sophie’s cheek, focusing his attention on his fiancée.

“No.” She smiled, shaking her head with a starry-eyed ass smile. You would think Asif was about some shit with the way she was looking up at the nigga.

The sight made me smirk as I busied myself with dapping up little Sophie, who sat like her mother, getting her toes painted while she held onto a glass of what appeared to be sparkling apple juice. Asif was gon’ raise her to be a problem for niggas with her tiny, spoiled ass.

She was a lucky little girl, just like Amir would be a lucky little boy. It brought back the memories of my brothers and me having Prime.

“Aight, let me know. I got the phone on for you always,” Asif replied, pecking her, then her belly and waving for me to follow him out.

I quickly hugged Anastazia and touched her belly as she giggled before I trailed after him.

“You got me over here knowing you got a meeting?” I questioned, slightly irritated since I’d told this muthafucka I had some shit to talk to him about.

While I had five other brothers, Asif was the one I went to mostly to vent about shit. Though he and I were only a year apart, he had an older vibe to him, which was why our brothers would often call him their little big brother.

“It’s some quick shit.” He went into his office, and I followed, my eyes landing on a smiley ass white man who grinned upon seeing us. “My bad. I had to make sure my lady was fully occupied.”

“No worries.” The man nodded with a smile. Whatever he was here for, Asif was blowing big fucking racks; I could tell by this nigga’s constant cheesing.

“This my brother Unique. Unique, this is Connor. He takes care of all that frilly, romantic shit in case you need it since you got two of ’em.”

I chuckled disingenuously, shaking Connor’s hand as I sat next to Asif, who was seated across from Connor.

For the next half an hour, Connor and Asif discussed floral arrangements, desserts, and all kinds of shit. I couldn’t remember everything because I’d zoned out, thinking about Kabrina like I had been since the night in Vegas and how I didn’t have her fucking back.

It seemed like forever before Asif and Connor stood to shake hands, and Asif led the nigga out. He returned shortly after, sitting in the seat Connor had been in across from me.

“I ain’t miss how you got two set ups and three flower arrangements, nigga. Who the side?” I jested, though I was in fact curious.

“Anastazia, Sophie got the small one, and then Mrs. Chase.” He listed.

“Sophie? And you fucking moms too?” I cackled when he shot me a look.

“Nah, muthafucka, but she single and ain’t had a Valentine in years since her husband passed.” He leaned back into the couch. “As for Sophie, I’m her father. I gotta show her how shit is done. Plus, she won’t have no type of Valentine for at least forty years, nigga.”

We both laughed at that last line as I nodded, commending him for getting something for Mrs. Chase.

“I feel it. I guess you are a good nigga.”

“Only to them three.” He took a sip of his water bottle. “So what’s so important?”

“You remember the girl from the yacht? The one whose nigga you made jump off?”

“Yep.”

“I know you not really into social media and shit, so you probably ain’t see that old boy got exposed. His wife showed up at the season renewal celebration and…” I threw my hands up and sighed, “she found out the nigga was married.”

“Good,” Asif replied, “but what this shit got to do with either of us?”

“I’m getting to that, muthafucka.”

“Ain’t my fault you always take fucking forever to get to the point.”

“Anyway,” I waved him off, “she asked me if I knew about him having a wife, and I kept it real. Now she kind of pissed at a nigga. She said she forgave me, but I could tell it wasn’t no real forgiveness. It was like some, ‘here, nigga,’ forgiveness.”

I hadn’t decided if I wanted to tell him how the rest of that damn night went just yet.

Asif chuckled and sat up some before frowning in confusion. “Why you even care? You got two whole girlfriends, yet you worried about what she think and how she feel.”

“I mean, yeah, but she and I were kind of cool, and in hindsight, I realize it was fucked up.”

“Why you ain’t tell her?”

Shrugging, I glanced off and then said, “Felt like it wasn’t my place. You know niggas got a nigga code, and that’s some bitch shit to go running and telling another nigga’s woman about what he doing.”

“I get that.” He nodded. “You ever tried to talk some sense into that weird ass nigga?”

I snickered subtly at the shot Asif threw at AJ and nodded.

“Yeah, but not like I would do a nigga that was actually my homie or brother. It was in the same manner y’all did on the boat. Like a warning here and there but not shit else.”

“That’s why we don’t kick it with light-skinned niggas.” Asif shook his head.

We chuckled before I replied, “You right. My first and last fucking time.”

“But nigga, if you care that much, pull up on her and make sure she understand you really sorry ’bout that shit. Let her get out whatever the fuck she need to say and don’t argue with her. Let her speak and then apologize again.”

“I can do that, but if she go too far, I’m gon’ light her ass up.”

I wasn’t sure what I would light her ass up about, considering she was perfect in my eyes. But I was a vet at clowning muthafuckas, so I was sure it would come to a nigga.

Chuckling, he shook his head and said, “Don’t do that, nigga. ’Cause sound like you like her, and you gon’ lose points doing some shit like that. Plus, she the one hurt, not you.” He pointed at me.

“You right.” I sat back some. “I don’t like her like that though.”

“If you say so. But niggas don’t care about other women’s opinions and moods unless they like ’em.”

“Nah, that’s you , nigga.”

“Well, you gon’ have a difficult ass time in yo’ relationships if you running around giving a fuck about every woman’s feelings, even when you don’t like their asses.”

He got me there. His comment made me think for a second, but I shook the shit off.

Kabrina was a pretty ass girl and seemed cool from what I had gotten to know from being around her ass, but I was happy with what a nigga had. I couldn’t lie and say that something wasn’t holding me back from rushing the divorce shit. It was as if life made the choice for my ass, and it honestly seemed like the only way a nigga would ever get married.

I loved my brothers and was happy that they’d all found that one and got married, but I didn’t see the hype. Nothing about them niggas’ lives made me wanna get down on one knee and be laid up with the same woman, talking shit and threatening to take half if I divorced her muthafuckin’ ass. I guess I was just different from them niggas though.

It all started with Khari’s ass. I low-key felt like had he not hitched himself to Couture, none of these niggas would’ve been husbands.

“After we make up, I ain’t gon’ be worried about her, watch. Daisy and Aurora are my main focuses,” I finally said.

“How that shit going?” He chuckled, questioning me sarcastically.

“Perfect as fucking usual, nigga. You gon’ be wishing you had another one ’round here soon when Stazi get to tripping.” I smirked.

The thought alone was funny because after getting to know Anastazia, she’d go apeshit if Asif even thought about bringing another woman around.

“Nah, I’d rather deal with her tripping than be with anybody else.” He sipped his water.

“You say that now.”

“She got insomnia right now and every night at two, three in the fucking morning she wakes a nigga up to either make her a snack or ask me if I still love her, if I think she’s sexy still, and am I happy she’s having my baby.” He shook his head with a smirk as I chuckled. “Keep in mind I tell her she’s beautiful every fucking day, I love her, and some mo’ shit.”

“I hope you play sleep and ignore her ass,” I said.

Shaking his head he replied, “I answer every time. The little smile and giggle she give a nigga after I reply is worth it.”

“See, that shit would drive me crazy.”

“That’s my baby, though, so I’ll let her drive me crazy before I hop in the car with another.” He shrugged. “Plus, you not serious ’bout that shit you got.”

“How you figure?” I frowned.

“Most niggas who are into poly still date one at a fucking time, nigga. Not only that, they get married. You just got two bitches in the crib that you can fuck on. You playing games, and when you play games with these females out here, it never ends well. Trust me when I tell you that shit.”

“I’m not playing games, nigga. I got feelings for them both.”

“Yet you blowing me up to talk about a whole nother female.” He gave me unwavering eye contact as he held his boxed water bottle. “Just ’cause you got two girlfriends don’t mean the same shit don’t apply, Nique. You still gotta be faithful. You can’t fuck other bitches or be worried about other women’s feelings and shit. You s’posed to be dedicated to Daisy and Aurora just like you would if you had one.” He threw up one finger. “Except you got double the work.”

“I can handle it.” I smirked.

“I don’t just mean in the bedroom. I mean with every fucking thing.” He set the bottle down. “Everything I do, I only have to worry about doing it for Anastazia or how it’s gon’ affect her. I only gotta worry about what she like, don’t like, what she doing, etcetera. But you, you have to consider two women’s thoughts, moods, and feelings. I can run out and buy my lady a car. But you, you gotta buy two or worry about the other feeling left out. It’s fun while you getting yo’ dick wet. I know I don’ had my fair share of threesomes in the past—but that’s even if you getting a threesome. But there is more to relationships than fucking.”

Daisy and Aurora beefed too fucking hard for me to even say the word threesome. Shit, we could barely go out to eat as a trio, let alone fuck.

“Nigga, I ain’t come here to get lectured. You got a son on the way. Wait until he come before you start giving out advice and shit.” I waved him off.

“I ain’t lecturing you, Nique. I’m yo’ brother, and I’m keeping shit real with you. If you like Kabrina, cool. But you can’t have one foot over there and then one foot in yo’ relationships.”

“I don’t.”

“Would you marry either one?”

“Nah.” I shook my head. “If I did want something like that, I’d make them marry each other like that one nigga did and just give ’em my last name.”

“Just giving that last name to anybody, huh? Never been happier to not be a Compton.”

“Fuck you.” I chuckled, and he followed suit.

“You been dodging that love shit for a minute, but from the sound of shit, seems like the target might’ve hit yo’ ass,” he said, not even realizing just how fucking true that shit was.

“So you saying I’m like, love’s most wanted or some shit?”

“I like that.” He nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

Resting my elbows on my knees, I said, “Aye, when I was in Vegas for that party, I followed Kabrina to make sure she was good after finding out about old boy, and um,” I ran my hand down my face, “somehow, we got married.”

“Somehow?” His brows kissed. “Fuck you mean, somehow?”

“Like we went to the club inside of the hotel, had some drinks and shots, then next thing I knew, we was waking up in bed together with a marriage license on the nightstand and a wedding photo in my pants pocket.”

Asif’s lips were parted in shock, and had this not been a serious situation, I would’ve laughed.

“Damn. I was fucking around when I said that shit about you having a target on ya back, but got damn, nigga. I think that shit is legit.”

“Man, who the fuck you telling?” I sat back in the chair. “Now we gotta get an annulment but…”

“But what?”

“I mean, I want to, don’t get me wrong. I don’t wanna be married right now; I don’t give a fuck who it’s to. Same time, I feel like this was the only way a nigga would ever end up married, so I ain’t in a rush to end the shit.” I stared at him as he watched me like I was a fool. “It’s like when you don’t wanna do some shit but life does it for you, so you like fuck it.”

“I get what you saying, nigga, but that ain’t fair to her. She need to be married to a nigga that wanna be married to her, especially after dealing with that AJ nigga. And you need to be married to a woman that’s gon’ make you wanna grow up and realize all this other shit ain’t as important.”

I nodded, agreeing with at least the first part of his statement.

I kicked it with my brother for a little bit longer, playing some dominoes, until Sophie and Anastazia were finished and ready to go to the movies. Anastazia let me take a plate home of the oxtails she made which I planned to eat in the car since I ain’t bring enough for Daisy or Aurora.

After Asif buckled Sophie into the car seat and then assisted Anastazia into the front seat of his whip, he shut the door and said, “Valentine’s Day is coming up in a week, and I bet you ain’t got shit planned for the loves of ya life, huh?” He tugged on his own car door handle to open the driver’s side.

“I do, actually.” I lied, flipping his ass the bird and sliding into my Range Rover.

I watched as he pulled out and started my own vehicle to trail him out and down the private road of his home.

I played that shit off with jokes and laughter, but deep down, I didn’t like the shit Asif was saying because a part of me felt like it was true.

I’d spent so many years not having to do anything for anybody on Valentine’s Day that I’d completely forgotten that I now had two women to plan for. I didn’t want to hit Asif for Connor’s number because it would only prove his ass right. Plus, that nigga was too expensive. Anastazia deserved that, but I wasn’t too sure about Daisy and Aurora. Crazy part was, I wouldn’t mind doing the shit for Kabrina.

Even worse, I’d forgotten to even think about the shit because Kabrina had taken up residence in a nigga’s mind.

The whole ride back to the crib, I tried to think up some shit to do for Aurora and Daisy, but every time, my mind would drift to Kabrina uncontrollably. Eventually, I just decided to hit my assistant Erin and asked her to find a dinner reservation. She gave a nigga an earful about it being last minute but assured me she’d have something and would hunt all night for an open reservation.

I could only shake my head at my damn self as I sat in my driveway, smashing the good ass food my soon-to-be sister-in-law made.

After doing some more thinking, I climbed from the car and entered my crib through the garage. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I spotted Daisy smiling lustfully at a nigga, dressed in lingerie.

“Hey.” She put a chocolate covered strawberry to her lips before taking a bite. The simple gesture turned a nigga on like no other.

“Hey.” I walked up on her, allowing her hands to slip up and down my chest as I gripped her ass.

She was too short to hug my neck like she wanted to, so I dipped some to allow it before scooping her thick ass up.

“Thought I could do something for you since you fly out tomorrow.” She spoke against my lips before pecking me so deeply my dick got even harder.

Our kissing turned nasty as I carried her to the bedroom that belonged to her. This was a four-bedroom crib—two of them occupied by Aurora and then Daisy. One was mine when I wanted to be alone, and the other was for guests that I rarely if ever had.

As soon as I walked into the room, hands full of Daisy’s plump ass, I spotted the nice ass setup she had.

One thing I loved about Daisy was how spontaneous she was. I was never bored with her ass because she was always up for some random shit or coming up with ideas and surprises to keep a nigga on his toes. It was the one thing Aurora was missing. But while Aurora wasn’t so spontaneous, she brought me peace, and I loved the fuck out of her gentle, womanly presence. Daisy lacked that often, always choosing to be wild or outgoing over femininity.

After experiencing them, I’d realized I needed them both. Every woman I met would have most of everything but not all of it. So I either had to settle for her ass or live a polyamorous lifestyle, and I’d clearly chosen the latter.

If I ever met a woman that checked all the fucking boxes, I might leave the shit alone, but I doubted it would ever happen. I’d been with plenty of females in my twenty-something years, and it’d never happened.

“This is nice, baby girl. Thank you.” I smiled as she pushed me lightly onto the bed and began to strip.

I watched in awe as Daisy swayed slowly to the music she’d cut on, removing her clothing pieces one by one and teasing me in a way that I actually fucked with. Shockingly, I kept thinking about Kabrina when I was supposed to be focused on this fucking striptease, and it was starting to piss a nigga off.

By the time Daisy was ass naked and dropping to her knees to take my dick out, I had a tent in my sweats, making her eyes mushroom with excitement.

Removing it from my pants, she trailed her tongue along my shaft, causing a throaty moan to escape my lips as I watched her pretty face. Her caramel skin was buttery like always, all throughout her thick frame.

For the next ten minutes, Daisy slobbed on my shit before I bent her over, strapped up, and pounded her pussy until she and I both had the spot under us soaked.

After cleaning up, we lay in her bed for a bit as I did my best to rid my fucking mind of Kabrina. I didn’t understand why I gave a fuck about how she felt or what she was going though. Me caring bothered me most of fucking all.

“What are you thinking about?” Daisy cuddled up to me, kissing my neck as I stared up at the ceiling.

A knock sounded off on the bedroom door before I could answer, and Aurora walked right in without waiting for permission.

“Damn! Did I say you could come in!” Daisy shot up, covering her breasts with the sheet.

“You did this shit on purpose,” Aurora stated calmly, shaking her head in irritation.

I was confused for a moment until I remembered it was Aurora’s night with me. I was usually good with this type of shit, but my mind had been elsewhere all fucking day.

Walking in seeing Daisy in barely anything and stressed the fuck out at the same time had given a nigga temporary memory loss.

“Shit.” I sat up, tossing the covers off. “My bad, love. I… fuck! I usually don’t forget.” I caught her eyes, wanting to see how regretful a nigga was.

Aurora could only shake her head before making an about face and switching out.

I stood up, searching the floor for my sweats so I could catch up with her. If Asif saw this shit, he’d be shaking his fucking head at me, and that thought alone had me anxious as fuck to make this shit better. I wasn’t supposed to be dropping the ball like this because no matter what anybody thought, I cared deeply as fuck about my women.

“Let her ass go. She can take tomorrow night.” Daisy waved her off.

“I fly out tomorrow, Daisy. Fuck is you talking about?” I slipped my pants on.

“Oh, right.” She smirked.

Pausing, I took her in for a moment before saying, “I know you did this shit on purpose.”

Her smile dropped immediately before she said, “No I?—”

“You do it again and I ain’t gon’ have no fucking qualms about letting you go. I told you from jump this had to be an effort on everybody’s part, but if you can’t work as a fucking team, let a nigga know, love. We can get you up out of here.”

“I’m sorry. I just missed you and… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken her night.”

“You make sure Aurora gets that fucking apology too, aight?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, falling back onto her pillow as I left the room.

I went to Aurora’s to check for her, and when I noticed she wasn’t there, I ventured to the backyard, which was her favorite spot to be because of the jacuzzi. Like I knew, she was sitting in it, holding a glass of champagne.

Her pretty brown skin had a sheen to it from the heat, and though she wore no makeup and had her hair clipped up, nothing special, she was beautiful as hell.

“Where mine?” I jested, squatting down some. She peered up and over at me before offering up a soft but super subtle ass smile. “I meant what I said, love. I’m sorry. I had other shit on my mind, and she caught me off guard.”

“I know. She’s always doing little shit like that.” She sighed.

“Yeah, and I got on her ass about it.” I looked off into the trees filling my backyard. Glancing back down at Aurora, I continued. “But it’s my fault too. Had I not forgotten, it wouldn’t have happened. I gotta be the mediator, the middle ground in this shit, and I failed at that. So for that shit, I apologize.”

“Okay.” She smiled a bit more genuinely this time as she looked up at me. I kissed her slowly. “Want a sip?”

“Nah, I’m good. You keep enjoying yaself. I got an early flight tomorrow. When I get back, though, I’m gon’ end the night with you.”

“Really?” She beamed.

“Really.” I hooked her chin, looking her over for a minute. A part of me felt like Aurora was too much of a good girl for this type of situation, but she’d agreed to the shit. She wasn’t being held hostage and could leave anytime—so long as she didn’t mention leaving a nigga, I wouldn’t give the thought anymore time. “Good night, pretty girl.” I kissed her again before rising back to my full height.

This shit was more work, but it was either do the work or be single, because I refused to settle or be forced to be lonely.