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My ringing phone startled me from my fucking nap, making me frown instantly. Kabrina was the only one I would be cool with interrupting my sleep, and since she was in the kitchenette cooking, I knew it wasn’t her ass.

Seeing Banks’s name, I shook my head and hit the green button. As badly as she annoyed a nigga, I couldn’t not answer my baby sister. I wouldn’t forgive myself if some shit happened to her.

“Better be important, Banks.” I put the phone to my ear, making Kabrina peek out of the small kitchen and smile. I returned the gesture, unable to not smile at the sight of her smooth latte complexion and beautiful eyes. I mouthed that I loved her, making her blush, before realizing I was tuning out Banks. “Wait, huh?”

“I need you to come get me.” Her voice was anxious.

“Get you? You at dance?” I checked the time on my Rolex.

“Um, no. I’m at the mall.”

“Where the fuck is yo’ car, B?”

“Umm… I don’t wanna tell you.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I said, “Text me the fucking address.” I hung up before she could say anything and threw my feet off the side of Kabrina’s bed.

“What’s wrong?” Kabrina came out.

“Banks need a fucking ride.” I stood, shaking my head. I was still a bit disoriented from just waking up from a midday nap. That was some shit I hadn’t had in a fucking while.

“Her dad bought her a car though.”

“Yeah, and she don’t wanna tell me where said fucking car is.” I shook my head some more, heading to the bathroom to take a piss, wash my hands, and brush my teeth again.

Once done, I left Kabrina at the studio to finish up the food while I hopped in the whip to grab my sister.

I shook my head damn near the whole fucking way at Banks. She was too wild for my blood pressure to be normal, and I didn’t get why she felt so comfortable having me do this stupid shit.

By the time I made it to the Fox Hills mall or whatever they called the shit now, I spotted Banks standing outside with her best friend Kailey.

“Thank you so much!” Banks climbed in the front, and Kailey got in the back. I noticed they both looked a little disheveled.

“Tell me where yo’ fucking car at?” I stayed put.

“Okay, fine. We took an Uber for today so we wouldn’t… drink and drive.” She mumbled the last three words.

“Drink and fucking drive?” I bellowed, making her flinch. Her homegirl stayed quiet in the back seat, as she should’ve, nails tapping a mile a fucking minute on her phone. “How the fuck you gon’ get drinks when you not even twenty-one, Banks!”

“We took some of Kailey’s dad’s stuff,” she admitted, and I could only laugh to keep from blowing the fuck up.

“And why you look like you don’ been in some shit? What nigga I got to knock the fuck out?” I felt my blood boiling over, ready to go back in that mall and put a nigga to sleep.

Nobody!” Banks shouted urgently, seeing I was on ready.

“We got into it with Rue and her group. Just a shoving match before security broke it up,” Kailey chimed in, and Banks snapped her neck to look back at her with her lips tightened into a scowl.

“Rue?” My brows dipped as I surveyed Banks. “Low’s bitch?”

She sunk in her seat, eyes darting to me every now and again in shame.

“Oh my fucking gosh.” I shook my head, staring out of the window.

Banks having a schoolgirl crush on that nigga Low from afar was one thing, but getting into altercations with his girl or jump off or whatever the fuck she was, was another.

“Please do not tell Sif! I will pay you my allowance for a month.”

For some reason, Banks hated to disappoint Asif out of all of us. She didn’t want any of us knowing shit she did, but him especially. I didn’t know what it was, but we assumed it was because he most resembled our father in personality.

If he was ever mad at her, though, she would be upset or sad, and that was usually why he couldn’t ever be angry with her for long.

“Aight, aight!” I cut into her rambling and deals she was trying to make in exchange for my silence. “I ain’t gon’ tell him, but you gotta cut that shit out, Banks. You and Low ain’t gon’ fucking happen. If you like Low as a friend, you wouldn’t even do that to him. None of us is gon’ let that shit ride, you understand? Sif or Pop would probably smoke him, on some real shit. Cemone, Lequay, Shakur, Bashar, none of us is gon’ let that shit live. You can date, baby girl, you just can’t date Low. Get you a nerdy college boy or a regular nigga and call it a fucking day. Let Low do his thang. He got people he taking care of, and it ain’t worth getting fucked up over you.”

“I know.” She nodded, voice shaking and making a nigga feel bad. But I had to keep it a buck. I wasn’t okay with the shit, and I knew my brothers weren’t because we’d had that conversation already. “It honestly had nothing to do with Low. I just don’t like her, and she happened to be here at the mall,” Banks lied. I didn’t know if she was lying about Rue happening to be there or not, but I knew damn well she didn’t get into it with the girl just because. It was all about Low.

“Whatever.” I cranked my truck and started off toward the exit of the large parking lot. “You better hope Rue don’t mention the shit in front of Sif.”

Banks only nodded, nibbling on her lip like she was hoping for the same fucking thing.

“So is Sif still married?” Kailey’s ass asked.

“He just got married. What you think?” I peered into the rearview, shaking my head at the girl.

“Don’t make me fuck you up, Kailey.” Banks giggled. “I love all my sisters-in-laws and don’t play about them.”

“Even if he wasn’t married, you young as fuck. You ain’t even got a car, and you think Sif would fuck with you?” I half joked, making Banks laugh and Kailey smile while trying to explain.

“I like older men, okay! Tall, dark, handsome, and hood how I like! One time he got out the car to take our bags and that dick was on swing set mode!” She exclaimed and even though I ain’t want to, I cracked the fuck up while Banks palmed her face. This young ass girl was wild as fuck. “He got big zaddy energy,” she grunted out of lust as Banks gagged at her words.

“Probably ’cause he got two kids,” I said, and Banks chuckled while Kailey rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. You single?”

“Absolutely not . Even if I was though, love, it’d be a no-go. You still got milk on ya fucking breath.”

Banks guffawed as her homegirl playfully swatted her shoulder before sinking back into the seat.

I couldn’t wait to get their asses up out my damn car and get back to my lady and whatever meal of Presley’s she had waiting on a nigga.

* * *

This was the final week of filming for the movie The Players, and I was happy as fuck. It would free up some of my time, and I could move onto other shit. I hated being in a role for too long that wasn’t a TV show because with shows, it was constant material. However, with movies it was a onetime spin, and I didn’t wanna spend two fucking years for one piece of work.

At the moment, it was lunch time, so while the cast ate what the studio provided, Kabrina and I indulged on the Crustaceans I had delivered since she had a seafood craving.

“You spoil me too much.” She gathered our trash as I bit her ass cheek when she bypassed me.

“Dessert,” I said when she shot me a look. “But I’m supposed to spoil you, love.”

“True.” She returned to stand between my legs after tossing the trash.

I was still seated, running my hands up the backs of her smooth ass legs. She smelled good as fuck, looked good as fuck, and had my dick springing to life in seconds.

“What you trying to do?” I asked, kissing the sliver of skin showing between her jean skirt and top.

“Nothing, Unique. I’m just standing here.” She laughed. “I need you to spoil me a little more, and do me a favor.”

“Here we go.” I fell back into the chair. Kabrina didn’t ask for shit, so in return, I gave her the fucking world, but when she did ask, it was usually some shit I really ain’t wanna fucking do.

“I need you to rally up the fam to meet with Sharon and Kyle.”

“Who?” I frowned.

“Devante. I try to call him Kyle to his face, but in my head, he’s Devante. Don’t worry.” Her hands rested on my shoulders, my eyes darting to her thighs. “Unique, focus.”

“What for, love? We ain’t got shit to talk about.” I dropped my hands from Kabrina’s legs, realizing she’d rather use our last little bit of lunchtime to talk about this shit than use it for a quickie.

“Because I think it’s needed, and so do Sharon and Devante. It was a lot going on in the church when you guys exposed him, I heard, and a quieter setting is best for everyone to get their thoughts and opinions out.” She watched me, then added, “I listened to him admit everything to Sharon, and I kind of felt bad for him, baby. What he did was wrong, foul, and the work of a coward, but homeboy is struggling, for real.”

Listening to Kabrina made me pick my eyes up to look into hers as she stood over me.

“I figured that. I can see what I can do, but my brothers may not agree. As for my mama, I don’t even know. Pop may have to come.”

“Why? He thinks Devante is gonna try to get her back?” She guffawed, and I mocked her wannabe comedian ass.

“Uh, nah. Just make sure she good in case they get into it. You know gay niggas argue better than some women.”

“Unique, shut the hell up.” She giggled. “You know damn well Devante is not that type of gay.”

“Yeah… well, I guess we ’bout to see.”

I shook my head at the mere thought. Shit could either go right or go left, and judging from my family’s track record, shit going left was more likely.

* * *

“Mr. Compton.” Audrey’s assistant announced my arrival as she held my agent’s door open for me to enter.

I was feeling great considering I finished The Players and was hoping Audrey called me in here to tell me she had another role for a nigga.

“What’s good, Audrey?” I grinned, and she could only feign a smile as we embraced, which immediately tanked my fucking mood. “What now?”

“Sit down, Unique.”

“I don’t wanna fucking sit down.” I folded my arms, and she gave in with a sigh, plopping down into her own chair.

“ Dough Boyz has hit a snag yet again.”

“I knew it.” I fell into the chair across from her, head shaking.

“Tamira has decided to quit the show and put her focus on the new show she was recently hired to run. They’re worried about the fate of Dough Boyz without her, and it’s highly likely they will cancel after this season if they can’t find a suitable replacement.” She got silent, making me look up from the floor to see she was hesitant to continue.

“What?”

“Tamira is also releasing a statement due to drop tomorrow morning along with the announcement of her departure from the show.”

“I don’t wanna read that bullshit.” I waved it off when Audrey slid the document toward me. “Okay, well you should at least know that she mentions you became difficult to work with and bigheaded once you booked other roles, namely the Night Walker movie. She then goes on to say you even threatened her like you did AJ.”

“You fucking serious?” I asked, and Audrey gave me one curt nod. “This gon’ fuck up anything?”

“Maybe, but for now, you have contracts in place, and we can only hope that her allegations don’t affect the moral clause of them since there is no basis to support what she’s saying. It’s hearsay.”

“Cool.” I exhaled, massaging the bridge of my nose as several different thoughts circled my mind. “I wanna announce some shit too, Audrey.”

“Like what?” She began typing away on her computer.

“Like the fact that Tamira promised me the role of Denim but only if I had sex with her and continued to, to keep my place on the show. Only reason she mad and leaving now is because I turned her down the last couple times.”

Audrey immediately stopped typing to focus on me with her lips parted and eyes wide in shock.

“Are you serious?”

“Remember I called you after the audition and explained that they told me I needed to work on it a little bit?” I asked, and she nodded slowly like she was recalling it. “Then a few hours later, you got an email saying I was casted.”

“And that was because…”

“Yep.” I nodded. “But before I tell the world, I wanna see if she did the shit to anyone else.”

“Are you sure about this? Tamira is no small beast. One wrong move, Unique, and you will never act in anything ever again.”

“I’m very fucking sure. I don’t want the shit happening to anybody else,” I admitted. “Because while I was grown, ain’t no telling what age she don’ did the shit too.”

“Yes, true. You were grown, but she’s old enough to be your mother, which makes that disgusting. Even if she were younger, her using her position to sleep with you is unethical and extremely inappropriate.”

“So you agree that I should come out with the shit?”

“I do, so long as you know there may be bad fallout.”

“I do.” I nodded, latching onto her eyes with mine.

“Then I’m on board. Let me make some calls on the low and see if I can find at least three other people to start when you drop the bomb.”

I bobbed my head in agreement, feeling good about the shit and knowing Kabrina would be happy.

At the end of the day, Devante Compton wasn’t the only muthafucka needing to face the music. Tamira Weathers needed to be exposed too. I just didn’t wanna face my damn mama when this shit dropped.