Page 4

“Mr. Duarte will see you now,” the receptionist stated, causing both Unique and I to stand up.

“I thought your brother was a lawyer,” I whispered as we started to the back of the office suite.

“Criminal defense. He don’t handle shit like this,” Unique answered, just as the door to the office we were approaching swung open to reveal an older black man with a full head of black and white hair and a matching beard.

“Mack Duarte.” He extended his hand to shake mine and then greeted Unique who already knew his name. “Have a seat.”

Mack sat behind his desk while Unique and I sat across from him. I was a bit nervous and new to this, so I didn’t say anything. I’d never needed a lawyer in my life, thankfully.

As soon as I glanced to my right at Unique, he started. “So as I kind of explained to you, we basically need to get an annulment and fast.”

“Right, but I need you to tell me what happened.” Mack put a pen to his legal pad, ready to write.

“Umm, I used to think shit like this was fake until it happened to me.” Unique sighed. “We got drunk and woke up married, to make a long story short.”

“Okay. Well, I was able to check and verify that you are, in fact, married, so the license you found is real. Usually, the officiants are supposed to turn you away if you appear to be inebriated, but clearly, that didn’t happen here. So now we have to prove that you were drunk and didn’t know what you were doing.”

“Prove it?” I frowned. “How can we do that? Can’t we just stand in the court and say we didn’t mean to do this?”

Mack chuckled, and it made my stomach feel like I’d swallowed a damn brick.

“I wish, Mrs. Compton?—”

“Kenneth. My last name is still Kenneth,” I corrected.

“Well, Miss Kenneth, no, it is not that easy. There are only a couple reasons that the courts in California will grant an annulment, and while intoxication is one of them, it has to be proven. It’s Vegas, so someone saw you two drunk out of your minds. Whether that was the bartender who served you, the officiant at the church, or even a driver of some sort, assuming you two didn’t drive yourselves anywhere.”

“No. I remember us having a driver for a minute, but I can’t remember his name or… what he looked like.” I huffed, massaging the bridge of my nose.

“Okay. Bartender?”

“Yeah. She was white, dark hair, green eyes, and big titties,” Unique ran off, making Mack laugh and me look his way in disgust.

“Do you find every single woman on this Earth attractive or pay them all close attention?”

I wouldn’t marry Unique even if he were single. I liked my niggas to be all about me, and Unique was too friendly. I noticed it in the past when he would be around AJ and me, but I never really paid it much mind.

I didn’t know why it bothered me so much now. But he was constantly smiling, saying flirtatious things, or giving eyes to any woman in his presence. And with him being well over six feet with light eyes and chocolate skin, they all loved his attention, no matter how widely spread it was.

Hell, I even found myself smiling every time he spoke to me, and in the past, I just assumed it was due to his comical nature, but now I just think the nigga was a pussy whisperer or something.

Chuckling, Unique replied, “Nah, I just pay attention, and she had them muthafuckas pointed right at a nigga.”

“Okay, well this is all good, Mr. Compton. Just give me the name of the wedding hall you guys went to as well as the club, and at least the car service.”

We looked at each other before I said, “We don’t remember the wedding hall or the car service, but we can maybe check our emails to see if we got a receipt or something for the ride.”

Mack sighed like he was losing hope, and I didn’t need him losing hope. That would mean we possibly couldn’t get an annulment and would have to divorce, which I didn’t want. I didn’t want this sham of a union with Unique on my record.

For the next hour, we gave Mack anything we could remember. We weren’t able to locate a receipt in our emails, which was strange, but Mack said he would do his best to figure it out for us and give an update soon.

“Mack is good at what he do, love. Don’t worry.” Unique finally broke the silence as we rode the elevator down.

“I don’t know, Unique. He looked a little worried, and then because you waited weeks to even get this started, the people he plans to interview may not even remember us,” I said, nibbling on my bottom lip.

He exhaled but didn’t say a word, signaling that he agreed with my sentiments and, therefore, didn’t have a rebuttal.

We walked to my vehicle in silence, and after I hit the unlock button, Unique opened the door for me so I could slip inside.

“Aye,” he got my attention, “I’m gon’ make it happen, aight? No matter what.”

He looked serious, which wasn’t an often thing for Unique Compton, and something inside of me told me to believe him. So, I nodded to agree, fighting the small smirk that tugged at my lips at just the sight of him.

No wonder the man had two women, but Kabrina Alise Kenneth would not be the third.

* * *

“Fuck,” I groaned, wiping sweat from my forehead after dropping the box full of my makeup and branding materials into my back seat.

I was clearing out my storage unit that I’d been using for the past couple years. It was too costly, and at the moment, I had no real clients. I would now have to do makeup for normal people, and while that was no problem for me—it was how I’d started—the money was surely different.

Whereas celebrities could pay upwards of one thousand dollars or more to get their makeup done, especially if out of town or at ungodly hours, regular people wouldn’t, and most times couldn’t. Because of this, I had to eliminate things that I didn’t necessarily need, like my storage.

When a car pulled up right next to mine, I glanced over the hood to see Unique in the driver’s side of the expensive ass Range Rover. He smiled upon seeing me, and I gave him a closed-mouth one back, wondering what the fuck he was doing here and how he even knew I was here.

“Need some help, pretty girl?” he asked, getting out of his car and rounding the back of mine.

Scratching between my eyes, I asked, “How the hell did you find me?”

“I dropped you off here for AJ once, and when I realized you wasn’t home, I tried here and lucked up.” He smiled, leaning on the hood of my car with those guns he called arms.

“Oh. Okay. I forgot about that because it was so long ago. But no, I don’t need any help. I’m almost done,” I said and regretted it when he glanced into the unit to see about ten more boxes.

Sighing when it registered in his head that I just didn’t want him around, he said, “I want you to understand that I truly meant no fucking harm when I didn’t tell you. At the time, I felt like it wasn’t my place. I don’t agree with how he moved and especially don’t believe in being dishonest or playing with females’ feelings.

“Same time, love, AJ a grown ass man. I think he even older than me, so I ain’t feel like it was my job to be telling that nigga how to live or barging into his personal life.”

I could barely focus on Unique’s words because for the first time since I’d met him really, I’d allowed myself to take him in. I always felt wrong for looking at him while with AJ, so I would cut myself off, but now that I was single, I could drink him up as long as I wanted to. I’d always found him handsome but looking at him right now, he was fine as fuck. I loved the fullness of his lips, the suppleness of his dark skin, and how tall he was.

“I know, and though I wish you’d said something, I’m more so angry with him.”

“So we cool enough for you stop denying a nigga’s help?” He smiled, and that, too, was mesmerizing.

He had beautiful teeth but the natural kind. Most men these days, including AJ, had veneers. I hoped Unique never fell into that, because even people with perfectly natural teeth like him had opted for the unnatural blue-white look of veneers due to the pressures of being famous.

“Yeah, I guess.” I acted as if it was a chore to accept help, but on the inside, I was elated.

These boxes were heavy as fuck, and my hands felt filthy.

Unique started toward the storage, and I followed him. He stopped abruptly, looking over his shoulder and down at me, making me slam into him and inhale his scent. Even in a wife beater and sweats, he smelled like he was in a Brooks Brothers suit.

“I got it, love. Chill.”

“They’re heavy as fuck, though, and it’s a lot.” I volleyed.

He simply chuckled at me. “Forgot that quickly that you used to AJ and them childish ass legs. He can’t pick up shit heavy.”

“Childish legs?” I giggled, folding my arms and leaning in the doorway as Unique piled one box on top of another and lifted both. Seeing his muscles flex a bit as he started to carry them out made my bud thump a little.

“You notice that nigga never wears shorts? Nigga’s legs is small as hell and got the nerve to have a thigh tatt like a baddie.” I fell out as Unique continued working. “His character had to rock shorts once, and we clowned that nigga so bad he fought to wear pants in the scene.”

I tossed my head back in much-needed laughter at Unique. He’d always been funny but even more so because most of his jokes held a bit of truth to it. AJ’s legs were shockingly skinny in comparison to his upper body, which was what he worked on religiously.

“They’re kind of pale too.” I chuckled a bit, watching Unique move back and forth, carrying two heavy boxes at a time like it was nothing.

“I ain’t gotta worry about shit like that.” He winked, and I giggled, even though it caused a bit of stirring in my belly. That quickly, I was reminded of the issue I had going on in there.

After having to pay for all the things that were supposed to be charged on the credit card AJ cut off, plus getting this new car, my funds were low and in need of a re-up.

I was hoping a new client would come through, as I had been advertising on my social media that I had an open calendar, but it was crickets. I think most who followed me were used to my celebrity prices, so the next post would focus on showing off that I wasn’t charging as much for normal people.

I didn’t want to think about the fact that my newfound reputation possibly contributed to my lack of clients, but deep down, I knew it did. Side chicks, mistresses, and home-wreckers were just as bad as pedophiles and rapists to women.

As Unique carried the last two boxes, an ice cream truck slowly crept by, making him put the boxes in my trunk and wave the man down.

“You still chase the ice cream truck? How old are you?” I raised a brow jokingly, folding my arms.

“Grown ass man who likes ice cream. You don’t eat ice cream?”

“I mean, no, not really anymore.”

“Then bring yo’ ass on so you can remember what the fuck you been missing.” He nodded for me to follow, and for some reason, I did. I had a taste for a Choco Taco, which I saw advertised on the side of the truck. “What you want?” Unique quizzed as he stood at the chubby Latino man’s window.

“Choco Taco, please.” I grinned when Unique’s lip curled in disgust.

“And you talking shit about me.” He shook his head, ordering mine and some Mexican coconut ice cream that looked like freeze pops for himself.

After getting our things, which he paid four dollars for, we went to sit inside of the storage unit to enjoy it. I couldn’t stop smiling every time I caught him watching me eat.

“Leave me alone. It’s good. I’m sure you’ve never had one.” I looked to him. He was seated next to me, and I didn’t think I’d ever been this close to him because I didn’t ever remember being this nervous around Unique.

“Nah, I haven’t.”

“Try.” I reached it out to him.

“Yo’ mouth clean?” His eyes lowered.

“Yes. And you have six nasty brothers who I am sure you have drank or eaten after. I’m much cleaner than them.”

Laughing, he asked, “What make you think that?”

“’Cause niggas are nasty by nature—even the ones who are clean. Tell me you and your brothers haven’t worked on a car and then ate with your hands without washing ’em?” I raised a brow, and judging by the big ass grin on his face, I knew I was right.

“Maybe like twice but we was hungry and tired as fuck.” He smirked. “That’s men though, love. No real nigga be running in the house to wash his hands after, unless he’s a bitch.”

“Yeah, okay.” I chuckled, then lifted the ice cream to him, and he took a bite. It was slow and sensual for some reason, though I could tell he was only biting it carefully so it wouldn’t crumble or spill.

“It’s aight. Kind of freaky, but I could fuck with it if I was high.”

I shook my head at him as I got back to indulging in my ice cream. My mind began to wander in the comfortable silence we sat in, inside of the dank storage unit.

“How long did you know?”

“About?”

“AJ being married.”

“From the beginning. I been busting my ass in this industry for a minute, and while doing so, you meet a lot of muthafuckas. So when I met him, I knew who his father-in-law was already. Wasn’t some shit he could hide from me like he was able to from outsiders, fans and shit.”

I nodded, then sighed. “I wished you had told me then because it would’ve saved me a lot of fucking trouble,” I admitted.

“What you mean?” I felt him look at me as I stared out into the gravelly parking lot.

Shrugging as if I didn’t know, though I did, I replied, “Other than the fact that I wouldn’t have dealt with his ass period, I wouldn’t have trusted him with my life and livelihood like I did. Now here I am having to rework my life at twenty-six years old when I already had my shit mapped out.”

“You still do. You got a whole fucking brand, making ya own money with ya own name.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed, “but all of that has been tarnished because now I’m the homewrecker.”

Unique was silent, and I knew it was because he didn’t have much to say on the matter. There was nothing to say. My reputation had been muddied, and no matter what I said, someone always had a response or reason as to how I should’ve known and how I was lying. So I stopped saying anything because it only seemed to make shit worse.

Not to mention, Zosia Jared was everywhere now. Judging from what I saw on her page, before, she was more of a recluse, not making a peep other than a few pretty pictures on social media occasionally.

Now she was going live and basking in all the sympathy people had for her. I only knew because I got tagged constantly in her comments, people calling me all kinds of shit. I never replied to her because at the end of the day, AJ was her husband, and there was really nothing for me to say to her ass. I could tell her I didn’t know about her, just like no one in the world did, but she wouldn’t believe me, and it’d only garner more negative press.

Though Zosia was pissing me off, I couldn’t blame her. In her eyes, I was a whore who had been fucking her husband. I just hoped she was digging in AJ’s ass as much as she was mine.

“What you gotta rework?” Unique finally spoke up.

“He was paying for my apartment, and he, of course, wants me out. I wasn’t about to stay in that shit anyway, but now I have to find some place and within a certain budget now that I don’t have a booked calendar with high paying celebrities on it. Budgets and Los Angeles don’t really go hand in hand.”

“They definitely don’t.” He polished off the last bit of his ice cream.

“I need you to promise you won’t mention what I’m about to tell you.” I looked to him, and he offered strong eye contact right back as he nodded. “I’m pregnant. I’m not keeping it though. There is no way I would.” I shook my head at the thought.

While I never wanted an abortion, giving my child a father who was already married would be continuing a generational curse. I was so lonely as a child, and overhearing my mother begging my father to see me, hurt to think about even now. It was weird knowing who my father was, his name, what he looked like but not being able to have him around. It did more damage than not knowing, in my opinion.

“It’s his, right?”

“I mean, yeah, I’m assuming. We both agree that we don’t think we had sex, right? Plus, I don’t think signs would show up this early if we did.”

He stared off, eating some of his second ice cream with those nice ass lips surrounded by his mustache and facial hair.

“Any way to check?”

“I heard it’s expensive and could hurt the baby. Plus, do you really want to have a kid with me when you have girl friends ? Come on now, Unique.”

“I mean, nah. I ain’t out here actively trying to become a father, but if a child of mine comes up, I’d want ’em.” He finally flashed me his beautiful, sparkly eyes. “Me not proactively trying to be a daddy ain’t got nothing to do with being a deadbeat. I take shit like that personally.”

“Well, I can assure you this baby is not yours,” I said, and that was majority truth. It was unlikely this baby was Unique’s, but also, I wanted an abortion, and I didn’t need him thinking it was his.

Unique seemed to be dragging his feet when it came to this annulment, and something told me his thinking I was having his baby would only make things worse for us personally but also the courts when it came to granting our annulment.

And I needed for us to get that annulment for too many reasons. With my reputation already in shambles, this would only be the nail in the coffin. Plus, with how I grew up, I despised side chicks or mistresses of any kind. It didn’t matter if I was the wife legally; his women were there first, and therefore, I was the side chick.

“Do he know?” Unique sat forward, elbows on his knees to look up into my face.

Thank God. His question sounded as if he believed my last statement.

“No. I don’t plan to tell him either, because I’m getting rid of it, so it doesn’t matter.” I shrugged one shoulder only, looking into his pretty eyes once I was done speaking.

“Well, whatever you need, I got you. It’ll be like a truce.”

“I can’t ask for help. I won’t ask for help. Had I not gotten help from a nigga in the past, I would be fine right now.”

“Too bad, then, ’cause I’m gon’ help you in any way you need.” He rose to his feet. “I owe you for not telling you what I knew. And , you my wife until further notice. Look at the shit that way. Aight?” He smirked.

“What is so funny about that?” I chuckled myself, putting the last bit of the ice cream into my mouth.

“I kind of like saying you my wife.”

“Well don’t get used to it, okay?”

“Well, Mack better hurry the fuck up.” His crooked smile appeared again, and I had to look away from him. He even flirted with his damn eyes and lips alone. “Speaking of him, he said he got to Las Vegas last night, and he gon’ spend all day interviewing and investigating as much as possible.”

“Ooh, perfect!” I felt some relief.

“Yeah, but like I said, I’m gon’ help you out while you still mine.”

“I’m not yours, just your wife and only by law.”

“By law takes precedence over every-fucking-thing, love.” His eyes drank me in and it rendered me speechless for a moment. “Tell me you gon’ take my help though. I need us to be even and shit.”

“I will.” I nodded, but I knew I wouldn’t be taking anything from him or any other man.

I hated men right now. They were all shit, and if they weren’t shit, they were ugly or broke or both. Even Unique, who was as fine as they come and made good money, wasn’t a good man in my opinion. His decision to have two girlfriends was a huge turn off and proof of his immaturity and inability to commit.

His brothers didn’t seem to be on the same vibe he was, especially Asif. The way he looked at his girlfriend on that yacht during the proposal told me a lot. I had just met them, but I could tell straight off the bat that any woman attempting to infiltrate their relationship would be setting herself up for failure. He only saw her, and that was what I wanted. It seemed like niggas like that were a dime a dozen, however.

“I need ya number though.”

“Unique.” I squinted at him. “You think you’re slick. I’m not giving my number to a man with one girlfriend, let alone two.”

“Ain’t even like that, for real. I swear if I call you on some other shit, hang up in a nigga’s face.”

I contemplated for a while before sighing and reading my number off to him.

“Do not use that for anything but business.” I stood, pointing at him.

“Yes, ma’am.” He tossed his hands up in mock surrender, sexy smile on his face as he backed away.

He might’ve thought shit was a game, but if he called me trying to kick it via telephone, I was hanging up on his ass. Unique might’ve been fine and a cool person, but I was done with these niggas for a nice while, and he wasn’t an exception.

* * *

As soon as I stepped into my packed-up bedroom in my robe, my phone rang. I hoped it wasn’t the front desk calling me about AJ wanting me out, because I was going to let his ass have it this time.

AJ was only doing it to manipulate me into asking to stay and then agreeing to be his side chick. I would go live with my annoying, money hungry aunt before I did that. Only reason I wasn’t now was because she and I didn’t get along when we spent too much time together. She was that family member you had to love mostly from afar.

Seeing Unique’s name on my phone screen made me pause. I didn’t know exactly why he was calling, because I didn’t know how he could help me. I wouldn’t take money from him for several reasons, and I wasn’t about to stay at his house. Those were the only two things I needed assistance with, other than my abortion, and having him help me pay for that felt like it would be crossing a boundary. I had other options before going to Unique.

“Hey.” I rested the phone between my face and shoulder as I grabbed a pair of panties to slip on.

“Aye, so I was waiting on confirmation from my property management team, and they got back to me. I got a studio available. Nothing bigger than that, unfortunately.”

“Wait,” I gripped the phone in my hand with a frown, “you own an apartment building?”

“I do. The units go up to three bedrooms, but they’re all taken. Unless you want me to put a muthafucka out, which ain’t no problem, love.”

Was he serious? He didn’t laugh and I heard no smile in his tone, so maybe he was.

“No, of course not. A studio, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s a luxury building, but it ain’t gon’ compare to the shit you in right now,” he stated the truth.

The apartment I was in currently had three bedrooms and even an office. It was extremely nice, but I wasn’t about to be choosey right now. A studio was perfectly fine for a childless, single woman.

“It’s luxury, huh? How much?”

“Free.”

“No, Unique. I need to pay just like any other tenant would.”

“Any other tenant would be able to live there for free,” he retorted, making me scoff and chuckle slightly.

“Unique, it’s important to me that I pay for my own things. While I appreciate you trying to help me, if you can’t rent it out to me, then I can’t take it.”

“Oh, you one of them, huh?”

“One of what?”

“SBWs. Strong black women.”

“I’m working on it, yes.” I giggled. “That’s a problem?”

“Nah, I fuck with it. Every black woman ain’t like that, though, only certain ones. Remind me of my mama, though, so I can dig it.”

I simpered softly at his comment, glad he wasn’t one of those niggas who equated a black woman’s strength to her being manly or lacking femininity.

“Well good. So is there a price on the studio, or shall I look elsewhere?”

“It’s gon’ run you ’bout… five hundred.”

“Unique.”

“Kabrina. It’s a studio, and it’s five hundred dollars to rent. Have my one thousand for first and last in half an hour when I pull up or it’s yo’ ass.” He hung up on me, making my jaw slack as I snickered subtly.

I finished getting dressed, having brushed, flossed, and used mouthwash prior to showering. So by the time I was spritzing on my Another 13 perfume, Unique was knocking at my door.

“How did you get up here? You have to be on the list.” I answered the door, adjusting my purse with my free hand.

“I’m famous.” He shrugged nonchalantly. I could tell he wasn’t saying it to be braggadocios or cocky. It just was what it was.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to move up out of here then.” I grinned as he shook his head, turning to start back down the hallway toward the elevator.

We climbed into our own cars, and I followed him to the apartment building in West Hollywood, despite him supplying me with the address prior.

I nodded as I got out of my car because it was a very nice place, and I didn’t know why I was so surprised or taken aback by Unique owning it.

When we walked in, the woman at the front desk spoke to Unique with a lot of airiness and flirtatious eyes, making me roll my own on the low. He kept it cool, though, not engaging too much. It was obvious she had a crush on this six-foot-four chocolate nigga. Who didn’t?

“Aight, so, this is it. It’s brand-new, and you’d be the first to live in it since most people pass on this unit, preferring more space and shit.” He hit the lights as he talked.

The studio was spacious but small at the same time, with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side that let a lot of natural light in. This was just the amount of space I needed.

“This is nice, Unique. What made you buy the building?”

“Brother always talking to me about investing my money into shit that will make me money while I sleep.” He leaned against the small kitchen counter that made him look even bigger.

I turned away from him promptly, hating how much I admired his looks. Even worse, he was funny, and any man who could make a woman laugh was dangerous.

“Smart brother, whichever one that is.” I checked the bathroom then walked back out.

“Sif. So what you think?”

“I like it. I will take it. You didn’t give me time to hit the bank though.”

“Give it to me when you can. It comes with moving services too.” When I gave him a look, he shrugged as if it were out of his hands. “Aye, this is how the shit goes. I ain’t have nothing to do with it. I ain’t throwing in extra shit or giving you this for a cheap ass price ’cause you pretty, love.”

“Shut up.” I couldn’t help but smile.

He thought I was pretty? Not that I wasn’t, but the women I’d seen Unique go for were typically dark skinned, brown skinned. I was straight up light skinned, so I never thought of myself as his type.

“You like light-skinned girls?” I posed it as a joke, but I was truly wondering.

“I like black women.” He folded his arms, and his steady eye contact made me look away as I nodded.

He showed me more of the amenities of the building, then we left, him stopping by the bank with me so I could pull the one thousand dollars out of my account.

Seeing my balance of only three hundred dollars left caused my stomach to sink, but I wouldn’t complain. Some people didn’t even have enough money to pay first and last. Plus, this would all change once I booked some clients, even if I had to stand on the corner with a sign and a chair offering my services.

“What you doing for the rest of the night?” Unique asked as he sat in his car outside of my building. I’d already parked my car and got out, walking along the sidewalk.

Looking down at him in his car, I said, “Pack the rest of my stuff for the movers in two days. Remember?”

“Need some help?”

“No. You need to tend to your women, Unique, not continue to help me. But thank you, and have a good night.” I turned to walk off before allowing him to give me a response.

AJ was the first and last time a nigga would make me a side chick. And I’d be damned if I became one to two bitches.