Page 9

“I’m tired as fuck. I need a fucking intermission or some shit.” Lequay threw the basketball at me, and I caught it.

“Nigga, how you tired and ain’t got no fucking job?” I jested, making Khari, Asif, and Bashar laugh.

“One ain’t got nothing to do with the other, muthafucka. You’ll learn that shit once you stop drinking breastmilk,” Lequay retorted, making them niggas turn the laughter on me.

“Man, fuck out of here. Ain’t Ma said this nigga was on the titty till he was six?” I asked, and that time everybody, including Lequay, guffawed. “Rest of us had to be on Similac ’cause you was hogging with yo’ fully grown ass.”

“I wasn’t on no fucking Similac,” Bashar defended, making me cut my eyes at his ass.

“Thanks for letting us know, Brilliant Nigga.” I huffed, calling him the nickname I’d given his ass ages ago.

We sat down inside of the air-conditioned gym of Asif’s home after grabbing waters from the clear fridge off to the side.

“Unique got some news for y’all,” Asif’s hating ass brought up out of no-got-damn-where.

I whipped my head in his direction, and he stared back at me along with the rest of these niggas, waiting.

“Nah, I don’t.” I shook my head. But just as I said it, I thought about how Kabrina called me just another lying ass nigga. “I got married, but that shit was an accident.” I shrugged.

“Nigga, how the fuck you get married on accident?” Bashar frowned, sizing me up a little bit.

“Same way yo’ nanny turned into ya baby mama, nigga. Shit happens,” I shot back.

“Nah, I did that on purpose, nigga. Different shit,” he replied.

“How it happen and when, Nique?” Khari frowned, turning on his brother face like he was somebody’s daddy ’round here.

“Like a month and some change ago.” I looked off, gulping some water as they talked shit. “But I’m working on getting it annulled.”

“Who the bride?” Asif questioned.

I shot him a look before mumbling, “Kabrina.”

“The one from the boat?” Lequay’s brows rose in shock. “I thought she was fucking ya co-star.”

“She was… and like I said, it was an accident. She was upset when she found out he had a wife. She went ballistic, they threw her out the party, I followed, we got drunk, woke up in a telly with a marriage license and the photo.” I pulled it up on my phone then handed it to them to look over.

Kabrina had no idea I snapped a shot of the shit to keep. I don’t even know why I did the shit but I was thankful. I looked at it too fucking often.

“So if it was an accident, why you ain’t got it annulled?” Khari quizzed. “And what them hos say?”

Lequay, Bashar, and Asif cackled way too loudly at his disrespectful ass question.

“Khari, chill out. Told you ’bout calling my women hos, you ugly muthafucka.” I glared at his curly-haired ass. “And they don’t know. I ain’t got the annulment yet because the lawyer I hired can’t find evidence to prove we were inebriated.”

“He hit up the bartender? The officiant? Any drivers or hotel clerks? That shit should be easy,” Bashar’s smart ass said.

Nodding impatiently, I said, “Yeah, he did all that. You not the only lawyer on earth who know shit, bruh. The officiant lying ’cause he don’t wanna lose his job, and the bartender don’t like Kabrina, so she claims Kabrina wasn’t drunk when she saw us. He can’t get the driver on the line, and the hotel clerk got fired a week after the shit happened,” I expressed.

I hadn’t told Kabrina any of the shit besides the bartender and officiant being uncooperative because I didn’t want her stressing. I should’ve been stressing, too, but oddly, I wasn’t.

Them stupid niggas burst into laughter, making me frown. I was the main nigga who saw the joke in everything, so the fact that their laughter had a nigga mystified said a lot.

“Told you this nigga was love’s most wanted, and they caught his ass. Can’t get out that marriage for shit,” Asif brought up, and Bashar, Khari, and Lequay nodded with wide eyes and parted lips like he was dropping knowledge on their asses.

“I’ll have you niggas know I kind of like my wife.”

“You like yo’ wife, or you like having one?” Lequay asked.

“I don’t know. Shit, maybe both.” I shrugged.

“Ain’t you the same nigga that was preaching to us about how jealous we was gon’ be because you had two hos?” Khari quizzed, making me throw the ball at his head as our brothers cackled. He dodged it at the last minute, but it swiped his big ass hair.

My brothers and I gave each other a hard ass time, but at the end of the day, we all had respect for one another and our significant others. So the fact that Khari kept calling Daisy and Aurora hos said a lot. He did the same shit to Lequay when he called himself taking Teyaira seriously for that week or two and then Shakur, as well, when he actually made her his girl. It was like he knew some-fucking-how.

By saying that, his name-calling meant they weren’t my endgame. I didn’t wanna see shit that way though. I couldn’t.

“I still feel that way, but that don’t mean I ain’t gon’ like other women. Shit is weird. I like what I got and my situation, but I can’t lie and say a nigga don’t enjoy Kabrina. It may be just that though.” I grunted lowly, feeling my brothers’ eyes on me, but I refused to give them eye contact back. “I don’t wanna upend my lifestyle, cut off Daisy and Aurora, then make Kabrina think shit is lovely only to realize some shit I knew well before we even started whatever the fuck this is—which is that I can’t settle down with one woman and be content with the shit.” I finally looked over, and them niggas were just staring at me. “Kabrina deserves better than that shit. I ain’t gon’ be thrown in the AJ category in her head. No.” I shook my head definitively.

Kabrina stating that I was acting and doing the same shit as AJ had a nigga up all fucking night. So I knew if she dated me and was able to confirm the shit through experience, that would fuck with me even more.

“Ask yaself a simple question, nigga. If she got a boyfriend right now, annulment done, would you care?” Asif eyed me, causing my brothers to do the same, looking like they were waiting with bated breath to hear my answer. “And I don’t mean caring a little bit. I mean would you be fucked up ’bout it?”

I wasn’t sure, and it was one of those things I assumed I would need to experience to be for sure. But I could surely say that I wouldn’t be too happy if Kabrina told me she’d met somebody, which was new in itself.

I’d never competed for a female in my entire life. If a woman told me or made it seem like she was checking for another nigga, I’d let her do the shit with no argument. It wasn’t in my personality to be pressed over a woman and not for the same reasons someone like Asif—who before Anastazia just truly didn’t give a fuck about these bitches—wasn’t pressed. Prior to her, they served a purpose for him when necessary, and other than that, he was cash and generational wealth focused.

On my end, I wasn’t pressed because it was too many women out here, and at the end of the day, I wasn’t gon’ ever try to make a woman choose me, stay with me, or none of that shit. Not on no cocky shit, but I was handsome, six feet four, dark skinned, and I wasn’t broke in the slightest. There was no need for me to chase a woman, and I think that was why me nor any of my brothers had ever been thirsty or pressed. Then again, with the way we rolled, all seven of us would’ve had the same confidence as a fair-skinned nigga with a nine to five, standing at five feet, seven inches.

So the fact that I would even be bothered by Kabrina liking or wanting another nigga was… new.

“I um… shit?—”

“If you gotta think about the shit, then you already know the answer.” Bashar cut me off.

“Facts. You would’ve usually answered fast as fuck and with a hell nah,” Lequay added, speaking the fucking truth that I ain’t wanna hear.

“Aight, well let’s get back to it. Especially you, Quay , ’cause you don’t gotta be nowhere in the morning.” I rose up, calling my brother the nickname he despised.

When the ball hit the back of my head, it made me turn around and glare at his ass.

“Keep it up, bitch ass nigga,” he said.

“I’m gon’ get you back. I’m gon’ wait, though, when you least expect the shit,” I jested, saying the same shit I’d been saying to my brothers since we were kids.

Our whole childhood was us sneaking and getting one another back for shit, scaring one another and others, fist fighting and talking shit—same shit we did now minus the fighting. Wouldn’t know what I’d do without it though.

* * *

Tonight was the premiere party for the new season where the whole cast and crew would get together to watch the first two episodes. The new season wouldn’t come to television for a couple of months, though, so because of that, no cameras or recording equipment of any kind were allowed at these screenings.

Tonight was also another type of premiere—I was debuting both of my ladies with me—which was some shit I had yet to do. I liked to keep my private life just that, but I realized I wasn’t putting my all into this shit with Daisy and Aurora, and that was possibly why I was so hung up on Kabrina. I needed to make this shit real, and what better way to make it real than to show the world my love for my ladies.

“I’m so excited. I can’t believe you brought us.” Aurora beamed as she sat on my right side in the back of the black truck I’d paid to have a nigga drive us for the night so we could fully enjoy the shit.

“Girl.” Daisy scoffed, hooking my arm with hers on my left side as she shook her head. “Please don’t embarrass us. And act like you’ve been some got damn where before.”

Leaning forward some to see Daisy, Aurora replied, “Why do you always have to do that? How many premieres or anything have you been to, Daisy? I’ll wait.”

“You don’t know me or where I’ve been!”

“I know Unique is the first famous man you’ve been with and probably the first rich one too!” Aurora snapped back.

“Actually, bitch?—”

“Nah, we not doing this.” I spoke up, slicing through the argument that, for some reason, I thought they could solve them fucking selves. “This is a big night for me, for more than one reason, so I don’t need this shit from y’all. If you gotta ignore one another all night to remain cool, then do so, but no fucking arguing in this damn event. Aight?” I glanced between both of them, who sat stock still as the car carried on. “Aight?”

“Aight,” they mumbled in unison, but Daisy was still shaking her head as she looked out of the window nearest her.

The rest of the ride was quiet, with the exception of Aurora asking a few questions about the event. That was something I loved about her, was how she could easily forgive or move on from shit. Daisy was sitting on my other side still pouting and with an attitude, despite the fact that she started the tiff.

Often, I thought about dropping the latter, but I knew I’d miss her in this dynamic. She brought the fun shit, the excitement that Aurora didn’t. As mean as it sounded, Aurora could be boring as fuck.

The driver finally pulled over at the big theater in New York City before hopping out to open the back door for everybody. I slipped past Aurora so I could help her and then Daisy onto the curb.

“I’ll hit you about twenty minutes before I’m ready to dip back to the hotel,” I told the driver named Colin.

“Sure thing, Mr. Compton.” He nodded, shutting the back door before rushing around into the congested street to hop in on the driver’s side.

The three of us entered the large theater, cameras flashing everywhere which both women ate the fuck up.

“I didn’t think you’d come, but I am happy you did.” Tamira approached, smiling and ignoring Aurora and Daisy purposely.

I didn’t need Tamira sounding off any alarm bells with them or anybody else. I wasn’t sure if she cared about her nigga knowing, but I knew I didn’t want muthafuckas finding out I’d smashed her and still was smashing in order to keep my role.

“Hi, I’m Daisy, Unique’s girlfriend.” Daisy cut in, sticking her hand out.

“That’s cute.” Tamira giggled, ignoring Daisy’s hand and focusing back on me. “Tomorrow, when you come on set, I have some news for you.”

“Come on set?” I frowned. “We on break from filming for a few months. I got Audrey looking for?—”

“Calm down, Nique. Check your email. I called an emergency meeting tomorrow.” She winked, sized up Aurora and Daisy, then switched off.

“Is she gonna be a problem?” Daisy asked.

“Not right now, Daisy. I swear to God,” I replied, irritated by her ass and also what the fuck this meeting was possibly about.

I needed this show and didn’t want any fucking changes right now when shit was good. I noticed AJ wasn’t at the party, which didn’t surprise me since I didn’t see him mention it on social media anywhere. That made me feel even more fucking uneasy.

Putting the shit with Tamira to the back of my mind, I pocketed my phone after locating the email she’d sent stating exactly what she said it did—there was a meeting tomorrow and with no other details.

For the rest of the party, I could barely focus because a nigga was nervous as fuck as to what the meeting would even be about. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts and hypothetical scenarios that I didn’t give a fuck that Daisy had her mouth twisted up for the entire two episodes and only gave me non-verbal responses when I asked if she wanted a drink or snacks. Thankfully, Aurora was chill, bringing a nigga some semblance of peace.

That wasn’t enough, though, because in the midst of my tornado-like thoughts, Kabrina popped up.

I hadn’t heard from her ass since we’d gon’ out to eat, and I didn’t like it. I’d purposely left her ass alone, and since she never reached out to me unless to ask about Mack’s findings, we hadn’t said a fucking word to one another.

We hadn’t even been doing our little confusing ass tango for long, and I was already feeling like something was missing when we didn’t speak. I found myself thinking of reasons I could go see her or call her the entire ride back to the fucking hotel.

“Y’all can have the beds. I gotta make some calls,” I announced as soon as we all entered the suite. It was a double, so enough beds for Aurora and Daisy to have their own while I took the couch later tonight.

Daisy scoffed and stormed to the back area, shutting the door to let Aurora know that section was hers. Aurora only shook her head at Daisy, told me ‘okay,’ and went to shower. A part of me wanted to open that door back up and tell Daisy it was two beds in that muthafucka, so Aurora was taking the other, but I wasn’t in the fucking mood to play daddy or mediator like I usually would.

Ignoring the bullshit, I stepped out onto the balcony and took a seat at the table set up out there. It was cold as fuck, but I had too much on my mind to really feel the shit.

My thumb hovered over Kabrina’s name, but just when I remembered it was almost ten o’clock there, I halted.

Someone pulling the other chair to the table out in order to sit, startled my ass. When I looked over and up, I spotted Aurora in a robe, a bonnet on her head, and face glistening to let me know she’d done her face routine. The sight let me know I’d been out here for a minute, deep in my fucking thoughts.

Sitting down, she tightened the thick hotel robe as she stared off at the city, then said, “This friend you’ve been hanging with and talking to, do you like her? Is she gonna be joining us as a third?”

Aurora didn’t look my way until the question had been fully asked.

“Nah. She’s just a friend, love,” I barely replied, locking my phone. When I heard Aurora chuckle mirthlessly, I asked, “Is that an issue? Me being cool with her and nothing else?”

“It is a little bit.” She nodded, looking over and into my eyes.

“Why, when we just cool?”

“Do you like her? You never answered, Unique.” Her eyes searched mine, and when I took too long to respond, not wanting to lie but unable to find what the fuck to say, she dropped her head. “I love you, Unique, and while I wasn’t looking for a poly situation, I agreed because you made it sound like you’d be honest and loyal. But if you’re going to be on some bachelor, player shit, that’s not gonna work for me.”

Exhaling, I said, “I like her, but it’s not like that; more so as a friend. I actually like kicking it with her because there is no romantic shit, just friendship.”

I was half lying that time because part of that shit was true. It was relaxing to kick the shit with Kabrina without the pressure of being a boyfriend or romantic interest. Nothing was expected of a nigga when with her, and I’d never had that.

With other women we were usually either fucking, about to start fucking, or in a full-blown ass relationship like with Aurora and Daisy. This Kabrina shit was refreshing.

“Okay.” She smiled before standing. “I’ll be sleeping on the pull-out couch clearly.”

Smirking as much as I could, I said, “I’m gon’ join you once I come back inside and shower.”

“Can’t wait.” She simpered before flouncing back inside of the room.

I didn’t know what was going on in my head, but one thing for certain was that I didn’t want an annulment just yet.

* * *

I was dead fucking tired as I sat in the conference room of the studio back in Los Angeles. Because Tamira called for a meeting last minute, I had to cut my trip in New York short. Since I was supposed to be off, I’d had a whole trip planned for the ladies and me to spend over there on the East Coast, so naturally, they were disappointed when I had to cancel. Daisy was even more pissed than she already was, but I found myself caring less and fucking less.

I was too nervous about this meeting and too worried about Kabrina’s ass.

Everybody was in the room, including AJ, but I noticed Ramonté wasn’t, making me come up with all new crazy scenarios. I just needed Tamira to come in and put my mind at ease, if at all possible.

If this show got canceled, I wasn’t sure what the fuck I would do. It was my steppingstone into other shit, and if I didn’t have it, I felt like I would have to not only start from scratch but find another steady acting gig/income, which was harder than the shit sounded when you were an up and coming actor, especially a black one.

“Hey! Sorry I am late. I had the bitch at the coffee shop remake my coffee three times until she got it right.” Tamira came switching in with her two assistants running behind her like lap dogs.

Everyone clamored about, basically stating that the shit was fine for her to be an asshole to working folk and be half an hour late, knowing we all had to hop on random damn near red eye flights to even make it here.

“Where is Ramonté?” AJ inquired what everybody had been wondering. I just assumed the nigga was late like he always was, or maybe that was just what I was hoping for. I couldn’t forget her telling me a minute ago that this was his last season.

“That’s what I want to discuss.” Tamira stayed standing, tight ass dress hugging her body. “Ramonté is finally gone,” she said happily, but no one else shared the same sentiments. “He couldn’t get it together, so he got fired.”

“So is the show over?” the actress, Lia, who played my baby mama on Dough Boyz quizzed.

“Nope. So the plan is for the show to now center around Denim Davis.” Tamira’s eyes landed on me as she spoke my character’s name.

“Me?” I sat up straight, the tiredness leaving my body in a fucking instant.

“Yep, you, Mr. Compton. You were Ramonté’s closest childhood friend on the show, so it makes the most sense. I think this is the move that is gonna catapult the show.” She sat on the table nearest me, smoldering as if the shit was sexy, but it wasn’t. I found some older women sexy but not Tamira, and I wasn’t sure why because the woman wasn’t ugly, bad built, none of that shit.

“Wait, but why him? I play Ramonté’s close friend too and?—”

“Yes, but he met you in adulthood. It wouldn’t make sense for the storyline to skip over Unique’s character for yours, especially when your character is the more reckless of the crew,” one of the head writers Kiki replied to AJ.

He shot me daggers, but I just stared right back at the nigga, wishing like a muthafucka he’d make some noise. He and I had always been just cordial, never friends like that, but after being around Kabrina, I’d begun to despise the nigga.

“I disagree.” AJ shook his head. “In between seasons?—”

“I don’t care what you disagree on, AJ.” Tamira cut him off, standing and honing in on him so heavily the nigga looked low-key shook. “This is my show, and at the end of the day, what I say goes. Now if you have an issue with Unique taking the lead, let me know right this instant, and we can have you killed off before we start the new season easy. I have hungry, amazing actors lining up to take your place on this hit TV show. So what will it be, Mr. Jared?”

AJ sat there, nostrils flaring like a raging fucking bull, even though he was more similar to a kitten. The thought made me chuckle, causing him to look my way, hating with his bitch ass.

“It’s cool,” he murmured.

“What was that? I need to hear some confidence, Mr. Jared, before we send out season six contracts. Especially since Unique is getting a raise. Perfect timing for me to cast your replacement, who will give me less lip, and I won’t have to pay as much.” Tamira folded her arms, tapping her foot impatiently as she awaited his answer.

“I said it’s cool.” He projected a bit more.

“Great!” She clapped her hands before winking at me. AJ saw the whole thing, and it made me feel uneasy.

The meeting wrapped up about twenty minutes later with Tamira stating that Kiki and the writers’ room were already deep into the season six script, and we would be back filming the show sooner than usual. I didn’t know how to feel about that since my agent and I had planned for me to use this time off to do some movies. That shit was necessary for me to even possibly be considered becoming a part of the Prevail superhero franchise.

For now, though, I wouldn’t say shit. The meeting had been hot enough, and at the end of the day, maybe Audrey and I could find a work around.

“Can we talk privately, T?” AJ asked as we all left the room.

“Nope, we can’t.” She brushed him off, then caught up to me, touching my arm. “Your new pay is half a million an episode, Nique, and we’ve been contracted for a twelve-episode season with the network.” She winked again as she had earlier then whispered, “Told you I would make you a star.”

Tamira walked off ahead of me, already giving her assistants a long ass list of to-dos before I could reply.

“I don’t know what the fuck you did, but this shit ain’t over, Unique. You know damn well I deserve the role more.” AJ cut me off, making me stop my stride abruptly.

“AJ, please,” Lia said before strutting off.

“Nigga, I suggest you get the fuck out my way. I ain’t in the best mood right now,” I stated coolly.

“How you not in the best mood when you just got promoted to lead, you fucking teacher’s pet!” he barked.

I wasn’t sure if it was him yelling up in my face or the fact that he’d alluded to me getting special treatment from Tamira, but milliseconds later, I had that nigga hemmed up against the wall, fisting his tired ass Polo, and making him stand on the tips of his toes.

Staring deeply into his eyes, making his scowl turn into an expression sewn with fear, I spoke through clenched teeth. “I ain’t in the right muthafuckin’ mood, nigga. Keep playing with me and I’ll turn that acting shit into real life, muthafucka.”

Everyone who was still in the hallways near the meeting room we’d been in were frozen in shock, watching. I was usually always in a great mood, laughing, joking, and having a good time on set while around the cast and crew. But my crumbling relationship, work shit with Tamira heating up, and most of all, Kabrina being on my mind, had another side of me that I typically kept tucked, exposing itself.

Once I felt like AJ caught my drift, I dropped his ass and walked off, avoiding the eyes of my coworkers as I did the shit.

When I got to my car, I took a couple deep breaths and downed some water. I didn’t wanna go home, I didn’t wanna kick the shit with my brothers—I wanted to see Kabrina. That thought alone made me place a phone call.

“Unique, I—” He picked up two rings in.

“Hold off on this annulment shit,” I cut in, not caring about the excuse Mack was going to feed me as to why he hadn’t found what was needed yet.

In another world, I would’ve fired his ass by now, but his fruitlessness was helping a nigga out in a sense.

“Uh, are you sure?”

“I am.”

“You know, Mr. Compton, me canceling the court date coming up won’t look good for us.”

“Do you even have anything for the upcoming court date?” I frowned, starting my truck.

“I was going to tell you when I picked up that I was able to get hotel footage showing the both of you stumbling from the club, out of the hotel, and into the car service you ordered.”

“Yeah, well hold onto that shit for me.”

“If I do, Mr. Compton, you may have to divorce at the end of all this.”

Looking in my side mirror before I pulled off, I replied, “I may not need to do that shit either.”