Page 44 of Love's Most Wanted

“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 evenhaveanything 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.”

ONE WEEK LATER…

After over a month of a drought,I finally got booked for a makeup appointment. It wasn’t for a celebrity, though, but it was a normal client—a sweet woman named Amanda—who didn’t question my pricing for the first time in forever.

Because of that, I made sure to head out extra early this morning so that I could stop at a coffee shop and grab her something. I didn’t have money to do things like this anymore, but I recognized that all my clients in the past loved me not only for my skills but the little things like that.

She let me know a typical vanilla latte with almond milk was her preference, so I grabbed it from the café around the corner from the venue she wanted me to come to.

I was so excited when she booked me without any issues that I didn’t even ask what she wanted her makeup done for. I usually did so I could kind of prepare whatever look I wanted to do, but beating faces had become second nature, so I wasn’t worried about coming up with something on the spot.

I parked in the spacious lot, shut the engine down, then grabbed my makeup case that looked like a carryon roller bag to the naked eye. Once I grabbed the tray holding our drinks, I made my way to the entrance.

“Hi, I’m Kabrina.” I smiled, seeing the skinny brown-skinned girl wearing a bonnet.