Page 25 of Royce (Atkins Family Saga #1)

Eleven

Royce

“ H e who finds a wife finds a good thing. However, a man without a wife is a man who can’t be trusted.

Your time has run out, Royce. You do realize someone from the Atkins family has to sit at the table.

After all, it is your table,” Lozano spoke up.

He handled the purest of the purest white from Cuba.

Exactly, so why the fuck we discussing this shit.

The one thing I hated was a muthafucka nagging me ‘bout some shit I already knew. Not one person sitting at this table would be here if it wasn’t for Pops starting The Oath.

This was made from Atkins blood. That alliance shit pissed me the fuck off with all that voting shit.

I didn’t know what the fuck they thought this shit was, but it wasn’t that. I could promise you that.

I said nothing as I continued to answer the many notifications that went unanswered while I was with My Baby.

I wasn’t listening to shit these niggas had to say.

Pops could pull the plug right now and all these muthafuckas would have to find another table to sit at that paid them as hefty as we did. They could go to hell.

My Baby: No, he doesn’t. He’s two Royce. What the hell is he going to do with a horse? Stop doing shit.

Me: They got pony’s and shit too.

My Baby: I’m not repeating myself Royce. Y’all just bought him a fuckin’ Audemars watch, and he can’t even tell time. Stop, I mean it. When are you coming home? I really need to wash and get some sleep.

Me: Give me an hour and a half Mama, and I’ll be there.

My Baby: Okay.

“Royce now isn’t the time for your bullshit. Pay attention!” Pops yelled as he banged his fist on the table.

My eyes shut as I sighed deeply. He was salty as hell, and I really didn’t give a fuck. He knew who I had at the house and what was to come, yet he wanted to play stupid. This entire meeting could’ve been avoided if he gave them a rundown.

“Don’t yell at me, Pops. I’m a grown ass man,” I said unbothered.

“Then act like it. I worked too hard to grow this empire, and I’m not gon’ let you throw it away all ‘cause you don’t like the way these niggas handle business. My blood, sweat, and tears is in this. Don’t make me appoint somebody else.”

“I just did three months in jail. How the hell was I supposed to fulfill a marriage contract?” I asked calmly.

“Look, we’re all aware of the three month hold up you ran into.

What we’re saying is, you’ve had ample amount of time to take a wife.

Everyone here is married with a family. We have the mindset not to take risks.

You on the other hand, are a man with nothing to lose.

No need to go into detail on how dangerous that can be, Royce,” Charlie chimed. He was over the guns we shipped in.

Mark ass, scary ass niggas. Where the fuck y’all balls at?

I chuckled at his remark. Regardless of what they thought, I had shit to lose.

Even if Klarity hadn’t come into my life, I would’ve still had shit to leverage.

Let’s be real, that was the only reason they wanted me married.

It wasn’t about trust at all, I been peeped.

If shit went south, they wanted to be able to threaten a muthafucka and succeed at that shit.

Right now, they had nothing to hold over my head or reel me back in. I found this shit to be comical.

“Is something funny, Royce? Did we miss something?” Alphonso questioned. Just like a CIA agent to interrogate a nigga.

“Aye, I ain’t with all this scary shit y’all on.

Y’all want me to take a wife for a reason and it ain’t for no damn trust. It’s cool though, I ain’t trippin’.

So, what we doing?” I asked sitting back annoyed at the fact that I was dragged away from Klarity and my kids just to hear the same old bullshit anytime I came here.

They all looked around the table sharing the same expression.

This was some hoe shit if you asked me. Pops had great relationships with these niggas, me though…

I didn’t give a fuck to have one with them at all.

The stubbornness in me would replace everybody here with a muthafucka I preferred.

However, these were the folk that provided and covered up for the Atkins when it was needed.

Some shit didn’t need fixing if it wasn’t broken.

“Somebody better say something before I go the fuck home,” I voiced.

“Six weeks, that’s the first and last extension. Make it happen, Royce,” Baraz answered. Such a senate ass move thinking he had the last say so. The only thing is, he was in charge of them muthafuckas in his office, not me.

“And if I don’t?” I challenged. Like the flunkies they were, they looked to Pops and he delivered a death glare. Oh, you mad as hell, huh? Smirking, I knew he was gon’ say something to piss me off in return. I was just waiting on it.

“You won’t be asked again. Remember, you a temporary head. That permanency doesn’t happen until the terms are met.” He stood and walked out the conference room. He was throwing a fit, and I had to admit, it stroked my ego seeing how easy it was to piss him off.

“I’ll have it done in six weeks, y’all just sit tight,” I laughed following behind Pops. I moved when he moved at times, and this was one of them. He closed the conversation and meeting when he took leave. I was over this shit the same way he was.

I rode the elevator from the pent floor down to the lobby where my father was sitting at the restaurant bar to the right.

I took the seat next to him and grabbed the glass the bartender placed down in front of him.

He looked at me like he wanted to smack fire from my ass.

I ended up laughing again. Pops was too funny to me.

“Lil’ nigga, I should beat yo’ ass in here. Why the hell you always giving me a hard time? You been doing this shit since you were born,” he commented.

“Pops, I got Klarity and my kids at the crib. Why you ain’t tell them dumb muthafuckas I had something in play?”

“’Cause you and Klarity not a couple, Junior.

You kidnapped that girl and brought her to the compound like that was the right thing to do.

Yeah, yo’ mama told me. She also told me you tricked that girl into giving baby girl our name.

If you don’t change how you act, when her six weeks up, she going the fuck home and never coming back.

I can tell you right now she scared as hell and think you crazy as fuck. ”

“ Tuh ! Yeah, the fuck right. If she thought that, she would’ve kept Essence and CJ away from me. She’s cautious, not terrified. Stop making it seem like with me ain’t where she want to be.”

There were moments where I saw fear in her eyes when I said or did certain things.

I wasn’t trying to scare her or even make her feel like we couldn’t build something real.

I was a headstrong nigga, but I got that from the same nigga fixing his mouth talking shit like he didn’t do the same to my mama.

If all else failed and I couldn’t bag My Baby willingly, I had no choice but to use force. Oh yeah, she was gon’ wear my name regardless. I didn’t give a fuck about what her or anybody else had to say. I knew who I wanted, and that decision was set in stone. It was my name or no one else’s.

“It’s not, Junior. Everyone sees it but you,” he added.

“I look in that woman face every fuckin’ day and all I see is her battling her feelings. She might not be sure if she can love me, but she damn sure ain’t terrified or wanting to be anywhere else.”

He snatched the glass from me before I could take another sip.

He wiped around the rim with his napkin and threw the rest of the shot back.

If either one of us had germs, it was damn sure his ass.

I hadn’t had the pleasure of putting my lips anywhere on my woman other than her lips.

Pops on the other hand did God knows what with my mama.

“Why her, Junior?” he inquired.

“Because she deserves better than what she’s been dealt. I’ve only seen a few cards in her hand, but they weren’t shit. I can tell she a good woman, and I need that in my life. Plus, she pretty as hell to me,” I answered wearing a grin on that last part.

“She’s the crazy one then for letting you come in and ruin her life,” he jested. This time he was the tickled one.

“She told me no and to get out but, we all know, I do?—”

“Don’t like being told no. That’s yo’ mama fault for always folding and giving you what you want,” he said cutting me off. My parents spoiled me, that wasn’t just my mama’s fault.

“What you think about her though?” I was curious to hear what he had to say.

“Klarity’s a beautiful woman and she has some adorable kids.

CJ gon’ run me ragged, I can see it now.

If she does end up staying, I know Essence gon’ run my pockets dry.

She’s getting close to yo’ mama and that’s refreshing.

Besides Heidi, no one gets to meet Iris.

And Iris just wants to do everything for her and them kids.

This gon’ hurt her if Klarity doesn’t stay Junior. ”

I saw the relationship building between the two.

I couldn’t lie; a nigga was envious of their lil’ bond.

She was showing Iris a softer, more genuine side and I wanted that for myself.

While I had to keep a distance, she allowed my mama to get close.

I didn’t want to stop it though. If that helped me get closer, then so be it.

“I’m doing my best, Pops. I ain’t trying to rush her more than I already am. Showing her how easy life is with me is all I’m focused on. She was struggling while she was with that fuck ass baby daddy of hers. Changing how she views relationships and men is all I can do.”

“You know showering her with gifts and materialistic shit won’t do the trick. I saw how attentive you were in the hospital. Keep that up and make her feel comfortable around you. Once she opens up, it’ll be smooth sailing,” he advised.