Page 4 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“What kind of bullshit do you have me in? You already know I don’t like being around a bunch of people,” I grumbled as my homie Duke pulled into this strip club.

“Don’t start your shit, Soul. All I’m asking you to do is go in here and try to be nice.

I told you I bought this strip club from Romell when he couldn’t pay off his debt.

Raja has been handling the business side of things since I took over, but I’ve been hearing some shit about the manager that I’m not feeling.

I figured it was time for me to see what was up.

“Everything is already paid for, so all you have to do is chill. Plus, you need to get out of the house more often. Outside of fixing cars and murkin’ niggas, you rarely ever leave that place.

How are you gonna get some pussy if you never leave the house?

” Duke pressed. It irritated me that he even tried to play me like that.

For some reason, my people assumed I was missing out on something, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. I kept to myself by choice, but when I needed to release, I never had an issue in that department.

“All I did was ask a question. You know I don’t like people.

Hell, I barely like your ignorant ass,” I grumbled.

We’ve been friends since the sandbox, so he knew me better than most. Duke had been getting me into trouble since we were kids, and my dumbass still hopped into his car with no questions asked.

Clearly, I wasn’t as smart as I believed.

“Just relax. When have I ever steered you wrong?”

“Nigga, what? I have a whole list of bullshit you’ve involved me in.

I still owe you an ass whupping for setting me up with that crazy ass bitch Tana.

I have never considered calling twelve on a person until I met her.

” Things with Tana weren’t supposed to even go as far as they did.

I told women upfront what it was, and for the most part, they understood.

Relationships weren’t for me, and they never would be.

All I had to offer was a blunt to smoke and a dick to ride.

Anything else outside of that had nothing to do with me.

Tana knew that going into it, but she quickly became attached.

It started with incessant phone calls, then progressed to her popping up everywhere I was.

I wasn’t a fan of killing women unless absolutely necessary, but old girl almost got sent to the devil’s playground for fucking with me.

No one knew where I lived except for my siblings, Duke, and a few trusted soldiers. I did too much dirt to allow myself to get caught up.

“Your ass likes to play crazy as if I forced you to come with me. Now, I will admit the accidental kidnapping situation might have been my fault. If the nigga had just given me my money or my drugs, then I wouldn’t have had to put his ass in the trunk, so technically, that one wasn’t on me either.

” My head shook in disbelief. I had been around Duke long enough to know he meant everything he said.

Taking in my surroundings, I wondered what the dress code was. The majority of the women looked like streetwalkers, while the others dressed like high-end escorts. No judgment on my end because I loved to see some ass and tits, but I could barely separate the patrons from the strippers.

I kept my attire simple: a black Balenciaga T-shirt, some dark Amiri jeans, and these all-white Balenciaga sneakers that I finally decided to open today.

Duke knew I hated being surrounded by large groups of people.

My social meter wasn’t the greatest, plus I needed to be alert and aware at all times.

“I already see you peeping the scene. You know I wouldn’t have you anywhere that wasn’t safe.

Security has been vetted, and they are some of the best. Plus we get to keep our tools on us.

” My eyebrows were raised. His statement sounded as if he knew whatever he’d gotten me into would be against my norm.

Of course, I kept my piece on me, but still, it made me anxious to be in closed spaces.

I was the type to shoot first and ask questions later.

“Yeah, okay. You already know I’ll leave the minute I feel any kind of way.” We got out of the car and headed toward the entrance. Men and women were lined up to get in, yet I noticed Duke being waved over by some woman at the door.

“Welcome. I’m glad you could finally come check us out.” The two of them hugged, and I wondered about the nature of their relationship. Duke was a friendly ass nigga so I wouldn’t be surprised if she was one of many on his roster.

“You know I had to come check on my investment. I need to make sure there isn’t any funny shit going on.

The bitches better be as fine as you promised, though, because if I see one dragon with a 27 piece, I’m roasting them on sight,” Duke warned.

I knew he meant it because he spared no one when it came to the jokes.

“Duke, please behave. The place will be filled with a gang of rich niggas and bad bitches. We’ve got good music, drinks, and lots of beautiful women. Please try not to scare them off,” she pleaded.

“I got you. This is my best friend, Soul. I brought him as my plus one since he hasn’t gotten pussy since the nineties. I figured he could at least look at some.” I pushed his ass, making him bump into a group of people. Shorty giggled, offering her hand for me to shake.

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming. I didn’t believe Duke when he said he actually had friends.” I chuckled at her slick comment.

“Damn, that’s how you feel? And to think I was going to compliment your little hairstyle even though it’s stiff as fuck. It looks like the plastic hair they used on Barbie dolls. I already know if I flick my lighter, it’s over with.” Duke was a straight fool, but she laughed right along with him.

“Well, your momma did it. She said I looked nice.” She snickered. Her hair actually looked all right. It was in one of those hairstyles where the top part was pulled into a ponytail while the back hung straight down.

“That was your first mistake. You know she’s on that shit, so I don’t even know why you would let her come near you with a hot comb.”

“Duke! I can’t believe you said that! I was only joking.

” Duke laughed it off as a joke, but I knew it bothered him that his mother was a junkie.

We’d grown up together, so I knew how much of a sore spot his mother was for him.

Ms. Dana used to be one of the prettiest brown-skinned women I’ve ever seen in my life, but drug abuse and roaming the streets had turned her into someone you could barely recognize.

The two of them continued to talk as she escorted us right into the building, bypassing all the lines of patrons waiting to get in. The DJ’s mix crooned through the speakers as we made our way inside. The lights were dim throughout the room, but the dance floor area was lit with strobe lights.

The vibe seemed chill, and I had to admit the ladies were very attractive. Still, I would have rather been at home with a blunt and some slow jams on full blast. I tried my best to enjoy the simple pleasures in life because we often took them for granted.

“Oops. I’m so sorry. I?—”

“Wasn’t watching where the fuck you were going.

I just pulled these shits from the box, and you scuffed them with your fake-ass designer heels.

These sneakers cost more than your entire City Trends outfit,” I spat, attempting to wipe the remnants of her spilled drink from my shirt. I knew I should have kept my ass home.

“I don’t know what crawled up your ass, but you don’t have to talk to me like that. I said I was sorry, asshole.” When I studied her face, I realized that I had seen her around a few times. She hung out with Murk’s girl, but I had never actually interacted with her.

When our eyes locked, she looked at me as if she had seen a ghost. My eyes swept over her body, and my dick grew hard. A body like hers deserved to be worshiped. Damn! Baby girl was thick in all the right places, and you could tell by the gleam in her eyes that she was confident with her shit.

“I have to get going,” she blurted before scurrying off.

I watched her ass jiggle until she was completely out of sight.

In my mind, I planned to get up with her before the night ended.

I needed her thick, fine ass in the worst way.

It had been a while since I’ve felt a pull toward someone, so I needed to see what was up with her.

Lucky for me, Duke had been so engrossed in his own conversation that he completely missed our interaction.

The last thing I needed was to hear his mouth.

“One more shot and then I’m done!” I shouted.

I rarely got drunk when I kicked it in public to avoid the chances of being caught slipping.

You never knew when an enemy would be lurking in the shadows waiting for your guard to drop.

Duke and the rest of the crew were drunk and merry as I sat back observing the scene.

I never cared for strip clubs because I hated the idea of paying bitches to shake their ass. In my opinion, it was the equivalent of paying for pussy, and I would never be caught dead doing that shit.

“We’ve got one of your favorites coming to the stage.

Let’s give it up for Ms. Caramel Kisses!

” the DJ yelled into the mic. My head was down as I replied to a message from Lovely.

She asked if I could come over and help her set up some furniture.

I agreed but let her know I wouldn’t be there until the afternoon because it was already one in the morning.

“Goddamn! I would drink her bath water,” Rello called out.

“I can’t even lie; that’s one badass bitch!” Huncho exclaimed.

“She is definitely a big, fine, mothafucka,” Duke replied.