Chapter 11
“They arrested FAAFO and his manager, but they bonded out almost immediately.”
I slid my hand down my face as I headed to this radio interview. My nerves were on edge because I knew there would be questions regarding that. I was directed not to answer any questions regarding the investigation. My manager had passed that on to the radio station, so hopefully, the host would adhere to that and not try to finagle information out of me by asking weird ass questions.
“So what’s next?”
“We wait on a court date. I promise I will keep you and Miss Trammel in the know. How is she? I tried calling her first, but she didn’t answer her phone.”
“She’s doing okay. She was probably still in her counseling session when you called. She started seeing a therapist when we got back in town. We leave for Houston tomorrow, though, so if you call and we don’t answer, just leave a message, and we’ll get back with you as soon as we’re able to.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mister Trammel. We’ll talk soon.”
“Thanks, Mister Beck.”
I ended the call and sent Mi a text to see where she was. It had been a lonely ass two weeks back in Detroit. I’d gone to the studio a few times to record, but I missed the hell out of Kamari. We stayed in Lafayette for three days. We would have stayed longer had I not had to come home to get some work done.
Mi wanted to stay with Kamari so bad. She was getting along with Mrs. Katrina, Tiana, and Mulan so well until she didn’t want to leave. I believed we both found a family outside of the two of us that we could count on to be there for us. Mr. Carrier never brought up any rumors about me nor did he speak negatively about my relationship with his daughter. I was totally prepared for the bullshit, but it never came.
Even Jayden had calmed down. I wanted to believe he was following his father’s lead. He was only nineteen, the same age as Mi. I could see the way she looked at him. Thankfully, she chose to concentrate on her mental well-being instead of the art of seduction. I could clearly tell he wasn’t as innocent as Kamari. He was definitely respectful though. I’d noticed his eyes waver a bit, scanning my sister, but he never approached her or even initiated conversation with her.
I couldn’t wait to get back to Lafayette. The food was so damn good. I could almost see myself living there just to have that shit whenever I wanted it. I didn’t understand how Kamari had food like that at her disposal and would prefer to eat pizza and shit. I clowned around with Mrs. Katrina about it, too, since she said her favorite food was pizza when she was pregnant with Kamari. I told her this travesty was all her fault. She’d laughed so hard she nearly choked.
We enjoyed our time with them so much. Kamari and I even performed the song for them while we were there. Every time I sang it, it meant more to me. I titled it “Beautiful” since that was what I said most in the song. It was fitting though. Kamari was the most beautiful woman I had ever met, inside and out. It produced tears from Mrs. Katrina, which was the exact reaction I wanted it to bring out. I knew it meant even more because she knew I was singing that to her daughter.
Sleeping next to Kamari for those couple of nights was amazing. While there was nothing I wanted more than to grace her insides, I understood the importance of waiting. She needed to be sure that she was making the right decision. That shit was hard, though, especially being that we hadn’t gone public with our relationship. Women were hitting me up from near and far. I knew that shit wasn’t gonna stop once we went public, so I would surely have to change my number.
We talked every day since I left. For a moment, I thought she was gonna pop up on me in Detroit, but she didn’t. As much as I was begging to see her, I thought she would have caved. She was a lot stronger by phone than she was in person. I’d gotten away with caressing her ass while we were kissing. I thought she was going to give in to me our last night there. Had Mi not been there, she probably would have. She glanced at my dick a few times that night.
When I got to the radio station, I took a deep breath. I had never been nervous about doing an interview. Before I could get out, I received a text from my manager. It read, Heads up.
Just as I was about to respond, the picture came through. I slowly shook my head and chuckled. It was a picture of Kamari and me walking hand in hand at the airport in Lafayette. I knew it had to be too good to be true that everyone was minding their business. With this out, I was sure the host would ask me about it in the interview.
I forwarded it to Kamari. Hey, baby. We’re trending. Should I respond honestly in this interview?
Only if this didn’t happen yesterday. I frowned at her text as a picture came through of me whispering in a woman’s ear. I closed my eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of my nose. Instead of responding through text, I called her. She didn’t need this shit on her mind while she was trying to get ready for a show.
“Hello?”
Hmm. She didn’t sound as angry as I thought she would sound. Maybe she wasn’t angry at all. “Hey, baby. I promise, that wasn’t yesterday. I was wearing that shirt though. That was about six months ago at a benefit put on by Motown. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I was just checking.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Good, actually. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“Where did you get that picture?”
She huffed slightly. “From the head of my security team. He was with me when we were om FaceTime yesterday. So this picture somehow resurfaced, I guess.”
I frowned slightly. That nigga was trying to fuck with our shit. He probably knew that was an old picture. If Kamari didn’t peep game on that, then she was more na?ve than what I thought. I didn’t bother bringing it up, but I would definitely keep my eyes on that nigga whenever I was around her.
“I miss you, baby.”
“I miss you too. It’s been a long two weeks.”
“That it has. So, can I be honest?”
She took a deep breath. “Yes. I’m ready. I planned to do it tomorrow anyway,” she said, responding to what she already knew I would say.
“You sure? You sound nervous. I can hear the tremble in your voice.”
“I’m sure, and I am nervous. I’m nervous about the media attention. I’m not nervous about letting the world know that you’re the man I chose.”
“That’s good to know, baby. Well, I have to go inside for this interview. I’ll text you when I come out.”
“Okay. I’m about to go to practice. I’ll call you later.”
“A’ight, beautiful.”
“Bye, handsome.”
I ended the call and made my way inside with my escort. I had a feeling there would be a crowd outside once I was done. The receptionist smiled and led me to what I knew was Rod’s studio. When she opened the door, he smiled as he went to commercial. Standing from his seat, he slapped my hand. “Deontray! It’s great to have you in the studio again.”
“Thanks for having me, Rod.”
“No thanks needed. The music speaks. We have to have you on when you drop fire like this. Is this just an EP, or will there be a full album?”
“It’s gonna be a full album. I have one more song to wrap up for it.”
“Hell yeah. Have a seat, man. I got directives from your manager about what subjects couldn’t be discussed. I totally get that. When I found out arrests were made, I knew this wasn’t just a fun time being had. I wouldn’t disrespect her in that manner, but I do wanna talk about some shit I saw today!”
I chuckled as he smiled at me. “I figured you would.”
“So we good on that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Okay. When this commercial is done, we gon’ be live.”
I nodded. I played with my phone, wishing I could be with Kamari. Mi’Junae was right in a sense. I was possessive, but to add to that, I could be clingy. I wanted Kamari with me all the time. This being apart for weeks at a time was hard as fuck. I was singing that Troop song religiously, sounding like a weak ass nigga.
The killing part about it was that Mi’Junae wasn’t even tripping on me. It seemed as if she was just as connected to Kamari as I was. This shit was crazy. I had never felt like this for a woman, and the craziest part was that I hadn’t even had sex with her yet. That was how I knew this had to be real. Sex wasn’t clouding my judgment or making my emotions go haywire.
Cutting my thoughts short, Rod said, “Welcome to the Rod show where I interview a local artist, giving them exposure. Today is different. Today, if anything, this young man is giving us exposure. Let’s welcome Detroit’s own, Deontray!”
I chuckled as he smiled at me. This man had always been down for me, even when I was trying to be somebody. I sat closer to the mic and said, “What’s up, everybody?”
“What’s up, indeed. You’ve been doing a lot. First of all, congratulations on winning an American Music Award! That’s pretty big!”
“Yes, sir! Thank you so much.”
“So what has been your driving force? Before you reached stardom, you told me that your mother believed in you even more than you believed in yourself. I know that she’s passed away since then. So has your inspiration changed, or do you still look to her for that extra push?”
I nodded. “I choose to honor her memory by doing my very best. I constantly try to outdo myself, and you’ll see that when this new album drops. She is still my driving force. When I sing something and use foul language, I can still hear her saying, Now, Deon. You can leave some of that stuff to the imagination. You ain’t gotta be so damn vulgar. ”
I chuckled, and Rod did as well. “But still… it’s her pushing me to enter talent shows, telling me I’m just as good, if not better, than everyone else competing. It’s those words of encouragement that help me keep my focus.”
He nodded with a tight-lipped smile. “Well, I, for one, can’t wait to see what her inspiration has helped you create this time. The single, ‘No Bounds,’ is getting plenty of traction and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. We aren’t going to let it, either. We’ll be back after this.”
He stopped recording and played my single. Once the mics were off, he smiled. “We’ll go to the trending topic when we come back.”
I nodded. “So you still interviewing a lot of artists out this way?”
He slowly shook his head. “Not really. Young people don’t listen to the radio much anymore. That’s why I’m grateful for you coming and showing us love. With all the streaming platforms out there, we are barely hanging on, man.”
“I could never turn my back on y’all. You helped get my name out to the masses. Hey, I have an idea. How about we do a concert here in Detroit? You and I can partner and get local acts to perform, and I can perform and possibly get some bigger names here as well.”
His eyebrows lifted. “You would do that for us?”
“Absolutely.”
Rod looked like he wanted to cry as he repeatedly nodded. “We’ll talk more about that after the show,” he said with a smile as my song faded out. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re back with our artist spotlight. If you’re just joining us, we have Deontray in the building!”
I smiled big. Rod was good people. I was so glad he was the one doing the interview. Had it been anyone else, I felt like this wouldn’t have gone as well. “What’s up, what’s up!” I responded.
He chuckled. “So, I’m just gon’ get right to it. When we were talking before the break, you said your mom’s memory was your inspiration, but I want to believe that there’s someone else out there who may be inspiring you as well.”
I chuckled. “Really? You think so?”
He laughed. “Don’t play that innocent role with me, young man. Now, I’m not big on social media, but you have to be living under a rock to miss the trending topic. There is a picture floating around of you walking through an airport hand in hand with country princess, Miss Kamari Carrier. The people… as in me—I am the people… I need to know how serious this is. Is this just a friendship thing or what?”
I lowered my head, trying to suppress the smile on my face. “Kamari is a beautiful woman. I’m a true fan. She has an amazing voice. We met for the first time at the American Music Awards. Although we’ve seen each other from afar and obviously know who the other is, we had never had a conversation until the day of the awards show. I’m not gon’ lie. I’d been crushing on her something serious, but I thought she was too good for me. My rep ain’t exactly a secret.”
Rod laughed loudly. “You got that right. Quite the ladies’ man.”
“Well, when we talked at the studio that day, it was like I’d known her for years. Then on the red carpet at the awards show, it got even more intense. We spent time together that night at the studio again and before I left LA, some personal sh… stuff popped off. She had already left, but when I looked up, that woman had flown back out to check on me. It’s been up ever since. That was when she allowed our spirits to commune, and we became a couple.”
“Wow! That was like a whirlwind!”
“Yeah, it was. When it’s meant to be, it just is. I’m grateful that God allowed us to cross paths, because she’s been nothing but a blessing to me… her entire family has. They embraced my sister and me like we were meant to be in their family.”
“Man, that’s amazing. Well, I take it that you probably have a flight to catch then. She’s in Houston tomorrow.”
“Possibly. I have to make sure everything is worked out the way it’s supposed to.”
I didn’t want to give away the surprise. I wasn’t sure if Kamari wanted to keep that a secret or not. I knew people would be wondering if I was there after the announcement anyway.
“Well, that’s great. I’m happy for you, man. You look extremely happy. That woman seems to have a beautiful soul, and she surely has a beautiful voice. You have to wish her congratulations also for her win of artist of the year.”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, we aren’t going to hold you. I know you’re a busy man, and I appreciate you taking the time to drop in on us.”
“The pleasure is all mine. I can never forget how much your show did for me when I was trying to make a name for myself. You and this radio station were a blessing to me, and I promise to be a blessing to you guys in return.”
“That does my heart good, Deontray. It really does. Again, thank you for coming through. Y’all be on the lookout for the new album coming soon. In the meantime, y’all wear out ‘No Bounds’ on your devices. Whether you purchase it or stream it, let Deontray know how y’all feel about it by showing your support. Until next time.”
He ended the recording and muted the mics. “I normally answer calls, but there was no way I would have been able to control what they would have asked if I did.”
“I appreciate you changing up your program to protect our privacy.”
I pulled out my phone to look at my schedule. “So, I don’t have anything going on at the end of May. Will that be enough time to promote?”
“Absolutely. Will that be enough time for you ?”
“Yes, sir. I’m gonna make some calls to get the ball rolling when I leave from here.” I stood from my seat. “I really appreciate you.”
“I appreciate you ! I wish they all came back and do what you do.”
I smiled as he opened the door to the studio. My security guard was standing at the front door, and I could clearly see the crowd out there.
“We had to lock the door,” the receptionist said to Rod.
He chuckled. “If that ain’t proof of your stardom, I don’t know what is. Your mom would be proud.”
“Thanks.”
“I called for reinforcement. Once they get here, we can leave.”
I nodded at my security as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see it blowing the hell up. I’d silenced it before I got here. News traveled fast. When a text came through from Kamari, I quickly checked it. Can you talk?
I called her immediately. She didn’t even bother saying hello. “Deontray, this is insane!”
“What happened, baby?”
“The media barged into the arena, looking for me.”
“Yeah. They have the radio station surrounded. I’m waiting on more security to show up. You okay?”
“Yes. I’m just not used to my personal life being this big of a deal.”
“Well, I mean… you’re dating a big deal now.”
She giggled. “I see.”
“I only said that to get a laugh out of you. You are just as big of a deal. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait either. We won’t be able to go anywhere now.”
“Nah. That ship has sailed. Lafayette gon’ even be on us like white on rice.”
She chuckled. “Okay, well I have to get back to work. I’ll call you when I leave.”
“Okay, baby.”
I ended the call and stared out the front door, hoping this shit didn’t get any worse.