4. Nasseem
NASSEEM
T he mitts cracked louder when my focus was right.
Dennis held them steady, dancing back on his toes while I stepped forward, rotating through my combo like I had something to prove.
And I did; to everybody, to myself, to the people betting against me.
To the ones like Nate, trying to knock me off my game for a payday.
Reg stood in the corner, arms crossed, watching every move like a hawk. I felt his stare, even when I wasn’t lookin’. I was sharp today. Fast, focused. I was back.
“A’ight, break,” Reg called out after another round. “Grab water.”
I nodded to Dennis and stepped out the ring, towel draped around my neck, sweat pouring down the sides of my face. I’d just reached for my water when I heard the gym door creak open, and someone shout my name.
“Nasseem!” I turned and spotted him right away, tall, silver-bearded, dressed in tailored slacks and a linen button-down even in the heat. Lenox Bradshaw. The OG. The one who changed everything for me.
I grinned and walked over, dapped him up. “Wasn’t expectin’ to see you out here in the trenches, Mr. B.”
“You know I don’t like to give no heads up,” he smirked. “Gotta catch you in the act. Make sure you ain't slippin’.”
I chuckled. “You got jokes now.”
He looked around the gym, nodding slowly. “Reg told me you been off.”
I rolled my eyes. “Man…”
“I ain’t here to press you,” he said, holding up his hands. “But I told Reg I’d stop by and see for myself.”
“I’m good.”
He tilted his head. “Then why you movin’ like somethin’ got you twisted?”
I grabbed my towel, wiped my face. “It’s nothin’. Just... life.”
Lenox chuckled, low and knowing. “Mhm. That “nothin’’’ sound a whole lot like a woman.
” I didn’t respond. He clapped a hand on my shoulder.
“You know how many times I walked into that ring distracted by Sienna?” His face softened.
“Back when we first started messin’ around, I was convinced I couldn’t have both—her and my focus.
I already lost my first love. You know Sevyn’s mama died when he was just a baby.
I was broken. Told myself I ain’t have the capacity to love nobody else.
Then Sienna came through like a storm. Turned my world inside out. ”
I nodded, silently absorbing every word.
“I thought she’d slow me down,” he continued, smiling.
“Instead, she became my anchor. Took care of me. Raised Sevyn like he was hers. Helped me rebuild. But I had to learn how to separate the two worlds. Boxing needed all of me. But love? That needed the best of me.” He tapped my chest. “You just gotta decide which one you givin’ your heart to—and why. ”
I looked away for a moment. That shit hit deeper than I expected. “Appreciate you pullin’ up,” I muttered.
Lenox nodded, gave me a fatherly pat on the back. “Finish strong. I wanna see your hand raised against Khalil. You got this, Nasseem.”
After he left, I got back in the ring with Dennis and let my fists talk for me. Each hit was sharper, stronger, and cleaner. I was locked in now. This belt? It was mine.
Later that night, after I had showered and fed myself; Nate showed up again, unannounced. This time, he was very clearly tight. I opened the door to find him already pacing, hoodie on, jaw tight, like he came with smoke.
“Damn, you just gon’ keep poppin’ up?” I said, stepping aside so he could come in.
“Closed mouths don’t get fed,” he snapped, brushing past me. “I need that bread, Nas.”
I shut the door and leaned against it. “Why, Nate? What’s really goin’ on?”
He turned to face me, eyes darting. “I told you, I need to live.”
I folded my arms. “Bullshit. You don’t need money to live. You need it fast. That sound like pressure and pressure always means trouble.”
“I said I’m good,” he barked. “Don’t worry about what the fuck I got going on. All you need to know or care about is the fact that I need this money.”
“Too late,” I muttered. “You draggin’ me into it, so now I’m worried.”
He stepped closer. “Then help me.”
“I am tryna help you. But I ain’t throwin’ my fight, Nate.”
He laughed. One of those bitter, dry laughs. “You still actin’ like you above it all. Like you don’t owe me.”
I exhaled through my nose. “You back on that again?”
He stared me down. “You remember what happened before you left Dallas, right? Before you got flown out to Vegas to train like the golden boy?” I didn’t answer but my body tensed.
“Yeah,” he said. “You remember. That body. The one you left in that alley behind Tyson’s.
You was on the run. The cops was circlin’.
They was comin’ for you.” I clenched my fists.
“They found the piece, Nas. You wiped it, but not good enough. Prints was partial. Clothes had blood on ‘em. I cleaned it up. Hid the rest. And when the D.A. started diggin’, I turned myself in. Took the whole charge and made a deal. Seven years served. Could’ve been twenty-five to life.
I did that shit for you, because I knew you could make something of yo’ self and regardless of what shit you was doin’ in the streets, I knew you deserved better than The Grove. ”
“You ain’t have to—” I started, but he cut me off.
“But I did. I did that shit ‘cause you my blood. My little brother. And now I’m askin’ you to help me, and you actin’ like it’s optional?”
“I am grateful,” I said through clenched teeth. “I’ll always be grateful. But I built somethin’ now. I got a whole fuckin’ life, Nate. I worked hard for this, bled for it. I’m not throwin’ that shit away. Not for nothing and nobody.”
He walked toward me until we were face to face. “We’ll see about that.” It was a threat, dressed up like a warning. He turned and opened the door then glanced back. “Keep actin’ like you can’t be touched. Let’s see how far that shit get you.” And then he was gone.
The walls felt tighter than usual. The gym couldn’t get it out of me. Music wasn’t doing shit. TV was background noise. I needed release. Needed something real. I picked up my phone and didn’t even hesitate.
Me: Come through. Pleasure. Now.
Three dots popped up. Then disappeared. I waited. Then typed again.
Me: I ain’t askin’.
Because she was the only thing that ever quieted the chaos. And tonight, I needed to lose myself in her.
An hour later, I beat her there. Wasn’t planned that way, but I needed to feel the air in this place before she walked in and turned my whole damn body inside out.
Pleasure always did something to me. The second you passed through that velvet entryway; it was like stepping into a different dimension. No names and no shame. Just desire in its purest form.
Tonight, the lounge was lit low, a deep maroon hue bleeding across the walls. Soft music pulsed through the space, sensual but not too loud, bass-heavy R&B that sounded like it belonged between skin and silk sheets.
The bar was half full. A few regulars and some new blood. The kind of crowd that didn’t blink when a woman crawled into her man’s lap in plain view, or when a trio in the corner had already begun teasing each other with eyes and fingertips.
I sat at the bar, fingers tapping the counter slow, heart beating slower. Mason, the bartender, nodded when he saw me. “She on the way?”
“She comin’,” I said. “No key tonight. Not yet anyway.”
He raised a brow but didn’t ask questions. Just poured me two drinks—mine and hers. I didn’t have to turn around to know she’d walked in. I felt it. That shift in the air. Like the damn molecules rearranged themselves around her.
Egypt slid up beside me like sin in heels. Tight black leather pants, a plunging top that shimmered against her skin like liquid fire. Her hair was down, lips glossy, and her eyes were sharp.
“You not gon’ hand me a key?” she asked, voice smooth as honey but laced with attitude.
“Not tonight.”
She eyed me, then reached for her drink. “You bein’ bold.”
“I missed you.”
Her eyes cut sideways toward me. “You saw me three days ago.”
“Still missed you.”
We sat in silence for a moment, drinking, watching.
All around us, bodies moved in rhythm—some slow, some frantic.
A woman knelt in front of another woman across the room, her hands gliding up toned thighs before she spread them and went in face first. A man stood behind his partner on one of the plush sectionals, kissing her neck while another woman straddled her lap and caressed her breasts.
Egypt sipped her drink, eyes tracking the scene like it was a movie. “We’ve never watched together before,” she said.
“Wanted to try somethin’ new.”
Her lips curved slightly. “You tryna to see what I like?”
“I already know what you like.” I leaned closer, my breath grazing her ear. “You just don’t wanna admit you like it with me.”
She exhaled slow, a small shiver running through her shoulders. “Why’d you really ask me here?” she asked, still watching the couples.
I turned to face her fully. “Because you’re the only one who ever shuts my mind up.”
She finally looked at me. “That’s not what this is.”
“I know.” I smirked. “Still true though.”
Her glass clinked softly against the counter when she set it down. Her fingers tapped the side, slow and steady. “You didn’t bring me here to watch other people,” she said, voice low.
“No,” I admitted. “I brought you here cause I needed to feel you again.”
That was the thing about Egypt, every moment with her walked a fine line between affection and combustion. She stared at me like she wanted to slap me or straddle me, possibly both.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she murmured, voice tight.
“But you are, you always are.” Our eyes connected, holding on to each other, and then, my pulse kicked up.
“You ready?” she asked finally.