Chapter 9
Kove
“Arms out to the side, please.” I lifted my arms and dropped my head back, feeling annoyed that I was currently in the middle of a gotdamn fitting when I wanted to be chilling with Xiah.
When I got the notification that she closed out her tab at Oasis, I was on my way down to grab her pretty ass because I knew she was going to walk right on up out of here without letting me know.
Being with me made her uncomfortable and I could understand considering the night we had.
There wasn’t an inch of her body I hadn’t thoroughly blessed and enjoyed.
I wasn’t tripping off any of that because, shit, we were both grown.
Xiah was cool people and I wanted to kick it for a little longer.
If she was game, I planned on letting her keep me occupied and my balls empty for the next month until I had to dedicate my focus to the commitment of being in that Royals jersey.
I fucked a lot of women in my life, planned on enjoying a lot more, but things were different now; so I had to be more strategic.
My name was attached to a contract that women would try to cash in on.
I didn’t feel like vetting pussy before busting a nut and I wouldn’t have to worry about that with Xiah.
If I had to choose between a woman clocking my pockets or convincing Xiah to have a little fun with me over the next month, the choice was easy as hell. I was on Xiah’s ass.
Unfortunately, I had to suffer through this shit before I could track down the woman who dipped out on me after running up a tab I didn’t so much as blink at, as a thank you for letting me suck on her pussy.
“Ay, watch your damn hands.”
I glared at the woman standing in front of me. As cute as she was, her hands on me were the last thing I wanted at the moment. So when she brushed her fingers over my dick and down my thigh, pretending to measure something, my annoyance grew.
“I need to get an accurate measurement for your inseam.” She ducked her head and smiled.
“My dick doesn’t have shit to do with my inseam.”
“Kove…” Sovoya warned from the sofa without looking up from her phone.
“Don’t call my name like I don’t peep game. She don’t have to touch my dick to measure these damn pants.”
Sovoya grinned and glanced at me before she issued a warning glare to the woman taking my measurements. She straightened her posture and finished what she was doing without her fingers being where they weren’t supposed to be.
“We’re all set. If you will change, I will take this back and get it altered along with the other suits.”
I tossed my chin on the way to the bathroom while she asked Sovoya how quickly she needed the suits altered.
“He needs one Wednesday, no later than Thursday morning, for a function Thursday evening…”
“Have you discussed that with Oni? We’re swamped right now…”
“Yes, I have, which is why you’re here. If there’s a problem, have her call me. In fact, don’t worry about it. I’ll text her now.”
I shook my head at how blunt Sovoya was.
Ol’ girl would probably be in her feelings but she didn’t need to be.
When it came to business, you couldn’t take shit from Sovoya personally.
Her priority was getting things done which for the most part meant fuck your feelings if they got in the way of her end goal.
When I walked back into the living room and handed over the jacket and pants, ol’ girl was zipping up the other four suits I tried on so she could check the measurements while Sovoya was typing away on her phone.
After mumbling something to Sovoya, she draped the garment bags over her arm and hurried out of the suite.
“What’s Thursday?” I asked Sovoya who didn’t respond right away because she was too busy tapping them damn nails on her phone.
“CSA Shining Stars Gala. It’s on your list and you need a plus one.”
CSA was the agency owned by Jase McCormick, who Sovoya worked for.
I hadn’t met him yet but I looked him up before I made the decision to sign with her.
He was a seven foot tall ex-NBA player who reminded me of Shaq.
He was one of the main reasons I signed the damn contract.
His track record was proven by the clients on his roster, and if Sovoya was under his umbrella, she had to be on her shit.
She was, but this list of shit she was shoving down my throat made me question whether or not I made the right decision.
“What the fuck is that?”
“Black-tie event for CSA clients to engage investors and impress brand partners.”
“I still have no fucking clue what it is.”
“You get to be in the room with a lot of deep pockets who want to throw money at talented athletes. My goal is to make sure they’re throwing that money at you.”
“You don’t need me there for that. Can’t I skip it?”
“No, you cannot. Your stats, albeit impressive, are only a starting point. Brand means image and image means that pretty face of yours smiling while you listen to them blow smoke up your ass about those stats. You will be there, in a very expensive suit, with a plus one who’s equally attractive.
You need someone to soften your image and make you marketable. Van is working on a list…”
Here we go with this shit…
“Get the fuck out of here with that soft shit.”
She locked her phone, crossed the room, and sat on the table across from where I was seated on the sofa.
“On the court, you can be as bad ass as you want to be. In fact, the more bad ass, the better. I can sell that but the people who will be there Thursday night have million dollar companies and need to know you clean up well enough to represent them. You are a brand. There will be two versions of you, the player and the business. Thursday will be about the business. Suit, no braids, and a plus one. Non-negotiable. Van will send over potential…”
“Nah, I’m good. I have somebody I can bring.”
“Who is she?”
“A friend.”
She unlocked her phone, nodding. “Give me her name and I’ll send it to Van so she can run a background check.”
“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding you? This is your brand, Kove. The women you meet at strip clubs are not going to hand over their rap sheets.”
I smiled arrogantly. “Why the hell I gotta meet women in strip clubs?”
“Okay, the women you meet at coffee shops aren’t going to hand over their rap sheets. The last thing you need is being attached to a felon, no matter how pretty she is or how amazing she is at sucking your dick.”
“What the fuck…” I laughed, shaking my head.
“I have eight pro athletes on my roster. I’m well versed on what your day to day lives look like.
None of you are married, well aside from Omiri, and I’m damn sure glad I got him at the tail end of his hoe phase.
Makari being in his life saved me from a lot of stress.
So I stand by what I said. We need to know every detail of this friend’s life to be sure there’s nothing attached to her that can attach to you and tarnish your brand. Name, please.”
“I fuck with you heavy because you’re making shit happen that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do on my own but there are some things in my life you’re not going to be involved with.
Who I choose to deal with is one of them.
I’m not gonna give you shit about the other stuff, but this is off limits.
You’re not about to be digging into her personal shit. ”
Sovoya glared at me but gave in. “Fine, but please understand that you’re taking full responsibility for this friend, even if that means she costs you money.”
“I’m cool with that. Are we done?”
“We’re done.”
She lifted from the table, rattled off something about checking my schedule for the next couple days, then was out the door. I needed to figure out what to do with the rest of my day to keep from running behind a woman who clearly didn’t want to be chased.
I decided I would head home for a minute to kick it with my people because I needed to get some shit off my chest. Sovoya was stressing me the hell out.
I understood what being a Royal meant. There was shit that would be out of my control, expectations about who I was and who they needed me to be, but it was starting to feel very fucking suffocating.
I couldn’t erase who I was nor did I want to.
I was gonna have to find a way to make this shit work in a way that let me still be me.
After I walked into my childhood home, I seriously regretted making the decision to do so instead of tracking down Xiah. The visual of Yoel on the sofa with a woman kneeled between his legs and his dick down her throat damn sure wasn’t what I had in mind when I pulled up.
“What up, fam…” He smiled lazily, expelling a cloud of smoke and ol’ girl didn’t disrupt her rhythm, which let me know what she was about.
If she was cool with an audience, she would also be cool with having my dick in her mouth as soon as Yoel busted his nut.
I wasn’t interested in watching or being next.
“Wrap that shit up then come holla at me,” I mumbled, moving through the living room toward the kitchen.
“Ay, I need to kick it with my brother, so either pull this nut out of me or you can leave.” I heard him say when I entered the kitchen.
I shook my head at how blunt this fool was but also knew that was how he moved.
Hell, I learned my hoe ways from him, so I had the same track record with women.
I moved to the refrigerator, grabbed the apple juice, and walked out of the door leading to the backyard.
I settled into one of the metal chairs and slouched down low, twisting the top off the container, which I turned up and drank until half was gone.
Once I placed it on the metal card table, I removed my phone from my sweats, pulled up the Skroll app, and navigated to Xiah’s page. Wasn’t shit on there about showing houses today, which I expected. She was a terrible fucking liar.