Chapter 11 #2
“I’m not arrogant enough to believe I don’t have some shit to learn. What I’m not fucking with is being disrespected. I’m cool with Rowe. We’re gonna figure our shit out.”
He nodded. “Good to know because I’m looking forward to having you out there with me.
Your shot is fucking dangerous and we need that.
I had a lot of personal shit going on last season and I failed the team.
Losing was hard because we were the best team in the league.
That trophy should have been ours. A lot of that was on me.
I can’t carry all of it but I know I allowed my personal shit to affect how I showed up on the court.
We’re not gonna have a repeat of last year.
I refuse to let it happen, so if you can’t pull your weight, then you won’t be on the court.
And before you let your ego make you believe that my vote doesn’t count, try me.
I owe my team a championship and I’m gonna deliver.
You need to decide whether you’re earning a ring from the court or from the bench. Choice is yours.”
He extended a closed fist to me and I met it with mine for a second time. He smiled and nodded. “Aight, we’re in this shit then.”
“Yeah, we’re in it.”
“I’ll see you at practice.” He tossed a chin and the receptionist spoke up, saying I could go back. When I entered Osei’s office, he motioned to the chair in front of his desk and I took a seat.
“What’s good, family?”
Osei Vaughn was the son of our father’s brother.
They lived in D-Ville until Osei was like eight then moved to Miami.
We didn’t see them much after that because they rarely ever came home.
He was blood but we had never been close because of the distance.
When Sovoya presented him as an option for my financial advisor, I decided to run with it.
He played in the NBA, was careless with his money and ended up living in his car.
Years later he turned that shit into something good and was now the most sought after financial advisor for athletes.
This was personal to him and not just a money grab. I fucked with that.
“Ain’t shit. Just trying to wrap my mind around all these moving pieces.”
“Been there so I get it. Let me take some of that weight off your shoulders.” He lifted a tablet from his desk and pushed it in my direction. When I had it in hand, the screen was already showing images of graphs and charts.
“Swipe through the first three.”
I did and scanned the numbers. It was my investment portfolio.
“This real?” I glanced at him and he smiled arrogantly, nodding.
“Very fucking real.”
“Damn.” I moved between the three screens, noticing I already had a twenty percent return on the million I trusted him with.
It was from the signing bonus of my contract.
Osei’s motto was give me one and I’ll make you two.
He said that shit with confidence. By the end of my first season, he guaranteed I would have a two million dollar profit from the one million I invested with him or he would pay the difference out of his own pocket.
One week in and I already had a twenty percent gain.
“You know your shit.” I leaned forward and placed the tablet on his desk.
“Yeah, I know my shit. I talked to Sovoya earlier and she mentioned the deals with Quest and Sound Beats. I need you to decide how much of that you want me to handle so I can start working on what you’re investing in.”
“She hit you up?”
He smirked. “Yeah, she did. Wanted to give me a heads up.”
“Or wanted to fucking snitch so I invested and didn’t blow the money.”
He chuckled. “You’re smarter than that. Neither of us is worried about that.”
“This is a lot of damn money and access. I don’t want to fuck this up.”
“You won’t. You have the right team behind you. You want my advice?”
He had been where I was. I felt like I could trust that he wouldn’t bullshit me.
“Yeah…”
“Make the money, don’t let the money make you. It’s really that simple.”
“Sounds like it, but shit, it’s still a lot of fucking money, which means a lot of responsibility.”
“You can be as involved as you want. You let me know how you’re moving with it but I suggest that you always know where your money is.”
I grinned. “You saying I can’t trust you?”
“You can but I’m also saying that trust should never negate your responsibility for handling your own shit.
Always know where your money is and not just what I have my hand on.
Let that apply to your entire team. What I will say is that you have the best of the best. Sovoya, Van, me, Raaj… You’re covered.”
I agreed. Their actions spoke to their character. I was smart enough to be on top of things and would always be hands on but I also had faith that I didn’t need to because my team was on their shit.
“Yeah, I’m in good hands.”
“Indeed you are, family. Now let’s discuss your new deals. The goal is to ensure your money makes money.”
We spent the next hour running down potential investments and how to move my money around.
We had quick return investments and some that would be slower to see a profit which I would cash in on later in my career.
By the time I left his office, I was pretty sure I had already recouped the money I dropped on the townhouse I agreed to purchase.
Now it was time to blaze up and try to get Xiah out of my head.
“I got a realtor I can hook you up with.” I smirked when I stepped out of the way to let Tyriq into my suite.
“You not fucking with my current accommodations? I have twenty-four hour service. Don’t have to cook or clean a damn thing and there’s security to keep muthafuckers from having access to me.”
“I fuck with most of that but the security is the problem. Got them asking me a hundred and one questions just to get up here.”
“Nah, they’re asking you a hundred and one questions to keep you in front of them. I’m willing to bet the person grilling you was grinning in your damn face and trying to get your attention.”
He chuckled and shrugged. “I’m a sexy ass nigga. You know they want my time.”
“Nah, nigga, they want to fuck up your happy home. Don’t get caught slipping,” I said and headed to the bedroom where I secured two blunts I’d taken from Yoel’s spot.
The woman he was fucking with rolled a half a pound of weed for him.
Shit was funny as hell too because her fingers were cramping like a muthafucker but she did it just for the privilege of getting fucked.
He broke her off and sent her home. So she rolled all that shit and didn’t even get to blaze one. That nigga was wild as hell.
“I know better than that. My baby don’t have shit to worry about. But seriously, who’s footing the bill for this? These suites ain’t cheap.”
“The team’s covering it which I’m grateful for because they damn sure aren’t.
I have a house though. Purchased it a couple days ago, cash, and requested closing in ten days or less.
Waiting for the final paperwork. Raaj hit me up this morning and let me know the title search came back clean so I should be in there by the end of next week. ”
I entered the living room and held up the blunts. Tyriq held his hand out and I passed one to him, along with a lighter. “This your brother’s shit?”
“Yeah, I was with him a couple days ago.”
Tyriq nodded and blazed the end of his, inhaling to make sure it burned before he passed the lighter to me. I took a seat in the armchair next to the sofa where he was chilling and blazed up.
After he pushed smoke from his lungs, he grinned and nodded. “Yeah, this is his shit. Strong as fuck.”
“You aren’t on daddy duty tonight, are you? I don’t need Teaira on my ass for getting you high.”
He grinned. “Nah, I’m cool. She’s home with my baby girl. I’ll be straight by the time I get home though. I’m only chilling for a minute then I’m heading to get us something to eat. She isn’t going to say shit though because she don’t want me smoking in the house. That’s gonna be my argument.”
I chuckled. “I still can’t believe your noncommittal ass is not just married but a father too.”
“Shit, you and me both, but things are good though. I never have to worry about having someone in my corner. Teaira holds me down and I trust her with my life. This shit right here…” he held up his left hand, exposing the band on his finger, “…is everything. Every fucking thing.”
“I’mma have to take your word for it,” I said through a cloud of smoke. “You’re right though. This shit is potent as fuck.”
“You better hope they don’t kick your ass up out their shit for giving their other guests a contact high.”
“Right.” I smirked.
“You trained yet?”
“This morning.”
“You do your one on one?”
“Fuck yeah, with Rowe, and I almost checked that nigga too.”
Tyriq grinned. “He was on your ass.”
“Bad as fuck.” I chuckled. “I’m cool though.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m cool.”
“Aight, ’cause we got shit to do out there. I miss having you on the court with me.”
I nodded before I tilted my head back and pushed out a cloud of smoke.
“Dubai was cool and they could ball. I won’t take that from them but it wasn’t the same.
It was weird as fuck sometimes because from the first time I hit the courts, you’ve been to my left or right. I never found my rhythm with them.”
“Is that why yo ass was out there being selfish?”
I smirked. “Fuck you mean?”
“Y’all didn’t win, Kove. You won. I ain’t never in my life seen a nigga pass to himself but I’m pretty sure that’s what the fuck you was doing out there. Out there super balling and shit.”
I threw my head back and laughed harder than necessary because I was already feeling nice from this strong ass blend. “I mean shit, when you’re good, you’re good.”
“That ego hasn’t changed.”
“Muthafucker has yours?” I glanced his way and he grinned, shaking his head.
“Nah, but my shit is justified. I ball nigga.”
“And I don’t?”
“According to Rowe you don’t.”
“Fuck you.” I chuckled.
“Nah, but real shit, we’ve all been there. That’s his thing. Don’t let it fuck with your head.”
“My ego is in check. I’m cool on everything he said.”
“Aight ’cause you know this is our year right.”
“On gang we’re taking that shit.”
I kicked it with Tyriq for the next hour then he got a text from Teaira asking how long he was gonna be.
I knew from the way he was smiling and shit that nigga was about to dip on me.
Since he was leaving, I decided to grab something to eat to curb this high.
I headed downstairs with Riq and saw exactly what I wanted to feast on as soon as I stepped off the elevator.
She was so focused on balancing the container in her hands as she walked to the desk that she hadn’t noticed me as she waited in line to speak to the woman at customer service, likely to request access to my suite.
She damn sure saw Tyriq as he left. She watched him walk through the lobby, giving me a chance to sneak up on her.
Xiah damn near jumped out of her skin when I caught her slipping.