Chapter 16
KASTIAN
Ryder, Lox, and I were in the strip club. They both had asses in their faces, and I was scrolling through my phone reading emails. Hearing Ryder laugh caused me to look over at him to see what was funny.
“Nigga, are you reading emails? Yeah, you must be in love because there’s all this ass in here, and you’re reading emails?”
I frowned and looked at him like he was crazy before responding. “I don’t see any new faces in here which means I’ve seen all the ass in here plenty of times before. I don’t get geeked by ass the way you do.”
“Yeah whatever, nigga. I’m finally single and can turn all the way up, and you’re acting like if it’s not Persia you don’t want it.”
“Fuck outta here,” I waved his comment off.
I had been dealing with Persia for six months.
I refused to admit it to him, but Ryder was right.
In that time, I’d had sex with Xena three times, and I only did it to prove to myself that Persia didn’t have me as open as I knew she did.
It was a waste of time because before I could finish busting a nut good, my thoughts always wandered to Persia and what she was doing.
In the six months we’d been dealing with one another, she had only gone out on one date that I knew of, and she swore she wasn’t having sex with anyone else.
As long as she wasn’t fucking, I could deal with us not having a title. For the moment.
To appease Ryder’s ignorant ass, I put my phone away and focused on the women in the vicinity.
When someone caught my eye, I stood up and made my way over to him.
The closer I got, I could see the anger in David’s eyes.
A smirk eased across my face. I knew that David wanted to say something fly, but knew better.
I hadn’t alerted Ryder or Lox that I was going to approach David, but once they saw me talking to him, I knew they wouldn’t be too far behind.
I also had a few shooters spread out in the club, but I had David.
I didn’t need help for his ass. And I for sure was on whatever he was on.
“Yo,” I flicked the tip of my nose. “It’s been like what, six or seven months since Persia left you. You haven’t signed the divorce papers yet. What’s the hold up?”
David glowered at me. “You questioning me about a bitch I’m married to? I never took you for the pressed type. That hoe has my last name, and she’s going to have it until I say she’s not.” He seethed.
I chuckled lowly before punching him in the face.
I punched David so hard that I knocked him into one of his homeboys.
Maybe they had the good sense not to intervene, or maybe they were pussy.
But none of the men he was with made a move, so I continued throwing punches until one of the bouncers placed a hand on my shoulder.
Whoever it was, was smart enough not to try and manhandle my ass because my niggas would have sent it up in that muhfucka.
I had really grown past the stage in my life where I acted off impulse and didn’t care about letting fists or bullets fly, but David irritated my entire being.
Chest heaving up and down, I let up off David who was dazed, and his nose was leaking.
As if he was the one that started the fight, the security guard snatched him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him toward the exit.
The moment I turned around, I almost ran into Ryder. That was how close he and Lox were.
“What that nigga do now?” Lox inquired.
“Nothing,” my shoulders hiked into a passive shrug. “I just asked him what the hold up with him signing the divorce papers was, and he got real disrespectful.”
Lox and Ryder both laughed, but I didn’t see anything funny.
“Broooo you are tweaking,” Ryder was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach. “How are you going to ask that man about his wife? But you’re not in love though. Yeah, right.”
“It’s okay my G,” Lox placed his hand on my shoulder just as the bouncer had. “It’s normal to fall in love at least once. You got this. It’ll be okay,” he stated in a reassuring tone making Ryder laugh harder.
“You niggas are childish. I’m out.” After giving them dap, I walked out to my car.
I wouldn’t be fucking anything after the club because Persia was on her period and on top of that, she had spent the weekend in Golden Waters for her cousin’s baby shower.
I could have called Xena or even Doll because she was back in town.
Persia and I had sex two days before she left, and she would be back in a day or so.
Her period only lasted four days, so I could wait until she got back.
Honestly, I didn’t know what it felt like to be in love, but I knew I didn’t play about Persia.
She never asked me for anything, but she could get whatever she wanted out of me.
If she told me she didn’t want me to stick dick to a chick ever again in life, I’d agree with no hesitation because I didn’t want her sleeping with another man.
I had to be willing to give what I wanted in return.
Just the thought of her with someone else pissed me off.
I had been very mindful to take shit slow and give her space, but it had already been six months.
I wanted to know how long she needed. If she wasn’t in love with David like that, what was the hold up?
Once I got home and showered, I did something I had never done before. I texted Persia and told her goodnight. Ryder’s ass was right. Shorty had me gone.
Three days later, I rang Persia’s doorbell and waited for her to open the door.
“Hi,” she sang with a grin on her face. She was dressed in brown leggings, and a matching brown fitted jacket that showed a tiny portion of her stomach.
She had chocolate boho braids in her hair, but they were pulled up in a bun.
I zeroed in on her thick thighs, and she noticed.
“I need you to focus, sir,” she laughed.
When my gaze lifted and landed on her face, I peeped the suitcases in her living room. She had been back from Golden Waters for a few days, but maybe she hadn’t unpacked.
“Those from your return or you leaving again?”
“You did like I asked and kept the entire day open, right?”
“Yes,” I answered slowly as my brows hiked.
“Okay, I lied. I don’t need you to help me clean out my storage unit. I don’t even have a storage unit. I’m taking you to Miami for your birthday. I wanted to do Cancun, but I wouldn’t have been able to keep that one a secret because you would have had to bring your passport here with you.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “When are we going to Miami?”
“We need to be leaving for the airport in the next fifteen minutes. It’s only going to be two nights.
Something quick, but if I wanted it to be a surprise I had to find a way to get you to not be busy but not be suspicious.
That’s why I asked you to keep your day free and do brunch with me tomorrow.
So, if you have anything planned for tomorrow evening, I don’t know what to tell you. ”
Chuckling, I looked at the two carry on suitcases. “You need two of those, and we’re only staying for two nights?”
“One is for you. We can go to the mall after we check into the hotel, and you can get an outfit, but I bought you two outfits, underwear, socks, shoes, and personal hygiene items, so you’re pretty much set.”
All I could do was stare at Persia. Women had done nice things for me before, but nothing of this magnitude.
I’d never had a girlfriend, but of course, I’d bought a few bags, shoes, paid for hair, nails, massages, etc.
It wasn’t unusual for a woman to buy me cologne or a pair of sneakers to show her appreciation, but no one had ever surprised me with a trip.
“I had to choose this weekend because I don’t know if you have plans on your actual birthday.”
I walked up on Persia and pressed my body into hers. “When we get to Miami, you’re getting all this dick.”
The way she laughed made my fuckin’ chest swell. She deserved to be happy. She deserved to be protected and treated right. Persia’s laughter faded, and she hit me playfully.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you did at the strip club. David’s mother called me upset. I had to tell her ass too many times that I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.”
“Fuck that nigga,” I replied with a frown. “I just asked him why he wouldn’t sign the papers, and he got disrespectful.”
“I don’t know if I should hit you again or thank you because he signed the papers. Now, let’s go.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I grabbed the two suitcases while Persia got her purse and locked the door.
In the elevator, she told me that our plane would land in Miami at two pm, and she had dinner reservations at The Versace Mansion at five pm.
At the airport, I realized that we had seats in first class, and I leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“You got a nigga flying first class. I’m eating that ass tonight.”
“It’s that easy?” she laughed.
“Damn right.”
The flight had barely taken off before Persia was asleep.
She must have been tired, so I let her get a nap in.
The flight was less than two hours, and I planned to have her ass up half the night, so she needed the rest for sure.
I didn’t have plans for my birthday. My gift to myself was purchasing a property to use for an Airbnb.
I kept my promise to myself and walked away from the dope game with enough money to put $300,000 down on the Airbnb property and have plenty left over.
My next big goal was to pay off my house.
I was setting myself up for retirement. I had spent years and countless hours hustling like a maniac, working as a real estate broker, and stacking my bread. It was time to work smart not hard.