Chapter 24 #4
The lesson had been preached to them on more than one occasion.
Back then it was about simple things like corner store trips and visits to the neighborhood candy lady.
If one had it and the others didn’t, Leedren would make sure they understood that friendship was more than just a word.
If they didn’t hustle together and eat together, the label of friendship held no meaning.
That philosophy had carried with them through the years and became the foundation of why they got money together.
Asao could have easily bailed on his boys and did the music thing on his own.
Dom had a resumé of artists who paid top dollar for his beats but he would never prioritize them over the man who’d made it possible to produce them.
Niles didn’t have any formal training at managing artists but the work he’d done with Asao had people at his door, hopeful he could do the same for their artists. His understanding about how to hustle the raw and unfiltered talent of a rapper made him an asset.
Leedren’s heart was full. The boys he remembered were now men. “I still need something around here to do and it won’t be me in a booth.”
Asao nodded and smirked. “We got you, Pop. You always have something to say about what I’m spitting, so we can put you on as part of the talent assessment team.”
The position didn’t exist but Asao along with his boys would create some shit if it put Leedren’s mind at ease. They were simply grateful to have him around.
“Long as you don’t have any of those mumble rappers, I might be able to handle it.”
Asao chuckled. “Nah, we do real shit at Track Killaz.”
Dom and Niles laughed before Asao’s attention went to the door.
He noticed Samari walk in and his eyes followed her until she was in his lap.
Without thought, his arms were around her waist. He kissed her neck then leaned forward to check her face.
When his fingers glided over the barely visible bruise, his mind filled with murderous thoughts, but Samari twisted her body enough to get her mouth on his for a kiss.
“I’m fine.”
“I know you are.” He smiled proudly at how she handled herself even though he was pissed the situation happened. “I saw the video.”
Samari rolled her eyes. “That was fast.”
“That’s what happens when your name holds weight, Mari,” Dom said in a smug tone.
“What happened?” Leedren asked, looking between them.
“Killer was out here wilding in the streets.” Niles smirked and shook his head. “We would have pulled up to handle that for you but it looks like you had that shit under control.”
“You’re too pretty to be out here fighting, Mari, and it better not be because of my son.” Leedren gave Asao a hard look that had him glancing at Samari.
“Not this time. Just a delusional woman wanting what she can’t have. I can’t blame Asao for that.” She looked at Leedren who shook his head.
“Good because my son better know how to show up behind his woman.”
Samari grinned. “He knows.”
Asao tapped her thigh and Samari glanced at him over her shoulder. He kissed her neck before he spoke.
“Come let me holla at you for a minute,” he said lowly so she was the only one who heard him. She lifted from his lap and the two walked to the back. Asao closed them inside the room they occupied for overnight recording sessions and pulled Samari down on the bed with him.
“You need to talk to me about anything?”
“No. I’m not worried about that girl.” Asao nodded and brushed his fingers over the bruise on her cheek. When she noticed the murderous thoughts showing in his eyes, she grabbed his hand. “And neither are you. Don’t make it worse than it is. I can put my hands on her, you can’t.”
He smiled sexily. “How do you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“Because I know you…”
“Word? Then if you know me, what else am I thinking?”
“That you want to kiss me and make it better.”
“You might know a little something but where am I trying to kiss you though?” His hand moved between her legs and she grabbed his wrist.
“Somewhere you’re not getting access to because your father is out there.”
“You know I’m grown, right?”
“What I know is that you can be grown at home, not in a studio full of people.” She delivered a warning look that had Asao grinning, gripping her chin and delivering a kiss, because that was all he was getting at the moment
“You sure you’re good though?”
“I’m fine. You might want to check on your girl. Her face and her ego are all fucked up.”
“Yeah, I saw. You didn’t have to embarrass her like that.”
Samari shrugged. “Is it really out there?”
“Yeah…” He removed his phone and pulled up the video he had been tagged in more times than he preferred.
He also hadn’t missed that like always, Na’Mya’s sister was the first to comment.
She was always putting hate out there attached to Samari’s name.
She had been blocked from both of their pages, and as long as she kept her distance, she was safe from Asao delivering consequences for her actions.
He prayed she would find peace with a past neither of them could change, but even if she couldn’t, he had and Asao refused to allow her broken heart to take that peace from him.
He understood her unresolved feelings but couldn’t do shit about them. She missed her sister. Hell, Asao missed her too, but attacking Samari wouldn’t bring Na’Mya back. He blamed himself. He always would, but Asao refused to live in the past.
Samari watched the video then rolled her eyes before she scrolled through a few of the comments.
When claiming a man that isn’t yours gets your ass beat.
Damn, Samari got vocals and hands. Love that for her.
Baby girl tried it and got dragged.
How she thought that was gonna end?
Ol’ girl fucked around and found out.
There were a few that tried to say that Samari needed to be checking her man not the woman he was fucking around on her with.
The majority were clowning Tori for getting her ass beat and supporting Samari’s decision to do so.
The video that was posted showed Tori stepping to Samari and sneaking her before Samari stomped her out, so no one really questioned the reason for the altercation.
When she handed the phone back to Asao, he watched the video one more time before he was grinning and shaking his head. “This shit is wild. I hit Raaj up to make sure you were good and he said there isn’t much she can do unless she wants to file a civil suit because you fucked up her face.”
“I wish the fuck she would,” Samari said dryly.
“She probably won’t, but even if she tries, he’s gonna handle it.”
“I hope she’s smarter than that.”
Asao grinned and stared at her, making Samari roll her eyes. “You’re right, common sense isn’t common.”
“Now come on so we can get back out here before Dom gets my dad in the booth.”
“Wait, your dad’s trying to record?”
“Not if I can help, but if he does, just know that shit is never getting traction.”
“Hater…” Samari joked.
Asao kissed her before they left the room. “I’ll be that because I’m not trying to explain to Kendra why we turned his old ass into a rapper.”