Chapter 12
V Saint
“They celebrate me like I did something special… I just did what needed to be done.”
Ifinally felt like I could breathe once Sade and all that ass left my presence, but her Chanel perfume stayed under my nose. I unbuttoned the collar buttons of my shirt and sat down with a bottle of water.
Damn, I thought. That was a lot of decorum on my behalf.
I called in my property manager. “Shut it down for the weekend,” I told him, then texted my group chat.
ME: Meet me at Phantom Bar and Grill. A nigga had a long day.
The whole chat texted back okay. It was just my right-hand man, Cornelious King aka CK, my sister Vanessa, and my twin homeboys Khalil and Kadeem Hardaway.
After the workers left, security hit the buildings, and I hopped in the Lambo truck and headed to L.A.
I got to the spot in twenty minutes, high as fuck, nerves somewhat calm for the moment. I sprayed on some Creed, popped a piece of gum, and used hand sanitizer. I walked in, and my crew was already at the bar, my sis in the middle of it all like she was one of the guys.
I walked up, and everybody started showing me love.
“The man of the hour,” CK said, dapping me up. “I saw your buildings in the L.A. Times today. You changed that whole block, man.”
I nodded. “It needed to be done.” I dapped the rest of my boys.
“Needed to be done? You’re a hood hero,” Vanessa boasted.
I chuckled, nonchalantly. “Not hardly.”
“Ugh, I hate when you act like you not that nigga. So, what’s up? Why we congregating?” Vanessa asked as I hugged her.
“Pour me three shots of Don, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Vanessa wasted no time pouring. I took all three, chased it, and let the burn settle in my chest.
“A’ight, so… I finally found my interior designer.”
Vanessa smirked but didn’t say anything.
“Word? Which company?” Khalil asked.
“Bennett Interiors.”
My boys were in real estate too, so they knew companies.
“Heard of her. She does good work. How much?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Close to two mil.”
Khalil laughed. “Damn. Her virginity come with that?”
I chuckled. “Oh, you know about that?”
“All of L.A. know about that,” CK said.
“I took her on a date a few years back. She ain’t coming up off that,” Kadeem added.
I already knew. Didn’t speak on it. I knew all the niggas she so-called dated.
“Man, my bro ain’t thinking ’bout her like that,” CK said. “But check them numbers. Sounds overpriced.”
I chuckled. “Don’t stress me out, my nigga. I got this.”
My boys didn’t know I had a thing for Sade, only Vanessa. That wasn’t their business.
$$$$$
I left the bar a little after seven in the evening. The liquor did what it was supposed to do, but my head wasn’t all the way there. I drove straight to my father’s house.
The lights were on in the living room when I walked in. I could hear my mother upstairs on the phone, laughing. He was sitting in his chair, blanket over his legs, TV playing Cops on low. He looked up when I stepped in.
“You just getting off?” he asked, voice raspy.
“Yeah.” I walked over and sat across from him.
He studied me for a second. “You look tired.”
“I’m straight.”
“You don’t look straight.”
I leaned back in the chair. “Long day.”
“That’s every day for you,” he said.
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong.
“You worked on Crown Heights today?” he asked.
“Yeah. Interior designer locked in today.”
He nodded slowly. “You check the contract?”
“Yeah, I wrote it.”
“Check it again with our lawyer.”
“Don’t need to.”
He leaned back, breathing a little heavier than usual. I watched him longer than I meant to. He wasn’t getting better. He was fading away from me. He had lung disease for a long time. Years of smoking cigarettes.
“You eating?” I asked.
“Yeah. Ya momma made beef stew.”
“You sure you ate it?”
He gave me a look. “I said yeah.”
I nodded and stood up. I grabbed his medication off the table and handed it to him without saying anything. He took it, no argument.
“You don’t have to come here every day,” he said.
“But I still do. You’re my pops.”
I stayed for a little while longer, watching TV with him until he fell asleep, went to make my mom laugh, then headed out.
By the time I got home, the quiet hit different. I dropped my keys on the counter, took off my shirt, and walked straight to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Alana: You disappeared on me.
Nia: What you doing tonight?
Another number popped up. Then another. All women I ain’t care for tonight.
I scrolled. Didn’t answer none of them.
Vanessa’s text came through.
V Baby: Sooooo Bennett Interiors? You moving funny
I smirked and shook my head.
Another text came in.
CK: Yo, bro, I forgot to tell you that we need to meet at the warehouse this week, whenever you can.
I stared at the screen for a second before locking it.
I set my phone on Do Not Disturb and walked to the bathroom. The shower hit my skin, and I stood there longer than I needed to, letting the water run as I daydreamed.
When I got out, I threw on some sweats and went straight to my office.
I sat down and opened my laptop, pulling up the contract again.
I read it.
Went back.
Read it again.
Everything was clean.
No reason to hesitate.
I grabbed a pen and pulled out my checkbook.
I wrote her check out, making sure every number was right.
I didn’t regret it.
Not one bit.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the check for a second before setting it down.
I just sat there.
Looking at nothing for a second too long.
My mind went back to Sade.
Her voice.
Her face.
The way she looked at me like I wasn’t shit special.
I exhaled low.
Damn…
I wanted her to like me.
And she didn’t.
Sleep never came.
I stayed up the whole night going over numbers that didn’t need to be checked again.
Just needed something to focus on other than her.