Chapter 13
Tunan “Tune” Payne
“Tunan, you’re serious about this?”
Glow’s eyes were wide with disbelief as she held the papers I’d given her.
I hadn’t expected Doom to show up with his married hoe’s ring, but he had perfect timing.
When I reached out to Glow earlier, I just wanted to show her the papers and introduce her to the family.
The marriage would be fake, but the thought of my people never meeting the woman who would carry our last name didn’t sit right with me.
Even if the shit was only on paper, my folks had to at least know who she was.
I hadn’t told any of them about the marriage, but at least when they found out, because Tuscany’s nosey ass found everything out, they could say they’d met her.
It made shit even better that they were familiar with her and loved her videos.
“Hell yeah, I’m serious! I got all yo’ demands and shit notarized.” I pointed to a section on the paper.
We were in my bedroom with the door closed since everyone was full off Mama’s birthday dinner and lying out.
Even though it was past nine, they’d be up again once the babies were down and the food was settled in their stomachs.
My mama had invited the whole neighborhood to show up, and I knew they would be here around midnight.
We have always been the family that prioritized naps, and that habit followed us into adulthood.
I hadn’t napped since I got locked up, and didn’t see any more in my future either.
I’d sleep when the fucking casket became my permanent residence.
Right now, all I needed was to rest my eyes for a few hours so I could get back to the fucking paper, especially with me taking over Glow’s bills soon.
Pointing to page three of the papers that were spread across my bed now, I tapped the black ink. “I even had the lawyer mention me paying ya mortgage. It’s all dur.”
Glow’s brown eyes scanned the papers, reading over everything listed out regarding the marriage.
Before she would even look at the paper, she kept talking about the ring and how wrong it was to buy a stolen ring.
She wasn’t talking about shit, though. I wasn’t marrying her ass without at least giving her some bling; I’d bought worse shit off the streets anyhow.
She lived all the way in Jagoda Bay, so Snow ’nem were not going to find that ring.
Plus, it could very well be a million rings in the world like this one, being that it was simplistic.
The ring was pretty as fuck, and snatching a natural grown diamond for ten bands was a good lick.
She’d been worrying for shit. This shit had been the steal of a lifetime.
“You trying to do this now?” Her sculpted brow rose as she gazed into my eyes.
Her hair had been pulled into a bun at the top of her head with a few of the wavy pieces crawling from the thickness. Glow was fine as fuck in those braids, and I’d enjoyed having them wrapped around my hand when I’d been balls deep in her, but her natural hair was fitting as fuck.
Blinking, trying hard as fuck not to go back down memory lane, I licked my lips.
I wasn’t trying to waste any more time. I had a nice little stash, but I was ready to get this fucking gwap with the mob.
I told myself I wasn’t studying no bitches, but Glow came along and proved that theory wrong.
She’d been the only woman I’d been with since being out, and she wanted to be part of the mob just as much as I wanted the money that came with it.
We might as well get this shit popping now rather than later.
“Where?”
Snatching the papers from the bed, I pulled my shorts up on my waist. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
I grabbed her soft-ass hand and led her through the dimly lit home.
Tulscan and Kassie were on the couch with my nephew on my brother’s chest while the TV played rain music.
It had been the only way to get his little ass to sleep.
We crept through, careful not to wake them up.
I could feel her body shaking as I led her outside and down the steps.
I’d already gotten my sister’s rental keys, so once I unlocked the door, I helped Glow in before running to the driver’s side.
The hood was buzzing in the distance, but our street was quiet.
In another two hours, it would match the cadence of the rest of the hood, and by then, we’d be back like we hadn’t left at all.
“Tunan, this ain’t crazy to you?” Glow asked in disbelief while I put the papers in the visor.
The street lights glowed on her light tan skin, and it was times like this that I understood why her mother had given her the name she held. I didn’t know if Glow slept in a pool full of oils, but her skin was always hydrated and fucking moisturized.
Shaking my head, I replied, “This whole shit is off the wall to a nigga, but getting what the fuck we want ain’t crazy.”
I eyed her as I drove off the street. When I met the rest of the mob and saw how well off them niggas were living just by being a part of an organization, that shit had put fire under a nigga. It was no different than being affiliated with a gang, where most of the time you were nothing but a name.
Crossing her arms in her lap, her white skirt lifted up her thigh, making my dick stiffen.
Everything about Glow was sexy. Even though she’d been skeptical as hell of my bootleg purchase, she looked damn good with the ring on her finger.
Snow’s husband had done well; that bitch was shining like the fucking sun.
Her phone lighting up in her hand had me concentrating back on the road.
Her social media had been going fucking crazy since the live video tonight.
She’d shown me at least one hundred notifications from her Pretty Eaters commenting on her old videos and asking her to go back live.
They were commenting on videos that had nothing to do with my brothers or me, begging her to show them the “hood niggas”.
Tuden and Tulen were eating the shit up.
“We here.”
Parking, I kept the engine running so that I could check her temperature. This marriage wouldn’t be a traditional one, and I wouldn’t impose on her life, but I did want her to be sure about this shit since it would be linking us.
Her eyes lifted from the paper to the two-story building in front of us.
It was dark as fuck because the surrounding streetlights had been busted out, and the city hadn’t misused its time repairing them because they’d only get busted again.
The building looked spooky as fuck, especially since it was black, but wasn’t shit scary about what went on inside.
“A church at nine at night, Tunan?”
“Yeah, Glow. A church.”
She gawked. “Are they even open?”
The lot was full of cars, so I assumed her question was rhetorical. Still, I answered her. “This ain’t no regular church, my baby.”
Glow was unsure like a motherfucker. Her eyes scanned the lot, and the way she kept swallowing and making her throat move had me licking my lips and gripping my crotch. Driving my head back into the headrest, I watched as she damn near had a mental meltdown.
“Glow… This shit just on paper. I promise, I ain’t gon’ impose on you or no shit like that. I even showed you the prenup. Ion want shit from you, my baby. Swear to God. I’m in a church lot, so that nigga can strike me down right now if I’m bullshitin’.” I held my hand up to emphasize my point.
She blinked rapidly, long lashes fluttering as her shoulders tensed. “You just said yourself this isn’t a regular church. Plus, you cursed and promised in the same sentence! That disqualifies anything you’ve said!”
Keeping my face neutral, I looked at her until she turned her gaze to me. “Glow. You ain’t gotta do this shit.”
Because she didn’t. I’d have to find another girl, and even though I preferred it to be her because I didn’t have the time or energy to explain to a woman that I just wanted a wife on paper, I was going to do what the fuck I had to do.
I was getting this bread one way or another.
Don made it sound easy, but you couldn’t just pick a girl off the street.
I couldn’t see myself finding a woman I trusted enough to bring into the mob world like that.
She could be the fucking feds or on some setup shit.
With what Stella had done, I wasn’t putting shit past nobody.
Sucking in a wad of breath, she looked down at her ring.
She was making this shit more than what it was.
Glow was fine and had some of the best pussy I'd had the pleasure of entering, but this was about the money for me. I fucked with Glow, and that was why I had agreed to let her call the shots and fold into her requests. But the bread was the fucking motive. Aside from her having my last name and her bills being paid, her world wouldn’t change much.
She was already in the door with the women despite what her mind told her.
“All right… Let’s go.”
I didn’t expect my heart to pound in my chest at her submission, so it caught me off guard.
Instead of getting out of the car, I watched her flip down the visor to fix her hair.
She tucked a few strands back into the bun before opening her crossbody bag.
She pulled out an edge brush and a small bottle of edge control.
Tuscany and Athena used the same kind. Once her edges looked like they were in cursive, she added lip gloss, then pulled out some type of powder that matched her skin tone and pressed it into her face.