5
I texted Zu to see if he wanted to chill. Although I should have been making a move to ask about my crew joining the Zoo, I began wondering if Zu was cool from what happened at the cabin. However, he didn’t answer. I ended up getting a message for a late-night tattoo session. Normally I do consultations to know who I was working with, but because I had nothing else to do, I said fuck it.
When I arrived at the shop, it was empty. I took pride in my spot. I had been through hell and hot water to get it. It was the only shop I owned on the West Coast and brought in the most profit. I’d just stepped inside flicking the lights on when there was a tap on the glass door. When I turned to see who it was, a smile eased on my face. I walked over, opening the door, and allowing Zu to come in. His thick, tall frame stood only inches over me. Our eyes locked in on each other. Zu seemed like he could do some damage, but nothing I couldn’t handle. He also carried this bad-boy exterior when I knew deep down that shit was fluffy inside.
Our eyes continued to rest on each other. His big brown eyes weren’t as enthusiastic as they normally were. I could tell either something was bothering him, or he was angry. He reached out, taking one finger to the front of my jacket, unzipping it slowly. I gripped his wrist, and he shook his head no.
“I know something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“No,”
he grumbled.
I released my hand from his wrist. His fingers crawled between my breasts, landing on my neck, gripping and then squeezing it. He brought his head down slightly, placing his forehead to mine.
“Zeus you’re not ready to go there with me like that so stop while you’re ahead,”
I whispered.
A growl escaped his lips and if I say the shit didn’t turn me on, I would be lying. His grip around my neck got tighter. He lifted me up by my neck, swinging me around, slamming my body against the wall. Although I could barely breathe, it turned me on. I quickly wrapped my legs around his waist and took a handful of his locs in my hand, yanking his head to the side. I placed my lips to his ear, “I don’t do sympathy sex. Now put me the fuck down.”
He released my neck and then slowly put me down. I took him by his hand, leading him further into the shop. “Let me give you a free hand tattoo and we can talk about it,”
I told him.
Zeus didn’t object. He allowed me to lead. He sat in the chair, staring off in the distance. Something was definitely wrong. While I set everything up, I continued to watch him. “Is it your brother?”
He said nothing.
“Foe?”
Still nothing. I paused. “Harvey?”
His eyes cut at me. “Ok, so it’s Harvey,”
I repeated.
Here it was he was coming in here trying to fuck on me while still pressed over Harvey. I slid the latex gloves on, popping them loud enough to pull him out of the trance he was in. “Tell me how you are feeling?”
He laid his head back on the chair’s headrest, then held out his arm so I could start. I turned my machine on, dipping the needle in ink. I went to say something, but he started talking.
“Honestly, it isn’t even about Harvey. I had a thing for her, but love wasn’t it. I think,”
he paused. “I wanted to love her, but I feel like I was trying so hard to prove to Chev that I could do something right I dropped the ball, and my nigga picked it up. I fucked up so many times that my best friend couldn’t confide in me. My nigga doesn’t even trust me with the one thing that he’s been suffering with. Shit is just complex man,”
he explained.
I placed the ink to his skin as he went on. Hearing him talk about things he was harboring made me see something in Zeus. Something I’m sure most didn’t see. I swallowed deeply because that gnawing feeling in my stomach is what I was trying to avoid. I cleared my throat. “So, this isn’t about her yet Chevy?”
He blew out a sharp breath. “It’s about me Freckles, keep up!” he spat.
I dug the needle into his skin. “Shit! Fuck you do that for? Messing up a nigga’s skin and shit!”
“Don’t talk to me like that. I have the tat gun in my hand I will turn your ass into scratch paper. You will respect me, and again, as I said before, selfish,” I hissed.
He eased his head my way, “What’s your story? Huh? You just came out of nowhere. You’re here for a reason,”
he said, now taking the light off him and placing it on me.