7. Turk #2
“Fashitsho. You know I never met a lamb chop I didn't like,” Rico mumbles, digging into the other plate beside Brina on the island.
“Damn, sis. That’s my shit,” I whine.
Brina looks up and at least has the sense to look embarrassed. She swallows her food and rubs her growing belly. “I’m sorry, Turk. But you know I’m eating for three, and Guiliano’s is my favorite restaurant.”
“He not tripping, mama.” Set casts me a look before moving around and sucking the steak juice out Brina’s mouth.
I shift my eyes to Rico. “And what’s your excuse?”
He scratches his arm before shrugging and picking up another lamb chop. “Free food,” he says, like I should have known that would have been his answer.
“Turk! I’m glad you’re here.” Brina wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and stands up, with Set sliding onto the barstool and bringing her between his legs. “Have you talked to Pay? Me nor Dal can get in touch with her, and we’re worried. Autumn’s ass is no help since they’re not speaking.”
“Yeah. Even Deuce says he can’t tell us. Something about I need the password to know. Nigga tried everything before he got bored and hung up.”
I smile thinking about my son. He finna be seven, still a baby in my eyes, but it’s good to know when it counts he sticks to my rules.
It’s not that I don’t trust Foe Dub. Shit, if I told them what was up I’m sure they’d have all the info I needed in half a day. But that’ll also mark Pay out, and for whatever reason I refuse to acknowledge, I don’t want them thinking differently of her.
Plus, Wynter and Set are close, so if Cochise said something to Wyn, she would have fasho asked Set about it. So him not knowing means he kept his mouth shut, which gives me more questions than answers.
Pay is safe at my crib, but I’m also waiting her ass out.
Every time she sees me, she’s staring a hole into my head like I don’t know or feel it.
It’s on the tip of her tongue. I give her til the end of the week before she spilling all her secrets, including the one thing I know in my heart is true.
Until she’s comfortable, or guilty enough, I’m content with handling my business. I got the music festival shit anyway.
I comb my bottom lip with my teeth and lift a corner of my mouth. “Shorty good, B. She’ll be at Nut house Saturday bright and early for brunch.”
Brina folds her arms above her chest and scowls at me. Her head cocks to the side, and she glances at Rico before focusing back on me. “Royce Taylor Atkins, Sr. Where is Patience?”
The other corner of my mouth lifts as I stuff my hands in my pockets. “That’s classified. All you need to know is she’s safe. Take it easy on my godkids and my bro.”
I start backing up toward the elevator as three sets of eyes gaze at me with different expressions. Brina’s scowl is even deeper. Rico’s eyes are pinched like that’ll help him figure me out. And Set? That nigga’s grinning hard as fuck.
My phone is pinging too damn much as I drive home.
Set
This nigga Turk wildin
Rico
No fr!
Nut
*looking eye emoji*
Set
Nigga done kidnapped Patience
Shad
Swear?
Reem
old news.
Ty
Wym ‘old news’ ??? What u kno
Reem
nigga done had the little homies lock down her crib last week.
Rico
Oh thass u now? Thought u was gone swoop in for Haze
Nut
nigga finna be playing stepdaddy
Set
Wouldn’t be too sure on that *no mouth emoji*
Me
Yall worse than females. Paypay is good. Nigga not on that.
Nut
yea. aight.
Rico
Nigga think we dumb fr lmao
“Y’all niggas are dumb,” I say to myself as I park my car. I’m not on that shit at all. My heart beats for one only. My cinnamon apple. Paypay’s just…
Shit. Ion know.
Not knowing has me going home instead of handling the rest of my business.
Not knowing has me leaning in the doorway, watching her chest rise and fall.
Not knowing has me making enough bolognese for three.
“Something smells amazing in here.”
I look away from draining the noodles and my dick bricks instantly.
There she goes again with them tiny shorts, her plump asscheeks swallowing the fabric as she peeks into the sauce.
Her crop top stops right in the middle of her belly, and is so tight I can see the brown of her nipples.
Shorty looks like a wet dream, and now I’m cursing myself for abandoning Naomi at the hotel.
I lick my lips and try to convince my dick that we not fucking with the woman in front of us. “It’s basically done. Go take a seat, I’ll make your plate.”
She flashes those dimples of hers before doing what I told her to, and fuck I think I’d rather her fighting me at every turn.
Part of me figured her submissive side was just because of the molly we took, but last week I bossed up and she got so compliant.
I don't know where I got the strength to walk away and not take her right there in the closet.
I don’t know why I never saw it before. Maybe because Autumn keeps their whole relationship under wraps. Or maybe I just assumed Autumn was a natural submissive since Pay always seemed to take charge in everything.
Clearly I was mistaken.
I set her plate in front of her before sitting across from her at the dining table. We say grace and dig in, and soon the only sounds are silverware scraping plates, and her cute ass moans.
We both have seconds, and when I’m done, I look up and see her staring at me, a small smile on her face.
“Wassup, Pay?”
She shakes her head, looking sheepish before responding. “You’re just… more than what I thought you’d be.”
“Amazing what you find out when you get to know someone, huh?”
“I mean, between what you’re into and how you had Autumn fighting all your hoes, could you blame me for not wanting to get to know you?”
I cock my head to the side, trying to cipher through the bullshit she just said. Heat’s rising in my chest, and I start to try to keep it down, but I don’t know if it will.
“What exactly am I into, again?”
“Well, you know…”
I can tell she’s waiting for me to fill in the blanks, and that’s exactly why I just sit there, letting her dig her own grave while I try to control my temper.
“C’mon, Royce. It’s no secret Foe Dub sells drugs. Clearly you’re doing well for yourself.” She chuckles to herself and takes a sip of water before glancing at me again.
I comb my teeth on my top lip, doing my breathing exercises. I don’t even know why shorty got me so riled up. I’m used to people assuming, and I’m used to being looked down upon. Growing up like I did, with the sisters I have, I had to have thick skin.
Patience and I have never got along, sure, but it’s different hearing exactly what she thinks, especially after tying herself to me the way she has. And I can’t let that shit roll off my back.
“Autumn tell you I sell drugs?”
Her brows furrow, and she shakes her head. Well, no–”
“Yeah, I know she didn’t, because besides the fact Autumn would never tell you no shit about me, she also wouldn’t lie.”
She twists her lips up incredulously and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, okay–”
“Nah, shorty, Not okay. You don’t know shit about me, what I do, or how far I’ve come.
I know females like you. You’ve never had to ask for shit.
Got the best of everything. The most struggle you had was figuring out what outfit to wear and shit.
It’s easy for you to come around with your nose turned up at me and my niggas, ‘cause by the time Autumn found yo ass we was all out the trenches. But you weird as fuck for judging me based off some shit you heard in the streets. This ain’t East Kenton, baby girl.
We not playing gangbanging for fun and slinging dope cause we bored.
That shit is some niggas’ only way out. The difference between having enough money for dinner and going to sleep another night starving. ”
I guzzle down the rest of my beer and stand.
“I haven’t touched a eight-ball since I was seventeen.
I’m not CEO of BirchTree Nightlife for show, Patience.
My business degree gets put to use every fucking day.
But I’m not ashamed of where I come from or what I did to get Autumn and I where we are today. You can wash the dishes yourself.”
I walk to the stairwell, grabbing my keys and wallet before I really go up.
I know Autumn never spoke about me to Pay because that’s not the type of person she is, but damn, did she ever speak to Pay about herself?
Four years they been dealing with each other, and I get the feeling it's been all hot air and fire sex. And normally, that wouldn’t phase me.
Shit, if anything, I’d be happy. It meant they ain’t have no deep shit, and would explain why Autumn’s not acting too tore up.
But it doesn’t feel like that either. But I’ll figure that out later, when I’ve calmed down.
I don’t even get a chance to knock before the front door opens and my favorite sister is beaming up at me. “What you doing here, Turkey?”
I pull her into a hug and kiss the top of her head. “I just wanted to see you. Can’t I see my big sis? You gone let me in?”
“I just saw you at Dallas’s birthday party,” she says but moves back to let me in anyway. I look around her crib before taking a seat at the dining room table. It’s quiet for once, since school just barely ended and, like Deuce, her kids go to G-Pops.
“Why you not at work?”
Renelle closes her robe and sits in the chair next to me. “I, uh, had an appointment this morning.” She looks away and wipes her face.
“What you mean? You sick?”
“No, no. I was pregnant. I got rid of it.”
The silence between us is thick as hell. I sigh and pull on one of my locs. G-Pops wasn’t wrong in describing my sisters as boy crazy. They stayed hood hopping, having babies and dropping them off at G-Pops to go do it again.
Renelle was a little better, having all her kids by the same nigga. But Poncho, though he was good to my sister, still was a street nigga at heart. He caught football numbers in a conspiracy charge a few years ago, and now has to see his family through thick ass glass once a month.
“I didn’t know you were dealing with someone new.”