21. Khalil
It was Game Two of the NBA Finals.
Detroit Vipers versus the San Diego Suns.
I was thankful this was a home game because Nana didn’t like to travel far since she’d gotten older, but whenever we were at home, she made sure she was there, front and center.
Drew, my moms, and Kyani sat beside her, and of course, Kiyanne and Anais were next to them. I smiled and saluted them before my eyes traveled to the third row. Piper sat with the tall, dark-skinned woman she had come with to the gala and Robyn Smith.
My heart flipped a little from both nervousness and happiness.
So many nights, I dreamed of seeing her face again.
Now that she was here in the flesh, trying to win back my love, I was conflicted about my future with Anais and if I was ready to be traded.
I already knew if I chose Piper, Orlando was shipping my ass off like a premium package.
Even though I wasn’t ready to live in another state, I would trade it all for the woman who embedded herself in my life in such a short time.
“Alright, gentlemen. Let’s get out there and show them who run this shit. The goal is the ring, so let’s get it! Vipers on three!” Coach Brown yelled. “One, two, three!”
“Vipers!” we all yelled in unison.
“Let’s eat these niggas up real smooth, brodie,” Is said to me while heading onto the court. I clapped hands with him.
“Like butter, baby.”
I set my personal business aside and focused on the court and winning the championship at the end of it all.
By halftime, we had a fifteen-point lead. Those San Diego boys were restless. As usual, they couldn’t fuck with Isaiah and me.
Ghost and Phantom.
We were like Shaq and Kobe in their prime. We stayed giving these teams a run for their money because of our impeccable chemistry on the court. In ten years, we’d only lost four games, but the wins were greater than the losses.
We were currently in the locker room, refueling and going over our next plays, when the door to the locker room opened and the operations manager, Brendan, walked in.
“Uh, Grey. You’re being summoned on the court.”
I frowned.
“For what?” Coach asked. “We’re in the middle of strategizing.”
“They said it’s to honor him as this year’s MVP. They want to do it before the halftime show.”
“Who the hell are they?”
“Administration.”
“The hell?” Coach mumbled.
“They ain’t honor this nigga enough at the gala?” our teammate, Deontae Rhodes, asked as everyone laughed.
“Alright, give us five,” Coach told him as Brendan nodded and walked back out. Coach quickly went over the plays before we all filed out to head back to the court. I had no idea what this was about because nowhere in the history of basketball did they do this during a game.
It was cool to be loved like this, though.
Once we made it out of the locker room, Brendan escorted me to the middle of the court where a chair sat. I could hear the crowd cheering and saw my family’s faces. Some of them were smiling, the others just watching.
Suddenly, the lights shut off, and then the recess lights lit up. It was partially quiet as I frowned, wondering what the fuck was going on.
Then, the Viper dancers appeared on the court wearing all black and stood in position with their heads down.
The beat to Beyoncé’s “Dance For You” queued, and a woman with a partial mask and a glittery romper with strings hanging and some super-tall heels appeared. On cue, the ladies moved in sync while the leader of the pack moved closer to me.
If this was the way they wanted to honor me, I wasn’t mad at it. I held back my smile as I watched her move gracefully, bend, contort, and hit every beat with precision.
It wasn’t until she came closer that I noticed those lips, eyes, and ass.
Piper? What the. . .?
She circled the chair, throwing her leg over my shoulder, and running her palms down my chest.
The fucking press was going to have a field day with this shit she just pulled.
I could feel her lips tickle my ear as she whispered sweetly, I love you. She then came back into view and bent over in front of me, and I swear to the universe, I wanted to take a bite of that round motherfucka.
Piper was baiting me.
I told her she had to earn this dick, and she tried to seduce me in front of thousands of fans, my teammates, and my family.
She wasn’t playing fair, and I kind of commended her for her bravery in making this grand gesture in front of all of these people.
When the song ended, she blew me a kiss, then hurried off the court with the dancers following behind her. The whole time, I had to will my dick not to rock up and embarrass my damn self.
The lights switched back on, the crowd went wild, and I was handed a small trophy and a hat. When I looked over at my family, they held curious looks on their faces, but one face didn’t look pleased at all.
Anais.
While Piper kept it respectful and tasteful, I knew Anais was jealous. She hated for any woman to be close to me who wasn’t family. I knew I would have to hear about this once this was over.
We headed back to the locker room with ten minutes left before we began the second half.
“Dawg, I’m fucking jealous. That was some king shit they put together for you!” my teammate, Steven, announced once we made it inside.
“I don’t know who authorized that, but I don’t think that shit was a part of the plans tonight,” Coach said. “It was nice, though,” he added. Everyone agreed as my gaze fell on my best friend. A sly smile lifted on his face because I was positive he knew exactly who that was.
I told him about Piper and everything that occurred between us, even the marriage.
I shook my head and looked down at the imitation trophy, eyeing the words imprinted on it.
Khalil Grey
M.V.P: Most Valuable Penis.
I chuckled and put it in my gym bag before the conversation shifted, and I got back into player mode.
The car ride was silent except for Kiyanne telling me about the time she spent with her moms. When she brought up the halftime show, that was when I had to cut her off from talking. Anais hadn’t said a word, but I was sure it was because Kiy was in the car.
We pulled into the gates of my estate in West Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and got out of the car.
Donnie, my butler, greeted us as soon as we walked inside.
“Welcome home, Grey family and guest. Is there anything you all need for tonight?”
“Hi, Donnie. Can you bring a bowl of chocolate ice cream to my room?”
“Sure thing, Ms. Kiy.”
Kiyanne turned and headed up the stairs. “Night, Dad! If I don’t see you tonight before I go to sleep, I love you!”
I chuckled. “I love you more, baby girl. I’ll be up to say good night in a minute.”
“Okay.”
“Good night, Kiyanne,” Anais said.
“Night.”
“Is there anything I can get for you two?” Donnie asked.
“No, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop referring to me as a guest. Just because I don’t live here yet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge me by name,” she scolded.
My head snapped her way as I frowned. Yeah, she was pissy about Piper’s performance.
“Ana, take it easy on my staff, mama. He don’t mean any disrespect,” I told her.
“I have been coming here for over two years, and we’re about to get married. You don’t think I deserve to be acknowledged as part of the family?”
“My apologies, ma’am,” Donnie offered.
“Anais will do, Donnie,” she corrected.
He nodded. “Very well.” He then looked to me. “Should I prepare the ice bath for you, sir?”
I shook my head to answer him and at Anais’s funky disposition toward him. “I’m actually headed back out.”
“What? Where are you going?” Anais asked with a frown etched across her face.
“Don, that’ll be all for tonight. Thank you.”
He gave a curt nod and walked off.
“I hope you’re not about to run off to see your little halftime girlfriend. Like seriously, what the hell was that?”
“I honestly don’t know what it was. I’m just as surprised as you are. But let me make one thing clear: Do not accuse me of doing something I have no intentions of doing. Since when have you become insecure or started questioning me?”
“Since you got felt up by a masked stripper on the court with a bunch of spectators. I’m sure it’s going to be the highlight of every damn news station by morning.”
She was right, but I honestly didn’t think it was that bad. I was sure, to the people who didn’t know me or Piper, it just looked like the dance squad put on a show for me. But in Anais’s mind, it was much more than that.
And she had every right to feel that way.
It was definitely more to it than what met the eye.
“Why do you care? You’re giving the shit more power than it has to have.”
She glared at me before stepping closer to me.
“I’m going to go home tonight. I’m not lying in your bed while you go do God knows what.
All I’m going to say is that you’d better keep it out of my face, and once we are married, that shit ends.
We meet with the planner tomorrow at noon to go look at venues.
I checked your schedule, and you don’t have any meetings, practices, or games this weekend. So I’ll be here bright and early.”
“No can do. I promised Kiy I’d spend time with her before I head to New York on Sunday. I’m sure you can manage since you manage everything else.”
“Excuse me? And what does that mean exactly?” she asked, appalled.
“Whatever you think it means, Anais. I’ll see you later.”
“Wait.” She grabbed my arm. “You have not been present during this process, Khalil. I’ll need your thoughts and opinions as well.”
“Do you? Because you didn’t need my thoughts and opinions when just three days after I proposed, you started booking shit without consulting with me. You’ve been doing well without me, so keep that same energy, baby.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Khalil. We both know that getting married benefits us both. I will finally have a life outside of my father’s ruling, and you will get endless endorsements, deals, and more money than you could imagine. Why do you think you were this year’s MVP?”
My frown deepened. What the fuck does she mean by why?
“Because I’m a damn good player. What the hell do you mean?”
She chuckled. “You are. You’re a stellar player on the team, but Isaiah has held that crown for years, baby. Isn’t it funny how, after you proposed to me, you suddenly became MVP? I made that happen, and I can do a lot more once we’re married.”
It was my turn to chuckle. Only mine wasn’t humorous at all. Shorty had me fucked up and had me looking at her even more fucked up than I already was.
“You ain’t gotta do me no favors, baby. I can get to wherever I want to go without your help. My work ethic speaks for itself.”
“Fine. I’m only trying to tell you what’s in store for us. I love you, and I want you to always win.”
“Yeah, . . . okay. I’ll holla at you.” I didn’t wait for a reply as I ascended the stairs to check on Kiy.
I knocked before I heard her voice telling me to come in. I opened the door and walked in, seeing her already in her pajamas, sitting at her vanity, putting rollers in her hair.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hey, baby girl.” I smiled and took a seat on the edge of her bed. “How you feeling? You ready to kick it with your pops tomorrow?”
“I am.” She turned to face me. “Can I ask you something, and you won’t get mad?”
I chuckled. “When do I ever get mad at you?”
“Never, but I’m scared if I say it, you might get mad at me.”
“Come here,” I told her, waving her over to me. She stood and sat next to me. I put my arm around her and kissed her head. “You know I always tell you to speak your mind as long as you do it with respect, right?” She nodded. “So talk to me.”
“I don’t want you to get married to that lady. I don’t like her.”
I sighed. “I figured that. Can I ask why?”
“She just, . . . I don’t know. You guys don’t seem in love with each other. I overheard GG and TT Ky saying she’s a bougie fake who just wants you because of your fame and fortune. I think I agree with them.”
I laughed and pinched her side. “Stop eavesdropping on grown folks’ conversations.”
She giggled, and I lifted her head to look her in the eyes.
“You might get your wish, baby girl. I can tell you don’t care for her, and if I didn’t feel the off-putting energy between you two, I probably would still marry her. But I can’t marry her anyway.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you another time. Right now, I don’t want you to worry about anything. Get some sleep. We got a full day ahead of us tomorrow.”
There was a knock on the door, and I stood to open it. Donnie stood with a bowl of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles.
“Two scoops of ice cream for the princess,” he said, moving into the room and setting it on her nightstand.
Kiy smiled. “Thanks, Donnie.”
“You’re most welcome.” He bowed and left the room.
“Alright, baby. Your auntie will be here in ten minutes. Don’t stay up too late.”
“I won’t. Love you, Dad.”
“I love you more, my love.” I kissed her forehead, left her room, and pulled out my phone to call the person I knew could get me Piper’s information.
The phone rang twice before the caller picked up. “Lilo, what’s good wit’ you?”
“What up, Xander? Shit much. I need a favor.”
“You know I got you, bruh. What you need?”
“You think you could ask your wife if she could give me her homegirl’s phone number?”
“Piper?”
I chuckled. “Who else would I be checking for, my nigga?”
He laughed. “I can do that. She’s in the shower right now, but I’ll hit you with a text as soon as she gets out.”
“A’ight, bet. Good looking.”
“You got it, my baby.” We hung up, and I headed out to have a much-needed drink.