Chapter 7
“Inever knew another human life, could have the power to take over mine…”
Frequency
The Chapman Towers was lit up with cars everywhere.
Our limo arrived, and Ledge and Chevy were more than ready to hop out.
The entire ride over, they were both pretty clear that Harbor wasn’t welcome in the circle.
I picked up on the tension immediately. Chevy grilled her while Ledge side-eyed her the entire way.
I was welcome to the fresh air when we got out.
Cameras flickered across the red carpet set up.
Reporters were calling out, trying to get everyone’s attention.
I was a philanthropist as well, doing a lot for the inner-city schools and housing, so I was used to attending city hall meetings and all that other shit.
Being well known throughout the city meant anytime a charity threw a function they made sure that I was on the guest list. It was a great place to mingle and weed out investors too.
The mom-and-pop shops I owned often sponsored the schools around town as well.
“Mr. Roth, who’s your date? Can we get a photo of the two of you together?” one reporter asked, snapping away until the flash blinded both me and Harbor.
“This is Harbor Lawson. You will know exactly who she is soon enough,” I told them, arm sliding around her waist like I had been doing that shit for years; it was natural.
I pulled her gently into me so that we could get a few shots together. She fell into it and hit a pose and smile from every angle.
“Smile for the camera! You two look great!” a woman reporter called out.
“Alright… time to go inside and prepare to spend some money. Thanks, everyone, for coming and giving the cause some exposure.” I waved and nudged Harbor along toward the door.
Every eye in the building was fixed on us when we entered the dining room.
Our table was set up in the center of the room.
On our way through the crowd, I got all kinds of greetings and introduced Harbor along the way.
Ledge and Chevelle weren’t far behind us.
I was sure they were dragging on purpose.
I pulled Harbor’s chair out for her and couldn’t take my eyes off her backside as she lowered herself into it.
Damn, Julani! That was my girl, and her man, Haze, was like another kid brother to me, but she was on the bullshit suggesting this fucking dress.
I reminded myself to cuss her out later.
It accented all the curves that Harbor was blessed with, and she wasn’t lacking anywhere.
It was hard to not look at her in that shit.
She scooted closer to the table and set her clutch beside her.
I took the seat to the left of her, and Ledge and Chevy took place across from us.
There were waiters going around with champagne trays, and our table was delivered four glasses.
Ledge practically swallowed his in one gulp while Chevy sipped hers and glared across the table at me and Harbor.
A nigga felt more than one hole being burned into him.
My eyes drifted around the room and, eventually, landed right on Lyra’s ass.
She was seated a few tables over, staring me down while holding her champagne glass.
I raised my own and gave her a nod before I took a sip.
She rolled her eyes away from me, and I chuckled to myself.
Harbor practically guzzled her drink too.
Her shoulders were tight, so I leaned toward her, invading her personal space.
Our eyes linked, and she blinked several times.
“You are killing it tonight,” I whispered to her, and her eyes lit up in surprise.
“Don’t worry about all the people watching.
You carry an aura that draws someone in, whether they like it or not.
Be you. I learned early on that the realer you are around these people, the more they are drawn to you and likely to fuck with you.
Don’t be intimidated by them,” I advised her.
She nodded and peered around the room at everyone. “Maybe I should’ve worn something else. I feel so exposed,” she said worriedly.
My head moved back and forth. “Nah, this shit is perfect. You need to make a statement, give them something to remember,” I assured her.
She seemed to relax a little as the appetizers were brought around.
Ledge was antsy as fuck in his seat, so I knew his fucking pill had kicked in.
I just prayed that he didn’t start no bullshit in this bitch tonight.
The classical music playing and the chatter from every table filled the room, causing a high-powered buzz.
People came up to me and Harbor and made small talk.
Like a honeycomb, she was drawing all the bees right to her like I knew she would.
Everyone wanted to know who the baddie on my arm was.
After a few drinks, she fell into a routine and didn’t need me to talk her through anything.
She surprised me with what she knew when she spoke to certain people in different specialties. I fell back and let her do her thing.
“Excuse me, I am going to take a break to the ladies’ room,” Harbor said.
When she stood, I rose with her.
“I got it. Don’t need an assist for that,” she kidded.
I ran my hand down my face and nodded across the room. Deviance was parked in a corner, but he caught my signal and followed Harbor to the door. Chevelle also stood.
“I’m gonna go too,” she said, adjusting her dress.
When they were gone, Ledge and I acknowledged one another over the table. He brought his glass to his lips and took a gulp.
“You are treading on thin fucking ice, Free. Dancing on the edge like that shit is cool. You putting a lot into this bitch, and this shit is going beyond just business,” he accused.
“The fuck you talking about?” I demanded, face balled up angrily.
“Nigga, the fuck you mean? I ain’t stupid, slow, or blind. You feeling this bitch, and don’t bother trying to deny that shit. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in ya fucking tone when you speak to her. This shit is not going to end well,” Ledge voiced, leaning on the table with his elbows.
Ledge was another brother, and we had been through too much together to hold anything in from one another. I valued his opinion and trusted his gut for the most part. But there were times when he could be wrong, although he’d never admit it. Sloping back in my chair, my eyes remained glued to his.
“You sitting over there dissecting some shit and missing the bigger picture here like always.”
“Nah. I ain’t missing shit. I see it all. You the one playing Ray Charles to the shit.” He aimed a finger at me and shook his head while he stationed himself to his feet. “I see somebody I need to holla at.”
Glancing past my shoulder, I could see that Kitana wasn’t very far away.
She didn’t look pleased either, so she more than likely knew that Ledge had walked up in there with Chevy on his arm.
She was a side chick, so I didn’t know what the hell she expected.
Bitches were always trying to expand their role when nobody asked them.
Ledge’s words bounced about my head while I waited on Harbor to return to her seat.
There were a lot of people here, and these kinds of events were always boring.
It was about elbow rubbing, who knew who, and locking in new deals.
Underneath all that were the cheating spouses all plotting on their next mark or trying to floss their status for the next one to see.
It was all fake, a mirage of bullshit to cover up that everyone was greedy and there for the money.
Ivana and I used to come to these things and be ready to go within five minutes.
She didn’t do this uptight shit one bit.
Shorty was bred from the block. She was hood, and a lot of her etiquette was shit I gamed her up with.
Thinking back to some of those times with her got me in my feelings.
When the waiter passed, I ordered a triple bourbon and decided to check in on Ivy.
Since the weekend was approaching, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with her.
Harbor
The bathroom was crawling with women when I entered, and most of them studied me as I bypassed the mirror to a stall.
I’d been catching eyes all night, and I knew everyone was curious about the young woman that showed up with Frequency.
He was a well-known man, so he was greeted every other minute by some person or another.
I was just finishing relieving myself when I heard a woman’s voice speak up.
“You know how these men are. They lie, cheat, and put that shit on repeat. If he hasn’t done it to you yet, just wait for it. Frequency Roth is the kind of man that gives zero fucks about anyone but himself. He brought this girl here for what? To show off his latest arm candy? Please.” She scoffed.
When I rose from the toilet, it did the automatic flush, and I let myself out of the stall.
The pretty woman with the golden-blonde hair in the mirror cut her eyes at me when I emerged.
Clearly, she knew who I was. I went right up to the sink beside her to wash my hands as Chevy strut through the door.
Ignoring her and her little friend, I ran my hands underneath the water.
I could tell the fact that I was ignoring her only infuriated her more.
“Be careful. Green is a hideous color on you.” I smiled when I spoke, and her nostrils flared angrily.
“What are you… sixteen? You are a little girl, and you have no idea what the hell you just stepped into,” She forewarned.
“Grown men like women that are successful and about something. I run my own business, and you look like you still wear a fucking training bra.” She scoffed with an envious glare.