Chapter 7
It had been two days since Nyeem and I met with Kilo and Knox. Last night, we went out to dinner with my parents and brother, and all we talked about was Nyeem’s decision.
My father and brother were huge football fans and wanted to see Nyeem play at the next level and beyond. That wasn’t to say they weren’t fans of track and field and didn’t enjoy supporting him, but everyone had their favorite sports, and football just so happened to be theirs.
By the time dinner was over, my son had decided he’d commit to both sports this year, but if it became overwhelming, he’d focus on track and field only for the duration of his time in college. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I assured him that he had my support.
Tonight, Skye and I were at her place, eating Chinese food, drinking wine, and talking shit. The last couple of days had been busy, so I hadn’t had a chance to update her on my life’s drama.
“You wouldn’t believe the shit that’s been my life lately,” I began.
“I’m all ears, sis.”
“Nyeem and I met with the new football coach at BEU on Thursday.”
“Football? Is this a new development?”
“Yeah. The coach reached out to him right before graduation, and Nyeem was open to hearing what he had to say.”
“You cool?”
I sighed. “Honestly, I was a little weary, but at the end of the day, it’s his life. We went to dinner last night with my family, and we didn’t talk about anything else. It didn’t seem like he was swayed one way or the other, but he made a decision.”
“Do tell, sis. What did he decide?”
“Your nephew is now a member of the BEU football and track teams. Right now, they want him to play defensive back instead of receiver, but that could change once they start practicing. As long as he’s happy, I’m good.”
“Damn, nephew, I know that’s right! Is there anything my boy can’t do?”
Skye was excited for Nyeem, and I appreciated her excitement, but I couldn’t help but sigh because I was still coming to terms with these new developments. The fact that my baby boy would be following in his father’s footsteps and playing defensive back for BEU’s football team was a lot to process.
“It’s a lot to juggle, but he wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t think he could do it,” she continued when I didn’t say anything.
“I know. My mom and I had a good, honest conversation about how I felt about this a couple months ago. She told me not to worry because it would work itself out.”
“What exactly are you worried about?”
I shared with her my fears about Ambrose popping up and inserting himself into Nyeem’s life and the advice my mother gave me.
“Listen to Mama Kurrie. Nyeem has the best support system known to man. If Ambrose decides to bring his raggedy ass around, Nyeem will handle him accordingly, and we always got his back. As far as his decision to be a dual sport student-athlete while majoring in engineering, he knows what he’s capable of. ”
“Shit. If anyone can do it, Nyeem can. Once he sets his mind to something, it’s as good as done. By the grace of God and with the help of my village, I’ve raised an exceptional child.”
“Say it again, sis! The lines of communication have always been open between you two. He’ll let you know if he becomes overwhelmed.”
“I made him promise to do so, and I hope he doesn’t break his promise.”
“He won’t.”
“That news isn’t even the tea.”
Skye’s eyes widened, and she leaned her head toward me.
“Shit! There’s more? Give me all the tea.”
“So, I got caught up at work before the meeting with the coaches and had Nyeem pick up some finger foods for them. I’m not sure how long they’d been there before I arrived, but they were in the kitchen. You wouldn’t believe who the coaches are.”
She thought for a moment before saying, “I have no idea.”
“Kilo and Knox.”
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“And you had no idea?”
I shook my head. “Kilo and I didn’t talk about personal stuff. We didn’t even exchange last names. I had no clue. So, imagine my surprise when I entered the kitchen.”
“Damn, sis. I know you were shocked as hell.”
“Girl, my mouth was on the floor. Thank God Nyeem couldn’t see my face, and he doesn’t know Kilo well enough to read his. He would’ve known something was up. Once we gathered ourselves, we played it cool.”
“You know what? Now that I think about it, Knox told me he was a football coach. I wasn’t interested enough to ask where he coached, but I assumed it was at one of the high schools.”
She shrugged.
“Seriously, Skye. Had you asked a few more questions, I would’ve had a heads-up.”
“I know damn well you’re not trying to put this on me when you gave up the goodies without asking his last name. Had you asked a few more questions, you would’ve known you were fucking your son’s future football coach.”
I threw one of the decorative pillows from the couch at her, just missing her head because she ducked.
“Whatever!”
“Don’t be mad because I’m right. Is there more to this story?”
“Oh, yeah. This is the craziest part and why I’m pissed.
So, Nyeem and I walked them to the door, and they exchanged a few more words before he went to his room.
As soon as Nyeem was out of earshot, Kilo asked if he could talk to me for a minute.
It took everything in me not to cuss his ass out.
I mean, I did cuss, but not like I wanted to. ”
“But why?”
“What do you mean? It was all a setup. He saw me and Nyeem at Soulful Diner on the Friday before the mixer, and when he saw me again at the mixer, he put his plan into action.”
“Damn. I guess it’s possible, but I don’t see why he would think pretending to be unaware of the connection you share with the kid he’s recruiting and sleeping with you would be beneficial. Plus, didn’t you say he looked just as shocked as you were?”
I rolled my eyes. “It was all a part of his plan to make me believe this wasn’t a setup.”
Skye looked to be mulling over my words. Her expression didn’t say that she was fully convinced.
“I’ll admit, it does sound suspicious, but it still seems far-fetched.”
“If I didn’t care about Nyeem knowing I fucked that man within hours of meeting him, I would’ve knocked all that food off the counter and kicked him and his greedy ass brother out of my house.”
Skye laughed. “That wouldn’t have done anything but let your son know you’re a ho and give you something to clean up.”
“I need to find another best friend because your ass ain’t working out.”
“You love me too much to replace me. I can’t tell you if he set you up or not, but you’re right on the money about Knox. That nigga can eat!”
“Girl! After the fake introduction, I didn’t hear from him again until they were leaving. He was literally eating the whole time.”
“He wasn’t shy at the mixer either. He filled his plate at least four times before we left. One of the many reasons why men annoy me because he should be a butterball with the way he was eating, but from what I could tell, he’s built like a Greek god.”
“It’s clearly hereditary because Kilo’s body is a work of art.”
I bit my bottom lip as my mind flashed back to when he stood in front of me and undressed.
He oozed confidence, and he had every reason to.
The way his thick, veiny dick stood at attention when he pushed his pants down.
The thought of him stretching me wider than any man ever had made me shift in my seat.
“Umm, do I need to be concerned about a wet spot when you get up?” Skye teased when she caught me zoning out.
I smacked my lips. “Shut up, heffa.”
“I’m just saying. You’re over there daydreaming about that man’s dick, squirming on my couch, trying to calm that neglected pussy down. If I were you, I’d get his number from Nyeem, have him meet you at the same hotel, in the same room, and reenact the whole night.”
It was tempting, but Kilo would never get another whiff of this pussy. Unfortunately, he’d proven himself untrustworthy.
“I’ll have to hang on to the memories of the night we shared because the possibility of us hooking up again is nonexistent.”
“I don’t think you should rule out the possibility until you prove he set you up,” she countered.
“I have all the proof I need.”
Three times a week, I worked out on the BEU track, but admittedly, I’d been slacking for the past month because I’d been feeling sluggish. I began running competitively when I was six years old, and thirty years later, although I no longer competed, running was still a big part of my life.
The track was where I went to clear my head, where I went to think things through, and where I went to let off steam.
Sometimes I ran a few miles, sometimes I did sprint intervals, and sometimes I did drills and calisthenics.
Whatever I chose to do, I felt a hundred pounds lighter by the time my workout was over.
Today, I forced myself to get back into my routine. Everything was going well until I saw Kilo walking toward me as I stretched in the end zone of the football field. The thought of running into him had crossed my mind, but I pushed it to the back of my head and got my workout done.
“I come in peace,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender.
“You got my son. What do you want now?”
“Damn, baby. Good morning to you, too, but to answer your question, I want you.”
I sighed because the Lord didn’t have to make this man so fine.
“Good morning, Kilo. Is there something else I can help you with, because you can’t have me?”
He sat across from me, and my legs were wide open as I stretched. I watched his eyes zero in on my sweaty crotch and was grateful I’d decided to wear black spandex this morning. He opened his legs and began to mimic my movements.
“Can we start over?”
After talking to Skye about my suspicions, she convinced me to let it go and be cordial. I honestly had no reason to interact with him, but since we both worked for the university, there was a possibility we could cross paths.
“If you’re asking me to forget you set me up—”