Chapter 4
FOUR
Asim
I had no idea what I was about to walk into, but regardless, I had fucked up. As a man, I needed to make it right. Kyori was too important and the fact that I hadn’t handled this right had been on my mind all morning. She had been on my mind all morning.
As expected, when I walked through the door, all eyes were on me, but not in the way I expected.
Brielle was the first face I recognized and she rolled her eyes but smiled right after walking up, stopping at a respectable distance, and folding her arms across her chest. The two other women in here pretended to ignore us while one leaned over the counter she was behind, resting on her elbows with her chin propped up on her hands.
“You’re a shitty individual. I hope you know that.” The smug grin on Brielle’s face had me confused as hell. My left brow rose slightly as I stared back at her because she seemed more amused than angry. I chose not to bait her and instead got to the point.
“Is Ky here? I’m sure by now you already know the deal.”
“Yes, she’s here, and yes, I do. I’m just curious as to why you would wait until the morning she was supposed to show up to tell her about us. That’s pretty fucked up, Asim. Even for you, but not my problem. I’ll let her deal with you.”
She pointed to the back of the store then turned on her heels to walk away, stopping before she got to the counter where nosy ass was still propped up.
“Ky is sweet and smart, and oddly enough, I like her. She makes a great addition to the team so I hope she stays. I get how our past might make that a difficult decision but I hope you convince her otherwise.”
My brows dipped in, trying to make sense of how the hell this was playing out. I had to be in a fucking twilight zone. This was not the Brielle I remembered. The one I had to get a restraining order against because she tried to stab me and attempted to burn my damn house down.
“Oh and the dick was good but it wasn’t that damn good. I just had some maturing to do.” She shrugged. “I’m happy with my life, Asim. If Ky likes the job and wants to stay, then you won’t have any issues out of me.”
When I didn’t move, still confused about what the hell was going on, she pointed to the back again. I raked my hand down my face and decided to take my chances. Just as I reached the door I assumed would lead me to Kyori, I heard a giddy voice that didn’t belong to Brielle.
“Second door on the right, sexy.” A round of laughter followed with several different voices as I stepped through the door and followed the instructions I had been given.
Stopping in the doorway, I found Ky in a scarcely decorated office behind a tiny desk with several open catalogs piled up. She was on the phone but looked up at me with dark eyes and a scowl in place while she finished talking.
“Brielle is requesting the Spring and Fall selections, only the exclusives. If possible, please overnight them to the address you have on file but addressed to Kyori Spencer. Yes, I’m new.
If you need to speak with Brielle…” she smiled widely, listening, “Perfect. K-Y-O-R-I. Yes, thanks a bunch, I can’t wait to see what you have for us. Absolutely, thanks so much.”
After she ended the call, her eyes were on me again and not in the way I would have liked. She damn sure wasn’t happy, so for now I kept my distance, leaning a shoulder against the door frame, arms folded and waiting.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah actually, you can. Do you have a minute?” I chose to keep my expression neutral when I really wanted to laugh at her little hostile ass, but she earned the right. This was my fuck up which was clear by the way she snorted and leaned back, folding her arms to mirror my stance.
“I’m busy.”
“I see, it won’t take long. I just wanted to make sure you were good. The way you left this morning…”
“Please don’t do that. Don’t act like you care now when you had weeks to make sure the way I left this morning flowed smoothly. At the very least, I wouldn’t have been blindsided and have to face your past unprepared.”
“Agreed. I handled things all wrong, but in my defense, this whole thing is new to me. I’ve never given a fuck about how anyone else was affected by the things I did, especially not a woman, and you have every right to be upset…”
“Yes, I do. So you can leave and let me finish the day while exercising my right to be upset?”
“So you’re accepting the job?”
“I’m strongly considering it. Why? Is that an issue for you?
” Her pretty face balled up while her eyes narrowed on me.
The look she rocked today was one of my favorites.
She had on very little makeup and her hair was out of the way which put her beauty on full display.
I felt a smile surfacing because she looked so damn cute trying to challenge me, or at the very least fishing for a reaction she would never get.
I didn’t give a damn about Brielle. When it was over, it was completely over, and that had been years ago.
“This was never about me keeping you from another woman. So no, I don’t have an issue with you being here.”
“But you still kept it from me when you promised you wouldn’t have me out here in the world looking crazy.”
“Come on, Ky. I know I should have told you, but you have to understand, your dream job was with an ex of mine that I probably still have a restraining order against. Truthfully, I can’t classify her as an ex because we were never in a relationship.
What we had ended badly because I refused to get serious when she wanted us to.
That is not the type of conversation any man wants to have… ”
“Maybe not, but you should have.”
“And I did. The timing just wasn’t ideal. I might have waited until the last minute but I also knew it would have been much worse coming from her and not me.”
She rolled her eyes before staring at me with that damn cute ass angry face.
“Ky?”
“What?”
“I’m apologizing and I’ll make it up to you.”
She released a cocky laugh, angling her head to the side. “Oh you’re definitely making this up to me and I get to be upset for however long I want. Don’t think I’m just letting this go.”
I chuckled and nodded. “I didn’t expect anything less. You sure you’re comfortable being here?”
“Are you comfortable with me being here?”
Hell no.
“There’s not another woman on this earth who can get anything from me.
My attention, my time, or my consideration.
If you want the job, then I want you to have it with the peace of mind that no matter what my past was, it in no way compares to what I have now or what I want moving forward with you. ”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not falling for that slick shit but I hear you.”
I smirked and stepped into her office, rounding the desk, helping Ky to her feet after turning the chair she was in to face me.
“I only see you; I only need you and I only want you. That’s facts, baby. Not slick shit. Take it however you want.”
I thought for sure she would reject my kiss but the second my mouth was on hers, she leaned into my body while I held her in place with my arm secured behind her back.
“I’m still upset with you.”
“I know.”
“You’re still going to make it up to me.”
“I know that too.”
“Good and the only reason I’m accepting the job is because she’s engaged and I believed her when she said she had no interest in you. For now anyway, but the first sign I see she’s on bullshit, I’m taking all her connects and starting my own shit.”
I laughed at the thought. “You plan on doing that anyway.”
A smile surfaced before she rolled her eyes. “Yeah but I was gonna do it the right way. Get the experience and the recommendations first, but if she tries to play me, it’s a wrap.”
I couldn’t speak for Brielle, but as far as I was concerned, I meant what I said. There wasn’t a woman out there Kyori ever had to compete with. She could bet her life on that.
“Oh you must have really messed up.” Bre delivered a devious grin when I pulled the chair across from me out after Brent led her to the table where I waited. After I kissed her cheek, she sat and folded her hands together, placing them on the table, waiting.
“Possibly but that’s not what this is about.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows raised slightly as she grinned. I could tell from the expression she wore that she didn’t believe me one bit.
“Yes, really. Ky already hinted to me about throwing her a birthday party and I had plans of making it happen.”
“It just so happens you’re starting the planning on the same day you pissed her off so badly she was on my phone first thing this morning. Calling you every name but a child of God while she was on her way to the dream job offered by your ex.”
I smirked and worked my fingers across my chin. “She’s a past, but not my ex. We were never…”
“You had sex with her. She’s an ex, boo. No matter how you label it, you have a past with that woman and you should have told Ky before this morning.”
“Agreed, but that still doesn’t negate the fact that I was going to make sure her birthday was celebrated the right way. It may, however, play into the fact that I need it to be perfect and one she will appreciate.”
“Men ain’t shit.” Bre sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “You’re still wrong but at least you apologized and are trying to make up for it.”
“So she talked to you but wouldn’t talk to me?” I smirked at the idea.
“I’m the first call she makes when you make her happy or have her plotting your murder. You might want to be nice to me. My input might just save your life one day.” She winked at me, pulling a laugh from my gut that had me throwing my head back.
“Damn, it’s like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Aight, so I see who I need to keep on my team as an ally.”
“Oh, trust and believe, you need me in order to survive Hurricane Ky.”
I felt her a hundred percent but I could handle Kyori. Different situations called for different measures.
“So you’re with me on this?”
“I guess.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “What’s my budget and do I have help?”
“There is no budget and you can have whatever you need. All I ask is that you keep me informed on the decisions you make and run any major ones by me. We can use the restaurant and my staff will be available for whatever you need. I can hire someone to help or you can do it all yourself. That’s completely up to you, but no clubs or any locations where I can’t control the environment. ”
Bre’s eyes narrowed on me briefly which meant she might be privy to what little information Ky had about my life. They were close so I wasn’t surprised.
“Is my sister safe with you? Let’s not be na?ve here. I know a little about who you are.”
“Yes, that is the one thing you will never have to be concerned with.”
We had a brief stare down before she nodded her acceptance of my answer. “Okay then, let’s plan a party. I have a lot of ideas.”
I chuckled at the sparkle in her eyes. “Expensive ideas I’m sure from the way you’re grinning.”
She shrugged. “You said no budget and this is an I apologize party so…” Bre finished with a smug grin that had me shaking my head.
“Do your thing.” Removing my phone, I pushed my chair back when I recognized the number calling, speaking to Bre right before I stepped away.
“I need to take this.”
She peered at me skeptically but didn’t say anything.
“Yeah?”
“I received word that you need a favor?” Emmitt Calhoun was one of the biggest suppliers who provided my brother and me with the purest shit to hit the streets, and our father before us.
I had reached out to him weeks ago but he was out of touch, which meant he was meeting with the cartels that supplied him.
Calhoun was one of the few Black men allowed in their inner circles because of his long standing history and loyalty to the men he purchased from.
“Yeah, it requires a reach a little longer than mine.”
“Understood. What do you need?”
“Kalvin Jackson. He’s known as Kemp and has mostly been based in Miami.
Recently he’s tried to move into our area but handled it the wrong way.
I’ve pretty much shut him down here but I need to shut him down completely.
Me dropping bodies is only relieving stress but it isn’t getting the message across like I need to.
It’s also making the city hot. That means the potential for us to lose money.
He has to be completely cut off so he surfaces. ”
“Surfaces?”
“He likes to throw a rock and hide his hand. There was a hit put out on Amir and I’m sure me and my entire team have targets on our backs. Mir took three…”
“Three?”
“He’s good. Gets out today but it could have been worse.
I can’t handle a problem I can’t get my hands on.
I don’t know enough about him to find him.
I have money circulating but that’s not doing the job right now.
The only other thing I can think of is to completely shut him off in a way where he has to show face. ”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“All I need is a time and place he’ll be. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Give me a few days to reach out to some people. I don’t know him, which means he holds no weight with anyone who will make the call, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“’Preciate it.”
“You’re family, Asim. No matter how much money you spend with me, your history is long and I respect you. Give me a little time to work things on my end and I’ll be in touch.”
Calhoun ended the call, and when I filled my seat again, Bre’s loaded gaze was on me.
“Everything good?”
I flashed her a charming smile and nodded. “Perfect, now tell me what you need to get started so I can make sure this comes together properly.”
This was Kyori’s sister, which meant that she was likely just as nosy and heard things that might have caused alarm, but I wasn’t about to explain myself to her or anyone else.
I would make sure nothing connected to me made it to Kyori but there was no point in disclosing that to Bre.
She would just have to trust that I would do my part as the man in her sister’s life.
I also wouldn’t dismiss her concern because it was her sister.
I understood how she felt because I had been in the same head space lately, which reminded me of Amir.
While Bre rattled off her thoughts on Kyori’s big day, I shot Learah a text explaining I was tied up, requesting her to pick Amir up from the hospital.
I could have easily done it myself, however, I decided to employ a little intervention with the two.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only Nour making bad judgment calls with the women in our lives.
Hopefully, he could right his wrong or I had a feeling my baby brother would be going through it.
A feeling I completely understood, which was why I sat across from Ky’s sister who was about to hit my pockets in a major way.