Chapter 7
7
Now…
I stepped into my mother’s living room, noted the bodies occupying the space, and shook my head. This was what I left my woman for? I instantly turned to head right back out the door because…fuck this.
“Bo! Come in here and sit down!” my mother boomed, her strong voice contrasting her frail appearance. She’d always been a tiny woman, standing less than five feet tall, with a huge presence.
I turned to face her. “You said this was a family business meeting.”
Nodding, she confirmed, “It is.”
“Nah, can’t be. If so, she wouldn’t be here,” I countered, nodding toward the very pretty woman sitting beside her on the sofa.
“She lives here. She is family, son. She’s your wife.”
“Ex-wife. Heavy on the ex.”
“You know she is still family and always will be. Now, sit down, son.”
I squared my shoulders. “Nah, I’ll stand.”
My beautiful, cocoa skinned mother sighed as she crossed her legs and clasped her hands over her knees. “Stubborn as ever. Fine, have it your way. After your father died, I chose you to run The Agency—although Zaccai is the oldest—because you are methodical, calculated, and always business minded.”
“I know,” I said, irritated as all fuck to be standing in this room with my mother, Zaccai’s tattle telling ass, and got damn Layla—my ex—when I had the love of my life waiting for me at my house. I had pussy to eat, and I was standing there listening to my mom tell me shit I already knew.
“Then why are you letting your emotions lead you?”
It was time for me to sigh. “Zaccai got a slick mouth. You know that. I had to lay out some tread for his ass.”
“Over a bitch, though? Over some old pussy? I gotta have surgery on my foot! The bones are fucked up!” Zaccai interjected, sitting in a chair with crutches beside him and that foot all wrapped up. He was so damn dramatic.
With a grin, I asked him, “You think you safe here? You think I won’t shoot your ass again? You must’ve forgot that I keep that shit on me to be calling my woman a bitch.”
“You absolutely will not shed blood in my house, especially not family blood!” my mother scolded.
“Yeah, that nigga do bleed a lot. Messed my floor up bad,” I noted.
“Fuck you!” Zaccai bit out.
“I’m bringing Memphis to the next meeting. She’s family to me,” I advised the room at large.
“Man, you done lost your fucking mind!” Zaccai shrieked.
“Indeed, he has,” my mother agreed.
“So, she’s finally paying attention to you again? Wow. What’d you do? Blackmail her or something?” Layla finally spoke up.
Fucking bitch.
“You know what? Y’all go on with this meeting. I got better shit to do, like running the company that pays all y’all’s bills but understand this: Memphis is my woman. Any disrespect toward her will not be tolerated from anyone,” I advised.
“She’s old and she can’t give you children. She doesn’t even want you,” Layla said.
“And I don’t want you. Now what?” I posed, my eyebrows raised.
No response.
“And Layla, I’ll shoot your ass, too. Keep your mouth off my woman,” I warned.
The room was deathly silent as I left.
I was on the phone lying to Umber when he made it home.
Home?
Shit.
“So, you met him in college? You two dated back then?” she was asking.
“Kind of. We were basically doing back then what we’re doing now. Fucking. You know my motto,” I explained.
“Yeah, I do know…you don’t fuck with men unless you’re fucking them.”
“Ding-ding-ding!”
“But you’re living with him? That’s what he said, right?”
“He says a lot of shit.” When he appeared in the bedroom doorway, I added, “Gotta go, Umber. I’ll call you back.”
“Ah, Mr. Salt and Pepper Beard must have arrived. Have fun fucking!” She ended the call before I could respond.
I stared at him, at the relieved look on his face, and wished I would just off his ass, but for some reason, I wouldn’t.
Or…couldn’t?
That thought sent a chill up my spine, and I actually shuddered.
“Cold?” he asked, sounding all concerned and shit.
“No,” I replied. “I need to go to my place and pick some things up.”
“Everything you need is here. There’s a closet full of new clothes and shoes. The kitchen is stocked, and a generous supply of dick is on tap and available at all times.”
I just stared at him.
“I’ll have someone pack up your apartment and bring everything here,” he said.
“Everything? Ain’t enough room in this house,” I pointed out.
“I’ll buy a new one.”
Seated in his king-sized bed, I fell against the headboard. “Bo, if I wanted to escape, I could’ve done that while you were gone. I just need to go to my place. Alone.”
Moving from the door to my side of his bed, he gazed down at me, licking his lips. “I can’t let you do that. I can go with you, though.”
“Hell no!”
He reclined his neck, a frown on his face. “You got a nigga hidden in there or something?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice deadpan. “What you gon’ do, bust in there and shoot him like you did Zaccai?”
“Nah, I only injured my brother. I’ll off any nigga who touches you. Hey, you miss me while I was gone?”
“Fuck no!”
Grinning, he grabbed my jaw, bending down to press a kiss to my lips. Then, he fucked the shit out of me…again.