2. Daylin Conrad #3
“She wants it,” Ayan said, and I sadly could not hold in my laughter, making his brows dip for a quick second out of befuddlement.
I’d met a lot of pretentious, entitled men in my days, but Ayan was definitely in the top two. He was ridiculous, causing his demeanor that he probably deemed smooth and confident to come off comical instead.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Godfrey, but I have a man, so no, I in fact don’t want it,” I argued, doing my best not to roll my eyes and sport a permanent look of disgust.
Leaning in, he said, “I got a woman, but that don’t mean we can’t have fun.”
“Oh, that’s exactly what it means.” I tried to glance at Morgin and non-verbally communicate how nonsensical this man before me was but instead caught a glimpse of envy radiating off my friend/assistant. It was a shock to my system because though Morgin lacked decorum, she never gave jealous.
Morgin attempted to quickly abolish the look of bitterness she’d been wearing, but it was a second or so too late. I didn’t know how to feel having seen that.
“What if I pay?” Ayan spoke lowly, taking my hand to which I immediately removed from his grasp.
“Ok. I’m going to—” Before I could finish my sentence, Ayan gripped my arm tightly in his, making me drop my eyes to his hand wrapped firmly around my arm then back up to his menacing orbs.
I didn’t know Ayan from a can of paint, but just this small interaction told a lot. He was a terrible person and probably an even worse significant other. They couldn’t pay me to trade places with whomever his baby mama was.
People looked on as Ayan kept hold to my arm, everyone looking to be on edge, awaiting what the hell he’d do next. I tried and failed to pull from him just as the loud scraping sound of someone opening the sliding door that led to the backyard broke the silence among us all.
Turning away from Ayan to see who it was, I spotted a tall figure draped in a wife beater, gray joggers, socks, and corduroy slippers.
He wore a gold watch and chain that complemented his onyx skin perfectly, and a do-rag secured over what I assumed was a fade.
The man looked hood yet clean and polished at the same time.
Fine as fuck was truly the only way I could describe him.
I noticed as soon as the man’s feet settled onto the concrete of the backyard, Ayan released my arm as if it had suddenly become a hot plate.
I would’ve assumed this man was Ayan’s father had he not looked too young to be, because Ayan was quite obviously intimidated by him.
That in turn made me feel intimidated as well.
Only a certain type could make other grown men fear them, especially one trained to fight like Ayan. Though I’d never seen him in the ring, boxers who weren’t about shit didn’t make it to his perceived level.
“Jojo.” The man’s deep voice seemed to rock the whole party as I listened to Ayan suck his teeth.
At that moment, it registered that he had the same eye shape as Ayan, Josias, and the other man I could surmise was Josias’s twin brother.
It was also obvious that Ayan didn’t like this brother who’d scared him straight, judging by the teeth sucking and mumbling.
While I couldn’t comprehend what Ayan had said clearly, his tone was saturated with disdain.
“Aight.” Josias got up and bypassed me, as I briefly locked eyes with the commanding man that seemed to have everyone acting as if this were a game of freeze tag.
His eyes drifted over me, and for some reason that I couldn’t figure out, I was hoping not a hair was out of place.
I was thanking God that I’d recently gotten my feet done instead of rocking my clean, bare nails like I often did when going to certain events or places where I didn’t care to impress anyone.
As soon as the man and Josias left, Morgin appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing beside me.
“That’s the scary brother,” she confirmed, even though I’d already begun to put the puzzle pieces together. “Nigga look like he don’ killed somebody, huh?”
“Huh?” I asked sort of absentmindedly.
Morgin’s eyes widened, and her brows kissed her hairline upon realizing why my mind kept wandering.
“Girl, did you hear what I said? He went to prison,” Morgin whispered harshly.
“Yes, I did. How could I not when you’ve said it at least one hundred times.” I frowned, irritated with not just her but this whole party.
I hated when I went against my first mind and did something I knew I shouldn’t have i.e. attending this function.
“Yeah, because jail is cute, quick. But prison? Nah.” Morgin shook her head, grabbing a glass of bubbly from one of the trays being held by a waiter. “Ayan is the prize twin.”
For a minute, I just eyed Morgin as she gulped down the liquor swimming in the flute.
Whenever I wondered what type of women entertained men like Ayan, I had to remember my assistant was one of them.
Morgin had made so many questionable statements tonight that I was starting to feel like I didn’t know her ass.
“Anyway, I’m leaving. Let’s go,” I threw out.
I was over it and didn’t feel comfortable staying at a party celebrating a man I only recently decided that I didn’t like at all. Men who cheated period but especially openly were disgusting to me, and I couldn’t promise Ayan wouldn’t catch me staring him over in disgust if I stayed any longer.
And judging by his willingness to put his hands on a woman he barely fucking knew, I didn’t want to start anything up with him and around a bunch of people I was unfamiliar with.
“Now? We’ve been here what, twenty minutes?” Morgin checked her watch, lip curled.
“Yeah, and I’ve been here twenty minutes too long. Josias has your number. You can call or he can call, and you two can link up another time.”
What I wanted to tell Morgin was that any man who invited you to a party for a first outing didn’t have good intentions for you.
He especially didn’t if he ignored you the entire time you were there or entertained other women.
However, I kept this to myself, not in the mood for Morgin to smack her lips, roll her eyes, and complain that I was boring.
If I was what people deemed boring, also known as having standards, then so be it.
“I—” Morgin’s words halted as she looked back to where Josias had once been, to see his brothers cozied up with women.
I could see that she quickly realized the competition was too thick for her to stay.
“Yeah . . . I will call him. Seems like him and the prison brother got business or something anyway.” She spoke unenthusiastically, starting toward the sliding doors that led into the house.
“Stop calling him that, Morgin.”
“Well, I don’t know his name.” She shrugged one shoulder.
As we walked, I fished inside of my purse for my phone, and once retrieved, I couldn’t help but to scan the few people standing in the large foyer, hoping to get another glimpse of the man who had come outside and halted time seemingly.
Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight nor was Josias, who I realized Morgin was scoping the scene for.