11. Daylin #2
“Okay, well good.” She looked around just as I did, turning away when I noticed Rakim watching me. A smile tugged at my lips for some reason along with a slight stir in my lower belly. “Girl, he is watching you!”
“Who?” I played dumb, trying not to look at the women who kept constantly trying their hand at holding conversation with Rakim. It bothered me, and I wasn’t sure why, but I noticed I kept cutting my eyes his way, leg bouncing impatiently because I didn’t want him to look or be interested in them.
“Ayan.” Tarin leaned in, smiling.
“Oh.” That name seemed to ruin my mood. I couldn’t stand his ass and had only met him a few times.
How he was Rakim’s twin made no sense to me. You knew you had to be terrible when I thought a person who fucking kidnapped me was a better person than you.
“Girl, you hit the jackpot!” She beamed which I found odd since not even half an hour ago, she was calling Josias’s other baby mama out of her name for sleeping with a taken man.
“He is involved, and also, I’ve had a few run-ins with him—he is not my cup of tea.” I shook my head, sipping some of the punch I’d gotten.
“A fine ass rich man ain’t your cup of tea? You must not like tea at all then.”
I laughed at her statement, shaking my head again.
“Maybe not.”
“Girl, you’d better get on the good foot. I’m sure whatever man you’re messing with is not as rich or sexy as Ayan.” Tarin tore into another wing, glancing over at Ayan periodically.
“Did you not hear me say the man is in a relationship?” I frowned, doing my best to will away the attitude and read I had bubbling up for this girl.
“So what.” Tarin scoffed, scooping some of the macaroni and cheese into her mouth.
“He cheats on her ass daily, and she never leaves him.” She looked their way then scooted her chair around the circular table to be closer to me.
It was obvious she had some gossip she was ready to spill.
“Ayan’s baby mama, LaMia, used to be Rakim’s.
” Her brows lifted, and so did mine because I was beyond shocked.
Finally, I looked Ayan’s way, feeling his attention penetrate me, but mine was on LaMia.
“Are you serious? When?” I couldn’t un-buck my eyes for shit.
Swallowing some of her punch as if she needed hydration for this gossip session, Tarin replied, “Long time ago, but Rah blew up his life for her. Lost his career, caught a body, and did prison time for the bitch. And while he was locked up, she cozied up with his brother.” Tarin shook her head, scarfing down more of her food as I pinned my eyes on Ayan and LaMia, arms locked and moseying through the party.
Ayan was truly the worst fucking person, and I could even say the same for his woman. She deserved all the cheating with her stupid ass.
“Why did he catch the murder charge?” I queried. From my research, it just said he killed another boxer for flirting but gave no real details.
“Another boxer grabbed her ass or privates, I can’t remember which.
And Rakim wasn’t having it.” Tarin focused on her plate, yapping away.
“He murdered him within the same night of the incident, so he only got like three or four years for crime of passion or heat of the moment . . . some shit like that.”
My eyes traveled until they found Rakim again, him coolly looking down into a woman’s face as she put her hand on his chest, clearly flirting with him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, replaying everything Tarin had just told me as I did so.
I finished my plate up and then decided to go out back where the bar was to see if I could score a cocktail. I was also tired of watching Rakim having to entertain woman after woman, even though he looked bored with every one of them.
I spotted Tarin in Josias’s lap as they tongue kissed nastily, right as I approached the bartender.
“Hi, could I get a French 75 please.” I smiled.
“Sure.”
“Oh . . . shit. I forgot I don’t have money—”
“Open bar.” The woman smiled brightly as she started to make my drink.
I felt weird having no purse, wallet, bank card, nothing.
As I waited nearby for my drink, trying to busy myself with something since I had no phone to scroll on, I spotted LaMia approaching me.
“Hi, I’m LaMia.” She cheesed, reaching her hand out.
Having to pretend I knew nothing of how shady she was, I shook her hand, saying, “Daylin.”
“I like that name.” She sipped her own cocktail. “Who did you come with?”
“A friend.” I kept it cute, and she just stared at me, making it clear she didn’t believe me, but I didn’t give a damn.
Inhaling, she said, “Look, I noticed my man Ayan watching you all night.”
“Is he?” I feigned foolishness.
“He is.” She nodded. “I don’t know you, Daylin, but what I do know is if you’re a real woman, you’d turn down his advances, considering he is in a relationship. Please.”
For a moment, I just studied the woman before me, wondering what the fuck she was thinking leaving a man who literally killed for her, to be with a man that she had to beg other women not to fuck.
“Yeah, I don’t find men in relationships appealing, so you have nothing to worry about.” I took my drink from the bartender. “Trust me.”
“Okay, perfect!” She lit up, ecstatic at the fact that I wouldn’t be riding her nigga’s dick tonight. Talk about rock bottom.
I felt bad for her but not bad enough to not fuck with her.
“Plus—” I sipped my perfectly made drink—“his twin brother is more of my type anyway with his fine ass.” I grinned, taking another swig.
Sure, I was popping shit to mess with the bitch, but she knew like every other woman with eyes that Rakim was beautiful.
“Oh, okay.” LaMia’s body went rigid, telling me what I already knew and that was the fact that she still had a bit of a hankering for Rakim.
“And from what I’m seeing, he is single. Think I might have to shoot my shot.” I winked, giggling.
“Yeah. Yeah.” She looked around, gulping down the rest of her drink and damn near slamming the glass on the bar.
“Uh, but since you were nice enough to agree not to entertain my man, I wanna help you.” She neared me like Tarin had done earlier, the telltale sign of impending gossip.
“Do not go for Rakim Godfrey unless you simply want some dick and your time wasted. He’s extremely emotionally unavailable and has very dark energy from spending years in prison and his traumatic childhood. ”
“Well, honestly, that’s perfect ’cause I’m just looking to be ravaged in the bedroom, nothing else.
And I know he can do it. Have you seen his hands?
Those arms? Those lips? The dark ski—Oop, my bad, girl.
Look at me trying to get you to lust over your man’s brother.
” I laughed, finishing my own drink. “Wish me luck.” I set the empty champagne glass on the bar and silently thanked the bartender before finger waving to LaMia.
She gave me an uncomfortable close-mouthed smile accompanied by a fake chuckle.
Knowing she was watching my back, I strutted toward Rakim, ignoring the butterflies and the way my stomach sank when his eyes landed on me.
“Nah, I’m chilling tonight. But ’preciate it,” I heard him tell the woman before him.
She blinked rapidly and simpered, doing a piss poor job of hiding her disappointment and then sauntered off.
“What is that, the fifteenth bitch in your face tonight?” I stated, feeling the punch I’d had earlier and the French 75.
Rakim looked down at me with a subtle smirk, making me smile back up at him.
“I’m ready to dip. We been here long enough.” His eyes scoured the party briefly before landing back down on me. “I’m gonna walk out, and then you come a few minutes later, aight?”
“Yes, daddy.” I rolled my eyes but halted. “I meant it in like the bossy way. ’Cause you’re bossing me around . . . not like in the sexy or sex type—”
“Few minutes after me,” he repeated, humor laced throughout his face at my embarrassing ass statement.
I waited for a while, and as I looked around, I noticed LaMia watching me.
She seemed satisfied that I’d seemingly been dissed by Rakim as she stood beside Ayan.
They were a horrible couple. Ayan’s eyes were wandering more than a cross-eyed bobblehead, and she was worried about who his brother was fucking.
Finally, enough time passed in my head since I didn’t possess a watch or phone, so I switched toward the door of the mansion.
“I didn’t get your name?” Nate Godfrey halted me, and fear immediately settled within my body.
“Um, Daylin.” I allowed him to take my hand and kiss the back of it. I’d never seen someone so large in person.
“Leaving so soon, Daylin?” He smized, looking like an older, scarier version of Rakim. I noticed Ayan looked nothing like him—only his other sons—but he and Rakim shared the most features since they were the same complexion.
“I am. I have to get home to my kids,” I lied, saying anything.
“How many?”
“Five.”
“Oh.” He dropped my hand immediately. “Hope to see you around again, Daylin.” His eyes drank me in while at the same time oozing lust.
“Of course.” I was out the door before I even finished speaking, scared out of my mind for some reason.
“Thought I was gon’ have to come get yo’ ass,” Rakim announced, holding the passenger door open for me.
No one was outside, which was perfect, and his tint was too dark to see me once I was inside of the vehicle.
I laughed his comment off, still shaken up a bit from my encounter with his big, creepy ass father. Rakim having a rough childhood was of no surprise to me after meeting that man. I wasn’t sure how difficult his younger years were, but I could bet money that his dad had a lot to do with it.
“The food was good,” I said once Rakim was in the driver’s seat, pulling off.
“Them wings, huh?”
“Yes! How did you know? I could’ve ate twenty of them, but I stopped at ten.” I sat back, happy he was turning on the heated seats.
I hated how cold LA got at night.