Chapter Nineteen
“You want me to do what?” Bobbi frowned, staring at her mother like she’d grown two heads.
“The song you and Dexter recorded, I want you to release it on your platforms,” Carla repeated, blowing smoke through her slightly swollen lips. “TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, everywhere, shit, your OnlyFans too.”
“I don’t have an OnlyFans.” Bobbi’s eyes shifted to the floor.
“Bobbi please. I saw the shit.”
It had been two days since Tyler beat her ass in the nursing home, and Carla was still recovering.
Not only was her mouth swollen, but the back of her head had to be shaved and stitched up.
Carla tried to press charges, but after the police took statements from everyone who saw the encounter, it was clear that Carla was the problem.
Even if she wasn’t, after Mr. Rogers was finished with his dramatic retelling of the story, the officers were asking him if he wanted to press charges for verbal abuse.
Tyler walked away without a scratch, and Carla was banned from the nursing home.
“We can’t do that. I thought Darryl was giving the song to Amber.” Bobbi shook her head, recalling the conversation she had with Dexter.
“Fuck Darryl!” Carla snarled.
Staying true to his word, Darryl paid movers to pack all Carla's belongings and drop the boxes off in the lobby of Dexter’s building.
He cut off her access to all the company credit cards, only allowing her to keep her car, and that was only because Tyler paid for it in cash.
Darryl stripped Carla of access to the company's phonebook and exclusive clientele list. He knew she wasn’t stupid enough to step on his toes, but he also didn’t want her calling around asking for favors using his name.
With only a few thousand dollars in her personal account, Carla was swimming up shit’s creek, and it was getting thicker by the second.
Trying to keep up appearances had her living day to day with no plans for the future.
“Mama, I don’t even sound that good,” Bobbi reasoned.
“So, neither does the Amber bitch, but they love her. Especially Dex.”
“What are you talking about? Dexter ain’t messing with that hoe. That’s his artist,” she denied, knowing it was the furthest thing from the truth.
Whenever Bobbi brought up Amber, he swore they were just working together, but Amber’s Instagram told a different story.
She posted Dexter in her stories, screenshot their messages and added cute captions while subliminally claiming him whenever his name was mentioned.
Bobbi had jumped in Amber’s DM plenty of times, but Amber never personally replied.
She’d reshare a random post talking about desperate women and left it at that.
“Ha,” Carla laughed in her face. “Even you don’t believe that.
“You're over here pregnant with his child, and he’s out there looking for his next source of income. Dexter is an ain’t shit ass nigga, but he’s going to keep a bitch that he can play, and like your dumb ass cousin, Dexter’s over there playing Amber while you sitting in here with heartburn. ”
“He’s not playing me.” Bobbi rolled her eyes.
“When’s the last time he’s been home?” Carla’s eyes rolled around the messy apartment.
“We had a fight.”
“That’s a lie and you know it. Look-” She sat up. “We’re going to release the song and Darryl will have to pay us to take it down.”
“Or sue us.”
“He can’t sue shit. That’s not even his song. It belonged to Tyler and now it belongs to us.”
Bobbi gnawed her lip. Her mother had a point. The book of songs belonged to Tyler, and if they chose to release them, they could, and there wasn’t anything Darryl could do about it.
“It’ll be fine,” Carla promised. “We need to start planning for our future because we can’t just go back to living check to check after experiencing this life. We deserve good things.” She reached out and rubbed Bobbi’s stomach. “My grandbaby deserves good things.”
“Ok.” Bobbi gave in, not recognizing that her mother was playing on her vulnerability. “You’re right. I’m not about to go back to living all basic, and since Darrly took the condo, we need the money, and this time we can get our own place.”
“We do, and we can sell some of Tyler’s stuff. She got all the jewelry and shit. We can take it to the pawn shop and get a few thousand,” Carla added.
“That’s cool, but I wanna keep a few pieces of the clothing.”
“Sure.” Carla fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“Here.” She handed Bobbi the USB stick. “Upload the song and allow the universe to work in our favor.”
“And you sure this is the right thing to do?”
“It is. We don’t need Darryl, Dexter, or Tyler. We can make this happen by ourselves. I made her a star, I can make you one too.”
“Ok.” Bobbi rubbed her protruding stomach. “I’ll do it.”
???
Tyler peered over at her vibrating phone and rolled her eyes.
Times like this, she wished she had a couple of Percs, Molly, hell, something to help her forget that she had been in a relationship for seven years with Satan's little brother. Dexter and his harassment were on a different level. He called her all day, every day, from all types of numbers. He emailed her pretending to be booking companies, and when that didn’t work, he started sending her messages through DoorDash orders.
Tyler didn’t know why he was fucking with her when he was in a very public relationship with the same bitch he swore he didn’t touch.
At this point she didn’t give two fucks, but all she wanted was for him to leave her alone.
Hell, Tyler almost wanted to DM Amber and tell her to get the nigga because Dexter was doing backflips on her last nerve.
“Stop calling me!” Tyler yelled into the phone without looking at the number.
“Damn.” His deep voice softened her face. “That’s how you feel?”
“Oh, it’s you.” Tyler sunk deeper into the couch.
“That nigga harassing you?” Logic interrogated.
“Him and everybody else.” She downplayed the situation. “What’s up with you?” Tyler asked, pushing Dexter to the back of her mind.
“You. We about to go on a date.”
“What?” She giggled. “Aren’t you supposed to ask?”
“Nah. If I ask, it implies that you have an option, and I know better than to give a woman a option. Especially a woman like you.”
“A woman like me...what’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re an overthinker. If I ask you on a date, you’re going to start with that I don’t want to be in public bullshit. You probably gone text your friends asking what you should say and eventually talk yourself out of a good thing.”
“You don’t know me,” Tyler snickered because he was absolutely right. If given the option, she would’ve told herself all the reasons she didn’t need to be out with him.
"I’m outside.”
“What?” Tyler jumped off the couch. “How did you know I was here?”
“Because you can’t really go nowhere,” Logic chuckled.
“Very funny.”
“I'm fucking with you, jailbird. Your homeboy also sent me a DM letting me know he was out of town and you needed some company.”
“He what?” She gasped in disbelief.
“Nigga said you was over here about to jump out of the window if I didn’t come save you.”
“You’re lying.” Tyler twisted her lips.
“Dead ass. So here I am. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your wig.”
“Oh my god, I hate you.” Tyler burst out in laughter, walking over to the window. Peeking out, she spotted Logic leaning against his truck with the phone pressed to his ear. The grin on his face matched hers.
“Stop being a stalker and come outside.”
“Give me a few minutes, I need to put on some clothes.”
“Damn, it’s five in the evening, you ain’t washed your ass yet?”
“Nope,” Tyler giggled.
“Nasty ass,” Logic jested. “Take your time, sweetheart. I got all day.”
Running to the guest room, Tyler grabbed her towel and bonnet.
Before Shane left to go out of town, he installed an auburn layered wig on Tyler’s head.
He gave her a blunt bang and added pin curls.
She didn’t have anything going on, but Shane swore that when you looked good, you felt good.
Tyler’s spirits weren’t the highest, but thanks to Shane, she looked better than she had in months.
Stripping from her clothing, Tyler started the shower and leaned against the sink while it warmed up.
Picking up her phone, she started to send Shane a text but noticed there was already a message from him.
Opening the text, Tyler snickered at the screenshot from the ring camera.
It was Logic posted against his truck with his phone in his hand.
The cream Nike joggers and wheat colored Timberland boots looked good on him.
Tyler hearted the picture and followed up with her own message.
Why would you tell that man to come get me?
Shane
Because you need to get out of the house. I’m sure my couch has a dent in it. Don’t go out there dressed like a little boy. Put on a cute outfit and make sure you're home before your curfew.
Tyler smiled at his message before replying.
I love you.
Shane
I love you too, have fun. I have some condoms and lube in my dresser.
“Oop,” Tyler snickered.
I’m not about to sleep with this man.
Shane
Bihhh zoom in on that picture...do you see what’s resting against his thigh? Now I could be wrong, but baby that thing looks lethal and I’m not talking about a gun.
Tyler didn't reply, nor did she go back to the picture. Shane didn’t have to tell her how big Logic’s dick was because she rubbed against it multiple times.
???
Logic leaned against his truck listening to his sisters talk shit about the food Pepper cooked. Spice said the noodles were hard, and Shugg swore the hamburger meat tasted like metal. When Logic asked about Sage, the twins said he scarfed his food down and asked for seconds.
“Was her food always this bad?” Shugg asked.
“Nah, I mean she wasn’t Betty Crocker, but she did her thing,” Logic answered.