Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Laikin
A week had gone by since Amena and I had an argument and working closely together had not made it any better. The awkwardness started as soon as we got on the private jet to New York. Kayne wanted to come, but Amena promised him a trip in a few months. Amena and Sarai got in the car together continued talking and planning my schedule. Sincere blabbed on in my ear about his plans to meet up with an old flame.
“Laikin, you hear me?” Sincere called out, then tapped me on the shoulder.
* * *
“Come on, Laikin, are you scared?” Amena teased, throwing her bikini top on the side of the pool.
“Pepper, you got me breaking into the community center.” Removing my t-shirt and shoes, I dove into the pool then pushed Amena’s back against the edge with both hands planted on each side.
“Aww, my little baby is scared.” Amena giggled and stretched both arms around my neck, kissing the side of my cheek.
“Keep playing and find out.”
“My mom would kill me if she knew.”
“How about we forget about our parents for the night?” A hand came up against my cheek.
“She wants me to go live with my uncle and aunt in Missouri.” Amena rolled her eyes.
“You and your mother are just alike. That’s the problem.”
Amena nodded, her small frown curving into a smile. “Kiss me.”
“Why?”
“Because you love me.”
“Always, NaNa.”
* * *
“Laikin!”
My mouth was bone dry. “Huh?”
“We’re here.” Sincere picked up his bag and I glanced around the plane as Sarai and Amena headed down the stairs. I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood, drinking the rest of the Jack Daniels. Lifting my duffle bag and checking for my phone and wallet, I strolled out of the plane to the blacked-out SUV.
“Sincere, I have you in the suite below Laikin. You both have the same private chef and security. Once we’ve rested, we head to the studio for the interview and then dinner later,” Sarai announced, reading through the schedule and typing on her phone.
“What time do we have to be at the studio?”
“In four hours. Get as much rest as possible,” Sarai demanded.
The driver pulled away from the airport, going to the hotel.
An hour later, I checked in and talked with my parents. I showered and ordered a meal, ready to relax and make plans for the evening. Hopefully, it wouldn’t end up in the blogs.
Jumping at the sound of knocking and pounding on the door like the police, I marched into the entryway holding onto my towel. I was surprised that room service had gotten here so quickly.
“That’s fast?—”
Amena’s hand fell as her eyes scanned my body. “Are you waiting on someone?”
“Yeah.”
She looked away, scratched the tip of her nose like she used to do when she was nervous. “Who is she, another video model?” She chuckled.
“Is there a reason you're here?” My direct tone shut down her laughter. No woman has ever penetrated my heart. The way Amena had me doing any and everything for her from sunup to sundown. If she needed me, I came running. The second I learned of her and knew what she liked and disliked I made it a habit to make her days better. Whenever she got into a fight with her parents, she cried on my shoulder. Amena could tell me anything, so for her to have any type of jealousy of me entertaining someone baffled me.
“Sarai said it would be good to go through the outfit changes, and I figured since I have to check in with Kayne before he goes to sleep, it works better to do everything now.”
“All right, come in.”
“If it’s a problem, I can get someone else.” Amena hesitated, elevator dinging open as the waitstaff approached with my food.
“Give me a second.” I ran to the bedroom and grabbed my wallet and robe, jogging back to pay the server. Amena still stood at the entrance of the room.
“I would rather have Sarai on my good side for this week. We can work together, Amena. No hard feelings on my end.”
“Sure.” Amena wheeled in two racks of clothes, then removed her iPad from her purse. I lifted the top off the food and popped a French fry into my mouth.
“You hungry?”
She scratched her nose. “No.” Her stomach rumbled, and we both chuckled.
“Girl, come eat.” I grabbed the bottle of ketchup to pour on my fries.
“Shut up, Laikin.” She blushed, covering her face in both hands.
I mocked her tiny voice. “ Shut up, Laikin .”
Balling up her fist, she punched me in the shoulder, but I barely felt the tap. “Ugh, you get on my nerves. Nothing has changed.” Amena grabbed a plate and took fries and a salad with baked fish on top. We both took a seat on the couch and smiled at each other.
“Kayne’s with your brother, right?”
Amena swallowed the bite of her food down. “Yep.”
“He’s a good kid. You’re a great mom.”
She held hand to her heart. “Thank you. I did something right in my life.” For a change, it wasn’t raining in New York. The sun shined brightly into my suite, against her soft skin.
“Is that how you really feel?” Amena had a lot of doubt in her young days, and me being a sounding board I tried to be there for her, but she needed to figure out on own how to navigate her choices—especially with her parents.
Amena shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “I’m probably the last person you want to hang with on this trip, Laikin, but I do appreciate you getting me the job.”
“You're welcome,” I said as we continued to eat.
“Sometimes, I used to wonder why I chose Virgil over you.”
I tensed at her statement. When he tried to grab his kid, I was ready to put him on his ass, and Brett talked me down. I needed to stay out of it because of my career.
“My parents had an idea about us, but I never confirmed it. In their eyes, I became rebellious and they thought some boy was in my head. Only recently did I tell Brett.” Amena laughed.
“Did he ever get physical with you?”
“A few times I thought it would go in that direction.” Gulping down her drink, she ate another piece of her fish.
Turning my head, I stared off to the ESPN conversation on the upcoming race I had.
“I missed you,” Amena whispered, caught my stare.
Scratching my cheek hesitantly, I wanted to say I missed her as well those first few months, but my ego wouldn’t let up.
“Time is moving fast. We should go over the clothes for the interview before Sarai comes busting in here angry.” Standing up, I drank the rest of my soda, wiped my hands on the napkin, and went to the bedroom to change clothes.
Amena approached, knocking on the bedroom door seconds later, and I tossed the robe on the edge of the bed after slipping into sweats and a t-shirt.
“Try the black shirt and slacks for the interview.” Amena held up both for me to try on.
“Thanks.”
Amena stood off to the side and I strolled into the bathroom putting on the clothes. I came out to her smiling.
“I knew that was the right color.”
“You have an eye for clothes.” I winked as she came behind me, smoothing out the shirt and pants.
“Sarai will be downstairs in an hour. Try another outfit and let me take a picture before we finalize.” Reaching for the next rack of shirts, she passed them to me to try on and we had several talks of what would work for each show.
I was feeling fresh after she got the outfits lined up. I got dressed and ready for the show. Sarai led everybody to the studio offices as paparazzi stood around, calling out names and snapping pictures.
“Laikin Trenton, is it true you and Callie are no longer engaged?” some photographer blurted out. Covering my eyes from the bright lights, I blocked the camera from my face and shoved my way through the crowd.
“Come on! We allegedly got you on a sex tape!” Another lie spewed in my direction.
“Fuck you!” I shouted and loud chatter erupted at my outburst.
“Laikin, let’s go!” Sarai yelled, pushing me to keep walking as security yanked the passageway open for everyone to come inside.
“What were you thinking?” Sarai groaned, hurriedly typing on her phone.
“Shit. My bad, Sarai.”
“My boy don’t fuck around.” Sincere’s laughing annoyed me. Scanning the area, I saw Amena talking on her phone.
“Come on. We need to get the interview going.” Sarai directed us down the hall, talking with the assistant to Maya West.
* * *
“Laikin, Sincere, so excited to talk with you both today. Normally, athletes of your caliber keep things under the radar.” Maya charmed, sitting in her chair facing us both. Her sharp smile and piercing eyes would have any man emptying his bank account to make her wishes come true.
“Thank you for allowing us the chance to talk to your audience.”
“Normally my husband keeps me updated on the latest sports news, but when I saw what you were doing with local charities, I told him I had to have you both here.” Maya clasped her hands together.
“We appreciate the support.” Sincere extended a hand to her, getting comfortable in the chair.
“To start it off, you both are single, correct?” We nodded our heads and laughed. “Had to let the ladies know,” Maya teased.
“I’m single for sure,” Sincere confirmed.
I gave her a ‘keeping my mouth shut’ look. “Very much keeping that private, Maya.”
“Ooh, so we have a little exclusive here. I won’t hold that against you. My viewers and I want to know how Laikin started racing cars.”
“Pretty much me falling in love with the speed, cars, and freedom of being in control of my own destiny. My dad loved taking me to monster truck races growing up, and working on cars got me into racing.” I shrugged.
“Sincere, how about you?” Maya gave him direct eye contact.
“Kids don’t follow my footsteps, but I was getting into a little trouble and got with the wrong crowd. Mom put me in after school program that went out on different trips and one was to Pierce Motors,” Sincere confessed. I already knew about his past in and out of juvenile.
“A bad boy and playboy,” Maya tittered, facing the camera.
People thought being interviewed and being in the spotlight brought wealth, women, and nonstop attention. Ultimately, I wanted my cars and the racetrack; that gave me peace.
“Before we go to the next break, Laikin, tell me about you and Callie. Social media has you two breaking up and getting engaged all in the same week.”
“Gossip bloggers wanted to run a story and get an interview with me. I turned them down, and an associate of Callie’s got money to fake a sex tape.”
Maya flipped through her cards. “So, it’s not true? The screen grabs online are fake.”
“Yes. I do a lot of things, but leaving tapes around is not one of them.”
“Weren't you and Callie off and on for a few years? And didn’t you briefly have a relationship with a woman named Amena,” Maya sprung on me in surprise. Biting the inside of my cheek, my eyes scanned around the set narrowing in on Sarai and Amena whispering back and forth.
“Amena is your stylist, correct?” Maya questioned.
As bad as I wanted to say fuck this interview, I had to be professional because Sarai is friends with Maya and her family. “She’s a family friend.”
“That you’ve dated in the past.” Maya hammered in on my love life.
A showstopping smile dazzled me. Maya winked and smoothed her hair off her shoulder.
“Are we here to talk about all the women in my past or the future of racing?”
“We can do both. I mean, you’re an eligible bachelor. The women want to know,” Maya egged on.
Sarai rubbed her temple.
“No comment.”
Maya laughed, gaze capturing Amena’s. “Ladies, we hate to disappoint you, but I fear Laikin Trenton is off the market. We’ll be right back,” Maya announced.
The director yelled for a break, and I jumped up and stalked toward Sarai in fury.
“Calm down. I knew you would be pissed, but we had to work this angle before a blogger tried to run it. I got the photos taken down and sent the lawyer to handle Gossip Tea,” Sarai rambled, filling me in before I exploded.
“Sarai, you know I hate blindsides.”
“Which is why we had to put you on the spot and get Maya to air it in a way you wouldn’t become a trending topic by leeches. Trust me, Laikin,” Sarai said before going to Sincere.
I raked a hand down my face. “Shit.” Even though I knew she was right, Kayne would be the one getting blowback if the media found out about him.
Was I protecting her son? I shook off the thought .
Amena came up beside me. “If you want me to leave, I will and I can provide you recommendations on another stylist. I’m sure?—”
My glare held her gaze. “Amena, stop trying to run away. Sarai set this up to combat all the noise from the social media bloggers.” I grimaced, hating that she wasn’t acting like her old self around me. As the ex-wife of a politician, she probably had to field questions nonstop for years, but a high-profile athlete with a playboy reputation was another kind of obstacle.
“Maya’s ready to continue. She’s going to focus on the charity now and then we’ll wrap up,” Sarai let us know. I stomped over to the stage area, letting makeup do touchups. Maya sat down and put on a Colgate smile.
“We are back with the two biggest names at Pierce Motors Inc., Sincere Pendelton and Laikin Trenton. We like to get to know the men behind the cars, and recently you helped raise funds for the community centers around the country, correct?”
“A dinner and auction featuring sports athletes,” I responded.
“Sincere, a young woman won a date with you—and Laikin, an older couple received the chance to come to the track. What made this cause one of your passions?”
“I see myself in those kids, growing up in a single parent household, no mentors until I got to the program. The help I received changed my life.” Sincere chucked his head up and rubbed his chin.
The rest of the interview continued on with a speed round of questions from our favorite music, celebrities we’ve met, to me stepping outside of the racing world and into a few acting roles. Amena and Sarai stood off to the side talking with Maya after we finished laughing and joking. Silencing my phone from the millionth call from Callie, I blocked her from all social media and uploaded a picture of me and Sincere on stage together.
I posted on my social channels and comments flew rapidly to see our location. We got back to the hotel, and I chilled, smoking with Sincere in my suite and watching the playoffs until dinner. I lifted my phone from the table, a flash of temptation had me feeling guilty for my thoughts.
Tisha: I haven’t heard from you in a few weeks.
Me: Not much to talk about, we’re good.
Tisha: So, call me when you’re back in town.
Calliegirl: We can start over, Laikin.
Me: Callie I blocked you once, now you’re turning into a stalker.
Sincere held out the lighter for my cigar. “What got your face ugly like that?”
“Fuck you, but it’s Tisha and Callie texting me back-to-back.
“Shit, invite them over.”
“Motherfucker, they’re in California.”
“Hell, I can do phone sex.” Sincere shrugged.
“Get out.”
Sincere burst into laughter. “Come on, bro.”
“Nope, you would be the type to get me into some shit, and I’d end up with Sarai kicking my ass.”
Calliegirl: Laikin, you know we’re meant to be.
Tisha: I’m wearing your favorite thong.
Tisha sent an attachment. I licked my lips and shoved at Sincere, who was looking over my shoulder.
“Man, move.” I tapped out of the thread and laid the phone on the couch, puffing on my cigar.
“Sarai should be down at the restaurant anyway. Fooling with you will have me on some husband and kids shit I had no plans of doing.”
“According to who?”
“The way you protected your woman earlier I can see it in your eyes.”
“Yeah, you smoking more than cigars if you think that shit.” I put the cigar out, turned the TV off, then downed the rest of my Hennessy. I picked up my wallet and keys to lock up and left the suite.