Chapter 4 YOU DON’T KNOW ME #2
Crew and some of his boys were posted at picnic tables in an area where they could smoke their weed in peace and sip their liquor.
Red solo cups covered the table while they talked their shit during domino and spades sessions.
Of course, the groupies had also flocked in their direction, which always annoyed Maisie.
She knew it came with the territory. It had been a long time since a bitch had tried her about her husband, but she stayed ready for it.
Bitches were bold and glorified side hoes these days, constantly chasing clout.
Crew had money, and he was generous with it.
If he saw someone was trying, he had no problem floating them some cash to help them out and never expected anything in return.
He was also five years younger than her, so Maisie often wondered if he wanted someone his age.
Whenever she talked like that, he would just lay the pipe to shut her up, making sure she knew there wasn’t another woman walking the earth that he wanted.
She was thirteen when Remi started looking out for Crew, and when he lost his mother, she couldn’t help but feel bad for him. She left for college, but when she came home, he was always around. Crew matured fast for his age and moved like a grown ass man.
When he turned eighteen, he vowed to have Maisie to himself, and it took some time to wear her down.
Once he did, the two became inseparable, regardless of the judgment they got from other people.
Even Remi objected to the relationship in the beginning.
Crew stood on business about Maisie, though, proposing to her when he was just twenty years old.
The two had a quick courthouse wedding without telling anyone and had been together ever since.
“I could use a drink. A real one,” Giselle declared, strolling along in her peach Chanel jumper and gold heels.
She caught the envious eyes of most of the women while the men admired her with lust. With diamond earrings reflecting off the sun and a bunch of gold bangle bracelets on her wrist, she nervously smoothed the back of her hair up to make sure her high ponytail was still intact.
“Pssh, I’m with you when you’re right.” Lou aimed a long stiletto nail at her cousin.
“Lou, take it easy. You know how you get. Don’t embarrass yourself or Mama today,” Maisie warned, sending her sister’s eyes rolling in her head.
“Whatever. Go check on Crew. You know you want to. Come on, G.” Lou looped her arm through Giselle’s and lead her to the table where all the liquor had been arranged.
It wasn’t far from where Crew and his boys were yelling and cracking jokes.
“So, how are things going with your mini me?” Lou teased once they reached the table, and she picked up two Solo cups for them.
“They’re not. I know I’m supposed to be the bigger person in all this but fuck that girl.” Giselle picked up a bottle of Don Julio and thought about Heavy.
She hadn’t seen or heard from him since their night together, not that she expected to, but she felt a way about it.
Most men would be blowing her up, showering her with bouquets of roses, or sending her little trinkets.
Not Heavy. He’d gone radio silent, not even attempting to reach out.
The two didn’t exchange numbers or anything, but if he wanted to reach her, he had plenty of ways to do so.
“She is your little sister,” Lou said, falling over laughing. “I think it’s in the handbook for you to clash every now and then,” she pointed out. “Look at me and Mais.”
“That’s different. Y’all grew up together. She’s literally a side baby.”
“Still your sister, no denying that.” Lou grabbed a bottle of Bombay Gin and mixed it with lemonade for herself.
Giselle was a straight shooter, so she half-filled her cup with tequila only and brought the cup to her lips.
“A technicality,” she murmured before taking a sip. “She’s got a bad attitude,” she said after swallowing.
Lou snickered. “Girl, and you would know!”
“I have every right to be upset. I was the one kept in the dark. She’s slinging shots at me based on her trifling ass mama who ain’t even here. So, remind me again why I should play nice with her simple ass?”
“Because she’s pretty much a kid and don’t know no better.”
“Whatever.” Her eyes rolled in annoyance as she and Lou turned to find Maisie.
When Giselle pivoted, she bumped right into a hard figure and almost spilled her drink.
If it weren’t for the strong hands gripping her upper arms, she might have tumbled right into the grass.
Her heels were no place for a block party, but she had to be extra as usual.
Suddenly, the familiar tattoos left her eyes drifting up into familiar ones.
Heavy. His touch sent a jolt right to her clit, and she removed herself from his embrace.
“My bad, princess,” his husky voice greeted her.
“Hey, Heavy!” Lou welcomed him with a hug.
“What’s good, Lou?” He slung an arm across her shoulders and pulled her into a quick embrace.
Turning his attention back to Giselle, he licked his lips and admired her in the peach outfit that contrasted perfectly with her skin. She was even finer than when he first saw her as she nervously shifted from one foot to the other.
“You met my cousin, Giselle, right?”
“Yeah. We got acquainted,” Heavy responded with a nod.
Lou picked up on something behind the way the two studied each other and how Giselle was acting like she’d been caught doing something wrong. Tipping her cup to her lips, she wondered what that was about.
“You got on the wrong shoes for this event, though.” He looked down at her French tip toes in the heels before peering back into her face.
“I didn’t plan on sticking around,” she rebutted. “Just long enough for Remi to get tipsy and think I got lost among all the people.”
“Heavy! Heavy!” A little boy ran up to him and tugged on his black T-shirt.
He was very casual in jeans and black leather Vinci sneakers. She knew the brand well. His jewelry was simple, a diamond clustered watch on his wrist and a platinum and diamond tennis chain draped across his chest. Both his and Giselle’s eyes wandered to Pierre bouncing on his heels at his side.
“The kids playing dodgeball, and it’s kids versus adults. You want to play?”
“Pierre, I told you not to come over here interrupting,” Prischa chastised, coming up beside Heavy in her purple sundress flowing effortlessly past her wide hips and complimenting her warm, bronze skin.
She picked up on the tension between him and Giselle from across the way, and when her son came and brought it to her attention, she couldn’t tear her eyes from them. Sizing one another up, Giselle and Prischa each held some lingering intimidation as Heavy cleared his throat.
“But, Mama, the game is about to start, and I want to play,” Pierre whined.
“Lil P, go over to the game, and I’ll send Viggo over. He like a big ass kid anyway,” Heavy reasoned.
“Yeah!” Pierre cheered and raced off to where the other kids and adults were picking teammates.
“Sorry about that,” Prischa muttered. “He gets so excited.” She watched Heavy scrutinize Giselle as she gulped more tequila and let the warm liquid burn her throat. “I’m Prischa,” she introduced herself since it seemed like he wouldn’t.
Giselle tore her eyes from Heavy and studied Prischa so closely at his side. It was obvious something existed between the two, and now she knew why he had treated her with such disregard.
“Giselle,” she replied curtly.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around.” Prischa narrowed critical eyes at her.
The girl was gorgeous, but something somber rested behind her doe eyes.
“I’m just visiting. Nice to meet you.” She sauntered around Heavy, her body language very telling as her YSL perfume lingered in the air behind her.
Prischa took her place in front of him as he half turned to watch her walk away.
“Who was that?” she pried, nudging him.
“Maisie’s cousin,” Heavy answered.
“Oh, well how do you know her?” Prischa wondered.
Heavy had a type, and it was usually women who already had their own shit and didn’t need him for nothing but dick.
It was how he was used to living, no attachments outside of Prischa, Pierre, and his limited family members.
He served his community, but it wasn’t like he was going around spreading wisdom and giving the game.
He led by example, but there was something about his interaction with Giselle that piqued Prischa’s interest.
The heels and diamonds were a dead giveaway to the girl’s pampered nature.
Along with the way she barely wanted to acknowledge Prischa, like she was the one invading her private affairs.
She wasn’t his type. A chick like that didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as a man like Heavy.
Prischa thought highly of her best friend because she knew him aside from that grumpy ass persona he had with everyone else.
“She came in the shop the other day with car trouble.” Heavy shook off the effect Giselle had on him and moved closer to the table, so he could pour himself a drink.
“What day?” Prishca prodded.
“The day of the storm,” Heavy told her, reaching for a red cup.
Nodding, now it all made sense. He’d been acting funny since that day, and she didn’t know why.
He’d dropped Pierre off after school, and she invited him to stay for dinner.
Although he stuck around, it was obvious his head was somewhere else.
Their conversation was short, and he hung with Pierre the rest of the night before leaving.
Normally, he’d chill with Prischa and catch up with her on her life at work, but not that night.
He suddenly had to go. Now she had answers, but that left her with more questions.
“What you looking at me like that for?” Heavy’s brows drew together when he faced her with a fresh cup of tequila.
“Because you’re not a people person.” Prischa shrugged.
“What’s your point, Pri?”