Chapter 4
NAOMI
My alarm went off at five-thirty every morning, so I could go to the gym to work out. Some days, the home gym was enough, and the other days, I liked to get out for a jog or go to the gym not too far from my house. The people knew me there, so I was never bombarded with fans.
Stopping my alarm, I went to my Instagram account to see the full messages that just came across my screen. I sometimes hated that I didn't have my messages blocked. It was always a bunch of weird-ass dudes in there. This name, however, had me opening the message quick.
Sinfully_Dat_N!gga: Good morning, Beautiful.
I hesitated on my reply, but PJ and Bri popped into my head.
Naomi_No_Campbell: Morning. I'll know how good it is when you tell me why you in my D.M.????
Sinfully_Dat_N!gga: Because your guts aren't ready for me yet.
Naomi_No_Campbell: BLOOOCKED!!!
Sinfully_Dat_N!gga: I'm kidding. Have breakfast with me.
I started to block his ass for real. That was such a turnoff. Even though he looked like he had a fat dick with a mean curve... shit. The fuck was I talking about again? This nigga had me dick-stracted.
Naomi_No_Campbell: I'm not a breakfast person. I do a pre-workout shake and head to the gym, which is where I'm headed right now. If you are not trying to meet me there, then I understand.
Sinfully_Dat_N!gga: Send the address.
FUCK! I was hoping that would scare his ass away. I just knew this man was gon' break my walls down, and I ain't talking 'bout the ones I had up to keep my feelings out.
After sending the address, I hopped in the shower and made my shake before getting the car.
PJ was still knocked out. I don't understand how a person was so fit and only worked out when we had to do that shit as a team. Other than that, her ass wasn’t trying to sweat for nobody.
Pulling up, I finished my shake, then got out.
Right when I got to the door, my lip curled up.
"Let me find out we don't stay far away from each other."
"Please don't find that out," I retorted, then passed my keys to Kelly to put behind the desk.
"Lil' baby, what we doin’?"
I glanced back at him in his fresh-ass Nike fit, looking like he’d just popped the tags on everything, even the damn shoes.
"Light jog on the treadmill to warm up, weights, stair master, jump rope, then running five miles for a cool down. Come find me when you finish."
"Shawty, five miles ain't no cool down, and what chu' mean come find you? We in this together. When you move, I move."
Giving him a half-smile, I threw on my Beats and hopped on the treadmill.
"You not gon' talk to me?"
"I told you what to do. When I'm working out, I don't talk at the same time. That shit will have me running out of breath. We can talk afterward. Right now, it's go time."
I hit play on my workout playlist. I tried my best to stay focused, but Sin obviously didn't have on drawls, or them muthafucka was loose by the way his dick was bouncing like a six-foe'.
I turned my music up louder, hoping to drown out my own thoughts.
Moving from one machine to the next, Sin was right on my ass, doing exactly as he said—moving whenever I moved.
By the time I was finished, he was already at the door, looking like he didn't break a sweat. Meanwhile, I had a sweat stain running from my shoulders down to the crack of my ass and a puddle of sweat around my pussy. A bitch needed a good-ass shower after this.
"Now, can we have breakfast?"
"Nah, I have to meet up with PJ to... to... You know what, just nah. I'm not even about to lie to you. This was nice, but I'm headed home to shower and get back in the bed."
"Damn, it's like that, baby?"
"Unfortunately." Closing my car door, I reversed, leaving him standing there looking delicious. Fuck! Yeah, I gotta stay away from him.
"Let's go. Bri needs us." As soon as I got home, I was pushed right back out the door, funky cat and all.
"What's going on?"
"She called me crying, saying her and Teddy just got into it, and he pushed her against the wall."
"So, you just gone let me leave the house without my gun?"
"Yeah... 'cause I got mine. I swear if he put his hands on my friend, we are beating his ass. So, he better hope she's unharmed and only crying 'cause she's pissed off."
PJ jammed on the gas and sped down the street. Bri lived less than ten minutes away from us, and I was literally itching to get to her.
"Sis, when we handle this, I need you to take a bath at Bri's because, bitch, you will not and cannot get back in my car. What is that smell?"
"Sweat," I nonchalantly told her.
"Nah, Mimi, you smell like pan trout."
"Bitch, don't play with me. I don't smell that bad."
When we pulled into the driveway, she let all the windows down before getting out of the car. "I gotta let my car air out, sis. I can't let that smell get in my seats."
Pushing her back, I walked up the steps and headed inside the house without knocking. When I walked in, I wasn't ready for the sight before me. From what I could see, everything was destroyed.
"Brianna," I called out as I stepped over the shattered glass from a broken picture of Bri and Teddy.
"I'm in the bedroom," Bri stated.
PJ beat me down the hallway when she said that.
When we walked into the room, she was walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her bloody hand.
"Bri, what happened? Did he hurt you?"
"No, he just pushed me back when I put his pills in the garage disposal."
"Then, how did your hand get hurt?" I asked while unwrapping it at the same time.
"This temper of mine. I was screaming, and he wouldn't listen to me, so I punched the picture of us I had on the wall."
"Now you know you should have punched his ass instead of some damn glass!" PJ shot back at her.
"Where is he now?"
"His mom just picked him up. He apologized for pushing me and said he was going to her place to get a breather."
"Is his mom still on drugs?" I asked her because, from what I remember, she was on that shit bad.
"Yes, so I already know when he returns, he's coming back with more pain pills."
"The hell you mean when he returns? This nigga messed your place up and doesn't have a dime to fix any of it, and you're going to allow him to come back in?"
"PJ, where else is he supposed to go?" Bri mumbled.
"TO HELL! That's exactly where he can go. I would not keep putting up with this."
"I know, and I promise it'll all be over soon. I just feel like I owe Terry that much to try to help him out. He didn't turn away from me when I got injured—"
"You didn't get addicted to pills, either, so it was easy to get you back to you. That nigga is an addict, and you can't save them no matter how hard you try, Bri. What part of that can't you see?" I was beyond pissed off at her for continuing to allow him to do this shit to her.
"Mimi, right now, I don't need that. I know what I have to do, so just trust me."
"Fine. Whatever you think is best, but don't call us when shit gets too much for you to handle. He pushed you this time, and there's no telling what he will do the next. We are trying to help you get out of this now. Put his shit outside and change your locks. Problem solved, Bri."
"I really want to take you seriously right now, Mimi"—she paused to pull the neck of her shirt over her nose—“but you smell like you've been swimming in a pond with catfish."
"I told her she stank, friend. Up here trying to reason with somebody and her body reeks of sewage water."
"Fuck both of y'all. Did I leave some clothes over here?" I asked Bri, walking toward the hall bathroom.
"Yeah, they are in the guest room. Throw that other stuff outside. Do not put it in my washer."
"Girl, you sleep with trash every night. You can handle this smell," I quipped.
Leaving out the room, I went into the guest room to gather my clothes and towels. They wanted to talk shit about me, so I'd let them worry about Teddy's ass and cleaning up the mess he made while I went wash my ass.
SIN
My business office was located on the fourth floor in The McQueen Firm's building.
While Zoo and I were essentially the more active owners, Brooklyn spent most of his time in the studio we owned.
Our businesses were legit, even if everything we did wasn't. Our family sustained some hiccups in the past, but things had been quiet for the most part in the last few years.
Marriages were happening left and right, kids were being born daily, and honestly, I loved that shit.
My family was growing as Black families should.
I spent the morning meeting with two separate companies looking to expand their offices into a new area.
JSC was known for great architectural designs that afforded clients both accessibility and security.
We'd built a number of properties over the years, and the firm wasn't slowing up by a long shot.
As the day progressed, I finished up some paperwork and prepared to leave the office a little early. I had plans to be courtside, cheering Naomi on. Smiling as I thought about her reaction to seeing me, I planned on making her give me some of her time.
"The fuck you smilin' about?" Zoo came into my office, looking higher than a muhfucka.
"Nothin'," I answered. "We got a game to go to, so I'm finishing shit up."
"We? Why the fuck I wanna go to a game?" Zoo grilled me like I told him he had to go to a pageant. He sat across my desk with his eyebrows stitched together.
"It's just for support, nigga," I replied. "Floor seats. A few of us are going to welcome the team on their first game in the city."
Zoo clicked his teeth like a lil' bitch. "Nah, nigga. You goin' so you can see wassup with ol' girl. I'ain dumb."
"Yeah, but it's a big deal for the city to have them here. Revenue ain' shit," I stated. He chuckled.
"The only revenue I'm concerned about is mine."
"Well, tonight you're concerned about the city's revenue, too, 'cause ya ass is going. I already told Dame we'd be there."