Chapter 10 #2
"I knew coming to you wouldn't work. You're letting this become personal instead of keeping it business," Qilo said.
See, now he was trying to push my fucking buttons.
It wasn't a secret that I used to fuck with Kim.
Heavy. I thought she was beautiful, outgoing, and sweet as hell.
We clicked up after I helped with her first single, which was over a year ago.
Three months into fucking around, shawty told me she was pregnant.
The shit that flowed after was in the past, but here this nigga was trying to bring it up.
"How something gon’ be personal when neither one of y'all is shit to me? Trust, this is all muthafuckin’ business. I'm doing you a favor, but don't think I need yo’ fucking bread, nigga. Stick that shit up yo’ ass and get the fuck out."
"Guys," Kim called from the booth. "I'll just redo the verse."
Ignoring Qilo, I cut the music back on for Kim so she could handle this shit. I'd been at it three hours with them, and I swear they were the only ones I hated working with.
I used to love being in the studio from sunup to sundown. This was my escape and my passion, but when I had to deal with muthafuckas that wanted the easy route in this industry, I couldn't fuck with that.
A few minutes later, I smelled her. The subtle scent of the Jimmy Choo, I Want Choo, I’d bought her as a gift tickled my nose, bringing my eyes to the door.
Baby Girl was looking right as fuck. I didn't fall for a chick by what I saw.
That's how I fucked up before. Still, Bronx had that undeniable sexy face and body that did something to me.
It was her genuine spirit that drew me to her.
Recently, she cut her hair in a bob and it really fit her.
She was beautiful with her long hair but she said this gave her the change she was looking for.
Her smile had me forgetting people were in the room when she stepped inside. A week without seeing her face or hearing from her didn't keep me from thinking about her. She hesitated to walk in when she saw I had company. I beckoned her over to the chair next to me and told her to have a seat.
I took the heavy purse from her shoulder and set it aside on the couch. She skeptically eyed Qilo, who was drooling over Baby Girl like a muthafucka. One more second of him looking at her, was ‘bout to have his eyeballs looking out of his ears.
When Kim finished up her verse, I cut the music.
"That was better," I told her. I replayed the joint so she could hear the difference and she smiled in satisfaction, although her eyes darted to Bri.
Kim came out of the booth, questions dancing across her mahogany face. Questions that she really didn’t need any answers to because we weren’t shit.
"Hey, I'm Kim," she spoke to Bri without any reservations.
"Yes, I know who you are. I'm Brianna, it's nice to meet you. I love your music." Any other person would've gushed and jumped up like Kim was Bey, but Bri kept shit cool.
Kim smiled. "You look so familiar?" Kim squinted her eyes as if she was trying to remember where she knew her from. “Brianna Kincade, right? Yesss, I’ve been following you for years now. You are a great ball player. Well, was a great ball player.”
Bronx chuckled because she caught that shady shit, too.
Bronx shook her head. "Please believe, I still can ball. But why when I can do less and make more than what you make sweating on stage or in a hot ass booth?” She chuckled.
I grinned.
"Whoa, that’ll do it,” Qilo let out before stepping up to Bronx. “Qilo, by the way."
Bronx shied away from his compliment and gave him a small wave instead.
Kim still had her eyes glued to Bronx, most likely trying to figure her out.
Bronx was a naturally beautiful, around the way type of girl.
Kim was used to being around spruced up females that wore thousand-dollar fits and weaves.
Bronx sitting there in a simple red Nike jogger suit with the all-black Jordan', a messy high bun, simple diamond studs, sapphire diamond bracelet, and perfectly done nails, confused Kim.
"Are y'all cousins?" she asked, prompting Bronx's eyes to bounce between us. “I know you got a lot of cousins, Brooke, so I’m just asking.”
"Kim ,we'll pick back up tomorrow," I said, ending our session.
"What?" She was about to be a bitch, I sensed it. This was the side of her I'd only seen after the bullshit.
"You’re good to finish your session. I'll leave," Bronx said and started to stand. I stopped her. I could tell she was pissed off a little behind Kim’s question.
"Stay, Lil' Baby, you're good. Kim, we'll get back to it tomorrow, " I reiterated.
Kim was lucky that Bri was in a mood and didn’t want to be bothered with her or she would’ve tried to do her how she tried to do Emily at the hospital.
She rolled her eyes at me before she snatched up her purse and stalked towards the door.
"See you tomorrow, mane." Qilo half-ass dapped me then followed his cow.
"I didn't mean to interrupt your work," Bronx stated. “You and Kim, huh?” she questioned. Unlike Kim, Bronx’s eyes danced with mischief.
I chuckled and waved it off. "Once upon a time. So, tell me wassup." Leaning back in my chair, I rested my arms across each other and met her gaze.
"I can't sleep." She sighed. Even as she said the words, her shoulders sagged with fatigue.
I noticed the slight bags under her eyes and said, "Yeah I can see that."
She prettily smacked her teeth. "Just straight up, huh?" She chuckled.
I nodded. "Would you prefer me to bullshit you?"
"Never," she quickly replied. “I haven’t been able to sleep much since everything happened with my brother and like I said in the text, for some reason, you calm me. It’s easy for me to clear my head when I’m around you.
Even if I’m just here while you work or at home with you.
My mood is always… calm,” she confessed. "I was a mess before I got here.”
“Shawty, you just lost your brother. Don’t beat ya’self up for losin’ sleep over it.
What I will fuss at you about is I told you if you needed me, to call.
You waited a whole week before you reached out to me.
Knowing I’ve been missing yo’ ass like crazy and worried about chu’.
I’ve been texting Zoo and Sin nonstop so they can ask Naomi and PJ if you were good.
I asked them so much to the point they would send me a text first saying, she’s good, before I had the chance to ask them again. They knew I missed you so much.”
Bri’s delicately shrugged her shoulders. “My sister just went back home this morning. She’s been my little piece of comfort. I did okay when she was here, but now…”
I nodded, understanding.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll come over and stay as long as you need me to,” I offered. She smiled.
“I wouldn’t want to interfere with what you have going on,” she muttered.
“You can’t call it interfering if it’s something I want to do. You already know that I’m usually in here late, so if you want, you can always skate by here and chill until I leave.”
Her gaze danced over the interior of the studio as she thought about it.
“As long as you promise to feed me each time I come,” she said after a while. “I won’t be in your way.”
Smirking, I stood. “Come on, let me show you around in case you need to find shit. I’m glad you came, my next step was to break in. Zoo and I have been planning that shit for three days now.”
“Y’all crazy.” She chuckled.
She followed me out of the studio room through the hall leading to my office. I flicked on the light and showed her where the restroom was.
“It’s always clean. I’on do that dirty shit so don’t worry.
You can hang out in here or in the studio, that’s up to you.
Of course, it’s loud in there and I have people in and out.
I own everything in the building, though, so feel free to make ya’self at home.
” I’d been so wrapped up into the things that happened that I’d never thought about bringing Bri to my studio.
We were good in our own lil’ bubble at her crib or mine.
She’s the type that you want to date in private and pop out married.
Just so the world wouldn’t have a chance to mess us up.
Smiling, she turned to me and said, “Thank you.”
I led her back to the studio where she grabbed her bookbag and made herself comfortable on the leather couch.
She retrieved a thick notebook, and a pen, then dove into whatever she was doing.
Leaving her to it, I put the headphones on my head to begin the process of mixing down one of Kim’s completed songs.
I tried to concentrate, but every breath I took was filled with Brianna.
She had no clue of how she’d just made my night. I kept looking back, stealing glances at her as she worked until one time I looked back and she was knocked out. It was time for me to go by then, so I grabbed her things, the keys, then lifted her from the couch.
My baby was right, she hadn’t had sleep in a while because she was so deep in this one that she didn’t even move while we rode the elevator down. Instead of making her drive home exhausted, I placed her in my front seat and drove her to my place.
She slightly woke up when we arrived, staying up long enough to shower and climb in the bed. Once her head hit my chest, she was out. Meanwhile, I was taking in this moment and making memories for us as I took pictures of her knocked out on my chest.