Chapter 3 #3
“Yeah, I’m not interested,” she shot back. “So no.”
She was on the offense, her stance ready to attack if need be. She was mad as shit, and not at me, but I could take a hint. One look at her pretty face was a glimpse of pure anger. Her dark eyes held fire in them, and I wasn’t trying to get burned for a crime I hadn’t committed.
I could handle rejection, so I held my hands up and backed off. “I’m sorry.”
Cesar was lifting when I got back to the weights. He took one look at me and another in Miss PYT’s direction and shook his head.
If he only knew.
After talking to Regina, talking to Cesar, and hitting the iron pretty hard, I did feel better.
Better enough that I knew I wouldn’t go against my father.
Regina was right, I was loyal, and I did love him dearly.
Going against the grain like that, it would disrupt our relationship, and I wasn’t sure if he’d forgive me.
Even if I didn’t stab him back and work with Tee, taking all his employees for my own establishment would hurt him just enough.
Then there was my mother. Hurting him would hurt her, and I could never hurt her.
My body was sore and achy, but nothing beat that fresh workout feeling.
“You doing better?” Cesar asked me as we came out of the locker room.
I was just out of the shower, feeling clean and renewed. I was going to be another year older, and even if I wasn’t getting what I wanted, it wasn’t the end of the world. “Yeah. Let’s just make twenty-eight a year of more work and more success, and show ’im what we worth.”
Cesar reached out, pounding his fist against mine. “Bet.”
I could wait. Good things came to those who waited. If I could show my pops I was serious, without a woman at my side, perhaps he’d ignore all that romance and love shit and let it go.
Up ahead of us, I spotted Miss PYT zipping up her gym bag, about to leave. She was dressed down in her regular clothes, baggy cargos and a top she had tied at the side. It was street. Urban. And it worked for her without being try hard.
“Ay, you get the number?” Cesar asked as he nudged me.
“Nah.” I left him and raced over to the front section of the gym before Miss PYT could walk off. Even though women and I were a bad mix at the moment, I wanted to smooth things over.
“Miss,” I said as I caught her.
She turned, again her guard going up as she recognized me from earlier.
I stood back, not crowding her space, not intimidating her or making her uncomfortable. No meant no.
“You look like you’re not having a good day and I shouldn’t have approached you earlier,” I said.
“I shouldn’t even be bothering you now, but I’m a people pleaser.
” I flashed a hopeless smile as I dug into my pocket.
I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a VIP pass and handed it over.
“So, come out this weekend on the house.”
Miss PYT accepted the pass and examined it. “BLVCKJVCK? I keep hearing about this place being dope.”
“Nice to know our reputation precedes us.”
Her eyes flashed to mine. “You work here?”
I touched my chest, not about to lie to get in good with her. “Dad owns it. I mostly run it.”
Her lips twisted into a scowl. “If this is a ploy to impress me—”
“Nah, I just want to make it up to you. Bring a friend.”
“Wouldn’t come without her.”
Smart. “Again, I’m sorry for disturbing your peace.”
“Can I get free drinks?” she asked with her chin up, grinning with no shame, trying to milk this gesture.
I dug into wallet again, going against protocol. I held out a matte black card between two fingers toward her.
She took and studied it. “What’s this?”
“The golden ticket gets you in the door and into VIP, but that…” I tapped the card. “…gets you unlimited access to free drinks for the night. Now, I rarely give those out, they’re sorta members only, so don’t tell anybody where you got it.”
She perked a brow. “You’re really trying to impress me.”
I bit back a chuckle. “You are impressed.”
She scoffed, taking a step back. “Wow, cocky. I’ll think about going to the club.”
She’d show up.
Because I had some sense, I held my hand out for a proper introduction. “My fault, Ezekiel.”
Tentatively, she shook my hand, tipping her head toward me. “Ezekiel.”
Not an enigma. “John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt? My name is your name, too?”
That got her to a smile. “Yup, they call me Kiki.”
I licked my lips, enjoying her play. “I can’t get your name?”
Visibly, she felt me, I could tell as her mouth fell open and her eyes ran over me. She wasn’t so tough.
Soon, she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “Nastasia.”
I shook her hand again, holding her gaze, feeling her just as she felt me. “Nice to meet you, Nastasia. Hope to see you this weekend.”
I let her go and didn’t follow her lead outside. I stayed where I was as Cesar came up beside me, watching her through the glass as she crossed the walkway into the parking lot.
“What was that?” he asked.
Nastasia walked with swift purpose to her vehicle, and I admired the way even if she wanted to, she didn’t look back. “An investment.”