“I do. You blessed my pockets fresh out. Shid, I ain’t even paid a fuckin’ phone bill since I been out. I ain't used to another man doin’ shit for me outside of my brothers, and I know you my brother, too, but… You ain't have to do none of the shit you did and still doin’ for a nigga. Real shit, I appreciate the fuck out of you for bringin’ me in. I ain’t no pocket-counting-ass nigga, but I see how y’all livin’. I see the respect y’all get—the way the city bows to y’all. I was in dat cell not knowing what my next movewould be. If worst came to worst, I was gonna ask my bro-in-law to have Goal put me on. But seeing how y’all livin’, I wouldn’t want to do nuttin’ else but this, and I haven't even started doin’ what the fuck I’m supposed to be doin’.”
“Man, I keep my word. I told you I was coming back for you, you just ain’t hear me. And when it comes to Glow… She’s a diamond. I knew she was something special, but at the same time, I knew she wasn’t for me. I never had any dealings with your wife outside of casual conversations. She’s a good one. You did good. We good, Tune.”
Tune was my brother, but I knew how men could get behind pussy. Plus, Glow was a beautiful woman. I was being truthful, though. We’d had a few conversations, but there was never a spark. I never even got close enough to smell her. I wanted to ensure Tunan understood that because I didn’t need to become a cloud in their marriage. No matter how much they screamed that their shit was just on paper, an emotionless motherfucker could feel the connection, and a blind motherfucker could see it. Tunan didn’t know it yet, but he loved Glow, and sooner than later, they would be okay with the reality of falling in love.
As for me, I was in the wildest fucking predicament. I was so in my head about the two women Don said I had to choose from that I’d been avoiding them both.
Tune bit into a wing, and from the look on his face, I could tell he wasn’t enjoying it. Turning to me, he asked, “What’s been goin’ on with you, doe? Y’all ain’t dial me up for dat impromptu trip to Mexico.”
“You got a passport?” I asked the question I already knew the answer to.
“I do. But ain’t no tellin’ what dat thieving-ass hoe did with it.” He snarled, throwing the bone on the plate.
I had never encountered a woman like Stella and prayed I never would. She took my brother for everything he had,literally. From my understanding, Tunan was doing really well before he met Stella, and when he got with her, things started going downhill. That was the price for fucking with any and everybody. I learned quickly that women enjoyed a good trick, especially if he could be tricked.
“Mexico was indeed impromptu. I didn’t even want them niggas to come.” I lowered my voice because there were too many ears around. “That was Don’s doin’.”
“So… You got a baby and a long-lost baby mama.” Tunan smirked.
“Nel needs to stop tellin’ my fuckin’ business like his shit wasn’t a fuckin’ disaster just a few months ago.”
Lifting my hand, the big-haired bartender nearly tripped over her foot to come our way again. She had all of her teeth on display as she waited for my request. I smiled to be polite—I was more than uninterested in women right now.
“I need another.” I pointed to the empty glass that had housed a triple shot of Sullivans Cove.”
“Triple shot again?”
“No. I’ll take the bottle.”
Her smile dropped, making her wide nose the focal point of her face. It went well with her bone structure, and she looked cute as hell with the perplexed expression on her face. I loved women in all shapes and sizes and didn’t have the expectation that all women needed button noses to be attractive. Wasn’t shit wrong with a bell pepper nose as long as the rest of your face matched that shit.
“The bottle is two thousand dollars…”
Crossing my hands as they rested on the bar top, I shot her a cheeky grin. “I didn’t ask the cost, Brook, but if we’re talking numbers, the bottle actually costs eight hundred. Your owner gotta get his profit, though, so I ain’t tripping.” My grin widened. “The bottle, please.”
Brook’s posture relaxed, and if it wasn’t for the alcohol, deep-fried foods, mix of cheap and mid-range perfumes and colognes hanging in the air, I would have been able to smell how relaxed she was.
Brook turned, her ass—which was small but had grip—hanging out of her black shorts. When she reached for the brand-new bottle, I clicked my tongue.
“This the Sullivans Cove.” She looked over her shoulder, big hair blocking her view.
“It is, but no need to pop a seal. I’ll take what’s left of that one.”
She pointed to the bottle that had a fourth of the whisky left in it. When I nodded, she sucked her teeth with a smirk.
“But you’ll be paying for a bottle that’s nearly gone. That’s silly.”
Holding my hand out, I took the bottle and poured it into the glass without responding. That was her cue to go back to servicing her other customers. I wasn’t up for conversing with her about what I was doing with the money in my pocket. She’d be tipped well, and since the bar usually put a twenty percent gratuity on every ticket, she should’ve been trying to upsell me a second bottle.
Ditzy broads.
Tossing back the glass, I tasted the tea leaves, dried pineapples, and fresh pine layers of the whiskey as the flavors scratched my throat. I hadn’t tasted this flavor profile, but I knew that with the single casks, you never knew what you were getting until you tried it. I was going to enjoy the last of this bottle from the Australian company, but I’d be running an extra three miles tomorrow to burn this shit off.
“You gonna leave me hangin’, or you gonna fill the gaps on what Nel hadn’t? I still don’t understand how he told me the play but still left shit out—like I ain’t already married. Shit, I beatdat nigga down the aisle. I’m more certified than him and his brother, actually.”
Tunan laughed, and I chuckled with him because he had managed to marry before all of us except Ezio. Don was sure to rub that shit in every time he was in our space too. He definitely made it a point during our conversation on the plane coming back from Mexico.
“Bahati and I fucked off for years when I was livin’ in Chicago. There was…advantagesto our relationship. Her pops was a pharmacist.”
