“Snap out ya fantasy, bruh.” Karmine’s voice pulled me back down from the clouds.
He cackled when he came strutting into the office with a fresh glass of cognac.
“Where did you find her little ass? Like… where the fuck they make something like that? She bad.” He shuddered, and his eyes rolled back in his head. “I just need to know where her family isso I can shoot my fucking shot. Why you holding out and being stingy?” Karmine sank into the same chair that Harbor had removed herself from.
Avoiding his prying eyes, I stuffed my folders into the file drawer beside my desk.
“I already told you. This is strictly business.”
“Yeah. I saw that movie,” Karmine kidded, kicking his leg over to drape over the other while he sloped back in his seat. “If you ain’t smashed, that shit is pending.”
“The fuck out of here.” I sucked my teeth, and he folded his hands across his stomach while examining me.
“It’s been a long time. Since Ivana,” Karmine implied.
The mention of her name still did something to a nigga’s heart. Shit went still at the thought of her face, her fucking voice, which had already faded. I stopped what I was doing and caught my brother’s glance.
“What’s your point?”
“My point is… you need a woman, bro,” Karmine articulated.
“Like I need a fucking hole in the head,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Most of these bitches out here so lost they can’t tell left from fucking right. They either too damn independent or too damn needy. Ain’t no in between. Fuck a bitch good one time, and she latch on like a fucking leech.”
Karmine fell over laughing.
“I loved one woman. She’s gone. Ain’t no room for another. Ivy is enough. My career is enough,” I insisted a little too adamantly because Karmine wore a smirk.
“Yeah, a’ight. Play that tough-guy shit. Every real nigga needs a woman at his side. Look back and see all the successful mothafuckas out here and check out they spouse. Shit, our parents are prime fucking examples. Kut and Karrin are fucking goals. I want that shit one day. When I’m done playing around, me and Farrah gonna tie the knot.”
I was surprised by that information. Farrah had been his girl since high school, but they were always off and on. She was also a model on the rise, so these days, she traveled all over the fucking world. Karmine met up with her when he could, but he was running a marketing firm that kept him busy and traveling as well. They were both young and living their best lives.
“Wait, I thought she turned down your proposal last year?” I queried, confused.
“Yeah, I’m just letting her do her for now. When the time is right, I’ll ask again, and I’ll get the answer that I want.” He seemed sure in his words. “Look, Free, I know that you loved Ivana?—”
“Love, Mine. I love that girl to this fucking day. I think about her when I wake up and when I go to sleep. Our daughter looks just like her. I spent the last six years distancing myself from my child because of that. Shit hurts looking in her face. So don’t tell me that I need a bitch. That’s the last fucking thing I need.”
“You sounding a little soft, brody?—”
“Man, fuck you!” I snapped, which only made his ass laugh hysterically as he rose from the chair.
“A’ight. I’m gonna go shower and crash. That meal Celine cooked up ’bout to have a nigga on slump.” He clutched his stomach while making his way to the door. “I’ll just go say good night to Harbor too. What room she in?” He teased from the doorway.
I didn’t answer, but a cold stare from me wiped the humor off his face. Karmine’s hands went up in surrender.
“My bad. I’ll stay on my side of the house. Better watch that shit. Somebody might think you give a fuck.” He simpered before he spun on his heel and disappeared.
I could never even imagine life with another woman after planning one with Ivana. I was told that soul mate shit was real, but you only got one shot at it. I believe that she was my one andonly. That kind of love wasn’t coming around on me again, and I knew that I didn’t deserve it.
“It’s all foreign to me, I don’t speak what you speak…”
Harbor
Sleep wouldn’t cometo me that night. I tossed and turned in the dark, nothing but the shadows from the moon bouncing off the walls. I was hot, then cold, taking the covers off and on. Images of my father, Lock, and even my mother seemed to flash on repeat. It dawned on me, after looking at the clock that read it was after two a.m., I had free rein. Sitting up in bed, I tossed my legs over the side and peered around. I could use a snack.
Grabbing the matching robe to my night gown, I slipped it over my body and went to the door. It was strange, having itunlocked. I actually smiled when I pulled it open and poked my head into the darkened hallway. I crept through the hallways, but my heart was going crazy. The house was so big. I hadn’t realized how creepy it was during the night. Catching a chill, I crossed my arms over my chest and continued a gradual trek to the kitchen.
I was in part of the house that I’d never been in before. Nearing a set of big double doors with crown molding and handles built like the tusk of an elephant, I paused. Something told me I was nearhim. This was Frequency’s domain. The entire house carried his deep aura. The door was left barely parted. I could hear a voice, but it wasn’t loud or even clear. He was muttering, and then suddenly a rage-filled howl filled the air, sending chills down my spine.
