Page 64 of The Need to Know

“Word?” Paisley asked.

“You think I was just gon’ let you slide through the building, talk yo’ shit and I wasn’t gon’ rebuttal?” I shook my head at her naivety. “Next month, or September, Battle of the Sexes. We’ll do it up like a Verzuz battle. You can come through again and we’ll have a male co-host.”

“Who?”

I shrugged, trying and failing to come up with someone. “Could have Cease, but he in love now, so he’d probably go too easy. If push comes to shove, I’ll do it.”

“Think you can take me after tonight?” Paisley challenged as she leaned over and snatched the joint back.

All it would take was calling up a few rappers or singers I had connections with to make my end of the night lit. “I got a few tricks up my sleeves.”

“Silly, wabbit, tricks are for kids,” Paisley joked. She sat on the edge of the desk and passed back the joint. “I’m down, though.”

“Ten thousand,” I proposed.

Paisley paused. “I’m cool with eight.”

I shook my head. “But you’re worth ten. Never settle for change when you’re worth a whole bill.”

Paisley slowly grinned. “Thank you, Eazy.”

I was sure Pops would pause at the idea, but after he saw tonight’s numbers, I knew for a fact he’d agree in the end. We didn’t really do things like this, but it was a smash, so I knew a Battle of the Sexes Night would make bank.

Paisley suddenly got a pained look on her face. “I don’t want to like you for Nas.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s my girl and I’d hate to have to burn this club down if you fuck with her.”

I whistled as I held the joint out for her turn. “You’re a beautiful woman. I’d hate to have to see you in jail for arson.”

Paisley fixed me with a solid, cold look. “That’s if you make it out of the fire.”

Fair point.

“It’s undefined, but Nas the homie. It ain’t goin’ bad like that,” I swore. “Shit, I wish she was here tonight.”

“We been busy, and after tonight, it’ll probably get busier,” Paisley said limply. “But I mean it, if you not for real, just leave her alone. She a big girl, but I’m not above letting you know now.”

I really should’ve walked away just then and washed my hands of it, but then the image of Nastasia’s face scrunching up in pleasure when I’d had her hands behind her back at Dellucci’s came to mind, and the way she smiled at me all the way to her house after our picnic, and for some reason, I didn’t want to just leave it.

Exhausted wasn’t the word for what I felt Friday night. After an incredibly hectic day, on top of a swamped two-week rush of constant customers, I was burned out. The thought of getting up in the morning to do it again almost made me want to cry.

To make it worse, Paisley pulled a disappearing act on me today. She called in sick and didn’t stay on the phone long for me to interrogate. It wasn’t like neither of us hadn’t ever gotten sick before, but it was the fact that Paisley didn’t sound sick that made me iffy.

Not that I had time to really muse on the matter, because as soon as noon hit, a wave of customers stampeded in and it was a madhouse all day. The weekend had women wanting to show out, and then the Ladies’ Night event, which was nothing more than free advertising, helped as well.

A part of me felt a sense of pride as I sat back on the couch after my shower Friday evening, because no matter the challenge of running the shop alone, I made it happen and it worked.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to get down to the bottom of whatever was going on with Paisley.

I grabbed my phone to call Ezekiel, the only person who had seen her during Thursday’s Ladies’ Night.

We hadn’t hung out in a while due to the shop keeping my attention and his planning the event, and if I were being honest, it bummed me out. It was up in the air if we would or wouldn’t hook up, but at the very least, it was nice to have a new friend. One who was entirely too easy to click with and fall into sync.

I didn’t hesitate to find his contact in my cell and call him.

“Hey, stranger.” The sound of Ezekiel picking up right away put a smile on my face. I hated the bullshit game of waiting forever to answer a call, return a “missed” call or text. With Ezekiel, for now, it was all punctual and prompt.