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She took another deep breath before pulling in her top lip for a nibble then blowing it out. “It was a few years ago—before Chi-Chi. I’d heard he, Juggy, and Man were atClub Sinand some guys tried to rob the place on the wrong night.”
“What made the night wrong?”
“The fact that Jas, Juggy, and Man were there. Period. I mean, it was obviously the wrong place, too, because nobody in Harlem robs those guys. There still would have been hell to pay. All I meant was hearing what went down that night spiked my non-existing high blood pressure. Jas was still on parole. For sure, I thought he’d be in trouble with the law.” Her hand shot up in the air. “But he was not…clearly.”
That story seemed familiar. Jas had shared it with me, though his version was completely PG-13.
Sitting back, it was my turn to exhale deeply.
“What are you thinking?” There was a trace of concern in Chelsea’s voice.
I couldn’t let him control me. Jas would never dictate my world. I would date again at some point.
Damn him to hell.
“About how fucked I am.”
I sat back in the leather seat, tossing the highlighter onto the conference room table as she paced the side of the room. “What’s your point, Chelsea?”
“You humiliated and possibly traumatized that woman.”
Subconsciously, my attention went to my swollen knuckles splayed on the table. Air pushed through my lips, creating a silly ass sound. “Did not.”
She leaped in the air, turning to face me. “You did! Everybody knows Shi-Shi, the free-spirited, silly, life of the party girl. She’s been my friend for about four years now. She’s formidable, bodacious, and fun. The woman I spoke to yesterday was spooked, Jas. Spooked!”
Shit. She should be.
“Ashira’s good.”
“Is she?”
“I spoke to ol’ boy yesterday.” His bitch ass ran to Divine, and they called me. He apologized, and for his good senses, I offered to pay for his dental work. “We have a better understanding now. Ashira’s good, Chels.”
Her head snapped back. “Is she? Because that’s not what I saw yesterday at the clinic.”
“Did she tell you she’s not?”
Chelsea took a minute to think.
C’mon, Chels…
It was the middle of the day at my firm. My schedule was tight, but when she called saying she needed to talk to me, impossibly, I told her I’d make time. Chelsea was special to me. I’d always make sacrifices for her…even in the middle of a crazy busy fucking day. I’d just dismissed one of my teams after a fucking two-hour meeting in here.
“Oh, she said a lot, buddy. She used terms like goons, thugs, monster, and violent beast. Things I know you’ve worked hard not to be associated with. You’re so much better than that, Jas.” Her arms shot into the air. “Look at where we are, the empire you’ve tirelessly built. Do you want her to assume those things about you? Because I sure as heck don’t!”
“She knows who I am,” my voice low, unlike hers.
“Does she?”
“Sweetheart, look.” I tried locking eyes with Chels to calm her down. “That’s been the problem. I was honest with her when I met Ashira. I told her my limitations and capabilities. Have I behaved in a manner that caused her not to believe me? Maybe. It’s obvious her ex didn’t believe me when I calmly but straightforwardly explained the situation to him years ago.”
“Which was?”
“Which was he was not to contact her again.”
Her eyes bulged. “Never contact her again!”
The conference room door opened, and Ava pushed her head inside. “Bishop Carmichael’s here?” Her attention went from Chelsea’s confrontational posture to me sitting at the table.
