Page 9 of Rich Forever: Zo & Remy

I walked down the hallway to Jax’s office and tapped the door twice before walking inside. He was sitting in his chair listening to recordings and writing down shit on a notepad. When he saw me standing in the doorway, he turned it off and put the pen down.

“What’s up, Zo? Everything good with KD?” He asked before I could even close the door.

“Yeah, she’s good,” I said as I shook his hand and then sat down in front of him.

“Look, I've got enough on my plate. If you’re about to resign, I’ll double your pay. I can’t trust anyone underneath you to take your spot.” He jumped the gun, and I could see the stress all over his face again.

“Nigga, chill. I ain’t resigning, but yeah. Double that.” I laughed as he took a deep breath, sat back into the chair, and waited for me to tell him what I wanted to talk to him about. As we got closer to the wedding, he became more stressed. I had stepped in and taken on some of his duties because he just wasn’t there mentally. His focus was on Kenn, and I could understand that.

I shook my head at him as he waited for me to start talking.

“How do you feel about Remy?” I asked him straight up, I didn’t sugarcoat it, and didn’t try to lead into the conversation. I got right down to business.

He smirked at me and leaned forward.

“What do you mean, Zo?” He asked, feigning ignorance. Wanting me to say it.

“I don’t know your business, J. I don’t know what you do in your spare time. But I know she’s set to be your wife. How you feel about her?” I doubled down.

He chuckled. “Remy is a good girl. Smart as fuck and she’s genuine. I couldn’t have picked a better person to go through this shit with, other than her. That’s my sidekick. We like Marley and Mike. But KD? Her crazy ass is my heartbeat. I’ve seen how you look at Rem. I’ve just been wondering how long it was going to take you to make a move. I respect that you’re asking me my intentions first, though. I didn’t think you would.”

“You know me better than that.” I interrupted.

“I do. And you know me well enough to know that I don’t see anything but KD. She’d beat your ass if she knew you were here questioning me about another woman.” He laughed as he pickedup his pen and the recorder. “Do what you want, that’s all you.” He finished.

I nodded, slid back the chair, stood, and frowned as he pressed play on the recorder; it was in another language. I shook my head because you never know what these niggas have up their sleeves.

“Ay, Zo?” He stopped me right as I grabbed the handle.

“What’s good?” I asked.

“I can tell it’s something between you and Remy. But as my nigga, I’m asking you not to take it there with her if you're not going to be serious about her. Rem is looking out for me. So I gotta make sure I send that back her way. Don’t fuck her over.”

I nodded, pulled the door open, and walked out. That nigga had just changed the game. I didn’t know Remy well enough to say whether I was going to be serious about her, but just the fact that I wanted to get to know her made me think it was worth exploring. I had talked to many women, but when they were gone, they were out of sight and out of mind. Remy had a different effect; I couldn’t get her ass off my mind, even when I knew she shouldn’t be there.

Almost like she could sense the conversation about her, she sent me a message.

Remy: Hello, Zo. I know it’s short notice. But I need to go to a couple of places. The spa and the grocery store, please.

Me: Aight, I’ll be there in 30 minutes.

Remy: Is it okay if I drive and you follow me? I want to feel regular today.

Me: No.

Remy: Ugh, worth a shot. Thanks.

I got in the black truck and started the drive to the south side. On the way there, Jax’s words kept replaying in my head. Don’t approach her if I am not going to take her seriously. When Imade up my mind to come talk to him, I had also made up my mind to pursue her. But now, this just gives me another reason to fall back for now. I couldn’t say for sure that I was going to be all in with her because I didn’t know her. But I had come to the conclusion that whatever my gut told me, that would be my next move.

Remy

7years prior

I anxiously waited for Zo to come pick me up, like we were going on a date, but all he was doing was taking me to run some errands. I laughed out loud at my delusion. That man gave me a feeling that I couldn’t explain. It made me tense, nervous, and excited all at once. But I couldn’t act on it. Remy Cross wasn’t in the business of pursuing a man. But I wasn’t an idiot, I saw the attraction in his eyes, the way he seemed to undress me every time I walked by. Occasionally, we would catch eyes in the rearview mirror. But the longer I was around Jaxon’s family, the better I understood their dynamics. He and Jaxon were just about as tight as Jaxon and his brothers. He was basically the fourth Jennings. Zo was the most trusted member on Jax’s team. I heard how he talked about him. I always noticed that if anything went wrong, Zo was the person he turned to.

It made sense that Zo was avoiding me and being standoffish. He didn’t want to overstep. But Jaxon and I didn’t have that kind of relationship. Judah calls me his wingman; that’s exactly whatI’d call it. Still, it wasn’t my place to try to convince any of them otherwise.

He sent me a message to let me know he was coming through the gate, so I grabbed my bag, slipped on my shoes, and walked outside. When he saw me come to the door, he stepped out of the car and opened the rear door for me. I walked down the stairs, crossed the walkway toward him, and noticed he was doing that same thing with his eyes again. That intense stare said more than his mouth had in the last month or so. I kept my face neutral as I approached, meeting his gaze without a word.