“You good?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because he’s leaving.”
“I don’t care about that. It’s girls’ night. Long as he behaves, then I’m good.”
“If he doesn’t, I’m gonna cut his ass. I still don’t trust him. You know Riggs was trying his best to hit on me, and I was like, don’t you have a girl? This man said hell no. Either he’s lying or Reg lied to you earlier. Just keep your eye on him, Joi. Real shit,” Nyelle fussed before Joi nodded but kept her thoughts to herself. The feeling in her gut was growing stronger by the minute and she planned to do a little investigating real soon.
The entire timeReg interacted with Joi, East watched from the bar. His plan was to get a bottle of water then dip. He had already said his goodbyes to Ace and was on his way out when he noticed Joi and Nyelle had returned. Had she been alone, he likely would have just stuck to his original plan, but the fact that she was with someone had East invading their privacy to see what was up with them.
She has somebody. The second East laid eyes on her dude, he knew what was up. Her man was hanging with Ace, which meant Joi had a thing for dope boys. It didn’t fit, but he knew how things like that worked. East had busted down plenty of good girls chasing the highs that came from a man in thestreets. Maybe he overestimated Joi’s position. Looks could be deceiving, but he pegged her as a woman who didn’t chase those dangerous highs. The ones who could be deadly with even more deadly consequences.
“This muthafucker isn’t shit,” East mumbled to himself, peeping old boy’s game.
East had seen him earlier all over some chick he knew was still in Ace’s section. East didn’t know Reg, but he knew he wasn’t faithful. Everything about him was a clear indication. He ran with Ace’s team, which meant he was getting money. His girl was at the club and he had the confidence to be all up on his side piece a few feet away. A lot of men couldn’t handle the privilege of money and power. One of those privileges being access to bad ass women willing to do whatever, whenever, as long as your pockets were deep.
When East noticed Reg heading back to Ace’s section, he watched him until the woman he noticed him with earlier eased into his lap. He whispered something in her ear then tongued her down before he pushed his hand between her legs, causing her to giggle before she got off his lap and put some space between them.
“He really isn’t shit,” East mumbled to himself for a second time when he noticed Joi out the corner of his eye.
She stood and pointed to the corner where he knew the bathrooms were, so he grabbed his bottle of water and took off in that direction. She arrived before he did and he posted up outside the private bathroom until she surfaced again, holding the door open with her body while she tossed the paper towel in her hand to the side and completely exited the bathroom. He was across from her, so the second she looked up, their eyes met.
Joi frowned while East’s expression didn’t change. It was stern, unreadable, and nothing like the smiles he had offered Joia few hours before at his shop. Instead of a greeting when he opened his mouth to speak, he hit her with a question.
“That’s your man I saw you with?”
“You stalking me?”
East laughed arrogantly and pulled his body from the wall. He entered her personal space without invitation and Joi unconsciously took a step back. East moved forward again to close the space she had created. As faint as his cologne was, it still hit Joi’s senses. She felt a bit thrown off by his presence and how good he smelled.
“The fuck I look like stalking a woman I don’t know? You really got me fucked up, don’t you?” East smiled, this time amused by how relevant she thought she was. “I noticed you with him. That’s your man?”
“Yes, why?” Joi was nervous from his closeness. His presence sparked something in her that she had no business feeling.Reg, think about Reg, Joi.
“What you know about him?”
The question was odd, so Joi’s face balled up even more.
“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to answer that.”
“It’s a simple question. That’s your man, so you should know how he moves.”
“I do,” Joi threw at East quickly and defensively. But did she know how Reg moved? It seemed like there was something more to East’s question.
East sensed her uncertainty and chuckled. It wasn’t his place to put another man’s business out here. Her man wasn’t shit, but maybe she knew it already. He didn’t care one way or another, but it did give him the green light to push up on her if he saw her again. Where East was concerned, any man who wasn’t taking care of home had to deal with the consequences of a man like him filling the void. East was seriously considering filling that void with Joi, but tonight was not the night to initiate that. Ifhe saw her again, he would take it there, but right now, he was going home.
“Be easy, pretty,” was all he said and it totally threw Joi.
“Wait, do you know Reg?” She followed him, but East kept moving and tossed his answer over his shoulder.
“No, and I’m sure you don’t either. Like I said, be easy, and I’ll see you around.”
Joi stood there, confused by what had just happened. Her eyes quickly moved around, trying to locate Reg. He wasn’t anywhere in sight, so she called him.No answer. Right after, a text came through.
You good, baby? It’s loud in here, so I didn’t answer.
Joi did a three-sixty turn, surveying the place, but still not finding Reg.
